Chapter 3
The next morning I felt like crap! My alarm went off at 5:30am as the baby generally woke up around six & I liked to get myself awake before having to deal with the kids! I had a shower to try & shake away what little sleep I'd had. As I got dressed a strange feeling crept over me, like I was being watched & it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! I quickly turned around but there was no one there & the door to my room was firmly closed!
"Girl you're gonna give yourself a nervous breakdown if you carry on like this!" I said out loud to myself.
"What's a nernus breakup?"
I lept out of my skin at the sound of another voice in the room with me & I let out a sharp scream! When I turned around Sophie was peering out from under my bed!!!
"SOPHIE! Oh my god!"
"Heehee! Sorreeee! Iwanted to do a big BOO at you!" she giggled, & I had to laugh even though my heart was racing & I felt like I was going to puke at any moment!
"Sophie! You gave me a big BOO alright! You musn't scare people like that!"
"Sorreee!"
"Come here you!" I said & grabbed her & tickled her! There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?"
"It's only me hun! Can I come in a minute?"
"Sure Mary come on in, it's open!"
Mary came in, dressed for her days work in her white overcoat with not a hair out of place!
"I figured there wasn't much sleeping going on in here judging by the noise!" She smiled.
"Yeah well this little minx almost gave me a heart attack, hiding under my bed!" I tickled Sophie again & she giggled.
"Well honey I just came to let you know the Jamesons have left for New York already, they asked me to remind you that Matthew stays back late at school today so you need to collect him at 4:30 this afternoon!"
"Sure no problem! Oh & Mary? What time do you get out of bed to look that good at 6am!?" I winked.
"Oh well you know what they say, the early bird catches the worm.....or the maggot depending on how you look at it!" Mary turned to leave.
"Mary is something wrong? You don't seem your usual cheery self this morning?"
She sighed, "No not really.....well it's sarah actually....again! Oh not to worry....maybe I'll tell you all about it later...away from little ears!!" she smiled & ruffled Sara's hair before going out of the door.
*****
After I took Matthew to school & Sophie to nursery I decided to take a walk along the river with Daniel in his pushchair! He loved to be outside and I was hoping the fresh air would get him to sleep for an hour or the day wouldn't be worth living! It was a beautiful sunny November morning & I was enjoying the walk as much as Daniel.....until I got an awful feeling that someone was following me! I fought the urge to turn around but I quickened my pace just incase my instincts were right for a change! I talked to Daniel as I hurried along the path, babbling about the birdies in the trees or the ducks on the river, anything just to hear the sound of my own voice in the otherwise silence of the morning!
We'd been walking quite quickly for 2 or 3 minutes when I heard a twig snap close behind me. I whirled around in an instant but there was no sign of anyone!
"Is someone there?" I shouted, and again I heard the snapping of a twig somewhere in the woods on my right. It was more than I could take & I turned to run & ran smack bang into someone! I screamed & hit out wildly with both my fists clenched.
"Hey hey! Calm down! What's the problem! HEY!"
I stopped fighting & brushed the hair out of my face, tears stinging my eyes. I was shaking from head to toe & I must have looked like a woman possessed! When I looked up I saw the person I'd ran into, yet again, was Sarah's boyfriend, Matthew.
"Hey are you ok? Hey hey it's ok now! Come on! It's alright! shhshhshhshh" He pulled me into his arms & I stiffened. Everything was upside down in my mind, I didn't know where I was & for a few seconds my head was spinning so bad I thought I was going to pass out! Eventually I gave into his hug & put my arms around his back. "What the hell is going on here? You're shaking!"
"I........I.......s..s....someone was following me! God I was so scared!!" I started to cry more from relief now than anything else. I was so pleased he came along when he did & I'd never been happier to see anyone in my life....even if I didn't really know who this guy was I felt safe.
"Ok stay here & I'll go & have a look!"
"No please don't leave me out here on my own!" I whined like a child who's afraid to have her bedroom light switched off!
"Ok! Ok! Jesus something really freaked you out didn't it?" I nodded, I was still terrified! "Well come on my place is just 5 minutes away, you need a drink or something!"
I grabbed the pushchair and saw that thankfully Daniel had slept through the whole thing! I'd never have forgiven myself if I'd frightened him! I wasn't going to argue with this guy, whoever he was I was pretty sure he wasn't as bad as whatever was out there in the woods! He put his arm around my shoulders & we walked to his house. He kept stopping & looking back, trying to see if there was someone there, but I urged him forward, I didn't want to spend another moment out there!
When we got to his house I was very relieved to be behind a closed door! I sat down at the kitchen table & Matthew made me a cup of tea! (Funny how a cup of tea solves all the worlds problems, from death to divorce...'Oh have a cup of tea & it'll all be ok!') As I drank it I started to realise how ridiculous I must have looked out there by the river and I felt so embarrassed!
"You ok now?"
"Mmm yeah thankyou!"
"Well you've stopped shaking now at least!" he laughed, "I guess I don't look so scarey in the daylight huh!?" It took me a few seconds to realise he was talking about the previous night & how I wouldn't go down to talk to him!
"Oh yeah....look I'm sorry about that!"
"Hey it's me who should be appologising!" he laughed & shook his head, "Some 'Romeo' I turned out to be huh!?"
I smiled & took another drink from my cup. "I must seem like such an idiot!"
"Hey no! Listen don't be embarassed! There was obviously something out there that scared you today.....hell I thought you were gonna kill me when I found you!"
"I just.....I freaked I guess! It was probably only a deer or whatever the hell lives in the woods around here!"
"Well whatever it was or is, it's ok now! You're safe in here!"
"Yeah listen I can't thank you enough for this, I mean I have no idea what I would've done if you hadn't showed up when you did!"
"Actually I was on my way to see you! I wanted to say how sorry I was for disturbing you last night!"
"Ha! After today you're totally forgiven believe me!" I smiled.
"Has something else happened....aside form me scaring you half to death last night? Like what made you think someone was following you?"
"No not really....well there was this guy.......he was down by the river yesterday when I went for a walk with Steve....he didn't do anything though this is the stupid thing about it! This poor guy, Jeff, was just sitting there,minding his own..."
"Jeff?" Matthew looked surprised.
"Yeah! Do you know him?"
"I might!" he smiled. "Weird looking guy with strange hair....that Jeff?"
"Yes that's him!"
Matthew laughed. "Please don't tell me you have the hots for him!?" I looked at him confused! "It's just that all the girls seem to get it real bad for my baby brother!" he carried on laughing.
"YOUR WHAT? Jeff is your brother?!?!" He nodded. "Oh right, now how stupid do I feel?!"
"Ahhh it's ok! I'm used to it!" he grinned.
"Used to what?"
"Him getting all the girls!" he winked.
"No no! God no I don't have the hots for him or anything! Seriously - I have a boyfriend back home!" Matthew raised his eyebrows. "You don't believe me do you?!"
"Well it's just I've yet to meet a girl on this planet who could resist our Jeffy's charms!! Although between you & me I've never been able to see what the attraction was!!"
"Ok believe me you've just met one! She's sitting in your kitchen drinking tea after you rescued her from the boogie man out in the woods!!"
"And what might 'super-girl's' name be?!" he smiled.
"Oh God I'm so sorry! How rude of me! I'm Bec!"
"Well Bec I wish we'd met in better circumstances, but nice to meet you anyway! I'm Ma..."
"Let me guess.......Matthew, the boyfriend from hell!! Yeah I already know who you are buddy!"
"Now that sounds like the lovely Mary I know & love!!" He shook his head, "But she got it wrong on 2 counts!"
"Oh yeah?!"
"Yeah! Firstly I'm not the boyfriend from hell! The only Hell I know of comes out of Mary's mouth at times!"
"Oooooohhhh!" I laughed & Matthew rolled his eyes!
"Secondly no one but that sour faced old trout & my old math teacher who lives 3 doors down has called me Matthew since I was at school! It's Matt!"
"Ok...Matt! So what have you done to make Mary think you're Satan's right-hand-man then?!"
"You tell me? she doesn't even know me that's what's so damn anoying!" he sighed, "I have a feeling it's something to do with what I do for a living though!"
"And that's what?.....grave digger? train robber? male prostitute?" (In the back of my mind I was reviewing my bank statement praying I had enough money to pay for it!! hahahaha)
Matt laughed. "Nothing that bad! I'm a professional wrestler!"
I choked on my tea! "You have got to be kidding me?" he shook his head, "Well that's not something you hear very often!! I mean......lycra...the works??!!"
"Hahaha, no not quite!! But yes I'm a wrestler with the WWF! So is my brother!"
"Why do the names Matt & Jeff suddenly sound familliar to me?"
"Hmmm...maybe you like lycra!" Matt laughed!
"Seriously....give me a minute...I'll get it!" I thought for a moment & then it dawned on me! "Is your second name something like Hardy?"
"It's exactly like Hardy!!"
"Matt & Jeff Hardy..." I said quietly to myself, ".....OH CHRIST! My kid brother is going to pee his pants!!" I laughed! "I mean I've never watched wrestling myself but he has posters...and I knew you were familliar the day I bumped into you in the hall....and yeah that's where I've seen you guys...like all over my little brother's walls...man!" I suddenly realised I was babbling & stopped before I made a complete fool of myself! "Erm...sorry! I'm going on a bit now!"
"It's fine!" Matt smiled, "I'm used to it!" he ran his hand through his thick dark hair, "...so...what was it you were going to tell me about Jeff?"
"Oh....well...it's just......."
"You could've warned me we were having visitors Matt!" Jeff said, as he came in through the back door, "Hello again.....Bec right?"
"Yeah. Hi!" I said & looked into my empty cup to avoid his gaze. How stupid had I been to think there was something strange about him when all this time it was probably just because I'd seen him before on Jake's walls back home!? I could've laughed out loud if it wasn't so pathetic!
"Well, speak of the devil! We were just talking about you little bro!" Matt grinned. "Where you been?"
"I thought my ears were burning!" Jeff smirked & I shyly smiled back. "I've just been out....for a walk....y'know, nowhere in particular!"
"Oh right. Bec here had a bit of a scare out in the woods so I brought her back here for a while!"
"Obviously - she bumped into you...that's scarey enough bro!" Jeff playfully slapped Matt across the top of his head on his way past to go to the fridge to get a drink. Matt shook his head & I smiled, but my smile quickly faded when I saw the mud & leaves on Jeff's boots!
The next morning I felt like crap! My alarm went off at 5:30am as the baby generally woke up around six & I liked to get myself awake before having to deal with the kids! I had a shower to try & shake away what little sleep I'd had. As I got dressed a strange feeling crept over me, like I was being watched & it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! I quickly turned around but there was no one there & the door to my room was firmly closed!
"Girl you're gonna give yourself a nervous breakdown if you carry on like this!" I said out loud to myself.
"What's a nernus breakup?"
I lept out of my skin at the sound of another voice in the room with me & I let out a sharp scream! When I turned around Sophie was peering out from under my bed!!!
"SOPHIE! Oh my god!"
"Heehee! Sorreeee! Iwanted to do a big BOO at you!" she giggled, & I had to laugh even though my heart was racing & I felt like I was going to puke at any moment!
"Sophie! You gave me a big BOO alright! You musn't scare people like that!"
"Sorreee!"
"Come here you!" I said & grabbed her & tickled her! There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?"
"It's only me hun! Can I come in a minute?"
"Sure Mary come on in, it's open!"
Mary came in, dressed for her days work in her white overcoat with not a hair out of place!
"I figured there wasn't much sleeping going on in here judging by the noise!" She smiled.
"Yeah well this little minx almost gave me a heart attack, hiding under my bed!" I tickled Sophie again & she giggled.
"Well honey I just came to let you know the Jamesons have left for New York already, they asked me to remind you that Matthew stays back late at school today so you need to collect him at 4:30 this afternoon!"
"Sure no problem! Oh & Mary? What time do you get out of bed to look that good at 6am!?" I winked.
"Oh well you know what they say, the early bird catches the worm.....or the maggot depending on how you look at it!" Mary turned to leave.
"Mary is something wrong? You don't seem your usual cheery self this morning?"
She sighed, "No not really.....well it's sarah actually....again! Oh not to worry....maybe I'll tell you all about it later...away from little ears!!" she smiled & ruffled Sara's hair before going out of the door.
*****
After I took Matthew to school & Sophie to nursery I decided to take a walk along the river with Daniel in his pushchair! He loved to be outside and I was hoping the fresh air would get him to sleep for an hour or the day wouldn't be worth living! It was a beautiful sunny November morning & I was enjoying the walk as much as Daniel.....until I got an awful feeling that someone was following me! I fought the urge to turn around but I quickened my pace just incase my instincts were right for a change! I talked to Daniel as I hurried along the path, babbling about the birdies in the trees or the ducks on the river, anything just to hear the sound of my own voice in the otherwise silence of the morning!
We'd been walking quite quickly for 2 or 3 minutes when I heard a twig snap close behind me. I whirled around in an instant but there was no sign of anyone!
"Is someone there?" I shouted, and again I heard the snapping of a twig somewhere in the woods on my right. It was more than I could take & I turned to run & ran smack bang into someone! I screamed & hit out wildly with both my fists clenched.
"Hey hey! Calm down! What's the problem! HEY!"
I stopped fighting & brushed the hair out of my face, tears stinging my eyes. I was shaking from head to toe & I must have looked like a woman possessed! When I looked up I saw the person I'd ran into, yet again, was Sarah's boyfriend, Matthew.
"Hey are you ok? Hey hey it's ok now! Come on! It's alright! shhshhshhshh" He pulled me into his arms & I stiffened. Everything was upside down in my mind, I didn't know where I was & for a few seconds my head was spinning so bad I thought I was going to pass out! Eventually I gave into his hug & put my arms around his back. "What the hell is going on here? You're shaking!"
"I........I.......s..s....someone was following me! God I was so scared!!" I started to cry more from relief now than anything else. I was so pleased he came along when he did & I'd never been happier to see anyone in my life....even if I didn't really know who this guy was I felt safe.
"Ok stay here & I'll go & have a look!"
"No please don't leave me out here on my own!" I whined like a child who's afraid to have her bedroom light switched off!
"Ok! Ok! Jesus something really freaked you out didn't it?" I nodded, I was still terrified! "Well come on my place is just 5 minutes away, you need a drink or something!"
I grabbed the pushchair and saw that thankfully Daniel had slept through the whole thing! I'd never have forgiven myself if I'd frightened him! I wasn't going to argue with this guy, whoever he was I was pretty sure he wasn't as bad as whatever was out there in the woods! He put his arm around my shoulders & we walked to his house. He kept stopping & looking back, trying to see if there was someone there, but I urged him forward, I didn't want to spend another moment out there!
When we got to his house I was very relieved to be behind a closed door! I sat down at the kitchen table & Matthew made me a cup of tea! (Funny how a cup of tea solves all the worlds problems, from death to divorce...'Oh have a cup of tea & it'll all be ok!') As I drank it I started to realise how ridiculous I must have looked out there by the river and I felt so embarrassed!
"You ok now?"
"Mmm yeah thankyou!"
"Well you've stopped shaking now at least!" he laughed, "I guess I don't look so scarey in the daylight huh!?" It took me a few seconds to realise he was talking about the previous night & how I wouldn't go down to talk to him!
"Oh yeah....look I'm sorry about that!"
"Hey it's me who should be appologising!" he laughed & shook his head, "Some 'Romeo' I turned out to be huh!?"
I smiled & took another drink from my cup. "I must seem like such an idiot!"
"Hey no! Listen don't be embarassed! There was obviously something out there that scared you today.....hell I thought you were gonna kill me when I found you!"
"I just.....I freaked I guess! It was probably only a deer or whatever the hell lives in the woods around here!"
"Well whatever it was or is, it's ok now! You're safe in here!"
"Yeah listen I can't thank you enough for this, I mean I have no idea what I would've done if you hadn't showed up when you did!"
"Actually I was on my way to see you! I wanted to say how sorry I was for disturbing you last night!"
"Ha! After today you're totally forgiven believe me!" I smiled.
"Has something else happened....aside form me scaring you half to death last night? Like what made you think someone was following you?"
"No not really....well there was this guy.......he was down by the river yesterday when I went for a walk with Steve....he didn't do anything though this is the stupid thing about it! This poor guy, Jeff, was just sitting there,minding his own..."
"Jeff?" Matthew looked surprised.
"Yeah! Do you know him?"
"I might!" he smiled. "Weird looking guy with strange hair....that Jeff?"
"Yes that's him!"
Matthew laughed. "Please don't tell me you have the hots for him!?" I looked at him confused! "It's just that all the girls seem to get it real bad for my baby brother!" he carried on laughing.
"YOUR WHAT? Jeff is your brother?!?!" He nodded. "Oh right, now how stupid do I feel?!"
"Ahhh it's ok! I'm used to it!" he grinned.
"Used to what?"
"Him getting all the girls!" he winked.
"No no! God no I don't have the hots for him or anything! Seriously - I have a boyfriend back home!" Matthew raised his eyebrows. "You don't believe me do you?!"
"Well it's just I've yet to meet a girl on this planet who could resist our Jeffy's charms!! Although between you & me I've never been able to see what the attraction was!!"
"Ok believe me you've just met one! She's sitting in your kitchen drinking tea after you rescued her from the boogie man out in the woods!!"
"And what might 'super-girl's' name be?!" he smiled.
"Oh God I'm so sorry! How rude of me! I'm Bec!"
"Well Bec I wish we'd met in better circumstances, but nice to meet you anyway! I'm Ma..."
"Let me guess.......Matthew, the boyfriend from hell!! Yeah I already know who you are buddy!"
"Now that sounds like the lovely Mary I know & love!!" He shook his head, "But she got it wrong on 2 counts!"
"Oh yeah?!"
"Yeah! Firstly I'm not the boyfriend from hell! The only Hell I know of comes out of Mary's mouth at times!"
"Oooooohhhh!" I laughed & Matthew rolled his eyes!
"Secondly no one but that sour faced old trout & my old math teacher who lives 3 doors down has called me Matthew since I was at school! It's Matt!"
"Ok...Matt! So what have you done to make Mary think you're Satan's right-hand-man then?!"
"You tell me? she doesn't even know me that's what's so damn anoying!" he sighed, "I have a feeling it's something to do with what I do for a living though!"
"And that's what?.....grave digger? train robber? male prostitute?" (In the back of my mind I was reviewing my bank statement praying I had enough money to pay for it!! hahahaha)
Matt laughed. "Nothing that bad! I'm a professional wrestler!"
I choked on my tea! "You have got to be kidding me?" he shook his head, "Well that's not something you hear very often!! I mean......lycra...the works??!!"
"Hahaha, no not quite!! But yes I'm a wrestler with the WWF! So is my brother!"
"Why do the names Matt & Jeff suddenly sound familliar to me?"
"Hmmm...maybe you like lycra!" Matt laughed!
"Seriously....give me a minute...I'll get it!" I thought for a moment & then it dawned on me! "Is your second name something like Hardy?"
"It's exactly like Hardy!!"
"Matt & Jeff Hardy..." I said quietly to myself, ".....OH CHRIST! My kid brother is going to pee his pants!!" I laughed! "I mean I've never watched wrestling myself but he has posters...and I knew you were familliar the day I bumped into you in the hall....and yeah that's where I've seen you guys...like all over my little brother's walls...man!" I suddenly realised I was babbling & stopped before I made a complete fool of myself! "Erm...sorry! I'm going on a bit now!"
"It's fine!" Matt smiled, "I'm used to it!" he ran his hand through his thick dark hair, "...so...what was it you were going to tell me about Jeff?"
"Oh....well...it's just......."
"You could've warned me we were having visitors Matt!" Jeff said, as he came in through the back door, "Hello again.....Bec right?"
"Yeah. Hi!" I said & looked into my empty cup to avoid his gaze. How stupid had I been to think there was something strange about him when all this time it was probably just because I'd seen him before on Jake's walls back home!? I could've laughed out loud if it wasn't so pathetic!
"Well, speak of the devil! We were just talking about you little bro!" Matt grinned. "Where you been?"
"I thought my ears were burning!" Jeff smirked & I shyly smiled back. "I've just been out....for a walk....y'know, nowhere in particular!"
"Oh right. Bec here had a bit of a scare out in the woods so I brought her back here for a while!"
"Obviously - she bumped into you...that's scarey enough bro!" Jeff playfully slapped Matt across the top of his head on his way past to go to the fridge to get a drink. Matt shook his head & I smiled, but my smile quickly faded when I saw the mud & leaves on Jeff's boots!