by Naomi Davies
“I’m very upset that Giorgio was your old boyfriend. That was a bit of a shocker, honestly it was. I thought you had better taste.” Ed was getting this off his chest.
“Yes, well, we all make mistakes.” Said Anne in reflective mood.
“Am I going to be a mistake?” Asked Ed.
“I’ll tell you something Ed, I wish you would stop being so pushy and wanting to know where we stand all the time. It’s hard work for a girl like me. Sorry to be so blunt.” It just came out from Anne without thought or care.
“Well you certainly told me there didn’t you? My own stupid fault. I don’t do subtle and I don’t do careful.” Said Ed.
“You need some edges knocking off, that’s for sure but I’ll tell you this much. I like you. You are more interesting than most other guys and I like you. How’s that?”
“So I am spending a fortune here for ‘I like you’.” Ed was smiling.
“I’m being honest here; I’m trying not to string you along.” Said Anne.
“No, no. I get that. Honesty is about the only thing that I do understand. I would take you to the other side of the world to hear you say once more ‘I like you’. So thank you.”
“That’s completely unnecessary, I like you. There I said it again.”
There was a cough that interrupted their conversation. Felipe placed their coffees on the table.
“You talk together like Maria and I do. It is very good.” Felipe had been eavesdropping.
“Thanks Felipe, can I have the bill in a minute.” Asked Ed.
“Of course. I’ll do it straightaway.” Felipe went off to prepare the bill. As they left, Maria magically reappeared and saw them to their car.
“You have a new car, Ed! But you are a very naughty boy for parking in the disabled place. I will tell your mum of you.”
Anne looked across to Ed. He shook his head.
“OK, I’ll be a good boy next time.” Said Ed.
As they drove off Ed explained to Anne that this was, in fact, only his second solo outing since his return from Afghanistan. Up until now he had been with other people or at least had a driver to take him around. Hardly anyone knew of his injuries.
“There was no point upsetting them tonight. We had a good time didn’t we?”
“We did and I did. Thank you Ed. The meal was amazing and you turned out to be good company.”
“Wow, you like me and you think that I am good company. I must note that down in my smart phone.” Ed teased.
“I know you think I’m pushy and everything, so I’ll just post it out here in the car that I probably will not kiss you good night when I get you home. I want to kiss you but I probably won’t. Is that OK.” Ed was on good form.
“Well in that case I probably won’t kiss you back. I think that it is highly unlikely.” Replied Anne.
“I’m glad we sorted that out.” Ed roared off from the next set of traffic lights like he was Jensen Button or someone else on pole position. On the journey home, Anne asked whether the Colonel was having a retirement do. Ed said that in the military they weren’t the done thing because you were picking out one man against all the others. Whether you were a Colonel or a squaddie, you both had a role to play that was important. So you can be awarded medals, but a leaving party wouldn’t be seen to be the right thing to do.
“That’s a pity, because he is an exceptional man with a unique role.” Said Anne.
“I agree. Let me have a think about it. I’ll see what the powers that be think about it.” They arrived outside Anne’s house in the car.
“Well, thank you for coming tonight. I’ve had a great time and I’m glad you like me. We have to do this again very soon. Let me get your door this time.” Ed dropped out of his seat and walked around the car to open Anne’s door.
“Goodnight Ed.” Anne hugged him for a few seconds and gave him a short kiss on each cheek. She turned and watched him drive away. He tooted the very loud horn on his car. Anne went inside and started wondering what she was going to do. She knew now that she more than liked Ed. She was in trouble.
Chapter Eight
Sandy had left an answerphone message for Anne. It turned out that Paulo had been quite a lot less than truthful with her about him changing his job. Sandy wanted her to phone back even if it was late. So, even though Anne didn’t feel like it, she picked up the phone and called Sandy.
Sandy was crying and was quite incoherent. She spluttered out the basic facts about what Paulo had been doing. When he told Sandy that he was lecturing in certain places for a week, he was in fact going out on operations and putting himself in danger.
“Where is he now?” Asked Anne.
“He’s watching a movie in the other room. I told him to get out of my sight and that’s as far as he went. He says he can’t understand why I am so upset. He only has a few more days of frontline work left and that’s it. But how do I know if he is telling the truth?”
“You don’t, that is the problem. Of course, if he doesn’t have to do his lecturing anymore, then theoretically, he will be home every night anyway.” Anne was trying to think clearly and quickly but she had had a bit of a night herself.
“I suppose so. Why are men so difficult? Paulo is perfect in so many ways; I do not understand why he lied to me.” Sandy was calming down now.
“He lied to you because he doesn’t want to lose you. Unfortunately for him, meeting Giorgio at the hospital meant that you found out what he was up to.” Anne thought this might be true. She hoped it was for Sandy’s sake. After ten minutes of talking round in circles Sandy remembered about Anne’s date. Anne talked through the evening she had spent with Ed and ended with her confessing that she did have feelings for him.
“I knew it, just by the amount of times you kept talking about him!” Sandy made it sound like she had won a quiz game. After another twenty minutes Sandy and Anne wished each other good luck and they hung up. Anne looked at the clock in her kitchen. She had been home over an hour. She made herself a cup of hot chocolate and went to bed.
After sleeping solidly for seven hours her alarm went off and she had that weird experience, where the previous day flashes through your mind in about ten seconds. Anne was trying to decide whether it had been a good day or a bad day.
“The jury is taking a long time out on this one.” Anne said out loud to herself. She still wasn’t sure what to think, but she knew that she was falling for Ed.
There was a ring at the front door. Anne assumed it would be the postman but it was a delivery man holding a huge bouquet of flowers. The note read. ‘Today is Saturday, Everyone goes out on Saturday. See you very soon. Ed’.
Anne thought the note was a bit cryptic but then Ed was sometimes like that. The flowers were magnificent. Anne didn’t know an Iris from a Dahlia, but she loved the bouquet of flowers. She found her biggest vase and arranged the flowers as best she could. She had some cereal for breakfast and started thinking about getting ready for the rest of the day. She had to do some shopping for food and things but nothing else was planned. The bell rang a second time about forty minutes after the flowers had arrived. She opened the door to see Ed standing there with a small wrapped present in his hands.
“Did you get the flowers?” Asked Ed.
“Yes I did, they are lovely, thanks. What are you doing here?” Asked Anne.
“I knew the note was too cryptic. I’ve come to take you out for the day, if that’s OK.” Ed was positively glowing with anticipation.
Anne always prided herself on the fact that she was a spontaneous type of person, someone who could change her plans very easily. This was proving not to be the case on this particular Saturday morning. Just as Ed’s offer was sinking in, the phone rang. “You’ll have to come in for a moment Ed.” Said Anne.
She answered the phone to hear Sandy’s voice on the other end. She had had a bad night and things were still not resolved with Paulo. Ed sat down on a kitchen stool while Anne was on the phone.
“Paulo ha
s popped out to the gym for an hour. What am I going to do?”
“Can you hold the line a minute Sandy, I’ve got someone here.” Asked Anne.
“Oh, OK.”
“Ed I’ve got Sandy on the phone here, it could take a while.” Anne was not sure what to do with Ed.
“It’s OK, shall I go and hide in the lounge?”
“If you don’t mind, thanks.” Anne had too much on her mind.
Ed got up and went and made himself at home on the sofa in the lounge. He found the remote controls and switched on the TV. He settled down to watch Saturday Kitchen.
“OK, Ed’s in the lounge. He just turned up.”
“Oh. Is it alright to talk now?”
“Yes, it will give me time to think.” With so much going on, Anne definitely needed time to think.
Sandy and Anne talked for a good ten minutes about Paulo and what to do about him. A mobile went off in the lounge and Ed started talking on his phone. Anne found this even more distracting but sat and listened as best she could to Sandy for another ten minutes. Then the lounge door opened and Ed startled Anne by saying.
“Let me talk to her. It will save us all a lot of time”
Anne was so surprised she just handed the phone over.
“Hi Sandy, do you remember me, I’m Ed.”
Sandy said that she knew who he was.
“I have just spent ages on my mobile in Anne’s lounge talking with Paulo. He phoned me up to ask me what to do about you. He doesn’t want to lose you. So he is coming back home to you now to talk it out. He’ll be there any minute.”
“Oh. Oh - what shall I do?” Asked Sandy.
“Talk to him, hear him out.” Said Ed.
“But he has lied to me.” Said Sandy.
“He’s a dumb guy. I know for a fact that he is stopping operations at work any day now. Now go kiss and make up. He’s crazy about you.” Ed passed the phone back to Anne who was looking on in astonishment. He had a ‘job done’ look on his face.
“Hello Sandy?”
“Paulo has just come back. I’ll call you later.” Sandy put the phone down.
Anne looked across to Ed who was looking her up and down very closely.
“Love the Disney Pyjamas. Very sexy.” Said Ed.
Anne screamed and ran out of the room to get herself ready. An hour later she was washed and dressed and ready to face the world. The world today involved Ed, who was somehow in her house and watching her television. By the time Anne reappeared, he was watching football on Sky Sports.
“Can we start again please?” Asked Anne.
“I’m fine with that, although I was having a great time before.” Ed replied.
They made a filter coffee pot and sat down in front of the television. Ed realised after a few minutes that it would be a good idea to turn it off.
“I’m sorry Anne. I couldn’t wait to see you again after last night. I’ll go once I’ve had this coffee.”
“I like my life to be planned and in order. I can’t just jump from one plan for a day to another. I think that I am easy going and can take things as they come, but in your case this is not true.”
“Well, I’m glad I am a special case.” Replied Ed. He was hoping he hadn’t messed up completely.
“Well you are a special case and because of that I am going to take a chance. I need to go shopping for a few things and then I’m free for the rest of the day. So we’ll go somewhere and do something together. Is that OK with you?”
“That sounds great.” Ed was very relieved.
They went down to the local food store, collected some emergency supplies, and went back to Anne’s house. On their return, Anne saw the little wrapped present that Ed had brought with him earlier.
“What’s that? Is it for me?” She asked.
“Well it is for you, but I am still not sure whether to give it to you.” Replied Ed.
“Well I will be the person to decide that one.” Anne rapidly opened the small packet to find a computer CD disc inside.
“What is this?” Asked Anne.
“It’s some music and stuff I have written in the last couple of months, since we started playing music together. I’ve been up all last night finishing it off.”
“Don’t you sleep?” Asked Anne.
“Not always. I keep waking up in the night thinking that I’m back in a hut in Afghanistan with my leg blown away."
Anne dropped her head wishing she hadn’t asked.
“Don’t worry about it. It meant that I could finish this CD for you. It’s a bit personal so I hope you can cope with it.”
Anne took a deep breath. The highs and lows of Ed’s life were hard for her to take in her stride.
“You write your own music? You never told me that you could do that!” This was something of a revelation to Anne. She had never been able to write her own music. She had to have it in front of her and then she could play. Writing songs and music was on another level completely.
“Well I haven’t written any since… well let’s just say I haven’t written any for a few years. I hope you like it. I wrote it all for you.” Ed was beginning to wonder if it was a bit too soon for this but Anne was all over the CD and went straight to her stereo to put it on. The first piece was an instrumental based on a simple bass and guitar loop. The second track was an upbeat number with a full band sound.
“How do you make these tracks?” Asked Anne.
“I do it on my computer with special music software. It has been my main occupation for the last month. Anyway, you can listen to the rest later. Shall we go out?”
“I think listening to your music is about the best thing I would want to do today. Why don’t’ we finish the CD and then go out?” Anne loved the music.
Ed was getting a little agitated and red faced.
“There’s a song on there I should have left off. I’ll get you another copy without it on and drop it in to you.” Ed pushed the eject button and snapped the CD in half without any further discussion.
“Ed!” Anne was exasperated with him.
“I was enjoying that. And you can write songs with words as well? Does that mean that you can sing?” Anne was very impressed with this new information about Ed. But she was not happy to see the CD broken into two pieces.
“I always used to write my own stuff. Meeting you has got me back into it. It’s a bit personal but that is the effect you have on me.”
“Well thank you, I guess. But I’ll have the full copy of that CD please, without any edits, thank you very much. I will know if you have missed a song off. How many songs are there on the CD? “
“There was only one song. All the rest is instrumental.” Ed was beaten.
“I look forward to hearing it.” Anne was experiencing Ed’s mood swings first hand. She decided to try and tolerate them today.
“Where do you want to go for the day Anne?”
“Where did you have in mind? I don’t mind what we do, but no food. I’m still stuffed from our meal yesterday.
“I have theatre tickets for an amateur dramatic society performance in Datchet this evening. My sister is in it.” Said a well prepared Ed.
“That sounds like fun, do we need to dress up?”
“I never dress up, other than last night and you look great already. So we have about three hours to visit the Queen at Windsor. If she is out we’ll go on the river and ride up and down the Thames for a while.”
“Sounds good to me.” Anne picked up her bag and they went out to Ed’s car. The day was great fun for both of them. They went on a river steam boat cruise, that took them up the Thames to a lock and back again.
“I really like spending time with you Anne. I was near despair before you turned up on stage with your band. You have made me enjoy my music as I used to and you haven’t rejected me as a person.”
“Ed. I’m not as good as you say I am. I rejected you completely at first. If I could have thought of a way to avoid you I would have. But you are so pushy and w
e spent such good times together playing music, that I ended up liking you.”
“Oh Wow, you still like me! That’s good.” Ed gave her a small hug and Anne nearly fell over with surprise. She hugged him back and nearly knocked him over in return.
“You know that I more than like you, don’t you Anne?” Ed stated the obvious.
“Yes I realised that, I can work some things out you know. You have made it pretty obvious as well.” Anne smiled.
They followed the river boat cruise, with a small snack at a Windsor coffee shop before driving the short distance to the theatre in Datchet. The car park was just starting to fill up as there was only about forty minutes to go to the performance. They wandered into the lobby to see Ed’s mum talking to some other people. She was delighted to see Anne again and insisted on swapping tickets around so that she could sit next to Anne. Anne looked at Ed as if to say ‘Help’ but he just smiled and shrugged ‘What could I do’.
