Waterfall

meeting the others

“I don’t really understand why I go into such personal detail in my songs,” he says. “There’s something embarrassing about the need to go through public analysis. To bare it all. Maybe it’s because when you get the initial ideas for a song you’ve no idea if it will just end up in the bin. It’s so far removed from finished product. In general I seem to return to these sentiments about the endless search for love. Have I found it? Well, I’m a bit fucked up in that area of my life.”
-John Squire

http://www.thestoneroses.co.uk/press/tracks-of-their-tears

Last night I went home and cleaned and dried his clothes. I know where he lived so I thought I would pop round. When I got to the door it was opened by this guy in his boxers brushing his teeth.

"MmmMMMmm" he stuck his finger in the air than ran off up the stairs. I heard him spit, and he came back to the door with a dressing gown. Then he gave me a hug.

"Your the lifeguard that saved John right?"

And I nodded

"Come in, he's waching tv. I'm Ian by the way"

I follow this Ian into the living room and sure enough John was there waching TV. Now that he's dry he looks much better, he was pretty tall and he had lovely dark hair in a bowl cut. I even got a better look at his bright pale blue eyes. I could tell just by looking into them he was pleased to see me, they just lit up.

"Ivy!" John got up smiling and took the clothes out of my hands."I never thanked you for last night."

"Oh it was no problem, it's my job you know" I say blushing. Normally I don't get thanked.

"No if you weren't there I would have drowned"

"How's your leg?" I ask completely forgetting about that. I have a lot of questions for John like how he even got in that position.

"Oh, it's not as bad but I'm taking it easy"

"Good" I say "so how, how did you fall in, like I heard a splash but I never even saw you. What happened?"

"I, was just a little stoned y'know and I haven't been here long I was just walking and then all of a sudden splash! I never had swimming lessons or anything as a kid, not that that would have helped. My body just tensed up and I was trapped."

I nodded, most people tend to tense up when they are drowning. We sit there awkwardly for a bit not too sure what to say, it was still pleasant though.

Ian was still standing in the door way, still just in his dressing gown.

"You've met Ian" John said nodding towards him

"kind of" I giggle "your the singer right?" I ask Ian and he nodes infusiasticly

"that's right, love. I imagine John has told you all about me" he said I blushed a little when he called me love. He was very good looking, he had the same thick, heavy fringe as John but with high cheek bones and a teeny weeny dainty little nose.

"Ignore him" John said "he's just showing off because your pretty"

He thinks I'm pretty!

"Aww well your pretty too Ian" I joke and blow him a kiss. Then he bites his lip, looks at the floor and blushes. I win.

"I've never seen him like that before" John said

"Well I often have that effect on men" I say and John smiles. When John does smile his eyes light up and he look so sweet. Ugh Ivy no, your going to Australia. You can't be caching feelings.

We sat in silence for a little bit again "I'm sorry if this is awkward, I'm not the best with people" John apologised. I put my hand on his arm,

"No it's not awkward, your doing good"

He smiled, he has a sweet boyish smile.

Before he even enterd the room we herd his foot steps Johns simle disapeard and Ian head flew back as if he was annoyed without the annoying thing happening, it was John's cuzen Stewart. He had a face like a weevil, quite short, very skinny and he had the same black hair but much, much shorter and much thinner.

"What's she doing here" he ask not even looking at me

"Ivy's come to give me my clothes back, from yesterday, I almost drowned, remember."

"Oh yeah, shame"

He finally looked at me "I suppose he's been going on about his band, he's shit at guitar really. He thinks he's made it because he's got a record deal but it's going to turn to shit"

"Yeah that's enough-"

"John was always the disappointing cuzen, when we were out playing outside he would always sit on his own and draw in the bust. All on his own-"

"You already said I was alone" John pointed out, pissed.

"HA, oh yeah" and with that he left.

I gave John a sorry look, I knew Steward, we went to school together he was always top of the class and was always so smug. I can't imagine having to grow up with him.

"I was always the artsy one of the family, I'm pretty introverted, he's always had a problem with me for some reason" John tells me with a sigh

"I was always the shy, artsy disappointment too. I'm saving up to move to Australia so I can become a lifeguard but I want to paint on the side as well. I would love to be able to just sit on the bench and paint"

"When do you think your going to move?"

"Oh I don't have the money at the moment, it's going to take two years of saving."

"Oh right, that's a shame" he says quietly gives me another shy smile and starts to fidget with his fingers.

"I need to go" I tell John remembering I need to get ready for work "I teach kids to swim on Saturdays, I need to go get ready" I say getting up and I see some of the light leave his eyes.

"Oh do you have to go right now"

"Yeah I'm sorry"

"It's ok let me show you to the door" he gets up after me and follows me to the door. "Before you go," John starts "you said you did swimming lessons, do you do private ones"

"I haven't before..."

"I'll pay" he was looking at me with those big pale eyes bead serious.

"Sure why not" I say and he smiles

"Let me write down my number" he disappears and came back after a while with a piece of paper.

"Well it was nice seeing you and thank you" I took the paper and left.