Thirty-Eight Days
Authors: Len Webster
Thirty-Eight Days
Copyright © 2014 Len Webster
Published by Len Webster
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Published: Len Webster 2014
Publishing assisted by Black Firefly: http://www.blackfirefly.com/
(Shedding light on your self-publishing journey)
Editing: Allyson @ Black Firefly
Proofreading: Crystal and Christine @ Black Firefly
Cover Design: Michelle Johnson from AlexandMe Designs
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Contents
My grandparents, Elsie and Denis Webster.
My belief in true love is because of you both. I believe, I will always believe. True love isn’t running away, it’s staying and fixing the little things. It’s about spending the rest of your life with that one person. Your forever. Thank you for making me believe that true love is always endless, like a Celtic knot.
Thirty-Eight Days
A Thirty-Eight Series Novel
Len Webster
Ask yourself, how many days does it take to fall in love?
Fifteen Years Ago
T
hey formed a circle around the water tap against the brick wall of the house. One by one they filled a box with different coloured water balloons. As Noel tied one of the balloons, he quickly turned to see his teenage brother laughing and shaking his head at them.
“Make sure Mum doesn’t catch you, Nolan!” George yelled out. His parents had named him after his grandfather who served in Vietnam. His family called him Nolan while others called him Noel, the name he'd rather be called. He was the only Nolan in a class filled with Jakes and Daniels.
“I won’t!” Noel shouted back as he turned his attention to his group of friends. He gave them all a stern stare. He didn’t want to get in trouble for ruining his parent’s party.
“We can hit those annoying girls across the road with the water balloons. If we get them enough they’ll leave us alone!” Alex said. Noel looked at his best friend and handed out the small water balloons.
“Alex, don’t lie! You like like Sarah!” Rob teased. For an eight-year-old, Rob towered over their group of friends. Ever since prep, they had all been in the same class. Except for Rob’s brother, Julian, who was a year younger. Alex gagged at Rob’s teasing before turning off the tap.
“Sarah’s pretty,” Max pointed out as he stared at the blue balloon in his hand. Noel watched as Max shrugged at the group.
Alex let out a laugh. “Yeah, pretty annoying!”
Max's face contorted at Alex’s comments. Noel nudged him with his shoulder and offered a reassuring smile.
“Can we not hit Valerie? She helped me home when I fell off my bike last week,” Noel said. He took a few balloons from Julian, whose small hands were unable to carry as much as the other boys could.
“Fine! We won’t hit her. Rob, go get the water guns and we’ll surprise them from the bushes of old man Peter’s garden.”
Rob nodded at Alex. Noel placed the water balloons in the pockets of his shorts. He adjusted his baseball cap as he quickly rolled up the sleeves of the long sleeved shirt his mother chose.
“We should go before we get caught!” Julian warned. Noel led them to the side gate of the fence. Alex reached up, unlatched the door, and held it open for their friends. Noel waited until everyone made it through the gate and towards the driveway.
“Nolan Parker!” his mother yelled. Noel let out a heavy sigh as he nodded at Alex to go ahead before closing the gate. He turned around to see his mother tapping her foot at him.
“Are you going to go hit those nice girls with water balloons?” she asked, eyeing the balloon peeking out of his pocket.
“No, Mum! I swear! I wasn’t,” he lied.
“Don’t you lie to me, Nolan!” The corner of his mother’s mouth twitched. Noel stuck his hands in his pockets and felt the water balloons. His eyes fell to the concrete path instead of his mother’s disapproving green eyes.
Footsteps tapped along the concrete, gaining his attention. Noel raised his head as his falther walked over to stand next to his mother. “Come on, Louise. He’s just being a kid,” his father defended.
“Marcus, I don’t want those poor girls’ parents at our doorstep,” his mother explained, the irritated tone in her voice clear. Noel looked at his father and silently pleaded for mercy.
“We weren’t going to hurt them, Mum. We were just gonna scare them, honest!” Noel crossed his arms over his chest as his head dipped down. He knew his mother hated it when he pouted. It was her form of weakness and he hoped it would get him off the hook.
“Your mother is right, Nolan. You could hurt those girls. How about you come and help me with the barbecue? Then you can go play with the other boys. What do you say?” his father asked. Noel watched as both his parents looked down at him. He let out an irritated huff as he pulled his hands out of his pockets.
“It’s not fair,” Noel mumbled before following his parents back to the party. He watched his parents hold hands, and the sight of it made him want to gag.
Noel walked over to the barbecue. He waited for his father to instruct him on his punishment for an act he hadn’t yet committed. His mother bent down to face him. He squinted at her before he crossed his arms. His mother’s green eyes mirrored his, but hers were shinier than Noel’s. She brought her hands to either side of Noel’s cheeks and pressed her lips to his forehead.
“Mum!” Noel whined as he pulled away. His mother laughed as he quickly wiped her red lipstick off his forehead.
“Mama loves you, Nolan. Help your father out before you go play with your friends. I’ll be with Gillian if you need me.” Noel nodded his head.
His mother walked over to Gillian, Alex’s mother, who stood near the drinks table. Gillian’s long, brown curls flew with the warm wind. She didn’t look very happy, but when her eyes met his, she smiled.
He took off his baseball cap and placed it on a clear spot on the table near the barbecue. Noel took the large, silver tray and held it out for his father. One by one, cooked sausages were placed on it. Minutes later, hamburgers and steaks followed.
Noel’s arms started to tire as he held on to the heavy tray of barbecued meat. His father looked down at him before taking the platter from Noel and placing it on the table. “Thanks, champ! Just between us, you go and chuck some water balloons at them girls. But don’t make any of them cry, Nolan. Your mother won’t be happy. Got it?” His father winked at him as he turned over the skewers.