Star Fish (13 page)

– Twenty Two –

Pisces:
The number 19 features heavily today. Fellow water signs are causing disharmony in your pond.

It took me a while to get over the whole Declan situation. The gang thought that I should try and track him down and get him arrested as he had in effect stolen my money. My argument was that I had handed the cheque over to him so it was my own stupid fault.

I felt very torn as to what to do, but in the end I made the very difficult decision to let it go as one big, bad lesson for the future.

Penelope and I had settled into our singleton life quite well actually. Katie had gone out to Lanzarote on a cheap break with Sam. ‘I’m not rekindling it with Ice Man,’ she stated adamantly. ‘Sam and I want to chill, that’s all.’

I had been asked if I wanted to go but wasn’t really feeling up to a holiday at the moment. Aware of my plight, Christopher gave me a weekly call to assure me that there were a lot of really nice new applicants on his books and I should recommence dating. We would end up on the phone for ages chatting and laughing. His main concern was that I would turn into a mad old woman, housing ten stray cats and talking to my frogs every day. I think he was actually only nine stray cats away from the mark on this one!

A For Sale sign had gone up next door but there didn’t seem to be any activity. I really missed Jed. It’s funny how you get used to things in your life without even realising it. You take them for granted and when they are taken away from you, you really do notice. I called the Estate Agent under a pseudonym to see how much the house was going for and was pleasantly surprised.

‘Must be because of the well-kept road and wonderful neighbours,’ I exclaimed to the estate agent, whose voice I recognised as belonging to the hairy-lipped woman I’d kissed in my back bedroom.

‘Are you interested in a viewing?’ Hairy Lip asked. I suddenly thought it would be good fun to have a nose around as I had only really seen the living room on the day of the cheque presentation.

‘Yes, OK.’

‘What’s your position?’

I felt like saying, ‘up shit creek without a paddle’, but managed to control myself and replied, ‘Oh, I’m renting at the moment, could be in within six weeks. I’m free any evening this week.’

‘Oh, that’s great news. Mr McDonald is down this week so he can show you round. Let’s say tomorrow at seven.’

‘That’s fine, thanks.’ I quickly hung up so as not to give any of my details to the agent and breathed a sigh of relief that it wouldn’t be her showing me around.

How exciting that Jon McDonald was back in town! To be honest I hadn’t actually thought that much about him since our first meeting as I had been so caught up with Declan. He was also attached, to ‘the bitch’, so it was probably a good thing that I hadn’t been thinking about him. However, I still planned to get home from work early and spruce up before I surprised him tomorrow.

Now that I was living a singleton’s existence, I again made the decision that I would throw myself into my work. A career girl I would become!

Mr Parkinson had been so pleased with the success of the Big Top event that he bought me a large box of chocolates and gave me a £1000 pay rise. This was very much appreciated, especially now my savings were at zero again.

Liv was currently in the throes of a relationship. She had met her new man at another dinner date evening, run by somebody else, as Rosalind had banned us for life after the red wine incident. His name was Alec; he was fifty-five and owned half of Suffolk.

‘Liv, please tell me you love him for his personality,’ I said one night over a glass of wine.

‘Well, of course I do. He has got rather a big one!’

‘Olivia Irving, you are unbelievable,’ I laughed.

‘The fact that he is also extremely generous and has given me my very own credit card has nothing to do with the way I feel about him.’

‘I’m glad you’re happy, Liv, but just the thought of waking up next to a wrinkly makes me cringe. I don’t think I could do it.’

‘Sweetie, surely waking up next to anything with a pulse would be good for you right now? Especially considering how long it is since you’ve had a shag.’

‘Liv! You are disgusting.’

‘Yes, but oh so honest, my dear Ames.’

Brad was still pining after Sean. His phone bills were extortionate. I thought he would be fine, especially as Sean was making the effort to visit in September, so I wasn’t expecting the bombshell when it fell.

‘Ames, I can’t live like this any more!’ Brad dramatically exclaimed as he bounded through my pink front door. ‘I need too much love to be in a long-distance relationship. Sean and I had a big chat last night and I’m going to stay with him for three months initially.’

‘OK,’ I said thoughtfully. ‘What about money?’ I tried not to let the panic rise in my voice at the thought of my best friend moving away.

‘My God, when has Miss “I don’t ever worry about money until I have only a penny left” Fish suddenly become so worried about cashflow?’

‘Just care about you, that’s all.’

‘Well, worry not, my pretty Princess. I’ve saved a bit – enough to last me three months, plus enough to pay you back for the flight you kindly donated out of your windfall. My boss is holding my job open for three months as well, said he will get a contractor in to cover me, so that’s cool.’

‘You don’t have to pay me back, you know. You’ll need every cent for your new jet-set lifestyle.’

‘Actually, Amy, I do have to pay you back. You are a true, lovely friend whom I would trust with my life and you deserve to be treated well and not always to be so giving; it worries me sometimes. You will take the money and buy yourself something nice, not something nice for somebody else, something nice for
you
– oh, and that vile cat of yours if you feel you have to.’

‘When are you going?’

Brad faltered. ‘A week Saturday.’

I sat down almost in tears. ‘You really are a wanker leaving me like this.’ I tried to smile. ‘Don’t get me wrong though, babe. I am really pleased for you. Despite his brother, I do like Sean very much. Your happiness is paramount and if you’re happy, I’m happy. I do love you, you know.’

‘And I love you too, sweetpea. You can come out and visit any time.’

‘Hold that thought,’ I said and smiled weakly.

‘Right, must go, people to see, Louis Vuittons to pack! Thought we could all go out and get pissed next Thursday to see me off.’

‘Good plan,’ I nodded. ‘Now get out of my sight and get packing – and if you need help with anything at all, just shout.’

‘Oh, and Amy, one more thing – he
is
a Scorpio, by the way! Seeya!’

A bloody Scorpio? Trust Kieran Docherty to be my perfect star match. My butterfly mind went into overdrive. Of course he was a Scorpio. There was just so much passion there. Our bodies were in tune if nothing else. I reconsulted my astrology bookshelf and pulled out my favourite tome that was well into the compatibility of signs.

Scorpio, here we go. I read out loud:

‘Scorpians are passionate and intense beings – filled with desire. They are secretive and complex. Don’t try and get too much out of them or they’ll become suspicious and leave.

They are particularly resourceful characters.’

Pen sauntered into the dining room.

‘Pen, don’t I just know that about him, eh?’

He brushed against my knees as if to say, ‘Don’t worry’. I carried on reading out loud. ‘
Compatibility with Pisceans
– here we go. Listen to this.’

‘Pisces is Scorpio’s most compatible astrological mate. Their passion can last a lifetime. The Scorpio benefits from the active imagination of the Pisces, who reacts lovingly to the sensitive and passionate nature of the Scorpio.’

I suddenly began to relive the feelings of intense passion I had felt for Kieran.

Part of me wanted to get on that flight with Brad, knock on Kieran’s door and make him admit it was me he wanted to be with. Kieran Docherty was an addiction, a pack of cigarettes to a reformed smoker.

I knew he was bad for me but I just wanted to keep going back there to get that short, sharp, wonderful fix.

‘Amy! What a wonderful surprise!’ Jon exclaimed as he opened the door of number 19. He was looking extremely sexy. He’d had his hair trimmed really short and was wearing cut-offs, a tight black T-shirt and flip-flops. He had even had his neck shaved. ‘I can’t chat for long now as I’ve got someone coming to view the house any minute. It’s the last one tonight, so I can pop round for a catch up after, if you’re free, that is?’

‘Oh God, I feel really bad now,’ I stuttered. ‘That person you have been waiting for is me.’

‘To view the house?’ He screwed up his lovely little nose.

‘Yeah, well, I wanted to be nosy as I’d only seen the downstairs and I always like to get new ideas for mine, you know. I didn’t realise you’d be here,’ I lied.

‘I wondered why the agent had been so crap in not getting your name or anything.

I was half expecting whoever it was not to show and here you are, it’s so great to see you.’

‘How’s Jackie?’ I said through gritted teeth.

‘Oh, back home in Scotland with the kids so she’s happy to leave the house sale to me.’

‘Kids! You never said?’

‘Yeah, my beautiful little niece Jasmine and nephew, Robert.’

I laughed out loud.

‘What’s funny, Amy?’

‘Well, it isn’t really funny, I just thought that Jackie was your girlfriend and-’

I stopped. My God, it was like I’d taken a truth drug.

‘Carry on. And what?’

I started to blurt. Jon wasn’t deterred by this at all, having already experienced a blurt on that very sad, pants-on-head morning.

‘Do you know what, Jon, I am really pleased that Jackie is your sister as I think you are really nice. Actually I thought you were really nice when I met you before and I didn’t want to even let you know I was going out with someone that night. And in the end I didn’t go out with someone else as I was so overcome with the money that your grandfather had left me that I got completely drunk with Brad.’

At this point, Jon then did take over, worried that if I carried on any longer without taking a breath I might keel over.

‘Yes, your rendition of “Dancing Queen” was amazing!’

I went bright red but with breath back in my lungs I continued. ‘Maybe we should go out next week and see how we do on “Knowing me, Knowing you”?’

‘Not sure about the “Knowing Me, Knowing You” bit, but let’s go out anyway. It will be a laugh.’

Jon then proceeded to show me around Jed’s house, chuckling at my ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ to all the differences and similarities.

– Twenty Three –

Sagittarius:
A chance encounter with an old flame causes you to re-think a current relationship.

The Thursday of Brad’s leaving drinks arrived. The gang was set to meet at eight in Harry’s Bar. Sam and Katie were back from Lanzarote. They looked brown and relaxed.

‘Almost glowing!’ Brad exclaimed.

Liv had been drinking since six but was holding it together as usual. Poor Anna had had a toilet episode earlier and said that her stomach was so bloated that she looked like a stuffed pig and couldn’t possibly come out.

‘I hope the bitch calls me tomorrow,’ Brad said camply. ‘Now let’s get on with the merriment of seeing me off into the arms of my lover, shall we?’

H arrived with Horace; they too had a glow about them.

‘What’s with all this glowing?’ Brad wanted to know.

‘I don’t know what you’re on about, Brad. Hurry up and get the drinks in,’ H retorted.

‘No, no, no,’ Sam intervened.

‘The drinks are on me. Two bottles of champagne, please!’

‘Ooh, sweetie, champagne! You must really love me and be sorry to see me go?’ Brad trilled.

‘Yeah, something like that,’ Sam laughed and began to pour the champagne as we all shuffled into place round a bench table.

‘A toast for Mr Sampson and all who sail in him. And also, Sam faltered and smiled at Katie. As we are all together I would like to announce that I have asked the beautiful Katie Cook to be my wife.’

‘Oh my God, you dark horses!’ I exclaimed. ‘This is so sudden.’

‘Ames, it has to give all singletons hope. We went away and realised that we truly loved each other. I have never ever felt before that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with somebody and there she was, right in front of my nose all of the time.’

‘You mingers, I am so bloody excited,’ Liv screeched. ‘More champagne over here, young man.’ She winked at the waiter as he approached.

‘Cheers, everyone!’ H called out. ‘And whilst we are on the subject of celebrating, Horace and I would like to announce that we are adding to the population.’

‘Oh my God, I can’t cope with all this excitement in one night, Brad said, flapping. ‘It’s just so fantastic. I shall even let you bastards off for hijacking my leaving party! All this news is so great!’

I was generally excited for everyone, why wouldn’t I be? They were my lovely friends and they deserved every ounce of happiness in the world, so when Liv found me crying in the toilets I felt really guilty.

‘Minger, I thought you’d been gone a while. Was worried you were chucking up.’

‘Liv, you are so graphic. I’m fine.’

‘Oh yeah sure, you’re fine – look at your eyes.’

I was frantically trying to rub off the black mascara trails down my cheeks. Liv hugged me tight.

‘Amy, you don’t have to tell me, I know. You are too lovely to be single for much longer. You will get your fairytale, you know you will.’

‘Not looking like this I won’t!’ I smiled through my watery eyes. ‘You go back out there and I’ll sort my face out. I don’t want anyone to know I’ve been crying.’ I was actually feeling quite drunk. Champagne usually went straight to my head and on this occasion it was no exception.

The doors from the loos into the bar were stable doors. On the way back to our table I pushed them harder than I needed to; one flew back and knocked me flying.

‘Oops a daisy,’ A voice above me said. ‘Too many sherbets, eh? Let me help you.’

The voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it. Then; ‘Amy Anderson, oh my God, how are you?’

‘Will, it’s you! I can’t believe it!’ I started jumping up and down on the spot like a madwoman. ‘I really can’t believe it. You haven’t changed one bit.’

‘
You
have!’ he exclaimed. ‘For the better. In fact I may use the word “fox” if I can be so bold.’

Will (William Wallingford) was one of the funniest men I had ever met. He had been my first love. We had started going out when we were fifteen. We’d had three heady years of young love. Kissing in the back row of the cinema, sharing our first shaky grope and for me losing my virginity in a tent in his garden. So many good, good memories. I had actually finished it, way back then. I thought that the grass was greener and ran off with one of his mates who had a Mohican. It turned out that Mr Mohican only loved himself and the Sisters of Mercy. I regretted leaving the lovely Will for the next three years.

And here he was in front of me again. All six foot of him. With the familiar auburn hair, greeny-blue eyes, the full, beautifully shaped mouth and now a really toned body by the looks of things. He had made me quiver all those years ago and now, taking a real good look at him, he made me quiver again.

‘What are you doing here then, oh foxy one?’

‘Oh, it’s my best friends’ leaving do. He’s off to America to spend some time with his partner. And you?’ I couldn’t stop smiling, as this was so surreal.

‘Birthday meal for my girlfriend.’

‘Oh right.’ Strangely, I felt really disappointed.

‘Not a patch on you though, Ames, heh? Never forget your first love and all that.’ He grinned. ‘Anyway I’d better get back to her, or she’ll wonder who this beauty is I’m talking to. Here’s my card. Give me a shout next week, then let’s meet for a drink and catch up on the last thirteen years.’

And then he was gone, back into the busy throng of the restaurant area.

For a moment or two I felt quite shell-shocked. I had been so in love with Will all those years ago. An innocent, almost perfect love. No jobs, nor any ties, still living at home, pleasures were simple and abundant. No expectations or even thoughts of marriage as we were so young. To suddenly see him again out of the blue made my stomach swirl. I tried to pull myself together. He had a girlfriend, it was thirteen years ago and I was clutching at very bendy straws. I collected my thoughts and my ailing legs, then walked over to Brad and threw my arms around his back.

‘Brad Sampson, I love you. I’m going to miss you but you should always follow your dreams, so go for your life and enjoy.’

I then couldn’t resist telling everyone about Will. Liv, as usual, had the best response. ‘I really think you should remember how big his willy was before you try and seduce him.’

We all proceeded to get drunker and more debauched and finally got thrown out of the bar at midnight as we had all got on a table to sing a hearty rendition of ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow!’ H crammed us all into her car, as now, with child, she hadn’t been drinking. Liv gave a knowing wave and wink from the back of a taxi in front of us and proceeded to snog the young waiter’s face off.

‘Monogamy,’ she had once explained, ‘is Latin for “Get Real”!’