Chapter 2

On Saturday morning I woke up early and went out for a run, I did a steady three miles, then showered and changed into my normal clothes. I then decided to go next door and see what my girlfriend had planned. I knew she had a voice class this morning, but I wanted to see if we could do something in the afternoon. When I walked in she and her Mum were sat at the kitchen table talking.

“Good morning beautiful,” I announced my arrival.

“Morning sweetie,” Cal replied.

“Actually I meant your Mum.”

Aunt Mary smiled broadly.

“You don’t think I’m beautiful?” asked Cal, pouting.

“No.”

“What?” she glared at me.

“I consider you to be the most gob-smackingly gorgeous female, ever to grace the face of the earth.”

“Nice save,” Aunt Mary murmured. I kissed them both on the cheek.

“Ahem,” Cal coughed as I removed my lips from her cheek, so I bent down and gave her a proper one.

“Get a room you two,” her Mum said.

“OK,” I stood up and took her daughter’s hand and started leading her towards the stairs.

“Down boy. Are you aware of the eight rules?”

We both sat down.

“Actually,” her mother said, “we were just discussing that. I am assuming that so far this new relationship has been limited to kissing?”

“Of course,” I confirmed.

“And that if it had progressed to more than that, you’d deny it?”

We looked at each other, then Cal turned to her mother.

“Actually Mum, no I wouldn’t and I don’t think David would either. I ‘d certainly come to you for advice before we took it very much further at any rate.”

“What do you feel David?”

“Well, I’d probably go to my dad, but yes, I agree with Cal.”

“Good. Look, you’re both good kids, and both frighteningly bright. You’re fourteen, technically anything other than kissing is illegal. You’re both legally under age. However, you’re also both human, and somewhere in the not too distant future things you can do together will come up.”

Cal giggled.

“Get your mind out of the gutter madam,” her mother warned her, “all I’m going to say to the two of you is, please, when the time comes, be safe, be sensible.”

“I don’t think either of us wants to be a parent for a long time to come,” I said.

“That’s good. However, and this is not permission for anything, I think next week, Cal and I will be paying a visit to Doctor Palmer.”

“Why?” I asked.

They both looked at me like I was the village idiot.

“I think Mum’s going to put me on the pill.”

“That or an IUD, or I believe there’s now an injection that will protect you long term.”

It was time for Cal to go to her class so I went home.

“Where have you been?” Mum asked when I walked into our kitchen.

“Next door.”

“Ah, can’t get enough of her kisses eh?” she teased.

“No we were talking.”

“What about?”

“Sex.”

“What?” she exclaimed, doing a double take.

“She pointed out that our new relationship would develop, and we’d eventually doing more than just kissing. She pointed out the legal obstacles, and warned us to make sure that whatever we did, we did it safely. And she’s taking Cal to the doctor’s next week.”

“Then maybe it’s time for your dad to have the talk with you.”

“When the time comes I’d like some advice from you too, please Mum.”

“From me?”

“Yes, dad can tell me how to do it, but you’re better placed to tell me how to do it right.”

“Ask me when the time comes son.”

That afternoon, I went with her mother to pick Cal up, and we got her to drop us off in town and spent the afternoon with our friends, mainly answering questions about what had happened to change our relationship. Most of that consisting of me explaining how I’d finally got my head out of my backside and realised that I didn’t just love my best friend I was actually in love with her. Cal and I walked home that evening, as far as her house, and were greeted by both our mothers. They had obviously been talking, and judging by their reaction when we walked in, it had been mainly about us.

“Ah Romeo and Juliet return,” my Mum said.

“Actually, we’re Shylock and Jessica,” I replied.

Mum gave me her quizzical look.

“Merchant of Venice Mum, we’re both in the school play this year. I’m playing Shylock and Cal is playing Jessica, my daughter.”

“It’s worse than we thought Pat,” Mary interjected, “not only are they thinking about it, they’re thinking about committing incest.”

“Thinking about what?” Cal asked.

“You know what dear,” Mary replied, “IT. Sex, doing the horizontal tango.”

“Mum,” she protested.

Mary looked directly at Cal, then switched her gaze on me.

“Okay, can either one of you look either one of us in the eye and tell us you’re not thinking about it?”

Well, we both tried, but let’s face it, we were teenagers, of course we were thinking about it.

“No Mum, er Mums, we can’t. But just because we’re thinking of it doesn’t mean we are going to do it. Heck I think about murdering my brother all the time, but I’m not going to do it. At least not if he stops tormenting me all the time.”

“He’s your big brother, David, it’s part of the job description.”

“Does that mean I get to torment Pip all the time?”

“No,” Mum and Cal both said together.

That got the three ladies collapsing in a fit of giggles.

“Look kids,” Aunt Mary said, when they managed to pull themselves together.

“We know what it’s like to be teenagers in love. What we’re saying here is, when the time comes, be safe, don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, and please, not in the bushes up at the park?” Cal’s Mum finished.

“Memories of your own teenage years, Mum?” I asked, innocently.

“You know full well I wasn’t brought up here,” she replied.

“Ah,” I replied, “a different park then.”

That earned me a slap on the arm and a ‘Less cheek you,’ from my Mum and a laugh from the other two.

“Mum,” Cal said, looking directly at Mary, “I think there’s one promise I can make on behalf of both of us. David and I will never have sex.”

“Hang on,” I thought, “I never agreed to that.”

“But we will make love when we feel the time is right.”

“Okay,” I thought, “that sounds good.”

She turned her gaze to me.

“Yes?” she prompted.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Fine then,” Mum said, “time we were making a move.”

“Mum,” I interrupted, “before we go, what are we doing tomorrow?”

“Visiting your grandparents in Scarborough. Why?”

“Can Cal come with us?”

“If she wants to, yes.”

I looked at her expectantly.

“Please,” she affirmed, “Can I Mum?”

Mary said yes, and Mum and I left to walk the whole ten yards to our door.

Dinner was curry, made by my dad. He makes an excellent curry. My brother the pig-out king had three bowls. With chips!

My brother really is a pig. At sixteen he already weighs a hundred kilos, and his idea of exercise is lifting a fork full of food. Unlike me, I play rugby and run, and our sister Alison is on the school netball team. But Andy, he’s just a slob. After Dinner, I finished off my week’s homework, since we were out for the day on Sunday and got in an early night, ready for the trip to Scarborough.

On Sunday morning I got up at Seven, went for a run, just a steady three miles, then got into the bathroom before my brother or my sister spent their usual half hour in there. I was downstairs drinking a glass of orange juice when Mum came down.

She kissed me on the cheek and set about getting breakfast ready.

“Ring Cal and ask her if she wants to have breakfast with us this morning,” she ordered.

“What are we having?”

“Full Fry-up.”

“OK.”

I took my phone out of my pocket and hit the speed dial number for Cal. She answered on the second ring.

“Want to come round for breakfast beautiful?” I asked.

“What are you having?”

“One of Mum’s fry-ups.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

She hung up without saying goodbye.

Less than five minutes later she walked through the back door and joined us in the kitchen.

“Anything I can do to help?” she asked.

“No dear,” Mum answered, “I have nearly everything under control. But I do think that if you don’t kiss your boyfriend soon, he may burst.”

Cal came round the table and planted a kiss on me that nearly made my toes curl.

The visit to grandparents was a huge success, particularly after we told them about the change in Cal and my relationship. In the car on the way home she sat with her head on my shoulder.

“Tell me something,” she whispered.

“What?” I asked.

“Were you and I the only ones who didn’t know about us?”

“You know what, I think we probably were,” was my reply, “are you regretting it?”

“The only thing I regret is we didn’t do this years ago.”

When we got home, I saw Cal into the house then walked home. There was a lot to be said for this having a girlfriend who lived next door.