by S J Crabb
Pulling away, Ken laughs and makes the introductions. “Nelly, meet Violet. She’s dying to meet you; I’ve told her all about you.”
I nod but can’t quite manage a smile as I feel her looking at me as if she’s assessing me on the spot. She smiles but I can tell it’s not genuine and she holds out a limp hand and says, “I’m pleased to meet you, Nelly.”
I have so many questions that need answers but Ken just pulls her tightly against him and says in a gruff voice. “We had better be off. I promised Violet I’d treat her to lunch in that posh place in town. See you later.”
I watch in horror as they head outside and wonder what sort of parallel universe I am now living in, where everything is topsy turvy and not what it seems anymore. First Jack and now Ken. Whatever next?
19
Luckily, life returns to normality for a few days and I concentrate on my business. I wasn’t lying when I mentioned to Ken I was branching out and spend some time investigating what running parties would involve. Since Jack opened opposite, it made me realise that I need to up my game, and it started me looking at my business with a fresh pair of eyes.
Angela pops by on the odd occasion but other than her, I haven’t seen anyone. Business is steady but not brilliant and I wonder how much longer I can exist without any real customers, rather than the ones who just stop by for a chat.
However, tonight will be interesting because Jack’s coming home with me to meet my parents and the thought is making me feel quite ill. I wonder what they will make of all this.
This time I drive and feel a little ashamed as Jack sits beside me in my beat-up old Beetle. I’ve always considered it quirky and fun but after the elegance of Jack’s car, it just seems dated and scruffy. I’m not the tidiest person in the world and feel embarrassed when I spy the crumbs on the floor and the crisp wrappers in the door compartments. Jack, however, doesn’t appear to notice and just smiles at me reassuringly while I grate the gears nervously as we head to my parent’s house.
After a while, he says with interest, “So, what does your mother do?”
“She’s a teacher. She works in Vincent Primary school and teaches year 6.”
“Why didn’t you become a teacher?”
I make a face. “You must be joking. I hated school for obvious reasons and couldn’t wait to leave. I suppose to outsiders I must be a disappointment to my family. My parents are in a respected profession and my sister is at Oxford following in their academic footsteps.”
He looks surprised. “But you were always clever at school.”
I shrug dismissively. “So what. Just because you do well in academic things doesn’t mean you have to carry it on. As I said, I always wanted my own shop, and I didn’t need any qualifications for that. Just a lot of hard work and good intentions. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a chain of them and be international before I’m thirty. Success is measured in different ways, Jack and some may argue that I’m actually the more successful one in my family. They would be wrong but I like to think I stand a small chance of gaining that title one day.”
He laughs which makes my heart flutter. Jack’s laugh is as sexy as he is and it’s quite distracting when I’m trying to drive. In fact, all I want to do is openly stare at him because the sight of Jack Mason in my car is one I never thought I’d see in a million years.
We pull out outside a modest home in a respectable suburb and unlike Jack’s parent’s house, mine is a little shabby and in need of a 60-minute makeover. The garden is laid mainly to lawn because my parents don’t have time for gardening and would never think to employ a gardener. The interior probably hasn’t changed from my youth because why change something that isn’t broken? Everything in this house serves a purpose and any designer touches are sorely lacking. Even the wallpaper is from the seventies, which is a good thing because it looks more fashionable than it should due to the current 70s retro revival going on.
It’s never bothered me in the past but now as I see it through Jack’s eyes, I’m ashamed to admit that I’m embarrassed by my parent’s home.
However, I’m not ashamed of my parents and as my mum opens the door, I smile at the woman I love more than any other. Bettina Gray is a practically dressed, no-nonsense, type of woman who is polite in company and a riot in private. A typical teacher in her knee-length tweed skirt, sensible blouse and tank top. I don’t think I’ve ever seen makeup on her face and her hairstyle hasn’t changed since the day I was born. She wears glasses and comfortable shoes and is in direct contrast to the chic elegance of Amanda. However, the smile in her eyes matches the one on her face and she looks genuinely delighted to see us.
Reaching out, she shakes Jack’s hand warmly and says softly, “I’m pleased to meet you, Jack. Nelly has told us so much about you.”
Feeling my cheeks flame, I try to brush off her comment because Jack doesn’t need to know that I’ve boasted constantly about my amazing new boyfriend. The trouble is, I have never had one to boast about before and so I’ve gone a little overboard on my descriptions to my family.
Jack just smiles politely but I don’t miss the smirk in his eyes. Can eyes smirk? Looking at the expression in his eyes I can assure you they can and I daren’t look at him as I follow my mum inside.
As we reach the crowded living room, my dad stands and comes forward, beaming broadly. “Jack Mason. I remember you, one of our shining football stars. It’s good to see you again.”
I almost want to place my hands over my eyes and peek through my fingers because I’m dreading what Jack must be feeling right now. However, he stands a little straighter and says politely, “It’s good to see you again, sir.”
My father laughs. “You can drop the sir. Mr Gray will do fine.”
Jack laughs nervously, then dad winks and says loudly, “Just joking, son. Call me Tom.”
Jack looks quite ill as he says nervously, “Thank you… um… Tom.”
Dad nods towards the settee. “Take a seat, Jack. I’m sure Nelly won’t mind helping her mother with some refreshments while we get reacquainted with one another.”
I almost bolt from the room just glad to leave this awkward situation behind me. As far as I’m concerned Jack’s on his own because he made this mess and now he’s going to have to deal with the consequences.
As I help my mum make some tea, she says softly, “Jack seems nice Nelly.”
I smile and try to ignore the prickle of guilt inside me as I realise we are lying to my family as much as Aunt Alice. This doesn’t seem right and I feel uneasy.
So, I just nod. “It's early days and we’re more like um… good friends really.”
Then, to my surprise, my mum winks suggestively and giggles. “With benefits, I hope.”
I stare at her in shock as she grins in amusement. “You should see your face, Nelly. You forget that I was once a young girl myself. I haven’t always been so respectable you know.”
Words fail me as I try to drive any image springing to mind about my mother being anything less than one hundred per cent respectable. However, she just sighs and looks wistful.
“You know, I was a little wild in my youth. There was this time I was caught kissing a boy from my class in the corridor. My parents were called in and I was suspended for a day.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”
She giggles. “No, I’m not. You know, we’re all the same in our youth. I was the wild one in my family and thought nothing of sneaking a few mouthfuls from my parent’s drinks cabinet before heading out to meet the local bad boy.”
I wonder if it would be rude to put my hands over my ears because I absolutely do not want to hear this.
She sighs again. “Luke Carpenter was his name. I’ve never forgotten him. All leather jacket and bad intentions. I’ve never felt as alive as I did in his arms. He awoke the woman in me and it was touch and go whether I would even finish school. Those were heady times and I think I lost my mind a little as well as my heart.”
As I stare at her, I’m mesmerised. She has a lost look in her eyes that reaches out to me. A yearning for the past and what might have been and I say softly, “Did you love him… this Luke Carpenter?”
She leans against the sink and nods dreamily. “He was my first love. I adored him but he was bad, Nelly. He used to fight – a lot. He rode a motorbike and never once wore a helmet. He kept me out late at night and introduced me to everything a respectable girl should never know. I have never forgotten him and hope I never will.”
Edging closer I whisper, “What happened?”
She lowers her voice. “He went to prison. Got arrested for breaking into a local councillor’s house. He stole some things, and they threw away the key.”
I stare at her in shock because the girl she is describing is the polar opposite of the mother I know and love.
I say incredulously, “What did Nan and Grandad say?”
She shrugs. “What didn’t they say, more like. I was transferred to an all girl’s school, and they watched me like a hawk. My evenings were spent with various tutors and I was made to join every club and society going to occupy my evil mind. As you know, I grew up and became the respectable adult they wanted me to be and then I met your father.”
Shaking my head, I picture my father compared to the local bad boy Luke Carpenter and feel a little disappointed for my mother, although I know I shouldn’t. She smiles mysteriously. “Don’t always believe in outward impressions, Nelly. Your father more than measured up to Luke Carpenter, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Trying desperately to now shake the mental image I have of my father morphing into the local bad boy behind closed doors, I giggle. “Are you saying dad was a little wild in his youth?”
Mum just winks. “I’m saying nothing of the kind. Now, hadn’t we better head inside to rescue your new boyfriend from the third degree?”
Feeling slightly as if I’m having an out-of-body experience, I follow her into the living room carrying the tray of tea things. The first thing I hear as we head into the room is my dad saying, “So, just what are your intentions towards my daughter?”
I think I almost drop the tray as I see Jack’s terrified expression while my father sits opposite him looking stern and forbidding. Mum just laughs and says gently, “Stop scaring Jack, Tom.”
She turns to Jack and smiles sweetly. “Don’t pay any attention to my husband, Jack. He forgets sometimes that he’s not at work.”
She hands Jack a cup of tea in the usual bone china teacup they reserve for guests and special occasions and winks. “Would you like a custard cream with that?”
He smiles politely. “Yes please, Mrs Gray.”
Shaking her head, she piles a few on a plate and says warmly, “Call me Betty.”
Jack smiles and I roll my eyes.
After a while, the conversation turns to Jack’s family. When my parents hear that Amanda and James are taking salsa lessons things deteriorate quickly. I watch in surprise as they share a look and my mother looks excited.
“Salsa. Oh, how amazing.”
She shares a look with my father and says happily, “Tom do you remember how to do it?”
He nods and then, to my horror, they jump up and start bumping and grinding suggestively in front of our eyes. I can’t even look at Jack as my parents appear to lose themselves in the moment and start acting out some sort of x-rated scene from dirty dancing and I feel utterly mortified. Then things get even worse when my mum grabs Jack’s hand and says, “Dance with me, Jack.”
My father grabs mine and every nerve ending inside me screams to make this go away. My father laughs as he holds me in his arms and propels me like a stiff board around the room, while I try not to look at the fact that my mother is pressed against Jack who looks completely out of his comfort zone.
I’m pretty sure if he knew this was how the evening would pan out, he wouldn’t have been quite so keen to come.
After the most horrible five minutes of my life, they take pity on us and release us back to the safety of the couch and my mum laughs happily. “I forgot how much fun salsa is. Where do your parents go for their lessons, Jack? Maybe we should start again, Tom. It would spice things up a little.”
Jack almost bursts out laughing at my expression as I implore him with my eyes not to tell them but he responds by saying, “They go to the Armitage Centre in town. I think the lessons are on a Tuesday and Thursday.”
My mum claps her hand and yells, “Surf the net and see if we can join, Tom. It would be such fun.”
She looks across and says with excitement, “Why don’t you join us? It would be wonderful if we could all share something in common.”
Shaking my head firmly, I say quickly, “I’m sorry but we don’t have time for it. We are both running businesses that don’t stop demanding our time when the doors close at night. Maybe when we’re both successful, we will think again but now is not that time.”
My mother laughs and shakes her head. “Always so serious, Nelly. You always were such a funny little thing. You know, Jack, Nelly has always been a little strange. There was this one time when she was about seven, she had these little knickers with the days of the week printed on each of them. She always insisted on wearing the correct pair that corresponded with the day and went into a meltdown when she couldn’t find her ‘Tuesday’ knickers.”
I stare at her in horror – she is really going there with this; I almost can’t believe what I’m hearing.
She looks across at my father and giggles. “Do you remember, Tom? The cat brought them in one day from the garden. Apparently, she had wet herself and buried them there rather than admit it. Oh, how we laughed about that.”
The blood drains from my face as Jack raises his eyes and tries not to laugh. My parents laugh fit to burst and then my father says loudly, “What about when she had that crush on some boy from school, what was his name again?”
Jumping up, I say shortly, “Enough of the trip down memory lane. We’ve got to leave, immediately in fact. I’m sorry but you know how it is with us, business owners. No time for frivolity and lots to do and all that. Thanks for the tea but we really must be going.”
I reach out and pull Jack’s arm almost out of its socket as I march with determination towards the door, vowing to keep a huge distance between us all from now on. How embarrassing, I can’t believe my father would even remember that. The fact the boy in question was sitting right there makes everything a million times worse.
My parents follow me to the door and my father says, “Good to see you again, Mason. Remember, I’ve got my eye on you. Respect my daughter and you’ll be fine.”
My mother laughs, “Enough Tom. Drop the overprotective father act before I tell Jack exactly what we got up to behind our parent’s backs.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see his hand appear around her waist and then move up to cup her breast, as he nips her neck sharply with his teeth. I can see that Jack notices because he is struggling to stop laughing and I feel my cheeks flaming as red as my decrepit car waiting to transport us back to normality.
Shouting “Bye” I drag Jack away, vowing never to return – with any of the male species ever again.
Their parting shot chills me to the bone as my mother cries out, “We’ll introduce ourselves to your parents at salsa, Jack. It will be good to get to know them.”
I almost push Jack into the passenger seat before proving that old beetles really can do 0-60 at the speed of light.
As evenings go, that was the worst one of my life.
20
I think Jack is still laughing when I pull up outside his apartment block. Frowning, I say apologetically, “I’m so sorry about my parents. You have every right to think I had a bad childhood but let me tell you nothing compares to what I’ve just experienced. It can only be described as child abuse. Parents should be issued with a government health warning - approach with caution, all your secrets and worse fears may be realised.”
; Jack laughs. “I liked them. At least they like each other. I would spend every evening with your parents rather than mine. I hope I’m as happy as they are after so many years together.”
I stare at him in total disbelief. “You’re a strange guy, Jack.”
“Why?”
“Because of all this. You open a shop selling things no ordinary boy would be interested in. Then you ask a girl to be your partner in crime who you never looked at twice in the past when there are so many more suitable ones surrounding you every day. Then you spend time with the pre-mentioned girl, visiting her parents, who quite honestly should have been certified years ago and yet somehow you appear to be enjoying yourself.”
He looks at me with a strange expression and says softly, “You’ve met my family. It’s not quite the dream you thought it was. As for ignoring you at school, well, I’m guilty of that I suppose. However, you never spoke to me either.”
Feeling a little shocked by that last statement, it makes me think back on those years. It’s true, I never once spoke to him. I suppose I was too busy feigning disinterest in somebody I knew I never stood a chance with. In private, however, my fantasies were off the scale where it concerned him and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Jack Mason was that guy in school. You know, the one every girl wanted and only a select few privileged girls got to experience. Yes, his name decorated various notebooks of mine surrounded by hearts and our initials. Again, I’m not alone there.
Turning to him, I say with interest, “What about you? What was it really like being you at school? Did you feel the pressure of being the popular guy in class or did you not realise you were?”
The look in Jack’s eyes holds my attention for that split second longer than it should. He looks at me so intently I forget to breathe as he says lightly, “I never thought about it I suppose. I was only interested in football and messing around with my mates. Of course, I was interested in the girls who surrounded me, it was easy.”