Chapter Four Hundred and Sixty Four
Marilyn sat at the front of the church, where Mitzy's funeral was being held. Her friends, including Alf, Miles, Leah, Irene, Charlie, Joey, Romeo, Indi, Nicole, Claire, Ruby, Dex and Sid had gathered to pay their respects. Marilyn was touched that so many people had come to say goodbye, especially as nobody had known Mitzy very well and as she had created rather a whirlwind while she had been around. She knew that people were there more for her than for Mitzy but that was just as touching, if not more so.
Unlike many residents of Summer Bay that day, Angelo was in a rather chipper mood. And it made rather a change to the mood he had been in recently. He had reluctantly taken Joey's advice and signed himself up to an online dating agency. And to his surprise, it had taken mere days to get chatting to a rather attractive girl and arrange a date. If she was anything like her picture then he was in for a fantastic time.
On his way out of the cemetery, Alf paused when he spotted Penn kneeling at one of the graves. He felt his soul being gripped with anxiety. The nasty young man hadn't bothered him for a little while and he had hoped that perhaps he might just slink out of town, never to be heard from again. But alas, no, he was still kicking around.
Alf watched him lay flowers and then leave through another exit. He hung back from the group and walked over to the grave that Penn had been tending. His blood felt like it momentarily ceased flowing. It belonged to Tulip, his long lost love.
Angelo arrived at a restaurant Joey and Charlie had recommended in Yabbie Creek and sat down at the table he had reserved. He checked his watch nervously as he waited for his date. He was desperate for this date to go well. It had been too long since he had had an actual love life. A bunk up with Shandi didn't really count. And prior to that all he had had was a crush on Joey, a crush on Charlie and a hooker. And then of course, there had been Shandi, who had decided she preferred Miles Copeland, of all people. Why on earth had he let that girl, May, go? He wondered where she was and what she was doing with her life now. When he looked back on his life he couldn't help but think it was just full of mistakes.
"No," he said to himself. "Don't start thinking negatively or today will not go well."
"Angelo?" said a voice.
He looked up, terribly embarrassed at being caught talking to himself.
"Oh!" he said. "Hi!"
"Don't worry," the pretty blonde said with a big smile. "I talk to myself all the time!"
He grinned and stood up, gesturing for her to join him at the table.
Alf pulled into a parking space outside the Surf Club and restaurant and climbed out of his car, ready to join his friends at the wake. Joey had very generously catered the event for Marilyn for free and it had been a case of no expense spared. Sometimes, when he thought of his friend, his boss, his heart swelled up with love over her kindness towards others.
However, the feeling quickly dissipated when he spotted Penn just up ahead. Determined that nothing would happen to make Marilyn's day any more difficult than it already was.
"You," he snapped angrily.
Penn merely sneered at him.
"You need to get the hell out of town," Alf said. "I am just about sick to the back teeth of you hanging around here, hiding in shadows and threatening me and my family. You need to leave."
"I don't need to do anything," Penn said, not affected in the slightest. "And the longer I stay, the worse things are going to get for you."
He shoved past him and walked away. Alf swallowed. Unnoticed, Charlie observed it all.
Angelo was not having a good time. He was sat across the table from a beautiful woman. But she was quite possibly the most annoying person he had ever met in his life. She was like a cartoon character on speed. Everything was exciting. Everything was something to be overly enthusiastic about, even the waiter bringing a water jug to their table. He could not stand her. All he wanted to do was leave.
Inside the restaurant, once people had been given drinks, Charlie went over to speak to Alf.
"Hey, are things alright?" she asked. "I saw you having words with Penn outside."
Her friend stiffened and clenched his jaw anxiously.
"Is he causing trouble again?" she asked.
"It's nothing," he said, although any interaction he had with the vile young man unnerved him.
"Are you sure?"
"Honestly," Alf tried to assure her. "I'm fine. He doesn't bother me. I just want to get on with the day, forget about him and focus on supporting Marilyn."
Charlie nodded, although she was still concerned.
"Okay," she said. "But promise me – anything happens, you contact me right away."
He nodded. She gripped his elbow gently but firmly.
"Promise me," she said.
"I promise," he said, although he wasn't sure that he was being honest.
Across the room, Marilyn was genuinely overwhelmed at the amount of support that she had been shown among her friends. Joey and Charlie had been more than generous by allowing her to have the restaurant for free for the wake. And so many people in the Bay had turned out to say goodbye to someone they had hardly even known. Sid had been by her side throughout, even though they weren't actually together right now and Alf, as ever had been a rock. She had no idea how she would have got through the last few days without the people who loved her.
"Well, uh, it's been really lovely to meet you," Angelo said at the end of the meal.
He was thoroughly relieved that it was over. The woman he had just shared lunch with was quite possibly the most annoying person he had ever met in his life.
"Yes!" she enthused. "I had a wonderful time. You're so handsome and charming and funny. I'm so glad we met. I was nervous about meeting someone online but I've loved meeting you."
She beamed at him. He squirmed and wondered how he could get away.
"I know we didn't know her very well but she obviously touched a lot of lives while she was here," Ruby mused, as she and Claire sat at a table together at the wake.
Claire was on a break from her shift. She had offered to work for free, as Joey and Charlie had offered their services for free to Marilyn.
"Yeah, she definitely made her presence known while she was here," Claire agreed.
"Well, I'll hold onto what she left me," Ruby said, thinking about the prediction Mitzy had made.
Claire sighed. Ruby noticed.
"What?" she asked.
"Ruby, Mitzy's prediction wasn't real," her friend tried.
"Of course it was!" Ruby snapped.
"It wasn't…" Claire tried. "I… I just… I don't think you should put so much weight to it. I think you should be more careful. I'm worried about you."
"Well, don't worry," Ruby said a little too sharply. "I'm fine. I know what I'm doing."
Claire sighed and returned to work, fretting that she had now fallen out with her friend.
"So, do you like me too?"
Angelo was rather startled at the blunt question.
"I uh…"
She looked at him with big eyes. He ran his hands through his short hair.
"Listen, Lisa, I um…"
"Because I thought, being that we've connected so well, that we could go back to my place and…"
He froze, torn between finding her utterly annoying and being offered sex.
"Your place sounds great," he decided.
After the wake had come to a close and people had filtered away, Marilyn approached Joey, who was cleaning up, alongside Alf, Charlie, Claire, Ruby and other members of staff.
"I just wanted to thank you so much for everything," she said. "I really appreciate the support you and Charlie have shown me."
Joey reached across and held her hand.
"We'll always be here for you," she said. "No matter what."
Angelo waited until Lisa was most definitely sound asleep before he slipped out of her bed. He quickly and quietly got dressed, not even pausing to do up his shoes or belt. He hurried out of her apartment, most definitely not leaving his number and absolutely deciding to take his profile off the website.
That night in bed, Charlie and Joey cuddled up close. After a day of so much sadness, they were more relieved than ever to have each other and their daughter. In the back of her mind, Charlie held what she had seen between Alf and Penn but today, she decided Joey didn't need to know – at least not yet. Tonight, she just wanted to protect the woman she loved.
Next time… Charlie, Joey and Ruby a gearing up for the Big Move, Ruby wants to learn to drive and Romeo and Indi receive a different letter to the one they were hoping for…
