Hurry Up and Wait

Chapter 18

James knocked at the door of Erin's house. It was the night of her 18th. He was dressed in the suit he had worn to the prom, along with his Tom Baker Doctor Who scarf.

"Oh, hiya love" it was Erin's mam.

"Good evening, Mrs Quinn" he could hear Michelle in his head calling him a dick.

"I hear you all off out for her self's birthday?" asked Mary.

"Yes Mrs Quinn" replied James.

"Where are you all off to?" asked Mary.

Erin had been in a foul mood because she wasn't getting a party of her own. So, she hadn't been very forthcoming with the details of their night out.

"Em...Marcos in town" replied James.

"Marcos? That fancy Italian restaurant?" asked Mary. She had been hinting at Gerry to take her there for months.

"Yeah, it's meant to be nice" replied James. Hurry up Erin! He thought.

"Is Michelle not with you?" asked Mary.

"No" replied James. Here we go he thought. For the love God Erin please hurry up!

"Or Clare?"

"No Mrs Quinn"

"Are they making their own way there?" asked Mary.

"Em.." said James.

"Hiya James, I'm ready. Bye mammy" said Erin as she bolted down the stairs. She could tell by James's face that her mother had been grilling him for information. Michelle had been right. He was a shit liar.

James had never been so happy to see her. Not just because he thought she looked beautiful but also because he didn't think he could withstand Mary's questioning any longer.

"Wait a minute," said Mary.

"Can't Mammy. Table's book for 8 sorry. I'll see ya later" she bundled James out the door and ran to the car.

"I think she knows," said James.

They looked up at the house to see Mary and Sarah observing them from the sitting room window.

They both jumped back behind the net curtain when they saw Erin and James looking back at them.

The meal had been lovely, and it had all felt ridiculously grown up. It was mad how quickly they had gone from being teenagers with absolutely no control or say in their lives. To young adults that one foot in the grown-up world of college, meals, and work.

They hadn't wanted to go straight home so they walked the long way back to the car. They had ended up at their usual spot where they could look out over Derry.

Erin had been right about the walls; they were spectacular thought James.

"Are you not going to open your presents?" said James.

"Presents?" said Erin, putting the emphasis on the fact there was more than. She didn't expect all that from him.

The fact that he had been there and made her birthday so special was like a present in itself.

She opened the gift bag he had given her earlier. She had been so caught up in their conversation and the meal at the restaurant she hadn't had a chance to open them.

Inside there were three presents all wrapped up. She went for the smallest one first. It was a heart necklace. Like one of the ones that she and the girls had. The one she was wearing at that very moment.

"I know you have that one" he said pointing to it. "I know how much it means to you, but I just wanted to give you this one from me. My heart. You don't have to wear it. I just wanted you to have it. Because you have it. My heart" he looked down at his feet.

She rubbed his cheek which made him look up at her. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

She could tell James was a little embarrassed after that declaration, so she moved to the next present.

It was a tubed shaped box. She guessed that it was a picture or a poster.

She removed the lid and found a poster. She gasped as she unfurled it.

It was a signed Murder She Wrote poster. She loved Murder She Wrote!

The signed poster had come with a note. She read it aloud: "Dear Erin, First of all Happy Birthday! I have been told you love Murder She Wrote, and you are a writer yourself. I hope to read one of your stories and perhaps see them on screen in the future. Many happy returns and best wishes for the future, Angela"

"Angela Lansbury! THE Angela Lansbury knows who little old me is?!" said Erin ecstatically. "How?!"

"I manage to find the production company who put me on to her agent and I told her how much you love the show and that you never miss it and they said they would pass it on to Angela. I think she lives in Ireland actually...," said James. He was happy with how excited she was.

"Yeah, in Cork. Not that I know where she actually lives or anything" She totally hadn't tried to look up Angela's phone number in the Cork phone book she had found in the library. Angela probably has a mobile thought, Erin.

"Ok, this is the last part of your present," said James.

"Honestly, you didn't have to get me all this. Do all this," said Erin.

"Yes, I didn't have to. But I wanted to. Here..." he handed her the present. It was clearly some sort of a book.

Erin opened it to find a beautiful leather-bound diary.

"I know you have your diary..."

"I swear to God if Orla has been reading it out from it again..." interjected Erin.

"No, she hasn't. As far as I know anyway. But this..." he covered her hands which were holding the diary "This is for that story, the first of many hopefully, that will show the world how amazing you are. We all know by the way but the people out there. Go out and show them"

"I have ideas, but I never think they are good enough. I know I shite on about my poetry and stuff but just sometimes I don't feel like I'm good enough...," said Erin.

"You are good enough. You're just starting out. You'll find your story and you'll write it and get published and sell millions of copies and have it made it into a film. It might not be your first one. The one you'll write in here, but you'll do it Erin" replied James.

She pulled him in for a kiss. She hoped to herself that he'd be there by her side along the way.

She was blown away by his gifts. The trouble he had gone to and how each one had shown her how well he knew her.

"Come on!" said Erin as she grabbed the lapels of his jacket. "You've pulled"

They made their way back to James's house. They didn't want to say goodnight just yet.

James snuck Erin up to his room. He doubted Deirdre and Martin would mind but neither of them wanted to go through the rigmarole of telling all the family yet.

They were sat on the bed. Like they first had many months ago when they had got lumped together for the project. Like they had many times since: "Do you want to watch a film or something?" asked James.

"Can you read to me?" asked Erin, she had her head on his shoulder.

James got up and went over to the side table. He returned with a book in hand: "Unless you want to hear all about laws of thermodynamics it's going to have to be Moby Dick. Clare must have left it around the house. It's not mine or Michelle's"

"Michelle probably borrowed off Clare thinking it was about something else. Not a giant whale" joked Erin.

James sat down beside her and pulled her to him: "Not really very romantic is it, Moby Dick?"

"It has potential, with you reading it to me. Go on. Chop . I'll have to go home soon..." said Erin meeting his eye.

"Or I could stay for a bit maybe...," said Erin.