Love and Kisses

Mum laid a hand on my forehead and said, “I hope you’re not sickening for something.”

I gave a silly little giggle of excitement.

“You are just so weird,” said Ellie. She turned to Mum. “We don’t want her throwing up, or anything. D’you think she should stay at home this evening?”

I wouldn’t actually have minded staying at home. If I’d stayed at home I could have wallowed in the bath, listening to music and dreaming. But Mum wouldn’t hear of it.

“It’s a celebration,” she said. “We’ve all got to be there.”

So we all trooped up the road to Giovanni’s to eat pasta and drink champagne with Mum proudly explaining to anyone who would listen that “Ellie’s just been on the television!” She did it jokingly, but I could tell that underneath she was simmering with a quiet, mumsy-type pride. I have to admit, when I saw the thing later, Ellie did look good. She was a natural! And I guess it was quite something to have the camera pick her out twice, in such a huge crowd of people. I didn’t begrudge her her little moment of triumph. I might have done, once; but not any more. I didn’t begrudge her anything any more. She could be on TV as much as she liked. I was going out with Alex!

I made a resolve that I wouldn’t say anything to Katie even though I was bursting to let it all out. I could see that she didn’t want me splurging all over her. I was quite surprised, at first break on Monday, when she dragged me off to a quiet corner and said, “Right! Tell! What happened?”

I said, “Nothing really happened. We just sat and talked, and then…he walked me home!”

“Did you ask him in?”

“No! Mum still thinks I was round with you. Can 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.”