‘Dee?’ she called gently, but there was no reply. ‘Dee?’ she said more loudly. ‘Look what I won on the tombola, this’ll cheer you up.’ She opened the door of Dee’s bedroom.
After a full five seconds she backed out of the bedroom, shut the door and leaned against it, a blank look on her face.
‘Aaah!’ It was almost a scream. Her hand opened and the bottle smashed onto the floor.
‘Aaah!’ she said again just as loudly. ‘Oh no, I don’t believe this is happening to me!’ There was a sound of movement from the bedroom and Shelley suddenly came back to life. She flew across the van, hurtled through the door and disappeared.
‘You’re not coming into work dressed like that!’ Mr Lawson said coldly. It was three hours later and Shelley had turned up for work still dressed in shorts and t-shirt.
‘Aw, please Mr Lawson, nobody’ll notice.’
‘I said no! Now go and change.’
‘But …’
‘Go!’
Shelley groaned and trudged back to the van muttering to herself. As before she peered through the window, but once again there was no one in sight. She eased the door open, tiptoed inside and with a sigh of relief pulled the door closed behind her.
‘Good evening,’ said Dee.
‘Aaah!’ Shelley screamed. Dee had been sitting in the corner of the van hidden by the curtains. ‘Oh no,’ Shelley said holding her heart. ‘Kill me someone, kill me right now!’
‘I wondered when you’d come back for your clothes,’ said Dee levelly.
‘I am so sorry Dee, I wouldn’t have broken in like that for the world.’
‘Will you please relax? It wasn’t your fault,’ said Dee. ‘Where’ve you been all afternoon? It’s raining and you go out dressed like that!’
‘I’ve been on the big dipper,’ Shelley groaned. ‘I stayed on for forty-seven consecutive rides! I’m up on the board as the record holder.’ She held her stomach. ‘Oh dear, I feel so sick.’
‘You silly cow, why didn’t you go into a cafe or something?’
‘Where else do you go on a wet afternoon? My purse was in here! If it wasn’t for Toby letting me into the funfair free I’d have died of exposure.’
‘He didn’t stay long.’
‘No.’ Shelley avoided her eyes. ‘I’ll just get my clothes then I’ll be out of your way.’ She made for her bedroom.
‘Shelley,’ Dee stopped her. ‘Don’t you think we should talk about it?’
‘Talk about it? No I do not!’ Shelley said. ‘Your mother’s going to kill me.’
‘Nothing happened.’
‘Nothing? Oh right, sure.’
‘Really.’
‘Listen Dee, I was there. I saw him. Oh brother did I see him.’
‘We did not make love,’ said Dee seriously.
Shelley stared at her for a long moment, then she sat down opposite. ‘Seriously?’ she asked quietly.
‘Seriously, we didn’t make love.’
‘Are you telling me you let him get that far, then said no?’
‘He wouldn’t.’
‘He wouldn’t?’ Shelley demanded. ‘C’mon Dee, this is Shelley you’re talking to.’
‘I tell you he wouldn’t,’ Dee said levelly. ‘And I might as well be completely honest, there is no way I would have refused him, but he wouldn’t.’
‘What’s the matter with him?’
‘We hadn’t got anything…you know.’
‘Oh, you mean a condom?’
‘Yes.’
‘And yet you’re saying you would have?’
‘Oh yes I would have, make no mistake,’ said Dee. ‘I still can’t believe it myself. I’ve never had any sympathies for these girls that get pregnant but I think I’m beginning to understand, you simply don’t care do you?’
‘But you have to care Dee, you could have got pregnant, think what that would have done to your chances at The Sorbonne, or worse, you could have caught the big A.’
‘I think Sebastian’s proved that the likelihood of me catching AIDS off him is remote, don’t you?’ Dee regarded her friend levelly. At last all Shelley’s amazement and indignation ran out of her and she gave a sigh. ‘Oh well, I suppose you got away with it this time,’ she said. ‘Look, I’m going to be sick then I’d better get to work.’
‘You want me to cover for you?’
‘No, I’ll be alright. Us record holders have to suffer for our art.’ She went to the bathroom door, then she stopped and looked back at her friend.
‘Dee?’
‘Yes?’
‘I’ve got to say just one more thing.’
Dee smiled at her. ‘Go ahead Shelley.’
‘Well, it’s just that I know a bit more about men than you, yeah?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Well, I’m telling you, Sebastian seems an alright type of bloke. He wouldn’t make love to you because he hadn’t got a condom, right?’
‘Yes Shelley.’
‘Well, that was a couple of hours ago,’ said Shelley. ‘He’ll have some by now.’
Dee sighed and got to her feet. ‘That’s okay Shelley,’ she said. ‘I’ve already been out and got some.’
