Trio - [59]

She was already talking about doing nursery nursing. Loved the little ones. Megan didn’t care what she did as long as she stayed happy and didn’t get caught or end up on drugs. She didn’t want her having a baby before she was grown herself. Not like Megan. Too young.

Course things were different nowadays, and a good thing too. At least you could choose what you did about it. Half of Manchester were single parents, no one batted an eyelid at teenagers pushing buggies. Some girls did it instead of getting a job, something to make them feel worthwhile. That was sad. But what else could they do. They watched telly and it was like the world was an Aladdin’s cave of stuff you could have, places to go, but that wasn’t the real world. Not if you lived round here.

She drew her thoughts back to the ledger and totted up the outstanding debtors column. Thank God for calculators.

While she had watched the telly programme she’d been on edge the whole time, holding the remote control in case someone came in. She watched these women talk about having babies adopted, things she had never told anyone except Brendan. Some of it rang bells, whole bloody sleigh-fulls, and she had to get the Kleenex before they got to the first ad break.

There was a helpline number at the end and she started to memorise it and then thought what the hell for? She’d never use it. And if she did she’d be on for hours talking her whole bloody life away and she’d promised it was behind them, hadn’t she? Best left, like they agreed.

She’d three great kids, even Aidan had his moments and maybe he’d settle as he grew up. They’d a roof over their heads and now they’d enough money to manage, so why stir it all up?

Two of the women in the film had met the children they’d given up, grown-ups by then. She couldn’t imagine that. When she thought of hers, she saw a baby or the little one in the picture she kept. What would she be like now? Three years older than Francine. Be nice to know if she’d turned out all right. To tell her that you’d done it for the best. That if they’d let you, you’d have kept her and got married soon as you could. One of the women had hired a detective to find her son. That wasn’t right. It turned out OK in the film but you hadn’t a right really, had you? You signed that away when you signed the papers. Imagine the upset if she tried that. Not just her and the girl but the younger children. What would they think? They hadn’t got a clue. Laughter from outside made her look. Francine was pushing playfully at her friend Stacey. Then the pair of them doubled up with laughter again. Megan smiled. They were happy, weren’t they? Only a fool would risk spoiling all that.

Nina

The music was very loud – 10cc blaring out and all the lights were off. Nina could see the tip of the joint glowing across the other side of the room and the glow lit up Chloe’s face when she took a drag.

Nina had already had some, she felt giggly and sleepy and desperate for something to drink. She couldn’t snog Gary until she’d had a drink. He was kissing her neck. She nudged him and told him.

‘What?’

‘A drink,’ she said into his ear.

He stood up and was back in a few minutes with a bottle of cider. She drank from the bottle. It was very fizzy and cold and she had to stop every so often to let the bubbles go down. They shared the bottle for a while then Gary told her to come on.

He dragged her over the prone bodies and out into the hall. There was a red bulb so it looked like a film or something.

‘Gary?’

‘Come on.’ He moved towards the stairs.

‘What?’

‘Nina.’

He was gorgeous-looking – soft, clear skin, wide cheekbones, a dimple in his chin. His hair was shiny and brown and fell to his shoulders. Hers was growing out and she looked like she had a red afro. They’d been going together for four weeks. It was her record. He lived near Chloe and was a friend of her brother.

‘What if they…?’

‘Nina,’ he said again. Not bossy but with a longing sound like he couldn’t wait and it made her feel randy.

Upstairs there was a bedroom where all the coats had been put. Gary moved them on to the floor. She lay down on the bed and he turned out the light.

She let his hands roam up and over her breasts, squeezing them. She had a mini jumper on. She shifted position and pulled it over her head, let him fiddle and undo her bra strap. She could smell fresh smoke in his hair as it fell over her face, and the scent of the new Matsumi perfume she’d used. His breathing quickened. She moved her hand down and stroked the bulge of his crotch. He kissed her, his tongue warm and soft and tasting of cider. The last time they’d been together she’d made him come, rubbing his willy up and down. He had told her when to go slow or harder and he’d been really nice afterwards. He’d given her a finger-fuck till she was dizzy and gasping and wet, but she was too embarrassed to tell him what else she needed to make her come.

She undid his zip and touched him through his underpants. His erection stretched the cloth and she felt a ripple of excitement herself. She wanted him to touch her again. She slid her own tongue into his mouth, in and out, hoping he’d cotton on. He wasn’t very bright, not school-wise. She wasn’t exactly Einstein but she managed. His writing, she’d been shocked, it was like a little kids’ and he couldn’t spell for toffee. He wasn’t clever with words, they didn’t talk much, but he wasn’t thick when it came to turning her on. He slipped his hand between her legs and pressed against the seam of her jeans. She moved against his hand, still fondling him with her own. He ended the kiss.