And the MEEK Shall Inherit the Earth. Book One

Chapter Seven Beerwolf and Greendale

Stefan Dvorak blinked as he awoke in a strange room feeling very woozy. He blinked again as he felt something warm, soft and naked next to him.  A deliciously pungent smell permeated the bed - he immediately recognized the perfume - Adele's Aphrodisiac!  It was Afro. She was in a deep sleep and enveloped in his arms. He carefully disengaged himself and climbed out of the bed.

He drew back the curtains to reveal hazy, autumnal sunshine and gradually focused his eyes on the tranquil scene of cows grazing on Petersham Meadows and onto the River Thames beyond. It still took him several seconds to realize he had slept in Pete's dad's house.  'How did that happen?' he asked himself.

Fragments of memory, like coloured glass particles in a slowly turning kaleidoscope, began to form shapes.  The Iron Horse - too many Black Russians - the burn mark on the palm of his left hand, yes, too many Flaming Sambucas - Circes' Sisters on the stage - the drive back with Winston - 'But why?' - Oh yes!  Alena had been unable to contact Granny Phoebe - they'd tried to book a flight to France but both their credit cards were maxed out.  Pete's dad's "WATCH OUT WORLD! (WOW!)" come-back tour with his band, the Strolling Bones - Winston driving them to Paris today and giving them a lift. But how did Afro get here?

He showered, shaved and dressed at his usual leisurely pace and then noticed Afro stirring from her sleep.  She looked at him quizzically through half-closed eyes, glued together with purple and yellow striped-mascara, before saying, "What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?"

"Check again, Afro.  This isn't your bedroom."

She looked around the room and then looked under the sheets at her naked body and said, "What happened last night?  Did we sleep together?  Did you do anything to me?"

"Well, Afro, I'm most offended.  Do you mean to say that if I'd made mad, passionate love to you last night, that you wouldn't have remembered?  I have never been so insulted in all of my life!"

"Ugh!  That's all right then." and she buried her head under  the duvet, spun around on her side and  promptly fell back to sleep.

His nostrils suddenly flared as they sniffed the aroma of frying bacon coming from downstairs; he made his way to the kitchen.  He could hear a holovision set blaring out.  "We have drawn up a roadmap," - "There is no point in us reinventing the wheel." - "It ticks all the boxes." - "We're very outcome focused." 

'It must be a government minister being interviewed,' he thought.

"The Big Society blah!" - "The sick society blah!" - "The broken society blah!" - "Another ten years of austerity at least, blah!"  "We're all in it together".

'Yes, definitely," he thought, as every platitude was pronounced as if it was an epigram.

 "The Independant Review Board set up by the government to look into MPs' pay has recommended an 11% payrise meanwhile the pay of all public sector workers will be frozen for at least another three years."

Stefan mentally switched-off  as his thoughts returned to more important priorities -. 'Where's that big fry-up?'  He walked into the kitchen to see Peter showing off his multi-tasking skills by cooking the breakfast and smoking a cigarette at the same time.  They exchanged a grunted "Good morning", and Stefan proffered a big plate towards Pete who immediately loaded it with sausages, bacon, hash browns, hamburgers, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and then smothered this mountain of cholesterol with baked beans.  As his piece de resistance he pitched a fried egg on the top which promptly slid-off and sloshed against Stefan's groin area before sliding down his legs and onto the floor.