Love's Dilemma (Sixty Minute Romance)

by Naomi Davies

  “That is a great deal of money. Max. What will you do with it?”

  “Well, my dad, he was actually my step father, my real dad died when I was two. Anyway, my dad made sure I wouldn’t blow it all in the first week by placing an income limit on it. So I only get five thousand a month from interest on the large pot of money. I get the lump sum when I turn thirty.” It was all coming out now. Max was admittedly even more interesting than he was before. Clair couldn’t believe she was thinking in such a mercenary way.

  “That is unbelievable. What were the other two things you told my mum and dad?” She was afraid to ask.

  “Oh yes, the money was only the start. Then I told them that my step dad was from Trinidad, which is true actually. He made his money with buying and selling boats, and running a holiday company in the Caribbean.”

  “So your dad was black?” Clair couldn’t stop her mouth from asking dumb questions. She held her hands over her mouth with a gulp.

  Max just laughed.

  “Yes indeed, babelicious. It got very confusing at school when we had parents evenings, I can tell you. But my mum loved him. He was a great dad.” Max fondly enjoyed recalling his dad to mind.

  Clair finally snapped and pushed Max over on the shingle. She demanded that Max stop calling her babelicious.

  “OK Licious.” Replied Max quickly. Clair sat silently in defeat. Max sat back up making sure he was sitting very close to Clair.

  “What was the third thing you told my mum and dad?” Clair was completely involved, but a bit distressed with all the nicknames Max was inventing.

  “I told them I went to church and was a born again Christian!” Max sat back on the shingle looking very pleased with himself.

  “You did what! You can’t lie about things like that! My parents would be furious if they knew you had lied about that.” Clair was genuinely shocked that Max would take something like this so lightly. She had been brought up in church her whole life, and definitely believed in God and Jesus. She knew enough to know that you couldn’t be flippant like this. Max was beginning to disturb her.

  “Who said I was lying? I’ve been to church, although I admit that I do not go very often now.” Max was all seriousness now.

  “Tell me about it.” Clair was earnestly wanting to know this new side to Max she had never seen.

  “My dad took us all to church. He helped run it really. We loved it. It was one of those churches where you are allowed to jump around and sing to rock music. I sometimes got to play in the band. I was pretty heavily into it, as was Sandy. All my longest standing friends I have today are from there”

  “That is my favourite sort of church.”

  “Tell me about it!” Max was enjoying this.

  “I stopped going when my folks were killed in the yachting accident. Not because of God or anything. It’s just because being there is too upsetting for me at the moment. I have been back a few times, but that’s it. But the most important thing is that your mum and dad let me bring you out today.”

  “That is not the most important thing.” Clair responded and saw in his eyes that Max was joking.

  “And I was coming out with you today, whether they wanted me to come or not!” Clair was warming to her day with Max.

  They both lay back on the shingle beach, holding hands and talking about God and faith and their upbringing for a long time. They were not so different after all, they agreed.

  “I’m hungry, what about you?... Licious?...” Max gently broke a ten minute silence.

  “We are not moving until you stop calling me Licious.” Clair hated the name.

  “What do you want me to call you then?”

  “How about Clair? That is my name.”

  “No, no, no. That won’t do at all. Can I call you babe?”

  “OK you can call me babe, it’s not as bad as the alternatives.”

  “I knew you would come round in the end.” Max replied victoriously and Clair started punching him in the arm. She let out a short squeal. She had been outwitted. They were still lying on the shingle. Max grabbed her arms that were hitting him and they faced each other with their bodies almost touching. Neither of them spoke but they looked deeply into each other’s eyes and enjoyed the time. It was the first time Max had managed to look into Clair’s eyes for more than a few seconds duration since the day had begun.

  “I’m sorry Clair. I think I love you babe.” Max whispered.

  Clair couldn’t say anything back straight away. She lay there facing him silently. Eventually she nodded and whispered back.

  “Don’t apologise, just be you. And don’t rush. I am scared!” Max smiled at Clair and his heart swelled with relief. It was the first time Clair had given him anything back in return. Max let go of her arms, took her right hand and kissed it. He pulled her up onto her feet.

  “Time to eat I think!” Max declared.

  They stood up on the shingle beach and turned around to look at the available eateries. They had a choice of three in the immediate vicinity. ‘The Golden Plaice’ was a traditional English fish and chip restaurant. Next to it was ‘The Ming Palace’ which in the evening was a Chinese restaurant, but in the daytime served a delectable range of traditional fish and chips. Next to ‘The Ming Palace’ was ‘Bob’s Chip Shop’ which was a take away only. It served fish and chips. It was quite difficult deciding which one to choose.

  They eventually chose to walk into town in the hope of finding something more to their liking to eat. They settled on a posh coffee shop that also served paninis, toasted sandwiches and other small dishes.

  “I keep forgetting how posh and polite you are. I have often wondered what a Panini was. Now I know!” Max teased Clair mercilessly.

  “I’m not posh and polite. I am just me!” Clair replied. She was feeling a lot lighter in her spirit now.

  “Trust me, you are posh and polite. Compared to anyone else I’ve been on a date with, you are miles posher.” Max forgot himself and was extra nice to Clair.

  Clair decided to have a Mexican chicken wrap and Max was forced to have prosciutto and mozzarella Panini. He really wanted ham and cheese but this was the closest they had on the menu. They ordered their food and drinks and found a place sitting out in the garden at the back. It was a nice shady spot under a parasol and they made themselves comfortable.

  “So tell me about all these other dates you have been on.” Clair didn’t really want to know, but it was a good opportunity for some retaliation.

  “I’d rather not talk about them if it’s alright with you, I’m afraid that my success with ladies has been severely limited. Girls seem to like me for a week or two and then they go off with someone else. Now can you tell me why?” Max was trying to think of better conversation but he was struggling to say anything sensible.

  “Well, let me see now. There are a number of reasons I can think of why girls would run a mile from you. Do you want a list? Or shall I just tell you one for the moment?” Clair looked directly into his eyes.

  Max looked confused and hurt. Where was the lovely girl from the beach, the one he had expressed his feelings to twenty minutes ago? He looked back at Clair hoping she wouldn’t be too hard on him. He didn’t always know when people were being serious and when they were joking with him. He had no idea if Clair was being serious or winding him up at this moment. Clair saw the fear in his eyes and decided to be kind to him.

  “You are not so bad Max; you are just different from other men. You have no set agenda for your life and that comes over strongly. In fact you rarely have an agenda for the next minute. Sometimes a girl wants to know where she stands with a guy. She wants to know that he is reliable and loyal. She wants to know that you will not disappear on the next whim of fancy that you have. In some ways, you are too free and out of control. With you it is very hard to know where I stand.”

  “Phew, is that you being easy on me?” Max asked.

  “Yes it is.” Clair wondered what she had said wrong.

  “
Well don’t tell me what you really think; I’m not sure I am man enough for it yet. You sound just like my sister!” Max was dismayed. He thought he was any girl’s best friend.

  “Well Sandy has a lot of wisdom that you could learn from.” Clair tried to think of something nice to say to Max to help.

  “So what do you think of me?” Max couldn’t stop himself asking the question.

  This was the moment Clair chose to sit silently for a few minutes, trying to think of something to say. While she was thinking Max was sitting looking at his Panini and wondering where the conversation had gone wrong. It was very unnerving. Eventually Clair remembered that an answer was required to Max’s question.

  “Oh, Sorry Max, I had drifted off.” Clair said hurriedly.

  “You sure know how to hurt a guy! I have never had anyone drift off before. Walk out yes! But drift off. That is really bad.” Max wanted to hear something more positive from Clair’s lips.

  “You are very cute and attractive. Part of me wants to be with you but I am scared of getting close to anyone. I’m a bit mixed up really. But I do like you.” Clair said the truth almost without concentrating

  “OK, so cute and attractive is a start, yes? That’s not so bad. Plus I have a lot of money coming my way very soon. That must count for something.” Max was talking himself up.

  “Money isn’t everything you know.” Clair said.

  “Your mum and dad liked the money.” Max said.

  “They are very bad for thinking like that and you know it!” Clair replied.

  “Yes they are. I would much rather we had disagreed and had a proper argument really. It was too easy to bring them round with money. The bacon butties were great, but if I was a penniless tramp I would never have been served them. Sorry to be so serious.” Max was being thoughtful for a change.

  “Well thank you for saying that, I agree. I wish they could see you and not your money and your background. I never realised how mercenary they are.” Clair was astounded at this bit of common sense coming from Max’s lips. She liked him even more for it.

  They had both finished their meal and Clair paid the bill. Max had forgotten to bring any money for the day out. Clair smiled and thought, ‘What if I had also forgotten to bring any money?’ It was not worth fretting about, but Max’s free and easy lifestyle had its consequences. They had just escaped one consequence in the coffee shop. Out of the blue Max asked.

  “What do you do for work Clair?” Clair looked quietly at Max.

  “Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you while we are walking.” Clair prepared herself.

  “Phew, now you are really scaring me. It can’t be that bad, can it?” Max had not seen Clair be so unsure of herself before. She was always totally calm and assured. They started walking back to the beach.

  “I recently qualified as a solicitor and work in my parent’s legal firm. I currently specialise in immigration law, but I hope to move into employment law once I get a few years under my belt.” There, it was out there.

  “Well that is intimidating. Man you are just a complete woman. Why are you even in the same room as me? You sing, you look amazing; you have a high powered job. You are completely together, man, I mean girl!”

  “That’s why I didn’t tell you. Sometimes I would like to be an ordinary person. Well I am an ordinary person, but I keep being good at what I do. Just for once in my life I would like to mess up, through no fault of my own. I would like to fail magnificently at something!” Clair’s conversation was wandering.

  “Well I would like to succeed at something magnificently, just once, every now and then.” Max didn’t identify with Clair’s point of view in any way, although he understood what she meant. They had got back to the sea front while walking arm in arm. They both enjoyed the seaside and just stood on the promenade looking at the seagulls and the families enjoying the summer’s day.

  “Why did you ask me out today? Max?” Clair asked. They sat down on an empty bench nearby.

  “Well, I pretended that I wanted to talk about how you could fit in with the band. But if I am truly honest… If I am truly honest… ” Max dried up and couldn’t finish his sentence. He blushed completely and his face gave this embarrassment away even through his tan. He tried again.

  “The thing is, I have loved the memory of you for about four years. And then you walked into The George and Dragon, and you were way better than my memory of you. So now, I never want the real you to go away. I have dreamt about you on and off for four years. For most of that time I think I have loved you. Does that sound weird?” Max was smiling at the same time as being serious.

  Clair finally understood the level of devotion that Max had for her and was knocked off guard utterly. She turned to look at him and she could see his eyes of devotion, and feel the fullness of his love for her. It was intense and strong and all consuming. She had never witnessed this before because no one had ever felt that way about her before. It rose up inside her, a passion that was new and unexpected. She kissed Max fiercely and roughly before pulling away and looking hard into his eyes. Then she held his face and kissed him once more briefly.

  “Thank you.” She said. She hardly knew what she was thanking him for but it seemed the right thing to say for the moment.

  “I thought you said don’t rush.” Max was slightly dazed and confused.

  “You will never understand me, if you expect me to make sense!” Clair said.

  “That much is clear.” Max returned. He was trying to keep his hands to himself, but they wanted to do other things. Being on a bench on the promenade in Bognor Regis, stopped them from being too naughty and wayward.

  “We are going to have to walk or run or do something or my head will explode.” Max said finally.

  “I agree.” Clair was stunned with herself that she had taken over in this way with Max. Where had that come from? She had no idea. She needed to talk with Jo. She would know.

  They walked back along the promenade to Max’s motorbike and agreed that they had had enough of Bognor Regis for one day. They also agreed that they would return another day for that swim in the sea they had talked about.

  The return journey on the motorbike was uneventful but still more fun than the journey down. They both had two hours to think about the kissing and the conversation and where they were with each other.

  Max stopped at a pub and they had their evening meal together. It turned out that they both drank sparkling water with ice as their favourite drink. Max’s reason for drinking water was heart breaking. The captain of the ship who had run into his parents’ yacht was drunk when the accident happened. They didn’t stand a chance of survival against a large ship. Max had never drunk alcohol if he was driving ever since. He had lost too much to drink already. The reason Clair like sparkling water was it helped her singing voice.

  Clair paid for the meal, again, and they went out to the motor bike in the car park.

  “I’m going to drop you off home now, if you like, but I can’t kiss you goodbye outside your ma and pa’s house, and I definitely want to kiss you goodbye.” Max was still very lacking in confidence.

  “If you don’t jump me right now in this car park I shall scream!” Clair heard her voice saying. Max needed no further invitation. They put on quite a show in that pub car park but managed to stay dressed and reasonably decent.

  Twenty minutes later they were back on the motorbike and riding sedately to Clair’s house. It had been a good day. It hadn’t ended in the way either of them had expected, but it had been a very good day.

  Max pulled up into the drive and they both got off and removed their helmets. They looked at each other like they were naughty school kids who were playing truant. The curtain moved in the front lounge window of the house and the front door opened. Aaron and Cora were quickly there to welcome them back.

  “Just as well I kissed you goodbye at the pub.” Max said under his breath.

  “Too right!” replied Clair.

  They hug
ged and Clair ran up the five steps towards her parents.

  “Hey Max! What kind of guy says goodbye to a date without planting a good kiss on her? You get yourself up here and say good bye properly.” This intervention from Mr Holding was unexpected.

  “Dad! No!” Clair was shocked.

  Max obediently walked up the five steps and reluctantly kissed Clair on the lips for a second.

  “See you soon, babe!” He was grinning from ear to ear.

  “That’s better!” Mr Holding was satisfied and happy.

  Clair hugged her mum and dad and watched Max get back on his bike.

  “That was so embarrassing, dad.” Clair felt she should at least pretend to protest.

  “Nonsense, a real man would always kiss his girl at the end of the date.” Mr Holding was sure he was right.

  Max started up his motorbike and waved to the happy scene of Clair arm in arm with Aaron and Cora at the front door. He drove out of the drive and waited for the road to clear for him.

  Chapter Nine – Six Days of Waiting

  The car that hit Max appeared to come from nowhere. He was still sitting on his motorbike waiting for a gap in the traffic when the open top BMW 3 series roared into Max’s side and sent him flying into the air. Max landed on another car about ten metres away. The driver of the car had smashed through his windscreen and was lying motionless on the car bonnet.

  There was the loud sound of a police siren and within moments a squad car with flashing lights and blaring sirens was on the spot. Two uniformed police officers jumped out of the squad car. One ran to the BMW to see if the driver was OK. He was covered in blood with his head at a dreadful angle to his body, he was obviously dead. The other officer ran over to Max who lay motionless, hanging over the side of a parked car. Max’s legs were twisted and smashed. He was bleeding from the back of his head and he was not conscious. He lay there very still.

  “This one is breathing just about!” The police officer shouted over to his colleague. The other policeman was on his radio asking for an ambulance and further assistance. All of this happened in a time period of about ten seconds.