Schemer

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘But that’s ages away. Please don’t go, Barry. Can’t you live back in Bethnal Green or with your sister and her bloke? I’m frightened if you go you’ll meet someone else and I’ll never see you again,’ Steph sobbed.

  ‘The only other option I’ve got is to run away, Steph, but apart from dossing on a mate’s sofa round ’ere or in Bethnal Green, I ain’t gonna be able to afford or get a proper place to live. My muvver can be a right bitch and I know she’ll tell social services I’ve done a runner. Then, I’ll get put in one of them fucking kids’ homes with all the waifs and strays of the world. Trust me, babe, if there was any other way out of this, I’d have thought of it by now. There ain’t, so I might as well save up the oner a week that Jake’s gonna pay me for our future together. Eighteen months ain’t the end of the world and I’ll be back before you know it. Look on the bright side, at least you can concentrate on your exams while I’m gone, eh?’ Barry said, kissing Steph lovingly on the forehead.

  ‘So, when will you be going?’

  ‘Next week, I think. I’ll write to you every single day and I can ring you at weekends and stuff. If I work hard, me mum might even let me come home to visit you as well. I’m sure Jacko can sort it so I can stay at his for a week or whatever at a time.’

  Stephanie felt as though her heart had just been sliced in two. Barry was her first true love and now, after an extremely short but happy romance, he was about to be cruelly snatched away from her.

  Barry tilted Steph’s chin towards him so he could look her in the eyes. ‘I need to ask you something and you must be truthful with me.’

  Biting her lip to stop it wobbling like a distressed child’s, Stephanie nodded.

  ‘Swear on your life that you’ll wait for me, Steph.’

  ‘Cross my heart and hope to die, but you must swear to me that you’ll never go out with any other girls,’ Steph croaked.

  Barry wasn’t the tearful type. His mother had brought him up to be tough; even from a very early age, he had forced himself not to cry because of the good hiding he received in return on the odd occasions he had. For once, though, Barry could not suppress his emotions. Staring at Steph, he wiped his tears away with the cuff of his jacket. ‘I swear to you, Steph, that I will wait for you. I love you, girl, and I always will.’

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The days leading up to Barry’s departure were very emotional for Stephanie. Every spare second she had, she spent with her boyfriend, but even though they did some fun things together, there was always a tinge of sadness in the air.

  ‘So, when’s lover boy leaving? Has his flight been booked yet?’ Angela asked.

  ‘He’s flying out on Monday morning. I dunno what I’m gonna do, Ange. I love him so much,’ Steph replied, her eyes welling up, as they regularly seemed to lately.

  Angela smirked. She was thrilled that Barry was emigrating. In her eyes, he was far too much of a catch to be with Steph. Even though she had Jason, Barry’s generosity towards her sister, and the way he looked at her so adoringly, always made Angela want to vomit. ‘You’ll meet someone else, you know. There are plenty of good-looking boys out there.’

  Stephanie looked at Angela in horror. She probably didn’t mean to be so bloody infuriating, but she really was at times. ‘I don’t want no one else, Ange. I’m waiting for Barry and he’s gonna wait for me.’

  ‘Have you done it with him yet?’ Angela asked, nosily.

  ‘No. I really do fancy him, but I’m scared of doing it.’

  ‘Don’t be scared. I’ve done it with Jason and it’s brill. He’s better at it than Jacko was.’

  ‘You shouldn’t be sleeping with lots of boys at your age, Ange. You don’t wanna get a bad name for yourself.’

  ‘I haven’t slept with lots. I’ve only done it with two. You should stop being a prude and try it, Steph. It’s well good, but don’t be surprised if you don’t like it the first time, ’cause I didn’t. It hurt.’

  Stephanie digested her sister’s words, but said no more on the subject. Unbeknown to her family, she had arranged to spend the night with Barry. His mum and Jake were holding a big leaving bash over in South London this evening, and they and Barry’s sister were all staying in a hotel and wouldn’t be home until tomorrow. As luck would have it, Tammy’s parents were also away for the weekend. Steph had begged her mum to let her stay over at her friend’s house, and had promised that Tammy’s older sister would be there to keep an eye on them. Pam had been suspicious at first and had wanted to know the ins and outs of a duck’s arse, but after learning that Tammy’s sister’s boyfriend was a policeman, and believing Steph’s lie that Barry would be at the leaving party with his mother, Pam had allowed her to go ahead.

  ‘Right, I’m off now,’ Steph said to Angela, as she zipped up her overnight bag.

  ‘You ain’t really staying round Tam’s, are you?’

  Stephanie loved her little sister, but knew deep down she could never truly trust her. ‘Yes I am! What makes you say that?’

  ‘Because I saw Barry’s mum and her boyfriend leave earlier. His sister and that Indian boyfriend of hers were with ’em an’ all, but your Barry weren’t.’

  ‘Barry’s been to work. He’s meeting his mum at the party later,’ Steph replied, producing the only viable excuse she could think of.

  Angela laughed out loud. Steph was lying, she had it written all over her bright red face. ‘You just enjoy yourself, and don’t worry about Mum. She was still at work when they all went out earlier and I won’t say nothing to her, I promise.’

  ‘You’d better bloody not,’ Steph said, glaring at her sister.

  ‘I won’t!’ Angela said, honestly. Had circumstances been different, she would have been tempted to grass Stephanie up but, seeing as her sister’s relationship was all but over anyway, there was little point in doing so.

  Barry sighed wistfully as he put the two fillet steaks into his mother’s battered-looking old frying pan. He’d worked his last shift at Roman Road Market today, and his boss had handed him a fifty-pound note as he’d left. ‘You’re a good lad, Bal. Definitely the most reliable I’ve ever had working for me. If and when you come back from Spain, they’ll always be a job here waiting for you,’ Steve had told him.

  Barry checked that the steak was sizzling nicely, then washed the salad. He had quite a flair for cooking, due to his mother’s inability to do so, and even though he would never admit it to anyone, in case it spoiled his street cred, he rather enjoyed it. He looked at his watch. He was meeting Steph at the corner of the road at seven and they would then do a bit of garden hopping for the very last time. He couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms all night long, and had even changed his sheets so that the bed smelt nice and fresh. If tonight was the night when he and Steph made love for the very first time, he wanted everything to be as perfect as it possibly could be.

  Pam and Cath were tucking into a plate of Scotch eggs when Linda walked into the lounge wearing an old tracksuit.

  ‘Ain’t you going out tonight?’ Pam asked in surprise. It was unheard of for Lin to sit indoors on a Saturday evening, and Pam’s first thought was that her sister must be ill.

  ‘Nah, I don’t fancy it. I thought I might just stay at home and have a drink with yous two.’

  ‘Don’t you feel well?’ Pam asked, concerned.

  ‘I feel fine. I’m just gonna shoot round the offie and get some lagers. Do yous two want anything?’ Lin asked.

  ‘Get us another bottle of Liebfraumilch and some of them Twiglets,’ Cathy said, handing Lin a five-pound note.

  ‘And get me one of them Double Decker bars,’ Pam yelled out, as Lin shut the front door.

  ‘Do you reckon she’s ill?’ Cathy asked her pal.

  ‘Nah, she ain’t ill, but I’ll bet you a pound to a piece of shit she’s done something wrong.’

  Stephanie Crouch felt like the Queen as she wiped her mouth with the serviette Barry handed her. Her boyfriend had treated her to a slap-up three-course meal
and had laid the table like they did in posh restaurants. They had eaten Heinz tomato soup with crusty rolls for starters, fillet steak and salad for main and chocolate mousse for their dessert. They had also shared a bottle of fizzy white wine and Stephanie felt extremely grown-up as Barry topped her glass up again.

  ‘Ain’t it romantic, Bal, sitting ’ere like this? The meal was so lovely. I ain’t no good at cooking and wouldn’t have a clue how to do the steak like you did it.’

  Barry laughed. ‘When we move in together, I’ll teach you how to cook properly. Then we can take it in turns. You can cook one day and I’ll cook the next.’

  Stephanie smiled sadly. ‘I so wish you weren’t going to Spain, and it ain’t eighteen months till you come back, it’s eighteen months, three weeks and two days. I worked it out in bed last night.’

  Barry stood up and urged his girlfriend to do the same thing. He kissed her passionately and let out a groan as his penis began to harden. ‘Shall we go upstairs, have a lie-down on the bed and play some records?’ he asked.

  Stephanie stared into Barry’s doleful brown eyes and ran her fingers through his thick dark hair. He looked irresistible today in his navy Sergio Tacchini tracksuit and she knew the girls would be all over him like a rash in Spain. Steph held Barry’s hand and, without saying a word to him, she led him up the stairs.

  As Pam had predicted earlier, Linda’s tongue started to loosen by the time she had drunk beer number three. Christmas was less than eight weeks away, and as Pam and Cathy discussed who would cook what this year, Linda butted into the conversation. ‘Had a bit of agg in the Trades last night, I did,’ she said, cockily.

  Giving Cathy an ‘I told you so’ glance, Pam turned towards her younger sister. ‘You didn’t get yourself nicked again, did you?’

  Linda shook her head. ‘Nah, nothing like that.’

  ‘Spit it out then. What you done now?’

  ‘I had a row with the treasurer. He said I was pissed, but I weren’t, I swear I weren’t. So I abused him and he barred me.’

  ‘What? Barred you for good?’ Pam asked, hopefully.

  ‘I dunno if I’m barred for life yet. My mate Sue’s brother is on the committee, so he’s gonna have a word in the week, see if he can sort it out for me.’

  ‘So, what did you say to upset the treasurer then?’ Cathy asked Linda.

  ‘I can’t remember exactly, but I think I called him an old cunt.’

  Pam looked at her sister in horror. She hated the C-word. ‘You can’t go round calling people terrible words like that, Lin. No wonder the poor man barred you.’

  When Cathy burst out laughing, Pam glared at her friend. ‘Don’t encourage her, Cath. I mean it.’

  Slurping her lager out of the can, Linda began to giggle. ‘I only told the truth, he is an old cunt.’

  Stephanie was incredibly nervous as Barry unclipped her bra under the quilt cover. He had touched her breasts before, but he had never actually seen them in the flesh. ‘You’re so beautiful, babe,’ Barry groaned, as he put his mouth around her right nipple.

  Stephanie winced. The last boy Tammy had got off with had sucked her nipples and she had said it was great. Steph disagreed. Barry seemed to be sucking hers too hard and, instead of feeling any pleasure, all she felt was pain.

  Even though they had been going out for over a month now, nothing sexual had taken place between them, and as Barry wriggled out of his Y-fronts and put Steph’s hand on his rock-hard penis, Stephanie felt her whole body freeze. She had never seen or touched a willy in her life before, and not knowing what she was meant to do with it, she decided to squeeze it and hope for the best.

  ‘Nah, don’t do that, babe,’ Barry said, grabbing her hand. He threw the quilt to one side and began wanking himself off. ‘Do it the way I’m doing it,’ he urged her.

  Looking at Barry’s penis standing upright, Stephanie glanced at her naked breasts and began to freak out. This was all too much too soon. Not only did she feel stupid because she obviously didn’t have a clue what she was doing, she also felt way out of her depth. When she pulled the quilt back over herself and burst into tears, Barry stopped masturbating and put a comforting arm around her. ‘What’s a matter, babe? We don’t have to do nothing if you don’t want to, you know.’

  Not wanting to admit that all she knew about sex was what she had learned from idle schoolgirl gossip and graffiti on toilet walls, Stephanie thought of the best excuse she could. ‘I can’t do it, Barry. I would if you weren’t going away to Spain, but I think if we do it, it’s gonna make me miss you even more. You don’t mind, do you? Can we just get dressed and have a cuddle?’ Stephanie wept.

  Barry had never felt so frustrated before in his life. He wanted Steph badly, but he would never force himself upon her, even though a small part of him wanted to. ‘You get dressed, go downstairs and pour us both a drink, babe. There’s beers and cider in the fridge,’ he said, sensibly.

  ‘Ain’t you coming downstairs as well?’ Stephanie was worried her naivety might have put him off her and that he might have second thoughts about their relationship continuing.

  Not wanting to admit that he needed to finish off masturbating, Barry smiled. ‘I’ll be down in a minute and I’ve gotta nice surprise for you. You go pour the drinks and I’ll see you down there in a tick.’

  Stephanie felt incredibly stupid as she awkwardly chucked her clothes on and ran down the stairs. Her thirteen-year-old sister wasn’t frightened of having sex, so why was she? Perhaps she had something wrong with her and she would die a bloody virgin.

  Barry thought of Steph’s breasts as he shut his eyes and brought himself to an orgasm. He really wanted to take the memory of their first sexual encounter to Spain with him to give him something to think about in the long dreary months ahead, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen now. In a way he was quite pleased that Steph seemed so prudish, as if she had turned out to be a nymphomaniac, he would have had far more to worry about in his absence.

  Wiping the evidence of his little activity off his sheets with a piece of toilet roll, Barry put his tracksuit back on and took the two little black velvet boxes out of his bedside drawer. He had spent forty out of the fifty pounds that Steve had given him on this little gesture, and he really hoped Steph liked it.

  Stephanie was sitting on the sofa feeling guilty and dreadfully sorry for herself when Barry walked in the room. She took a large gulp of cider and handed Barry a can of lager. ‘I’m really sorry, Bal. You ain’t got the hump with me, have you?’

  Barry knelt down in front of Steph and placed one of the velvet boxes into her right hand. ‘I could never have the hump with you. Now open that.’

  Stephanie gasped with glee. ‘Oh it’s lovely. What is it? Is it a locket?’

  Barry shook his head and snapped open the other box he was holding. He took the gold pendant out and placed it next to Steph’s. ‘See what it is now?’

  ‘It’s a gold heart!’ Stephanie exclaimed.

  ‘It’s a heart broken in two pieces, but when you join ’em up they fit together. I’m gonna wear mine every day in Spain to remind me of you, and I want you to do the same in England. It’s like a broken heart, ain’t it? And that’s what ours will be while we’re apart. But every time you feel sad, I want you to remember that when I get home, that heart will fit together again, forever.’

  ‘Oh Barry, that’s so romantic.’

  Barry took the pendant from Stephanie’s hands and did the clasp up around her neck. ‘You’ll never be able to forget about me now, babe, will you?’

  Stephanie let out a tortured sob. ‘I will never forget you, Barry, not ever.’

  At six a.m. on the Monday morning, Stephanie was glued to the bedroom window as Barry helped Jake carry the suitcases out to the waiting taxi.

  ‘Please come down and say goodbye properly,’ Barry shouted up to her.

  Totally distraught, Stephanie shook her head and sobbed like a baby. Her tortured breathing was steaming up the glass window
and she rubbed it with the sleeve of her dressing gown just to get one last proper look at the boy she adored so very much.

  ‘Pull yourself together and go down and say goodbye, Steph,’ Angie urged her. She was rather enjoying her sister’s heartbreak and wanted to watch Steph mug herself off in full view of the street.

  ‘I can’t make myself look a fool – and I’ve got my pyjamas on,’ Stephanie cried.

  Angela leapt out of bed and handed Stephanie her black Puffa jacket. ‘Quick, you’ll regret it if you don’t.’

  About to take her sister’s advice, Stephanie saw Marlene walk out of the house dressed in a long fur coat. ‘Get in the cab, you soppy little bastard,’ she shouted at Barry.

  Fingering the piece of gold heart around her neck, Steph opened the window. ‘I love you, Bal,’ she yelled.

  Barry smiled at her. ‘And I love you too. I’ll write to you as soon as I get there, and I’ll bell you at the weekend at the time we agreed.’

  As Marlene clouted Barry around the head, then glared at her, Stephanie quickly shut the window. When the taxi driver started the engine, Barry glanced up one last time and waved. Holding her pendant tightly in her left hand, Steph waved back with her right. Seconds later, the love of her life was gone.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  In the days that followed Barry’s going away, Stephanie was in absolute pieces. She couldn’t eat properly, was barely sleeping, kept bursting into tears in her classroom, and spent hours sitting on the stairs waiting for the postman to deliver his mail. She also turned fifteen and had the worst birthday ever.

  ‘You’ve gotta snap out of this, Steph. You’re making yourself ill and you’re making me ill with worry at the same time,’ Pam informed her daughter, as her face crumpled once again when the postman arrived and there was still no letter from Barry.

  ‘I can’t relax until I’ve heard from him, Mum. Say the plane crashed or something? He promised he’d write to me everyday, but I ain’t heard a word yet. Say he’s met another girl and forgotten all about me already?’ Stephanie wept.