Easy As Falling In A Lake
by: her
part: 337

“I have to go back to Bristol, for a few days. I’d be grateful if you could let me know if any of your captive meeces look like birthing.”

“I can try, they don’t give massive notice.”

“Do what you can.”

“Of course.” I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. Dancing with the Devil is dangerous but fun, a word which seemed lacking in my current vocabulary.

“I’ve got some work to do on sorting out the equipment I need to hire for the filming.”

“I thought you had your own?” I was surprised at this.

“Good lord, no. I can’t afford that sort of stuff. I have a nice video camera or three and some reasonable sound stuff, plus what I need to mix and edit, but some of this is very specialist–like the infra red, that is worth a fortune. So I hire it. The insurance for a few days is exhorbitant.”

“I’d never even thought about all that.” It was true I hadn’t. Does Steven Spielberg hire his equipment? I’d never thought about that either.

Des went off back to Brissel, and I decided to play hookey and go and see Stella. It wasn’t the nicest of drives, but I got there as it was getting dusk. She seemed quite pleased to see me.

We embraced and her hug was stronger than last time. “Careful, you’ll snap me in half,” I joked.

“I’ve been down the gym.”

“What they have a gym here?”

“Yes, it costs an arm and a leg, so yes and I am bloody well using it.”

“Wow! I’d never even thought of that.” It seemed today was one of revelations.

“Yeah, it helps depression, and that’s what they mostly treat here, poor little rich kids who’ve got a bit fed up; well that and drugs.”

“Yeah, I suppose they would now I think of it.”

“I’m surprised they don’t have a liver transplant unit next door. Some of these kids drink or used to drink, like the proverbial fish.”

“That doesn’t surprise me, talking of which, does Simon always drink quite a bit?”

“Why?” She seemed to mentally kick herself; “Why? Of course he is, I’m a silly cow, or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“If you were a silly cow, you wouldn’t have picked up on it, would you?”

“Noo,” she said sounding a bit like a sick Jersey, and we both smiled.

“I don’t really know what constitutes a problem with drink.” I was admitting my naivety, “because I don’t drink very much, as you know.”

“He’s had periods when he sinks more than is good for him. Since he’s had you, he’s been much better.”

“Not any more, last night, he and Tom sank three bottles of red between them.”

“A bottle and a half each, not that much. He’s done double that.”

“I thought the limit was a couple of glasses a day, not a couple of bottles?”

“The only ones who take notice of that are pregnant women with their first baby.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Nah, I just made it up on the spot.”

“I don’t believe you,” I said like a pantomime character.

“Tough, it was a calculated guess.”

“Don’t you mean, educated?” I enquired.

“No, calculated. I worked out the number of pregnant women by the number of weeks of the pregnancy, divided by the bottles of wine sold in supermarkets every day, multiplied by the number of helpers, Santa has.”

“You’re taking the urine, aren’t you?”

She shook her head and giggled, “Sometimes, Cathy, I wonder how you manage to cross the roads on your own.”

I blushed bright scarlet. “How do I let you get me every time?”

“You trust me and I abuse it every time. See next time you have the option of saving my life, maybe you’ll think twice?”

“I doubt it. I’m too fond of you.”

“Therein lies the weakness, Simon and I are fond of each other but we are still deadly rivals.”

“I have seen you both in action, taking no prisoners.”

“Yes, I’d forgotten that. Anyway, have you got your phone with you?”

I handed it over to her. She dialled up someone and held it to her ear.” There was a short pause, “Oh you are there? What? Yes, who else? Stupid man! Look here piss-brain, cut down the booze okay? Yes, I’ve had Cathy here, she’s gone to the bathroom, poor girl was very upset at your drinking habits. I don’t care what Tom does, he’s not marrying my baby sister. Don’t take that tone with me, Simon Cameron, or I’ll make you spend your own credit cards. Yes you apologise to her, oh oh, she’s coming back, gotta go. Bye.” She shut off the phone.

“If’I’d said that to him, he’d have killed me.”

“Pleasures of being a sister, you’ll find out it’s a mixed blessing.”

“Find out from whom?”

“Life and experience of it. Remember I’m a tad older than you are.”

“Yeah, about two years.”

“Two years is two years, don’t mock it, you’ll see eventually.”

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” I resigned myself to not challenging too much at this stage of her recovery. She was doing so well, it was heartwarming.

My drive home was one of optimism, despite the traffic. My mobile rang so I used my handsfree set. It was Simon calling to apologise and to offer me dinner one night soon. Stella is an ace at blackmail.