Wags To Riches (31 page)

  
I’m quite excited about the party now – I need to sort out my outfit and then I’ll feel even more excited about it.  And Adam’s meeting my mum and dad tomorrow afternoon.  I hope it goes alright.  My mum and dad are not posh like his.  Mine both smoke like chimneys, live in a little terraced house and shop at
Supersavers
.  Can’t see Lisa shopping in there somehow.  She’s a Waitrose person I bet.  You can tell. 

“Will I do do you think?” Adam says coming out of the dressing room the following afternoon.  “Do you think I look smart enough to meet your mum and dad?”  He’s wearing a white shirt with a biscuity coloured tie and an olive green jumper over the top, with pale coloured trousers and brown shoes.

   “You look lovely!” I say admiringly as I look him up and down, “You look really smart!”

   “Thanks Gail, I want to make a good impression” he replies.  “You look nice too”.

   “Thank you” I say.  I have decided to wear my black dress with tiny white flowers printed all over it and my black shoes that I wore for the dinner the night before Gina’s wedding.  I apply a bit of
Yummy Scrummy Lip Honey
and slip my Prada jacket on.

   “Ready?” Adam asks.

   “Ready” I say and we go out to the car.  As we set off, I wonder what Adam will make of my parents.  “My mum and dad” I begin, “They are very different to yours you know”.

   “How do you mean?” Adam asks.

I don’t know quite what to say.  “Well – they’re just normal – they’re not posh like your mum and dad” I say finally, almost apologetically as I twist a button on my coat round and round. 

Adam glances over at me.  “Gail – my parents aren’t that posh really” he says.  “I’m sure your mum and dad are lovely people and I bet we will get on fine don’t worry” he says smiling as he turns the car into the street where my parents live - a long, narrow street of terraced houses.  I smile back and try not to pull the button off my coat.
  “Which one is it Gailey?” Adam asks.

   “Number 16 – that one with the dark green door,” I reply, pointing down the street and Adam pulls up outside.  As he does so, a kid with a skinhead haircut cycles past on a battered old BMX bike and his mouth drops open as he looks at Adam’s car.  When he sees Adam, his eyes nearly fall out of his head and he almost tumbles off his bike.

   “Oi!  I know you mister!” he shouts at Adam as he opens the door for me.  “And I think your team is shit!”

I put my hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh.  “Cheeky little
sod!” Adam mutters.

   “Your car’s nice though!” the kid carries on.

   “Thanks – Now bugger off to school!” Adam calls after him as the kid cycles off and does a wheelie down the middle of the road.

   “Adam,
I
don’t think your team’s shit,” I say grinning as we go up the two steps to the door.

   “Thanks Gail” Adam replies dryly as I go to knock on the door.  I don’t get chance however, as my mum opens it straight away.

   “Hello!” she says beaming.

   “Hello!” we reply as my dad comes to the door as well.

   “Come in” my mum says and we go into the hall.

   “Mum - this is Adam.  Adam – this is my mum” I say.

   “Nice to meet you Mrs Auden – you could be Gail’s sister!”  Behind my mum’s back, I mouth the word ‘creep’ at Adam who grins back.

   “Oh, call me Eileen please” my mum says, “Gosh you are taller than I thought – you always seemed – well - littler on the television!”

   “Mum, the people on the telly aren’t actual size you know,” I say, rolling my eyes.

   “Yes I know that Gail” she says, “but Adam knows what I mean don’t you love?” and Adam nods.

   ‘This is my dad” I say and Adam shakes my dad’s hand.

   “Call me Ian” my dad says.

   “That’s nice Gail – is it new?” my mum says, gesturing at my dress.

   “Yes, Adam bought it for me” I reply smiling.

   “Well, let’s not stand in the hall all day,” my dad says and ushers everyone through into the living room.

   “Do you want tea or coffee?” my mum asks.

   “Tea please Mum,” I say, sitting down on the sofa.

   “Yep – tea’s good for me too - milk, no sugar please” Adam says as he sits down on the sofa next to me.  I look round at the living room with its patterned carpet, the mantelpiece packed with framed family photographs and the wall unit stuffed full of books and knick knacks.  It looks just the same as when I lived here.

   “Have you lived here a long while?” Adam asks my dad.

   “Well – since our Gail was three” he replies “Here” and he walks over to the mantelpiece to pick up one of the photograph frames.  “This is a photo of her when she was little”.  He passes the photograph to Adam, who grins at the picture of me sat on top of the slide in the local park.

   “Aw!  Aren’t you cute!” Adam says, smiling at me.

   “Shut up!” I mumble as my mum comes in carrying a tray with four cups of tea on.  Why do your parents have to embarrass you?  God.

   “There you are Adam” my mum says, passing him a cup of tea.  “I must say it’s nice to meet you at last – Gail’s told us all about you”.

   “All good I hope” Adam says, glancing at me.

   “Oh, of course” Gail’s mum says smiling, “I must say - I’ve never met a footballer before.  Our Sandra met that one who opened the new wing on the hospital – what was his name Ian?”

   “Ray Derby”.

   “Oh yeah” Adam says, “I’ve met him at a charity auction once”.

   “Did you?  Fancy that!” my mum says.

   “Yeah - he bought a diamond bracelet for his wife – paid about ten grand for it I think.  All the proceeds from the auction went to the Teenage Cancer Trust”.

   “Fancy paying that much for a bracelet!” my mum says and Adam smiles widely at me.  I look at the one on my wrist and hastily gulp some tea.  Good lord – I hope mine didn’t cost that much.  I’ll go and bloody lose it now.   “And how did your driving lesson go yesterday Gail?” she asks as she sips her tea.

   “It was all right thanks Mum” I reply.  “I was really nervous but I was ok”.

   “You’ll be fine – you’ll pass in no time” she says smiling.

   “Course you will Gail” my dad says.  “Speaking of driving, that’s a nice car you’ve got there,” he remarks, looking at Adam’s car through the window.  “Bentley Continental isn’t it?”

   “That’s right” Adam replies.

   “I bet that doesn’t do that many to the gallon” my dad says smiling at him.

   “No - not that many no” Adam says.

   “Would you like a cupcake Adam?  I made some today ‘specially,” my mum says as she goes into the kitchen and returns with a cake tin and some small tea plates.

   “Oooh lovely,” Adam says and to my surprise, takes one of the cakes out of the tin.

   “I thought you didn’t eat cake?” I hiss quietly at him.

   “Well, this is a special occasion,” Adam says, his eyes twinkling.  “Mmmm, this is delicious Eileen” he says between mouthfuls of
cupcake and I make fake vomiting signs at him behind my hand out of sight of my parents. 
What
a crawler!

   “You are such a creep!” I mouth at Adam as I reach for a
cupcake myself.  “Anyway - tell us about your holiday Mum” I say.  “Did you have a good time?”

   “Oh it was lovely wasn’t it Ian?” my mum says and dad nods and smiles.  “Would you like to see the photos?”

   “Oooh yes” I say.  Anything to stop them getting out any more photos out of me when I was little.  

“Well, I think that went really well,” Adam says later as we drive back home.

   “Yeah it did – you bloody creep!” I say laughing.

   “How do you mean?” Adam says in a tone of mock outrage, but he’s smiling and he knows what I’m talking about.

   “You!  Saying to my Mum that me and her could be sisters and fawning over the
cupcakes she’d made!  Honestly Adam, I nearly threw up - it was that bad!” I say shaking my head.

   “Well it’s true!” Adam protests.  “And the
cupcakes were lovely.  Your mum and dad are really nice people too Gail – I’m glad I’ve finally met them”.

   “Yes I am too,” I say, “It’s only taken so long as they will keep going away on holiday!  It’s most inconsiderate when you are trying to introduce your boyfriend to them!” and Adam laughs. 

  
“Speaking of holidays, what do you say to going to Spain for a few days?” he asks.

   “I’d say that would be fantastic!” I say delighted.  “When?”

   “Well – it wouldn’t be until September – when there’s a break in the schedules” Adam says.

   “That would be lovely – it would be something really nice to look forward to” I say and glance over at him.  “What’s made you suggest that anyway?”

   “It was all this talking about holidays and I thought me and you ought to have a holiday somewhere.  I’ll ask Mick if we can borrow his villa.  He and Sally have got one in the Costa Brava area”.

   “That would be great!” I say.  “I’ve never been to Spain”.

“And like you say, it will be nice to have that to look forward to” Adam says.  “I know I’m looking forward to seeing you again in that bikini you wore in the hot tub!” he adds, winking at me and I playfully smack his arm.

   “Tell you what,” I say, “I’ll wear that bikini if you promise to wear those black swimming shorts again”.

   “Done” Adam says and we grin at each other.  I’m looking forward to this holiday already.

I put some water in the kettle and switch it on as I look at the garden through the window.  I can’t
believe
it is a gorgeous, sunny Tuesday afternoon in the middle of July and instead of being sat outside in the garden enjoying the sunshine, I’m stuck in the kitchen revising for my driving theory test which is on Thursday afternoon.  And I haven’t rung Alex since I invited her to the party.  I’ll phone her when I’ve done some revision.

   My phone beeps to say I’ve got a text message.  I pick up the phone and can see the message is from Adam.  I open it and read:

Who has priority at unmarked crossroads?  Is it larger or faster or smaller vehicle or no one?

Hmmm.  I don’t think anyone has and text Adam back accordingly.  A few minutes later he replies.

Yes!  Fantastic!  One more then I must get back to training! 

A moment later he sends me another text:

On a motorway what colour are reflective studs on left?  Green, red, white or

amber?

Oh God I’ve no idea.  I’ll have a guess and say green.

Adam replies:

Unlucky! They’re red.  Get back to it and I’ll see you tonight!  Adam X

I put my phone down on the kitchen worktop with a sigh.  Damn - I was going to say red as well.  Looks like I’d better go over the ‘motorway rules’ chapter again.  It’s the second time today that Adam has texted me.  He’s bought another copy of the theory test book and keeps texting me questions when he’s on a break from pre-season training at the club.  He is so sweet - he really thinks I can do this.  I wish I had the same amount of confidence in me that he has. 

   I take a teaspoon out of the drawer and make my tea, thinking about the driving lesson I’d had yesterday.  It didn’t go that well.  It had felt hotter than Kuwait in that car and I just couldn’t do the stupid reverse park at all.  I was getting so frustrated and hot and annoyed and Sam was getting so on my nerves with sarcastic little comments that I very nearly got out of the car and stomped off.  But I didn’t - instead I thought about how being able to drive that Audi R8 on my
own with The Kings of Leon blasting out on the stereo would be the best thing ever and I coupled that with the pleasant thought that once I had passed I would never have to see bloody Sam again.  And on the fourth attempt I finally managed to do it and without punching Sam as well which was even better.

   I sit down and look at my theory test book.  Right – better get to it and turn to the chapter on ‘Motorway Rules’.  Once I’ve done this and looked at the hazard perception CD-Rom again, I’m going to go for a nice long swim.  I think I’ll deserve it after wading through this lot I think as I start reading through the questions again.

*****

On Thursday afternoon Adam drives me into town for my test.  “Whereabouts is it you’ve got to go Gail?” he asks.

   “Octagon Buildings” I say, consulting the theory test confirmation letter again.  “According to this, it’s just at the edge of
Supersavers
car park.”

   “Right” Adam says and he turns left into the road that goes down to
Supersavers
.  “That must be it Gail - that place there” and he points towards a building on the other side of the car park.  He pulls into a space a few feet away from it and as he switches the engine off, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and reach into my bag for my bottle of Rescue Remedy.  Adam watches me put a few drops of the liquid on my tongue and smiles at me.  “You’ll be fine you know Gail” he says, squeezing my hand, “You’ve done loads of revision”.