by Sue Welford
Cindy was still smiling and shaking her head. ‘You know I’ve been thinking about you. I really wondered what you looked like underneath all that black fibreglass.’
She had been thinking about him? Drew’s heart leapt. This could just be his lucky day.
She seemed to have forgotten all about the car manuals and was still staring at him, a curious mixture of pleasure and disbelief on her face.
He spread his hands. ‘I know, I know. Don’t tell me. Now you’ve found out you, think maybe I should keep my helmet on all the time?’
Cindy laughed although her eyes were serious as they washed over his face. ‘No... no... you’re better without it.’
‘Thanks very much.’
Their eyes held and locked. For a brief moment it seemed to Drew that time itself had stopped. The music, the thud of the weights, the whir of the exercise bike... they all faded into nothingness. Cindy’s bright eyes were staring at him. She had a wide smile on her mouth... the mouth he suddenly realised he wanted to kiss so much it was threatening to drive him crazy.
Suddenly he had to sit down. It was stupid but his knees were shaking like jelly.
She lowered her gaze. ‘Well...’ She finished her drink and threw the can into the bin. ‘I’d better warm down.’ She glanced up at the clock. ‘I’ve booked a sauna.’
‘Right.’ Drew said.
She smiled. ‘See you, then. Let me know when you can come round to look at my car.’
‘Right, then. I’ll give you a buzz.’
She glanced at him over her shoulder then got on the rowing machine. She began rowing as if her life depended on it. Drew got up from his stool and went into the changing room.
When he came out, Cindy had gone.
Drew had finished his work-out, showered and said goodbye to Max when he saw her again. He was just making his way out of the car park. He was beginning to wish he’d got his bike after all. A long walk home in the dark suddenly didn’t seem such a great idea.
A car drew up beside him. He glanced round. Oh, no, Hickson, he said to himself. That’s all I need.
But the door of the yellow convertible sports car opened and a voice called.
‘Want a lift?’
To Drew’s complete amazement it was Cindy.
He leaned down, one elbow on the open door. ‘You’ve bought a new car,’ he joked. ‘You couldn’t wait for me to ring... you women are really impatient.’
Cindy laughed. ‘You know it’s Carl’s. Do you want a lift or not?’
Drew slung his sports bag into the back and folded himself into the front seat. He shut the door and fixed his seat belt.
He looked at her and grinned. ‘Yes, please.’ He wanted to add wild horses wouldn’t stop me but thought better of it. ‘Which way do we need to go?’ She put the car into gear.
‘Left at the roundabout.’
There was a screech of tyres as they roared off. Drew clutched the side of the cream leather seat. It looked as if Cindy was as mad a driver as her boyfriend. Drew had met him on the bypass once, overtaking the bike at over eighty mile and hour. He glanced sideways at her. She’d swapped her leotard and shorts for a white Miniskirt and denim jacket although she still wore her spotless trainers. He wondered what Carl would say if he knew his girlfriend was giving old Drew Devlin a lift home. He felt a sudden pang of jealousy. Sports car, a girlfriend like Cindy... some guys had all the luck.
‘Where is Carl tonight, then?’ Drew asked, curious to know why she was on her own.
‘He’s pulled a muscle in his back so he’s having a night off from training.’
‘Oh, dear,’ Drew said, unable to help the sarcasm in his voice. She glanced quickly at him, then looked back at the road. ‘So he lent you his car?’ Drew added. ‘Pretty generous of him.’
Cindy didn’t comment. ‘Where’s your motor bike?’ she asked instead.
‘I walked,’ Drew told her. ‘I came along the river. It’s...’ He broke off. She probably wasn’t the slightest bit interested. She’d probably think he was a wally anyway if he started going on about wildlife and stuff.
‘It’s what?’ she asked gently.
He shrugged. ‘It’s beautiful. Peaceful... away from the madding crowd, you know. There’s place I know where you can sit all on your own and no-one knows you’re there.’
She glanced at him, frowning slightly. He could see she was puzzled. Maybe she’d only knew boys like Hickson who thought caring about that kind of stuff made you a freak. ‘I like places like that too,’ she said. ‘Whereabouts is it?’
He told her.
‘Sounds lovely,’ she said.
‘Yes.’ Drew said. Perhaps she didn’t think he was a wally after all. ‘Maybe I could show you sometime.’
‘That would be great. We lived in the city in Australia and there never seemed to be anywhere really quiet to go. Not just on your doorstep anyway.’
‘What’s it like?’ he asked. ‘Living in Australia?’
‘Great most of the time,’ she said. ‘Brilliantly hot in summer, of course. Sydney is wonderful. You ever been there?’
Drew laughed. He’d never even been to France, let alone Australia. ‘Me?’ he said. ‘No chance.’
She glanced at him again. ‘You never know... you might one day.’
‘Well.. maybe.’ he said. His real dream was to go to the States but he didn’t think she’d want to hear about that.
She drove along in silence for a minute or two. Drew couldn’t help thinking what it would be like to sit by the river on a summer’s day with Cindy beside him. He decided it would be the closest thing to heaven he could possibly imagine. Not that there was any likelihood it would ever happen but there was no harm in dreaming.
‘Whereabouts do you live?’ she enquired.
Drew was miles away. ‘Huh?’ he said.
She grinned. ‘I said where do you live? I could be going in absolutely the wrong direction.’
‘Um.. no... you’re OK.’ Drew hesitated. He didn’t really know why but there was no way he wanted Cindy to see the estate. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the bloke next door hadn’t decided to dismantle a lorry in his front garden and leave it there for nine months. Or if the local kids didn’t chuck their drink cans and crisp packets all over the pavement on their way home from school. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of the place. It was just that he didn’t want her to see and that was that.
‘Er... Eastmead..’ he said at last. Maybe as she was new in town she wouldn’t have heard of the estate’s reputation. ‘But you can drop me by the railway bridge.. it’s not far to walk.’
‘It’s OK,’ she said, flashing her lights at a car that had just overtaken them. ‘I’ll take you right to your door.’ She gave a cheeky grin. ‘I’m making the most of this car while I’ve got the chance.’
‘Don’t blame you,’ Drew said.
‘I know,’ Cindy said suddenly. She leaned over the steering wheel and shifted her position. ‘Let’s go for a spin. You don’t have to get home yet do you?’
Drew thought about Sophie alone in the house. Her friend would probably have gone home by now. He really should get back.
‘I’d really like to,’ he said. ‘But my sister’s on her own. I’d better get home.’
‘Oh, OK.’ Cindy sounded disappointed.
‘Some other time, maybe,’ Drew said, surprising himself.
‘I doubt it somehow. Carl only lent it to me because his dad heard mine had conked out and told him he had to. He’s not actually generous where his car’s concerned .’
Drew almost said he’d thought it was too good to be true but resisted the urge. It would be no good running Carl down to Cindy, she was obviously crazy about him. Her voice went kind of dreamy when she was speaking about him. Drew couldn’t really think why. In his experience, Hickson was more likely to give you nightmares.
Drew stared out at the passing shop fronts. They were almost at the end of the high street by now and had skirted the industrial esta
te and sports centre.
‘How old’s your sister? Cindy asked.
‘Fourteen,’ said Drew. ‘And don’t I know it.’
Cindy smiled. ‘I bet she’s not as bad as my sister. She’s thirteen going on twenty five.’
Drew laughed. ‘I know what you mean.’
‘Mind you,’ Cindy went on. She pushed her hair back with her hand and leaned forward to wipe mist off the windscreen. ‘I was pretty awful at fourteen... weren’t you?’
‘No.’ Drew shook his head and smiled. ‘I was absolutely excellent. A model brat.’
Cindy glanced at him again then grinned broadly. ‘I bet.’ She was apparently getting used to his sense of humour. They had reached the cross roads. ‘Which way now?’
Drew breathed a sigh. She evidently didn’t have a clue where Eastmead was. ‘Left,’ he said. ‘Then as far as the fire station. You can drop me on the corner if you like.’
But when they got there she insisted on taking him right to his door. He tried to argue but it was no good. He came to conclusion Cindy was a pretty determined lady. At least it was dark and you couldn’t see his road properly. Half the street lamps were out anyway so the place didn’t look so bad.
‘Here,’ he said when they reached his gate.
The light was still on in the front room so Drew guessed Sophie was up watching some totally unsuitable late movie. He turned to get his bag from the back. ‘Thanks.’ he said.
‘You’re welcome.’
He hesitated. ‘Would this weekend be OK?’
‘To look at my car... yes it would be great. If you’re not doing anything else.’
‘Saturday?’
‘Yes, great.’
‘It’ll have to be in the morning, I’m at work in the afternoon.’
‘That’s fine.’
Drew suddenly realised he didn’t know where she lived. He climbed out of the car. He leaned on the open door and put his head inside. ‘It might help if I knew where your house was,’ he said.
She laughed. ‘Yes, I suppose it might. Manorfields,’ she said. ‘Number three... the house is called ‘Spindrift,’ do you know where it is?’
‘Yes.’ Drew knew all right. He might have guessed Cindy lived in the poshest area of town. ‘I’ll come early if that’s OK... about nine?’
She smiled. ‘Any time. See you Saturday.’
He watched as she roared off down the street. At the junction, she hooted the horn then sped off back towards town. His mind was in a whirl. She had a way of looking at him that made him feel as if she thought he was really special. Yet he knew that couldn’t possibly be true. She had made it clear that as far as Cindy Raven was concerned, the only really special guy in the world was hunky Carl Hickson.
3
Drew arrived at Cindy’s just before nine the following Saturday morning.
He switched off the engine and sat astride the bike for a minute or two gazing at the house. Although he’d heard of Manorfield, he’d never actually seen the houses there before. There were only four, each set well back from the road and surrounded by a huge garden. Cindy’s was square, red brick with round bay windows. Mock Georgian he supposed you called it.
A red rose grew over the front porch, the garden a palette of colour. Round the back he could just see the corner of a huge conservatory. In the garage were two cars, a sleek white sports car and a black BMW. Cindy’s Mini was parked in the drive.
Drew took off his helmet and climbed off. He took his tool kit from the box on the back and stuck his helmet in its place. He took off his leather jacket and slung it over the bike saddle. He had been thinking about coming here ever since he’d fixed it with Cindy. Now, for some strange reason, he felt really nervous.
He stood in front of the double oak gates looking at the upstairs windows. In one bedroom, the curtains were still drawn. He wondered if it was Cindy’s room. If perhaps she had forgotten he was coming and was still in bed.
He took a deep breath and opened the gate. As he did so, the front door opened and Cindy came out. She said something to someone inside then closed the door softly behind her. She was wearing scruffy track-suit trousers and a grey T-shirt. Her hair was scraped back into a pony tail. She wasn’t wearing any make-up and her eyes were red, as if she hadn’t had much sleep.
She ran down the drive to meet him.
‘Hi.’ Drew made a mock salute. ‘Your friendly mechanic’s here to try to perform miracles with your limmo, Madam.’
She smiled although her eyes didn’t light up in the way he had seen them light up before. She handed him the keys to her car. ‘I’m really grateful,’ she said.
Drew noticed she hadn’t met his eyes. As she turned away he put his hand on her arm. Her flesh felt smooth, cool beneath his fingers. He caught a scent of perfume. The same one he had smelt before. The one that reminded him of summer. ‘‘Cindy...? Is anything wrong... you look...?’
She turned back to face him. To his horror, her eyes filled with moisture. He saw her swallow. She didn’t look up at him but began to fiddle with one of her fingernails. ‘My mum’s really ill,’ she said, her mouth trembling. ‘The doctor came this morning... she’s got to go into hospital.’
‘I’m really sorry... what’s wrong with her?’ Drew asked gently.
‘Well.. she’s been sick ever since we came back from Oz. But not this bad. It’s something to do with her kidney’s. The doctor said she’s possibly going to need a transplant.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Drew didn’t know what else to say. ‘Look... do you want me to come back another time.’
Cindy brushed her hand across her eyes impatiently. She looked up at him with a wan smile. ‘No.. it’s OK, really. I’d be grateful if you could get it going. If Mum’s going to hospital I’m going to need it more than ever.’
Drew put his tool kit down beside the car. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
‘Do you want me to stay and help?’
‘No, I’ll be fine. You go back in. I’ll give you a knock when I’ve finished.’
‘Right.’
He watched her go back indoors. Her head was bowed and she looked suddenly small and vulnerable. It was all Drew could do not to run after her and take her in his arms. She really looked as if she needed a shoulder to cry on. At the door, she turned and gave him a small smile. She disappeared inside and closed the door softly behind her.
Drew took a deep breath. He felt really sorry for her but what could he do? Where was Carl for goodness’ sake. He should be here comforting her. After all he was her boyfriend.
It only took him a few minutes to find the problem with the car. It needed a new set of plugs. He had thought this might be the trouble and had stopped off at the local motor dealer’s and bought a set on the way there. He fixed the new plugs and gave the engine a going over. The Mini was pretty old but in good condition. He didn’t reckon it would give her any more trouble for a while although a good service wouldn’t go amiss.
He put his tools away and wiped his hands on a rag. Then he put on his jacket and went to ring the front doorbell.
Cindy’s sister opened the door. She had blonde hair like Cindy but it was cut short, close to her head. She was still wearing her pyjamas and had an American football jacket over the top of them. She screwed up her eyes at Drew when he asked to see Cindy.
‘Hang on.’ She turned and shouted up the stairs. ‘Cin, that biker’s at the door.’
Drew couldn’t help grinning to himself. Through the door he could see a long, carpeted hallway. There seemed to be flowers everywhere, as if the garden had somehow spilled over into the house. At the far end, a glass cabinet was full of what looked like antique vases.
Cindy’s sister was staring at him. ‘Do you want to come in?’
Drew shook his head. ‘No, thanks. I just wanted a word with Cindy.’
Just then, she came running down the stairs. She had changed into her blue denim Miniskirt and had washed her hair. It fell like spun silk around her shoulders.
>
‘Do you want to come in and wash your hands?’
‘No, it’s OK, thanks.’ He handed her the keys. ‘All done.’
Her face lit up. ‘Already? Drew, you’re fantastic. What was wrong with it?”
He explained. ‘... and it needs a service some time. I could do that but you’d need to bring it over to my place.’
‘OK. Look, Drew let me pay you.’
‘You’re joking,’ he said. ‘It only took five minutes.’
‘Please...’
‘I said it’s OK,’ he insisted. ‘I told you, I often look at friends’ cars. It’s good experience for me anyway.’
‘What about the plugs... they must have cost something?’
‘A couple of quid,’ he said. ‘But it’s OK, really.’
‘Well...I’ll buy you a burger sometime, OK?’
He grinned. ‘If you insist.’
She walked with him down the drive. ‘Carl’s parents are coming over in a minute. They want to see Mum before she goes to hospital.’ she said. ‘Our families are really good friends.’
‘Oh?’ Drew didn’t let on he already knew. He didn’t want her to know he had been asking Max about her. ‘What about Carl, isn’t he coming with them?’
She shook her head. ‘He’s got cricket practice this morning. He’s going to try to come over later.’
‘That’s pretty selfish of him...’ Drew blurted it out before he had time to think.
Cindy shrugged. ‘He’s hoping to make the local Eleven so he’s got to be there. You know he’s really good at sport. It’s very important to him.’
‘Yeah?’ Drew said. ‘More important than being here with you?’
She looked at him. ‘That’s not fair, Drew.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Drew said sharply. Then he bit his lip. It really wasn’t any of his business what Carl Hickson did in his spare time. All he knew was that if he had a girl like Cindy, he’d want to be there to support her if she needed it. ‘No,’ he said quickly. ‘Sorry. it’s none of my business anyway.’