Chapter 7 #3
Commuters were starting to make their way to work, and Ella and Roly got curious looks and indulgent smiles from passers-by as they walked along by the canal.
Ella thought what romantic figures they must cut in their crumpled morning-after finery.
Everyone would assume they were a couple who’d partied the night away together.
The idea pleased her more than it should.
Roly led the way to a greasy spoon and they dissected the Debs over vast fried breakfasts and copious mugs of coffee.
‘So, good night?’ Roly asked.
She shrugged. ‘Schmeh.’
‘Schmeh?’ He laughed. ‘So eloquent. I can see why you got top marks in English.’
‘How about you?’
‘Brilliant night,’ he said happily. ‘Deadly.’
‘Seriously?’
‘Had a good feed, got rat-arsed, swore undying love to some randomers I’ll never see again… what more could you ask?’
‘Good feed?’ She gave him a sceptical look.
‘What, watery veg soup and chicken à la sawdust didn’t do it for you? You must be one of those food snobs I’ve heard about.’
‘You didn’t mention the dessert. What even was that?’
‘Custardy… thing.’
‘Yeah, I got the custard bit. But as for the rest—’
‘Yeah, I’ve no idea what they were aiming for there.’
Ella laughed. ‘I’m surprised you came back for the Debs, to be honest.’ Roly had moved to London straight after school to play some gigs with Oh Boy!
‘Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’
‘Are you home for long?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m going back to London tomorrow. We’re starting recording our first album next week.’
‘That’s exciting!’
‘Yeah, it is. Are you not eating that sausage?’ He pointed a knife at her plate.
‘No, I’m stuffed. It’s all yours.’
He leaned over and pronged it with his fork. ‘So what’s next for you?’
‘College. I’m starting at Trinity next week.’
‘I suppose you got amazing results in the Leaving?’
‘I did pretty well.’ She’d achieved the highest possible marks, but she decided not to mention that. ‘I got the points I needed for my first choice at uni anyway.’
‘Congratulations!’
‘Thanks.’
‘And what is it you’ll be studying?’
‘PPES. It’s a multidisciplinary course – Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology.’
‘Gosh, that sounds like… a lot.’
‘Did you…’ She felt it was only polite to ask him about his results in return, but what if he’d done really badly? She didn’t want to embarrass him. ‘Did you… get what you wanted?’
‘Yeah. I passed, which is all I needed to do. I’m not planning to go to uni or anything. I only stayed on for the Leaving because my mum made me, so I’d have options – you know, in case my pop career goes tits up.’
‘That’s sensible.’
‘Yeah, so if you ever need someone to sketch you an ox-bow lake, I’m your man,’ he said, pointing his fork at himself.
Ella laughed. ‘I believe people who can sketch ox-bow lakes will be in big demand in the future. And you could branch out into other things – volcanoes, for instance.’
‘My volcanoes are top notch! And I know an interlocking spur when I see one. So whatever happens with the band, I’m sorted.’ He leaned back, grinning. ‘Win, lose or draw.’
It would always be win for the likes of Roly, she thought. She was glad. Happy for him.
‘Do you still feel drunk?’
She shook her head to test it. It didn’t hurt. ‘No. I think breakfast took care of that. Do you?’
‘No. Just tired.’
‘Yeah.’ She yawned. ‘Me too.’
‘I guess we should go.’
She nodded. ‘I’ll get this if you get the taxi.’
‘You don’t have a corsage,’ Roly said when they were in the taxi, his eyes flicking to her wrist.
‘Drawback of going with a girlfriend,’ she said with a crooked smile.
‘Aww. Have mine.’ He took the flower from his buttonhole and held it out to her.
‘Thanks.’ She took it from him and smiled, looking down at it in her hands, touched by the sweetness of the gesture.
They fell silent, both lost in their own thoughts.
‘It’s exciting, isn’t it?’ Roly said, when they were near her house. ‘Going out into the big, bad world?’ He widened his eyes.
‘Yeah.’
‘But a bit scary too.’
‘Yeah, it is.’ It was what she was feeling, but she was glad he’d had the guts to say it out loud.
‘Ah, you have nothing to worry about, my brainiac friend,’ he said, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a hug. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. ‘You’ll be fine.’
The taxi pulled up outside her house, and that was it. That was her moment with Roly Punch. ‘Thanks for the lift,’ she said, turning to him as she unfastened her seat belt.
‘Thank you for breakfast.’
Suddenly emboldened, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. ‘Well, good luck with everything. Have a great… life.’
‘Thanks. You too.’
‘Bye, Roly.’ She opened the door.
‘See you!’ he said as she got out.
See you. It was just something people said.
She knew she wouldn’t see him again. She stood on the pavement as the taxi pulled away, and watched as it carried him out of her life.
When it got to the corner, she waved, but Roly was looking ahead and didn’t see.
The taxi disappeared out of sight, and she turned and went into the house.