Part 6
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"Mum, don't do dinner for me tonight. I've got a date," Donna called out to Sylvia.
"A date? Who with this time?" her mother called back.
"One of the teachers at the school. His name's John; you'd like him," she replied cheerfully.
"What's he got wrong with him? Is he blind or is he decrepit?" Sylvia wondered.
Donna rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Thanks, Mum! It's great to know you think so highly of me."
Sylvia appeared in the doorway to ask, "So what's this John really like?"
"Oh, you know. Dark hair, same age as me, taller, skinnier, got this whole little boy lost act going on," she explained.
"Ah, that explains it! There had to be something wrong with him," Sylvia reasoned.
"Mum! There is nothing wrong with him," Donna protested loudly.
"So he's gay then? Figures," Sylvia snorted; and Donna just about managed to resist throwing a cushion at her.
"Do you mind? Can't you just for once be pleased that some bloke is showing an interest in me?" Donna beseeched her mother.
"It's not him being interested that I'm worried about; you seem to have no trouble with that bit. I'm more concerned that you'll be able to hold onto him for longer than five minutes. You're no spring chicken, Donna, and I'd like some grandchildren before I die," she argued.
"Thanks, Mum. I'll tell him that you want all that, shall I? Or shall I just strap him down and steal his freedom?" Donna wondered sarcastically.
"Do what you like; you normally do. And don't bring me into your petty arguments, missy. Just be careful, that's all I ask."
Donna rolled her eyes. "Make your mind up, mother! If I'm careful you won't end up with grandchildren."
Sylvia swatted at Donna's bottom with a tea towel. "Don't be so cheeky! Now go and get ready for your young man."
"Yes, Mum," Donna replied and left the room whilst giggling to herself. Young man indeed! How old did she think she was?
She arrived outside the Tesco Metro with easily fifteen minutes to spare. Did that make her seem too keen? And if so could she cover her tracks by pretending her watch was fast or something? With this in mind she sauntered around the magazine section, idly perusing the celebrity mags and wondering if she really did care what Posh and Becks were currently up to.
It was as she backed back to eye the covers that she stepped on someone who gave out a yelp of pain. "I'm so sorry!" she immediately apologised as she swivelled round, and found herself eye to eye with John! "Hello."
He began to apologise too for getting underfoot when he recognised Donna. "Don't worry; I've got another one," he replied, hoping she'd like his lame joke. "And hello to you!"
She decided to go for a lame joke too. "We must stop meeting like this; people will talk."
"Go on then, ask me if I'm bovvered," he cheekily answered.
"I didn't know you liked her!" Donna declared with glee. "I wonder what else we share."
He held out a hand in invitation. "Shall we go and find out? Oh by the way; I've been calling you 'the wife' all day to the kids."
"Sounds like they pestered you," she commiserated. "I thought they might do something like that."
He grinned back. "Nothing that I can't handle now that I've got you," he said, holding their joined hands up in emphasis.
Martha laid in wait for them; they were bound to head for the Doctor's/John's flat now that things were progressing on a romantic track. She glimpsed through the window of his flat that looked out onto the connecting balcony and waited, trying to quash how mean she felt with this plan.
Donna idly cast her eyes around John's lounge while he heated up their dinner. The little items on his mantelpiece caught her eye. There was a key ring in the shape of R2D2, a receipt and an antique piece that looked like a pocket watch. It was the intricate symbols on the casing that interested her because she had never seen anything like it before. "What's this?" she called out to John.
"What's what?" he called back and then appeared to see what she was referring to.
"This!" she wondered, holding the item up for him to see.
"Oh that! That's just a broken old watch. You won't be able to open it. It's all I have of my dad," he explained. "I can't bring myself to get rid of it."
She gazed at it sympathetically. "No you shouldn't," she agreed. "Sometimes all you have left is a tiny piece of sentimental jewellery to remember someone by…" Just like the ring she had that once belonged to her Nan. Realising she was bringing the mood down, she shook her head and smiled brightly at him. "It smells good. Is it ready yet?"
The timer went off, so he rushed out and began clattering about in the kitchen to reappear a few minutes later. "Et voila!" John announced as he set down their plates of food before them. "Would madam like some wine?"
Donna eagerly presented her glass for him to fill. "Food, wine; what else are you going to offer me tonight?"
He briefly kissed her. "I'm hoping to fulfil a dream or two. As long as it doesn't involve a drawn out game of Monopoly."
She smirked seductively at him. "I think I can safely say that Monopoly was not the game I had in mind. Will there be dancing?"
He smirked. "I think I can offer some impressive moves, if you are interested."
"In that case you'd better eat something. We want you to keep your strength up, don't we?" She fed him some pasta off her fork. "I already know where you keep your muscles," she added as she eyed his chest.
"So you do," he answered, remembering that she'd helped him undress when he was drunk. Did that make her a keeper?
They both ate their fill, exchanging innuendoes as they did so; and eventually pushed their plates away.
With silent consent they moved closer on John's settee and began to exchange something more physically pleasurable with their kisses. The settee creaked and groaned as they changed position to get more comfortable.
Hands smoothed over clothing as they caressed each other. John had just braved a hand beneath Donna's blouse when there was a loud knock on his front door, followed by a louder one.
Huffing angrily, John removed himself from Donna's embrace and threw open the door.
"Oh John! Thank God you're in!" Martha enthused with relief. "I've accidentally locked myself out and Mum won't be home to bring over the spare key for another two hours!"
John stood incredulously as she stepped in without waiting for an invite. "Martha, I've got a guest here," he warned her.
Martha gritted her teeth and entered the lounge. "Hello Donna, I didn't know you were here," she greeted her and deliberately sat down next to Donna so that John could only sit at the other end of the settee. "So what are you two up to?"
"Only first base," John mumbled to himself. "Nothing much; we were just about to watch a film," he said much more clearly.
"Ooh, what film?" Martha enthused intentionally. "And is there any popcorn to go with it?"
John threw her an exasperated look. "I don't know. I'll go and see what I've got." He wandered off to the kitchen to rummage for a possible snack.
"So…," Martha began as she sought eye contact with Donna, "how are you? I don't get to see much of you over on our side of things."
Donna glanced at the three DVDs now sitting in her lap, trying to decide which suited this situation, before answering, "I'm fine thank you. It's been a bit busy lately getting the exam application notifications out to everyone. The assembly this morning was a shocker at the time but I think we're getting used to it."
"I heard about that," Martha answered sympathetically. "Who do you think told the headmaster that?"
"I've no idea, but I suspect it was Tilly," Donna started to ponder and then blushed at what Tilly had seen and must have thought. "How do you feel about it, Martha?"
"I em…" Martha battled with her misgivings. "I worried about John, of course, to be honest. He erm…"
"He what?" queried John as he appeared with a plate of biscuits and an unopened box of Maltesers. He glared at her to move on the settee and frowned when she scooted even closer to Donna rather than away. Pouting, he plonked himself down after putting his goodies on the coffee table.
"You must admit, John, that it was a bit stupid to let the headmaster make that announcement," she pointed with a smile.
"That's easy for you to say! I thought he was going to formally welcome us to the school," he said.
"And I thought he was going to say something about the school buying a new photocopier," added Donna. "Especially after my accident yesterday."
"Ah, that!" John grinned knowingly. "Have you had any problem with your hand since?"
"No, it's fine," Donna answered, holding up her right hand in demonstration.
Martha's doctor senses instantly sprung into life. "Do you want me to have a look?" The words were out of her mouth and she had a hold of Donna's hand before she knew what was happening. Going with the flow, she examined Dona's hand and found no lasting harm. "I started off studying medicine," she excused her behaviour.
Donna quickly retrieved her hand. "Did you? What caused you to change your mind and do teaching? It can't have been the money," she asked.
"It was erm… an unexpected turn of events. I got persuaded away," Martha replied cautiously.
"Oh, blokes tend to do that," Donna said knowingly. When Martha didn't respond she knew she had hit the nail on the head; and it wasn't too hard to guess who the bloke was either judging by the way Martha was deliberately playing gooseberry. Nobody was that thick to accidentally do so. With a sigh she resigned herself to the fact this might be a long evening.
"Did you decide what film we're watching?" John's question brought her out of her thoughts.
She handed him a box. "I thought The Princess and the Frog seemed right," she said as she did so.
"Good choice," he agreed as he got down on the floor to open the DVD player. "I love Disney films!"
She chuckled. "I had sort of gathered that."
John sat to the side as the disc began play, waiting for the chance to start the film properly.
In her eagerness to watch the film, Martha didn't spot him crawl closer to Donna until he was leaning back against her legs and had a hand resting on Donna's knee. She did spot Donna threading her fingers through his hair, petting him. Her heart beats fluttered; what on earth was she supposed to do to stop this? She couldn't exactly fling herself between them, could she? "These biscuits are nice, John. Have you got anymore?" she asked to distract him away.
"I left them out on the kitchen worktop. Go and help yourself," he instantly answered, unwillingly to move from his position on the floor.
There was only one thing Martha could do next, so she got up and went to get biscuits she no longer fancied.
John eagerly got up then and sat down next to Donna with a gleeful sigh. "While you are up, don't you think you ought to check where your mum is?" he called out to Martha. "She might be waiting outside with your key."
Oh great! Now she had to pretend to phone her mum; so Martha slunk about in the kitchen.
"Do you think I should go home? We can try and do this another time," Donna offered him in a whisper.
"No! You are staying here and we will have this date by hook or by crook," John insisted, whispering back. "We'll embarrass her away if necessary."
"How would we do that?" she wondered, keen to see him act forcefully.
John was beginning to enjoy this turn of events, and smirked at her.