Summer With Em – Part 19

By Julie D Cole

By the time we arrived back at Frankies car she had calmed down enough to drive. I was relieved because I had absolutely no idea of how I might have reacted if a close friend had taken their own life in such circumstances and here I was dressing and behaving as the opposite gender and feeling comfortable at last.

As for Frankie I hardly knew her but I felt a connection and I liked her yet I was deceiving her and she was treating me as a girlfriend taking responsibility for me and even treating me. I’d paid for nothing since we met for the first time. I already felt that I’d known her for years and I felt so sad that she’d lost a close friend so tragically. Was I a substitute for Steph? Did she suspect or even know my real identity. I wasn’t feeling like a boy anymore but if I wasn’t honest with her it might make her even more upset.

I took her hand and she squeezed it gently and looked at me and I was relieved to see her smile a little. She just whispered thankyou and it sent a shiver down my spine that was nice but at the same time the situation I was now in was concerning me. I felt I ought to take greater care and behave responsibly as much as I liked this new life but I wasn’t able to stop myself. I was making friends and enjoying myself rather that hanging around like a geek.

Frankie opened the passenger door for me and then leaned across to kiss me and I turned towards her so it was a proper kiss on the lips rather than a peck on the cheek. My eyes closed and I expect hers did too but I’d no way of knowing.

We headed back to Manchester and after about 5 minutes my phone started to ding to notify that I had messages. It went on for a while and Frankie said not to worry since it was because our phones could receive signals again because we’d been in a dead zone. I wanted to make a joke about the graveyard but it wasn’t appropriate.

All the messages were from Em apart from one that was from Mum. I was worried that something must have happened and hadn’t realized we were in an area that didn’t have an O2 signal. I looked at mums first and was relieved that she was just contacting since she hadn’t heard from me for a few days. I was scared I suppose because we normally used WhatsApp on video call and she’d see how I’d changed. I sent her a quick text back to apologize and I told her I’d call her later and that I was out sight-seeing with a friend of Em’s.

Frankie had been watching so I told her about the panicky text’s I’d received from Em and she had said to call her because she was worried that neither of us were responding to her calls so she was concerned. I had several missed calls from her so Frankie expected the same.

I rang back straight away. Em picked up immediately after 2 rings and was relieved to hear my voice. She’d thought we might have been involved in an accident and was almost ready to ring the police and the local hospitals and she’d even tried Frankies apartment and left messages. She was also about to call mum so I told her I’d sent her a message and promised to call.

I did feel like I was being treated like a fourteen year old and said so but she told me that she was supposed to take care of me and it wasn’t like I was in my normal clothes I was out with Frankie who I hardly knew and wasn’t aware who I really was. She also worried that Frankie was a fast driver who liked to wind up male drivers whenever she could and she took risks.

I was lucky my phone wasn’t on loud speaker but Frankie seemed to suspect she was part of the conversation. Once she’d calmed a bit Em then asked our plans and where we were and what time we’d be back. Mum never seemed so concerned but then I rarely went out socially at home. Em suggested we meet up for a snack or supper and Frankie sensed what was happening and whispered to tell her we wouldn’t be late and that we’d eaten lunch and had afternoon tea.

I followed her advice and tol Em that we’d get back and meet them in the local coffee shop in the apartment complex and they could then snack as they wished. I felt awful that I’d not had the common sense to let her know where we were but I had been distracted a lot. I should not have accepted Frankies invitation so soon after meeting her but I thought I was doing the right thing to let Em and Bec’s have some tie to themselves.

‘What’s up Kimmie you seem lost in thought?’

‘I was just thinking about Em and Bec’s and their friendship. Do you think Bec’s is having problems in her marriage. I worry about them.’

‘Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. Bec’s has fallen out of love and realised that she made a mistake. Em is more than a friend and eventually I think Bec’s will have the courage to walk out.’

‘But if she did she’d need somewhere to live. Would she expect to move in with Em? I’m in the way I know I am. I can’t spoil their relationship and their future if that’s what they want.’

‘Don’t worry sweetheart they know what they are doing and my understanding is that it will be her husband doing the walking rather than Bec’s. They can spend as much time together then at her place. Anyway if you feel in the way at anytime just call. I’m available 24/7. You can stay over at my place.’

‘Thanks you are kind but I might be better to have a chat with Em and let her explain what she wants. I don’t want to be in the way of her happiness. They are like a married couple based on what I saw this morning. I’m sure they were awake most of the night.’

‘Well they both like to read a lot.’

I thought I’d better stop the conversation at that point and let Frankie focus on driving. There were an awful lot of cyclists on the road huddled together in packs. It seemed like they were a club and there must have been 20 or 30 of them before we were able to overtake and get clear.

Frankie had decided to take the scenic route back into Manchester to show me more countryside and we headed towards Sheffield that gave her chance to show me her skills on open roads once free of the Weekend Wheelers. She could never have driven like this in London where I lived. Reaching 30mph was an achievement and private cars seemed no longer welcome with so many restrictions, cycle ways, charges and taxes that the new mayor was threatening. I never saw him on a bus even though his father had worked for London Transport when he was growing up. I’d never seen him on a bike either.

Even moreso now I saw the beauty of this part of the UK. I was seriously considering moving outside London once I’d finished university and already I had my sights on Manchester. Well in truth my ideal situation might be to settle down in a village in a small cottage but I was getting too far ahead of myself. Who would want me as a boy and if I was to live like this much longer I could get used to it. Then what? Life might get a bit complicated if I didn’t take care. But on the other hand I was enjoying myself and my life seemed much better at the moment. I didn’t know what mum would think if I said such a thing.

We were now in a more built up area and I commented to Frankie that the surroundings seemed familiar somehow. Maybe I’d dreamed it or been here in a previous life or something.

‘No dear you recognize it from TV so nothing more spooky than that.’

‘But I never watched any programmes about the outskirts of Manchester.’

‘Did you watch the comedy series that Peter Kay did called Car Share?’

‘Oh yes I did where he shared his journeys to work and back with a friend Sian Gibson. I so like her. She is funny.’

‘Yes they went to college together and he was kind enough to involve her. They loved music and played great songs in their car journeys together with lots of laughter along the way. All filmed around outer Manchester so that’s why you recognise it.’

‘I must catch up again because PK is one of our greatest comedians and his knowledge of music is something I admire. I don’t know how he remembers it all. A library of information and his ability to see the funny side of real life is remarkable.’
‘Maybe I should take you sometime to see a live show at Manchester Arena where he worked before he became famous. They get some great acts.’

‘That would be fantastic as long as you let me pay. I’m not used to being treated all the time. In London we tend to pay our own ends. Everything is so expensive. Not that I get out much.’

‘Well we’ll soon change that and you’d better stock up on glad rags.’

I watched for any landmarks that I might remember from the programmes. Maybe I was wrong because lots of places looked similar. Well at least we shared another thing in common our taste in comedy. I wondered if we had the same taste in music and other things. Frankie switched on her car radio and inserted a DVD. The music was relaxing and made me feel very happy.

‘Who is this?’

Mayybe you don’t know him but the song will be familiar. Do you like it? Do you want to borrow it or will you download it later.’

‘Yes I’ll get it on my i-pad. Who is it again?’

‘I didn’t say. It’s a dvd by Leonard Cohen called In My Secret Life.’

I was beginning to panic. Was Frankie giving me another message? First the photo albums then I reminded her of Steph. I felt I might have no choice but to find a way to explain that in fact I was Em’s nephew but I didn’t want things to change between us. I liked being Kimmie and Frankie might get angry and hate me. But she’d helped Steph and accepted him so maybe she’d still like me.

The next song came on that made me shudder and gave me a nice feeling in my tummy. Sort of a fuzzy feeling. Frankie started singing in unison using a deep voice that made me laugh. ‘If you want to take me for a ride – I’m your man.’

‘So you’ve been fooling me then you are really a man. That explains a lot.’
‘No way. I like my life too much to lower my standards. Men have it tough these days anyway. We are taking charge. I’m a new woman. I told you I’m an Alpha Female who knows what she likes and knows what she wants and how to get it. I don’t usually fail.’

‘Really is this an exclusive club you are in?’

‘No we accept new members, especially young and pretty ones. Are you thinking of applying?’

‘Might do.’

‘Well forgive me but you need some training since you are a bit on the girly side. You need a mentor.’

‘I’ll have to look on Google then when we get back. You don’t happen to know anybody do you who could be interested for no fee?’

‘Might do.’

https://youtu.be/yOnXe8ttmjY