Emily Taylor - The Teenage Mum by Vi Grim Read Free Book Online Page A

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scooters came to Camillo. The place is familiar; I get a feeling
of déjà vue, like I've been here before.
I look at Azziz. Seeing my
puzzled expression he simply says, 'Star Wars.'
That's it, the frontier town
with the rough bar.
'Shall we go to Chalmun's, the
spaceport cantina?' asks Azziz.
'No,' I say bluntly, 'I don't
want a misadventure today, I just want out of here.'
'In a moment,' says Azziz. 'I
came here so you can see that Zwingly is a tough asteroid. The
misfits of the universe tend to hang out here. You need to be
careful. There's some lovely people, I hang out here lots. But be
careful, you can easily get your fingers burned.'
'Did they film Star Wars here?'
I ask.
    'It
saved a fortune in production
costs and casting,' says Azziz, giving me a wink. 'The biggest
problem was security to protect the crew.' He offers me his hand;
not a moment too soon either, I'm happy to be out of
here.
     
We arrive on a white tropical
beach. The pinkish white sand is lovely and soft between my toes.
Ghost crabs scurry up and down the beach, playing tag with the
gentle waves. Palm leaves rattle in the wind and, looking up, I see
frigate birds hovering effortlessly high above, silhouetted against
the puffy clouds.
This is more like it.
The screech of feedback from a
speaker makes me jump, then a familiar reggae beat starts up from a
bright orange beach bar just along the beach. 'No woman, no cry,'
blasts out from the sound system.
'Great,' says Azziz, who has
changed to human form. He has a neatly trimmed growth of stubble on
his chin, and wearing white trousers and an expensive aqua blue
linen shirt, he looks like a millionaire playboy. 'Bob's playing,
there'll be a good crowd today,' he says, and we splash along the
beach still holding hands.
The beach bar is very basic
with rough wooden seats and a stone floor but is bright and
cheerful and oozes good vibes. All of the tables are taken, and
there's people dancing on the beach.
     
There's a couple of burly
security guards sitting in the shade, polishing their weapons. They
look familiar. They are familiar! It’s Sarge and Clutch from
Abdullah's seedy penthouse. I surprise them by giving them a big
hug. It’s so neat to see them. They're as happy to see someone
familiar as I am. I like them but do wonder what virtues they have
which warranted Zeus bringing them up here. Maybe he just needed a
couple of tough guys. I buy them a beer and myself a coke and we
chat in Arabic. They're happy up here. It's paradise for them, just
as Allah had promised. They do the same job they have always done,
acting as bouncers and bodyguards but they get to do it on Zwingly;
there's lots of sunshine, beautiful people and plenty of
action!
     
A good looking guy wearing a
worn leather jacket, jeans and shades comes and asks me to dance.
There's something of a rebel in him. He's hot! He's a good dancer
too and spins me around like a feather.
'What's your name?' he asks,
when we pause to catch our breath.
'Emily,' I answer shyly.
'Emily, what a lovely name. Is
it okay if I call you Em?'
'That's fine,' I stammer,
feeling all hot and flushed.
'I haven't seen you before,
you're new.'
'I'm just here for a singing
lesson. Do you know where Janice lives?'
'Of course, she lives down the
beach. I'm surprised she's not here, I'll walk you down to her
place if you like.'
I would like, very much!
     
He whispers, 'Catch me!' in my
ear and runs off down the beach.
    He's fast, but
I catch him and push him in the water. He picks me up and throws me
in, then dives on me and we wrestle in the shallows. Before I know
it we're kissing, then we're making love in the sand. Oops! But
it is wonderful.
I make it to Janice's house a
week later.
     
    She has me
sing, I'm leaving one a jet
plane. It's wonderful watching
her face; she’s tries so hard to maintain an even smile but as I
hit the high notes, she cringes, pulling her neck in like a
tortoise.
'Great,' she says. 'We
have a little bit of work to do, but that's