Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 15

List of Characters.

Barbara. Chief Protagonist AKA Bab’s.

Lola. (Seventeen) Transgendered girl rescued by Bab’s from an attempted murder.

Olivia. (Fifteen) Barbara’s second adopted daughter: Black lesbian girl fostered out of care then adopted. (With Olivia’s consent!)

Joyce Banks. Bristol Social worker.

Aaron Talbot Surgical registrar – married to -

Shirley Talbot Lecturer at Local university.

They are a married couple who own a narrow-boat on the canal. Friends of Lola

Mickey Talbot (Twelve) Aaron and Shirley’s oldest child.

Jessica Talbot (Eleven) Aaron & Shirley’s middle child.

Bianca Talbot (Nine) Aaron & Shirley’s Youngest child.

Billy Medical colleague of Aaron’s – he also owns a narrow boat in Bristol.

Sandra Her parents also own another Narrowboat in Gloucester.

Jackie Sandra’s friend (a bit headstrong and ‘adventurous’)

Julie Third member of the threesome, (more level-headed and sensible than Jackie).

Jason. (Black) London Gang member deals in drugs at the children’s homes

Tyrone (Black) Also a gang member, friend of Jason. Also a dealer.

Tyson (White) Also a gang member into drugs and trafficking young girls.

Angela (Angie), Olivia’s trafficked, drug-addicted friend (Rape-gang Victim and important witness)

Sergeant Davis, (Bridie) female police bodyguard for Angela.

Detective Sergeant Davies. (Brian) Bridie’s twin brother.

Inspector John, Heading up the anti-rape-gang operation in Birmingham.

Erica. Another girl victim thought to have been killed by the gang.

Chapter 15

When Bridie and Olivia arrived at the canal cottage Babs met them at the garden gate.

“Where’s Lola,” Olivia asked as she allowed Carbon to leap off the garden wall onto her shoulders.

“She’s gone into Bristol with Shirley and the children.”

“Oh, that’s a pity; I wanted to speak to her about Angie.”

“They’ll probably be back around sevenish.” Bab’s replied then asked. “She’s still coming here isn’t she?”

“Yes, as far as I know but it just seems so unfair to keep Angie in ignorance – you know, not knowing where she’ll be placed when she’s free of the addiction. Angie’s going mental with fear and uncertainty. Especially since she learned about me being back in her life.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do I’m afraid. The less they know about the police plans in the hospital, the safer our cottage will be.” Babs assure her.

“But Angie thinks everybody is fucking with her life by allowing her to first meet with me and then snatch her away by posting her to a safe house far away.”

Babs sensed Olivia’s distress and she came down necessarily heavy.

“Listen Olivia darling. You have to be strong and resolute. I know the uncertainty is messing with Angie’s head but it’s the best way to protect her. Nobody in the hospital has any idea where the police are placing Angie once she is discharged and let’s keep it that way, right girl!”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s just that Angie is just so worried about it.”

“Nevertheless girl; mum’s the word; okay!”

Olivia resolved to follow Babs’s instruction but the remaining visits to see Angela in the unit caused her severe distress. These issues loaded on top of the situation surrounding Erica caused Olivia a lot of heartache but she stuck resolutely to the plan. Finally the day of Angela’s release came.

Inspector John arrived first in an unmarked car then introduced Angela to another anonymous plain-clothes female officer who had arrived to collect her secretly. Once Olivia was reassured that the strange police officer was bona-fida she agreed to accompany her to wherever the police were taking her. Then the tears came as she presumed she was to be moved far away from her friend Olivia.

The lady officer gave Angela a reassuring hug and handed her the requisite Burkah.

“You have to put this young lady. I’m told your friends always arrived and departed in this mode.”

“Bloody Hell,” Angela laughed as she donned the black shroud. “What’s this, has sharia law arrived in Birmingham already?”

“Get in young lady, and don’t make any noise as we leave.”

Angela scowled irritably as she donned the disguise and accompanied the two police officers to the van. There she sat in the windowless rear section with Inspector John while the lady officer drove them out through the hospital gates.

“Now can you tell me where I’m going?” Angela asked.

“Not yet kiddo.” Inspector John replied. “We’ve got one more security switch to make. Officer Wilkins does not know where we’re taking you so we are swapping drivers shortly.”

After about twenty minutes of driving, Angela felt the van start rocking and bouncing as it lurched down a rough forest track. Eventually it stopped and she heard the drivers changing. There were three knocks followed by two knocks then Inspector John replied with four knocks and the van resumed moving. Soon Angela felt them return to metalled roads then she realised the van was travelling down a motorway.

“Now can you tell me where I’m going?” She asked the inspector.

For an answer he smiled then unfastened the small panel in the security bulkhead. Angela was leaned forward and was delighted to see Bridie at the wheel. She gave a shriek of delighted relief. At least it seemed that there was going to be somebody she could trust and relate to involved in her transference.

“Where are we going Bridie. Where are you taking me?”

“A couple of more minutes Angie.” Bridie encouraged. “I think you’ll be happy with the place we’ve chosen.”

“Where?” Pleaded Angela as she poked her head further through the opening and Bridie had to caution her.

“Sit back babe’s the road gets bumpy and you could injure your neck on the edge of the frame. You’re also breaking the law if you’ve undone your seat belt. Sit back please babes.”

Reluctantly she sat back as Inspector John smiled encouragement.

“Literally Angie. It’s just a couple of minutes. Ah! There we are, there’s the lane.”

They stopped in the visitor’s car-park at the top of the lane and paused to let Angela drink in the view. She sighed and turned wistfully to the Inspector.

“It looks lovely. What river is that?”

“That’s the Severn Angie. Come on were safe here we can share the front seats, three abreast.”

Angela leapt out of the windowless rear compartment and clambered into the cab. On sliding across to the centre seat, she leaned across and kissed Bridie on the cheek. Bridie resumed moving and the van picked it’s way down the switch-back narrow lane until it emerged onto the towpath. Angela let out an even bigger gasp of pleasure as she drank in the wide winding river bordered by forested slopes. Then she frowned slightly.

“It looks awfully remote. Am I going to be sequestered away here until the trial? Olivia said it may be up to two years before they get to trial.”

“It might well stretch to that Angie but I think you’ll get to like it here. There’s the cottage where you’ll be staying. Isn’t it pretty?”

Angela was forced to concede that the cottage and setting was truly idyllic but still her heart felt heavy as they stepped through the garden gate and Bridie took out a jangling bunch of keys. She made a show of trying out the keys until she ‘found’ the right key and opened the front door. Angela followed her in and was surprised to find that the cottage was warm and felt inviting. From the outside it had looked uninhabited.

She turned uncertainly to Inspector John.

“Is there somebody already living here?”

“See for yourself.” Bridie invited as she opened the living-room door.

Angela stepped forward to see and let out a shriek of delight.

“Ollie-ee!!”

“Angie-ee!

Angela flung herself into Olivia’s arms and burst into tears as Olivia declared.

“Welcome to the safe house sister!”

Even Inspector John found it hard to hold back a tear as the pair crushed each other in a hysterical embrace and huge sobs of pure joy convulsed their shoulders. As the pair continued squeezing and hugging, Bridie signed ‘Tea?’ to Bab’s who had already anticipated their arrival. She opened the door to the dining room to reveal a table full of celebratory cakes and sandwiches pre-prepared for their coming.

Slowly the joyful tears abated and the girls were invited to join the others around the table. Then Lola emerged from the kitchen with a tray of teacups and makings.

“Shall I be mummy?” She asked as Angela let out yet another squeal of surprised delight.

For a moment she stood transfixed with incomprehension before Lola explained.

“Yes Babe’s, I live here too. Welcome to La Maison Securitas.”

Once again, Angela scrambled from her seat and flung her arms around the older girl.

“Steady on darling. Let me pour the tea.”

Angela was having none of it and Bridie had to rescue the tray from Lola’s arms thus enabling Lola to return Angela’s hug. After more tears and tremors of pure delight, the exhausted Angie settled back on her chair while Bab’s produced some tissues to wipe her eyes. When she had recovered herself she looked at Bab’s to confirm.

“And I’m definitely staying here – with Ollie, - and Lola?”

“Most definitely darling,” Bridie confirmed as Bab’s nodded and smiled, “it makes the logistics easier if you are all in the one place. Now eat your tea and we’ll explain the rules. They’re not onerous; Lola and Olivia find them easy to follow so here’s a page of do’s and don’ts.”
She passed the page across to Angela who scanned them eagerly as she bit into her cake. When she finished, she looked up.

“Is that all. Basically just shut up and don’t blab.”

“Exactly. If you chat with these two,” Bab’s explained as she waved her hand to encompass Lola and Olivia, “they’ll explain any wrinkles. “Now, the next thing is sleeping arrangements.” Bab’s continued mundanely. “I’m told you’re over sixteen; that’s right isn’t it.”

“Uuhm, yes.”

“Good, have you any objections to sharing a room with Olivia?”

Angela frowned uncomprehendingly before asking as she looked around at the dining room and roughly judged the size of the cottage.

“If there’s room, no.”

Then her eyes widened with stunned realisation as she grasped the import of Babs’s words.

“Aaahh! You mean share-share.”

“Precisely.” Bab’s replied with a finality that left no doubt in Angela’s overloaded brain.

As her jaw worked to create words, Olivia removed all doubt.

“There’s plenty of room babe’s – in my bed! Well – our bed now!”

Angela’s gape turned to a nervous question directed at Inspector John and Sergeant Bridie.

“Are we allowed to – you know?”

Bridie shrugged as the inspector nodded and confirmed.

“Surely you don’t think we would allow you to share a bed and prevent you from sharing each other. That would be downright cruel – abusive even!. You’re both over sixteen, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” The girls chorused simultaneously

“And are you both consenting to sharing a bed?” Bridie asked.

“Yes! Definitely!” Both girls chorused again.

“Then I believe you are legally allowed to have an intimate relationship.” Bab’s finished for everybody.

At this news, Angela squealed and hugged Olivia. Then large tears started to pour down Angela’s cheeks so, like the mother hen she had become to the girls, Bab’s produced a box of tissues.

For several minutes, the mood became sombre as Angela dabbed continuously at her tears while the adults and Lola began to grasp the intensity of the shared feelings between Olivia and Angela.

Eventually, Bab’s felt forced to help things along so she asked Olivia.

“Don’t you think it time you showed Angie her new bedroom?”

Olivia suddenly remembered that only that last weekend, Bab’s had bought a new ‘Princess’ style canopied bed for Olivia and Angela to cement their relationship.

“Oh! Damn, yes! The bed! I forgot it completely in all the excitement. Quick Angie. You’ve just got to see the new bed!”

She seized Angela by the wrist and almost dragged her upstairs then flung open her bedroom door.

Against the end wall stood the ‘four-poster’ style bed complete with gauze curtains lending it an air of arabesque mystery. Angela shrieked with delight as she kicked off her shoes and flung herself across it while frantically unbuckling her hot-pants and unbuttoning her blouse.

“Hey! Take it easy nympho!” Olivia giggled. “Have you forgotten we’ve got guests? Button those up and come downstairs again. We can’t just desert our guests.”

“Spoil-sport!” Angela pouted as she began to sulk. This is supposed to be, - like our wedding night!”

“Well not quite ‘wedding night’ babes, - more like our honeymoon night. But it’s not NIGHT yet! Look outside! It’s still daylight. We’ll have all night to savour each other. Now let’s go back down to the others. Screwing each other up here is just plain rude, - and selfish. Especially after all Bab’s is doing for us.

Angela stared thoughtfully at her erstwhile friend and soon to be lover.

“You like Bab’s don’t you?”

“You bet I do girl and you’d better believe that Lola does as well! That old woman has worked wonders for us. You’ll find out how much when you come to live with us, cos’ she’ll most probably end up doing the same for you. Don’t you ever hurt Bab’s either emotionally or physically. She means the earth to Lola and me.”

Olivia’s warning brought several truths home to Angela and the pair returned to the living room to find Bab’s and the two police officers examining documents. Lola was also studying some stuff on her lap-top. Bab’s looked up and smiled at Angela.

“Happy with the living arrangements darling?”

Angela gulped a grateful ‘yes’ before emotions overtook her and she stumbled forward to embrace the old woman. As Bab’s responded with open arms she explained regretfully to Angie..

“I’m sorry your bedroom is a bit small at the moment but we’ve got hopes of expanding the cottage with various criminal compensation awards to pay for the building. If you want to come on board, I’ll make you welcome and I’m sure these two will; won’t you?”

Her gaze fell on Lola and Olivia who nodded vigorous affirmation.

Angela’s single tear erupted into a full-blown flood as her emotional dam finally burst and she flopped down on the settee. Bab’s had been waiting for this essential moment and settled on the settee beside the damaged kid to reassure her and substantiate the sense of security that Angela so desperately needed.