Chapter Seven

 

Culhwch

 

It’s been a week since I let Houston stay the night. I’ve wanted him to stay every night since, but I’m trying to give us both some space. He needs time to get his head right and I need some space to get used to being friends.

I know neither of us wants to stay friends, but it’s what we agreed until Houston has at the very least told his mum and dad the truth.

He says he wants to do things one step at a time. Telling his family comes first, then his bandmates, and finally their fans. Whether he’s going to come out and admit he’s a dad in the same sentence, I really don’t know. I wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to get it all over and done with at once, but then I wouldn’t blame him if he gave them time to get over one shock before hitting them with another.

I said I’d be there when he told Eddie and Vi if he wanted some moral support. He called his mum, Violet, and told her to get the family together for Sunday dinner and asked if he could bring a friend. I think she assumed he meant that he was finally bringing a girl home to introduce to the family.

Until then, life goes on as normal. Another night shift, as I asked my captain to put me on nights to help abate the temptation of letting Houston stay over.

Thankfully there’s not been anything as bad as that structure fire last week. I’ve since heard that the guy I pulled out passed away. My heart sunk at the news. It’s never easy to lose someone when you’ve done your best to save them. Unfortunately, he’d inhaled too much smoke and sustained too many burns by the time we got there.

His family visited the fire station to thank us for trying to save him. I had to choke back a sob when his young daughter thanked us for trying our best to save her daddy. It damn near broke my heart to see her glassy eyes as she clutched her teddy.

This evening, I was introduced to a young man called Ben. He wants to do his work experience with us. Tonight is his first night shift. He doesn’t actually get to do any of the dirty work, of course, but he gets to run the drills and help clean the equipment as well as come on a ride-along to watch us in action. If we get a call-out that is.

“Lieutenant, grub’s up,” Charlie informs me, making me jump out of my skin.

He notices and chuckles.

“Sorry boss, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says with a grin.

“Sorry, Chuck, I was up to my eyeballs in paperwork.”

“No rest for the wicked.”

“Then I guess I should be a bit less wicked,” I reply with a wink.

I follow him into the kitchen and grab a plate.

“Ben, I see they’ve got you being general dogsbody.”

“Actually, lieutenant, Ben here offered to cook. Said he feels like he’s not doing much around here. Ain’t that right, son?” Chuck says as he loads his plate and wanders off to grab a seat at the dining table.

“Yes sir,” Ben replies with a smile.

He seems like a good kid. I’ve seen him running drills like he’s really one of us, cleaning the equipment until it’s so clean you could see your reflection in it.

“What’s to eat then, son?”

“Spaghetti carbonara, lieutenant. There’s some homemade garlic bread too, if you fancy some.”

“Did you make this from scratch?”

“Yes sir. My mum made sure I know how to cook. Doesn’t want me wasting away to nothing when I eventually move out.”

“Well this looks good,” I say as he loads my plate, “And you said the garlic bread was homemade? That’s impressive, son. I can never seem to get it right myself.”

“I can teach you, lieutenant. It’s not hard.”

I chuckle at his chipper nature and eagerness to help.

“If I ever have kids, they better be as good as you, Ben.”

The blush creeps slowly across his skin, tinging his cheeks pink.

“If you ever find a man willing to put up with your miserable ass,” Chuck calls.

“I am not miserable. I’m just… Shut the fuck up Chuck. You’re one to talk. Even Debbie couldn’t put up with you and that woman’s a damn saint.”

“A saint I wouldn’t mind turning into a sinner,” he says with a loud belly laugh.

“I wouldn’t let her catch you saying that,” I chide.

Debbie is too good for a jerk like him. Forever playing the field and adding notches to his bedpost. I’m sure he’ll need a new bedpost soon.

I sit at the head of the table and tuck into my spaghetti.

“Bloody hell, young Ben, you really can cook,” I say as I retrieve my glass of water.

“Thanks, lieutenant.”

He comes to sit at the table with us and the boys make room for him.

“He’s right, son,” says Simon. “You’re a damn good cook. I don’t know about being a firefighter, you should be a chef.”

“Tell us, Ben, why do you want to be a firefighter?” I ask, genuinely wanting to know more about the kid.

“It’s just something I’ve always thought about. Most kids chop and change their mind about what they want to be when they grow up, but not me. I’ve always said this is what I want to do. When I was younger, some firefighters visited our school to give a talk, and I guess it made an impression on me.”

“You wanted to save kitties from trees?” Mark asks with a chuckle.

“Or was it that ladies love the uniform?” Chuck asks.

I clip him round the back of the head for being a jerk.

“Sorry, men love it too… you know… just in case you swing that way.”

“Shut up, Chuck,” everyone says in unison.

Everyone laughs and gets back to their food. One thing with our line of work, you eat when you can because you never know when a call might come in.

“So, Ben, you’re with us for how long?” I ask as we stand to clear the table.

“Two weeks, sir.”

“Please, it’s Culhwch. Only these idiots have to call me lieutenant, or something formal.”

“That’s an interesting name,” he says, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Ever heard of the story of Culhwch and Olwen?”

“No sir… I mean Culhwch.”

“It’s long before your time, son, don’t worry. It was one of my mum’s favourites as she grew up. It’s a Welsh tale about a hero connected to Arthur and his warriors. At least that’s what Wikipedia says.”

“You were named after a hero, and now here you are, a real-life hero. Fitting.”

I feel a blush creep across my skin.

“Thanks, son. You know, I think you’d make a good firefighter. I saw you on those drills earlier. I watched you bust your balls as hard as anyone here.”

“Thanks. I work out in the gym a couple of times a week, so I’d hoped I’d be able to hold my own. But you never know until you try. For what it’s worth, I’m happy to be here. My mum doesn’t like the idea. She thinks I shouldn’t be running into burning buildings for a living. Wants me to take an office job. You know, something safe,” he replies, air-quoting the word.

“I’m sure she’ll come around if this is what you truly want. I’m sure she’d be proud of you. For what it’s worth, my mum didn’t like the idea either, but she’s proud of me now. Doesn’t stop telling all her friends about how many people I’ve saved—even though I keep telling her it’s a joint effort.”

The tannoy goes off, letting us know there’s a house fire.

“Coming, kid?” I ask Ben as I rush to get my gear on.

“Sure thing. I want to see you guys in action.”

Soon we’re all on the engine and heading towards the house fire.

I see excitement tinged with sadness on Ben’s face. He’s excited to see us in action, but he’s imagining the worst for the family who live there. It’s an adrenaline rush to experience your first call, but it’s daunting too. You don’t know what you’ll face until you get there.

***

Finally, back in my own bed, I set my alarm and slide deeper under the covers. That shift was exhausting to say the least. At least there were no casualties. The house was empty when we got there, and neighbours informed us the owners were on holiday. The only thing in that house at the time had been a cat, and thankfully the neighbours had him safely with them until the owners could return.

Ben had seen the little ginger cat walking around and took him next door. I praised him for rescuing the cat and he’d just shrugged it off, saying it wasn’t like he was inside the house.

I hope I see the kid on one of my next shifts. He’s a good lad and really seems set on this as his career path.

My phone chimes from the bedside table and I move to grab it.

 

>Hope you had a good night at work. See you tomorrow xx

 

>Wasn’t too bad. Got a kid on work experience with us. Seems like a good kid. I’ve just got into bed so going to crash so I don’t look like death at dinner.

 

>You always look gorgeous. Sleep well xx

 

>Will do. See you for dinner.

 

I close my eyes and picture Houston’s megawatt grin, his pearly white teeth and dimples. Man, I know what I’ll be dreaming about.

I won’t lie, I’m nervous about dinner. I know he’s not announcing me as his boyfriend… yet. I’m there for moral support, but man if I don’t feel like a nervous wreck. I hope his family take the news well. I don’t know what he’ll do if they don’t. It doesn’t even bear thinking about.

***

Showered and dressed, I’m waiting to leave for Eddie and Violet’s house. I’ve changed my outfit three times already. I didn’t know whether to go dressed casually, smart, or smart-casual. I chose to wear a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of faded jeans with rips in.

Looking at the clock, I splash some aftershave on and retrieve my car keys from the bowl on the sideboard by the front door. I slip my black converse on and lock the door behind me.

Starting the engine, my iPod comes on, so I turn it up. I need something to blast the cobwebs away.

NSYNC’s “That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You” begins to play, so I sing along as I pull out of my drive and head towards what could be a complete disaster, or hopefully, a triumph.

Whether I still loved Houston or not, I’d still want him to do this for him. For them to accept him for who and what he is.