Forever Is Over (32 page)

             
Within a few seconds, Kelly arri
ved at my door. She knew I had
company so she knocked. I guess Amy
’
s story of my backside glowing
back at her at the Birch
’
s party still haunted Kelly!

“
Come in!
”

Kelly entered with a towel wrapped around her head. Even with a
towel on her hair and a pink dressing gown on, she still had the capacity
to look stunning. I wasn
’
t concerned that Ray might find Kelly more
attractive than me because even if he did, he would be wasting his time.

Kelly would not be the slightest bit interested in Ray. She was too good
for him.

“
Ray, this is my sister, Kelly. Kelly this is Ray.
”

Kelly smiled. Ray pouted in a macho fashion.

“
I take it Mum
’
s been trying to cause trouble again?
”

“
Would you expect anything else?
”
I replied.

Ray was looking serious. Thinking about it, he always looked
serious.

“
Kelly, I believe you are taking your GCSEs this year.
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Now I don
’
t want to sound patronising, but make sure you do
everything you can to get good grades. Going to University was the
best thing I ever did, if you have the chance, work hard and get there.
Jemma says you
’
re a clever girl. Make sure you take the opportunity, you
’
ll never regret it.
”

I think Kelly found Ray
’
s advice useful but she was aware of an issue
that perhaps Ray had overlooked.

“
Mum would love that, wouldn
’
t she,
Jemma, if I went to University?
She keeps moaning on about Sixth Form and not wanting me to stay
on. She keeps saying its about time I went out and earned a living. She
said she
’
d break my neck if I went to University!
”

I explained the situation to Ray.

“
Ray, I
’
m sure you have been raised by good people and although
I would love to say that Vomit Breath has a soft and cuddly side, the reality is that she hasn
’
t. She
’
s a selfish, drunken cow who only ever
thinks about herself.

Because Vomit Breath has been spawned by the devil, I
’
ve said
I
’
ll fund as much of Kelly
’
s education as I possibly can. Kelly works in
Woolworths too on Saturdays, so she is putting most of her own money
away too, aren
’
t you Kel?
”

“
Yes. No point relying on Mum to fund me!
”

“
You
’
d get a grant too, of course!
”
Ray added,
“
I
’
m sure it would be
the full amount too, given the circumstances.
”

“
Well,
”
Kelly said,
“
it all seems a long way off just now. Anyway, I
need to go and blow dry my hair. Nice meeting you, Ray!
”

“
Nice meeting you too, Kelly! Don
’
t forg
et what I said. Work hard.
Control your destiny!
”

“
OK. Thanks Ray!
”

Kelly left. I was amused. I thought Ray just saved those pep talks
for work, but obviously not. I liked Ray a lot, but he took himself very
seriously. He was twenty three going on fifty.

Ray and I stayed and talked in my room for about half an hour,
about people at work, about Ray
’
s ambitions, he wanted to be an Area
Manager then National Branch Manager, then on the Executive, he
had it all mapped out. We also talked about his family, his mother was
a hygienist at the dentists and his father was a dentist, but at a different
practice to his Mum. He had one sister, Verity, who had studied law
at Manchester University and was now working in a solicitor
’
s office in
London. Ultimately she was going to be a barrister. That
’
s something
I noticed about Ray, his singlemindedness. Ray said
“
she was going to
be
”
not
“
hoped to be
”
or
“
wanted to be
”
. I liked that about Ray, he was
focused on progression and obviously his sister was to.

After half an hour, we ventured
back out from the safety of my
bedroom like a pair of soldiers emerging from the trenches . I had
bought a couple of lasagnes that I could just put in the oven, so we
headed to the kitchen for me to pop them in. I knew Vomit Breath
would come and pester us, but I was past caring. Sure enough, when we
walked into the kitchen, she was sat at the table, half-smoked cigarette
in her left hand and a vodka and a smouldering ashtray on the table.

“
Can you go and smoke somewhere else, I
’
m putting our tea in now.
”

“
No, I can
’
t. I own this house!
”

“
You don
’
t! Mr Bukhari owns it.
”

“
Well I pay the bloody rent! What are you cooking us?
”

Vomit Breath knew full well I would not be cooking her a thing.

“
I
’
m not cooking you anything. Ray and I are having lasagne.
”

“
When did you make that?
”

“
I bought it.
”

“
Real hostess you, aren
’
t you? Would you have made more of an
effort if he
”
, she pointed at Ray,
“
wasn
’
t so ugly? You should see what
she makes her handsome boyfriends, Roy. Three course meals. Roast
dinners and everything!
”

“
Take no notice of her, Ray. I have never had anyone here before.
Probably won
’
t have anyone here again, after today.
”

I turned the oven on and went to the freezer. I had left the lasagnes
in the first compartment, they weren
’
t there. I checked the second, third
and fourth compartments. No lasagnes.

“
Have you taken my lasagnes out the freezer?
”
I asked Vomit Breath
sternly.

Vomit Breath dragged on the remaining stub of her cigarette.
“
I didn
’
t know they were yours. I had them at lunchtime.
”

“
Both of them?
”

“
I was hungry. I
’
d had no breakfast.
”

“
Well what are we going to have now?
”

“
There
’
s a bit of cheese in the fridge.
”

I went to the fridge. It was virtually empty other than a small slab
of cheese which a small mouse would regard as a morsel. I then checked
the cupboards. All that was in there was a mouldy loaf. Old Mother
Hubbard was an alternative name for Vomit Breath.

“
Right, Ray. Looks like we are going out.
”

Vomit Breath finally gave up on the remnants of her cigarette and
stubbed it out.

“
Take a key, love. I
’
m off out myself in half an hour. If I play my
cards right, I might be out all night. If you two come back here, make
sure you put a nodder on, Roy. Last thing I want is an ugly grandchild!
Do you want me to see if I have got any spare nodders before you go? It
would make things right, wouldn
’
t it, after me eating your tea.
”

We ignored her. Ray left the house as quickly as he could. Only
stopping briefly to shout a quick goodbye up the stairs to Kelly.

“
Fair play to your father for going anywhere near that!
”
Ray said as
we walked towards town,
“
He should be knighted for bravery!
”

             
It was the funniest thing I had ever heard Ray say, which wasn
’
t
saying much. Comedy and lighthearted banter were not Ray
’
s strong
points.

“
Do you know what? I
’
ve seen pictures of Vomit Breath from twenty
years ago and she used to look like me. If I went on one continuous piss
up from now until I was thirty eight and smoked my way through it, I could turn out like that!
”

Ray was stunned.

”
Don
’
t tell me your mother is thirty eight!
”

“
She looks older, doesn
’
t she?
”

“
My grandmother looks younger and she
’
s seventy! Don
’
t ever do
that to yourself, Jemma. Beauty is important for a woman, it
’
s a way of
getting power. Your mother has obviously been a fool but she can
’
t turn back the clock now. You have your whole life ahead of you, value it and
make the most of it.
”

I smil
ed to myself. Ray made me smile
, he didn
’
t mean to, but he made me smile. He talked a lot of well meaning crap! Ray noticed my
suppressed laughter.

“
What are you giggling at?
”
he asked.

“
Ray, are you sure you
’
re twenty three and not sixty?
You talk like
an old man sometimes!
”

I could tell I had offended him.

“
I talk sense Jemma, that
’
s what I talk. Complete sense.
”

I took Ray
’
s hand. I felt safe with Ray. In my life, safe was not a
word I had been too familiar with, I liked it. Vomit Breath would not
go near a man like Ray, he didn
’
t drink and the craziest thing he had
ever done was close the Bank two minutes early on Christmas Eve. He
was definitely a safe pair of hands. In the future, I thought he would be
a good family man. Maybe our future
would be together, who knows?

I
was just relieved that my wild days were behind me and I was now more
responsible, a better person. I
’
m sure Kelly was proud of me.

Richie

We were on the bus going to Maghull to the Astra Cinema to see
“
Rain Man
”
. It was a double decker, Kelly and I were the only ones
upstairs. We had met at Ormskirk bus station and ten minutes into our
date, we were chatting away like old friends.

“
You know you said you had seen our Jemma out and about with her boyfriend, what did you think of him?
”