Wonder Woman woke up with a banging hangover. She was lying on the top of her bed, still fully dressed complete with thigh-length gold boots. Half asleep, she pulled her clothes off and got into bed. She turned to her right and cuddled her pillow imagining it was Dan. She hadn’t really allowed herself to think about Friday lunchtime and the finality of it all. She was amazed at how quickly he could end something so good. That’s what really annoyed her about the whole situation. He still had strong feelings for her, yet he had let his twenty-four-year-old head rule his heart. How bloody mature. Why couldn’t he be like a normal twenty-something? Why did he have to be so sensible? In questioning this Jess realised why they did get on so well. In essence, he was actually more mature than her. She fell back into a fitful sleep, dreaming about all the characters who’d come to her party. It wasn’t until she woke up a second time, the sudden realisation of what she’d done the night before hit her. ‘Oh no,’ she groaned. ‘Oh, shit, how bloody embarrassing.’ She continued out loud and then began to sob uncontrollably. Thank God she hadn’t taken things further with Sam. If he hadn’t been such a gentleman, she reckoned she would have lured him to the bedroom and whipped him to within an inch of his life with her Lasso of Truth.
With such a bad hangover she couldn’t seem to see reason and began to question whether she did love Dan at all. If she did, surely she wouldn’t even have considered sleeping with Sam? She pushed these thoughts to the back of her head. After all, she had only given Sam a drunken snog. She was being silly. She knew deep down she was in love with Dan; the pain in her heart confirmed that.
Monday morning came, Jess switched on her laptop. She had ignored Dan’s calls all weekend. He came on to instant messenger as soon as she logged in.
Dan says :
‘Hey, Mrs Robinson, how was the party?’
Jess says:
‘Really good thanks.’
Dan says :
‘Yeah, Sam said it was great fun.’
Jess says :
‘Oh right. Good, glad he enjoyed it.’
She cringed slightly and wanted to end the conversation.
Jess says:
‘Dan, I know you wanna be friends but give me some time eh? Bye.’
Dan says:
‘Oh er, OK. Take care – bfn Jess xx.’
A week came and went. Jess missed Dan from the bottom of her heart. Even though it was her who had told him to keep away, every morning she hoped he’d call. When he didn’t, she literally pined for him. She found herself listening to Heart FM nearly all day long just so she could cry openly without excuse.
She was sitting alone on Saturday night watching some low rate movie, when she couldn’t stand it any longer. She had to talk to him.
‘Jess, Jess, is that really you?’ Jess could barely hear him for the loud music in background.
‘Hang on a minute, I’ll go outside and call you right back, Mrs Robinson.’ Dan said with relief. ‘Shit, I’ve missed you.’ Jess curled into herself on the sofa, just hearing his voice made her feel happy again. ‘Are you drunk, Dan?’ She asked, not caring at all if he was or not. ‘I’ve had a couple. I’m in Reading, come and pick me up. Go on, you know you want to?’ Charmed and without hesitation, Jess smartened up her hair and face, sprayed some perfume on her wrists and jumped in her car. I must be bloody mad she thought to herself. Here she was a forty-year-old woman, driving to Reading at 11 p.m. to pick up a young man, who didn’t know what he really wanted from life, from a night out with the lads.
She saw him before he saw her, he was sitting in a bus stop kicking his legs backwards and forwards like a small boy and she smiled. She loved him with such intensity, that she knew there and then she would do anything to be with him.
‘I’m staying in the spare room,’ he announced on arrival at Morley Mansions.
‘I’ve heard that one before.’ Jess laughed. Dan pulled Jess towards him. ‘I can’t do this without you, Jess.’ He kissed her tenderly. ‘I’ve missed you more than I’ve missed anyone before. It’s been hell.’ Jess kissed him back.
‘Let’s talk in the morning, eh?’
‘Jess?’
‘Yes, Daniel.’ She replied in her school ma’am voice.
‘I think you’re grand.’ He smiled his big open smile at her.
Dan made love to her with such tenderness that night, it made her cry.
‘Jessy, are you OK?’ he said with concern as they contentedly lay like spoons.
‘I’m more than OK, baby boy. See you in the morning.’ She kissed his back gently and fell into the most peaceful sleep she’d had for a long time.