A Life Plan Without You. (35 page)

“Michelle your hair is getting better by the week and my
brushing tips are paying off.” I didn’t want to argue, so just
agreed. Sam looked over and smiled back, something everyone
noticed. Grandad got up and took everyone’s cups in. He shouted
George through, he was helping dish up and set the table, serves
him right. He should have gone home, but he had a house full of
rowdy kids, the peace and quiet was better here for his hangover...
Dinner was ready and we’re called through to eat, Sam grabbed my
bum and smiled, and sneaked in a quick neck nip.

“Sit by Michelle, Samuel, you two can squeeze in there, George
over there, we know where we sit.” I grabbed his knee as he sat
down and squeezed it hard. We sat and as I ate I looked at
everyone’s, faces, but mainly Nana’s they were eating and before
long five empty plates. George got up to leave.

“Do the washing up, first George.” It cracked me up every time
did he really think he’d get away with it? He didn't utter a word
just did it and then buggered off.

“That Michelle was excellent, as usual.” Grandad was drinking
the last of his tea.

“Yes I’ll second that.” From Nana, I was chuffed. Sam just
looked at me smiling.

“Wow, who knew you could cook too?” Nan looked
puzzled.

“As, well as what other things, what else do you do Michelle?”
Sam was quick on his pretty feet there too.

“Well, she dances, she teaches, her rabbits, she plays hockey
like a professional, skates well, rides horses and she really
doesn’t have enough hours in the day for all she does do, the
children she teaches love her.” Nicely averted, his smile melted a
part of my heart. He caused so much pleasurable pain within me,
just looking at him made my heart beat faster, and it feels like it
was trying to get out of my chest. My sex was forever wet, as the
feelings rushing throughout my body had found their escape, through
it.

“Nana, are you at Cleavleys from this week?” She looked at the
calendar thing.

“Yes Michelle, until October and we go on Wednesday. Are you
coming over to stop with us, for the day when you go to Hambleton?”
I looked upset.

“I can probably only go to Hambleton this Easter. Grams and
Gramps are moving back to Stockton, but I‘d like to spend a day
with you, before I go back, if that’s okay? I can always wait until
summer and spend the week with you?” Her mind was in overdrive, one
part day or a whole week looking at my head.

“We will meet you at the tram stop then on Saturday.” Perfect
I would get her to phone. Tell Grams I was there at the caravan and
then I would catch the tram to Blackpool, and get the coach to drop
me off Sunday as normal.

“I get to Hambleton tomorrow and have to be back the following
Saturday, So how about the Saturday next, before I catch the coach
home from Blackpool? Don’t worry I’ll make my own way there. I have
been enough times, but I’ll have to go into Blackpool by tram to
change my ticket.” She had now gone from a whole day to a half day.
Win-win. I popped into see Grandad and I slipped him his sweets,
which he hid in his jacket behind the back door.

“Good news Grandad, I’m coming to see you in the caravan on
Saturday, just for the day though. I have this stupid job, and the
boss wants me back to cover all the other shifts. With Gramps and
Grams selling up and coming to live back here, it may be my last
time there. Has he passed muster then?”

“Sam? Yes he’s a nice young chap and he makes you happy
Michelle.” I hugged him.

“Yes Grandad very.” He grabbed a handful of sweets.

“Right, I’m taking these two to the bus stop, I’ll make sure
they’re safe on before I’m back.” I grabbed my cardi. Sam helped me
on with it and I gave Nana a hug.

“See you next Saturday.” Sam said his goodbyes and we followed
Grandad out to the road. We had to walk up or down the road were
the bus stop was anyway. Grandad had a quiet ten minutes with his
sweets chatting to Sam about work again. He gave me a hug and shook
Sam’s hand.

“Look after this one she’s one in a million, Michelle is my
favourite girl she’s going to be a wonderful wife and mum one day.”
Shit Grandad, he’s only just met the family please don’t force him
into it.

“Nice Grandad, let me just see if I can’t catch him, he ran
off so fast…” He hugged me again.

“He’s holding you tightly and he’s stood behind you with a
silly grin on his face, you silly girl. It seems he likes my little
girl eh Sam?” He shook Grandad’s hand again.

“I do Sir yes, I like her a lot, and don’t worry she’s in safe
hands Sir.” Sam embarrassingly pointed to the top of the road.
“It’s up that way and to the right, Michelle.” The bus was coming
and Grandad had finished his sweets, he ambled across the road, and
waited for us to disappear, we waved as he went back in.

“I love your family Michelle do you know how lucky you are?
Your Grandad is well wonderful, your Uncles a nutter though, sorry
I actually liked your Nana, but she did go on about your hair a
lot, is you’re Grandad not well Michelle, he seems…?” I finished
his sentence.

“No, he has good days and bad days, sometimes he can hardly
breath, other days he can’t remember stuff, other days it’s like
he’s a whole different person, but he’s always nice. What were you
trying to tell me when, I was carefully planning our night away?”
He laughed.

“Just that we come home Saturday.” I raised my eyes at
him.

“Oh… Book an extra night then, tell your mates you got lucky
and you’re stopping the night.”

“Some of them you’ve met and all of them know about you, and
it has to be said know wouldn’t cheat on you.” I didn’t care, he
was looking for excuses, and I wasn’t letting him win.

“Well, tell them I’ve got the day off and I’m coming to spend
the day with you, and I’ll see you when I get through a few hours
with Nana.”

“I don’t need to make excuses, I’ll just tell them we’re going
to be at it like bunnies all day and I will see them at work
Monday, and I’m looking forward to it too, especially after this
morning and your amazing mouth.” I looked at him catching flies. He
leant in closing my mouth gently kissing it and laughing. “Joke Mi
cielo, well the telling them we’ll be at it like bunnies, though I
can’t wait for that. It will sort its self out, I just can’t wait
if this morning’s anything to go by.” We turned down a road, I’ve
seen this road before, why did it look so familiar and then it hit
me?

“Do you want a quick drink with my Aunty and Uncle? They live
there at number five.” He looked worried.

“Don’t worry they aren’t in, they go somewhere posh for Sunday
tea every week, sometimes they come before dinner and we all go out
to give Grandad a break from Dragon Nan. Which of the bungalows is
your Aunties?” He pointed to the big one at the end.

“It’s nothing posh, but it’s a happy house and Mum’s safe
there.” Nothing posh it was beautiful and so big. I saw that
sadness in his face again.

“Why don’t you move her and yourselves out and leave him to
it?” Shut up Michelle.

“We will be doing when Jimmy leaves college as it’s too far up
here. We have another Aunty and she has a house around the corner.
She is doing up, ready for us in October, so we will move then.
Until then it’s just a matter of keeping it together.” Why did it
feel like he was hiding things from me?

I could show her my new home, it was nearly mine all the
paper work would be through soon, but I can’t tell her about owning
it yet, its exactly like this, but more land at the back, and
perfect, we all get a room and Mum can have the room on the ground
floor no stairs, with her own bathroom and safe, so very safe, my
first major purchase with the damn money, apart from paying Dad and
for my wild weekends, I hadn’t spent as much as Andy, he invested
in his hobby and was doing very well. No I will tell her soon, and
perhaps sooner than later, it could end up being her home too, if
she wants to share with Mum and Jimmy, Andy has his eye on a new
block of luxury flats for sale, not just the penthouse flat either,
he wants the whole block! I will tell her. I hate keeping things
from her…

“Here we are, in you go.” A voice from somewhere shouted, for
help as Sam laughed.

“They are all out back Sam and they’ve left me to do the
bloody dinner. I can’t cook and don’t cook, Mama’s, punishment for
just getting in. God my head hurts Michelle please can you help me?
Jimmy says you can cook you have to help me please, take pity on
his drunken lush of a cousin please Michelle?” Sam introduced
her.

“This is Kim my, can’t cook and drunken stop out of a cousin.”
The stunning blonde girl Sam was out with Thursday night, I offered
to help. Sam motioned her to move out of my way. Quick look and
see, not a lot to do here, all but done. Veggies peeled, potatoes
nearly done, take some out, meat finished, but in oven, take it out
drain the juices to a pan, and grab a tea towel and foil wrap and
leave.

“Right sit down and leave me to it, how many eating? Supplies
are were, and roasting tins are where?” I loved to cook.

“Seven, if you include yourselves in that, they eat a lot
though.” I liked her, a lot. They pointed to a cupboard and the
oven, I cooked yet another bloody Sunday Dinner, good job he wasn’t
visiting other relatives, this day was full of cooking and food,
I’m in heaven. I finished and did a final check all done, I took
all the bowls the whisks everything I has used and everything the
others had used, quickly washing up, a tidy around and then I
turned around. They had all stood, watching me. Sam has a massive
grin on his face. The rest were just smiling, Jimmy looked happy
here and even managed a smile.

“That was very quick all that, your Mother must be a really
good cook?” I laughed.

“No, I learnt from my Nana and she can always make something
from nothing.” Sam came behind me his hands around my
waist.

“Samuel, bring Michelle through to the lounge, introductions,
Kimberley kettle on please, seeing as you avoided the cooking my
girl!” Jimmy set the big table up in the middle room and set the
table for seven.

“I am Aunt Allison, please come and sit by me, let me look at
you.” I looked at Sam as he just smiled, because I did as I was
told. I had already been introduced to Kim his cousin. Andy’s age
by the looks of her? She then waltzed off to help Jimmy. Finally,
it was Edward or as the family called him, Ted, another cousin
about Sam’s age, perhaps just a little younger? Kim is stunning and
Teddy is so quiet and shy, he was made to come out of his room to
see me, bless him, I thought he was going to kiss my hand the way
he shook it. Ted and Kim are adopted, and their father died ten
years ago.

Aunty comes across as quite gruff and stiff, but her eyes no,
they tell a different story. She's sad, when she speaks of her dead
husband, but the love in her eyes when Sam, Kim, Jimmy, Teddy or
Emma speaks, says she’s putting on a harsh exterior, one that I
would love to break down, she’s such a kind lady. Emma is different
here too, but Allison feels a great need to protect her, and she
has many people around her, three adults and a child, all smiling
and though their mouths are moving I cannot hear them, I smile as
they go in the blink of an eye; I have seen the others since I was
little.

Mum put it down to me having an imaginary friends, as I was
always chatting to someone, it was only when Grams saw me talking
to someone and I mentioned the name Nathanial she realised I was
talking to her dead brother, who had died when she was in her
teens, and so she then took me to her spiritualist church for the
first time, when I was just seven, were I was told I had the gift
of seeing ‘others’ and hearing them, I have a second sense for
danger and know when someone is facing death, it’s not a great
party trick, and I learnt from an early age to keep it hidden,
because people aren’t as open to a young girl seeing their dead
relatives! My head is constantly filled with helpers and advice
givers. It’s a crowded place sometimes!

“You have beautiful hair Michelle, is it permed? Those eyes
Samuel, have you seen their radiance, they are the deepest blue,
like Sapphires.” I blushed, as Sam smiled.

“No nothing so drastic, it’s naturally curly, and yes I like
my eyes. Gramps says they look like Sapphires too, Sam says they
are the colour of the sky? I don’t wear jewellery though, I don’t
like it much.” She smiled.

“How very refreshing, to hear you say that, a girl who doesn’t
like diamonds and nice things to be bought her?” I blushed
again.

“I’ve never been bought any jewellery, and to be honest, I
would rather people didn’t. I have a bad habit of losing stuff.
Though, I do love silver, but can’t wear it as I’m allergic to it,
sod’s law really, the cheap stuff I can afford to lose, as I can’t
even wear.” She laughed, as Sam blushed too, he took the drink from
Kim, and she handed me a tea, black no sugar, mind readers the lot
of them.

“So do you need me to finish up and plate up?”

“Finish up, we help ourselves from the Sunday best china, I’ll
get James to bring you them through to you.” Jimmy had already
placed all the dishes on the counter top, I simply went in drained,
mashed emptied and cut the hopefully not too tough meat. It cut
well and fine, so I must have just got to it in time. I emptied the
roasters in another bowl sent it to the table asked for a gravy
boat, Jimmy brought in two.