Previous Home Next

There was a sickening creek and click as the bedroom door closed, Mark was locked out. The situation couldn’t be worse, in his eyes, his keys were on his bed, he was going to creep down the landing to have a shower. He had been in the worlds most boring lecture, with a tutor who didn’t know what he was meant to be teaching and even 15 minutes after the lecture all he remembered was that the tutors three strands of hair were greased down and shone in the OHP light. Mark had dashed back to the house, in to his room, stripped and grabbed his Towel and shower gel, and turned to run down the landing for his shower. Locked out. Lucy was in the kitchen, Roshan was out at the super market and he was wearing only a small pink towel. Luke wasn’t back from taking Claire to the Airport, Dave was round at The Churchill having medical trials done on him for some extra money but Mark was locked out of his room wearing only a small Pink towel.

Since he had been shown how to open a lock with a coke bottle, he had shielded the lock so it wouldn’t work, and he had said that having a spare key in the house was a security risk, but now he was wearing only a small pink towel. So much had he gone on about safety every door in the house was shut and latched, if it wasn’t so Mark could easily have gone it to Luke or Dave’s room and borrowed clothes to wear until he could get back in to his room. But, He was wearing only a small Pink towel, and carrying a bottle of Radox For Men

The flight was cramped and the flight attendant reeked of cheep perfume, but Claire’s mind was on the gargantuan task ahead, on landing she had to talk her way into a country she didn’t have a visa for, then find Jay in a city full of people that did care to be helpful.

Claire felt a giant of 5ft6 in a sea of little people. In hours of wandering Claire had found no one of any help. Tired, tearful, and about to give up she turned the thousandth corner just like this one, and found herself faced with a giant of 6ft2.

“Sorry, I should look where I am going” he said

“No, I am not all here”

“Where do you want to be?

“Tai Po”

“Right, urm…” he snapped his fingers, whistled through his teeth and a taxi appeared from no where “get in” with less than 7 words, he handed the driver a note and the taxi sped off. “ Pay me back later” were the last words she heard.

In what seemed like no time at all the taxi screeched to a halt, the door opened, Claire got out and there was a grey grubby building in the gloomiest street you could imagine. As she turned to pay the Taxi, it had gone. Claire walked towards the building with a sense of impending doom, straight from the movies. She approached the door, looked around and saw three buttons, Bonnie Lau, Zhang Xiyi and Paul Smith. As she reached out towards the buttons, she suddenly pressed Paul Smith. In the distance, a very tinny God Save the Queen rang out.

Footsteps bounced down and the door swung open to show the same man she had left on the street corner not 15 minutes earlier, now wearing a dressing gown and rubbing his hair with a towel.

“Ahh, Miss Johansen, I have been expecting you!” Paul opened the door wide and stepped back, encouraging Claire in.

“How? Who? Why?”

“You are Claire, Jay’s other half, He said he wished you were with him, He misses you, but can’t afford to fly home.”

Claire opened and closed her mouth, they had reached the first floor flat.”

“Are you going to trust me? Paul said as he unlocked the door.

In the time it took Paul to calm Claire down enough to get a sensible conversation, Paul had made two lots of Tea, Claire hadn’t touched either of them, shaved and messaged Jay (J, Claire @ My Plc, B Hr Nw, P).

“So, Paul, what is your part in this great conspiracy of deceit, Are you the person that told him to come out here, was it you that gave him a place to stay?”

“Hang on. I am trying to help you back together, I know it is strange finding a nice bloke but, I am trying to do the right thing, When you asked my help on the street, I could have sent you to some random place and then done all kinds on nasty things to you. You clearly don’t speak Cantonese, I think Jay must be an absolute fool to ever let you go.”

“I’m just.” Claire was interrupted by a knock at the door

“It’s, It’s me” Jay’s head appeared round the door followed by the rest of him.

Claire sprang to her feet and flew across the room at Jay, “You Bastard” pummelling his chest as the tide would thrash the shore, and then broken down it to a tumultuous ocean of emotions.

“Claire,” Jay took her hands and held her close” I am sorry”

“Sorry, Sorry, you ex - expect me to take sorry. You have robbed me blind, you, you ran off…”

“I am sorry, just so sorry”

“Why? What did I ever?, I mean was I not?, did I never?, where you?, was I?, did she?”

“Claire-Bear, I have a problem”

“I have known that for years, what now? And don’t think you can get round me just by calling me Claire-Bear! Do you remember the first time you called me Claire-Bear? ‘I love you,’ you said pulling me close to you, and banging my knees on of the table you’d sat on. You didn’t apologise, just kissed me quickly on the mouth, taking my breath away. There was a pain in my knee, but I didn’t mind, that was the best I had felt in my entire life. Your kisses were so perfect; I didn’t think that you were amazing at kissing, just that we were amazing together. There was something about the way you kissed me, and the way you loved me, I could never l turn back. ‘I should go’ I said, the time had passed so quickly. ‘Alright, later’ you said, obviously disappointed I was leaving, but trying hard not to show it. I turned and started the two blocks towards my house, saddened that you hadn’t offered to walk me home, but happy that I had spent time with you. I could feel your eyes on me as I walked away, then I heard your feet move, you walk up behind me in the grass. I stopped and waited for you to catch up. ‘I almost forgot to walk you home.’ you said taking my hand. ‘But see I’m always thinking of you.’ I smiled, because you were simply wonderful, everything that I had ever wanted was in you. We walked to my house without saying very much, we were both lost in our own thoughts. ‘I love you,’ I said as you walked away. ‘I love you back, you’re my Claire-Bear’ you said, and kissed me one last time, I flew up the stairs to my room. I didn’t get much study done for the warm syrupy feeling I had inside me. No one had called me Claire-Bear since Grampy died, and yet you saying it made my world wonderful again. that was the one thing that made me come all the way out here to find you.”

Previous Home Next