Going Under Cover

Chapter 18

18

At nine o'clock Martin and I headed to bed. Yes, it may have been early but we were tired, both because of the long journey and the company that we were currently keeping. Stan and father had struck up a conversation about some businesses which had suddenly gone bankrupt, which was not unusual in the climate that it is. Kelly had continuously tried to join in, just to be hushed and told "the men are working now lovey". That was mainly my mother's doing but it still was a cause of anger for me. It was the twenty first century, wasn't it?

Still, nevertheless, I was grateful to get away from it all. Truth be told, Martin hadn't been one bit tired, he was a right spitfire that one, full of energy, enough for the both of us. But, being the kind person that I was, I refused to leave him alone with my family without my protection. Gwen had been interrogating him non-stop, asking about the village where I was and supposedly he was living, about his family, about the wealth that he was going to come into contact with. I, personally, didn't know if he was telling the truth or not. I didn't want to press it though as it was not my business, despite the fact that we were both in a 'relationship' at the moment. But, whatever the case, Martin's story was a good cover and my family, although they were still their natural stand-off selves and as stuck up as always, they accepted him wholeheartedly.

Gwen and Martin seemed to find some sort of an understanding though at first, which was short lived. They both had pretty small brains, although Martin had the personality that made up for it completely. However, at one point during the evening, Gwen had been playing the part of server and had bend down particularly low over Martin, making sure that her two big friends were on display. This didn't go unnoticed by Martin, unfortunately, as he began a full on staring match with them both. Gwen had acted flustered when she seen this, Martin was a man after all and had his needs, but she was secretly enjoying the attention I knew. It was her thirtieth birthday and she needed to feel wanted and lusted after, that was how Gwen survived all these years.

Stan Stephenson had immediately turned into her knight in shining armour. If I hadn't of stepped in and playfully laughed about it, I'm sure Stan would have challenged Martin to a duel, if only to maintain his pride. Which, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure existed in the first place. The man was the worst, in my mind even more so than Mike. He was false and handsome and knew how to play it up. At thirty two he looked about twenty, with a baby face which was fully tanned. I didn't quite understand how that came about actually. Irish weather did not promote or encourage such a lovely skin tone. I, myself, was so white that I was nearly translucent.

That was another reason why I had practically dragged Martin out of the room. Stan had been shooting him daggers whenever my father wasn't looking or paying attention, which was most of the time. I had felt the need to protect Martin, kind of like a motherly instinct. I had dragged him into this mess and I needed to get him out safe enough, if only for Steve's sake, whom I was oddly missing at the moment.

"So, where am I stopping then?" Martin asked me as we reached the landing. I looked at him and pointed towards my room.

"There, I suppose," I replied, making my way through the door and over to where my bags lay unpacked. Now, that I was here though, I realised that I wouldn't need all of this crap. There was no way in hell that I was staying here for more than I had to. I didn't care if I had to go and sleep on a bench somewhere, if I had to get myself into prison, I just needed out. I had forgotten how claustrophobic it was here but it was all coming back to me now.

"With you?" Martin asked surprised, following me in. He began to rummage through his own bag, for pants maybe. Or maybe it was for a toothbrush.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, finally locating some baggy pyjamas which would be comfy enough for the night that lay ahead. Pulling out a bag that had some face wash and all in it, I looked towards the bathroom and then back to Martin.