John and Jo
Chapter 7

Copyright© 2014 by The Heartbreak Kid

When they got home, John carried their cases upstairs, while Jo carried the waiting mail through to the office. As usual, it was a combination of unsolicited offers to buy things that they didn't want, and John's letters; although she had received a bank statement. For most people this is a pretty mundane item, but it was Jo's first one, so she opened it with some excitement. She had a bank debit card which she used occasionally, mainly to draw small amounts of cash, which were itemised. She saw the initial amount that John had deposited when they opened the account, together with smaller deposits from John's publisher, which were royalty payments on books sold. There was also the payments that she had made for Christmas presents. In addition, was a small amount of interest paid on the money in the account. Jo was curious about John's account: although not to find out how much money he had. She was sure that he would show her if she asked; but she had no intention of asking!

Jo's cooking skills were still very limited, but she had often helped John's mother while they were in Scotland, and she was now able to make them both a simple lunch. It was when she went into the kitchen for the first time that she again strongly felt the absence of Sam. They had taken most of his things with them when they went, but there was still the place where he used to lie on his blanket and sleep. John came up behind her, and when he saw her looking in that direction, he put his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "It'll take a while," was all he said, but Jo smiled.

For the rest of the day Jo sat reading, in readiness for her return to college for the Spring term; John went through his letters and accumulated emails: although most of the latter had already gone to his phone as well. Jo's first class was 9 a.m. until noon, so John dropped her off at 08:45, then went into town to buy stationery and a few other things. He was waiting for her when she came out again, just after 12 o'clock. "How was it?" he asked her.

" ... Hmm ... a bit strange at first, but we were soon back into it. We are going to be finishing off 'Russia in turmoil, 1900-1921, ' then we switch to Module 2 of the syllabus.

"And what about your classmates? You had a few reservations last term, I seem to remember!"

"Well, they're all nice enough, but I think that they're mostly younger than the English class; and they don't seem quite as united as a group, either.

"I bet, too, that most of your evening classmates are only doing one subject, while these are doing two or more. That, and the age difference does tend to make for a different group dynamic," John said.

"How do you know all these things, Mr Neill!" Jo asked him.

"Only from experience, Mrs Neill to be! Incidentally, do you want to learn to drive ... I don't mind taking you anywhere you want to go, but it's not a bad idea for you to learn. And then if we go on long journeys, we can share the driving!"

"I've thought about it, but if you don't mind, Love, not at the moment; I've already got a lot to think about!"

" ... I understand ... just let me know when you are ready!"

At the end of Jo's first week back at college after Christmas, both of them were sitting in the kitchen having breakfast. They wanted to make sure that they could marry in Scotland during the college Easter break, so they found out exactly when they had to do things and what documents they would need. They needed birth certificates, and as John had been married before he needed his divorce decree absolute. Jo had no idea what had happened to her original birth certificate: she had never seen it, so a replacement was ordered.

In order to expedite the process, John said that they could fly to Scotland to take all their documents to the registrar in Elgin, which was the nearest office to his parents home. They decided that February 26th was the optimum date to go: the day after Jo's last class of the week. They could fly home on the Sunday.

"What are you going to wear, Love?" John asked her, "We'll have to go shopping!"

"I haven't really thought about that ... I'm happy to get married in jeans and a T-shirt!" John just grinned.

"How about just a T-shirt ... I love that look on you! But seriously, I know it's only going to be a small and informal affair, but I don't think that a little dressing up will be out of order. And you'll want a few photos to show your family, won't you. I'm sure that they've seen you in a dress before!"

"All right," Jo conceded, "but only something simple!"

"Shall we go to Cambridge, then ... they have some nice shops, and I can also show you where I went to college."

"Okay! But I'm probably more interested in that, than buying dresses!"

It was no more than twenty minutes by train, and it saved all the bother of trying to park the car. John obviously knew Cambridge quite well.

"Do you want to go to my old college first, then?" he asked Jo, as they sat on the train.

"if you don't mind! Is it one of the old ones?"

"Yes... 1448 ... and there are some even older!"

"And is it like stately homes ... do we have to pay?"

"I don't, and nor do my guests. There's a visitors entrance, but former students go in by the porter's entrance. I hope you've got comfortable shoes on, we'll be walking a few miles today!"

"How far is it from the station, then?"

"About a mile and a half ... not that far really!"

As they neared the college Jo expressed her appreciation:

"Oh, this is lovely!" she exclaimed, "Not much like my college, is it!"

"No, not much! But I only went to an ordinary school before I came here. I was just one of the lucky ones who got offered a place!"

John and Jo made for the porter's entrance.

"Hello, Mr Neill," the porter said when he saw John, "We haven't seen you back here for some time!"

"Hello, Harry! No, it's been a few years now! Is there anywhere we mustn't go today, Harry?"

"No, I think you're all right today, Sir! Can I get you and your guest to sign in, please!"

John and Jo duly signed in, then they continued with the tour. Jo was enjoying it, but she almost winced every time there was a little creaking noise as they walked along the ancient corridors. As they were walking along one of these passageways, a door opened and a middle-aged man came out. He recognised John immediately.

"Hello! What are you doing back here!"

"Hello, Peter! We were coming to Cambridge to shop, so I had to pop in! This is Jo, my fiancée, Peter. Jo, this is Professor Peter Harris, my former tutor!"

"How do you do, Jo! John was one of my better students ... he could have been a don himself by now ... but he preferred to write his books!" John smiled.

 
There is more of this chapter...
The source of this story is Storiesonline

To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account (Why register?)

Get No-Registration Temporary Access*

* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.

Close
 

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...

Storiesonline is for adult entertainment only. By accessing this site you declare that you are of legal age and that you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.