Chapter 8
'Jack, open up. It's me' Jack rolled onto his side and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. Why was someone at the door at, he squinted his eyes, half past nine on a Saturday! Being half asleep, he hadn't recognised the familiar voice. He slowly climbed from his bed, stretching his arms out in a desperate attempt to wake himself up.
Carefully, he began walking downstairs and towards the front door. He opened it to see Martha stood there, hopping from one foot to the other. 'Finally!' she grinned, pushing past him and into the living room. Jack, not fully aware of what was happening, closed the door and followed her.
'What's wrong?' he asked, yawning. Martha bit her bottom lip, a sign she was trying to stop herself grinning like a cheshire cat. 'What?' Jack repeated.
'We've done it!' she squeeled. Jack, meanwhile, remained oblivious, and simply raised an eyebrow at her. 'Done what?'
'Carl and I. We set a date!'
'Date for what?' Jack asked. He knew full well what she meant. He just had to be certain. Martha whacked him playfully on the arm. 'The wedding, you fool'
'Oh' said Jack, his disappointing shadowing his excitement. 'When?'
'September 30th' Martha replied. Suddenly, Jack wasn't so sleep anymore. 'September 30th? You mean next year?'
'No! This year!'
'But...But that's only 5 weeks away. You can't arrange a wedding in that time' Jack said, trying to control the hurt he was feeling.
'Don't worry, I have a wedding planner. I have the invites, and I've chosen the church. All I really need is the dresses and the suits' she said, half smling, half laughing.
Jack suddenly felt small. How could he tell her now? 5 weeks from now, she'll be a married woman. He turned his head away as realisation sunk in. He had to let her go...