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| SOMEONE SOMEWHERE SOON WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU by Enola PART 7 The new year couldn’t begin in a better way for you. Mr and Mrs Lewis’ Christmas present was something unexpected, something that left you utterly disbelieving. When you opened your gift, on Christmas Day, you got a bit perplexed as you just found a large yellow envelope containing a folder. At the beginning, you couldn’t imagine that folder could contain something that would change the course of your life. You found, inside that a folder, a contract of employment. They offered you a job! As soon as you realized that, you automatically looked at Shane, he had a pleased grin on his face, the proof that he was directly involved in the matter. Once, while the two of you were talking about this and that as you usually do, he asked you what you would do after the six months of voluntary at ‘The House’ and you replied you didn’t exactly know that, but you expressed your will to stay in London, your hope to find a job there, so that you could spend some hours at ‘The House’ every day. Consequently, he said that everything would be easier if you worked there, you smiled and replied jokingly it’d be the best solution. Olivia and George (Mrs and Mr Lewis begged you to call them with their names) are very grateful to you for everything you are doing, they don’t want you to leave them since, over the months, they and the kids have grown very fond of you. Having a job is a wonderful sensation and you can’t deny that having some money is good as well, not that money is important to you, but you like the fact you can buy yourself something, as some new clothes, but you especially like the fact that you can finally buy Shane a pint when you go out, although it’s something that slightly annoy him. Your relationship is kind of weird, you have to admit that, as the two of you sometimes behave like a couple, you go out together, you both are very protective towards the other. Sometimes, when he gets worried about you, he incredibly reminds you of your dad. For instance, there’s something which makes him fly into a temper: when you go out alone you don’t ever bring your umbrella with you, so when you get back and he sees you’re wet he can’t help rebuking you, “Holy girl!! You’re totally crazy!! You’ll catch your death sooner or later!!” But you can’t help it, you like rain and like feeling raindrops falling on your face. Also your friends at home in Italy (and your parents) think you must be insane because they don’t manage to understand how you can bear that awful weather, when in your hometown there are warm sunny days even in January! You find Shane unbearable sometimes, but you can just love him for his sweetness, his sensitivity, his kindness and his understanding. There’s one thing you keep asking yourself, “Why the fuck is he gay?” but after a while you realise that maybe if he wasn’t gay he would be different. At the beginning, when he talked to you, you had the impression he still hadn’t accepted his homosexuality and you told him that. He said you were right. He got a stern Catholic upbringing, so when he realised he was gay it was a big shock to him. He was 22 and it took him a couple of years to talk about his homosexuality to his family because he was scared of their reaction. He knew they couldn’t accept that and he knows they won’t ever forgive him, he hasn’t seen them for more than 4 years by now and that makes him suffer a lot because his family is the most important thing to him. He moved to London because he couldn’t live in his little village in the West of Ireland, he’s a sinner, his homosexuality is a guilt impossible to approve. You haven’t seen James a lot lately as he’s going out with a girl called Caroline, a British Airways stewardess. You have met her once at the pub, she’s quite nice and it seems they get along just fine together, even though Shane doesn’t agree. According to him that’s only another flirtation, something that won’t last more than a couple of weeks or so, but as James’ private life is none of your business, you don’t care about Shane’s opinion. In spite of that, when you meet him, that is when Caroline is flying who knows where, he shows himself extremely nice to you and now there isn’t any kind of embarrassment when you talk to him. He has told you he’s extremely happy for you because he knows how much the children need you, but above all he’s aware that you need to stay among them. And the fact James knows that, means a lot to you. Sometimes happens that you, Shane and James find yourself talking and drinking till 2 am in some pub, even tough you have to say you don’t drink more than a pint, on the contrary Shane and James seem to challenge each other to see who will drink more. You find that absolutely stupid, or maybe it’s just you. Sometimes they try to persuade you to drink something else, some whiskey or some vodka for instance, but they don’t manage to understand you don’t like alcohol at all, or rather you find whiskey and vodka utterly disgusting and now it’s you that don’t understand how it’s possible to drink them. They only thing you like is beer and you’d drink a couple or even three if you wouldn’t be scared about consequences: that-horrible-day-after-hangover Shane has when he gets drunk and makes him feel like shit for the whole day…so you’d like to know what is the point in drinking so much, however pleasant it may be, when you feel so fucking awful later? They have different opinions: Shane says it’s a cultural fact, and even genetic, the Irish drink a lot because they find drinking a natural thing to do. On the contrary, James’ point of view is personal: he says drinking helps him to relax, helps him to get rid of his shyness for some hours, helps him to be more confident and helps him not to think…that is, in short, all that you don’t want to do. You don’t drink much because you’re scared to lose control of yourself because you might do some foolish things, something you wouldn’t ever do. You’re scared to let yourself go and you use your shyness to protect yourself. That scars you much more than hangover. When you and Shane go out together, about 3 or 4 nights par week, you usually go to the same Irish pub as Shane and Ian, the owner, are good friends. You love it because it’s not very big and is pretty quiet, so when you chat there’s no need to raise your voices. James joins you quite often when he’s there and when he starts speaking it’s almost impossible to stop him…if he’s already drunk a couple of pints! Moreover, both Shane and James after some drinks have the bad habit of speaking faster and faster with those deep Irish and Welsh accents, so you don’t understand anything of what they are talking about…sometimes you think they are criticizing you saying something like: “Monica’s kinda weirdo, isn’t she? No alcohol, no smoke, no sex…isn’t her life so fucking boring?” You wonder whether they really think that, but after all you don’t care about that at all. That’s true. Your life is boring, but you like it all the same, you don’t do anything to change things just because you want change nothing. It’s hard to believe, but you’re happy, for the first time in your life, you feel happy! You have a job you love, the kids adore you, Olivia and George love you like a daughter, Shane’s the greatest friend you have ever had and, finally, you live in London!! What the hell could you ask more? You’d be too egoist if you asked for something more. When James and Shane realise you’re mute ask innocently, “Is it alright?” You’d just like to kill them!! But you reply quietly with a smile, “Well, I didn’t understand any single word you said, and that makes me feel pretty dumb, but don’t worry, that’s ok!” But they don’t want you feel cut off, so they involve you in their discussion. You talk about anything…even about politics, although politics bores you to death! Just thinking about the Italian political situation makes you feel sick! Talking about sports is better and you spend ages commenting footie results, most beautiful goals and so on. You like teasing when James’ team, Nottingham Forest, loses a game, but he doesn’t get angry. You still remember the first time you Shane and James talked about football. They were both convinced that girls like football only because of *those 22 guys in shorts who run backwards and forwards in a green field*. That’s something typical of men! You didn’t deny that you had a crush on some footballers when you were younger, but it doesn’t happen any more, you don’t fancy any players and you just like watching it. Another interesting subject of your chats is music, of course. Music is part of your life (as football is) since your dad is a musician. He plays the bass. He used to play in a band when he was young, then after he and your mum got married the band split up and he didn’t play anymore. But a couple of years ago, since he’s retired, he bought a new instrument and he started to play again. On the contrary, you can’t play any instruments and this is one of your biggest regrets. You know that you’ve disappointed your father a lot. He expected a lot from you, both of your parents did, but you’ve only been a disappointment to them. Your biggest mistake was give up university and here you disappointed your mum. She’s always been jealous of the others whose sons graduated with the highest marks… Your dad has a kind of admiration for musicians, or rather you can say for sure that he considers musicians as geniuses and you know he’d be in seventh heaven if you got married to a musician… At the beginning of February Olivia announces that a new volunteer will arrive soon at ‘The House’. It’s girl called Valerie, an Olivia’s cousin’s daughter who come from Sheffield. She’s 22 and she’s recently got a degree in psychology. Since Valerie’s dream is to be an infantile psychologist, Olivia offered her the chance to do some practice at ‘The House’ and, obviously, Valerie accepted Olivia’s proposal with enthusiasm. Olivia has asked you to help Valerie as Shane did with you when you got there. Valerie’s very nice and you’re to help her even though in a few days you realise you don’t have to help her that much because it seems she’s managed to integrate without any difficulties. The kids already like her and you’re glad about that. Everything seems to be alright, but on the contrary, Shane’s not any happy to have her at ‘The House’. He doesn’t like her at all, or as he said, there’s something in her he doesn’t like. Her good intentions don’t convince him at all and he said you shouldn’t trust her too much. You just think he’s paranoid because Valerie is very friendly and kind and get on well together. She knows that Shane doesn’t like her and she feel sorry about that. Anyway, although Shane doesn’t like her, you go out all together quite often. Valerie has made friends with James quite easily as she’s very expansive, she smokes and drinks a lot (she’s your complete opposite), so they have a lot in common. One evening, while Valerie is helping you to prepare dinner, she starts asking a lot of questions about you and James. She says she’s realised there’s a special friendship between the 2 of you as she’s noticed his caring attitudes towards you, so she’d like to know if there’s something more. You know what she means, so you reply you and James are only good friends and you add that there hasn’t ever been, and there won’t ever be, anything more between you and him. PART 8 >>> <<< Enola's stories |