Scene 3 – John's house
As he unlocked the door and ushered Kayleigh into the house John called out:
"Ello? Anybody in? You there Nana? I'm home, finally!"
"I'm in 'ere John, in the front room."
John peeked his head round the door, keeping Kayleigh behind him and squeezing her hand while he greeted the elderly lady.
"Hiya Nana! You been all right? Sorry I were so long, I had to pick up a friend, we were just taking in the car, lost track of time."
He gently tugged Kayleigh's hand and then released it as she steps into the room.
"Nana, this is Kayleigh. Kayleigh, this is me Nana, Rose."
He went across to kiss his nana on the cheek and Kayleigh followed up by taking hold of Nana's hand.
"It's lovely to meet you Rose, I've heard loads about you."
"Oh, aye? What've you been saying about me now, our John?"
"Nothing! I just told Kayleigh how good you are, that you've waited in all day after the parcel came first thing. You been all right? Did you watch anything on Sky? Have you had any quiche?"
He looks round but TV is off and there's no sign of any crockery.
"Oh, I tried! It were all in foreign - Morse were speaking German!"
"You what? German?"
"Yeah, I couldn't understand a word 'e were saying. It were all right though, I'd seen it before. I knew it were 'er in the fur coat who did it. Anyways, is this your lady friend then? The one you've been keeping secret?"
John blushes while Kayleigh dips her head trying not to smile.
"Err, well this is Kayleigh who I told you about. We car share to work."
At this Kayleigh let out a quietly exasperated "John!" under her breath.
He turned to her pleadingly, whispering a placatory "OK, I'll sort it!" before turning back to his Nana.
"Would you like a cup of tea Nana? If I show her where the kettle is I'm sure Kayleigh wouldn't mind making us all a brew."
Before either of then could respond he gently started to hustle Kayleigh out the door towards the kitchen
Another exasperated whisper: "John!"
Once in the hallway he took her by the hand and led her into the kitchen, pushing the door to.
"Sorry! Christ, this is harder than I thought. Just give me a minute eh? Let me tell Nana about us by myself while you make the tea and then we can all have a cuppa together before I drop her home. Ok?"
"Ok." She reached up to fondly wipe a bead of sweat from his brow before taking his other hand and moving closer. "As long as you actually tell her you've got a girlfriend. You big gay mute!"
He understood the reference immediately, being catapaulted back to their first car journey home together. It hadn't been as eventful as their first journey into work but he recalls the warm glow that had washed through him on realising that, even then, she wanted to share with him and he with her.
"All right, all right, you piss-throwing psycho!" he countered, leaning in to steal a soft-lipped kiss.
They were both smiling as they pulled apart, the electricity of their newly-minted relationship seeming to sparkle in the air around them.
"John!?" came a call from the front room, breaking the spell. "John, can I 'ave some custard creams with me tea?"
He made his way over to the cupboard to fetch the biscuits down while Kayleigh busied herself filling the kettle.
"Right, mugs are in here, teabags in that cannister there. I'll 'ave two sugars and Nana likes half a teaspoon with loads of milk. Just give me a couple of minutes with her…."
She smiled encouragingly as he shuffled back into the hallway and heard him exclaim "All right Nana, tea's on its way!" before the door swung shut behind him.
In the front room John sat besides his Nana, rehearsing what he was going to say.
"So Nana, about Kayleigh…"
"Is she deaf?"
The random question threw him off kilter and he wondered, not for the first time, if some of his Nana's marbles might have fallen down behind the sofa.
"Yer what? What're you on about 'is she deaf'?"
"Your lady friend," his Nana repeats: "Is she deaf?"
"Of course she's not deaf! Why would you think she were deaf for chris'sakes Nana?"
"Well you said you lost track of time talking in the car. Only I 'appened to look out the window after I heard a car pull up outside, and it were you."
"And?" he asks, perplexed by her seemingly impenetrable train of thought.
"And if that were you talking, she was definitely lip reading..."
"Nana!" Despite his age John had the good grace to blush like an errant teenager caught snogging behind the bike sheds.
"So it were what it looked like then? Honestly John, ya daft sod! I might be old but I'm not as batty as you make me out. I know what courting looks like when I see it."
He smiled shamefacedly at her, relieved that he doesn't have to actually explain himself but embarrassed that he has underestimated her mental acumen.
"Sorry Nana".
He impulsively swooped in to plant an affectionate kiss on her cheek and she took the opportunity to grip his hand.
"So, you are finally courting then? At last! Is she a nice lass? She seems nice."
"Kayleigh? She's OK," he downplayed in response, but his beaming smile belied the extent of his understatement.
"Good! She seems to make you happy any road."
"Yeah, she does Nana, very much."
Just then the subject of their conversation called out a loud "Knock, Knock!" accompanied by the rattle of a tea tray at the lounge door. "Is it OK to come in?"
John leapt up to open the door and Kayleigh hustled in, carefully setting the tray down on the coffee table. She placed a mug of tea and a plate of biscuits in front of John's Nana, trying to read the old lady's enigmatic smile.
Unsure of how much had been said, she moved to sit in the armchair - until John reached for her hand and gently tugged her to sit down next to him on the sofa, keeping hold of her hand and clasping it firmly in his lap.
She smiled at him quizzically and nodded her head discreetly in Nana's direction to ask if he had told her.
"Nana already knew about us," he assured her. "Apparently she's become a bit of a curtain twitcher."
"A curtain twitcher?
"Yep, says she was watching us 'talking' in the car. Weren't ya Nana?"
"Ahhh…!" Kayleigh exclaims, the penny dropping as she recalled how she had been smooching his face off not 10 minutes before.
"Well, you were a long time getting 'ere. Anyhows, I could tell summat were up before today. Your Mam noticed it too. Said she's never seen you so giddy, not since you were a lad."
"Giddy? Me? Giddy? I'm not giddy!"
"No, he's more 'Reckless Redmond'," Kayleigh interjected, giggling. She bumped her shoulder affectionately against his and he opened his mouth to protest again, but his Nana beat him to it:
"You can't fool me, our John, nor your Mam. Like I said, we knew summat were up."
Kayleigh's curiosity was piqued and she couldn't help but warm to the feisty octogenarian facing down her red-faced grandson.
"Why? What's he been saying?" she squeaked.
"Saying? 'He's been saying nowt love, as usual. It were more what 'e were doing that gave it away."
"Like what?" She turned to John, teasing him as he squirmed uncomfortably beside her: "What have you been doing?"
"Nowt! She's talking tripe!"
"I'm not John Redmond, and ye know it. How many songs did you tell me you've written this month?"
His squirming intensified. "A few…"
"How many?"
"Fourteen, Nana," he admits.
"And 'ow many were it you wrote last year?"
"I don't remember…"
"Don't fib to me our John, 'ow many was it?"
"One," he admitted reluctantly.
"There ye go then! You've been singing to yousself all the time too and ye don't even know you're doing it."
She turned to Kayleigh and winked.
"Reckon you've got right under 'is skin, pet."
Kayleigh squealed again in delight: "Ooh, how exciting!" and freed her hand to cutch his chin then stroke his cheek.
"Get you, John the songsmith! Can I hear them? Are any of them about me? Can you sing one now?"
"All right, all right, give over will ya, the pair of ya!" His voice was exasperated but there was a definite twinkle in his eye.
He went over to the sideboard and retrieved a dog-eared notebook which he handed to Kayleigh.
"Here! And yeah, some of them are about you if you must know."
He sat down beside her again and explained more quietly, softly: "It were my way of sorting out how I felt about… well about you…. about us."
She raised her eyebrows pointedly, harking back to their heated discussion of earlier, to all that was said, but more especially to all that had been left unsaid when she desperately needed to hear it.
He caught her expression and pleaded his case for forgiveness:
"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I was being a right idiot. It was cos I were flustered - you know how rubbish I am talking about this sort of stuff. You put me on the spot and I panicked - I was playing for time. I said things I shouldn't have, but I did try to make it right before..." He trailed off, his eyes suddenly moist at the memory of her declaring that she was leaving him, leaving his life - immediately after having declared her love for him.
For her part she had been totally thrown when he'd started texting in the middle of their conversation, so much so that her own train of thought had been derailed. She'd been hurt in the crash that followed, the fall down to earth. Yet not five minutes later she'd been floating on air, fully healed and head over heels again when she read the words in his text to Forever FM.
"It's just I find it easier to write me feelings down, or even sing them," he continued. "I always have. I'm no good at saying them. I'll work on it though, I promise." She squeezed his knee in understanding and acceptance. "I know," she agrees.
Breaking their gaze she began flicking through the book. A watery smile spread across her face as she caught sight of various lyrics and song titles: 'Lonely forever, never together ….', 'Foolish Choice', 'This Hurting Heart', 'One Plus One Takes Time', 'Don't leave if I can't love you…', 'Way with Words', 'Your way or the highway?', 'Ohhh K…', 'Drive You Away', 'Chance for Change', 'Roads not Travelled', 'Juicing', 'Long way round to love….'
Her eyes came to rest on the last entry, bookmarked with a post-it note inscribed 'RECORD FOR YOUTUBE!', and she started to read the lyrics:
Was travelling this road
Was living this life
In radio silence
Autopilot on
Me, myself, I
Then you came along
Diverted my course
New roads ahead
Sunshine and songs
It's us: you & I
And now I see my path is yours,
And now I know my heart is yours
Laughing and loving, making life
Together moving on
That's why I know you are the one
That's how I know you are the one
Was burned by love
Turned away from love
In solitude
Under grey skies
Me, myself, I
Then you came along
Opened your heart
Reached into mine
Sunshine and songs
It's us: you & I
And now I see my path is yours,
And now I know my heart is yours
Laughing and loving, making life
Together moving on
That's why I know you are the one
That's how I know you are the one
Hurt so bad, hidden away
Hurts so good, time to say
Please stay...
And now I see my path is yours,
And now I know my heart is yours
Laughing and loving, making life
Together moving on
That's why I know you are the one
You are the one
She looked up to see John watching her carefully, closely.
"Reckon that's the best song I've written yet. I only finished it the other night. It's called 'The One'. D'ya like it? Me 'n' Jim are..."
"Is it about me?" she interrupted, eyes wide, heart thumping nineteen to the dozen.
"No, it's about me Nana." His deadpan expression didn'n't faze her; her face brimming with emotion, she clasped the book to her with both hands and fixed him with a tender gaze: "John, it's absolutely beautiful. I love it. I love it so much."
Without a word being spoken his eyes told her what she already knew: 'Of course it's about you.' She also knew that If it weren't for the presence of his Nana, he would have spoken the words aloud and she would have leaned over to press her lips to his in return.
As it is his tone remained light-hearted "That's good - I'm glad. Like I was saying, me and Jim are going to record it - this weekend as it 'appens. I was going to put it on YouTube and show it you Monday morning. That's if I could get up the nerve that is..."
She felt a slight pang of regret at missing out on such a scenario, but the thought was immediately banished when he asked: "Why don't you come along and watch us record it? You could even do the videoing if you like. Jim's sister always does it but only cos it's her video camera. She always gets bored too, loses focus in every sense."
"Ooh, I'd love that!"
"That's settled then." He winked at her, and she thought she had never seen a sweeter or more contented smile on his face than the one he gave her in that moment.
She allowed him to gently prise the notebook from her grasp before he laid it on the coffee table, finally tearing his eyes away from her and turning to his Nana who had been busy dunking her custard creams and sipping her tea down.
"All right Nana? Are you nearly ready for the off then? Shall I get you home?"
"Yes please John, I wanna get me tea on before me soaps start."
A few minutes later, cups having been cleared and coats shrugged into, Kayleigh followed John as he guided his Nana towards the front door.
On the threshold she stooped down to plant an affectionate kiss on the old lady's cheek. "It was lovely to meet you Rose, I hope you enjoy your soaps!"
Nana's bony fingers clasped hers for a brief moment and she leaned nearer to speak in an incongruously loud whisper: "Thank you, love. You make sure you enjoy your'sells as well, mind, now you're courting. Our John said you make 'im happy and I've seen it for meself now. Make sure he looks after you. Tell him to treat you right."
She released Kayleigh's hand and turned towards the car, leaving John to protest to her retreating back:
"I am here, Nana! And I'll thank you to remember I do know how to look after a lady, all right?"
"A lady!?" Kayleigh laughed. "Do I know her? Or does that include me?"
"It doesn't include you, it is you, ya daft sod - you're my lady friend aren't ya?"
"Not your girlfriend?"
"Why? Are you still a girl?"
"Well, erm, no I suppose, technically..."
"There ya go!"
With Nana being halfway down the path towards the car, he took the opportunity to stifle any further debate by dropping a soft kiss on Kayleigh's half-parted lips. In turn she snaked her arms around him and pulls him closer, losing herself in the loving feeling of his mouth moving gently against hers.
A plaintive interruption separated them again, "John, I can't open door!" and he pulled away to attend to his Nana's plight.
She watched from the doorway as he attentively assisted the elderly lady into the car, carefully shutting her door and moving round to the driver's side.
Before he could open his own door she called to him impulsively: "John! Wait a minute... C'mere."
He looked up in surprise and she repeated the request, waving for him to come back. "C'mere!
He gestured an apology to his waiting Nana and hurried back up the path towards her, quizzing her as he got nearer: "What is it? What's up?"
Her smile turned shy and she started to fiddle with his tie while he looked down perplexedly. "What's up?" he repeated.
She smoothed his tie flat and patted it decisively, looking back up at him with renewed resolve, eyes twinkling. "I didn't want to shout it down the garden path. Your Nana's house is down by the railway station isn't it?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, d'ya think you could stop at the new Boots by there, pick me up a toothbrush and some...bits?"
"A toothbrush? Haven't you got..."
The beam on her face clued him in and he blushed despite himself. "Oh right. You mean for...? For tonight...?" His mind raced ahead and his blush deepened.
"And for the morning," she confirmed in a smoky voice. "And some other bits..."
"Other bits?" he queried, his mind so fuddled he found himself wondering if she was really asking him to buy more bread and milk.
"Yeah, for tonight," she clarified. Unconsciously her hand reached out to smooth down the tip of his tie once more and she dropped a further hint: "More for you than for me really. Whatever type you prefer."
The penny finally dropped and his eyes closed as he muttered a grateful "Jesus!" under his breath.
He felt her press a giggly kiss to his lips and smiled into it as her giddiness spread.
"Right, so..."
"You best get going then. Don't be long."
"I wouldn't be if you hadn't given me a shopping list!"
"Well, drive safely then, and quickly. Promise me?"
"OK! I promise. It's a promise."
Another giggly kiss - "Yes, it is a promise," - and she stepped back to allow him to leave.
"Love you!" he heard her call when he was halfway to the car.
He turned to see her framed in his doorway, all tangled, tumbling hair and kiss-smudged lips and liquid eyes.
"I love you too."
CLOSE (i.e. 'I'm done'). Please review!
