finished.
I handed her a mug of coffee and sat down at the centre unit.
“It will get easier” I said
“I guess Mum” she replied. She took her mug and headed for the door
“I’m going to do some practice now and then I’ll be down for tea” she replied, swinging her bag over her shoulder.
“Ok, just head down when you are ready, I’ll reheat the chilli in the freezer and do some rice with it” I replied. I watched her leave and heard her footsteps on the stairs. Then above the kitchen the music started to play and I listened to her start to dance.
After tea Charlie headed for her room and after a quick scan of Facebook, she deleted Craig from her friend’s list. Then she couldn’t resist the lure of the diary and pulled out her bookmark. She read the note that was stapled onto the page and thought how nice it was that her Mum had kept it all these years. Everything that Craig had every sent to her was via text or email and she had already deleted those. Settling down on her bed she continued to read, eager to know what would happen now that James was moving away.
Friday 22 nd January, 1988.
I hardly slept all night as the words from the note kept echoing around my bedroom. Why was life so unfair? I had just found a great guy who I knew liked me but it was all for nothing. At the end of January there would be no more swimming with him, no more walking me home and carrying my bag, no more underwater kisses. Despondently I got up and dressed for school as I needed to talk all this through with Sarah. She would help me decide what I should do.
Luckily I found Sarah waiting alone as the other’s had gone on ahead. She spotted my downcast face and put her arm around me.
“What’s happened?” she asked. I passed her the note and she read it through and then hugged me even tighter.
“I don’t know what to say” she finally said, as we trudged along slowly.
“Do you think I should just tell him how I feel?” I said “Or just stay as friends instead?” I finished.
“Well, if you talk to him what have you got to lose, nothing really as he’s going away soon” Sarah replied. I nodded and as school drifted by I went through all the possible scenarios in my head. None of which seemed to bring me any hope of anything meaningful happening in such a short space of time.
At home in my bedroom I went to bed early and put my stereo on. I chose the “Faith” album by my trusty George. I listened as his soulful voice spoke to me.
“Well I guess it would be nice
If I could touch your body
I know not everybody
Has a body like you”
The words echoed through my heart as I thought of James’ body and the way it made me feel whenever I was close to him. I longed to throw myself into his arms and beg him not to leave before I had a chance to fall in love with him.
Saturday 23 rd January, 1988.
I spent all morning reading the note over and over again. I am trying to decide what I will say when I see James later. Sarah was away for the weekend visiting her grandparents, so I headed straight for the pool. I wished my best friend was with me as I was so nervous approaching James after Thursday night, the note, and the light brush of his soft lips on my cheek in the dim light of the street lamp. Despite this when I headed onto poolside and slid into the water it was as if nothing had changed between us.
“Hi Steph” he said, as I pulled up beside him and hung onto the tiles.
“Hi James” I replied “It’s just the two of us today” I said. He smiled as we headed off down the pool together.
After a great hour together I still hadn’t decided what to say to James. It seemed as if we had both spent the time avoiding any mention of the note or the kiss from the previous Saturday.
“Would you like to grab a coffee upstairs?” he asked, before we got