Driving Home for Christmas

by Emma Hannigan

  As Skye left, Vince slid in beside Pippa with a tray of shots. ‘Tequila?’ he offered.

  ‘It’s not really my scene but I’ll give it a go.’

  ‘Lick your hand and I’ll pour salt on it for you. Here’s the lemon,’ he said, offering her a saucer of wedges.

  Pippa clinked glasses with him. ‘Down the hatch.’ As she tossed back the putrid drink and shoved the lemon into her mouth, the burning in her throat and chest made her cough.

  ‘One more?’ Vince asked, laughing at her expression.

  ‘I’ve had enough of that stuff, thanks. I’ll just have my gin and tonic.’ Her head began to spin and she thought she was going to vomit. She grabbed her glass and downed the remainder.

  ‘Don’t get all sensible on me now! Here, I’ll do the last shot with you,’ he promised. ‘They’ll only go to waste and I’ve paid for them.’

  ‘Your friends didn’t get one – would they not drink them?’ Pippa asked.

  ‘They’re on pints.’ He raised his eyes to heaven. ‘They’re boring, not like you.’ He held up a lemon wedge in one hand and a full shot glass in the other. ‘Go on, you know you want to!’ he goaded.

  ‘Okay, but this is the last one!’ As soon as the tequila hit her stomach Pippa knew it was one drink too many. Retching, she was terrified she was going to barf all over Vince and the table. ‘I don’t feel too well,’ she choked out.

  ‘Oh, no! Come out into the fresh air for a minute and you’ll be fine.’ He used his bulk to manoeuvre her through the throng in the bar, like the parting of the Red Sea. ‘Move it out, please! We’ve got a lady with a whitie!’

  Pippa grabbed her bag and coat and darted towards the exit.

  Outside, the freezing air shocked Pippa into near-sobriety. She leaned against the window beside the main door. ‘Hey, move it! You’re blocking the entrance, you stupid bint,’ a man yelled. Pippa staggered sideways.

  ‘Oh dear, you’re pretty drunk, Princess,’ Vince said with a grin.

  ‘I’m actually locked,’ Pippa agreed. ‘I didn’t realise how pissed I was until we came out here. It was all a great plan earlier on. Now I’d like to die.’

  ‘Let’s get out of the way in case anyone else shouts at you,’ Vince said, taking her elbow and leading her to the roadside.

  ‘I want to go home,’ she said.

  ‘Where do you live?’

  ‘Just around from Lourdes Hospital,’ she managed.

  ‘Taxi!’ Vince yelled, and a cab screeched to a halt beside them.

  He helped her into the back seat, then slid in beside her.

  ‘Uh, I’m not well,’ she slurred.

  ‘I was wondering how such a little thing could put away so much booze and not feel the effects,’ Vince said. ‘I’ll ask this gentleman to pull in at the chipper on the way, run in and get you some food.’ He leaned forward. ‘Can you stop outside the kebab shop, mate?’

  ‘Whatever. I’ll leave the meter running, though. It’s lashing rain, in case you hadn’t noticed, and other punters are looking for cars tonight,’ he said rudely.

  ‘I’ll pay, don’t worry,’ Vince scoffed. ‘What’ll I get you?’ he asked Pippa.

  ‘Anything … I don’t care …’ She slumped against the door.

  As Vince dashed out into the wet night, the driver looked at Pippa in the rear-view mirror. ‘Your boyfriend is very good to you. I hope you appreciate him,’ he said.

  ‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ Pippa said, pulling a face. ‘He’s just a guy I met in a bar.’

  ‘He seems to like you,’ the man said.

  ‘Maybe he does but he’s barking up the wrong tree,’ Pippa said. Vince was fine, but he was overweight, far too slobbery and certainly not her type. She wouldn’t go for someone like him in a million years.

  ‘That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?’ the driver commented.

  ‘What’s it to you?’ Pippa snapped. ‘He’s nice and all that. He bought me drinks and I appreciate it. End of …’ She trailed off as another wave of nausea hit her. Squashing her cheek against the cool glass of the window, she groaned. ‘I shouldn’t have drunk those tequilas he bought. It always makes me sick.’

  ‘Yeah, he’s a real selfish git all right, buying you all that booze and now getting you food while he drops you home,’ the driver said nastily.

  ‘Eh, it’s none of your business, thank you,’ Pippa said, as her head lurched forwards. ‘Who asked you? Not me, that’s for certain.’

  The door was flung open and the wind and rain whooshed in. ‘It’s rough out there,’ Vince said. ‘I’m going to hop out at my own place. It’s on the way to yours.’ He handed Pippa a bag of food.

  ‘Cool.’ Pippa closed her eyes.

  It seemed only a moment later that Vince was shaking her arm. ‘Hey, Pippa?’ he said. ‘I’m going now. I’ve paid for the taxi.’

  ‘Cheers,’ she said, peeling her eyes open. The bag of chips was burning her lap as she waved haphazardly at him.

  ‘I had a really fun time with you,’ he said. ‘Here’s my phone number.’ He posted a business card into her bag. ‘Maybe give me a call and we could go for dinner or something.’

  ‘Yeah … Great …’ she said. ‘I’ll be sure to ring.’

  ‘’Bye, then,’ he said, as a gust of wind and rain hit him.

  ‘Geek,’ Pippa muttered, as the taxi pulled back into the traffic.

  ‘Why are you such a nasty little cow?’ the taxi driver asked.

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘He was a decent bloke. There aren’t many of them around, I can tell you,’ the driver said. ‘You should see the way some of them behave in the back of this car.’

  ‘Right,’ Pippa said, wishing he’d shut up. ‘Good for them. Now can you just get me home? I need to sleep. I have work in the morning.’

  When they pulled up outside her apartment block she was out cold.

  ‘Here, Sleeping Beauty, time to get yourself out of my golden carriage,’ said the driver, as he nudged her roughly.

  ‘Ouch! Watch it,’ Pippa swung her legs out of the car with her bag of chips and staggered into the foyer of her apartment block.

  ‘Don’t bother closing my car door!’ the driver shouted after her.

  ‘Why don’t you just sod off?’ Pippa called over her shoulder. Her head hurt. She just wanted to get into her room, kick her shoes off, eat a few chips and go to sleep.

  The thought of being in the lift as it lurched up to the second floor made her want to puke so she made for the stairs. After the first flight, she stopped, took a few deep breaths and willed herself on. She really needed to stop getting this drunk. Still, it was Christmas time. Everyone was out having fun.

  As she reached the door of her apartment she realised she’d left her bag in the taxi. ‘Shit,’ she said.

  ‘Looking for this, were you?’ the taxi driver said, appearing behind her.

  ‘Uh, right. Yeah,’ she said.

  ‘Is that it?’ the man sneered.

  ‘What? Listen, I’m tired and I need to get in here. Can you just give me my stuff and leave me alone?’

  ‘You really think you’re something, don’t you?’ he said, balling his fists as he dumped her bag on the floor.

  ‘Hey,’ she said. ‘Pick that up!’

  ‘Only if you give me a little kiss first,’ he said, as a grin spread across his face.

  ‘You must be kidding! I might be drunk but I’m not desperate.’

  The shock as he smacked her face nearly caused Pippa to black out. She heard her head bash against the closed apartment door.

  As his mouth bore down on hers Pippa felt suffocated. She tried to shove him away. ‘No!’

  She began to panic. This guy was big and strong and, from the force he was using to hold her down, he had no intention of letting her go. She bit his bottom lip. He yelped and jumped back.

  At that moment the apartment door was flung open and Pippa crumpled to the floor just inside the hallway.

  ‘What the hell is
going on?’ Skye yelled, as the taxi driver fled.

  Pippa crawled into the living room on her hands and knees. Skye picked up her things from the floor and went into the kitchen with the soggy bag of takeaway food. Then she said, ‘Let me look at you. Oh, God – he must have hit you hard. I thought we were being broken into.’

  Blood dripped from Pippa’s nose. Skye found some kitchen paper and wiped her friend’s face. ‘I’m calling the police,’ she said, and rushed for the phone.

  ‘No!’ Pippa sobbed. ‘Leave it.’

  ‘Pippa, that guy is a danger to society. If you don’t report him, God knows what he could do to someone else.’

  ‘It was my own fault,’ Pippa cried.

  ‘How can you say that?’ Skye looked stunned. ‘It’s certainly not your fault that a big oaf of a man followed you up here and assaulted you.’

  ‘I was being really obnoxious,’ Pippa said. ‘I left my bag in the car and he was returning it. I was really nasty about Vince and then that taxi driver came to give me my stuff and I was rude to him.’ She put her hand to her face. ‘I feel like I’ve been whacked with a hammer.’

  ‘I hate to tell you but you look it too. You should go to hospital and have your nose X-rayed,’ Skye told her.

  Pippa burst into tears.

  ‘It’s not that late. Why don’t I call Joey and ask him to come and get us? If we go to A&E I’m sure you’ll get sorted pretty quickly.’

  Pippa handed Skye her mobile and sat in a daze as her friend talked to Joey.

  ‘He’s on the way,’ Skye said. ‘You have to be checked and, more importantly, you need to report that man, Pippa.’

  ‘Thank you for being so brilliant. You’re my guardian angel.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, I’m glad I was here.’

  The next couple of hours passed in a blur. Joey drove them to the hospital where, mercifully, they seemed to hit a lull in the accident and emergency department.

  ‘It’s after the pubs have closed and before the nightclub lot are in,’ the kindly nurse explained. ‘Sometimes you can end up waiting half the night, so you’re in luck.’

  While Pippa had her X-ray done, Skye called the police, who arrived to take her and Pippa’s statements. A male and female officer arrived, but the lady conducted the interview with Pippa.

  ‘Can you remember the colour of the car? Did you notice the driver’s ID card on the dashboard?’ the policewoman asked a short while later.

  ‘I didn’t look at any of it,’ Pippa admitted. ‘I was leaning against the window behind the driver’s seat most of the time.’

  ‘Would the gentleman you were travelling with remember any details?’ she probed.

  ‘I dunno,’ Pippa said miserably. ‘I don’t have his number. He’s called Vince, but that’s all I know.’

  Joey was rooting through her bag for clues and came across a business card. ‘Here you go,’ he said, handing the policewoman the details.

  ‘I don’t even remember taking his card.’ Pippa was shamefaced.

  ‘I know you’re not in the mood for a lecture right now,’ Joey said, ‘but …’

  ‘I know, Joey. You don’t have to say it. I shouldn’t get so pissed and I shouldn’t go off with strangers.’

  ‘We’ll call Vince and hopefully he’ll be able to remember some details. Sadly, the CCTV camera at your apartment block is out of service so we don’t have that to fall back on,’ the policewoman continued, ‘but we’ll be in touch if we have any leads.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Now, my dear,’ the nurse said, ‘that X-ray is through. Your nose isn’t broken. You’re just bruised. You’ll have two black eyes by tomorrow, though.’

  ‘My job!’ Pippa shrilled. ‘I can’t go into Boutique Belle in this state. I know I’ve gone for the monochrome look with the window but I don’t think Sue intended having a panda serving her customers.’

  ‘No, you can’t,’ Joey said. ‘It’s bad now so I can’t imagine how horrific you’re going to look over the next few days.’

  ‘Cheers, brother. Are you all right?’ Pippa asked Skye. ‘I bet you wish you’d never moved in with me now.’ She tried to force a smile.

  ‘Not at all. Quite the opposite. I was actually just thinking it was lucky I was there. Don’t worry, I’m not going to move out and leave you,’ she said. ‘I’ll call Sue and tell her what’s happened.’

  ‘Would you?’ Pippa said quietly. ‘I’m so mortified,’ she said, beginning to cry once more. ‘Please tell her I’ll talk to her in the morning and I’m so sorry.’

  Pippa cried when she rang her mother and heard her voice.

  Holly was amazingly calm as Pippa explained where she was. ‘We’ll come up immediately. Who’s there with you?’ Holly asked.

  ‘Skye, and she’s been brilliant,’ Pippa said. ‘And Joey came and brought us to the hospital. There’s no point in dragging yourselves all the way up here at this hour of the night, Mum.’

  ‘We don’t mind, love.’

  ‘No, please – I feel like I’ve caused enough trouble for one night.’ Her hangover was kicking in. Along with the smack on the head, she certainly wasn’t feeling too hot. ‘I really just need to crash out. I’ll call you when I wake up in the morning,’ she promised.

  Joey dropped them back to the apartment. ‘Thanks for being there tonight, Skye,’ he said. ‘This little minx thinks she has it all sorted but she was bloody lucky to have you to save her arse this time.’

  ‘No worries,’ Skye said, smiling. ‘It was a horrible incident. We’ll have to be more careful about going places on our own. Us single girls need to look after one another.’

  ‘Well, knowing this one, she’ll have some new beau on her arm shortly,’ Joey said. ‘I can’t see you staying single for too long either.’

  Skye blushed as she got out of the car. ‘Thanks for the lift.’

  ‘See you soon, Joey. I’ll call you tomorrow. Hope Sophia isn’t too annoyed with me for taking you away,’ Pippa said.

  ‘I didn’t dare wake her,’ Joey said. ‘It’s not a problem for her.’

  As they made their way back into the apartment Pippa shuddered. She’d had a lucky escape tonight. She had to start taking responsibility for herself. Flitting along as if the world owed her a living wasn’t right. She needed to get herself together before she made a total shambles of her life.

  16

  Hark! the Herald

  Angels Sing …

  The following morning he was rudely awoken, as usual, by Sophia thundering around the apartment. The lashing sleet and darkness outside were not enticing.

  ‘Nobody likes a lazy boy,’ Sophia joked, before dashing into the kitchen to fill her water bottle. Joey watched her. Sophia never seemed to have trouble getting up. She was so driven and focused on what she was doing and never seemed to have a moment like the one he was currently experiencing where he’d have given his right ball to be able to turn over, pull the duvet up to his chin and sleep until noon.

  ‘Pippa had a terrible experience last night,’ he called to her.

  ‘Huh?’ Sophia said, coming back to the doorway.

  ‘She rang me in an awful state. Seems a taxi driver followed her up to her apartment, hit her and tried to rape her.’

  Sophia looked doubtful. ‘She must’ve left out some part of that story.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Joey asked, his brow furrowed. ‘She left her bag in the cab, your man dropped it back up and attacked her. She called for me to bring her to hospital.’

  ‘But everything’s fine?’ Sophia asked, glancing at her watch.

  ‘Yeah, it was a riot. Herself, myself and her new lodger, Skye, hung out in A&E, had a chinwag with the cops and came home. It beats being in bed asleep,’ he said tartly.

  ‘Pippa needs to grow up and stop getting herself into trouble. It shouldn’t be your problem if she can’t behave,’ Sophia said. ‘I’ve to go. I’m late.’

  She’d already shot off to the living room so Joey just
lay there, astounded. How could she act as if Pippa’s ordeal was nothing? More to the point, why hadn’t she asked if his sister was all right?

  ‘See you later, yeah?’ she said, popping her head back into the bedroom. ‘Joey, you seriously need to get up. Come on! It’s Monday morning!’ she said, with obvious exasperation.

  ‘Precisely,’ he said. ‘It’s Monday. It’s dark, cold and wintry, and as I just told you, I was out until late last night.’

  ‘Whatever,’ she said, not bothering to come over and kiss him.

  Sitting up in bed, he called, ‘What time are you home this evening?’

  ‘Late. I’ve a class,’ she barked.

  ‘Right. Well, whenever you can fit me in I’d like to chat to you.’

  He lay there fuming as he heard the door to the apartment bang. She hadn’t even asked what he wanted to talk about! As far as she was concerned, Pippa could be in hospital with a fractured skull and she wouldn’t give a damn. Sod this for a game of soldiers, he thought angrily, as he rolled out of bed and turned the main light on. He rummaged in his drawers and cursed, then made his way to the washing machine. The clothes he’d put in the wash the day before had been dumped in a soggy pile on the work surface. Sophia’s things were in the washing machine. She had thrown his stuff out and hadn’t thought to put them in the dryer.

  He’d have to wear a lighter pair of running trousers now and his hi-vis vest was sopping. He dressed quickly, then tied his runners and left the flat. At least his anger might fuel a fast and productive run.

  Sophia was just as furious. As she made her way along the frozen paths toward the running track she wanted to yell at the top of her voice. Joey was annoying the crap out of her. She’d no idea what he’d been rabbiting on about just now, but it seemed Princess Pippa had been on the phone causing trouble.

  She was always ringing Joey for advice and whingeing about something. Well, Sophia was sick of it. She was going to tell Joey that it was either her or Pippa. She wasn’t interested in playing second fiddle to his spoiled little sister.

  She worked so damn hard and trained non-stop – the last thing she needed when she got home was hassle. If Joey wasn’t prepared to give her the credit she was due, she’d have to reassess her situation. Men were more bloody trouble than they were worth, she thought, as she rounded the corner and the track came into sight. No doubt he’d be on the phone, all hurt and affronted, later on. Well, he could swing. She was going to freeze him out for the rest of the day. She’d flung his wet clothes onto the kitchen work surface earlier. If he thought she was going to become a stay-at-home slave at any point, he was wrong.