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Leigh was the first one to arrive. I felt guilty the moment she burst through the front living room door. I should have realised not to scare or upset a pregnant woman like that.
“Aaron, Aaron,” she said, “Thank god you're ok!” She squeezed what felt like the life out of me. “What's this all about? Are you ok? Hold on never mind. Tell me in a bit, I need ten pounds for the taxi. I came as quick as I could but I forgot my purse.”
I handed her a ten-pound note and she ran back out to the taxi waiting at the top of the drive.
“Don’t run!” I shouted up the drive to her, “Take it easy.”
“Take it easy,” she said on her way back, trying to catch her breath. “You’ve nearly given me a bloody heart attack. Now tell me, you are ok, aren’t you? What's this all about? You got me worried. You look ok though, perhaps tired eyes, but you look ok,” she said.
“I feel a lot better if I’m being honest.”
After I’d hung up the group phone call earlier, I’d tidied myself up a bit. I’d trimmed my beard, had a quick shower, and tried to do something with my hair. I’d put some lounge clothes on and quickly tidied downstairs.
“Now come on tell me what's up?”
“I’ll tell you when the others get here,” I said.
“Is this something to do with coming out, because if it is, I’ll kill you, we all bloody know anyway and no one gives a chuff so long as you’re happy”.
“It’s nothing to do with that,” I said laughing slightly. “But now you come to mention it, when the rest of the gang get here, I might as well tell them that I’m gay as well, you know while I'm at it. Have you spoken to anyone since I made the group call?” I asked sheepishly, wondering if anyone else was coming?
“Yes,” she said as she took a cup out of the cupboard and switched on the kettle. “They are all coming”.
“Even Barkley?” I asked tentatively.
“Yes, even Barkley, I know you guys have had a fallout, I’m not stupid you know.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I said quietly.
“Well, whatever it was, now will be a good time to put it all behind you. Life’s too short pal.”
“Talking of short, have you got any shortbread biscuits? I'm craving them.”
“I haven’t. Sorry,” I apologised.
“Digestives will have to do,” she said sliding six out of the packet with one hand.
She took her cup of tea and digestive biscuits into the lounge and made herself comfortable using cushions to support her back. She rubbed her stomach and dunked a biscuit into her tea.
“So, do I get a preview of this or not, or are you waiting for the so-called gang?” She laughs.
Then her expression changed, her eyes widened and a smile greeted us both.
“Hey Bren, are you ok love?”
Brenda came through the front door; she still had her lanyard and name badge on from work.
“Hi Leigh, I’m ok thanks. I came as quick as I could. What's wrong, Aaron? I was in the middle of marking some school work. To be honest, I needed an excuse to break off, but not one like this. You got me worried. What's wrong? Are you ok?” She grabbed both my arms and stood me in front of her. She looked me up and down, “You look ok.” She looked at Leigh and then back at me, “What's going on?”
“I'll tell you in a bit, when the others get here, I promise.”
“Do you want a cuppa, love?” Leigh asked, taking over the kitchen.
“Please, black coffee, thanks.” She asked Leigh “What’s going on?” as they hovered over the kettle.
“I’ve told you, you will all find out as soon as we're all together, bear with me please,” I said, anxiously wondering if I was doing the right thing.
We all sat down at the kitchen table, hot mugs in our hands, waiting. Lottie was next to arrive, and then Penelope. Lottie was mad at me stating she had to get the next-door neighbour to babysit, as it was an emergency.
“You’re one lucky man,” she shouted at me as if chastising a child, and pulling me in for a hug. “I wouldn’t do this for anyone else you know. Now come on, what's up?” She glanced around and saw Leigh and Brenda sitting at the table. “Hi girls, are we all here?”
“I’m here,” Penelope said as she entered the kitchen with her miniature poodle in one hand and a pink glitter handbag in the other.
“Is everything ok honey bun?” she said as she grabbed my chin pushing my cheeks together.
“Erm, I will be when I get everyone here. Can we go sit in the lounge?” I said.
We moved into the lounge while Leigh made hot drinks for Penelope and Lottie.
“Is he coming or what?” Lottie blurted out as she entered the living room with my superman cup in her hand. “Because if he’s not, you might as well start and tell us what this is all about.”
“He did say he was coming,” Leigh confirmed.
“I’ll give him a couple of minutes.”
We all sat there, in silence. My best friends had all rallied round to my house at the drop of a hat, but the tension in the air was thick. Brenda was sitting forward nearly hanging off the edge of the sofa rocking slowly backwards and forwards. She held onto her cup so tightly you could see the whiteness of her knuckles. She was the brains of our group and she knew something wasn’t right.
Leigh was dunking digestive biscuits into her drink while Lottie just sat there. Penelope was stroking her dog Sindee, we all waited. No one said a word.
The clock on the wall ticked and seemed to get louder. The tension was building, people had dropped everything and arrived so quickly, and to be sat in silence was making things worse.
Lottie broke the silence, “Look guys, I’ve left the girls at home with my neighbour, if nothing's going to happen, then I’m off, you can tell me about it later. Sorry Aaron, but I get anxious leaving them.”
“They’re okay,” I reply. “Honestly they’re ok. I promise.”
“How can you promise something like that, don’t be daft!” she said as she stood and put her hands on her hips headmistress style.
“I can honestly, I wouldn’t lie to you. Now believe me when I say they are ok as we speak right now, I do, I promise you.”
“You can't make promises like that Aaron, no one can,” she said confidently.
“I can,” I said.
She laughed nervously and began to gather her handbag and hat from the floor, “How?”
“Because he’s iLUMiNO,” Barkley said as he opened the front door.