Chapter 14

I was surprised. I’d enjoyed the film, I even thought I looked good in it. Cal thought it was a great film and told me she even managed to separate me and the character I played.

When the credits had finished, we walked out, and Cal announced a need for a pit stop. I hung around in the corridor to wait for her. I made two mistakes while I was out there. Firstly, I stood next to a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Greg Paradise, and secondly, I adopted the same casual pose leaning against the wall as him. In my defence, I didn’t notice the cut-out, I was just standing waiting.

By the time Cal came out of the ladies, I was surrounded by nearly two dozen teenage girls.

She looked at the scrum around me and laughed.

“Ha!” she exclaimed once she’d stopped laughing, “typical. I turn my back for two minutes and you’re replacing me.”

“Take your turn girlie,” one of the girls said, “we saw him first.”

“No, you didn’t,” Cal replied, “I came in with him.”

“You’re on a date with Greg Paradise?” one of the girls said, “how does a Cas lass get to date a star?”

“Because he’s my boyfriend,” Cal replied, “and he’s in the same class as me at school. Oh, and because he’s not Greg paradise, he’s David Barker. He only plays Greg Paradise. Oh yes, and another thing.”

“What’s that?” the snotty girl asked.

Cal crooked a finger to beckon her closer. When she complied, Cal leant towards her and whispered in her ear.

The girl’s eyes went wide and she looked long and hard at me.

“Really?” she mouthed at Cal.

Cal nodded.

We spent the next twenty minutes with me autographing various things for the girls, after Cal had specified no body parts and no underwear, then set off to walk up the hill to home.

“Just what did you say to that girl?” I asked as we reached the steepest part of the hill, “her face was a picture.”

“Nothing really, just that you were hung like a horse and could go all night.”

“You didn’t?” I spluttered, looking at her seriously.

She adopted her sweet and innocent look.

“You did,” I concluded.

“She was after my man,” she replied.

“So, you told her that?” I asked, incredulously, “don’t you think that will just make her more determined.”

“I doubt that?” she replied.

“Why?” I asked.

“She’ll probably still be a virgin when her first grandchild is born,” she replied, “definite case of ingrown virginity there.”

“How could you possibly know that?” I asked.

“Secret girl knowledge,” she said, “don’t worry about it.”

The rest of the way home we discussed something else.

“What about Munich then?” I asked her.

“I want to go,” she said, “but I’m afraid.”

“Of what?” I asked.

“Of what happened last time,” she replied, “of it happening again.”

“I’ll tell you what,” I said, “tomorrow, why don’t you ring your friend Jonas, and ask his advice.”

“You think that would help?” she asked.

“He’s on the academic staff there,” I explained, “and his brother is leading the police investigation into last year’s events, it can’t hurt, even if it doesn’t help. And he’ll know what safeguards they’ve put in place.”

There was an unsaid ‘if any’ in the back of my mind as I said it.

I was seriously worried about her going and was thinking that I would go with her. The money was coming in steadily from the film, I had my fees from ITV, and a summer spent in Munich would be nice. I could practice my German, ready for A levels next year.

We parted at her front door, after a good few minutes saying goodnight. A few minutes in which breasts may have been caressed, and hands may well have found their way inside underwear, and yes, orgasms may well have been induced.

“Goodnight, my love,” she whispered as she walked through the doorway into the house.

“Goodnight sweetheart,” I replied as the door closed.

Then I turned and walked next door to my own home.

“Evening son,” my Dad remarked as I walked in.

“Hi, Dad,” I replied and set off towards the stairs to the bedrooms.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

“What?” I queried.

“Whatever it is that’s on your mind,” he replied.

“It’s nothing,” I said.

“David, you’ve got your worried face on,” he answered, “come on, sit down and tell the old man all about it.”

I sat, took in a deep breath and looked my dad in the eye.

“She wants to go to Munich again,” I said.

“Oh dear,” he said, looking concerned, “do you think that’s wise?”

“Wise?” I mused, “no. Anything could happen and send her back to where she was at Christmas, or it could finally kill that ghost off.”

“Or create a new one,” Dad said.

“There’s that possibility too,” I agreed, “what do you think I should do Dad?”

“There’s an old saying son,” he began, “if you love something let it go. If it’s truly yours, it will come back, if it doesn’t then it was never yours in the first place.”

“So, I should let her go?” I asked.

“It’s not really your decision to make,” he replied, “I don’t think you should stand in her way, you should be supportive, but if she decides to go, and Mary lets her, then that decision’s been made. You just have to be ready for any consequences.”

“I don’t want to lose her dad,” I said.

“I know you don’t son,” he replied, “any more than I would want to lose your Mum, but if it came down to it, when would you prefer to lose her?”

I opened my mouth to object, but he raised a hand to silence me.

“Indulge me,” he continued, if you were going to lose her, when would you prefer it to be, now when you’re young and could get over it, or in, say, fifteen years’ time, when you’re married with a couple of kids?”

“Put like that,” I replied, “I suppose it’s better for it to happen now if it’s going to happen at all.”

My shoulders slumped.

“Don’t give up son,” he said, “she could decide to not go, or she could go and nothing happens, just as much as she could go and something bad did happen, and remember, if something bad does happen you or her mother could be there the same day.”

“Yes, that’s true,” I said, “thanks, Dad. I won’t lie and say I feel better about it, but it’s cleared some things up in my mind.”

“Glad I could help son,” he replied.

“I’m off to bed,” I said, “goodnight Dad, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, goodnight son,” he replied.

Upstairs, I undressed, did my evening ablutions and got myself into bed, my mind going over the problem of Cal.

Sleep didn’t come easily, but eventually I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke early the following day, got up, pulled on shorts and a t-shirt and went out for a run, something I hadn’t done for a while. I ran for half an hour, then headed home for a shower and to get dressed, finally coming down for breakfast at eight.

I walked into the kitchen to find Cal sat at the table.

“Hi,” she smiled as I walked in, “Where’ve you been?”

“I went out for a run, I decided I was getting fat and lazy and needed more exercise,” I replied.

Well, fat was a bit of an exaggeration, but the lazy was definitely a fit.

“If you’re going to do that regularly, could we go together?” she asked.

“Yes, if you want,” I agreed, “so, what gives?”

“I’ve made a decision,” she answered, “I’ve decided I will go to Munich.”

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” I said, “you may be worried, but, sometimes, you have to face your fears. What can I do to help?”

“You could come with me,” she said, “if you’re not doing anything more important.”

“I can’t think of anything more important than you Cal,” I replied, “but I think that would defeat the point. I’ll go with you when you go out, and maybe stay a few days, but then I’ll come home. But, I’ll just be a phone call and a few hours away.”

I thought I saw a look of disappointment in her eyes.

“Are you sure you can’t come with me?” she asked.

“I could, but I don’t think it would be a good idea,” I replied, “I had a long chat with my Dad last night and thought about it before I went to sleep. Cal, it’s your life, and you have to be responsible for it, and make your own decisions. Tell me, if you’d known last year what the result of the decisions you made in Munich, the whispers you listened to was, would you have taken the same decisions?”

“No of course not,” she said.

“Then you won’t make similar decisions this time, will you?” I asked.

“No,” she said, with a sigh, “actually David, that’s almost exactly the same as Mum said to me last night when I got in.”

“And what have you decided to do about it?” I asked.