The Very Thought of You
Chapter 46
Martha and Joey helped poor Charlie home. Martha had some smelling salts in her bag and which revived the faint Charlie enough to tear her away from the graffiti on the wall.
"What on earth's wrong with Charlie?" Cried Janet as the girls bundled her through the door.
"She's had rather a nasty shock!" Martha said as they manoeuvred Charlie through to her bedroom.
The bedroom was still in the mess it was in when the girls had vacated it earlier. The bed was messy and various garments were thrown about the floor, making Joey blush a little. Martha pretended not to notice, but was secretly fascinated. She looked forward to imparting the gossip to Hugo.
"Well, I'll leave you girls to it." Martha said, taking one more look around in astonishment before she left.
Joey chased after Martha.
"Martha! Thanks for your help. I don't know what I'd have done without you."
"My pleasure. I'm just sorry that..." She suddenly looked embarrassed. "Well, you know." She said, half smiling at Joey. "Hope Charlie's feeling better later."
"Yeah, thanks." Joey said, closing the door behind her.
She walked back into Charlie's room. Charlie was sitting on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands.
"Charlie, darling. Are you okay?" Joey asked quietly kneeling down before her.
"No! How the hell do you think I feel!" Charlie said quickly looking up at Joey with a pained expression.
Joey flinched.
"I'm sorry, Jo." Charlie said immediately hanging her head. "I didn't mean to take it out on you."
"Why not?" Joey said coldly. "After all, it was my pig of a brother who was the artist and it was me who got you into this mess in the first place. I should have got out of your life when I had the chance!" She said, standing up.
"Don't say that, Jo!" Charlie said, reaching for Joey's hand.
At that moment, Ruby came bouncing into the room.
"Hey! I've just seen the wall. What does 'Lesbian' mean?" She asked innocently.
"Not now, Ruby." Janet said, following the young girl in with a cup of tea for Charlie. "I've put a drop of Brandy in it. It'll pep you up."
"Thanks, Jan." Charlie smiled and sipped her tea.
"Ruby, I think you and I have a job to do." Joey said, dragging Ruby out of Charlie's room. "Is there any white wash around?" She asked.
"White wash? Erm, yes! Janet's got some in the shed." Ruby replied. "Why?"
"We're going to do some painting and then, I'm going to explain one or two things to you." Joey said, lowering her voice. "Meet me in a couple of minutes out front, with the paint."
With that, Ruby rushed off to get the paint. Joey walked back into Charlie's room. Charlie lay on her bed. Joey picked up their clothes and placed them on the bedroom chair.
"Charlie." She said, sitting down on the bed and stroking Charlie's silky hair.
"What?" Charlie said quietly.
"Nothing. Just Charlie." Joey smiled.
"Well, that's a good job done!" Ruby announced as she put the final brush stroke on the Assembly Room's outside wall, covering up Brian's handy work.
"Well done, sweetie." Joey smiled.
They picked up their things and began to stroll back towards home.
"Jo. What did you want to chat about?" An inquisitive Ruby asked.
"Well, you wanted to know what 'Lesbian' meant. Well, basically, it's what I am." Joey explained.
"I don't understand." Ruby said, frowning.
"It means that I don't like boys, I like girls."
"Oh! Like you and Charlie, you mean?"
"Well, yes. But I wouldn't go 'round calling Charlie a Lesbian if I were you, especially not at the moment." Joey warned.
"Yes, but, if that's what it means, then surely..."
"Charlie is struggling with herself at the moment, Ruby. The last thing she wants is everyone giving her that title. She's Charlie, our Charlie. She's no different. She still loves you and cares for you. Please don't give her a hard time."
"No, I won't." Ruby said, honestly. "I'm sorry all this happened. What do you think will happen now? Charlie said it could ruin us if it gets out."
"Well, I don't know, honey-bun. Hopefully it will all die down. I wish I knew the best thing to do. Maybe Charlie will want to finish things. Maybe it would be best, but I don't want to leave Charlie to face the flack by herself. I just don't know what to do!" Joey said, more to herself than to Ruby.
Ruby took hold of Joey's hand.
"You love Charlie a lot, don't you?
"To distraction!" Joey breathed. "I'd do anything to make everything better, Ruby!"
"I know she loves you. She said she would lay down her life for you!" Ruby said, smiling.
"She said that?" Joey said quietly, her heart beating quicker with this new piece of knowledge.
"Uh huh. I can't wait to be in love!" Ruby announced.
Joey laughed and they walked home.
"Hello, what have you two been up to?" Janet asked as the two girls, speckled with white paint, walked through the door.
"Painting by numbers!" Ruby laughed and grinned at Joey.
"You'll do." Joey said with a grin. "Is Charlie alright?"
"She's very subdued. She's had a bath and I think is reading in the lounge." Janet replied, washing up.
Joey walked over and picked up the tea towel. She indicated to Ruby to make herself scarce, which Ruby did, reluctantly.
"Janet. I'm so sorry for any embarrassment my brother and I have caused you. I feel awful about the whole thing." Joey said, sincerely.
"Charlie said much the same a while back. You know, Jo. I don't know much about life. I haven't been to many places and haven't met a lot of folk, but I like you and I like Charlie. I don't judge people. After all, who is perfect? I'm not, by any means. But there's bound to be repercussions after this. I only want to warn you. I haven't said anything to Charlie, but people are narrow minded and unforgiving about things they don't understand. It'll be harder for her than for you." Janet said, sadly.
"I know. Part of me wants to just get the hell out of her life and leave her alone; she'd be better off without me messing things up in her life, but how can I leave her with all this going on?" Joey agonized. "I can't leave her!"
"I doubt that Charlie would think she'd be better off without you. I must admit, you do fit together so perfectly. I just want you to know, that whatever happens from now on, I'll support you all I can, but please, don't flaunt things in front of Vince. He's just a boy, and I don't want to confuse him anymore than he is now. He saw Ruby coming out of the bathroom in her underwear the other day and he got in such a do-da over it, I thought I'd have to explain the facts of life to him there and then!" Janet laughed.
"They grow up quickly, don't they?" Joey mused.
"It's the war. It's always the bloody war."
Joey walked into the lounge and found Charlie curled up asleep on the sofa. She smiled and thought how peaceful she looked. But she knew that look wouldn't last long. Joey walked over to the window to make good the blackout and pull the curtains.
Charlie stirred and opened her eyes. She watched as Joey pulled the big curtains across the window.
"Hello you." She said quietly.
Joey looked around in surprise and smiled.
"Hello you. Did you have a nice sleep?"
"Until you went and left me!" Charlie said, sitting up.
"What?" Joey asked, curiously.
"I had a dream," Charlie said, rubbing her eyes. "And you ran away from me."
Joey walked over to the sofa and sat beside Charlie.
"Maybe that's what you'd like me to do." Joey said, "You'd be better off without me."
Charlie looked at her anxiously.
"Is that what you want to do, Jo?"
"Charlie, I never want to leave your side. But so many bad things have happened since we..." Joey hung her head and a few tears escaped. "I don't want to see you hurting, Charlie."
Charlie took Joey's hand and made Joey look into her eyes.
"Joey. I never, ever want you to be anywhere but by my side. I don't know what's going to happen after all this, but please, don't leave me to cope alone." Charlie pleaded.
"Charlie. You never have to cope alone." She slipped her arms around Charlie's waist and pulled her very close kissing her gently on the lips.
"I love you, Jo."
"I love you too."
"More than that French girl?" Charlie asked.
Joey frowned and suddenly realised that Charlie was making a joke.
"Well, almost!" She teased.