A look at how Christmas 1986 is marked and celebrated within The Railway Arms and how life behind the pub's doors isn't as fulfilling or happy as Alex had hoped.
Beyond The Railway Arms
Chapter 1
Christmas 1986 - The Railway Arms
As the heaviest of snow floated throughout the air and landed on the pavement outside The Railway Arms. Inside the pub itself, everyone had gathered together to celebrate Christmas and also to sit down to watch the hotly anticipated episode of Eastenders. Although not actually everyone was feeling in the mood, to take part with the celebrations, Alex just couldn't embrace anything anymore. As she felt unhappy, she had started taking to down a few glasses of wine as of late and she had struggled terribly while getting use to her newest surroundings. - Working as a barmaid in the pub and settling down within an apartment room, that happened to resemble parts of her former flat.
"Another Christmas has come around, once again. This always the time of year where I wish, you were here with me, Gene. So we can celebrate it together. So you can comfort me and keep me safe from drunken partygoers. Please...please...come back to me."
When she didn't prefer a glass or two of wine, Alex had the habit of walking back and forth, along the widened white painted corridor. It was a very strange looking corridor, she had to admit. Sam, Annie and Ray would all disappear off now and again, into the many rooms which were featured on the left and the right hand side of this lengthy corridor. She hadn't an absolute clue, as to whatever lied on the other side of them. She then had wrestled with her conscience, as she became determined to find out what truths behind each of these doors. She had convinced herself, that perhaps another life back in Fenchurch East with Gene was behind one of them.
Her behaviour had come across as profoundly odd to her friends and colleagues, yet they pretty much knew the reason for this.
"Do you reckon Alex's still pinning all hopes on The Guv coming through those doors in time for Christmas?" Chris asked Ray, while the two of them were busy cleaning and wiping pint glasses behind the bar.
"Of course she is. I'm not counting on it being this year for the Guv to finally show up. Knowing him, he'll need to do one or two big jobs before he gives up running the station and decides to hand it over to some nancy so and so." Ray said, without hesitation.
"That's him alright, straight down to the middle. Do you reckon he misses all of us?"
"If he hasn't gone and forgotten...then yeah...probably."
"What do you mean by that?"
"He forgot about Sam, a couple days after him and Annie told us that they were going on holiday together...well let's not forget that was the excuse they gave. Don't forget we won't forgot him too you Div. It was only until Alex brought his name up in conversation."
They started to talk about other matters, as soon as Alex suddenly appeared behind them. It was obvious she had walked in and then overheard the two former detectives surreptitiously talking about her.
"Oh please don't stop on my account Ray. Go on, tell me how much of a silly posh bird I am and how foolish I am, for pinning my hopes on something that's never going to come true."
"Look you're not a silly posh bird and you're not foolish. You just have to accept that, what with Keats turning up like he did, he's made The Guv's attempts to come here difficult. You seen what did happen last time, when he followed all of us."
"Wait a minute...How did you know that? You couldn't have known that because you, Chris and Shaz went inside the pub together, before he even made his long awaited appearance." She felt curious to know how he could have possibly known this.
"You and the Guv appeared on the stupid tv in the bar, then it showed Keats. Me and Chris cheered when Gene punched him. I'd have bloody decked the pencil neck poof myself, if I'd have been given the chance of doing so. He tricked everyone especially you Alex, he almost succeeded in getting us to go with him. If he is still lurking around out there, like a worm inside an apple...well I hope Gene''s taken care of him, once and for all." Ray managed to get a lot of feelings and assumptions off his chest.
"So you can remember everything you saw on the tv above the bar." She asked. Soon enough she had quickly forgiven them for what she had picked up on in their conversation, regarding her. In spite of everything, the both of them were simply looking out for her best interests at heart.
"Yes, you'd be bloody amazed, to see what you can see on that tv of Fenchurch East nowadays. Sam told me, you can see some technology bollock images from the future and some smug arsed tosspot called Simon." Ray mentioned this, out of the blue. Sure enough he hadn't believed any word of this whatsoever and was waiting for either Chris or Alex to prove him wrong.
"It's probably not best to dismiss his claims just yet Ray." She suggested, she didn't wish to get sucked into this conversation too much.
The newly installed retro television above them, started playing up and flickering every five minutes. "
Television's been like this for the last three days. Get a good picture out of it, one minute and then the next minute it starts going on the bloody blink doesn't it. Don't know why Nelson replaced the old one with this useless one. He said, it's better to have a wider tv screen, so you can get more on it." Ray unleashed one almighty moan. He genuinely wasn't aware of the fact, that his words were repeating themselves in Alex's mind.
She began to wonder whether Nelson's proper reason to installing this new television, might be revealed to her, in due course. Sam had described Nelson as being one of a kind, when comes to sharing your best and worst of feelings. How the Jamaican barman had such familiarity and understanding, she was fascinated to discover just how he came to be a thoughtful and wise listener.
"Ray, you don't know if there's a ladder around somewhere, do you?"
"Why do you need to use a ladder? Why not just stretch your arms up and fix the tv there and then? If it was me, I know I would do that."
"Yeah but that's just being lazy isn't it? My only chance of getting my hands on the tv up there, is if I stand on the bar, then again I don't think that would be a good idea. Because the last time I done that, my antics didn't go down too well with Nelson." Chris claimed, it seemed like he was the only one to actually to remember this unfortunate incident from a few months ago.
"I think there's one in the next room Chris. Try there." Alex suggested. After he disappeared into the next room. She tried her best to stay relaxed, even though her mind was getting ever so curious because of the strange flickering and interference on the bar's television.
It felt like history repeating itself once again - The unusual interaction with whichever tv character or tv personality who were starring in or presenting their own tv show and then half way through the programme, they would then mention her name out of the blue. Not forgetting, there was also the inexplicable flickers which occurred on the old tv set in her former flat.
"The Guv..."
"What?" She had hardly been paying enough attention to what he was about to try and tell her.
"The Guv he'll be here, when he knows it's time. He's not one to refuse a pint after someone puts its on a tab."
"Who knows I could be waiting here forever...waiting for him.." She gently whispered with such sadness.
"Now you're talking absolute bollocks" Ray didn't want to see her preparing herself for disappointment, before she had a chance to consider putting all of her eggs in one basket, when it came to deciding where she wanted to head off to next - through one of those cozy life rooms.
"Maybe I am Raymondo...Maybe I am. Right well I might as well, leave you alone, so you can get the bar open for the annual Christmas party. While I can go off to get myself ready and choose what dress I fancy wearing for this year's party. Hopefully I'll be able to pick a better one this year, given that last year's one was a terrible dress." Making an effort would surely boost her confidence and enable her to relax better.
She left him to finish off a few extra chores behind the bar before heading into the long corridor. She caught a glimpse of the rest of the former detectives playing Snooker and darts in the Saloon together. It was very nice to see them all getting along with each other for once and not fighting. As soon as she approached her flat, although she wearing a white festive jumper and thick leggings, Alex suddenly felt a cold chill across the back of her neck.
This was certainly something odd because there was no windows anywhere along the corridor nor was there any windows high above her either. An unusual cold draft started to outspread itself throughout the length of the corridor. This was next followed by loud fist bangs against the wall.
She wondered whether someone was naively playing a trick on her.
"You know this isn't funny, playing tricks! I'll find out, one way or another why you're messing round with me. So it's probably best to come out now and reveal yourself right away...you know before you make matters even worse for yourself." Alex gave the person a one and only chance to appear in front of her.
Nobody unveiled themselves. If someone was there watching her, they were giving the impression that they weren't going to comply with her request straight away.
"One last chance or you will start to really piss me off." Now she was genuinely becoming rather annoyed, by this mysterious person. She soon acknowledged this person stepping out into the corridor from the left hand side of one of the many rooms. The still unseen figure looked
"You always were a right cheeky and annoying posh tart, the moment I set my eyes on you. All full of brains and yet you preferred to drop your knickers faster than shares in the stock exchange " That voice sounded all too familiar.
"Oh you have no idea, how much I want to slap you for that comment right now." She smiled and sighed, knowing who she was now speaking to. The man she had longed to be reunited with, for more than three years.
"Oh thanks a bunch...well to be honest, I was expecting you to make that bloody remark anyway." He chuckled, believing she hadn't changed one little bit. Gene was now facing her. Goodness it was easy to see, especially as she had noticed how different and remarkably sexy he looked nowadays. - Firstly there was no Guv tum, he had better kissable cheeks, a better kissable neck and slimmer legs.
"Gene...how did you manage to even get here? because Ray still hasn't opened the front entrance door...you know for the next people who step through it." She asked, oh how she longed to stroke his stubbly cheek.
"Oh I had my ways and means Bolly, of getting in here." Gene was behaving very secretively. Alex wished he wouldn't be so pigheaded. Although he still liked using the flirting techniques on Alex, it was evident he hadn't matured much since the last time she saw him. She was becoming concerned as to whether or not he might be concealing secrets from her.
This was turning out to be the reunion, she hadn't actually expected.
Gene could tell that his stubbornness wasn't doing him any favours and so he chose to put her mind at ease. "I didn't kill anyone Bolls, if that's what you're thinking. Keats is long gone. Rumours are some DCI bastard from Regional Crimes Squad got to him before I had the chance to and took care of him well."
"Litton took care of Keats?" Alex couldn't quite believe what she had heard.
"Oh yeah...He even took care of the drummer from Spandau Ballet as well, after the dozy sod nicked his drink at a party back in Manchester. Let's just bloody say, Litton and his Regional Crimes Squad team did a bloody good funny number on him.." Gene told her a bit of a naughty lie.
"Did he really?" She expressed further surprise.
"Of course he bloody didn't. I was having you on." Gene revealed the truth. "So Ray's hosting the Christmas party? Do you think I should show my face in the bar?" He asked her, he wasn't sure whether to join in with the festivities pronto. Gene simply needed as much time as possible to adjust to finally being where he had wanted to be, after so many years of near wishes of wanting to give up and pass on the reigns of Fenchurch East, to a suitable candidate.
"You have to, when you feel the time is right. Come on, come with me." She smiled as she eventually grasped hold of his hand and leading him into her flat.
End of Chapter
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