Despite knowing that she really ought to, Ellie simply couldn’t face visiting her mother or Aunt Hazel after work that night. She texted her mum with vague excuses of feeling unwell and headed home. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in front of the TV and watch something utterly mind-numbing. It was all down to stress, of course, and she was letting small things get to her far more than they ought to. What did it matter to her that Ben Kelly waited on a street corner, day after day?
Patrick was right – it was nothing to do with her other than professional interest. Looking at it logically, the longer Ben stayed there the better the story was. And that story was playing out slap bang in the middle of Millrise. When the nationals got hold of it, as they inevitably would, things would go nuts for the person who’d got the scoop. If Ellie could pull herself together, then she could continue following up instead of asking Ange. Ellie tried to focus on this as she stabbed a fork at the plastic cover of a microwaveable cottage pie, but found the idea no solace at all. Instead, she couldn’t stop thinking about that glimpse into Ben’s soul she had accidentally been granted the last time she’d seen him, the wounded look that had revealed the real Benvolio Kelly – a twelve-year-old boy still grieving for precious days of happiness lost. What was the point in pretending otherwise; she was hopelessly involved. The fact that she’d deliberately gone and met his girlfriend and found a friendly girl she rather liked had made things much, much worse… It had been far easier when Gemma had been an ice-maiden she could dislike from afar.
As the microwave hummed and worked its magic, Ellie wandered into her living room to retrieve her phone. The screen showed the same two messages she hadn’t even had the energy to open when she’d first got home from work. One was from Patrick, asking her if she was feeling better, and the other was from Jethro:
COME TO LONDON! WE NEED TO BE DRUNK TOGETHER! YES I AM WRITING IN CAPS AND YES IT MEANS I’M SHOUTING. DON’T MAKE ME COME UP THERE AND GET YOU!!!!
Ellie couldn’t help but smile. Maybe a weekend away was exactly what she needed.
When?
The answer came through straight away – Ellie wasn’t surprised. Jethro was more attached to his phone than she was and rarely took long to reply to a message.
Kas is free this weekend so how about Saturday?
Saturday? Two days away. It was a bit close. But then, Ellie mused, it wasn’t like she had anything else to do… apart from worry about her mum and dad and Hazel and an idiot she hardly knew camping on a street corner. Perhaps the only thing better than a bit of hedonism for making you forget your woes was a bit of totally spontaneous hedonism.
Ok, you asked for it! See you Saturday. x
‘London will be a lovely break,’ Hazel said the following evening as Ellie and her mum sat with her. ‘I haven’t been for years.’
‘Me neither,’ Miranda said, her attempt at cheeriness painfully transparent. All three continued with the charade as if by denying that there was a dying woman in the room they could somehow save her.
‘How long will you be going for?’ Hazel asked.
‘Just overnight. I have to be back in work on Monday morning.’
Miranda sniffed and reached for the TV remote. ‘We might as well turn this film off if nobody is watching it.’
‘We are watching it,’ Ellie replied, wrestling the remote from her mum’s grip. ‘We’re just interspersing the tedious dialogue with more interesting conversation of our own.’
‘So, now you’re saying my film choices are boring? Next time you can choose and we’ll all complain about it.’
Hazel shared a grin with Ellie. ‘That’s us told off.’ She let the spoon fall into her empty bowl.
‘Do you want some more?’ Ellie asked.
‘Is this your new plan to bump me off – death by ice-cream?’ Hazel held out her bowl for Ellie to collect.
‘That’s absolutely it. A far nicer way to go.’
‘Can we stop all this talk of death?’ Miranda asked tartly.
‘Oh, Mi, I’m only having a bit of fun,’ Hazel chided.
‘I don’t like it,’ Miranda replied.
Ellie jumped up from the sofa and when she returned a few moments later, both women were engrossed in the film again.
‘Thank you,’ Hazel said as Ellie handed her another tiny portion. ‘I read the story about the man on Constance Street, by the way,’ she added. ‘I thought it was interesting.’
‘Interesting as in what a nut-job, or interesting as in I wish he was waiting there for me?’ Ellie asked. ‘They seem to be the two main camps.’
‘It’s incredibly loyal. People aren’t like that nowadays. Everyone moves on so quickly to the next bigger and better thing.’
Ellie paused, grappling for the right thing to say. She sensed they were on dangerous emotional ground. Before her reply had been formulated, Hazel continued.
‘It’s comforting to see that some people still understand promises.’
Ellie and her mum exchanged a worried glance. There was little either of them could say to Hazel’s observation. The fact was that she had every reason to be bitter – and considering her current situation, more than most.
‘He turned sixteen this week, you know,’ Hazel added in a low voice, ‘Callum, that is…’ She uttered the name with a wince, as though the syllables in her mouth caused her pain.
‘How did you find this out?’ Miranda asked, seemingly uncertain that she wanted an answer.
‘Facebook, of course.’
‘I don’t know why you go on there,’ Ellie said, forcing a casual air. ‘It’s so full of pointless status updates and crap adverts that even I don’t bother with it now. I mean, there are only so many photos of kittens wearing hats that you can look at without it melting your brain.’
Hazel shrugged slightly with a wan smile. ‘I don’t know why either. But it’s sort of comforting, in a weird way, watching all that life continuing to be lived beyond my little bubble.’
‘Blimey,’ Ellie said, still trying but failing miserably to lighten her tone, ‘that’s a bit deep for a Friday evening.’
‘I know,’ Hazel said.
‘You need to stop dwelling on the past,’ Miranda said. ‘Especially on that loser of an ex-husband. He’s not worth it.’
‘John was a good man deep down. He just wanted more than I could give him.’
‘You think it’s OK that he got another woman pregnant when he knew you wanted children so desperately and couldn’t?’
‘No,’ Hazel replied slowly. ‘But we both wanted children and I suppose now that I’ve had a lot of time to think about it…’
‘What?’ Miranda asked indignantly. ‘You’re forgiving him?’
‘Mum…’ Ellie cut in. ‘If Hazel forgives him, I think that shows she’s the better person. You can’t hold grudges forever,’ she added pointedly.
‘Life’s too short… I know that better now than ever,’ Hazel agreed in a tone laced with just the merest hint of bitterness.
‘Don’t turn this around and make it about me and your dad,’ Miranda snapped at Ellie, choosing to ignore Hazel’s last statement.
‘He misses you –’ Ellie stopped herself mid-sentence. Her mum’s eyes widened.
‘You’ve been to see him!’
‘Well of course I’ve bloody been to see him. He’s my dad!’
‘He’s a liar and a fraud,’ Miranda said.
‘He made a mistake, Mum. Everyone makes mistakes. He made a decision and it was a bad call. He thought he was doing the right thing at the time.’
Miranda huffed. ‘It lost me my house.’
‘You still have your house,’ Ellie reminded her, biting back her impatience.
‘Alright then, he lost me my security. That mortgage was paid. We should have been enjoying a stress-free existence; instead, I have another financial millstone around my neck for God knows how many years. Until I die and beyond I expect.’
‘Not you,’ Ellie corrected. ‘You and Dad. He�
�s still paying his contribution even though you threw him out.’
‘So he should. And can we stop talking about it all now please?’
‘Hazel can forgive John for going off and having a child with another woman, but you can’t forgive Dad one little mistake that amounts to nothing more than a bad decision about money?’ Ellie folded her arms and stared at her mum. ‘You are priceless; you know that, don’t you?’
‘You wouldn’t understand.’
Ellie rubbed a hand through her hair and shot a glance at Hazel, who merely gazed sadly at her. ‘You’re right, I don’t.’
‘I don’t want you to see him,’ Miranda said.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t go to that flat and see just how much this has affected him. I can’t abandon him now. You don’t have to take him back, Mum, but I think you should show him just a little forgiveness. It’s not like he murdered someone. It’s not like he committed adultery.’
‘It feels like adultery to me. It was a betrayal of my trust.’
Ellie let out an impatient sigh. ‘That’s even more ridiculous…’ Realising that losing her temper would only steel her mother’s resolve, she reined back her irritation and softened her tone. ‘Ask him round for a cup of tea at least, talk things through. What harm can it do?’
Miranda shook her head with an obstinate frown. ‘I can’t… not yet.’
‘But you’ll think about it?’
‘I think you should,’ Hazel cut in. ‘Regrets are the last thing you want to be left with when the grim reaper finally comes to call.’
Miranda paused. ‘I’ll think about it. But I’m not promising anything.’
By the time she stepped off the train at Euston on Saturday afternoon, Ellie was ready for something to take her mind off her troubled week. Leaving the platform, she scanned the crowds on the marbled concourse, looking for Jethro. And then she saw him, waiting next to the information desk, dressed in fitted jeans and a navy hoodie that brought out the blue of his eyes, hair stylishly messed and a grin full of boyish mischief. It was comforting to see that some things, including her best friend, were the same as always. Just seeing him standing there set her emotions on solid ground again. He jogged towards her and swung her round in a huge hug.
‘You’re so mean, leaving me alone in this scary city for months on end.’
Ellie giggled as she retrieved her overnight bag from where she had dropped it in his enthusiastic embrace. ‘You had Kasumi, you numpty.’
‘She’s even scarier than the city.’
Ellie giggled again. ‘Probably.’
‘How was the train down?’ he asked as they made their way to the underground.
‘Smelly and loud.’
Jethro laughed. ‘Oh God, sounds horrendous.’
‘And now we’re heading into the bowels of the earth for more of the same. We must be mad.’
Jethro stopped dead at the escalators for the tube, almost tripping up a disgruntled looking man who was actually wearing a bowler hat. ‘We could get a taxi if you preferred?’
Ellie laughed. ‘I’m only joking. A cab will cost us a fortune; the tube is fine.’
Jethro relaxed and began to walk again. ‘Cool.’
‘Don’t take this the wrong way,’ Ellie said as they descended the escalators, ‘but somehow I didn’t imagine you buying a flat in Peckham.’
He turned to her with a grin. ‘I took some persuading when the estate agent first suggested it to me, to be honest. But the property prices are really affordable and the area isn’t nearly as grim as its reputation. I love it there so far.’
‘Maybe you can show me the sights later then.’
‘Tomorrow, totally. But we haven’t got much time today. Kasumi is coming by this afternoon so we can go up to the club together.’
‘What about Sam? I thought they were joined at the hip these days.’
‘Don’t worry, the boy wonder will make an appearance. I think we’re meeting him there.’
‘Fantastic,’ Ellie said. ‘The old gang and their plus one back together.’
‘Yep, watch out London!’ he laughed.
‘What time are we meeting Sam?’
‘About seven. But we have to be drunk before we leave the flat so we have to start early.’
‘Oh my God, I’m so going to regret this, aren’t I?’
He grinned at her. ‘Yup.’
Two hours and a couple of bottles of Rioja later, Ellie, Jethro and Kasumi were on the tube heading for their rendezvous with Kasumi’s boyfriend.
After an emotional afternoon of catching up on old times and new developments, the three had settled into their old easy ways with each other as if they had never been apart. Kasumi was chattering away now, barely drawing breath with a drunken laugh that had steadily taken on the characteristics of a football rattle with every glug of wine. Strangely, this phenomenon had done little to diminish her attractiveness and she had drawn admiring looks from men wherever she went. Her perfectly formed lips were in a mocking pout as she teased Jethro about some misdemeanour at work, her dark eyes shining with mischief.
Ellie could feel the pleasant effects of overindulgence too, though she suspected her own drunken behaviour was gaining rather fewer admirers.
‘So…’ Kasumi’s attention now turned to Ellie. ‘What’s the deal with this guy?’
‘What guy?’ Ellie asked with a bemused look.
‘You know… the street corner guy. You mentioned him earlier.’
‘I did?’
‘About four times,’ Jethro cut in with a sly grin.
Ellie shrugged slightly, feeling herself colour. Had she really mentioned him that often? Certainly often enough to be of note. ‘He’s still there,’ she said, ‘waiting for his girlfriend to take him back.’
Kasumi glanced up at the station sign through the window as the train slowed. Satisfied that they hadn’t missed their stop, she leaned across Jethro who was sitting in between them. ‘Is he hot?’
Ellie laughed. ‘I suppose so…’
Jethro coughed very deliberately and Ellie covered his ears as she giggled. ‘Very hot,’ she said in a loud stage whisper.
‘In that case I think we ought to get him on TV.’
Ellie’s expression became serious. ‘You mean make a programme about him?’
‘Sounds like a brilliant idea to me,’ Jethro said, removing Ellie’s hands from his ears.
‘Not a whole programme…’ Kasumi clarified. ‘But definitely something.’
‘It’s really that newsworthy?’
‘Not newsworthy, exactly,’ Kasumi said, ‘but there’s the makings of a great feature in one of our daily magazine programmes. Especially if he does last until Valentine’s Day. I could talk to Catherine, our boss, see what she says.’
Kasumi was spot on, of course, and it was a brilliant idea. But Ellie couldn’t bring herself to be as excited. ‘Vernon, my ed, is already taking care of national coverage,’ she replied doubtfully.
‘Pah, nobody reads papers anymore. Television is where it’s at.’
‘You would say that,’ Ellie smiled. ‘If we’re going down that road then Twitter is where it’s really at.’
‘If you’re going to get pedantic,’ Kasumi returned, ‘then Instagram is the way to go.’
Ellie laughed. ‘I never could win an argument with you.’
‘Few can,’ Jethro said.
Ellie glanced at him and could see from that one tiny look that he still fancied her even after all this time. But then, Ellie reflected as her gaze went back to Kasumi – exotic and beautiful – she imagined that most men would.
‘You met his girlfriend, Jethro tells me,’ Kasumi added.
Ellie nodded.
‘And what did you think?’
‘She hated her,’ Jethro said in a tipsy voice.
Ellie slapped him playfully. ‘Actually I rather liked her… Are you going to feature her on the programme too?’
‘Steady on,’ Kasumi laughed. ‘
Nobody’s said we’re featuring anybody yet. We need to run it by our Lords and Masters.’ At the sound of a faint ping, she dug into her tiny handbag and pulled out her phone. ‘Sam is waiting up top for us.’
Sam, who always reminded Ellie of a sun-freckled, strawberry-haired surfer (and was definitely batting out of his league with Kasumi, though Ellie suspected that was what her friend liked about him), kissed Kasumi and exchanged a manly sort of hip-hop hug with Jethro before he turned to Ellie. ‘Great to see you again, Ellie. It’s been too long.’
‘I know. It’s ridiculous how time flies. How are you?’
‘I’m really good.’
‘Ah,’ Ellie said, tapping her nose, ‘the world of product packaging is treating you well?’
‘Extremely,’ Sam laughed. ‘Although it takes a certain type of person to get excited about the colouration on a box of cornflakes and I wouldn’t recommend it as a career for normal people.’
‘I wouldn’t recommend journalism for normal people either,’ Ellie returned. ‘Especially in Millrise.’
‘Enough of this idle chat,’ Jethro said, linking his arm through Ellie’s. ‘We need to get to this club before I start to sober up.’
‘I think the same can be said for my bird,’ Sam quipped.
Kasumi smacked him on the arm. ‘Oi! I am nobody’s bird. This isn’t a seventies sit-com you know!’
Sam threw back his head and laughed. ‘You make it so easy for me to wind you up every time.’ He pulled her into a kiss. ‘If it were a seventies sit-com right now we’d be making some double entendre about spanking me in punishment.’
‘How about I just throw a punch in a very twenty-first century manner?’ Kasumi smiled sweetly.
‘Then I’d love you all the more,’ Sam said with a broad grin.
‘Would that be before the stitches to your lip or after?’ Ellie laughed.
‘Come on, let’s go,’ Jethro said, tugging at Ellie’s arm. ‘Just don’t break into a fight until after we’ve been in the club, you two.’
Worth Waiting For: A heart-warming and feel-good romantic comedy Page 9
