Ch18. All Right Now.

Eddie was happy but not for long.

Chapter 18

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Thursday night, I pulled up outside The Jug House Bar and as I started to reverse up to the prams sheds in the flats opposite, I saw Anne and her friends walking out from the bar. It was usual when the bar was crowded to cross the road to the much larger Carpenters Arms. Anne recognised the car and spoke to her friends before leaving them and she walked over to the car, just as I was getting out. "Are you out on your own then?" She said.

         "I'm meeting a couple of the lads later on, but Dave said that he's not out tonight. I thought it was because he was meeting up with you."

         "No, I'm with some girls, they've just gone over The Carpenters. I don't think Dave's ready to go out drinking with you again just yet. If I didn't know better I'd say he was a bit scared you might have too much to drink and have a go at him."

         "That's silly," I deliberately paused before continuing, "I wouldn't need any drink."

         "You should stop being nasty to him, it wasn't his fault, was it? Anyway, if you're not meeting the lads just yet, I'd like to buy you a drink in The Jug House before I go and meet up with the girls. A sort of thank you for running me to the hospital the other night."

         "Anyone would have done it. Anyone would have taken you to the hospital."

         "Maybe, but you cared. I could tell you really cared about me. I felt special again."

         "Surely Dave makes you feel special sometimes?"

         "Dave only makes himself feel special. What do you say, can I buy you that drink?"

         I was pleased that the accident in the Hunter seemed to be working to my advantage. I had come out as the hero and Dave was the uncaring reckless idiot. "Okay, that'll be great, you've never bought me a drink in all the time we've been together."

         "Were together," she said with a grin. "Come on then." They went into the bar and stood chatting for a while about the incident with the Mercedes, but I thought it was time to move on to a more intimate topic. "Do you remember when we were going out together and we wanted to spend some time on our own, we used to go to The Ferry Inn over in Millwall?"

         "Yes," she said and stood grinning, waiting for my probable suggestion.

         "Well, shall we call up there? I don't want you getting the wrong idea. I'm not trying to get your knickers off or anything, and I won't forget that you're going out with Dave. I know that I was an idiot and I blew my chances with you over that stupid mistake at Joy's party, but I think we could both do with each other's company for a while, don't you? To have a chat and that and to clear the air. Anyway, it's a bit quieter up there. No loud music, so we won't have to shout at each other to be heard."

         "All right. If we stay here someone will only tell Dave and we're not really doing anything wrong, are we?" She hesitated before continuing. "Can you just hang on while I go to the loo?"

         I was happy she had agreed to go to The Ferry Inn. I felt she would not have gone if she'd been serious about Dave. I stood impatiently waiting for Anne's return. I was not sure how things would go. Had she just had a row with Dave or was she thinking of chucking him and could this be the move we both wanted to get us back together again? I looked at her walking over to me through the crowd. She was wearing a long coat down to her ankles, but it didn't seem to matter how she was dressed, I seemed to get the same thrill from seeing her as if she were naked. I had missed her; I had missed her terribly.

         We went out to the car and when Anne got inside she clearly showed she was impressed by the luxurious interior as well as by the roominess. "Wow, it's really super-smart in here," she said, looking about like a child in a toy store.

         "Top of the range," I said.

         "How long have you had it?"

         "I got it on Monday." I selected the gear and went to pull away, but I went backwards and slammed the brakes on.

         Anne looked behind. "Bloody hell, what are you doing?"

         "Poxy gears."

         "You should have got one of those automatic cars. You've always had trouble with gears."

         "This is an automatic, but the numbers are missing." At my second attempt, I managed to pull away in the right direction and we set off for Millwall.

         However, when we got to Millwall I carried on past The Ferry Inn to where the construction site hoardings were on both sides of the road and I stopped in a shaded area under some horse chestnut trees. I looked at her. "What?" I said.

         She grinned. "Nothing, only the pub's back there. We used to pull down here after we'd had a drink, not before."

         "There's been a lot of cops floating round here. I don't want to park by the pub in case they see us coming out later. Don't want to get breathalysed do I? Shall we go then?" I said, but I made no move to get out of the car.

         "It's a lovely evening, let's just relax here for a while and listen to some music on your radio and maybe we'd be more comfortable if we sat in the back?"

         "I don't think we should be doing this," I said unconvincingly.

         "Doing what, Eddie? You're not suggesting that…"

         "No, of course not, but Dave's a mate. Well, he used to be anyway."

         Anne gave a laugh. "Don't go all moralistic on me now. Remember this was your idea. Come on, Eddie, let's get in the back."

         "The seats recline if you want to relax."

         "I do want to relax, but in the back."

         I turned the radio down a little and we transferred to the back seat. All the pretending was over and we were in a loving embrace in seconds. Anne took the lead, but I was accustomed to that from our previous times together and I always enjoyed the wild lust that possessed her mind and body.

         She took hold of my hand and moved it between her legs while her other hand was undoing my jeans.

         I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered she had removed her knickers and tights. I remembered her going to the ladies before we left The Jug House and I also remembered her once saying she felt undignified hastily struggling to remove her tights and pants. It seemed to thrill both of us when I discovered what she had done, showing that our lovemaking was not a spontaneous thing, but had been planned by the both of us. The steamy windows blurred the vision of anyone who should happen to pass, but the activity was obvious. We were in no rush and caressed and excited each other for a while before slowly making love. Anne began gasping in pleasure, slowly at first, but it soon appeared as if she were out of control, calling out, yelling almost. I stopped and cupped her face in my hands.

         "Shhhh," I whispered. I looked at her sweat-covered face, her hair starting to matt together with the moisture. At the same time, I could feel my own sweat running behind my ears and down my cheeks. "Calm down a bit, Anne. If anyone goes past they might think you're being murdered. We still have time for a last drink in the Ferry Inn if you want," I said."

         "You're joking. We probably look a right mess. Everyone will look at us and know we've been at it. Will you take me home?"

         "Of course I will. Dave will be gutted when he finds out that we're back together again."

         "No, Eddie. I'm still going out with Dave."

         "What! What are you talking about? What the hell was all this about then? You've never been one for casual… I've known you for years even before we started going out. You've never been one for that sort of thing. I thought you wanted to go out with me again. I thought you'd forgiven me."

         "I have forgiven you, Eddie, of course I have and I wish I hadn't been so hasty at the time."

         "Well, what's going on then? Look if you're scared to tell Dave then I'll do it."

         "There's nothing I'd love better than to get back with you, but there's complications, Eddie. I'm eight days late. I think Dave's made me pregnant."

         "Eight days, eight days is nothing. You might come on tomorrow."

         "No, I'm never late, never. I can time it to the day."

         "You're being ridiculous and even if you are pregnant, how do you know it's Dave's? It might be mine, it might be our baby."

         "It's not."

         "How can you be sure? Anyway, I thought you were on the pill."

         "I ran out. I've been so stupid, Eddie. I didn't bother getting any more after we split up. What with the rumour an' all about side effects; I thought it would be all right as long as I started taking them again when I was ready, but I got caught when I was with Dave."

         "So, bringing me here tonight is just some kind of punishment for what I did at the party? Using me like this, and I thought I had a chance with you again."

         "I didn't bring you here, you brought me here."

         "I felt so happy, Anne. I felt so bloody happy and contented when we were making love and now you're just tossing me away again like an old worn-out pair of tights. Don't you care about my feelings? Don't you care about me at all?"

         "Of course I care about you. That's why I'm here. You say you were happy and content when we were making love. Well, so was I. I escaped for a while and it was like we were in heaven together like it's always been with us. You may think I'm just being bloody selfish and maybe I am, but I needed the love from you for one last time before I went and got married."

         "Married, to Dave, great! I'll tell you what, why don't we just get out of the car and you can kick me in the bollocks as well?"

         "Do you think I'm not upset by all of this? We were made for each other, Eddie, all right so I used to moan at you a bit sometimes, but our private moments together were always out of this world and you know that as well as I do. We were perfect, I was stupid, Eddie, and I went and messed everything up." Anne suddenly burst into tears.

         I put my arm around her. "Please don't cry. It's all my fault, not yours. I messed everything up at Joy's party. I'm the one who was stupid."

         "Please don't hate me for tonight. I just wanted to be with you, to be in your arms for the last time."

         "Why? Why should it be the last time? You can say it's mine. I can live with that, Anne. I'll bring the baby up as mine, whether it is or not."

         "That's not fair on anybody is it? I've thought about it, I really have. I thought of deceiving you, but I couldn't do that."

         "But you wouldn't be deceiving me, because I know about it and I'm prepared to accept my part of the blame for it. We can do it, Anne."

         "It's not just us, it's not fair on Dave. It's his child."

         "It could be mine, we can say it's mine."

         "It's not, I've told you. I was on the pill when I was with you."

         "Women have been on the pill and fell pregnant."

         "Don't talk rubbish, Eddie, what do you know? I'm not lying to the baby. I'm not gonna watch him growing up knowing I've lied to him all his life. I can't do that. I'm meeting Dave on Saturday and I have to tell him. I have to."

         "And what if he says he doesn't want to know, which he may well do?"

         "Then I'll just have to have the baby on my own."

         "Oh, no you won't. Maybe you will get married to Dave and I wish you all the best if that's what you really want to do, but if it doesn't work out for any reason, then promise me, please promise me you'll come and see me. I love you, Anne, and I will always be there for you."

         Anne noticed my watery eyes. She threw her arms around me and we both held the moment for a while holding onto each other tightly. A tune began playing on the radio, 'a blast from the past' as the disc jockey said, and a nostalgic tune to the both of us.

         "Dusty Springfield," Anne said. "Do you remember was the first record we ever danced to at The Lincoln Hall youth club?"

         "Cor, that was some time ago, wasn't it? I remember I felt a bit of a prat dancing in front of all my mates."

         "I can still see you in your Wranglers, Hush Puppies, tab collar shirt, and that bluey green mohair jacket. I fancied you like mad then."

         "So did half the school."

         "Big-headed sod." Anne opened the door and got out of the car. "Come on, have a dance with me."

         "What here, in the middle of the bloody road?"

         "Come on, Eddie."

         "We'll look a right pair of idiots."

         "So, what's changed? Please, Eddie, before it's too late."

         "You're a crazy girl, Anne." I laughed, but turned up the volume on the radio and then got out of the car and walked across to her. We put a hand round the base of each other's backs, the other hands, with fingers entwined, held out and up like old-time dancers as we stepped and swayed to the song.

         "It happens to be true," Anne sang along with the words in the song, "I only want to be with you."

         The beaming smile, while she looked at me and sang, was a delight to me. The feel of her body and touch of her hand was such a joy that I felt as if he were in heaven, even more so than from our earlier lovemaking. A car passed and pipped the horn at us, but we were oblivious to it.

         The record came to an end and we fell into each other's arms, kissing each other more emotionally than passionately as if slowly making love with our lips.

         Another car passed and the driver gave a blast on the hooter. We parted, laughed, and gave a wave to the strangers. We noticed two couples standing outside The Ferry Inn looking over with great interest.

         "Fancy a drink then?" I said. "We don't have to go in The Ferry Inn, we can call for a quiet drink in The Londoner if you want and I can buy you a steak or something."

         "No, can you just take me home, Eddie? I need to have tonight's memories just as they are. Whenever I'm down, whenever I need cheering up I can think of tonight."

         "But if you marry another man then thinking of tonight might just have the opposite effect."

         "Take me home, Eddie, and at least let's not put a dampener on my memories before they begin."

         "One minute I'm up, then it all crashes down again. This is really getting to me, Anne."

         "Yeah, it's all so depressing, ain't it, Eddie?"

Ch 19. All Right Now.   (18+) Anne becomes a squatter. #1992574 by Bruce.