Evening all, another chapter to add to the collection!
I hope you all enjoy this one - we're starting to get a bit more couply, by crossing the dark and scary bridge that is meeting your other half's mates! It's never gone as well for me as it will in this one, but hey - what else is fiction for if not for being improbable!
Hope you enjoy - and this chapter's song is "Knock Knock, who's there?" by Mary Hopkins which came 2nd in the 1970 Eurovision song contest, and "Wake up Boo" by the Boo Radleys - a finer song there never was!
Sit and dream of how things might have been, and as I close my eyes I get the strangest feeling. Knock Knock, who's there? Could this be love that's calling? The door is always open wide. Knock knock - who's there? Now as the night is falling, take off your coat and come inside.
"And that was Mary Hopkins with Knock Knock, who's there? I think we sent that in for Eurovision didn't we – anyway the time is five twenty nine, you're listening to Vanessa Feltz on BBC radio two, time for the news … This is the news at BBC five thirty, insurgent troops have –"Patrick leant over and after a few misses he managed to hit the top of the radio alarm clock with his hand and put Vanessa Feltz on snooze, rolling back over he watched Shelagh's back, her arm outstretched across her pillow and her shoulder blades separated and drew back together with each deep sleepy breath.
"Shelagh … Shelagh?" He whispered, sliding a hand around her waist and pulling her gently towards him,
"Mmm – what time is it?"
"Just gone half past, Vanessa's on full force …" sleepily Shelagh rolled over and gave him a small smile, "you do love your Vanessa Feltz … is it really half five?"
"Afraid so." Giving a small whimper she curled her head down and yawned. "Do you want the first shower before I get Tim up?"
"No it's alright. I'll get him up – you use the bathroom, I could do with a cup of tea before I try and blow-dry my hair."
"Alright then, and uh – if you're putting the kettle on …"
"Tsssk, you don't ask much do you! Alright then – did you buy more Frosties for Tim?"
"Oh Bugger! No I forgot – he'll have to have jam on toast. You know the look he gives me when I give him toast you'd think I was putting him on POW rations."
"It's alright – in a few years you can send him down the mines, he can buy his own breakfast then!" She said laughing, reaching up she kissed him on the lips and reached around hugging in the warmth from his wrapped up body, "I suppose I should get up …"
"Mmm – I suppose we should." He replied, not moving.
"-what I said! Right – time for some more music, it's a brilliant song, one that'll get you all out of bed!"
Summer's gone, day's spent with the grass and sun, I don't mind, to pretend I do seem really dumb. I rise as the morning comes, crawling through the blinds, I shouldn't be up at this time, but I can't sleep with you there by my side. Wake up it's a beautiful morning, feel the sun shining for your eyes. Wake up it's so beautiful, For what could be the very last time.
"Right – come on – Vanessa's spoken! It's time to get up."
Buttering up a slice of toast, Shelagh pulled a plate off the drying rack and handed over his breakfast to Tim,
"I'm just going to have a quick shower, and then we can get you to school alright? It's your last week before you head to secondary school your Dad was telling me last night."
"Yeah, it's going to be great. Dad says I can catch the bus then – so I won't need to wait for you two in the morning."
"Oh and that's the only good thing is it? Anyway – I'm not over that often, it's only when our shifts match up!"
"You're over a lot, and if you're not over then Dad's round at yours!"
"That's alright isn't it? I mean you don't mind do you?"
"Nah – Simon's dad's got a girlfriend, she's really pretty!"
"Is she indeed? Young too?"
"Mmm probably – I don't know, 25 maybe? But she gets Simon loads of presents because she wants him to like her more than his Mum …"
"Well, you're lucky that I don't want you to like me more than you like your Mum! Sounds like the showers free, I'll be 20 minutes and then we can leave, have your got your reading book for your dyslexia session thing later?"
"Yeah – I finished it last night, it was really boring!"
"Morning Tim." Called Patrick, walking through the kitchen door buttoning up his shirt as he did, "You two alright?"
"Oh fine, just discussing the relative merits of stepmothers!" replied Shealgh with a wry smile, passing by and handing over her half-drunk cup of tea.
*Hi bbs, me and the girls are going out for a few glasses after work – fancy it? xx*
*Hey L, I'm with Patrick tonight – sorry xx*
*Boring, bring him along – we want to meet the new man! Xx*
*You'll scare him off! Xx"
*We'll be good – promise! Come to the Peacock for 8:30 X*
"Phone Nurse McDonald!" Shelagh jumped almost a foot in the air and spun on her heels, shoving her phone into her tunic pocket.
"Oh God Patrick – I thought you were Sister Evangelina! You nearly gave me a heart attack … what are you after eh?"
"Just got a text of Lindsey, I told you about her remember?"
"The one with the arm?"
"No – that's Karen. Lindsey's the one with the eye. Anyway she's invited me out tonight for a drink with the girls tonight, Cynthia and Julie are coming down too."
"Oh OK."
"Well the girls want you to come down too, I mean the girls want to meet you and I think Julie and Cynthia want us to have an official outing as a couple … what do you think?"
"I think -"
"I mean you don't have to, I don't want you to feel obliged or anything!"
"Shelagh -"
"If it's not your scene then I understand!"
"Shelagh -"
"What?"
"Stop interrupting! I think it sounds like a good idea, how about I ring Simon's Dad and ask him to take Tim for the night?"
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure, but – put your phone away before the dark lord catches you!"
"She's not that bad!"
"Oh she is! She makes Mussolini look a fair and level headed leader."
"She's a good midwife – you know rumour has it she was found the rubble when the dug the foundations for the unit!"
"Explains a lot, including her taste for Babycham – who's drunk Babycham since 1968 I ask you?"
"You should know – it was your 18th wasn't it?"
"Ooo – you, nurse McDonald, are a horrible horrible person! And room 6 is flashing, I think you're wanted!"
"Aghh – now she is a good 'un, 8th baby in as many years – she pops them out like she's shelling peas!"
Shelagh slid her hand through Patricks and gave it a squeeze, as they walked across the pub towards the crowded table, there were three young women sat at the table a bottle of wine half completed and an empty one stood next to it.
"Shelagh! Hey – how are you?!"
"Hi Lindsey, I'm good … umm – Lindsey, Karen, Hannah – this is Patrick. Patrick – Lindsey, Karen and Hannah."
"Well Shelagh – how long have you been keeping him hidden?!" Cried the broad Geordie tones of Karen, who pulled out a chair with force, and with equal force pulled Patrick down to sit on it. "Shelagh – we are running low on wine, and you two haven't got a drink! I think that's something that you should remedy – I'll look after Paddy here!"
"Umm well it's Patrick – and no, you won't. I like him too much to feed him to the wolves! He needs to give me a hand at the bar."
"No he doesn't!" Came the loud voice again,
"No actually – I really think I ought to!" with a panicked glance Patrick stood up and strode quickly towards the bar.
"You lot are like a pack of starving dogs!" Hissed Shelagh with a smile, before turning away from the table and following Patrick, she rested a hand on the small of his back as she slipped in beside him. "Yeah – sorry about her, possibly should have given you a heads up about that one …"
"You think? Gin and Tonic?"
"Please, Karen's harmless, if a little … keen shall we say! It's all just an act to be honest – she's very happily married and would rather drink bleach than cheat on her man. You'll like Hannah – she's a make-up artist on tele – does prosthetics for Doctor Who!"
"And Lindsey?"
"Oh Lindsey, Lindsey is a recovering heron addict!"
"You mean heroin …?"
"No – I mean heron, as in the bird – she's obsessed with birds, dropped out of university to track down this elusive heron, now she's an ornithologist, quite good apparently – she works for Kings College London. We all trained as midwives together, Karen went back to nursing and the other two jacked it all in."
"You have some very strange friends you know Shelagh."
"No I don't!"
"The Ornithologist, the makeup artist, and the two midwives all walk into a pub …"
"Point taken."
"OK – so let me get this right, pass the wine -"
"You've drank it all Lindsey!"
"I'll go and get another – same again everyone?"
"Thanks Cynthia – so Julie, let me get this right – you've been married for 30 years!? I mean – why?"
"Because I'm happy with Stephen!"
"Urgh – my longest relationship was … Shelagh how long was it?"
"I have no idea Lindsey – I remember your shortest … Michael Mahoney – three hours twenty minuites!"
"Oh God! Now Patrick won't have heard that one Lindsey – I think that's a story that needs re-telling!"
"No no no! You can't!"
"Oh well now Lindsey, I think I need to hear it!" Laughed Patrick, draining the last of his glass of bitter as Cynthia handed him another and seated herself back down, plonking another bottle of white down on the table and passing Julie and Shelagh their respective drinks. "I was just about to be told the story of Michael Mahoney Cynthia?"
"Oh God – Michael Mahoney – poor poor Michael, I've never met the man and even I feel sorry for him!" With a loud groan, throwing her hands over her face as the story of poor Michael Mahoney was relayed to Patrick, Lindsey shrunk back into her seat. Shelagh surveyed her group of friends, who were all enraptured by the story – however many times they had heard it, and she watched Patrick, who had by now integrated her friends tight-knit group, he had withstood Karen's initial horrendous flirting, Lindsey's drunken recounting of her bad track history with men, and Hannah's never ending supply of gossip of what was happening behind the scenes on some of Cardiff's biggest TV dramas, who was a secret alcoholic in Casualty, who was sleeping with who on Doctor Who, and which member of Sherlock wore lifts in their shoes. And she smiled, life was slowly coming together and it made her happy – in her own little world she barely noticed Hannah grabbing her by the hand and pulling her upwards,
"Toilet – come on."
"Yeah of course!" handing Patrick her bag she followed her friend towards the pub toilet, where the pair now accompanied by Cynthia squashed into a line in front of the sink.
"So!?"
"So what Hannah?"
"So – come on, you don't get to bring us a new man and not give us all the juicy details!"
"Uh – hang on, I still have to work with these two, I don't want too many juicy details."
"Don't worry Cynthia, neither of you are getting any juicy details."
"But you're happy though aren't you?"
"Yeah – we both are, really happy."
"Because – am I missing something or is he a bit … I don't know … he's wearing a jumper …"
"You mean he's older than me. And yeah he is but it's not that big an age gap - 15 years, you know and I mean I'm 30 and his son's 11 so it's not even like I'm too young to be Tim's stepmother …"
"Yeah but babes – do you not feel a bit like, and this isn't me trying to make trouble – you know I'll support you no matter what, a bit like he's at a different stage in his life, I mean you said he's got a lad. Right so he's done the nappies and night feed stuff and you're still young enough to want kids."
"Look – it's really early days yet – we're not worrying about that just yet."
"Yeah but Shelagh, if you like him as much as I think you do then you need to think about that kind of stuff before you're in too deep."
"I think Hannah's right you know Shelagh, I'm not saying it's not going to work or anything, but you know it wouldn't hurt to just work out if you're both … singing of the same hymn sheet you know." Added Cynthia,
"Look he seems lovely – I'm sure it'll all be great for you two, you seem happy! You said he's got a boy though, what about his ex – what's she like?"
"He's widowed …"
"Shit … sorry."
"No, I am, that was … really dickish. Do you think we'll be alright?"
"You and Patrick? Well he's put up with us lot for three hours now – so I reckon he's in for the long haul!"