A New Adventure Every Day Pt. 05

"She's been listening to your story since you started it, Sam," explains Claire as Beth walks over to me, puts her arms around my neck and hugs me.

"Was all that really true, Sam?" she asks, quietly. "All that about Steve your husband and you stopping work because you were so sad?"

"Yes, Beth, it is."

"And about Meg falling in love with you, and you running in the rain and, and..."

"Yes, Beth," says Meg, "it's all true. Sam, you told that so... beautifully. I'm not sure that 'Meg' is neither a particularly magical or mysterious name, nor that I'm terrible wise!" she chuckles and then sucks her breath slightly as the tattooing makes itself felt.

"You were wise enough to know we should be together," I reply and she concedes the point.

"I think you're very wise, Meg," says Beth, "and you should write books, Sam. I loved listening to you telling your story."

I lean in and kiss Beth on the forehead, "You're very sweet Beth," I tell her. "Go on, you best get back the other side of the curtain." I've spent my working life with teenagers and I've really liked some and had to do my level best not to loathe a few but as Beth walks away I feel unexpected emotions. "Meg," I whisper, "have you I ever wondered about being a parent?"

"Sometimes yes but only as a dream; I mean there never was anyone serious enough in my life. Why?" she asks quietly, a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"Oh, no reason in particular..." I spoke without considering that, for Meg, a child might mean a great deal.

"Okay, Meg," Lillian interrupts, "I've finished the tattoo so no more pain... though Sam seems to have been doing a wonderful job distracting you." Lillian finishes cleaning the tattoo and I use Meg's phone to photograph it before the dressing is applied and Meg dresses, like me without her bra.

We give Beth the choice of where to eat and to our surprise she opts for Chinese rather than the pizza I expected. Before the food arrives Beth is asking to see our tattoos; we relent and show her the photographs on Meg's phone which then, of course, requires a translation. "That's so cool!" she exclaims, loudly enough for both her mums to tell her to be less noisy in the restaurant. "But it is cool," she insists, more quietly, "the way you're taking Sam's vow and promising to live it together." She looks round at all four adults smiling at her and blushes. "Well I think it's cool," she mutters.

We chat during the meal and I find my little tale has affected Claire and Lillian too; they have always been kind and friendly and even passionate towards me at Erica's gathering; now there is an added warmth and affection. Not bad for a story that was intended just to keep Meg's mind off the pain of the tattoo.

  CHAPTER 21 -- Reconnecting the Past

It is not a good night, for either of us; actually, it's a pretty miserable night. We were both so worried about the pain of being tattooed that we completely failed to consider the pain that followed.

We are in Meg's bed but end up both needing to take painkillers and, following some advice found on the Internet, think that an icepack could help. However, there is no ice and the only thing we can find is a single pack of frozen peas so we return to bed with the peas wrapped in a tea towel. With Meg on her back and me on my front we are able to wedge the peas between us and share their soothing coldness on our tattoos. Now that the painkillers are starting to cut in, and though we cannot sleep yet, we are a little less grumpy and can rest and chat, kiss and stroke each other.

Telling the fairy tale version of my story has another consequence as I realize as we talk: it has reminded me of Ruth and the other stalwart friends who supported me during those dark days and I say this to Meg.

"Do you want to tell them about us?" she asks, insightfully.

"Yes, I do. I feel I owe it to them to let them know how wonderfully it's all worked out." This makes Meg smile. "But... I don't know what to do. I can't just phone them or send them an email and just say that I met a woman and she's my girlfriend and lover... they'll think I've gone mad! Or worse, it'll be 'Oh, she's just on the rebound from the divorce and some woman's taken advantage of her when she's vulnerable and depressed,' like those two women in the shop thought I'd done to you."

"Okay... so do you want to visit them?"

"I need to see them face to face, certainly. Meg, I also want them to meet you; would you come with me?"

"Of course I will my darling! Do we get to see London?"

"Well, suburban Greater London; sorry, we wouldn't be walking past Trafalgar Square to see my friends, I'm afraid. Crystal Palace Park isn't too far away; that's the one with the Victorian life-sized models of dinosaurs in it, if you wanted to be a tourist."

"It's not being a tourist, really. I just want us to do things together. A picnic in that park would be nice, just the two of us, if there was time. We could stay overnight, couldn't we?"

"I'll need to contact Ruth first and see what I can sort out."

"How many people do you want to see?" Meg asks, yawning slightly. I look at the clock and it's nearly one in the morning.

"Well, Ruth and her husband Tom; Janet and Roy, they're another couple; Sally James, she was a colleague and friend from the school, and maybe Tina; she was originally an old friend of Steve's from his University days but she and I became good friends. The only trouble is that she'll probably tell Steve about us."

"Is that a bad thing? He'll probably find out eventually and at least you'd have some idea what Tina might say to him."

"That's very true. You're not just a beautiful face are you my love?"

"No, I'm also very sleepy and my tit is frozen from those peas! Shall we try and get some sleep?"

"We should," I agree as Meg evicts the packet of peas, tossing them onto the floor. "Night, night, darling."

"Sleep well, Sam darling," Meg replies, kissing me softly before rolling onto her side.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We are both a little tired the next morning but grateful that we did both manage some sleep eventually. We follow Lillian's tattoo aftercare instructions to the letter, carefully washing, drying and applying ointment. Meg applies a dressing and I help her into a tight tee shirt in place of her bra.

"Well, it's a good job you don't work in a secondary school," I tell her, "with the jiggle and bounce on those boobies without a bra and you'd have most of the lads drooling. A few of the girls too, I should think!"

"She slaps my arm playfully, "I am wearing a blouse over the top too," she retorts but she knows that I'm right. "You're lucky, you can stay topless all day, naked even. Just don't tell me while I'm at school, okay?" she warns and I agree. "At least the tattoo's not so bad this morning. It just feels a bit like a burn now: it's sore and stings but it's not really painful."

"Take some paracetamol with you for later and don't forget you ought to wash it and re-dress it at lunchtime."

"Yes, Mum!" she teases and I open my mouth to reply when she hastily adds, "No! I like you being so concerned and caring. God, I'm so in love with you, Sam."

"Same here. Come on, let me make a mess in your kitchen and get you some breakfast." Meg looks at me strangely.

"You don't mean scat for breakfast, do you? I don't think that's a good idea when we have to keep the tattoos clean and the time..."

I laugh. "No! I just meant that I'd cook you some scrambled egg and bacon; I wasn't thinking of scat on toast, although..." I smile as I feel my nipples telegraphing my arousal at the thought and when I look at Meg. I can see the same arousal through her shirt and blouse.

"Fuck, just thinking of eating scat on slices of toast is making me horny! Definitely something to try in the future, don't you think?" she asks, as she licks her lips.

"Absolutely, but you're right: not today, unfortunately."

I clear the breakfast things away after Meg leaves for school and I try to decide how to contact Ruth and what I'm going to say. The trouble is that Ruth seems to know instinctively what to say to make me spill all my innermost secrets and I don't want to do that over the phone. I wonder why I feel that so strongly? Then I realize what it is: I want to see her reaction and know what she, and my other old friends, really think about my going over to, what was it Lillian called it? Ah yes, the Dyke Side.

So it looks like email is the way to go to avoid spilling the beans; that just leaves how to explain Meg being with me... I mull it over as I head upstairs where I step into a skirt and slip on a blouse that I do not bother to button up. I make the bed and tidy up, retrieving the now thawed frozen peas, before picking up my clothes from yesterday. A few minutes later I pull Meg's front door closed and head along the lane towards my house. As I pass her gate I see Katie coming out of her door closely followed by Bex. "Morning," I call to them. I see a worried look cross Katie's face before she registers it's me but Bex just grins and waves.

"Sorry, Sam, you startled me," apologises Katie as she comes towards me.

"Your guilty look tells me what you two have been up to," I tease her. She looks worried and then smiles.

"Yes, okay," she confesses, "it's the first time Bex has stayed overnight. I thought now you and Meg are part of the group it would be safe for us to be together; you made me jump though. You do know that you're blouse is open don't you? And... no bra?"

"Oh!" exclaims Bex, "You and Meg were getting your tattoos yesterday weren't you? Can I see?"

"Okay," I say and hand Katie the clothes I'm carrying before turning and holding open the left side of my blouse.

"Cool! That looks really good; Lil's so clever," Bex says.

"It does look good," agrees Katie. "How's it feeling?"

"It's not too bad now," I reply, letting the blouse close, "but we were both bloody uncomfortable last night. We ended up sharing a pack of frozen peas as an icepack."

"So was that your adventure for yesterday? Share a pack of frozen peas." teases Katie.

"No! Getting the tattoo was yesterday's adventure. Sharing the frozen peas at one a.m. was today's adventure, obviously!" I respond, smiling.

"Good to get it out of the way early, I presume, then the rest of the day's your own," she jokes. This is a side of Katie I've not seen before, a much more fun side that I much prefer to the wry and slightly cynical façade she normally presents. She turns slightly and kisses Bex deeply before turning and handing me my clothes as she kisses me on the lips. "Right, sexy girls, I've got to go and meet a plumber about a broken toilet in the Village Hall. Try not to have more fun than me!" and she walks off with a wave.

"She was in a very happy mood this morning," I comment to Bex who grins cheekily.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun," she hesitates, "I think we're going to miss each other when I go off to Uni. Getting closer right now probably wasn't the smartest idea, was it?"

I shift the clothes in my arms. "Do you want to come over for a cup of tea -- no, hot chocolate, isn't it? -- so we can keep talking?" She happily agrees and we head into my house.

As I open the front door I see a folded piece of paper on the floor just inside. I step over it and place the clothes on the bottom step of the stairs before turning back and retrieving the piece of paper. Unfolding it I find it's a handwritten note:

Foxgloves. Highfield Road Frehurst

Monday 13th June

Ms Cummings,

Let me begin by profoundly apologising for what happened in the Village Store last Friday and my thoughtless and no doubt hurtful comments that I made. The fact that I was unaware that you were behind me is no excuse; I should have had the courage to stand up against Cathleen Jones' malicious gossiping. My conscience has been sorely troubled by what I said and I am ashamed that I joined in such an utterly un-Christian activity. Please, please forgive me.

I have spoken with Cathleen about what happened and tried to encourage her to apologise too -- I think it may be some time before she will talk to me again.

If you could find it in your heart to forgive me I would be delighted and I hope that you might agree to meet with me at some time so we might talk.

Yours sincerely,

Sue Williams

"Wow! That was unexpected," I mutter.

"What was?" asks Bex, trying to peek over my shoulder.

"This," I say, holding out the note. "Here, read it." Bex takes the paper and reads it quickly.

"Yeah, that's pretty wow," she agrees. "Sam, your comment must really have made an impact to make her feel so guilty. Will you meet with her?"

"I think I will; I'm intrigued by what she wants to talk about," I tell Bex, recalling the strange look she gave me as she left the store. "Anyway, I'm going to undress so feel free if you want to do the same, Bex." She gives a little whoop and begins pulling her top off as I lead her into the kitchen.

We sit at the kitchen table and chat. Bex is nervous about her A level results and about going to university. "Are you going to come out as gay at university?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, but I think so. That's part of the thing with Katie I'm worried about; I love her but, well, what if I meet someone at Uni, someone my own age?"

"I understand Bex and what you're worried about is perfectly natural. I've seen enough young people in relationships going off to university when I was teaching and, well, there weren't many relationships that lasted more than a term or two. Going away to university changes people, you know, so you need to talk to Katie before you go Bex. You should be telling her of your worries, not me."

"I guess... I don't want to hurt her, though."

"Bex, it'll hurt her more if you don't talk and then phone her from university saying you've met someone else." Bex nods.

"Can you say something to her? Tell her about relationships not lasting."

"No, not instead of you talking to Katie; talk to her first then you can tell her you've spoken to me and what I said. If Katie wants, I'll talk to her, okay? Bex, you're an adult now and it's your relationship so you need to be responsible and care for Katie."

"Okay, Sam," Bex says reluctantly then she gives me a slight smile. "You're still a teacher at heart aren't you?"

"Yes, I think I am," I admit. "I'm not trying to be hard on you, Bex; I just want you to be the best person you can be. So, another hot chocolate?"

"Yes please Sam. I will speak to Katie, I promise."

When Bex leaves after two hours I turn on my laptop and sit down to compose my email to Ruth. Despite my pride in my skills at English, it takes over an hour before I have an email I'm happy with.

To: Ruth Andrews [ruth_andrews @ qmail.net] From: Sam Cummings [sammygirlcumming @ yeeha.co.uk] Date: Tuesday, 14 June 2011 13:49 Subject: Greetings from Frehurst

My Dear Ruth,

First, let me ask whether you and the others are all well? I know that I have been lax in phoning any of you since my move to Frehurst, especially you, my dear friend, after all the support and encouragement that you have given me over the past year and a bit. I've said it before and say again: I honestly would not have survived without you, much less be in the happy state that I am now.

"So why the recent lack of communication?" I hear you ask. Quite simply so much has happened in the past two and a half weeks -- so much that I can scarcely believe that it has all occurred in so short a time! However, I fear that I must disappoint you, even annoy you, by not revealing all (nor indeed anything) that has happened. I am sorry to be so melodramatic but I just cannot talk about it in an email or on the phone.

Instead, I must ask a favour of you: I would like to comeback to London to visit you and Tom and the other valiant members of my team of support workers: Janet and Roy, Sally and Tina. Would that be possible one weekend soon?

I have a neighbour here, Meg, who has become a good friend and she may well come with me; I would enjoy her company on the journey and she would like the opportunity to visit London if that would be okay.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Lots of love,

Sam xxx

It is with considerable nervousness that I finally press Send and take a deep breath. I have now just to wait for Ruth to reply. I clean and tidy, I start preparing some food for dinner tonight by cutting up some chicken fillets but throughout I keep going back to check my email until finally, a little while before Meg is due home, Ruth replies:

To: Sam Cummings [sammygirlcumming @ yeeha.co.uk] From: Ruth Andrews [ruth_andrews @ qmail.net] Date: Tuesday, 14 June 2011 15:55 Subject: Re: Greetings from Frehurst

Samantha -- or should that be Sam or Sammy now?

How wonderful to hear from you; I have been wondering how you've been getting on since you made the move away. I had tried to contact you but your old Samantha Dowler email account seems to have been closed -- I figure that you've ditched "Dowler" and who can blame you? I see you have a new email address and I have to ask if you choose it deliberately because it's a bit rude! I know Cummings was never an easy surname but leaving the "s" off -- let me just say that it was most surprising coming from the Samantha I knew.

It sounds as if moving to your new home has been marvellous but why so mysterious? What has happened to you that you must meet us face to face? You have my mind all awhirl with speculation but fear not, I shall not discuss you with any of the others but will wait for you and your friend, Meg (should she choose to accompany you -- which I'm willing to bet she will) and what you choose to tell us.

As to your visit, well, fate seems to be smiling on you. Roy and Janet are coming over to us on Saturday for a meal and I know Sally was complaining yesterday that she had a dull weekend ahead so she should be free. I would need to call Tina but, yes, we would love to see you on Saturday. I'm not sure that we can manage a sit-down dinner for eight at our dining table but I'm sure that I can come up with something. Roy and Janet were coming over at 6pm but we could start earlier; I'm sure everyone will be keen to see you again.

Let me know if Saturday is good for you and I'll get organizing!

Lots of love from your intrigued and excited friend,

Ruth x x x

P.S. I'm sure if you're here on Saturday evening you won't want to be driving all the way home afterwards. We do have the spare room should you need it, just let me know.

I just finish reading as I hear Meg opening the front door. "Hi, honey, I'm home!" she calls out. I jump up from the computer and hurry through from the kitchen into the hall and grab her in a big hug. "I was going to say I was sorry I didn't ring," she says after we finish kissing, "but I'm sure you'd have dropped in a mention of being in the nude so maybe it was a good thing I didn't; at least my knickers aren't squelching this evening!"

"I might also have mentioned that Bex was in here naked this morning while we were chatting." I tell her as we head into the kitchen.

"You little tease! What were you chatting about?" she asks as she begins to strip, dropping clothes onto a chair.

"She spent the night with Katie for the first time last night, so it looks like they're getting more serious as a couple. However, she's worried about going to university and meeting someone else. I think she'd like a relationship with someone more her own age."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her she ought to talk to Katie rather than me and that she was an adult and she needed to be responsible for her relationships with others."