“There’s someone I want you to meet.” I was all of a sudden feeling nervous, I pulled out a cigarette and as I was about to light it, I heard the front door open. I threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it even though I never lit it. Just habit I guess.
“I saw that Mason.”
“Hi, mum.” I smiled at her as she placed her hands on her hips. Cammie’s head spun around and looked at my mum. “We’ll be up in a second.”
“You brought me here to meet your mum? And you didn’t even warn me?” Cammie was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, running her hands through her hair and straightening out her clothes.
“I didn’t want you panicking, like you are now.” I reached out and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to my lips and kissing her palm.
“Panicking? I’m not panicking?” I wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, herself or me.
“She’s going to love you.” Cammie took a deep breath. “You ready?” She shook her head and then nodded. I let out a loud laugh and she joined in with me. There was nothing prettier than Cammie when she was smiling.
We linked hands and walked up the couple of steps that led up to the red front door, I pushed it open and we walked in. I could see Cammie taking in everything. Mum wasn’t in the living room so we headed towards the kitchen.
“Mum?” I called out.
“In here, honey.” She was in the kitchen stirring a large pan that was on the hob.
“Mum.” She looked over her shoulder and I pulled Cammie into my side and wrapped my arm around her back. “I want you to meet Cammie, my girlfriend.” She wiped her hands on a tea towel as she walked around the large breakfast bar.
“Girlfriend? Why am I only now just hearing about this?”
“It’s been busy at the club.” I hated having to explain myself to her, she always made me feel like I was twelve and not twenty eight.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Cole,” Cammie said, holding her hand out to shake Mum’s hand, she grasped her hand in greeting.
“It’s nice to meet you too, honey. Would you like a drink? Tea? Coffee? Please, take a seat.” Mum waved towards the small kitchen table that was by the patio doors.
“Tea would be great, thanks. Milk with one sugar please.” Cammie turned around and went to sit at the table and I heard mum gasp.
“Mum,” I said in a warning tone.
“Don’t mum me. She’s wearing your property jacket, that’s more than a girlfriend, Mason. Why did you keep her away from me?” she whisper shouted at me, looking upset, standing there in her red apron. Her dark brown hair was tied up in some sort of twist and her blue eyes looked like they were getting watery. “You never come and visit much anymore, not since…”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll try better.” I pulled her towards me and wrapped my arms around her, she was shorter than me and her head came to my shoulders. “She means a lot to me. I love her, mum. Please make her feel like a part of the family,” I whispered into her ear so Cammie couldn’t hear. She nodded, wiped the tears from her eyes and turned away to make the drinks.
When I turned around, I saw that Cammie was watching us. She had a confused look on her face and I shook my head for her not to ask. I’d explain it all to her later.
“So, Cammie. Tell me about yourself,” mum said as she placed the hot drinks onto the table.
“Um…” She looked at me, worriedly, not sure what to say. “I’m twenty, an only child. I grew up in Devon, I love to read, dance and drink. Mason and my friends are the most important people in my life and one day I’d like to have a dog.” She smiled happily at the answer she gave.
“What about your parents? Are they still in Devon?” Cammie quickly grabbed her drink and took a sip, avoiding the question, she never liked to talk about them.
“Nanny?” I looked over towards the door and kept quiet. “Uncle Mason!” She squealed and threw herself at me, luckily I caught her.
“Hey, pumpkin. How are you?” She sat on my lap facing me, legs dangling over mine.
“Good, I had a nap. I went to school this morning, it made me sleepy. Do you know that I have this many friends.” She held out her hand holding up four fingers. I laughed at her and she crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at me. “Why are you laughing at me, Uncle Mason? It’s not a nice thing to do, is it nanny?”
“No, it’s not. You hungry, Emily?” She nodded her head and then her gaze landed on Cammie. Mum got up from the table to make Emily a snack and Cammie was looking at me and Emily.
“Who’s the pretty lady?” Emily attempted to whisper in my ear, but she forgot the whole making your voice quiet so she just talked really close to my ear, standing on my lap.
“Emily, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Cammie. Cammie this is my niece, Emily.”
“Hi, Emily. How old are you?” Cammie asked her. She went shy and hid her face in my neck.
“Cammie asked you a question, young lady,” mum said as she pulled items out of the fridge. Emily still didn’t speak and she was still hiding.
“You’re not shy.” I laughed as I tickled her tummy. She giggled, trying to push my hand away. I tickled her again and again until she moved her head away from my neck.
“No, stop. Uncle Mason, no.” She laughed as she tried pushing my hand away with her hands and her feet. She was wriggling so much that I placed her on the floor and continued with the torture.
“Are you going to answer Cammie?”
“Yes.” She nodded quickly, her blue eyes watering from her laughter. I rose an eyebrow at her and she looked over to Cammie. “I’m four.” She smiled.
“That’s a good age to be,” Cammie told her as I pulled her off the floor and sat her in the spare seat at the table. Mum placed a plate in front of her with a cheese toasty on it.
“Mmm, that looks good,” I said, smiling at mum.
“I’ll make you one, honey. Cammie would you like one?”
“Yes, she’ll have one too. Thanks, mum.” I answered for Cammie as I knew she would have said no, she wouldn’t want mum going to any trouble for her.
“Why is four a good age to be?” Emily asked Cammie, tipping her to the side. Her brown haired bob moving as she looked between Cammie and her food.
“Well, you get to go to school and play with your friends but you don’t have to learn anything difficult. Isn’t it fun?”
“Yes, I had to read today. That wasn’t as fun as playing.”
“I love to read,” Cammie announced.
“Really?” Emily scrunched up her face, not understanding why.
“Yes, you can learn new things and get lost in the words, find yourself in a whole new place.”
“Like a magic book?” Her eyes lit up and she seemed excited.
“Emily, I think what Cammie means is that you can pretend to be the person in the book going on all the adventures,” mum explained as she placed plates in front of Cammie and me.
“Oh!” Emily answered, I wasn’t sure if she really understood.
“Thank you,” Cammie said.
“Thanks, mum.”
“I’m just going to put the washing out to dry,” she said as she squeezed my shoulder.
“I’ll help!” Emily called out, running after her.
“She’s so adorable, why didn’t you tell me you have a sister or brother?”
“Had.”
“What?”
“I had a sister, she was in an accident. Emily survived and she didn’t.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She reached across the table and placed her hand on top of mine. “Where’s your dad?”
“He was in the accident too. We lost them both.”
“Oh, babe.” She got up from her seat and planted herself in my lap, wrapping her arms over my shoulders and nuzzling into my neck. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m ok,” I assured her, rubbing my hands up and down her back. We both looked up when the patio door opened and Emily skipped in.
; “Is Uncle Mason tickling you too? I’ll save you.” She ran towards us and took hold of Cammie’s hand pulling her away from me.
“Phew, thank you. I didn’t think I’d ever get away,” Cammie said over dramatically causing Emily to giggle.
“Wanna see my room?” she asked, hopefully.
“I’d love to,” Cammie replied and then Emily was dragging her out of the room and up the stairs.
I felt tense and on edge after bringing up my dad and Katie. I hated talking about it but knew that Cammie would have some questions later. I walked outside and sat on the garden bench that was on the patio area, I didn’t know where mum had disappeared too but I needed to take the edge off with a cigarette. I couldn’t stop the memories that flooded into my head.
“Mason!” I heard mum scream from downstairs. She sounded upset and frantic, I was here visiting for the day, taking a break away from the club. I had been a patched in member for five years and shit was going down. I had come to talk to my dad. He was a patched in member too but had taken a step back recently when he had his last heart attack scare.
As I ran down the stairs, mum was standing by the front door with the phone clutched to her chest and her car keys in her hand. Her eyes were red and she was crying.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“There’s been an accident, we need to get to the hospital. Quick.” She threw the front door open and ran to the car, her hands were shaking as she tried pressing the central lock button to unlock it.
“I think I should drive.” I took the keys off her and opened the passenger door for her. “What’s happened?” I asked again as I focused on the road. It was late on Sunday afternoon, it had been raining all day. The roads were stupidly wet and flooded in places but, luckily, the roads were quiet.
“Dad and Katie have been in a car accident. I don’t know any more than that,” she quietly told me.
“How bad is it? Are they alive?”
“I don’t know, Mason!” she snapped. “I’m sorry, I’m just worried.”
“It’s ok.” I placed my hand on hers and held it tightly.
Several minutes later, we pulled into the hospital and I found a parking spot not too far from the entrance. We both climbed out of the car and hurried into the reception. Mum was sobbing as I held her close to me.
“Hi, we’re looking for Rob and Katie Cole. We got a call that they were in an accident?”
“And you are?”
“We’re family. It’s my dad and sister.”
“Mr. Cole?” I looked to my right and a nurse dressed in blue scrubs walked towards us. “Please, come with me.” I looked at mum and she fisted her hand in my t-shirt as we followed her down the hall and into a room. Looking around, it looked like a smaller waiting area, chairs were lined against the walls and a coffee machine stood next to the large window.
“If you would like to take a seat, I’ll get the doctor to come and see you.”
“Please, are they ok?” Mum asked, her voice quiet and uneven.
“I’ll get the doctor,” was all she said as she walked back out of the door; her face was impassive. I hated not knowing what was going on and she gave nothing away. Mum sat down on one of the seats as I paced the room. It felt like we had been waiting ages for the doctor to walk in that door, when in fact it was only minutes.
“Mrs. Cole?” he said as he walked in. Mum stood up and I was in front of him shaking his hand and introducing myself. “You may want to sit down.” Oh, shit. That’s not good, we didn’t want to hear him say that. I steered mum towards the chairs and we both sat down, my arm was wrapped around her and she fisted her hand into my t-shirt again.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I have bad news.”
“No,” Mum whispered, shaking her head.
“Your husband has suffered from a major heart attack, we were unable to save him.” I held on tight to mum as she wailed in my arms. Suffered? Heart attack? Unable to save him? These words kept spinning around and around in my head and I couldn’t seem to digest them. Mum was shaking next to me and I knew that I had to push my grief aside and be the son she needed me to be. I could hear the doctor talking but it was like there was a bubble around us, a fog, and I couldn’t hear him.
“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” I asked, looking him in the eyes and making sure I didn’t let my grip on my mum ease.
“Katie, she had some complications. We tried everything we could, but she didn’t make it. I’m sorry.”
“No!” Mum screamed, sobbing loudly and I tried to rock her gently. Her breathing was becoming laboured.
“Mrs. Cole, I need you to breathe. Take deep breaths.” The doctor was telling her, she was on the verge of a panic attack. Once her breathing was a bit better, I asked;
“The baby?” My sister was nearly at full term in her pregnancy.
“We done an emergency c section and managed to get the baby out, she’s fine.”
“She?” Mum asked, lifting her head off my shoulder.
“Yes. Would you like to see her?” Mum nodded frantically, using her hands to wipe away her tears and straightened her clothes. Katie and dad gone? What were we going to do? How was mum going to cope losing them both? That little girl was going to have to grow up never knowing how amazing her mum was. Yeah, we fought when we were younger, like all siblings did, but the past two years we had grown closer together. She gave me advice when I needed it like all big sisters did and I looked after her. I was fiercely protective over her, especially when she came home one day, bags in tow, and announced that she was pregnant. To this day, we still don’t know who the dad is, she wouldn’t tell us. She said it was better all-around if he never found out.
“Mason.” Mums voiced snapped me out of my head and I looked at her. “Let’s go and meet my grandbaby.”
A month later and I hadn’t left mums side, she had full custody of Emily and looking after her was what kept mum strong. She focused all her energy and time on her. I could hear her crying at night and in the mornings she got on with her day like her heart hadn’t been breaking. She was a strong woman and I respected and loved her.
I snapped out of my memories when I felt a familiar pair of hands rest on my shoulders, then they slipped down onto my chest and she kissed the side of my neck. I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her until she was nestled in my lap, which was where she belonged.
“You ok?” she asked, running her hands through my hair as I placed my lips against her neck, it calmed me down to feel her soft skin against me and her pulse beating. I loved having her near and I didn’t ever want to lose her. I’ve lost enough people in my life already.
“I am now.” She sat still, knowing that I needed the touch of her, she was the only person who could calm me down like this. Her hand in my hair felt good and soon, I was relaxed and hard. “I need to get you home.”
“Oh? And why’s that?” she asked as she wriggled in my lap.
“Uncle Mason, are you tickling her again?” Emily asked as she grabbed hold of Cammie’s hands, trying to pull her off my lap. I held on tight to Cammie’s waist, not wanting Emily to see my arousal.
“I’m not tickling her, I’m cuddling her.”
“Oh, why?” She looked confused.
“Because she’s my girlfriend and I love her.” Emily covered her mouth with her hand, laughing.
“Nanny!” Emily called out, running away. “Uncle Mason loves Cammie. Is she going to be my auntie? Am I going to get cousins?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, she made everything in the world better. She was a spitting image of my sister with her brown hair and blue eyes and I would always protect her.
“We better get back,” I told Cammie as I gently tapped her ass, telling her she needed to move. She smiled and kissed me quickly before she stood up.
We walked through the house to find mum and Emily watching a film on the TV.
“We gotta get back,” I announced.
“It was lovely to see you, hon
ey,” mum said, climbing to her feet and kissing me on the cheek. “And you too, Cammie.” She pulled Cammie in for a hug and she looked startled.
“It was great to meet you, Mrs. Cole.”
“Oh, please call me Brenda.” Cammie smiled at her. “Emily come and say bye to your uncle and Cammie.”
“Bye!” she called out, quickly taking her eyes off the TV and waving. We all said our goodbyes and we were soon zooming down the road, Cammie’s legs tight against mine. This was what I needed, her close to me, always.
Cammie
After we got back from visiting Mason’s mum we decided to sit outside and enjoy the sun, it wasn’t hot but it was getting warmer. Mason climbed up and sat on the table of the picnic bench, his feet resting on the seat. He dug around in his pocket until he found his cigarettes.
“Nu-uh,” I said as I stood on the seat in front of him, grabbing the cigarettes out of his hand. “I’m not kissing you if you’re smoking.”
“Well, it’s a good job I’m not smoking then.” He smirked at me, pulling me closer until I was straddled on his lap. His mouth landed on mine and I dropped the cigarette pack onto the table so I could thread his hair through my fingers. He had one hand possessively on my right hip and the other was behind my neck anchoring me to him. We broke apart when a car pulled in, I looked over my shoulder and screamed. Heather was standing by the car, I jumped off Mason’s lap and ran towards her as she held out her arms to me.
“I missed you,” she told me.
“I missed you too. Where’s my handsome boy?” I pulled away from her and pulled the back door of the car open. “There he is. Hi, handsome,” I cooed at him. He looked at me, a big smile on his face and his arms and legs flailed about. I pulled him out of his car seat and held him close to me. He was very special to me, especially as I delivered him. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel once Heather had her baby, I didn’t want to be jealous of her and I wasn’t. She had a son she loved dearly and she also took on Blades two nieces as well. She was born to be a mother and maybe that just wasn’t on the cards for me. Maybe I would have been a terrible mum and if I turned out like mine that would not have been good. I pushed all thoughts aside as Heather asked;
South Coast Brothers: Part One Page 38