A Cornish Affair

Waiting For You To Ring

Ricky had insisted on buying the drinks whilst Rosie had found a table in the pub garden that over looked the canal. She took her phone from her bag to see if anyone had tried to make contact with her. There was a text from her mum, reminding her to send a card and a little something to her niece, her birthday being the following Friday. But there was nothing else. If she had have been at home, well she'd have spent the afternoon alone.

Ricky was heading across the garden, a pint and a vodka and diet coke in his hands. He placed the drinks on the table and sat opposite her. The sun was low in the sky and he took his sunglasses from his shirt pocket and put them on, hiding his eyes. Rosie wished she had hers. She was surely at a disadvantage, having her eyes, which never failed to show her emotions, on display.

"I best make a move after this one," Rosie said looking at her watch.

"School in the morning!"  Ricky called out in a similar voice to which Rosie's dad had used whenever she'd asked to go our late during the week when she was younger.

"What have you got planned for tomorrow? A lie in?" she teased,  knowing she'd be up at six thirty as usual.

"I'm off until Wednesday,  then we're back down to Kent recording for a few days. Then off to the Isle of Wight for the festival Saturday."

"Now that is rock and roll! You can't deny that," Rosie told Ricky.

He held his hands in the air, "You're right. That is pretty rock and roll. I love my job. I appreciate I'm lucky. Don't ever believe a moaning musician!" 

"I can honestly say, I don't know any other musicians," Rosie admitted.

Ricky looked at her in mock horror, "Not Gary or Noel or Rick?"  he questioned,  remembering their conversation from the other night.

"I'll happily get to know Rick!"  Rosie blushed at her words. "I am a bit of a fan."

"I'll have to find out where they're playing. I'm sure I can sort something out."

Rosie focused on her drink. There was another promise for a future for meeting. It was more than obvious that he wanted to see her again. Is that what she wanted?

"What's the matter?" Ricky asked. Just like Rosie had thought,  her eyes had given her away.

"I was just thinking, all these plans you are suggesting, you're a busy man." She watched Ricky twist his glass in his hand as she spoke.

"Not all of the time. It's festival season and we've got the album going on," he paused not sure what she was getting at. "I'm here now though." There was a regret in his voice.

"I'm not judging you!" Rosie said,  alarmed that he might think she was.

"I know you're not.  It's just my busy schedule is what helped to build a wedge between me and my ex in my last relationship. Everything I did started taking over. I've not really got the sort of job that you can say no to the latest offer. You never know when it's all going to end."

"Jobs can be like that. I work too hard, I know that, but it's what teaching is nowadays. That's why Lee stays away partly. He gives me space to do what I have to."

"He could sit on the sofa next to you in the evenings though," Ricky suggested.

Rosie sipped her drink then raised her eyebrows. "You'd think! He's around sometimes,  but...."

"Not as much as you'd like," Ricky interrupted. "We've got similar relationship problems." He looked out over the canal at a group of lads that were fooling around and making too much noise.