Chapter Four - Parade
As Ellie was walking back down the path I caught up with her. We walked back down the path, past the golf course, the bowling green, the boating lake and eventually back out on to the road. I carried on walking with her all the way to the shop where we exchange numbers and then said our goodbyes and see you laters. Then she walked into the shop and I carried on down to the beach where I walked on towards the place where I was staying, which was a friends caravan in the neighbouring village. As I was walking along the beach, my phone vibrated.
'New Message' the display read. I opened the message and it read
'See you later...What are you doing afterwards?...If you can meet me in the parade ground...Love you xxxx' the message was from Ellie.
'I don't know. I will probably but not for long. What about tomorrow. Where are you watching the fireworks? xx'I replied.
The response was almost instantaneous 'Ok...From my house I think xxxx'
My reply took a little more time than hers. First I rang my mum to see what we were eating for tea, she said that Michael wanted to eat at the Hunstantia Greek Restaurant and that they were on their way down to book a table. Damn I was so badly craving a curry. She then asked why I wanted to know. Quickly, I made up a cover story of wanting a curry. I did anyway.
I texted Ellie 'See if you can come out for a meal with me tomorrow xx' The reply again quickly followed
'What meal?xxxx'
'Greek, but apparently it doesn't have a large amount of Greek stuff on the menu xx'
'I'll just ask my dad xxxx'
'Ok xx'
I was only waiting for a minute when 'Sure...What time'
Again I texted Mum to ask if I could bring a mate. She said sure just tell them to be prepared to pay for themselves. I asked her what time the table was. 7.00 was my answer.
I text Ellie saying 'Cool. Tables at 7. Be prepared to pay for yourself though. Do you know where it is? xx'
Again her reply came fast 'That's fine...My dad said that as well...Is it in East Bunton? xxxx'
'Yeah. Main Street, before the turning for the road that leads to the beach xx'
'Ok...See you there xxxx'
I carried on walking down the beach until I got to the slipway leading up to road. On my way up I paseed the Hunstantia. In all the time I had been to East Bunton I had never wanted to eat there. Greek cuisine had never appealed to me before. My mind flashed back to the time, earlier in the summer holidays when my family and I went to Bournemouth for a weekend break. We asked the main desk at our hotel, if there were any nice restaurants nearby. The young lad at the desk said "The Harvesters nice" (other chain restaurants are available) So we booked a Taxi and we asked the driver if he knew of any good restaurants in Bournemouth. He said yes there is a nice Italian near the centre and there was a really nice Thai restaurant that did Thai Tapas (Thai dishes that were tapas sized). The driver used to be a chef so he knew what he was talking about. He gave us three checks to see if the meal would be good or not.
1: Smell-does it smell appetising when you enter.
2: Tables-are the tables sticky when you wipe your fingers over them.
3: Menu-do the dishes on the menu sound nice.
As I walked past the Hunstantia I was confronted by a greasy smell, the kind of smell you get if you walk behind a chip van. Nevertheless, I continued on to the caravan. As I entered I was confrontedby my Mum who asked me
"Who's this friend you invited?"
"Just a friend Mum," I replied sternly.
"Really?" My Mum said back in a tone that said I dont believe a word you are saying.
"Yes Mum, she's just a mate," I said and instantly regretted it.
"She?! Are you sure she's just a friend?" Mum said digging deeper and deeper.
"Okay. Her name's Ellie and she's my girlfriend. Just dont to anything silly okay," I pleaded with her. My Mum has a history of getting drunk, doing something stupid and then forgetting about it the next day.
"Don't worry my little PudgyPoo I won't do anything to embarrass you," Mum said and then giggling like a four year old. She was doing it now but to avoid confronatation I held my tongue.
"Seriously though Mum."
"Yeah I know," Mum sounded rather annoyed, "Will she be at the parade tonight?"
"Yeah. I'll probably leave you guys to it and hang around with her for abit."
"Ok, just be back by half-ten."
"Ok, I will be."
I looked at the clock, half-past-four. Really, three hours until the parade started and about two-an-three-quarter hours until we left to make it to the route. Time was going slowly. The anticipation of what would happen filled my head with thoughts. What would I say to her? If I meet her parents what do I say to them? What do I do with her once we were alone? After the last thought my mind burst with images of us doing stuff. What if she wanted to do some stuff that I didn't want to? Although, at this moment in time I dont know if there was anything that I didn't to do. What if I wanted to do things that she didn't? What if I got her pregnant? I couldn't make a good father live around 100 miles away from her and only seeing her and the baby once maybe twice a year, maybe not at all. A shout broke me from my thoughts.
"Will, shower," my Mum shouted.
As I stepped under the shower I let the hot water run down my back and through my hair. I was standing like this for around five minutes when I realised that I'd left my shower gel on the side. I tried to fathom out how to get to it without someone potentially walking in and seeing me, nude hanging out the shower and my arm reaching up to grab the shower gel.
"I'd look like a perverted BeeGee," I thought to my self. I laughed at the idea of three sixty to seventy year old brothers singing Nightfever naked. Then I shuddered at the image.
The following hours came and went by in a flash. I was casually brushing off questions of who this mate was and why I invited them out for a meal. I felt like saying that all would become clear tomorrow but that would give too much away. My resposes varied from; "Just a mate" and "They'd do the same for me, so I'm doing it for them." Only two people out of the five knew the truth. My Mum and I. I was also told countless times by Michael that tomorrow, they would be paying for themselves. I got the impression that he was a bit tight-fisted. But never mind. Tonight could go well or it could go badly. I would deal with tomorrow when it came.
Six-thirty-five came all to quickly for me. We were all ready, when the time came to set off. We all walked through the park, down the street, when Michael said that one way was quicker and that he and Sam were walking that way and his wife, my Mum and me could walk along the main road because we wanted to walk through the caravan park where my Grandad used to have one. The old caravan had been replaced by a new one with bay-windowed front and a three-peice-suite.
We made it to the Cliftonvale just in time to get a spot and a drink before the first carnival float went by. I struggled to the front and I managed to make out the back of Ellie's head. Just to make sure it was her, I text her.
'Where are you? xx'
Again the reply came through almost as soon as I had sent it, 'Front row...In front of the Cliftonvale...Why, where are you?'
I pondered on my reply. I decided on, 'I think I'm behind you, turn around xx'
She turned and I saw her. I rembered how beautiful her eyes were. She smiled, shyly. I turned and told my Mum where I was going, she was okay with it. I muscled my way to the front and stood next to her. She was busy texting or something. I just subtley tapped her on her shoulder and she turned quite scared. But when she saw me her face changed from one of panic, to one of happiness. She pulled me into a massive hug. I was relieved for some reason that was unknown to me. She kissed me on the cheek. We probably looked the most awkward couple out of all of the probable hundreds of them that were at the parade.
The parade came and passed and as the crowd dispersed, Ellie said, "Follow me."
"Wait," I said, "Where are we going?"
"Parade ground," she said. Once again she had her cheeky smile plastered on her face.
We walked towards the parade ground, hand-in-hand. When we got there, she lead me to the edge of the cliff, just in front of the fence that stopped people from jumping to their deaths. We both lay down next to each other looking out to sea, watching the moon rise, it's reflection bouncing off the water. She rested her head on my chest.
"Right, What do we do now?" I said.
"I don't know."