Chapter 7

Author's note: For those people unfamiliar with the English education system, GCSE's are individual subjects usually studied by children between the ages of 14-16 and a core of subjects are compulsory. A-levels are taken after GCSE's, they are two-year courses, and a person's passing grade is important in determining whether or not they are accepted onto a particular university course.

Although Nottingham Trent is a real university, some of the details used in this story regarding it are only imaginary. THK

Pre-Summer 2009

By the time he was in his teens, the surly 7 year old child that Paul Jennings had first met when he was 5, had turned into a gregarious and intelligent young man. Stevie Palmer had early on developed an aptitude for languages and now, at 19, he was in his first year at Nottingham Trent University, on a four-year degree course, studying French and Spanish.

Stevie's sister, Penny, and Paul were 17 and best friends and as both were planning on going to university themselves after A-levels, they took Stevie up on his offer to visit him one weekend. They caught a train up to Nottingham and then met her brother at his on-campus accommodation. Stevie and Paul had never become firm friends, but they did at least like each other now. Stevie had also been watching his sister's and Paul's relationship developing, with an almost dispassionate eye and he could see that their feelings for each other were even stronger than they wished to admit to.

"You two are going to share my room, I'm staying with Fran; I do most weekends, anyway. I'll show you where I keep my food supplies, Pen, and I've spread the word that my little sister is coming to stay. Friday and Saturday night are usually pretty hectic in the bar, but I'm an SU officer, so I'll probably be in there sometime. You're both eighteen if anyone asks. Have a good look round, the bathrooms are just down the corridor, and I guess I'll see you both sometime later!"

"This is nice!" Penny said, "Mum and Dad brought him and his stuff up, but there wasn't room for me, so it's the first time I've seen it, I wonder if all campuses are like this?" She sat on the bed.

"Hmm ... quite comfy, but not very wide!"

"I can always crash on the floor, Pen."

"No, that won't be necessary, Paulie: it won't be the first time we've snuggled up together ... and you know how much I like it!" He smiled at her.

"But you never know, you might get an offer you can't refuse from a nice young undergraduate..."

"And you might get a punch from the sister of one, Paul Jennings! You're sleeping with me, whether you like it or not ... and I'll give you a clue... 'not' is the wrong answer!"

"Okay, I concede defeat. Shall we have that look round now we're here?"

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I need to use the loo, anyway!"

"Hi! You must be Stevie's sister; he said you were coming. My name's Bel ... Belinda, really! I'm in room 8, come and knock if you need anything. It's Penny, isn't it?"

"Yes, and this is my friend, Paul. We're just going to have a wander round, but I might see you later." They carried on walking.

"She seems very nice, Paulie. Do you like older women?"

"Yes ... but that bed's definitely not big enough for three!" Penny laughed.

"Thank goodness for that!"

Stevie was living on the Clifton campus, where the Language Centre was situated, so Penny and Paul went to 'The Point', to get a coffee and a snack.

"I do like it here: everything seems so casual and no one rushes around. Would you like to come here, Paulie?"

"Well, it's nice ... but I haven't really looked at anywhere else, yet. I know we have to think about it, but I just think it's too early. Sorry!"

"Don't say that! At least you've started thinking about it ... which is more than I have, Paulie! I'm just getting carried away ... as usual!"

"I'm not complaining, Pen. Apparently, I'm the sensible one ... so you can be the imaginative one!" Penny chuckled.

"Okay! I 'imagine' I can do that!" He pulled a face.

" ... But you'd better leave the bad jokes to me!" She laughed.

"Will do! Look, while we're here, why don't we get something to eat, rather than cook. The bar closes from 7:00 to 9:30 this evening, so we can go back to Stevie's room and come out later, if we feel like it; but he's got a little TV if we don't."

Francesca 'Fran' Golding came over to Penny and Paul's table, as they sat in The Point, drinking coffee and eating egg and bacon sandwiches.

"Hi! You must be Penny ... I recognize you from Stevie's photograph ... although you must have been a lot younger then! I'm Fran, incidentally. And this must be Paul. Would anyone like another drink ... you don't mind if I join you, do you?"

Penny had met some of Stevie's girlfriends before, but she couldn't recall any of them being anything like as beautiful as Fran, with her shock of auburn hair and green eyes. Even Paul, who was usually immune to other pretty girls, found himself looking intently at her.

"Stevie said you're both doing A-levels ... how are you finding them?" Fran asked.

"Oh, quite different from the GCSE," Penny said. "Do you think they're good preparation for university, Fran?"

" ... Yes and no! They are really supposed to get you thinking in a certain way: which is quite a hard transition for some people; but I think they're quite generalised. You specialise more at degree level and I think most people actually find it less demanding than A-levels."

"Are you doing languages like Stevie, Fran?" asked Paul.

"Yes. My mother is half-Spanish, so I was brought up with that and English, which made A-levels and this course easier; and once you know one of the Romance languages, the others come easier. How about you two?"

"I was never very good with languages: Stevie's the family linguist! I did French until I was fourteen, but then I dropped it. Paulie was the same."

"Yes ... the only languages I learn now, apart from English, are computer languages; and a lot of those have a similar 'root', and they even use similar words and phrases as other languages. But of course with computer languages, syntax is all important."

"Just out of interest, Fran, what was it that attracted you to my big brother?" Penny asked her, "I suppose he's quite good looking, but I've never really thought about his other qualities ... he's just 'Stevie' to me..."

"Yes, he is good looking; but he's also generous and kind and he makes me laugh a lot ... that's important! He's also modest and quite humble; but he told me that he used to be a bit of a brat when he was much younger, but he grew out of it!" Penny laughed.

"You know, Fran, I thought you were talking about my Paulie then ... except he's never been a brat ... he's always been lovely!" She gave her friend's hand a squeeze and he just smiled.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I've got to go now!" Fran said, "It was lovely to meet you both! I hope we meet again before you go back: maybe in the bar later."

"She's so nice!" Penny said, when she'd gone, "I hope they stay together!"

The food was good and subsidised, so they ate and then walked slowly back to her brother's room.

"A little nap, I think ... and a chance to try that bed out!" They both took off their shoes and lay down. Penny yawned. " ... See, lots of room." They slept for nearly three hours.

"I think it's a bit late to go out again now, even though the bar stays open until two-thirty. I think I'll have a shower: you know they're unisex, don't you, Paulie? Another first for us!"

"Have we got enough towels ... I didn't bring one with me," he said.

"We can have a look. Stevie's got a robe that Mum and Dad gave him, which will do for me, if you don't mind making do with a towel wrapped round you."

They found one large towel hanging over a radiator and a couple more in a drawer, so they got out of their clothes, which they left in the room, then walked together to the showers.

"Hi, Penny! Hi, Paul!" Bel said as they walked in, "So you had the same idea ... best time to use them, when people are out!" Bel was used to this arrangement and was totally unconcerned as Penny and Paul got into the stall next to hers.

"Do you ever get creepy boys in here, Bel?" Penny asked her.

"Occasionally! The best thing is just to let them stare until they get it out of their system; then they either don't do it again, or they come here at times when there's no one about."

As Penny was speaking to Bel, she and Paul were washing each other's backs.

"What if they, you know ... get aroused!" Penny said. Bel laughed.

"Depends who it is: sometimes it's worth watching; other times you just laugh!" Penny giggled.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone!" Bel said, "Goodnight! I might see you around tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Paulie: I wouldn't laugh at you!" Penny said. Back in the room, they dried themselves more thoroughly and then they got into bed.

Penny got out of bed the next morning still not fully awake, and pulled on her knickers and T-shirt; she was half-way to the bathroom before she remembered where she was and how little she was wearing.

"Good morning! You must be Stevie's sister: he told us you were coming, but not how pretty you were! I'm Mal, by the way!"

"Er ... Penny! I'm sorry ... Mal ... but I really need to..." She gestured with her head towards the bathrooms.

"Sure! Of course! Maybe I'll see you later!" Penny hurried off.

"She's not for you, Mal," Bel said, "She's here with her boyfriend. Stick to undergrads, there's plenty of those around to feed your appetite, and your ego!"

"Now, now, Belinda; put your claws away! Just because you struck out with her big brother..."

"You know that's not true, Mal: although he is the only man around here worth chasing; but Fran's my friend!"

"Oh, well! C'est la vie, Belinda!"

"It's okay, Penny ... he's gone now!" Bel said as she saw her head looking out into the corridor. "He's actually not a bad guy! He just needs reminding sometimes that not all woman are ready and willing to open their legs for him! And before you ask ... yes, I have ... and it was actually rather good ... but we mustn't let him know that: his ego's already fit to burst!" Penny went back to bed.

"Come on ... leave some room for me!" she said, as she climbed over Paul's body and made herself comfortable again.

Such was Penny and Paul's introduction to university life.

They had been back from visiting her brother for some weeks, when Penny asked him:

"Do you own a suit, Paulie?"

"No ... why do you ask?"

"I've been invited to a wedding, and as you are the official person-who-takes-me-places, I thought a suit would be a nice touch, that's all!"

"And do I know this person whose wedding you've been invited to?"

"I don't think so: my Aunt Sarah's son, Mark; he's 24. Mum and Dad are going, of course. They'd usually stay at Aunt Sarah's, but they'll have a house full, so Mum and Dad are staying in a hotel. I told them that if they want me to go, you'll be coming and we are 17 and old enough to share a room: they know we share a bed if we stay at each other's houses, but only as friends! Do your parents know that?"

"I don't know! They've never asked ... I suppose I just assumed they did, you've stayed over lots of times. But getting back to the suit, I don't think I'm going to grow any more and a dark suit might come in useful later; I suppose I could get one. When's the wedding?"

"Four weeks time. I've known about it for ages, but Mum and Dad only asked me if I wanted to go today, because they've got to book rooms."

"Do you know your cousin well, Pen?"

"No, not really. We never see Aunty Sarah's family much: she moved away from London when she got married and seven years is quite a big age difference, isn't it, so me and Mark never really played together, or anything. So you are coming, then?"

"We're going up to Staffordshire on Saturday morning. Dad said we'll go straight to the hotel, where we can change, then depending on the time, we'll either go to Aunty Sarah's first, or to the church. The reception will probably go on into the evening, so afterwards we'll go back to the hotel. I ought to warn you that they'll probably want to go to Aunty Sarah's on Sunday for lunch and we'll come back home in the evening; it takes about two and a half hours."

"What are you wearing on the day, Pen?"

"It's something new, and quite nice! It's probably a bit more adult than most of my other clothes, too. And I'm looking forward to seeing you in your suit; I've only seen it on a hanger. I don't know, Paulie, we seem to be getting quite grown up, don't we."

"Yes, I know. We're nearly half way through our A-levels, and I suppose we'll have to start thinking about Uni, soon, too."

"It's all a bit scary, isn't it; but I think, on the whole, we've been quite lucky so far with growing up; there isn't much I'd change, Paulie!"

"No, me neither!"

They sat in the back of Penny's Dad's car on the way to the wedding, holding hands: still a sign of friendship and affection; but perhaps also now more habit. There was nothing so private that they wouldn't want her parents to overhear, but apart from answering the occasional question, or making the odd observation, they were content to just sit back and relax.

Although his suit and her dress were carefully folded in the boot of the car, out of deference to her parents, Paul and Penny's travelling clothes were more smart-casual than those they usually wore: more noticeably in Paul's case, as he tended to wear only jeans, T-shirts and trainers [sneakers] when not dressed for school.

Penny's relatives lived in Tutbury, but the Palmer's had booked rooms a few miles away in Burton upon Trent. They arrived about noon and the wedding was at three o'clock, so they went straight to their rooms to change. Even for Penny, who liked to take her time over these things, it was a fairly easy process, as she didn't have to choose what to wear and her make-up wouldn't take long to put on. As she had said, her dress was simple, fitted, and made her look several years older than her seventeen years. It had a short, matching jacket, which she could leave off in the evening. When she was dressed, Paul took several photos of her; as did she of him, in his new, dark suit, with a simple white shirt and sober tie.

"You look very handsome ... but I still think I prefer my old Paulie in jeans and a T-shirt!"

"And you look as beautiful as ever, and very grown up!" She kissed him lightly, but tenderly on the lips.

"Thank you! I don't think you've ever called me 'beautiful' before ... I'll get mum to take our photo together."

It was thankfully a nice, sunny day and the wedding proceeded without drama and afterwards Penny and Paul stood next to each other and smiled for the group wedding photograph. Tutbury was small enough to allow them to walk from Penny's Aunt Sarah's house, where her father left the car, to the church, and from there to the function hall for the reception. They sat down to a meal, listened to speeches and then Penny introduced Paul to her relatives; some of whom hadn't seen her since she was a little girl. To the assembled relatives, Paul became 'Penny's young man' and it was easier to go along with this than deny it: which would have been difficult anyway, as she rarely left his side all evening!

By the end of the festivities both of them were flagging, visibly, so they were glad when Penny's parents decided to leave at about 10:30. There was a big double bed in Penny and Paul's hotel room, but after brushing their teeth, they both cuddled up together in the middle of it, where they quickly fell asleep.

"Morning, Paulie!" Penny said, sleepily, "You know, this is so much nicer than sleeping alone! Can't you sleep with me every night when we get home!"

"But what about Mr Brewster! Are you just going to cast him aside after all these years, Pen?"

"No ... I'll always love him ... but you're so much nicer to snuggle up with than a teddy bear, Paulie!"

"What time have we got to be at your Aunt Sarah's for lunch? You know you've got to have a bath first, and I've got to shower. And what about breakfast?"

"I think we need to check out first, so you can either have breakfast, or another hour in bed ... I know what I choose! So what did you think of the wedding?"

"It was okay, I suppose! I'm not an authority: I think that's only the second one I've been to. The bride looked nice, and the bridesmaids."

"Oh, yes, that reminds me ... I saw you eyeing up the matron of honour! That was Claire, the bride's sister; but I think she's only fifteen! Do you think I'll make a good bride, Paulie?"

"I don't know ... if you invite me to your wedding, I'll tell you!" She laughed.

"Ooh! Just for that I'm going to make you my matron of honour, and wear a dress! But I've already decided: if I don't marry you, I may not get married at all..." It was Paul's turn to laugh.

"Okay! But I think I ought to finish university and get a job, first." She snuggled up even closer.

"Mmm ... all right ... but remember, I want children by the time I'm thirty; that's only thirteen more years!"

Later that afternoon, at Penny's Aunt's home:

" ... So how long have you been Penny's young man, Paul?"

"Well, I've known her ever since she moved in next door to us, and we've been in the same class ever since we started school, but she has lots of friends, of both sexes, Mrs Eastman."

"Oh, but I thought you two were an item?"