Chapter 7: Sunday Evening.
Tracey stayed for a few hours and as she rolled from me she lost her balance and tumbled from the bed onto the floor with a loud squeal and a thud.
Concerned, I peered over the edge of the bed and found her lying on her back - her whole body vibrating as she was overcome with hysterics, which started me giggling too.
Slowly she raised herself to her feet rubbing a sore left elbow as she made a thorough examination of the room.
She walked towards the window, pausing to inspect the interior of the wardrobe and then looked through the lace-curtained window to the street below.
As she turned to face me the sunlight caught her nakedness as it glistened through her hair and her enchanting, athletic body.
“I’ll have to have a word with this Marcie person,” she smiled as she slowly returned to sit on the edge of the bed, gathering her discarded clothes from the floor.
“For a start,” she continued as she prepared to don her bra,
“We’ll have to see about getting you a bigger bed.”
She rubbed her left elbow again as I sat up, got behind her folding my arms around her waist.
I passionately kissed the back of her neck and shoulders whilst pressing my chest against her bare back.
As she brought her arms behind her to fasten her bra, I took the material and clipped it into place.
“On the other hand,” I stated, “if I only have a bed big enough for one you can rest assured you will be the only one who will be using it with me.”
Tracey stood up placing her arms into her blouse and warned me “Look buster,” pointing a menacing finger at me.
“I realise I must accept the fact that you are on the other side of the country sharing a home with ‘Miss Treasure chest’ and four other girls who are probably just as tempting.
I’m not ecstatic about the idea, but I accept it because I trust you and love you too much to complain about it.”
Getting to my feet I embraced her passionately.
“Thanks,” I whispered, “I really do love you.”
We hugged for a few moments before she caught sight of the alarm clock, which now reads 13:37.
“Now,” she sighed as she broke away from me, “let me get out of here before I change my mind.”
Tracey picked up her skirt and looked around for her knickers as I hurriedly dressed finding her discarded underwear beneath my shirt.
“Can I ask you for something?” I enquired as she prepared to put them on. “Could you leave me something to remind me of you on the lonely nights?”
Tracey thought about the request for a moment then handed me her pants before attaching her skirt around her waist and stepping into her shoes.
Buttoning her blouse as she walked towards the door we kissed and then I led her to the front door where we stopped to kiss again.
We heard a key in the lock just as Marcie entered in floods of tears. She swept past us to her room where she violently slammed the door behind her.
“That’s Marcie.” I whispered as I opened the front door and Tracey exited without saying anything.
I watched her bound down the stairs to her car. She blew me a kiss, as she unlocked the door, started the engine and was gone.
Once inside I made my way to Marcie’s room and tapped lightly upon the door.
I heard a faint “Come in.” and entered to find Marcie on a massive bed in obvious distress.
“Are you okay?” I asked concerned.
Marcie sat up on her quilt, wiped her nose with a handkerchief she took from a box on her bedside cabinet, saying, “I’ll be all right in a minute or two, thanks.”
I noticed a patch of fresh blood on her uniform, just below her left breast, and pointed it out to her. Lifting her breast she saw the blood and fell backwards onto the bed with a loud moan as Rachel appeared at my side.
Ducking under my outstretched arm she picked Marcie up in her powerful arms kissed her lightly on the cheek while cradling her and stroking her hair.
Rachel motioned for me to leave, so closing the door I entered the living room where I found Debbie at the table studying and Lynda lying on her stomach on one of the sofas reading a magazine.
All was quiet as I took my place at the table wondering, with the others, what was amiss with Marcie.
Our questions were answered a few minutes later as Rachel entered the room slowly wiping a tear from her eyes.
“What’s happening?” Debbie asked.
Rachel heaved a long sigh.
“Marcie was asked to help out at the maternity unit today, where, half an hour ago, one of the babies died in her arms.”
Everyone now understood the situation, but said nothing.
Silence remained until Marcie entered the room carrying her uniform and some items of underwear, which she tossed into the washing machine with a loud bang before setting it into motion.
Marcie remained in the kitchen for a few minutes until Aleesha entered to check on the progress of our evening meal.
Marcie then came to her place at the head of the table where, after she opened her drawer, she donned her glasses and busied herself scrutinising more bills.
After a few moments Marcie broke the silence by asking. “Anything exciting happen while I’ve been away?”
“It’s been very quiet.” Debbie answered.
Rachel looked up saying, “There has been a lot of activity in a certain small room.” Rachel smiled and nodded in my direction as Marcie’s smile returned and all eyes fell on me.
I felt acutely embarrassed and raised a magazine before me to cover my blushes, which were welcomed as the tension following Marcie’s entrance was easing.
“Oh, yes?” Marcie asked as she removed her glasses.
“That nice young lady I passed when I came in?” I said nothing. “That’ll be Tracey was it?” She asked.
“That’s the one,” I answered from behind the magazine.
“She looks a very nice girl,” Marcie continued.
“She is a very nice girl,” I mumbled.
“But,” Rachel added, “You should have seen the shock on her face when I opened the door to her this morning.”
I peered over the magazine to see four smiling faces staring at me intently as a tray of food landed in front of me.
Rachel, Lynda and Aleesha took their places as Debbie and Marcie cleared away their work and I lowered my magazine.
Although there was a circular receptacle at the centre containing cutlery I noticed there was a drawer at my end, which I curiously opened to reveal more condiments and cutlery inside.
There was silence for a few minutes as we all got to task eating our meals, then Rachel continued. “You know,” she said between mouthfuls, “I got the distinct impression this morning that somebody hadn’t told a certain young lady that we were here.”
I felt the embarrassment return.
“Oh, aye?” Marcie muttered as all eyes fell on me again, “and how did you manage to get out of that one?”
I felt uneasy as I answered, “By simply telling her the truth.”
“Good for you,” Marcie smiled, “I can remember when that bed was new” she continued, “Just before Rachel joined us.”
Rachel smiled at the memory. “It’s certainly seen quite a bit of ‘mileage’ since” as she nudged Lynda who looked up, patting my arm sighing “Oh, happy days.”
Debbie and Aleesha were beginning to feel embarrassed also as I stated.
“As you are all so fond of it I am quite happy to swap it for something slightly larger.” They all laughed, but nobody took up the offer.
Things in the house, Emily, were slowly returning to ‘normal’ and I hoped I would have many happy days there and couldn’t wish for better company than Marcie, Rachel, Debbie, Lynda and Aleesha.”
“Up until now it seemed fortune was, again, smiling on me as she had done most of my life.
I had parents who loved each other, and me, an
d were always my role models.
I had an easy job, fairly boring at times, but it was something I was particularly good at and loved.
I had five flatmates with whom I got on extremely well, and would challenge me emotionally, and a lover who idolised me.”
“I regarded myself as fairly good-looking and had nothing to do with girls at all until at 22 I began a romance with my first ‘real’ girlfriend, Mary. Together we discovered the joy of sex, but I wasn’t convinced Mary was the one I wanted to spend my life with.”
“Discovering Mary had been unfaithful with Tracey’s boyfriend, a mutual friend, 5 years ago we decided to begin ‘going out’ to spite them and quickly realised we were made for each other.”
“I have never given Tracey any reason to doubt my unerring love for her and was convinced she was all I ever wanted in a lover.
We firmly believed we would spend all our lives together – it certainly appeared to be so.”
“Life for me was all good for 2 months as I had everything a man could desire. How was I to know this utopia I had found was about to be shattered?
Life, Emily, was about to become very complicated on 6th May when I allowed myself to be seduced by Debbie, which caused Lynda to assault me – as I told you at the beginning of the story.
Now we’re back to the day after this strange night with Debbie.”
Diamonds by Brian Ritchie Page 9