Kate & Alf

by Carrie Stone

  ‘Hey, we wondered where you had both got to,’ Shilpa said, flicking her black hair behind her shoulder as Megan approached, Kate trailing behind her – her glass of Mojito already almost drained.

  ‘The queue for the bar is ridiculous, as always.’ Megan spotted a bowl of olives on the table and popped one into her mouth, making eyes towards the men nearby and raising a questioning eyebrow at Shilpa.

  ‘Hot,’ Shilpa mouthed discreetly, noticing Kate’s expression changing from intrigue to a wide smile. She frowned at Megan and nodded towards Kate, who was already walking away from them towards the men.

  ‘Kate?’ Megan hissed, panicked, spinning around as her friend grabbed the arm of the man in the jumper. Surely Kate wasn’t going to do something as stupid as throwing herself on the first attractive guy she laid eyes on?

  All at once she recognised the man as he cautiously turned sideways towards the woman that had grabbed him. Megan saw his face light up in recognition – his expression changing from aggravated to exhilarated – and felt her stomach lurch with desire.

  ‘Megan,’ Kate called to her, suddenly enthused and jubilant as she hugged him. ‘Come over here. It’s Marcus.’

  Kate turned back to Marcus, seeing the concern as he looked at her sympathetically, his face clouding over.

  ‘I’ve been calling you’ he said, observing her tired eyes and slimmed figure. ‘Why didn’t you answer? I heard from Alf, of course.’ He patted the small of her back. ‘I’m sorry to hear it, Kate. I didn’t ever expect that of you guys.’

  Seeing Kate’s eyes welling up and her bottom lip trembling, Megan quickly stepped forwards into the exchange. ‘Hi, Marcus.’ She squeezed herself into the gap between Marcus and the window next to him. ‘I didn’t realise it was you. Nice to see you again.’

  Marcus smiled and briefly leaned in for a hug. ‘We haven’t been here for long.’ He pointed to his friends. ‘To be honest, I’m not in the mood to be here tonight. We’ve been here the last few weekends running now. Same old people.’

  Kate nodded, agreeing. ‘Me too. I’m only here because she dragged me here!’ She pointed at Megan and poked out her tongue. ‘Apparently I need to start moving on and this is the place to do it.’ She rolled her eyes dismissively.

  ‘Well, suit yourself you ungrateful mare, I was only trying to help,’ Megan replied light-heartedly. ‘Have another drink. It might improve your mood.’

  ‘No bickering, ladies.’ Marcus cut in, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. ‘But seeing as two out of three of us are bored, how about we get out of here and go elsewhere?’

  Kate looked at Megan with a smile, feeling both relief and excitement for the first time all evening. ‘I’m up for it – it’s still only early. I can’t imagine staying here all night. It’s too pretentious.’

  Megan looked a little reluctant, glancing back at Shilpa and the girls and reminding herself of the text she’d sent to Michael suggesting they meet up after their respective evening apart. ‘I’m not sure. I did promise the girls I was in a party mood and they won’t be happy if we leave them.’ She looked back at Marcus with his sparkling green eyes and expectant expression and felt her resolve weakening. ‘But, go on then… you’ve twisted my arm. Let’s make a run for it.’

  ‘Great. The boys won’t mind me sneaking off with two beautiful ladies. In fact, they’ll be envious,’ he joked, turning towards Kate. ‘So where do you fancy going then, seeing as it’s you that needs the cheering up? Another bar somewhere? Or a bite to eat? I could murder some food.’

  Kate considered her options for a moment, then thought of the one place she’d always wanted to visit and had been limited because Alf hadn’t favoured the food. ‘What about that huge Japanese restaurant on Frog Street? It’s got a bar and dance floor at the back, too.’

  Megan nodded enthusiastically. ‘Ooh, yes, great suggestion, I could eat a beef Teppanyaki right now, too. Sounds good to me. We can have a boogie later as well.’

  ‘Perfect, I love it in there,’ Marcus said, draining his drink and placing the empty glass on a nearby table. ‘Ladies, get your stuff, we’re getting out of here.’ Standing by the exit, he waited patiently for the girls to grab their belongings and say their goodbyes, grateful that he’d finally get to spend the evening with Kate and a chance to, hopefully, lift her spirits. Not to mention have another chance to get to know Megan a little more…

  By the time both women were ready to exit the bar, Marcus already had his coat on and was waiting with both arms extended. ‘Allow me,’ he said, linking his arm through Kate’s on one side and Megan’s on the other.

  Chatting animatedly on the way to the restaurant, laughing and cracking sarcastic jokes with Marcus, neither woman could remember the last time in the past two weeks that they’d felt this happy or lively.

  Surprisingly, it wasn’t only Kate who was privately hoping it was the start of something new….

  ‘Well, it sounds like you had a lovely time.’ Lil said, picking up her half-eaten Eccles cake and breaking a piece off. ‘I don’t suppose you fink this Marcus has got a bit of a fancy for you – ain’t it the second time this week now that he’s popped round?

  Kate blushed shyly, struggling to find the corner of the clean duvet cover she was changing. ‘No, Lil, I think he’s just being kind. He’s that type of person.’ She located the corner and swiftly shook the duck-down duvet into place. ‘Anyway, I’m not ready to be getting into something with someone new, just yet.’ She straightened the cover once again, before picking up the stacks of pillows from the floor and rearranging them in place.

  ‘I know that. But it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of fun. Blimey! I wish I could have an admirer to give me a bit of fun.’ Lillian giggled, spluttering crumbs of cake across the carpet. ‘The only fun I get at this age is having me blood pressure taken once a fortnight by that handsome Dr Sharman.’

  Kate laughed, smoothing the folded eiderdown over the bottom end of the mattress and walked across to join Lillian. ‘It’s not that I don’t want fun, Lil – believe me, I really do.’ She sat down on the clothes trunk at the foot of the bed, her expression pensive. ‘I guess I’ll just feel better about everything when Alf leaves for Scotland next week. Until then, I can’t help feeling like things are on hold.’

  Lillian reached across and patted Kate’s hand. ‘I know, darling, it’s never easy ending somefink.’ She wiped the corner of her mouth where the spittle was collecting, as it always did. ‘You’ll be better off when he’s out the picture for good. And then you can get yourself a nice new young man – maybe even this Marcus.’

  She winked at Kate with a cheeky grin.

  Zipping his suitcase shut, Alf surveyed the mess around him. ‘I don’t even need half of this shit,’ he muttered to himself, kicking a battered and muddy trainer from underfoot and wondering how he’d accumulated so many clothes over the years.

  Ever the helpful girlfriend right until the end, Kate had made sure that his belongings had been placed into storage bags for him to collect, conveniently sorting the things she knew that he regularly used from the old and placing the remains in their loft. He looked at the bags that had neatly stored his goods, now devoid of their contents and dumped around the spare room of his brother’s house.

  He still couldn’t get his head around the events of the past month. He’d barely been able to function at work over the last two weeks – there was a great, gaping hole where Kate had once been. The move had kept him occupied, something to strive forward for and focus on – but it wasn’t completely doing the trick. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kate. No matter how many evenings he filled with impromptu trips to the pub with his brother, or staying late at work to finalise his job takeover, she was always there – in the forefront of his thoughts.

  Pushing a box of documentation that he’d be taking to Scotland nearer to the suitcase he’d just finished packing, he wondered if the agent had received his message about picking up the keys a day earlier.

/>   Finding a property on the budget that Hamilton’s had provided him with hadn’t been as straightforward as he’d assumed it would. Given that he wasn’t familiar with Glasgow and that the new office headquarters were slap-bang in the middle of the city centre, the conveniently located loft conversion apartment he’d originally set his heart on had far exceeded his allowance. The prospect of bachelorhood had lost its appeal as soon as he’d discovered what he could actually afford close to the office.

  Still, the penthouse apartment he’d found, complete with open-plan kitchen and wet room had all the trappings of ‘luxury’ stamped across it, despite being a fair distance away. It was also satisfying to know that it was something Kate would never have gone in for.

  In the first few days after she’d walked out, he’d half expected her to ring him and make amends – but when she’d come to the house and told him that they needed to find an alternative living solution, he’d known it was over. She’d seemed so cold towards him. It was like being faced with a version of a woman so familiar and yet a complete stranger.

  He’d thought he’d known her inside and out, but the Kate that had stood before him with sad eyes and a determined look had reiterated in no uncertain terms that it was definitely finished between them. It was just a case now of him getting settled in Scotland and then making the necessary arrangements to put their terraced house on the market – after all, it wasn’t as if she could afford the mortgage on her salary alone.

  ‘Well, she’s chosen her bed. Time for her to lie in it,’ he muttered to himself, angered that he was once again thinking about her. It was too painful to try and go over the events of their last conversation in his mind again. Anyway, he’d been doing that too much.

  Tony, his brother, appeared on the bedroom landing. ‘You all packed and ready to go?’ He glanced behind Alf at the ransacked room littered with belongings. ‘Bloody hell, Alf, you can’t leave the place like that. At least chuck it in boxes. Chrissie will go mental at me otherwise.’

  Ignoring his brother’s comment, Alf picked up the suitcase and moved it onto the landing. He’d never been close to his half-brother and if he hadn’t been desperate for a place to stay then he wouldn’t have even considered contacting Tony. His father’s affair with Tony’s mother had been a contributing cause to his lonely childhood and upbringing. Tony, at eight years younger, had been lavished with the attention that he’d never once himself experienced from their dad. It had been hard to stomach throughout the years.

  ‘You want a hand loading up the car?’ Tony offered, picking up the suitcase, seeming as keen to be rid of Alf as Alf was to go.

  ‘Yes, it’s only those two and a few boxes. Should be plenty of room to load up.’ He glanced at the four boxes of things he’d decided to take with him, wondering if he’d forgotten any necessities. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to pack without taking Kate’s organised and interfering ways for granted. He was sure she’d laugh if she saw his pitiful selection of belongings for his new life in Scotland. Instantly feeling overwhelmed and despondent, he began picking up things from the floor, carelessly and aggressively shoving them back into bags.

  Tony was back quickly, selecting two more of the boxes and nodding with a satisfied smile at the vaguely tidier room. ‘Bit better. At least I won’t be in the doghouse when you go, now.’

  Alf offered a tight smile, unable to find any sense of amusement where Chrissie was concerned. In his opinion his brother’s wife was far too controlling. She reminded him a lot of his own mother, with her selfish and demanding ways.

  Stacking the last of the bags in a pile in the corner of the room, he dusted his hands on his jeans. ‘Right, that’s me done I think.’ He could hear Tony outside, slamming the car boot closed. Picking up his phone, he tried once again calling the letting agent’s number but was met with a voicemail recording. He left another message. ‘Hello, Veronica, it’s Alf Stafford again. Hoping you’ve picked up my previous message about getting the keys for 40 Limburg Street first thing tomorrow morning. I’m heading up to Glasgow tonight, so I’ll be stopping by the office at 9am tomorrow. Let me know. Cheers.’

  Tossing a sports bag over one shoulder, he picked up the remaining two boxes. Tony met him halfway down the staircase and took the heavier top box. ‘That’s the last of it,’ Alf said, following him to the car. ‘I’ll arrange to get the other boxes collected soon, once I know what’s happening with the house.’

  ‘Yeah, no problem. You’re staying for a bit of dinner first before you go, though, aren’t you?’ Tony asked, watching Alf close the rear doors of the car. ‘I think Chrissie mentioned she was doing chicken hotpot later.’

  Standing awkwardly by the driver’s door, Alf took a moment to consider Tony’s offer. He knew his brother meant well, even if Chrissie railroaded him into most of the decisions he made, but he and Tony were like two strangers constantly struggling to find a common ground. It had been hard enough living under the same roof for three and a half weeks, let alone trying to form a brotherly bond over the occasional pub beer or dinner. He was relieved to be leaving, looking forward to his penthouse in Glasgow –even if the idea of being totally alone in a new city did unnerve him a little.

  ‘No, Tone, I think its best I shoot off just before rush hour starts. It’s a long drive and I’m hoping to get to the hotel by midnight.’

  ‘Righty ho.’ Tony walked towards him and leaned in for a stiff hug. ‘Take care, mate.’ He patted his brother on the back. ‘Drop us a line when you’re settled in and we might even pop up at some point – me and Chrissie.’ He smiled, standing back after the bumbling embrace.

  ‘Yeah, do that,’ Alf said, nodding unconvincingly and knowing that the threat was empty and it would undoubtedly be another two years before they met again. ‘Tell Chrissie I said bye and thanks for everything.’

  ‘Will do. Safe journey. And don’t forget what I said about the birds. Plenty of sorts up there in Glasgow. It’ll be no time before you meet someone new.’

  Alf laughed weakly and climbed into his car; Tony was already turning away and walking back into the house. Moments later he pulled quickly out of the driveway, clicking on the radio to distract his thoughts. He couldn’t quite believe the day had finally rolled around to be leaving his home town, and despite being thrilled at the prospect of the new life that awaited him, he felt noticeably bereft.

  Bereft for the woman that should have been sitting in the car alongside him, sharing his excitement and the new start he’d anticipated together.

  Reaching out, he turned up the radio even louder in an attempt to dim the melancholy feeling.

  ‘Do you really believe that?’ Megan exclaimed, searching Michael’s teasing expression and failing to keep a straight face.

  ‘It’s a statistical fact.’ He removed his tie, slinging it casually over his black-leather dining chair and pressed an illuminated pad on his white living-room wall. The darkness engulfing the room was instantly obliterated by bright spotlights, the television screen flickered into life and electronic shutters closed steadily across the windows. ‘Everyone knows that all women hit the age of thirty and suddenly want to marry and have babies.’

  Megan shrugged off her suit jacket, still not failing to be amazed at the technology that Michael’s city pad boasted. ‘But I’m thirty-one and I’m not bothered by those things. So does that make me the exception or the proof that you’re statistically incorrect?’

  Pulling her close to him, Michael playfully nuzzled her neck, grinning as she squealed at the sharpness of his stubble against her skin. ‘What that makes you, my sexy Megan, is the perfect girlfriend.’

  She laughed, breaking away from him and kissing him on the nose. ‘So is this a good time to tell you that I’m going wedding-dress shopping next week?’ She poked out her tongue at his expression of mock horror and slipped off her heels. ‘I’m starving. Shall we order something now or did you want to wait?’

  ‘I was being serious, you know.’ He wal
ked into the high-tech kitchen, picking up a handful of takeout menus from a pile on the work surface and spreading them on the dining table. ‘You really are the perfect girlfriend.’

  ‘Stop, or I’ll start blushing,’ Megan teased, noting that Michael was no longer jesting and looking at her with intensity.

  ‘I haven’t felt this way about a woman before. And even all of this joking around about marriage and babies.’ He took her hand in his and placed a small kiss on her forehead. ‘It wouldn’t be such a bad idea, you know – if it was with somebody like you.’

  Speechless, Megan shifted her eyes nervously, unsure how to react – for no man had ever made reference to the idea of a strong commitment with her. It wasn’t that she didn’t fancy Michael – there wasn’t anything not to fancy about him, and she certainly couldn’t have wished for anybody more understanding and fun. But she’d assumed they were taking it slowly…

  ‘Wow, that’s quite a declaration,’ she said carefully, searching his face and sensing his expectancy. ‘I don’t know what to say.’ She looked down at her hands, still embraced in his. ‘Except that I feel more comfortable and happy with you than I have with any other man.’ She met his eyes. ‘So wherever this leads, I’m open to going there.’

  ‘Well, that’s good enough for me,’ Michael said, stroking a stray strand of hair from her face and smiling. ‘What do you fancy then?’

  Unnerved, Megan looked at him. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Chinese, Indian, fish and chips….’ He shook his head at her tense expression and playfully slapped her bottom. ‘Remind me to never bring up the subject of marriage again. You’re worse than a fella!’