I be round with you again next Saturday? Cos I’m seeing him again then!”
Slowly, as if giving me up as a lost cause, Katie shook her head.
“Pleeeze,” I said.
She sighed. “All right. If you must. What about our sleepover?”
“I could sleep over Friday.”
“And then go off next day and meet him.”
“Not until the afternoon.”
“A secret assignation.” She does choose good words. Of course, her mum is an English teacher. “So tell me what you’ve discovered about him.”
It was all the excuse I needed. I said, “Well…he’s only been here a little while, which is why he doesn’t speak much English. Yet. But he will, cos he’s really trying. He’s Polish. He comes from a leetle veellitch—”
“You what?” said Katie.
“A leetle veellitch. It’s the way he says it! It’s so cute. A leetle veellitch…”
“Yeah, OK, I get it! Go on. What else?”
“The other boy—the one with red-hair—”
“The rude one.”
“Yes. His name’s Marek. They came over together. The older guy, the one they work for, he came from the same village. But he came two years ago. Now he has his own business.”
“So how old is he? Your guy. Alex.”
It gave me such a tingle when she called him that. Your guy…
“He’s seventeen.”
“Are you sure?”
“What d’you mean, am I sure?”
“You sure he’s not older?”
“No! He’s not older…his mum said he couldn’t come over here till he was seventeen.”
Katie said, “My mum’d do her nut if she found I was going out with someone that age.”
I thought yes, well, Katie’s mum was a bit of a mother hen. Katie is her only child and she must have been at least forty when she had her. Unlike my mum, who was still a student when she had me. And would also do her nut, in all probability.
“Doesn’t he find you a bit young?”
I said, “No.” I didn’t confess that I’d lied about how old I was.
Katie said, “Maybe…” She stopped.
I said, “Maybe what?”
She nibbled on a fingernail. It’s her thing that she does, like me hooking my hair behind my ears. “Maybe next time he should bring his friend with him and I could come, as well, and keep an eye on you!”
I was taken aback, to say the least. She didn’t even like his friend; she thought he was rude. And why should she think I needed an eye kept on me?
She assured me that it was perfectly all right, she wouldn’t interfere. So why did she want to come? I didn’t want her there! She might be my best friend, but just because you’re best friends doesn’t mean you have to do everything together.
“Thing is,” I said, “Marek’s already going out with someone.” Liar, liar, pants on fire! “He’s not really free to go out with anyone else.”
“I don’t want to go out with him,” said Katie, nibbling and munching as hard as she could go. “I just thought I could come along to…watch over you.”
“Honestly,” I said, “I don’t need watching over. Stop fussing!”
“I can’t help it, I feel responsible for you.” She looked at me, hurt. “Wouldn’t you feel responsible for me, if I was going out behind my mum’s back with someone who was seventeen? I hope you would, cos it’s what friends are supposed to feel. And if they don’t, then they’re not being very good friends.”
I didn’t like the thought of Katie being upset. “Look,” I said, “maybe later?”
“Later what?” she mumbled, ungraciously, as she munched on another nail.
“Maybe later you could come along.” Except who would she bring? She didn’t know anyone. A foursome might be fun, but she was right: three was definitely a crowd. In my imagination, Alex and I were already kissing and cuddling and holding hands…how would we be able to do that with Katie sitting there scowling all on her own? Maybe, after all, she and Marek could come along. He couldn’t be too bad if he were a friend of Alex. I made a note to find out whether he really did have a girlfriend or whether I’d just made it up.
Katie took her finger out of her mouth and stuffed her hand under her armpit where she couldn’t get at it. “I hope you don’t think I want to spy on you,” she said.
I said no, of course I didn’t; though that was exactly what it felt like.
“I just think it would be…safer. I mean…seventeen! That’s practically grown-up.”
That was what was so exciting about it.
“He might want to do things.” She whispered it at me, earnestly. “Things you don’t want to do.”
I said, “Then I wouldn’t do them.”
“You might not be able to help yourself! You might get carried away. People do,” said Katie. “It’s the way it happens. You don’t mean it to. It’s the heat of the moment.”
Yes, and at that particular heat of the moment, thank God, the bell rang for the end of break. I was beginning to feel quite uncomfortable with this conversation. Loftily I informed Katie that she had a mind like one of those magazines you find in the dentist.
I told Katie that it was really nice of her to come, but honestly, I knew what I was doing!
Who says dreams can’t come true? On Saturday, when we met, Alex kissed me…French style, on the cheek. Really sophisticated! Maybe it’s what Polish people do. But I bet Jimmy Doohan wouldn’t! Or any of the boys in our class. Spotty things.
I know that’s not fair. They’re not all spotty and even the ones that are can’t help it. But they were just so young. I couldn’t imagine going out with anyone so young!
After we’d drunk our coffee we went for a walk and Alex held my hand. Electric shocks went shooting up my arm and zinging round my body. His hand was warm, and a little bit rough from all the building work that he did. I didn’t mind it being rough, I was just glad it was warm. I once had to hold hands with this boy called Roger Barlow in a drama class and it felt all damp and clammy. Horrid!
We walked along by the river, and I wished someone from school could see me. Preferably Beth, cos then the whole class would get to hear of it. Or maybe Kez Daniels. Kez is so pretty, and so popular, and she’s been going out with the same boy for, like, just about ever. They are deep in love and hold hands wherever they go, even at school. Nobody laughs; it’s too serious for that. I used to envy her. Sometimes, lying in bed at night, I even used to pretend to be her. Now I didn’t need to pretend. I was deliriously happy being me!
I just wanted someone to see me…but nobody did. I don’t know what I would have done if Ellie had appeared. My hand was glued so tight I’m sure I couldn’t have pulled it away. Fortunately, walking along by the river is not Ellie’s thing. I was safe for the moment…
“It nice, no?” Alex swung my hand as we walked. “Nice by the river…you like?”
I nodded, blissfully.