by Anna Archer
****
Back at her dining room table and in front of her parents once again, Manny realised the atmosphere wasn’t nearly as forgiving as it had been the last time she was sat there, but the Sunday at the snowdome and subsequent days of fun-filled laughter and loving had secured her decision: She couldn’t be Eve’s student for a second longer.
“You took the meeting without me?” screeched Sandy.
“This morning.”
“Without me?!”
“You’re not my manager, Mum.”
“Your management team dropped you! Who do you think’s been dealing with everything since the summer! I’ve been in constant contact with United! I told them you were interested in coming back part time!”
“That wasn’t an option.”
“It was! They were happy to have you in the evenings and at weekends!”
“I’d have no life and that wasn’t even mentioned today.”
“You don’t have a life, Manzana. Football’s your life.”
“Not anymore.”
“Football’s Nikki’s life too.”
“Who?”
“Nikki! Your girlfriend. You’re trying to impress her, aren’t you? You’re trying to win her back? That’s where you’ve been every day and night this week.”
Manny laughed. Nikki hadn’t entered her thoughts once during the half term of fun and frolics with Eve. They’d had so many laughs enjoying different disguised activities each day, before returning to Eve’s apartment for a night that was often more energetic than the actual event had been, and that was saying something given the strenuous nature of the activities they’d taken part in: Paintballing – full face mask required, go karting – full helmet required, wave boarding – full over-the-head letterbox wetsuit required, and dirt quading – skeleton-faced balaclavas required.
“People will say you’ve quit school, Manzana.”
“I have.”
“I’ll not allow it.”
“I’m nineteen, Mum.”
“And you’re still living under my roof.”
“Fine, I’ll move out.”
Giles finally contributed. “Ladies, let’s all calm down, shall we?”
“I shan’t,” snapped Sandy. “I’ve done everything by the book. I’ve stood by her. I’ve supported her. I’ve stood up for her. I’ve not once told her what an idiotic mistake she made.”
Manny cut in. “Looks like you just did.”
“You have a chance to make amends, Manzana. You need to get this right. It’s delicate.”
“It’s not. Either I make a comeback and earn people’s forgiveness, or I don’t.”
“Being at school’s helping your reputation.”
“Not if I’m having an affair with my teacher it’s not.”
Sandy gasped. “Excuse me?”
“I’m in love.” Manny heard herself say the words she’d been holding on to. It was love and it had happened instantaneously, but it was real and she felt it with every inch of her being. Their trip to the local bonfire and firework display two evenings ago had sealed the deal. Trying to eat toffee apples underneath their balaclavas and holding each other tightly as the colourful sparks lit up the night’s sky, Manny knew the magic of the logs crackling on the fire and the smell of the chestnuts roasting would be etched into her memory as one of the most real moments of her life to date and she had no choice but to give it the recognition it deserved. It was love. True love. Real love. Love that deserved to be out in the open.
“That bloody Mrs Howard,” gasped Sandy. “Once wasn’t enough! She’s had you back for second helpings!”
Giles frowned. “Mrs Howard had an affair with our daughter?”
“Of course she did!” continued Sandy. “Trying to replace me as a mother figure just because she’s better at sport than me.”
Manny hooted. “Why would I have sex with a mother figure? So let me get this straight, you think we had an affair but you never said anything?”
“She helped you into sport. I was grateful.”
“So you let her shag me?”
Giles coughed. “Did Mrs Howard shag you, Manzana?”
“Of course she bloody well didn’t! We became friends, that’s all.”
Sandy spat out her words. “And now you’ve reached the age of consent she’s sunk her teeth right in. This was her grand plan all along. Pick you out of the ashes, invite you back to school, have her wicked way with you, send you back to the sport, and yet again she takes all of the glory.”
“I’ve barely seen Mrs Howard,” said Manzana.
“So who are you having an affair with?! They’re all old enough to be your grandparents!”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters! You wouldn’t have contemplated leaving school if it weren’t for this mystery person!”
Manny sank lower down in her seat. “I saw people dressed up as me at Halloween. I don’t want that to be my legacy.”
“No, your legacy will be great A-Level results and a well-timed comeback.”
“Or a student-teacher affair,” said Manny shrugging.
“So stop it!” shouted Sandy.
“I can’t.” Manny shook her head. “I don’t want to.”
“Because you love her?! And I’m only assuming it’s a her, for all I know you could be having it away with that old caretaker who’s always lumbering around the place!”
“I’m nineteen.”
“And he’s about a hundred! Honestly Manzana, you’re going to send me to an early grave.”
Giles spoke up again. “Manzana’s having an affair with old Pete the caretaker?”
“No!” shouted Manny and Sandy in unison.
Manny stood up. “Look. I had the meeting. I signed the contract. I’m officially back at United.”
“From when?!”
“Monday.”
“Doing what?!”
“Physio. Training. Tactics. Teambuilding.”
Sandy snapped. “And loads of time off! Time you could be spending at school!”
“I’ve made my decision, Mum, and I’d like you to support me.”
“Of course we will, darling,” said Giles. “Right, am I okay to nip off to golf?”
Sandy shook her head. “I’ll be phoning that school first thing on Monday morning.”
“And saying what?” asked Manny.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well let me know when you do.” Manny turned to leave the room.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.”
“Out where?!”
“Helen’s hair and beauty.”
Manny’s mum softened slightly. “Right. Well. Good. If you’re making a comeback at least do it with a nice curl through your hair and some contour on your cheeks.”
“It’s not that kind of makeover, Mum.”
“Oh for goodness sake, what on earth do you have planned now?”
Manny smiled. “Just call me Manuel.”
Chapter Thirty
Opening the doors to the King John’s Tavern, Eve checked her watch. She’d walked the short distance from her apartment building for two reasons. One, so that she could have the numerous alcoholic drinks she’d need to get her through the ‘girls-night-out’ evening with Bonnie Bruster and two because she needed the fresh air to clear her head. The week had been intense to say the least. Every day she’d seen Manny and every day she’d felt herself taking bigger risks yet still not caring about the consequences, which was more than out of character, it was like being a new person entirely. Yes, if it came to light that she was having an affair with a student she’d likely be sacked, but even that didn’t seem to worry her the way that it should. All she had in her life was school and hockey and if she were honest, she’d trade both in for this new feeling of freedom and fun where she was happy and smiling and laughing and enjoying life like it should be enjoyed.
Not once over the week had she reached for her book of Demi Moo
re quotes, instead just relying on her gut instinct. Manny was good for her, as bad as the situation happened to be, and she knew if she did choose to take the time to look at the facts with a fine-tooth comb, she’d conclude her behaviour was unprofessional, but not illegal. Manny was nineteen and should never have been allowed back to school in the first place, not that Eve was trying to lay the blame at anyone else’s door. This was her choice and her doing and she was remarkably okay with that fact; more than that, it felt good to be back in control of her life.
Since her parents and sister had passed she’d been going through the motions, getting an education, getting a job, getting a hobby, but in the process she’d forgotten to get a life. Eve smiled. Well now she’d got one and it was messy and chaotic and spontaneous and real. Whether Manny did go back to football fulltime or not, she honestly didn’t mind. Of course it would be nice to be out in the open one day when the time was right, but she was content to enjoy each moment for what it was, an adventure. Today being the first day where the adventure had been notched back a tad, the only real excitement coming from their early morning sex session before Eve had to get ready for her hockey match. Manny had apologised that she wouldn’t be able to attend and train-horn-honk from the bushes, but she was meeting with United to discuss her future.
Eve looked around the pub for Bonnie. Bonnie would no doubt be able to add more detail to how Manny’s dismissal, or departure or whatever it was that had happened after the World Cup had occurred, but she’d decided it was best not to bring up the sixth form student this evening just in case her huge smile gave her away. Plus Manny had promised she’d let her know how things had gone, and depending on how long the drinks with Bonnie went on for, whether or not they’d be able to meet for a late-night liaison in some dark alleyway or other before heading home for more rampant sex, no doubt. Eve felt her knees go weak at the thought. Manny could do things to her that she never knew were possible. She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the screen. Still no contact. Eve shrugged. Manny would message her when she could.
“I knew you’d be early!” said Bonnie with a wail, bustling into the pub behind Eve. “I thought I’d beat you to it, but here you are!”
Eve turned around to greet her colleague, instantly struck by the bright orange tan that was almost the same shade as Bonnie’s hair. “Wow! You got lots of sun in Lanzarote then!”
Bonnie huffed as she took off her fake-fur coat, showcasing a fluorescent green jumpsuit that was unintentionally taut. “It rained. I’ve had to spray on some St. Tropez, there’s nothing worse than going away if people don’t realise you’ve been away.”
“You look like you’ve been away.”
“Fantastic then. Right, to the bar. I can’t believe you actually came so we’re going to get this party started before you have time to change your mind.”
“I told you I’d come on the last day of term.”
“Exactly and it seemed too good to be true then, so imagine how surprised I was when you replied to my message yesterday and told me you hadn’t forgotten and you hadn’t got another engagement, not that you’d have another engagement, but you know what I mean, an excuse.”
Eve signalled the barman. “Two cheeky vimtos and two sambuca shots, please.”
“What?” gasped Bonnie.
“You wanted a night out with me, this is me.”
“Since when?! And what in god’s name is cheeky vimto?”
“Port and blue WKD.”
“That alcopop?!”
“It tastes like vimto when you mix it together. Surely you remember vimto from your youth, Bonnie.”
“It was dandelion and burdock in my day, but don’t be rude, what’s got into you?”
Eve thought about saying: Manny. Manny Jones had got into her, quite literally. Into her mouth, into her pussy, into her heart. Eve smiled. There was no doubt about it, she was falling head over heels in love with the woman.
“That smile,” continued Bonnie, “what’s caused it?”
Eve paid the barman and handed over a shot glass to Bonnie. “We won against Warwick today. Cheers. In one.”
Bonnie was flustered. “Wait, what? We just down it in one?”
“It’s a shot of sambuca, Bonnie. Ready?”
“You’ve told me before that you don’t do shots.”
“I’m evolving as a person.”
“What? You’re not making any sense, Eve. In fact, you’re scaring me a little bit.”
Eve laughed. “Just down your drink, Bonnie. Three, two, one.” Eve knocked back the sambuca in one gulp and slammed the shot glass onto the bar. “To us, and our girls’ night out.”
Bonnie delicately sipped the contents of the glass. “I know what this is. You’re trying to scare me so I go home and then you can go home and do whatever it is you do at home.”
Eve smiled. She was tempted again to say: Manny. She did Manny at home. In the bedroom, on the sofa, against the wall, in the shower, on the kitchen counter.
“Oh do tell me what you’re smiling about.”
Eve picked up the two glasses of cheeky vimto and guided them to a booth in the corner of the pub. “No, you tell me about your holiday.”
Bonnie shrugged. “It rained.”
“And the men? You usually talk about all the men who chat you up and buy you drinks at the bar.”
“I wasn’t old enough. A coach trip arrived from Southend-on-Sea. A load of grey-haired old grannies. The men went for them instead, less time pretending to like them before they can inherit their fortune.”
“Because the old women die?”
“Of course because they die.”
Eve frowned. “Why would you want to be bought drinks from someone who was just waiting for you to die?”
“When you get to my age there aren’t as many options.”
“There must be a better option than that?”
“Says the woman in her prime who doesn’t like shagging.”
The image of Manny taking her from behind over her kitchen counter sprung to mind. She smiled. A lot of their sexual encounters could definitely be described as shagging. Their fast, passionate need to get their hands on each other as their tongues dived into mouths and their fingers pushed hard into pussies.
“Surely you’re not smiling because you’ve been shagging? Who have you been shagging? Has David been back in touch?”
“Eugh, no.” Eve remembered herself. “Sorry, no. Not David.”
“Who then?!”
“No, I mean not anyone.”
“Good, so you won’t mind a light flirtation with that man over there. Look. Him at the side of the bar with the beard. He’s been staring at us.”
Eve glanced in the direction of Bonnie’s pointing finger. “Who comes to a bar on their own?”
“People like him and people like me looking to hook up.”
“You’re out with me Bonnie. We’re having a girls’ night.”
“And girls’ nights are always made better by male company.” She lifted her stained-orange fingers and wiggled a little wave his way.
The man responded with a nod before calling over the barman.
“He’ll send drinks our way,” said Bonnie, “just you watch.”
“We don’t know anything about him,” said Eve, staring at the strange hairstyle and big beard. “Is he wearing a toupee?”
“At our age, darling, it’s better not to ask.”
“I’m twenty-three!”
“So act it. I’ll take this guy, you find someone else.”
“Where?”
“We’ll drink these rude ribenas and then go on the prowl.”
“Cheeky vimtos and where are we prowling?”
“The pub.”
“This pub?”
“Of course.”
“Bonnie, this is my local, there are families having meals, couples enjoying quiet drinks—”
“And the odd lone man at the bar. There might be another one loitering around the toilet
s.”
“I don’t want a man who’s been loitering around the toilets.”
“The men’s and the women’s are next to each other. Choose whichever you want.”
“Women don’t come to the pub on their own.”
“Ah-ha! So you do prefer the fairer sex?”
Eve thought about Manny’s naked body. Her strong thighs and torso softened by her warm breasts and moist parting.
“There’s that smile again,” said Bonnie before gasping. “Look! The barman’s coming over.” She puffed up her flame-red hair as he approached. “Bonjour,” she said seductively.
The barman ignored her, instead focussing on Eve. “A bottle of Champagne courtesy of Manuel over there at the bar.”
“He’s Spanish?” said Bonnie with the same seductive tone.
“Sounds like a Geordie to me,” replied the barman.
Eve gasped. Surely not. She stared in the man’s direction, instantly connecting with the big blue eyes, her shock quickly turning to horror. Manny was sitting meters away from her and Bonnie in a disguise that, although better than the cracker-moustache and pork pie hat one, still gave her away. Eve stared again, or maybe it didn’t. Only the man’s eyes, nose and lips were on display and she was probably a lot more familiar with those parts of Manny having seen them poking out of various balaclavas, scarfs and helmets over the course of the week, but still the weird hair and beard made the man look peculiar and when someone looked peculiar you inevitably stared even more.
“I can’t age him,” said Bonnie, staring.
Eve banged her glass on the table to get her colleagues attention. “Let’s play a game.”
“Who are you?”
“Right. Good. Who are you. How does it go?”
“No, who are you?”
“It’s what people my age do on nights out.”
Bonnie signalled for Eve to shuffle out of the booth. “Well people my age make the most of every opportunity they’ve got, now shove over, I’m going to talk to him.”