Chapter 25

Thursday evening was the time set for the teachers to come and preview the film, after first completing a non-disclosure agreement that the studio had faxed over, and I’d arranged to go and spend the evening at Kathy’s house. Strange how it had stopped being Mike’s house and was now Kathy’s house. We spent the evening watching TV with her family, until it was time for me to go. She came outside with me and we took our time saying goodnight.

“Tomorrow night will be our last date night for a while won’t it?” she asked.

“Yes,” I agreed, I’d received the schedule for the Manchester shoot that morning and I’d be leaving the following Wednesday, “but I’ll be home weekends. I’ll speak to your dad tomorrow night and see if we can switch our dates to Saturday.”

“Would you?” she said, enthusiastically, “that would be great. Oh thank you.”

And she started showering little kisses all over my face. After one long, deep, sweet kiss more, we parted, promising to see one another at school the next day.

I arrived home just as the teachers were leaving. It looked to me that Dad had been sharing his single malt with them, judging by the empty glasses on the coffee table. They did a strange thing as I walked in. They turned towards me and applauded. I was stunned.

“Er, thank you, I think,” I stammered, “what was that for?”

“David,” Tom said, “I think that’s the best performance I’ve seen by a teenager in a film since, I don’t know when, you were absolutely convincing in that. I can’t wait to see the finished product.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, unsure of how to respond.

The three of them left and I slumped down onto the sofa.

“Something wrong son?” Dad asked.

“Just worried a bit about going away for ten weeks. Well, during the week anyway, I should be able to come home on weekends, and there’ll be a week or so off at Christmas. I suppose I’m most worried about my school work suffering.”

“And about you and Kathy?” he asked.

“Not really,” I replied, “at the moment the only two boys her Dad will let her go out with are me and Mike, and he’s her brother, so I don’t see her dumping me just yet.”

“Just make sure you manage her expectations son,” he advised.

“What do you mean,?” I asked.

“Make sure she knows where she stands, you won’t be able to take her out on Fridays, so what are you going to do instead?”

“I already covered that Dad,” I replied, “I’m going to speak to Mr. Kearford tomorrow when I pick her up and ask if we can go out on Saturdays instead.”

“Sensible move,” he said, “then if he says no, you can blame him.”

“I didn’t think of it like that,” I said, “but I suppose that’s one way of looking at it?”

“Are you going to come over for this sneak preview thing?” Mum asked.

“Probably,” I replied, “I think the studio might want me there.”

“And who will you be taking to the premiere?” she added.

“Kathy, if her Dad will let her go, otherwise Alison.”

“Not Cal?” Mum asked.

I turned quickly and glared at her.

“Mum, I’m sorry but you’re beginning to sound like a cracked record. Until either Cal or I can find a way to show she can be trusted, that is NOT going to happen.”

“Don’t answer me back young man,” she said haughtily.

“Pat,” my Dad interjected, sounding sterner than I had ever heard him, “let it be. Cal hurt your son, badly, and you’re defending her. Now stop it. You’re supposed to be on his side.”

She stomped out of the room and I started off after her.

“Leave it son,” Dad said, quietly, “I’ll handle it.”

Then he followed her out.

They were gone for twenty minutes, and when they came back I could see Mum had been crying.

She walked over to me, folded me in her arms and kissed the top of my head.

“I’m sorry darling,” she said, “I know you’re growing up and I have no right to try and push you into doing what I want, you have to handle the situation with Cal your way. Will you forgive me?”

“Of course I will, Mum,” I replied, “and I’m sorry if I was rude to you earlier.”

“No need son, you were right, it’s none of my business who you take to the premiere.”

Alison chose that moment to yawn and announce that she was off to bed, and I followed her upstairs to do some homework.

On Friday the school was buzzing after Bernie James announced that on the first of December the school would be one of a few sites around the world selected to host a sneak preview of the new Walt Disney film Star Academy. It would be free to attend, but restricted to pupils of the school, and subject to them filling in a short questionnaire afterwards. He also told them that it was believed that the showing would be attended by members of the cast and crew.

I was asked a few times if this was the film I’d made, but since I hadn’t been officially informed of the title, or any plans for cast and crew to attend, I had what I think is known as plausible deniability. But I didn’t feel comfortable doing it. Nor was I convinced that anybody believed my comment of “I don’t know any more than you do.”

When I got home, I finished my homework, Calculus again, and got ready for date night, while we all waited for Mum and Dad to get home. I knew that Mum was bringing Chinese takeaway in with her, so I didn’t actually get dressed in my going out clothes until after we ate Chinese in our house tends to be very communal, and sometimes quite messy.

Once we finished, I helped Andy clear away before heading upstairs and getting dressed in a nice pair of dark blue trousers, and a pale blue Oxford twill shirt, with a button-down collar, and headed off down into town to pick up Kathy. George, her Dad, was in when I arrived, and I explained to him about having to go away to work from next Wednesday until the middle of next term, and how I wouldn’t be back on Friday nights in time to take Kathy out, so would it be all right if we switched our date night to Saturday?

He looked me over.

“Nice outfit,” he said, “so what you’re asking is, can you switch from taking my innocent little girl out in a large group which includes her big brother, to going out with her alone on a different night? Just the two of you?”

I looked him straight in the eye.

“Yes,” I said, “I suppose I am. Although we could invite Mike and Jenny along too if you want.”

“David, if you want to take Kathy out, that’s OK, you don’t need a chaperone.”

He must have seen the look of relief on my face.

“And furthermore, you don’t need to come and ask me every time you want to change the arrangement. She’s old enough now to decide for herself, so go ahead, have a good time.”

“Thank you, George,” I gushed, “I won’t let you down.”

“Just not too good a time, OK?”

Kathy grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the house, calling a hasty “Bye,” over her shoulder as we left.

This week it was a girls’ choice week so they chose Moulin Rouge, a musical, which turned out to be better than most of us lads expected. I went up to the pay desk, and once again, asked to see the manager, who, once I showed him my SAG card this time comped us all in. I asked him if he’d heard of Star Academy, and when he told me that the company was doing a big publicity push for it leading up to the opening day on the day after the premiere, I asked him if it would be valuable to have a member of the cast in the cinema that evening.

“Would we be able to do publicity around it?” he asked

“So long as you just advertise a cast member, that will be all right,” I said.

“You know one of the cast?” he asked.

“I am one of the cast,” I replied, “I play Greg Paradise, the son of the main character.”

“And you live in Cas?”

“Born here,” I said.

“How come you’re in a Hollywood film?”

“Just lucky, in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.”

“Wow, that’s amazing, and you’ll really help us out with publicity?”

“Yes,” I replied, “I will.”

Kathy and I walked home after that, and said our usual goodbye on the doorstep.

“David,” she said, just before she went inside, “you know what my Dad said about taking me out?”

“Basically anytime?” I asked.

“Yes. Could we go out again tomorrow?”

“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” I replied.

“Thank you,” she said and rewarded me with another long hot kiss.

“Where do you want to go?” I asked.

“The last excursion train to Scarborough is tomorrow, could we go?”

“Yes, of course, what time?” I asked.

Pick me up at eight thirty?”

“Ok, see you then?”

“Yes.”

After another quick kiss, she went inside and I set off home. When I arrived I just said ‘Hi’ to my parents and went upstairs. I did my usual stuff in the bathroom, then, back in my bedroom, changed into my sleep shorts and climbed into bed. I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow.

On Saturday morning I was up early, showered, had one of my infrequent shaves, splashed after shave on my face, wondering, once again, why nobody seemed capable of coming up with an after-shave that didn’t sting and wandered downstairs to get some breakfast. My Dad was up already, starting preparations for dinner.

“I won’t be in for dinner,” I explained, “I’m taking Kathy to Scarborough on the train.”

“Okay, son, I’ll do less potatoes then.”

That was it. If it had been Mum, there’d have been an inquisition, but with Dad it was just, I’ll do less potatoes.

“Do you want some breakfast?” he asked.

“I’m just going to get a couple of Weetabix,” I told him, “thanks though.”

“What’s brought this on?” he asked.

“I talked to George, her Dad,” I said.

“Yes, I know that George is her Dad,” he said, interrupting my flow.

“With my being in Manchester during the week, I won’t be able to go on our regular weekly Friday night out, so I asked his permission to take her out some other night, and he said I was welcome to take her out any time. So she came up with the idea of a train trip to Scarborough for the day.”

“Sounds fun,” he said looking, I thought a little wistful.

“Remembering back to your youth Dad?” I asked.

“It’s not that hard to do, I’m not that old, you know,” he said.

“I know that Dad, but how come you and Mum never go anywhere together?” I asked.

“Well, it could be something to do with having three kids.”

“It could, Dad,” I agreed, “but we’re not exactly kids any more are we? Andy’s seventeen, I’m fifteen and Alison’s coming up on fourteen, we could probably manage without you two for a while.”

“You mean without the house looking like a nuclear war had been fought in here?” he asked.

“Something like that,” he agreed.

“Why don’t you think about a few days away, just the two of you?” I suggested.

“Well, I’ll talk it over with your Mum,” he said.

“Do you know what would be really romantic?” I asked.

“Why do I get the impression you’re going to tell me whatever I say?”

“Probably,” I replied, “because you know me too well. Why don’t you just book something and surprise her?”

“Because she’d cut off parts of my body I’m quite attached to,” he replied, “your mother does NOT like surprises.”

“Try it, maybe she’ll surprise you. How about if I pay for it, and you can tell her it’s your anniversary present from us kids?”

“Well,” he said, “it would be nice to have some time just to the two of us.”

“Ok then, whatever it costs take it out of the company account as a personal drawing by me,” I told him.

I finished my Weetabix. Tidied my things away, put the bowl and spoon into the dishwasher and left to pick up Kathy.

I arrived at Kathy’s house early, while she was still eating her breakfast, two slices of toast and a cup of tea. Her Mum, Nora, invited me to sit down and asked if I’d like some tea. I thanked her, but refused, I don’t like tea, never have. Kathy was dressed appropriately for a day at the seaside, T-shirt, jeans and a pair of trainers, an outfit in which she looked totally gorgeous.

Kathy finished her breakfast and we set off for the station, with Kathy grabbing a light jacket on the way out and stuffing it into her backpack. It was an easy five minute walk.

There was a ticket machine on the completely open platform, where I went through what I believed was a totally over complicated process on the touch screen in order to buy our two return tickets to Scarborough and we sat down in the shelter to wait for the train.

It arrived after about twenty five minutes, fifteen minutes late, welcome to the British railway system, and we got on to an old-fashioned carriage, with a corridor down one side and a number of six seat compartments. We found an empty one opened the door. It was a tip, so we walked along and found another just as bad. Eventually we found a clean one and took our seats. As we rolled along the tracks Kathy sat staring out of the window.

“What’s so fascinating?” I asked her.

“I’ve never been on a train before,” she said.

“What?” I asked, “how did you manage that? What about the club trips?”

“They always went by coach,” she explained, “hey I just realised, I’m not a train virgin any more.”

“You’d better be,” I replied, “if I don’t take you back to your dad in the same condition I picked you up, I’d be in more trouble that I want.”

“Silly,” she said, “I’m still a virgin on a train, but not at train rides.”

“I know I was only teasing,” I replied, “I’ll tell you what, the next weekend I’m home, we’ll go up to Keighley and go for a ride on the steam trains there.” [Author’s note, for those of you not fortunate enough to have been born in god’s own county, it’s pronounced Keethley].

“Yes please,” she said, “I’d love that.”

We spent the rest of the journey either sat cuddling, gazing out of the window or talking, mainly about school and what we wanted to do when we left.