Stand by Me

by S. D. Robertson

  ‘He’s Australian, right? Lisa said he was the reason you and your mum moved there.’

  ‘Yep. As I said, he’s very persuasive – one reason he’s so successful. He was visiting on business when he met Mum. He fell and broke his leg during the trip. She was his nurse and, well, the rest is history. We’d only known him for a few months when we first went out there. It was a leap of faith. Plenty of people thought we’d be back soon enough, tails between our legs, but Ian and Mum are still very happy. They’re perfect for each other.’

  Elliot stopped talking and looked at Mike, who was trailing behind him again, staring at the ground. Shit. It dawned on him how that might sound to Mike: like his visit now was similar to Ian’s all those years ago; like he was hoping to persuade Lisa to move to Australia to be with him. He knew Mike saw him as a threat, but he wanted to change that today, not make it worse.

  He needed Mike on board, so it was time to let him in on the truth – some of it, at least.

  ‘Here we are,’ he said, stopping outside a small dormer bungalow. There were plenty of little changes and modernisations from how he remembered it: new windows and doors; different coloured paint and a front garden packed with far more shrubs and flowers than there used to be. He’d seen it like this before online, although it still felt weird in person, bringing back a sea of memories, both good and bad. He’d nearly come here a few times during his visit, but he’d always found a reason not to, until now.

  ‘I don’t get it,’ Mike said. ‘Where’s here exactly? It’s just another street in Aldham.’

  Elliot took a deep breath. He looked over at Mike, hoping he wasn’t too drunk to understand what he was about to say. Never mind. If he was, he’d repeat himself until it sank in. ‘This is where I used to live; the home I grew up in.’ He gestured towards the modest house, thinking how tiny it looked compared to how he remembered it and to where he’d lived for the last two decades.

  ‘This is where Lisa saved my life, which is the reason I’m back now. I’m here to repay that debt.’

  CHAPTER 35

  THEN

  Saturday, 21 February 1998

  ‘You look nice,’ Elliot told his mum as she walked into the lounge, having spent ages upstairs getting dolled up.

  ‘Thanks, love,’ she said, her eyes sparkling.

  ‘Is the dress one of your creations?’

  ‘Naturally.’

  She did a twirl, making Elliot smile.

  ‘You really like this guy, don’t you?’

  Wendy held a hand up to her mouth to hide her excited grin. ‘Is it that obvious?’

  He chuckled. ‘Yep, but I’m glad for you.’

  Her face turned serious for a moment as she held her cool palm up to Elliot’s cheek. ‘That means a lot, darling. It really does. You like him too, right?’

  He smiled. ‘You know I do, Mum. You make a great couple. Now how are you getting there?’

  ‘Ian’s sending me a car.’

  ‘A taxi?’

  ‘Something like that.’ Blushing, she turned her head to look out of the window. ‘It’ll be here any minute, so I need to get my shoes and coat on. Is Lisa coming round?’

  ‘Don’t think so.’ He pulled a face. ‘She has a date. She said she might call in afterwards, but I’m not holding my breath.’

  ‘Ooh, who’s the date with?’

  ‘Some guy called Alex who works for her dad. He’s new: a nineteen-year-old hotshot car salesman. He asked her out last night while she was waiting for her dad to finish work at the dealership. He’s taking her for dinner at that new Italian on Manchester Road.’

  ‘Really? He has Graham’s approval, then?’

  ‘Yeah, right. Lisa hasn’t even told her dad yet. It’s anyone’s guess where he thinks she’s going.’

  Wendy shook her head. ‘You know how much I love Lisa, but she shouldn’t lie to her parents. You’ll never do that to me, will you?’

  ‘No, Mum.’

  She winked. ‘Good boy. Why don’t you go and see one of your friends from school? You can borrow the car, as long as you promise to drive carefully.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum, but I’m happy to stay in and watch TV.’

  She squinted at her son. ‘You’re not still pining over that Sarah girl, are you?’

  She was talking about his ex-girlfriend, if you could call her that. They’d met at a party a few weeks ago and had been out a couple of times – once to play mini golf and then to see Titanic at the cinema – before she lost interest. She was in the year below him at Waterside, the local comprehensive where Jamie went to school. She was gorgeous, which was why he’d taken it so badly when she’d dumped him by phone last weekend. She’d blamed it on having too much school work and no time for a boyfriend, but Jamie said he’d seen her holding hands with another lad this week, so that was clearly a lie.

  He’d never been out with someone that fit before. She was beautiful – way out of his league – and he’d quickly become besotted with her. He’d been blown away when she’d shown an interest in him at the party; even more so when they’d ended up spending the last hour snogging in a corner. He’d made the mistake of bragging about her to his schoolmates, which had backfired when she’d finished with him. He hadn’t got around to telling any of them this last part, but he knew he’d have to – sooner rather than later – or risk getting found out and looking even more stupid.

  All of this plus the fact that she’d never met her was why Wendy called her ‘that Sarah girl’. At least his mum was happy. She was head over heels in love with ‘this Ian bloke’, as Elliot amused himself by thinking of him.

  ‘What are you grinning about?’ she asked him when she returned in her coat.

  ‘Oh, nothing.’

  She’d only met Ian Kay, a scarily wealthy Australian businessman, at the start of January, but things had moved really fast between them. He’d been inspecting some building site when he’d fallen and broken his leg. Ian had been rushed to the nearest hospital, where he’d spent the night on a ward, nursed by Wendy. There’d been an instant attraction between them, despite the fact he was nine years older. He’d even refused to be moved to a private hospital in order to stay close to her. And by the time he came to be released, he’d decided to extend his trip to the UK for an indefinite period while his leg healed.

  He and his assistant – a man called Larry, who was rarely far from his side – were now living in a rented house in the countryside, a short drive from Aldham. It was a mansion really, with tennis courts and an underground swimming pool. Elliot didn’t know exactly how wealthy Ian was, but his actions spoke for themselves.

  Wendy had liked him from day one, and it was nothing to do with his money. She hadn’t stopped talking about how much he made her laugh with his little jokes and funny comments. Ever the professional, though, she’d refused to entertain his advances – politely rejecting flowers and other gifts – until he was no longer her patient.

  She’d had a few short-lived relationships in recent times, but Elliot had never heard Wendy talk about any of them with such enthusiasm. So it hadn’t surprised him when she and Ian became romantically involved. What had surprised him was the mansion, because he didn’t have a clue about Ian’s extreme financial status until then. Wendy had never mentioned it.

  Elliot had met Ian several times now and he also really liked him. A tall, tanned chap with short white hair, who looked in great shape for his forty-seven years, Ian had a magnetic personality. He was full of warmth and always smiling; never rushed, despite Larry permanently fending off phone calls for him. Most importantly, he treated Wendy like a queen and spoke to Elliot like an intelligent adult whose opinion he respected.

  The only thing that bothered Elliot about the relationship was what the future held. How would his mum deal with Ian’s inevitable move back to Sydney, where his home and business were both based?

  He’d asked her this a few times, although her response had always been to brush it off with comments about havi
ng fun and living in the now. Elliot hadn’t said anything, but he’d noticed that she’d recently started wearing her wedding ring on her right hand rather than her left. It was the first time he’d ever seen her do this, which spoke volumes about the serious nature of her feelings for Ian.

  There was a knock at the door. ‘That’ll be my ride,’ Wendy said. ‘I feel bad about leaving you all on your own. Why don’t you come? Ian won’t mind.’

  ‘Don’t be silly. I’m seventeen years old, Mum. I’ll be fine. What are the two of you doing tonight, anyway?’

  She shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea. It’s a surprise.’

  Elliot stood up to give her a farewell hug and kiss. ‘Have a great time. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’

  This made her giggle. ‘You silly sausage. Love you. See you later. I’ll try not to be too late.’

  Peering around the curtain to check out her ride, he wasn’t entirely surprised to see a white stretch limo. Ian certainly enjoyed grand gestures.

  Not that Elliot was jealous. He had plans of his own tonight. Yep, he was going to smoke a pack of Marlboro reds and drown his sorrows about Sarah in the bottle of Jack Daniels hidden under his bed. He still didn’t look old enough to get served in a pub or off-licence, despite the fact he would turn eighteen in a few months. However, plenty of his friends had already had their birthdays, including Neil, so it hadn’t been difficult to get hold of. Elliot only wished he hadn’t lied to his friend that it was to get drunk with Sarah. But what was he supposed to say: that he wanted to get plastered on his own? He had hoped that Lisa would join him. Mind you, it wasn’t like he’d given her any notice. He’d only invited her this morning, although he’d known about it for days – almost like he secretly wanted to be alone.

  As he walked upstairs to retrieve his hidden goodies, he felt his heart rate and breathing quicken, bringing on a natural head rush. He’d never got drunk alone before. He’d only tried Jack Daniels a couple of times and hadn’t even liked it much. Those had been shots, though; apparently it was a lot nicer if you mixed it with cola, which was the plan.

  As for the cigarettes, that was something he did quite a lot these days. Without meaning to, he’d become a regular smoker. A couple when he was out with his mates had quickly escalated into several a day: mostly during breaks at school, but also whenever his mum wasn’t around. She didn’t have a clue. Well, she’d quizzed him a couple of times because he’d smelled of smoke, but he’d blamed that on others; he always had mints or chewing gum handy to freshen his breath.

  She’d kill him if she found out, what with her mum having died from lung cancer as a direct result of the habit. She also blamed smoking for the heart disease that had killed her father, although he’d quit several years prior.

  It wasn’t too long since Elliot had thought smoking a disgusting habit, but it reeled you in. He was well aware of the health dangers but couldn’t see the harm in doing it for a bit now, while he was young, as long as he packed it in eventually.

  He took the fags and booze to the kitchen. Hand shaking as he did so, he poured a little of the JD into a small glass and took a sniff. Then before he could think too hard about it, he downed the contents in one. ‘Ugh!’ he cried, screwing up his face and sticking out his tongue at the foul taste.

  He couldn’t fill the glass quickly enough with water. Only after a big gulp of that did he start to enjoy the warm feeling that spread from the roof of his mouth to his throat and up into his head, settling above his eyes. That was nice, but next time he’d definitely mix it with cola. There was a two-litre bottle in the fridge, plus a pizza for his tea.

  Elliot slipped on shoes and a coat and went to the far corner of the garden, where he knew none of the neighbours would be able to see him, to smoke. It took a couple of goes with the lighter, because it was cold and windy outside, but at least it was dry. Since it was dark and no one else was likely to be outside, he wondered whether hiding here was strictly necessary. But better safe than sorry.

  Even more lightheaded than normal after a fag, thanks to the JD, he went back inside. He put the extinguished cigarette butt in the kitchen bin, making a mental note to take the bag outside later to cover his tracks.

  He poured some more JD into his glass, added a couple of ice cubes and plenty of cola, and took the drink back to the lounge to watch TV. Not that there was anything good on, unless you liked Noel’s House Party.

  If only they had Sky, like Lisa did. Then he could have watched MTV or any number of cool channels. But Wendy wasn’t interested. She said it was a waste of money they didn’t have and five channels was plenty.

  So he turned the video player on and stuck in Goldfinger, his favourite James Bond film, which he’d recorded last time it was on the box.

  Settling back on the couch, he took a big swig of his drink, which definitely tasted much better with cola. For the first time that week he felt relaxed and, dare he think it, happy. Sarah dumping him had even overshadowed his recent Mock A-level results: two As and a high B. Wendy had been almost as excited by this as she had when he’d got all As in his GCSEs, despite him emphasising that mocks counted for nothing. She’d wanted to take him out for dinner to celebrate last weekend, but he’d pretended not to feel well, although he had a feeling she knew the truth. Anyway, he was celebrating now on his own terms.

  He just had to be careful not to get too drunk or he ran the risk of getting caught when his mum got home. Mind you, she probably wouldn’t be back until late.

  Plenty of time to enjoy himself, in other words.

  CHAPTER 36

  THEN

  Saturday, 21 February 1998

  Lisa leaned over towards the driver’s seat to give Alex a peck on the cheek before he got any other ideas. ‘Thanks for dinner.’

  ‘You’re welcome,’ he replied with that smarmy, self-satisfied grin that had been plastered across his face all evening. ‘But wait,’ he added as she reached for the door handle. ‘Aren’t we going to have a cheeky snog?’

  ‘No, I never kiss on the first date,’ she lied. This was a courtesy because Alex had paid for dinner. It wasn’t to spare his feelings, as she got the distinct impression his confidence was bulletproof.

  He winked. ‘Yeah, right. So why did you ask me to pull in here, rather than in front of your house?’

  ‘For your sake. Dad would fire you if he knew we’d been out together.’

  Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘You didn’t tell him?’

  ‘You don’t know him very well yet, do you?’

  He winked, making her squirm as he placed a slimy hand on her knee. ‘He loves me. I’m his number one salesman.’

  ‘Well, let me tell you, he loves his daughter more. Sorry, got to go.’

  She opened the car door and slid out, glad to escape that hand before it had the chance to travel elsewhere, the thought of which made her want to vomit. Like she’d ever snog him, with that custard breath he had. No, she’d had quite enough of that over dinner.

  She pursed her lips into a tight almost-smile. ‘Goodnight.’

  ‘It’s been fun, Lisa. We should do this again. You do kiss on the second date, right?’

  Ignoring this last comment, she walked slowly towards her house. Then once he’d driven away, she turned and headed for Elliot’s place, where her parents thought she’d been all night.

  She wished that she had been with Elliot all night. It would have been far more fun that an evening listening to Alex’s ‘hilarious’ tales of car sales. It was like being out with a younger version of her dad, for goodness’ sake. She’d only agreed to it in the first place because he was quite fit. The problem was that he really knew it. She’d even caught him checking out his reflection in the restaurant window several times during the date. Plus he’d been so busy talking about himself that he’d barely asked her anything.

  No, Lisa was definitely never going on another date with Alex. She’d just have to avoid the dealership for a bit. It probably wouldn’t take him long to move on,
anyway.

  She looked at her watch: 9.56 p.m. She hoped that El would still be pleased to see her at this time. Surely he wouldn’t have got through all of that JD by himself. She’d be happy to help him with a glass or two, as long as there was a mixer involved.

  She huddled into her thick winter coat as she walked along the pavement. Her gloveless hands were buried deep in the side pockets and her mouth was tucked under the top of the zip, slowly blowing warm air on to her icy chin. Lisa was nearly there now. She couldn’t wait to get out of the cold. The pavement was already white with frost and everyone’s parked cars were iced up. Roll on spring, she thought.

  The lights were on in the front room at El’s place, with the curtains only partially closed, so for fun she sneaked up to the window and peeked through to see what her friend was doing.

  ‘You lightweight, El,’ she said, laughing to herself, when she spotted him asleep on the couch. His face was partially covered by the unruly mop of his shoulder-length curly hair, which for once wasn’t tied back in a ponytail. There was a half-drunk glass of what looked like JD and cola on the coffee table.

  She tapped on the glass and called: ‘Wake up, loser! It’s time to get this party started.’

  He stirred at this, shifting into a new position on the sofa, but despite Lisa knocking again, he didn’t wake up. He must have got pretty drunk already. For a moment she considered calling it a night and leaving him to sleep. But then she thought of the trouble El would get into if Wendy got home and he was still like that, with the bottle of JD and, most likely, a pack of cigarettes left out for her to discover.

  People who passed out from drinking could also choke on their own vomit, couldn’t they? Oh God. There was no way she could leave him now.

  Lisa turned and walked down the side of the house to the back door. It was unlocked, as usual. When she opened it, her heart stopped.

  Shit. The house reeked of burning and a grey-coloured smoke was curling out of the kitchen into the hallway. Lisa hesitated for a moment at the open doorway, racking her brains for advice she’d heard about fires, but nothing came.