Don't Call Me Baby

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Back to Work

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. As I ate my banana, staring out the kitchen window on the same unchanging street scene I observed every morning, I contemplated how funny life was. For what seemed like years nothing happens; job remains static, boyfriends non-existent and then, wham, within a few weeks my whole world was totally different. No two days remained the same; my life suddenly flooded with new people.

I grinned to myself realising that one of those new people was Joe. I now had a boyfriend! The thought of which gave me a thrill and put a smile on my lips. Well about bloody time too, I told myself, 24 years old and the only man I had managed to squeeze into my boring life was Steve. I was so busy trying to be a success in a non-starting career that I had managed to be a total failure in the romance department too.

Maybe Joe would buy me a new pair of slippers for Christmas, I thought happily, looking down at my forlorn pink bunnies. Boyfriends did things like that didn't they? Oh, what if we're not still together by Christmas? I suddenly became paranoid. Well why wouldn't we be? I scolded myself for my insecurities. I was going to be a new, confident and assertive Lola, of course Joe and I would still be together by Christmas.

I realised that I was going to have to find the opportunity to tell mum and Emm that I would be away next week in Germany. I decided to put it off telling mum until the last minute as she was undoubtedly going to grill me about it, but that if I got the opportunity, I would pop around to Emm's and tell her tonight. When I tell mum I was going there with both Julian and Joe I am sure I would never hear the end of her lectures. Well, Julian was going to tumble me in a haystack I wondered what dangers she thought Joe would pose to me. Fumbling in the back of a Cadillac?

I was cheered up at the thought of telling Emm about Joe though, she still thought I was playing the field so I was dying to update her on that front. No doubt she would have her usual words of wisdom to bestow on me, after, of course, she had psychoanalysed our relationship.

Mum was up early and wandered into the kitchen in her dressing gown.

"Mornin' Lola," she seemed cheery today. "I like your new boyfriend, what a nice boy he is, so polite too." How did she know Joe was my boyfriend?

"How do you know I have a boyfriend?" I asked her surprised.

"Joe told me last night while you were changing," she smiled at me. He did? But it wasn't a done deal at that point. See he's so presumptive, that's a side to his character that could turn out to be really annoying, I thought. It smacked of bad boy arrogance just like Marley and half the men in the neighbourhood. That male over-confident cockiness that I just loved to hate, but actually kind of thrilled and attracted me too.

I left the kitchen before she could interrogate me further about Joe as I realised that, actually, I really knew very little about him. No doubt mum knew more about him than I did. Mothers were able to do that. Look at the way she managed to get more information from Julian in one evening than I had managed in days. And Julian was a hard nut to crack, Mr. Icicle was not naturally forthcoming with information. Perhaps mum should also become a PI? That thought made me giggle.

* * *

As his aunt was in town Julian wasn't going to be in the office for most of the week except to come in for a few meetings to finalise the contract with Bernhard, so I was relatively free. I didn't really have to work on Sharon or Delia. We knew now that the answers lay with Pam so it was up to Joe now. I busied myself instead with arranging the costumes for the trip. Julian's costumier friend was very nice. She told me that all she needed were their heights and any other special requirements as she said that the costumes were hardly going to be needed to fit snugly. I giggled at that thought, especially when she asked how long to make the kangaroo's tail.