The Geary Series Boxed Set (50 page)

“And do you?” She asked, hoping and praying he would say yes.

He shrugged and squeezed her hand. His answer halted the conversation and she was desperate to know the answer. Gale squeezed his hand back and turned her bowed head. After a few moments, she raised her eyes to see his face and work out his answer. Before she reached his blue eyes, Michael leaned his head down and kissed her lips. It took her by surprise, she’d hoped but never thought this would happen. His lips were soft and gentle and left her mouth too soon.

“You weren’t expecting that, were you?” He asked, looking straight at her.

“No, I wasn’t. You’re leaving and I didn’t think that anything would happen between us.” Gale said.

He kissed her again, a chaste brush of his lips over hers. She was ready this time and kissed his lips in return. He forced Gale to lie back on the ground, pressing his lips against hers. She relented and fell back on the ground, she kept her eyes closed, waiting for the next stage.

Moving to half lie on Gale, Michael kissed her again, with more passion, Gale’s heart beat faster. She opened her mouth to let his impatient tongue enter. Heat spread over her body, she had wanted him to kiss her for so long. The heady desire that poured out of her took hold. She grabbed at the back of Michael’s head and kissed him for all her worth. She assumed this would be her only chance to win his heart. To make him forget Ruth ever existed.

Michael’s hand found the hem of her skirt and he smoothed his hand up her leg. She wasn’t sure what he was doing and where his hand would end up. She raised her left leg and wrapped it around his hip to thwart his attempts. This didn’t deter Michael, his hand grabbed at her breast, he pulled the edge of her elasticated top down to expose her bra covered breast.

Gale broke the kiss, breathing heavily.

“Slow down Michael, we’re in a field, why don’t we wait until later on and we can sneak up to my bedroom?” Gale said between long drawn in breaths.

He pecked her nose and rolled onto his back. He sat up and then stood and held out his hand to her. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her up. Keeping hold of her hand he pulled her along the few seconds walk to the turnstile and jumped over. Gale was disappointed that he had decided to move back to the party followed and when she jumped down she realised that her top exposed her bra. Pulling at her top, she rearranged her clothing. Once she was happy, she carried on up the back garden where her friends were staring and smirking. Someone slow clapped, which had a ripple effect on the assembled group until a round of applause broke out. The boys slapped Michael on the back to congratulate him and the girls giggled and whispered.

She wanted her sister and she couldn’t see her anywhere in the group. The assumptions being suggested concerned her, they had only kissed after all.

“And what have you been up to?” Jane said behind her, she swayed gently in the breeze. Her breath reeked of beer. She picked grass out of Gale’s hair and exaggerated the disposal onto the floor.

“I went for a walk with Michael,” Gale answered.

“I think we all know you did a lot more than walk Gale, he’s been bragging over there for the last few minutes.

Gale’s head snapped round to where Michael stood with his friends, he was poking the coals with a stick and fanned them with a newspaper. Dylan stood to his side passing the sausages over to Michael and then the chicken drumsticks. She couldn’t see any chatter among the lads at the BBQ, the others were swigging from their beer bottles.

“Are you sure Jane, he doesn’t look like he is talking to anyone,” Gale asked.

Jane shrugged and walked away, unsteady in her wedged shoes on the uneven grass covered ground. Gale didn’t want to be at her own party anymore, in fact, she could quite happily disappear up to her room and read.

“Are you ok? Do you need a drink?” Dylan asked, he carried two bottles of beer and handed her one of them. She shook her head and watched as he took a swig of his beer and placed the other bottle on a table. She needed a distraction to rid her embarrassment, but alcohol wasn’t the way she wanted to go.

Fiddling with the end of the drawstring to her top, she contemplated her next move. Michael had humiliated her, her sister, in her drunken state rubbed salt in the wound. Gale wanted to leave the party, but she couldn’t. Resigned to a miserable night, watching Michael flirt with another girl, she picked up the bottle of beer and took a long drag of the alcohol. The bubbles caught in her throat and caused her to choke. She spluttered and spat out half the contents of her mouthful and swallowed the rest. Reaching behind her she held onto the table while she caught her breath. Once she had regained her composure, she took a small sip and blinked away the tears that stung her eyes. The table had a fixed bench, she stood on the seat of the bench and sat on the table top. Dylan sat next to her and they drank in silence.

“Do you want another beer?” Dylan asked once she had drained the bottle dry.

“Sure, why not, may as well make the most of the evening,” Gale said, the alcohol already going straight to head.

Dylan frowned, jumped off the table and then wandered up the garden to the metal animal trough they had converted into an ice bath. The beer bottles bobbed around in the cold water, the ice had melted hours ago. The early evening had started to settle in, the sun setting had disappeared behind the hill and an orange glow lightened the sky.

Chasing a bottle around in the water, he managed to grab the neck without getting too much of his arm wet. He had a long sleeved shirt on and didn’t think to roll up the material before he went fishing.

“Dude, just stick your hand in the water, it’s not that cold,” Michael said as he pulled out two bottles.

Dylan nudged Michael’s elbow and he dropped them back into the water. Dylan sniggered and walked away with his two beers and left him to it.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Michael said pulling on his arm to stop him walking any further away. Dylan stopped but didn’t turn around.

Michael circled around him and faced his best friend.

“Speak to me, what’s going on?” Michael repeated.

“Why did you let those other guys know you slept with Gale, she’s really hurt,” Dylan said.

“I never said a word, they didn’t ask where I was, what the hell are you talking about?” Michael asked.

“Jane said that you had slept with Gale and was now bragging.”

“I would never tell anyone, that’s private stuff, don’t be ridiculous.”

“So you did then?” Dylan asked.

“I’m not talking about it, what happened stays with Gale and me,” Michael said, he tapped his bottle of beer against Dylan’s and walked away.

Dylan clenched the beers in his hands and stalked back to where Gale sat. Her head bowed, with her hands in her lap.

“Here,” he said, nudging her knee with the cold glass. “I’ll be back in a second”. He said and put his bottle next to her on the table. She watched him walk away and picked at the label on the bottle. The water had softened the glue that held the paper onto the glass. Peeling strips off the bottle she dropped the scraps on the floor.

“They say peeling off a sticker from a bottle is a sign of sexual frustration,” Jane said and jumped up onto the table and leaned into Gale’s side. “How was Michael, did you two have fun, he seems happy.”

“I didn’t have sex with him, Jane, stop going on about it.” She said and finished her drink and dropped it to the floor. She took Dylan’s drink and started to sip.

“Gale, it’s ok, having sex is nothing to be ashamed about,” Jane said, “I’ve done it loads of times.”

“For crying out loud Jane, I didn’t have sex, he didn’t want to, he’s interested in someone else. I’m over him. So, shut up about it.” Gale said.

“Ok,” Jane said and raised her hands in defence, “I was teasing you. I’ll see you later on.”

Jane left Gale alone once more and she continued to sip on her beer.

Jane sat at the edge of the single bed in her bedroom, her hands gripped the crocheted blanket that covered her bed. The material bunched up in her hands as she swayed forwards and backwards. Her eyes closed to the light pouring through the windows and the sounds of the house. Gale clattered around in the kitchen below her, she could hear her singing to a song on the radio. The happy tune blasting out of the small speakers saddened her. Her life had ended as she knew it. A new life stretched before her. Jane smoothed her flat stomach with her hand, tears dripped from her eyes and dropped onto her mini skirt. Disgusted with her choice of clothing, she stood and stripped off her outfit and threw it in the corner. Taking her denim dungarees roughly off the hanger in her overstuffed wardrobe she rammed her legs into the trousers and hooked the arms over her shoulders.

Slamming the wardrobe door closed, the mirror reflected her pose. Her naked shoulders slumped, dark circles sat under her eyes and her blotchy red face stared back at her. The backless dungarees displayed her cream camisole top. Opening a drawer to her right she fished out a polo neck jumper and pulled it over her head. Brushing her hair into a ponytail she then clipped her fringe back away from her forehead. Not bothering with any makeup, she straightened the hem of the jumper and left the protection of her bedroom. Step by step, Jane slowly descended the staircase holding firm to the banister. There were fifteen steps until she would reach the ground floor and her sister.

She stood on step number fourteen and stopped, ankles and knees together and her eyes closed once more. The words that she needed to use escaped her mind. Her thoughts were of panic and heartbreak. The news she would tell her sister in the next few minutes would destroy any friendship and sisterhood they had.

Stepping down one last time she held the rounded wooden ball that sat at the bottom of the banister and caressed its smooth contours. Her parents hated it when she hung her coat off the globe. She did it to annoy them, it was her only rebellious act. Until now.

Holding onto the ball she swung around and faced the long corridor to the kitchen. Photos of her and Gale collecting awards lined the walls under the staircase to the right. The bare wall to the left separated the hallway from her parent’s living room. She trailed her hand along the wall, feeling the indentations of the brown and orange flowery wallpaper as she walked. Another pause before she stood in the open door of the kitchen and she turned left.

Gale’s voice hit the high note at the end of the song, her head thrown back and the wooden spoon used as a microphone held high in the air. Jane wished that she had her sister’s voice, she had no discernable talent to speak about. She did well at school, but that was about it.

“You have a lovely voice Gale, I’m quite envious,” Jane said and leaned against the counter.

She inspected her nails with great interest, pushing back her cuticles while she formed the words she needs to say out loud.

“Out with it Jane, what’s on your mind?” Gale asked as she finished washing up the final glass.

Jane and Gale had been grounded for life after their parents had found out about the party. They had removed all evidence from the party. Nothing remained, a police detective would never have guessed that there was a party on that Friday night. Michael’s phone call had tipped off her parents, just a few words and then the interrogation began. All he had said was that he had liked her dad’s collection of Abba vinyl records. What Michael hadn’t known was that no one was allowed in the front living room.  They had their own living room for a reason. Then came the constant questions, it took three series of questions for Michael to cave in and reveal that there was a party. Their dad had lost his temper, he refused to speak to either of them until he had calmed down. Their mother had shaken her head and called them a pair of harlots for letting boys in the house. The two of them were given the house to clean daily and were not allowed to leave the house until school started up again. This had happened two months ago. Neither of them had been able to say goodbye to Michael.

“I have something to tell you.” Jane began, “I don’t know how to tell you without causing any pain so I’m going to blurt it out and then we can see what we should do next.” Jane said.

Gale wiped her hands on the red and white chequered tea towel and threw it over her shoulder and folded her arms under her small breasts.

“Just say it, it can’t be any worse than the silent treatment our parents have dished out,” Gale said.

“I’m pregnant,” Jane said. Her head bowed as she uttered the words quietly.

Gale rushed towards Jane to hug her, she wrapped her in a tight hold until her sister’s shaking stopped. Stroking her hair at the top of the ponytail to the ends and she whispered into Jane’s ear that everything would be okay. Repeating the words until Jane broke free of her hold.

Taking one step back, Jane cleared her throat, swallowing tears she had yet to shed.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, mum and dad are going to disown me, my education is over and my reputation will be in tatters,” Jane explained.

“Don’t be silly, mum and dad are strict but they would never kick you out. It will be their first grandchild. I’m sure the father of the baby will propose as soon as you tell him.” Gale reasoned.

“The father is long gone Gale, and I’m not keeping the baby.” She said.

“What do you mean about the father? Who did you sleep with that has now left?” Gale asked.

“Oh Gale, are you going to make me say it?” Jane begged.

“Say what Jane,” Gale asked, her voice turning cold, her heart had worked it out before her brain had accepted the information. “Who is the father of your baby?” Gale demanded.

Jane stood still, the flow of tears cascading down her cheeks, she couldn’t utter the words.

“Say it,” Gale yelled. “Say his name.” She gritted out.

“Michael, he is the father. I slept with Michael at the party.”

The slap Gale gave Jane across her cheek echoed across the small kitchen. Jane’s tears abruptly stopped their flow and her voice had ceased to work.

“You whore,” Gale said and pushed passed her sister and ran up the stairs to her room. The slam of her bedroom door rumbled through the house and Jane collapsed to the floor. Kneeling on the ground she hugged her knees and rocked back and forth, hysterically crying.