TWELVE
I spent the next two days moping around longing for home and silently getting frustrated by my bizarre mother. On the third day I realised that if I was to actually stay here then I needed to get out of the house so I sat at the table scanning the newspaper for any jobs that I would be qualified to do. As of yet all I had come across were requests for builders.
“What you doing?” Charlie asked slyly as he sat opposite me with a mug of strong tea.
“Looking for a job.” I muttered not sparing him a glance.
“Oh really,” he sounded interested, “what kind of thing are you looking for?”
I opened my mouth just as mum and her ball of fluff exploded into the room. “You look like an old man reading the paper like that, Ruby.” The first thing to come out of her mouth.
“She’s searching for a job, Maye.” Charlie smiled at her.
Snorting mum snatched up the newspaper, holding it tightly to her chest. I was staring at her like she had lost the plot. “Oh no you’re not young lady! You don’t need to have a job, I need your help wedding planning more than your rent.”
I rolled my eyes, “what makes you think that I’ll be so good at planning for a wedding? I’ve never even been to a wedding and as you’re a bride of multiple marriages surely you’re more than capable of sorting it out on your own.”
She dismissed my snaky comment like dust in the air and continued beaming, “we’re going to London this Friday to a proper Bridal gown shop. It’ll be brilliant Rubes, I tell you now. We’ll have a right giggle.” I was staring up at her, trying my hardest to work out exactly what was going on inside that head of hers. She put the newspaper down in front of Charlie and gave us both a warning look, “don’t let her have it.” Then she clacked out of the room to who knew where to do who knew what.
Charlie, chuckling to himself began reading the newspaper and I was left sat there wondering what had just happened. Instead of dwelling too long I got my feet deciding that I needed to get out and get some fresh air. I lit up a cigarette and headed out of the house, adventure set in the brain.
Kent was beautiful, there was absolutely no denying that. It was as if all the slushy dried mud had been scraped away and all bad odour doused with petals only leaving the best bits of the countryside behind. The way that the sun flung golden bright light over everything helped to enhance its rural beauty. Out in the distance across some fields I saw some rabbits scampering about, butterflies dithered here and there and it was hard at that moment to consider there was anything wrong with the world. Out here like this everything just seemed…right.
I stopped to take my sandals off and I carried them with my little finger as I walked bare foot along the dried, warm mud. I pondered over Angie and what chaos she would be involving herself with or Jack and his famous scandalous antics that wound up the media no end. It felt as though I was caught up in some fairytale, these things didn’t really happen in real life. They just weren’t possible. If I was famous myself then perhaps it would be plausible but not like this. I was just some stressy nobody and here I was dating the world’s hottest rock star? It was far too baffling to really comprehend.
When I returned I mum fobbed me off with her fluff ball (Crystal) and I had to hike it around the countryside for exercise while mum tittered around in high heels pretending to look busy. I came back absolutely shattered and the woman didn’t even have the courtesy to offer me a cup of tea as a way of thanks. I made myself one and flopped onto the settee with aching feet. “God, I hope you’re not going to make me do that everyday.”
“Dogs need regular exercise.” She mumbled absently as she studied over documents. I wondered what exactly she could be so busy looking at all the time, anyone would think that her wedding was a massive business deal rather than a declaration of solidarity and love. “Think of it as your rent, love.”
“I’d rather hand you money.” I muttered.
Tutting loudly mum shot me a look, “you could at least try to stop whining every five minutes Ruby. It’s not very becoming on a young lady. How d’you expect to keep that boyfriend of yours interested if all you ever do is whinge and pull a face like you’re sucking on lemons?” Staring astonished at her I was at a complete loss for words.
“Well thanks a bunch!”
“Shut up then!” She retorted and returned to looking over sheets of paper.
I was not in the best of moods with her when we headed into London either. She nattered away, jabbering loudly in my ear about irrelevant rubbish while I strutted along with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of my mouth.
Mum had large sunglasses and puffed out hair with smart kitten heels and a knee length dress and although I hated to admit it she did look pretty spectacular. I had my usual beehive and babydoll styled dress and a stomp about me that made me edgy. Or maybe not but in my eyes I looked edgy.
“You-you it’s you!” Some chubby middle aged man pointed and hollered at me, my eyes boggled in alarm.
Glancing at mum nervously I said, “what the hell is he talking about?”
“You! It’s her! That Jack Flash’s girl! Look!” And suddenly men with cameras and pens were swarming around us, overwhelmingly so. Squeaking in surprise I shouldered into mum asking her what we were supposed to do.
“Get out of the way!” Mum snapped angrily, shoving into these journalists that were in a suffocating proximity.
“What’s her name? What’s your name? What’s your relationship like with the infamous Jack Flash? How long have you been together? What’s the news? Tell us!” They yelled in my face, I’d read what they had to say in the papers but I never really thought about the way in which they sourced their information and how terrifying it was for their subjects.
“Come on,” mum was elbowing her way through, pulling me along after her. “Move!” The owner of the bridal shop was stood on the steps astounded and waiting for us, she held the door open and just as I made it in she slammed it shut and locked the door. “God.” Mum huffed instantly composing herself and flicking her hair out of her face. “That was an experience.”
The woman turned around and hitched a polite smile onto her aging face. “Well, you’ve probably just given us a lot of new customers.”
Mum laughed and then I sat down in a lavender cushioned chair as she was ushered into a velvet curtained changing room where she’d be stitched and tied into various white gowns. The lights were on and the curtains drawn around the windows to stop the nosey journalists from seeing inside. I sighed to myself and lent back in the chair, fiddling with a loose thread on the hem of my dress.
When mum came out she popped her hands on her hips and pulled a pose. It was tight and gathered around the bust and flowed in various levels of lace out where it pooled like petals around her ankles. “Don’t you look interesting?” I commented with a faux smile.
Her eyes twitched, “not exactly the response I was looking for.”
Leaning forward in the seat I took her in properly, “well, I think you need to go for a simpler touch. You know, more elegant.”
Raising her eyebrows all knowingly mum took a haughty breath in, “elegance is in my blood Ruby. If I exuded anymore elegance I’d be the bloody Queen!” She huffed then. “Well now I don’t like this dress. You have to be more constructive!” She flounced back behind the curtain to be transformed into another one.
I rolled my eyes, how could I have been any more constructive than that? And so it went on for what must’ve been a couple of centuries at least. Every time she was putting on another dress I’d stifle the yawns as best I could before fixing up a sassy smile and telling her how lovely she looked in each of them. The third dress she tried on was perfect and I told her as such, it had a sweetheart neckline and hugged her figure beautifully but she’d bitten her lip unsure and insisted on trying more. I knew what would happen; she’d try all of them then decide on that third dress.
Still, the woman who owned the bridal shop was very nice and got us tea and chocolates and it was all very sophisticated above anything I’d ever been to before. At the end of the day mum fumbled back toward the third dress and picked it up with a sly grin. “Yeah,” she decided, “I think I’ll take this one. What d’you think Rubes?”
“It’s the one.” I smiled politely.
“It’s the one,” she beamed at the woman who went to deal with it for her. “Well isn’t this all exciting?” She grinned over her shoulder at me like I was an over the top five year old that was getting taken to the best place ever. I gave a blindingly bright smile just to appease her and she faced the woman once more.
Going out of the shop we were alright for about five hundred yards before getting attacked by what felt like thousands of journalists once more. They wanted answers, why had we gone in the bridal shop, what was going on, everything and anything and they wanted it all like the greedy vultures that they were. Mum cleared her throat and grabbed my wrist to stop me from continuing to try and lurch my way through the mob. She grinned at as many of the lenses as possible, “my daughter is with the famous Jack Flash and they told me that they’ve been dating secretly for a while now.” It was difficult to keep my face as mutual as possible and not give mum the stink eye at what she was saying. “We went-we went into the bridal shop because I’m getting married to my fiancé this summer but she has been talking about marriage a lot recently so maybe a rock star wedding isn’t too far on the horizon.”
Instead of quenching their thirst for gossip it just upped the attack and even more questions were hurled our way. Mum laughed while I stared anywhere but at faces or cameras wanting nothing more to escape this madness. I suppose if Jack and I were going to become an item then I’d better get acquainted with this lifestyle pretty quickly.
“The dress is really pretty actually,” mum was explaining conversationally to one journalist.
“Mum!” I exclaimed. “What’re you doing? We need to get out of here.” I felt like everything was closing in and their warm heated bodies were annoying me so badly that I was in need of a fag. Angie would’ve loved to be in my situation, she would’ve struck a model pose and flashed them her beautiful smile that was better off in Hollywood than our forgotten-in-time village. “Mum,” I tugged at her arm, “please?”
“Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruby!” My names was getting screeched out at me from all angles by complete strangers, begging for my attention and it was disarming.
“Well Ruby was actually involved a great deal with picking out my dress,” mum carried on, “so she must be in that mindset if you know what I mean.”
It wasn’t as if I could barrel on and leave her behind so I gave an impatient growl and tried tugging her arm again. This was all too much for me to process. “Will you stop speaking to them?” I hissed as quietly as I could.
“Alright, alright,” she was flustered as her attention finally focussed on me. “You’re right, it’s time we got out of here.” And then we had to fight our way out of this congested mess back to mum’s car where sitting safe and with breathing room I lit myself up a cigarette. “Wasn’t that fun, Ruby?” Mum said eagerly as she reversed out of the spot.
“No,” I frowned bewilderedly at her, “it was not fun. I could barely breathe in there it was horrible and quite frankly a little scary.”
“Oh you’re no fun,” she waved off as we hit the road. “What’re you doing in a situation like you are if you’re not cut out for it?” After checking in her mirrors she shot me a piercing stare, “I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into. If you’re out of your depth then you have to find a solution to get yourself out. You know that, you’re a smart enough girl. The thing with you and me Rubes is that we’re completely different.” She placed a hand to her chest before putting it back on the steering wheel. “I’m led solely by my heart and that works for me but you’ve always been ruled by your head. You’re letting your heart rule for a change and you have no idea what you’re doing. I don’t think it works for you. You need a stable, safe relationship. You’re not cut out to live a life on the edge with impulsiveness like me. It’s not you, Rubes, this relationship won’t work out.”
I sat staring stony faced out of the windshield as the sun glistened golden through, making everything appear rosy and delicate in the evening light. For a while I was riding with anger and bitter annoyance that she would say something as harsh as that. I flicked the fag butt out of the open window and stared out and away from mum, trying to lose myself in the wondrous scenery rather than her darkened words.