Chapter 3

"Nat. Tab," Sarah called, the moment she opened the door. "Anyone home?"

"In here," the booming voice of Tabitha answered from the lounge and Sarah turned right through a door at the foot of the stairs.

"Ahh, we have a problem," she called out as she kicked off her shoes across the tiled hallway so they landed against the wall in heap. "You'll never guess what my stupid, pig-headed ... shit, Nat, are you OK?"

Sarah paused as she looked down at the couch and saw her curvy house mate sobbing on the sofa, her head in her hands. Tabitha was consoling her with her arms around the brunette who wiped her eyes and looked up. "He dumped me," she said by way of an explanation.

"What, Ryan? Nah. Shit, your serious. What did he do that for? You were going fine, weren't you?"

Natalie's face screwed up as she burst into tears and jerked her hands forward. "I don't know. He just said that we weren't going anywhere, and he didn't love me anymore."

"Fuck. The bastard. Two years, right?"

"I know." Natalie looked at her hands and shook her head. "And then he said, we can just be friends. Friends with benefits 'cause he liked the sex."

"I hope you told him no," Sarah told her and Natalie smiled through her tears.

"I kicked him in the balls," Natalie replied with a grin. "Twice. I think he took that as a 'no' cause he just screamed abuse at me."

"Men. You just can't trust 'em," Tabitha replied and rubbed her rotund belly. "You better be a young lady."

Sarah gave an involuntary smile at Tabitha talking to her unborn child and then snapped out of her thoughts when Natalie spoke to her.

"You were saying," Tabitha asked and Sarah stopped for a moment and thought. "When you came in?"

"Oh yeah. My Dad. My stupid, stupid Dad has arranged for someone to live with us."

"What?" Her two companions shouted in earnest. "Who?"

"Adam."

"Adam. But Adam's a boys name."

"Yes, Tab. I know. I said that."

"But we, you know. Live our life of freedom and stuff."

"Yes, I know." Sarah replied in an annoyed tone. "I fuckin' know that. I don't want him just ogling us, but what can we do?"

"So what can we do?" Tabitha asked and Sarah shrugged.

"I dunno. It's in the contract," the teacher replied to a howl of annoyance from Tabitha.

"It says we have a veto. We agreed to a veto if one of us leaves."

"Yes, for the first two months. I've been through this with him and he is not budging. Says he has a legal right and has costs to meet."

"I'd rather have that Alice or even that druggie than a guy."

"Me too," Sarah replied instantly "But he just wouldn't listen. It's some guy who's moving out of his flat into one that's just gone up in smoke."

"Shit," Natalie cried. "Is he all right?"

"Yeah. Well Dad didn't say he wasn't," Sarah told the room. "Didn't ask. I mean, I guess he ain't in the burns unit 'cause he signed for the room. I was told is his new place is chargrilled and we are the only place he can stay."

"I don't like it," Tabitha replied. "I am pregnant."

"Yeah, I tried that."

"And vulnerable."

"And that," Sarah interrupted triumphantly. "He's said he is moving in and that's that."

"So what do we do now? I don't want to wear clothes..." Natalie trailed off and took a deep breath.

Sarah sighed. "I guess it marks the end of our naturism for a few months," she declared in a concerned voice.

"Yeah, 'cause he will be proper freaked out by it all," the vivacious Natalie added. "Ryan was always well freaked out when I'd wander 'round his house starkers."

"He lived with four other guys – three of whom were nerdy singletons," Sarah told her friend. "He probably didn't want them lusting over you."

"Well that's as maybe. But I don't want those restrictions in my house. I want to be able to run around with nothing on, if I want to. I certainly don't want some guy constantly staring at me as if I am some zoo exhibit."

Tabitha sniffed. "We can't choose, can we? If he is moving in, then we just got to see what happens, right?"

Sarah snorted. "Sometimes, I fuckin' hate my family," she moaned. "Dad is bang out of order."

"Birds? A house of whining, screaming women?" Carl asked over his pint of beer.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I've nicked our van at work and dumped all me shit I don't need in storage. I got it again tomorrow afternoon to move in," Adam moaned, nursing his pint.

"Ahh they'll be moaning about the telly and music and the toilet. Women are fuckin' obsessed with the toilet. So what if the seat is up, why can't the lazy cunts just get their hand and put it down. We don't moan when they leave it down, do we?"

Adam shrugged. "Yeah, that Molly who I lived with for a few weeks, she went mental at stupid things. Like using the fridge for beer and having a wank in the shower."

Carl screwed up his face. "Ya gonna get fuckin' mithered to fuck ain't ya?"

Adam took a gulp of his beer. "Yeah, but I ain't got much of a choice. I ain't going back 'ome. Ivy's trying to get knocked up and I ain't listening to her all night." Carl smiled, he remembered the charms of Adam's youngest sister very well and Adam glared at him grinning. "Yeah, stop it, mate."

"Sorry," Carl muttered and stared out of the pub window to look at the puddles forming. "She's a hot piece."

Adam rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "How was that march ya were on?"

"Protest," Carl replied. "Good. Some Unite Against rubbish were there but they got their 'eads kicked in. Proper good, we had some Union leader at the back of the Supermarket and he was in a proper bad way once we'd finished with 'im."

Adam sighed and Carl scowled at him. "Ya gonna be on Crimewatch then?"

Carl guffawed. "Fuck no. I ain't messin' him up in front of cameras. I ain't stupid but we got another protest two weeks time. Bradford."

"Why?" Adam asked finishing the last of his beer.

"Ahh, some Pakis want to build a mosque next to a Church. They can fuck off if they think their dirty shit should be next to God's Church."

Adam gave a titter. "Didn't have you down as a church-goer."

Carl sneered. "It's all flower arranging and hymns and shit. I ain't going to that bollocks ever. But it's the principle of it ain't it? Church of England and our heritage next to some filthy Paki place. It ain't 'appening. It needs burning down."

Adam sighed and got up. "I gotta go and pack last few bits." Carl downed the last of this drink and stretched his legs.

"Last night," he teased. "Before you move in. I betya they ain't gonna have beer in the fridge."

"Yeah, and they ain't got Cable or Sky; I checked with the landlord. So no sports."

"Well it's birds ain't it. It'll be Jane Austen dramas and cookery shit," Carl muttered in response. "They'll be on your case all fuckin' day."

"Ahh well, I'll just have to give 'em the Adam Charm won't I?"

"Nah. Yah need to lay down the law mate. Tell those fuckin' birds to stop with the shit. It ain't natural anyway, bet they lez up and have gay friends. Last thing you want is a load of queers coming 'round every day, sniffing your keks and shit."

Adam shrugged. "I've been told by James to be charming. First night, thought some drinks and a takeaway maybe."

Carl sneered. "Fancy an Indian before ya pack?"

"Ahh go on then."

"Natalie, close the door," the stout gentleman told her and he watched his assistant shut his office door, faded and downtrodden before turning and sitting down on a worn chair.

"All right, Jeff. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," he said brusquely and rubbed his face. "Just so-es you know, we are getting rid of four of our vehicles," he told her and rubbed his brow. "We haven't had the bookings and it seems silly to 'ave 'em in the yard, costing money."

Natalie nodded. "Four? Christ, we only discussed two."

Jeff wiped his eyes. "Yes I know. But we got a good offer and Taylors, up in Kendal, they offered us some money for 'em and well, we can't keep having coaches idle."

Natalie nodded. "They get some trade from the Lakes," she replied, somewhat philosophically. "And we are a bit far out here."

He puffed in agreement. "Ya not wrong there. And the two Theatre groups losing funding from the Government 'asn't 'elped. I mean, they were good for so many trips."

"Fuckin' Tories," Natalie muttered. "So which four are going?"

"Coaches 26 to 29."

"The new ones?" Natalie cried out. "We only got them two years ago. I thought we were going to ditch the bangers."

Jeff squirmed. "I got a good price for 'em," he told her. "They wanted the new ones and I got a good deal. Now, Rufus, Steve, Toby and Paul all need to be told that their coaches are going to Kendal," he announced. "Can ya handle that today please."

"Me?" Natalie spluttered. "You want me to do it?"

Jeff nodded. "I got an important meeting," he responded immediately. "I got a meeting in town."

Natalie scowled at him briefly; it wasn't usual for him to be evasive and certainly the dismissal of four of their employees was an event she expected the owner and manager to do. "Are you sure... ?" She trailed off and Jeff nodded.

"Natalie, you'll be fine. Now, I got to go and speak to the Bank." Natalie's face dropped and he pushed both hands down on the table. "It's fine. Just a yearly review meeting, the banks love 'em," he told her. "But if I miss it then they start asking questions. And I know Rufus, and Toby and Paul. Well they all live closer to Kendal than Lancaster, and I know Taylor's are looking for drivers, so it'll suit them."

"Right OK," Natalie muttered and Jeff slid four piles of paper over to her.

"You're my Operations Manager," he told her with a grin. "Since Dave left I need you to do these sorts of things for me."

"Right," Natalie muttered and he tapped the top of the papers.

"You'll need these. Be good to 'em. But I am sure they won't mind."

"Dad," Sarah cooed and sidled up to her father. "Look, I know we've said some stuff but we've had a chat and we think Alicia mightn't be so bad after all."

Her father sighed and looked at her as he put his breakfast bowl in the sink. "He is moving in, it is too late."

"But Dad I was thinking."

"No," came the response.

"But Dad, listen. That girl who was at your party, Wren or something, she is in one of your houses. Why doesn't she move in with us and let this Adam guy move in with her friends."

George crossed his arms. "Because they don't know Adam..."

"Neither do we," Sarah replied. "And Tabitha..."

"And I've told you, that is the end of it. Now was there a reason to you being here 'cause I reckon your new house mate might need some help moving in."

"Do not call him that," Sarah spat as she scowled at the grinning face of her father. "He is not my house mate."

"He is," the middle-aged man replied softly. "Now how would you like it, your house burnt down?" Sarah's scowl deepened and she shrugged. "I don't think he wants to live with you girls any more than you want him to live with you but he is homeless and had to put half his stuff into storage so he could probably do without you getting bitchy with him."

Sarah groaned. "I am never bitchy."

Her father raised his eyebrows. "Yes, you do. Now I know it's not ideal but, needs must. And you never know, you might actually like him."

"I won't," Sarah said instantly and he looked at her.

"Now, I'm sorry Sarah, I have to go to work. And when you get home Adam will probably be there."

Sarah grunted and looked up from the kitchen table; it was not often she had breakfast at her parent's house, even though it was en route to her primary school where she worked but she had made an exception with the hope of talking her father out of his decision. "But ... he better be house trained," she snapped. "And tolerant."