by S M Mala
‘I don’t need any more food.’
Her father had popped to her home on Boxing Day morning to give her left overs. ‘This is too much. Freeze it.’
‘The pakora and all the other goodies went quickly. I’ve got so much chickpea curry it will be making the house take off into the air, given the gas it gives me.’
‘Why eat it?’ she asked, putting the plastic containers into her fridge. ‘Go back to eating meat.’
‘I am a vegetarian. It is good for my soul and heart.’
‘But not your digestion?’ She laughed and examined her dad closely. ‘Did you drink any alcohol last night?’
‘There was none.’ There was a sly expression. ‘Okay, okay, you’ve got me. I had a couple. I did realise everyone was getting drunk, especially when Belinda took off her top and started dancing on the sofa. I didn’t know where to look when she flashed her sequined bra.’
‘Hopefully not at her bazookas or they would have knocked out your eye.’
Bea started to laugh. She had got away in time from the ensuing chaos.
‘And what are you doing today?’ he asked, starting to frown as she stood in her night dress with a long sleeved top slung over. ‘You’re not dressed.’
‘I’m going to do nothing all day long. Just eat, drink and watch television while hanging out in my night clothes. That’s all I want to do.’ She then remembered the dress hanging from the wardrobe. ‘Daddy and talking about dresses.’
‘I wasn’t.’
‘I saw a dress in your bedroom that doesn’t belong to mummy. Whose is it?’
‘Pardon?’ he replied and went red. ‘What were you doing in my room?’
‘Just passing.’ Bea wondered why he was being cagey. ‘Have you met someone?’
‘No, I have not!’ he said, looking pissed off with the comment. ‘I want no-one else. I’m not cavorting about.’
‘So explain the dress. Actually dresses. I opened the wardrobe and there were some other ones.’
‘You shouldn’t snoop!’ he said, waving a finger at her. ‘I don’t snoop in your home.’
‘I haven’t got anything worth snooping at!’ She started to laugh. ‘Are you sure you’re not entertaining someone?’
‘I bought the dresses to donate to a fund raiser,’ he replied, scowling hard at her. ‘I gave all mummy’s clothes away so thought it would be a good thing.’ Bernie then took a deep breath. ‘I’m a very charitable person.’
‘I know you are. You donate gallons of curry to your only child.’ She placed her hand on her heart. ‘I’m touched by your kindness.’
‘Do you want to come with me and meet my friends? It might be good for you,’ he said in all seriousness. ‘They’re helping me to get over the grief of losing your mother.’
‘I find food and drink help me.’
‘Beatrice.’ He only ever called her that when he wanted to say something serious. Stepping closer, she waited to see what was going to come out of his mouth. ‘You will find a man who will love and care for you. There’s no rush. I want you to be happy. Kismet will intervene. It will be God’s will.’
‘Don’t talk such rubbish.’
‘It’s inevitable.’ Then he cleared his throat. ‘Maybe a nice Indian boy?’
‘Seriously, I asked you not to talk rubbish. And when did you want me to go with an Indian boy?’
‘Your white ones haven’t worked out, have they,’ Bernie replied, turning up his nose. ‘It could be a time to try something different.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. ‘But whoever it is, it’s just going to take some time to find them.’
‘Take as long as you want. I don’t see why young people have to rush into all this relationship thing. Enjoy your life.’ Then he frowned. ‘Respectfully.’
‘And when haven’t I?’
Watching him walk down the stairs and out the front door, she looked at the clock. It was coming up to lunch. Unsure what to do with all the vegetable curry, she decided to start eating through it before condemning it to the freezer for emergency supplies.
As she started to wash some rice, her buzzer went and she realised her father was now turning up with more food. She ran to the door and let him in while trying to dry her hands.
‘Seriously, I really don’t have enough space in my home!’ she shouted out.
‘Not even for me.’
The voice made her heart stop as she looked down the stairs.
Mylo was smiling up at her.
Bea ran and jumped into his arms, nearly knocking him backwards.
Finding his mouth, she planted a very long kiss on his lips before breaking through and feeling his tongue. Then she slowly pulled away and removed his woolly hat so she could see his eyes.
‘This is the best surprise, ever!’ she said, frantically kissing his face. ‘I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.’
‘I needed to see you.’
She noticed his bags were in the corridor. He must have come straight from the airport.
Mylo put her down as she unbuttoned his coat and hung it up. He kicked off his shoes and they both smiled before she took his hand and led him up to her flat.
Within seconds, he had embraced her with another passionate kiss and was now pushing up her nightdress.
Bea yanked off all his clothes until he was in his boxers then grabbed what was inside, which was very perky and hard. Mylo pushed her back onto the bed, pushing down her nightdress to he could grapple with her breasts.
Then she felt him squeeze her backside while receiving the shock of him delving inside her, making Bea gasp.
Mylo looked at her and smiled, as she pulled him in as deep as she could, bending her knees as far back as possible.
Her panting was extremely loud as his breathing got heavier.
Their mouths were locked and she felt his tongue dance with hers. His hand went down and he was rubbing her off at the same time, wanting her to come.
Within a matter of moments, Bea had to part from his lips just to catch her breath.
The orgasm was intense.
She felt her insides contract and explode, all at once while his hips were pumping away.
He let out a long groan before shuddering and looked straight into her eyes as he came.
It was the sexiest thing she had ever witnessed him do.
Even that made her have a little orgasm, as she felt her fanny throb from excitement.
‘Merry Christmas,’ he eventually said, breaking into a wide smile.
‘Merry Christmas,’ Bea sighed and kissed his face as he propped himself on his elbow, trying to catch his breath.
‘My mother is probably going to call me about a hundred times today. I told her that I had to get back due to urgent business but she didn’t believe me. I didn’t want to tell her I needed to get back to the woman of my dreams with the bad leg.’
That’s when she realised, even if he was bullshitting her, Bea didn’t care.
It was blatantly obvious to her that she had fallen in love with Dr Mylo Kearney far more quickly than she could have ever realised.
And it felt good.
‘Nice curry.’
Mylo was lying on the sofa, eating her father’s left over Christmas feast as Bea looked at him in awe, from the other end. Even in her oversized dark blue dressing gown with the hood down, he was amazing. ‘Did your dad make this?’
‘No, it was one of my aunts. I inherited my dad’s lack of cooking skills.’
He grinned in response and carried on eating.
‘It’s very good to see you,’ she said, looking at his perfect feet on her lap. ‘Are you rushing off or sticking around?’
Again, his response was to smile while slowly chewing.
‘What do you think?’ he eventually replied, taking a sip of water.
‘Sticking around and staying very close to me.’
‘Exactly!’
He finished what he was eating and put
the plate to the side, wiping his mouth with a napkin before staring at her.
‘Bea, there are lots of things about me you need to know but I’ll tell you slowly.’ He glanced away. ‘Whatever I say, I’m going to make sure it’s the right time.’
‘Okay?’ she replied and wondered what had been so complex in his life.
‘I won’t cheat or let you down. And I mean it, I just don’t say it. My dad cheated on my mum and that’s when I lost my faith in relationships. She was really crushed. Both my brother and I took it badly but dad was following his heart. I went off the rails and made some unusual decisions, which I don’t regret but will never be repeated.’ Mylo looked a little unhappy. ‘And don’t judge me on any of it. That’s the last thing I want.’
‘I’m not like that. I don’t judge.’
‘You know, people say one thing at the beginning of a relationship when they mean something else. How can you tell what someone really wants?’
‘You don’t.’ Then she pondered. ‘If we’re trying to be honest you need to know I rent this place, like I said, but I owned a place of my own for a long time. When I split with Simeon I didn’t want to stay there. It reminded me of being upset and worried about my mummy and my life. I sold it and put the money away.’
‘Why didn’t you want to buy another place?’
Bea grimaced, knowing the honest answer was pretty harsh.
‘My dad thought I would move back home and live with him. He said when he died, I was going to get the house anyway and it would save time. That daddy of mine really doesn’t want me to be in a rush to find a man.’ Swinging his feet off her lap, Mylo moved closer. ‘I can’t introduce you to him until I’m really sure. My mum was always happy when I found someone. Daddy never was and he has been proven right.’
‘I’ll prove him wrong.’ He nuzzled into her neck. ‘You’re a kind and loving person. I mean, who still calls their father ‘daddy’?’ Mylo started to laugh as she smiled. ‘And you still miss your mother. Your second fiancé walked away when you probably needed him the most.’
‘Why hold onto something that’s not right.’
‘I totally agree.’
‘It’s best to be alone.’
‘No, it’s not.’ Mylo stroked her cheek. ‘Because when you find someone you really like and you know it’s special, there’s no point being by yourself is there?’
‘That’s not a good enough reason.’
Bea had returned to school for two days and already something had kicked off with Chloe. ‘She did it in holiday time.’
‘But drugs are not acceptable,’ Mr Mandelson said, looking gravely at her. ‘She needs help.’
‘You know it’s her home life. This is her calling out for help.’
‘Chloe was with two seventeen-year old boys when the car got stopped.’
Holding her breath, she knew Chloe was on a self-destructive path but didn’t want her boss to see how shocked she was on finding out the news.
‘She’s fifteen-years old!’ he said, getting upset. ‘Who knows what she got up to?’
‘I can hazard a guess,’ Bea mumbled under her breath. ‘And what does her mother say about this?’
‘She says Chloe’s finding herself.’
‘Of course Mrs Dewhurst isn’t helping things if she finds her daughter dead in a ditch!’ she replied loudly. ‘Can’t she see Chloe is vying for her attention?’ Bea threw herself onto the chair. ‘I’m not letting you exclude her because of this. She’s a sweet girl.’
‘Who is into sex, drugs and whatever the new thing these children do now.’
‘She wasn’t arrested, only cautioned.’ Bea rubbed her forehead. ‘Can’t you remember being a teenager?’
‘I know you’re trying to do your best. I appreciate everything you turn your hand to but Chloe is a lost cause.’
‘I disagree. She needs a friend, that’s all.’
An hour later, with Chloe Dewhurst in her office, what the child needed was a hefty kick up the arse.
‘It’s not as if I don’t know them,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘They had the gear, not me.’
‘And what were you going to do for these boys in payment for the drugs?’
‘I wasn’t going to shag them.’
Even hearing Chloe say it out loud made Bea shudder with worry.
‘What if it got nasty and they wanted to? Wanted to take liberties and you started to object. Do you think you could have fought them off?’
‘They’re not-.’
‘Chloe, you put yourself in danger. How stupid was that?’
‘I did know them. I don’t need to take this shit from you or anyone!’ she yelled, getting to her feet. ‘I’ll do it again and I don’t care!’
‘Sit,’ Bea said calmly. Internally she was raging mad with the teenager. ‘And I mean now.’
‘Why should-.’
‘You get excluded from school for good and that’s it! You’re gone and your mother will send you off to boarding school. All this picking up boys and smoking weed will end. The freedom you so lovingly talk about will be a thing of the past. Then what? You run away, get hauled in and then you’re off again. If you love your father, who I know is sick with worry, then you’ll park your bloody arse on that chair!’
Even she could see Chloe looked shocked.
Composing herself, she held tightly onto her pen.
‘You’re too precious and equally too smart to end up on a slab in the morgue,’ Bea said, staring straight at her. ‘Whatever you’re doing, only you will get hurt, no-one else. Please call or email me if you’re feeling down. I worry, you see.’
‘You’re not my mother,’ came the surly reply. ‘But she doesn’t give a shit about me. I hardly saw her over Christmas. I might as well run away! I hate her!’
Seeing Chloe was on the verge of a meltdown, she hugged the young girl tightly, feeling the vibration of the sob against her shoulder.
‘Oh, don’t cry,’ she whispered, stroking Chloe’s hair. ‘It will get better.’
‘Nothing will change.’
‘Don’t take drugs or get into situations where you can get hurt. I know you think you’re grown up but you’re a child.’ Bea held her breath. ‘And it’s illegal for them to even lay a finger on you. Did you tell these boys you were only fifteen?’ She shook her head from side to side as Bea handed her a tissue. ‘Please Chloe, for me? I don’t want to come in one day and hear something bad has happened to you. It’d break my heart.’
‘You’re the only one that cares about me,’ she replied, trying to catch her breath. ‘If I died, everyone would be happy.’
‘Never say that.’
‘But it’s true.’
‘It’s what you think right now because it’s how you feel. Chloe, so many people care about you. You only have one life, one chance. I won’t allow you to throw it away.’ Sitting back in her seat, Bea had an idea. ‘I am going to make sure that I stick with you for the remainder of the school year. You need a friend. I’m it, unfortunately.’
‘And I hate Bruno.’
‘I thought that was over as he’s seeing Tyler again.’
‘He says he really likes me but I don’t believe him. Everyone lies, do you know that?’
‘Not everyone.’
‘Sometimes Bea, I think you’re far too naive for an older woman. You think good when we know there’s bad everywhere.’ Chloe started to laugh through her tears. ‘Are you still off men who have an ‘O’ at the end of their name.’
‘Only if they make me go ‘Oh’,’ giggled Bea. ‘Then I forgive them.’ She let out a sigh. ‘I will help you but Mr Mandelson doesn’t want me to, so you need to do what I say. Please, no more trouble in or out of school.’
‘I know.’ Chloe wiped her face. ‘Everything winds me up.’
‘Don’t let it. Just go with the flow.’
When Bea stood up, she felt the sciatica pain and remembered she had an appointment with her adorable lover.
‘Are yo
u all right, miss?’ Chloe asked, standing up. ‘You look in pain.’
‘As an older woman, it does happen from time to time but I’m going to see a man who will make me go ‘Oh’ when he tries to sort it out.’
‘That hurt!’
Bea was on the treatment table, on her side, and Mylo was bending her leg. ‘And you smiled when you did it.’
‘What did you do? You were fine this morning.’
‘Dunno.’
‘Do you want me to moan at you?’
‘Only when you’re wriggling in bed.’ Bea touched his arm. ‘I like that very much. My leg never hurts when we’re fooling around.’
‘That’s because you have other things on your mind.’ Mylo laughed. ‘You’ve had it for a long time and that means there won’t be an overnight cure.’
Watching him massage and avoiding eye contact, she lay there thinking about Chloe and what she could do.
The child was a nightmare but so was her situation.
Sticking her neck out for the reluctant teenager might just backfire.
Not taking any notice of what Mylo was doing and now on her back, she looked up at the ceiling and wondered how Chloe could be so unhappy and equally react in an irresponsible manner.
The kiss surprised her.
Mylo was looking down with a quizzical smile.
‘We’ve been together for a fortnight today and it feels like five minutes and forever.’ He stroked her arm. ‘Which is good.’
His eyes glistened with happiness. The smile was bright as it was kind.
‘I think I’m falling under your spell,’ she whispered, knowing it was saying too much when she wanted to keep things close to her chest. ‘I can’t explain. It’s probably lust.’
‘Or something more.’
‘If it is something more, then I have to make sure it’s mutual and not in the heat of the moment. The last thing I want is to be crushed.’
‘I’d never do that,’ he said, leaning closer to her face. ‘You should know that.’
‘I’m worried, that’s all.’
He helped her to sit up as he sat beside her, taking her hand in his.
‘You shouldn’t worry, just trust me to look after your heart and soul.’ Mylo kissed her forehead. ‘Because my head is spinning based on what I think about you. I know they call this the honeymoon period but I think there’s much more to it.’
