Autumn to summer in Penny Lane

December

Stutter

The Eddie Runrut gig

If there was one thing that was guaranteed to get Calam's heckles up and that was the cheery, bland as a packet of ready salted crisps, songs of Eddie Runrut.  Even that voice was as smug as James Corden's face that Calam just wanted to punch the radio as soon as he heard that vomit inducing voice.

Way back in March when the gig dates were announced Calam thought it would be a good early Christmas present for Caitlin.  Mind, he had no intention of going as Caitlin's mate Jool's was also a fan.  However what Calam had not taken into account was that Caitlin wanted Calam to go with her. 

There was that awkward pause as Calam felt unexpectedly backed into a corner of his own making.  At first he thought Caitlin was winding him up but those brown almond eyes more or less hooked his arm and soul that he couldn't get out of it.

'Don't you want to take Jool's?'  Calam stammered.  'You know have a great night out.'

'I want us to do something,' Caitlin had replied as she pulled him closer.  'I'm so..' Words couldn't express the joy that Caitlin felt.  'I can't believe we are going to see Eddie Runrut!  How did you manage to get the tickets?  They sold out within minutes.'

A slightly shrug of the shoulders which Caitlin mistook for Calam's laid back nature hid the sheer surprise that Eddie Runrut would sell out in minutes.  If anything he was only in the queue for five minutes and thought nothing of it as he boosted Eddie's bank balance.

'Why don't you ask Jool's?  I'd feel a bit bad if she missed out.'

'You've paid for the ticket and besides I want you to go with me,' Caitlin smiled.  'We can make a weekend of it in Manchester.'

Calam forced a smile as Caitlin kissed him and after her excitement she phoned Vanessa who was as big a fan as Calam.  Her childhood friend Rebecca also got a call as did Jool's both of whom thought Caitlin was lucky. 

Frantically Calam tried to think of ways out of it but gambled on two likely scenarios.  One that it would be the weekend that he would have Coral and the other which might annoy Caitlin was Liverpool playing at home.  Neither of them happened with Coral inviting her mates to a sleepover at hers, whilst Liverpool were away to Blackburn Rovers.  Still at least Caitlin knew some cool places in Manchester and besides it seemed light years away at the time.  Even his Sunday league team West Allerton couldn't offer him a way out as he was suspended that for Sunday's game.  Some mysterious force was either having a laugh at his expense or he was being punished.

Now the gig was upon Calam as Caitlin was polluting the airwaves as she had Eddie Rutrun on full blast.  To rub salt in the wounds Caitlin was having a bath which meant that she would be in there for at least ninety minutes. 

As the painful starbuck guitar intro started and that nasal whine that was incidentally as painful as the sinus pains that Calam suffered from.  Yes, it was that bad that it was the equivalent of having a brick pressed hard against his face.  'Christ,' Calam thought.  'I've got a night of this.'  This folk so called punk style was as inoffensive as a Starbuck coffee. 

Now the bastard was killing Johnny Cash's 'Ring of fire.'  That was sacrilege to Calam that Eddie Rutnam might as well have broken into his house, ate all his crisps and then take a shit on the bed.  After all the mere 'de, de, de, de, de, de, de, der,' was enough to take him back to that fabulous night of Istanbul and Liverpool coming back from the dead to win the European cup against AC Milan.  Now that twat Eddie Rutnam was killing that happy memory.

There was the loud whish of water as Caitlin gently settled into the warm water of her bath that massaged her weary bones.  Sighing in contentment as the sweet perfumed roses of other gentle scents relaxed her, Caitlin closed her eyes as the dulcet tones of Eddie Rutnam massaged her ears.  The words, the music pulled at her heart and soul as she could feel Eddie's pain at losing his girlfriend.  It had to be said that he was a genius who had helped Caitlin through some tough times in her life.  'I will be your light,' Eddie crooned and for Caitlin he had been precisely that whenever she felt low.
Now Caitlin was going to see Eddie Rutnam!  Despite the expensive perfumed hot bath that relaxed her, Caitlin could feel that giddy high excitement of seeing him live with Calam.  It had to be one of her best Christmas presents ever.  Smiling to herself, Caitlin couldn't believe that Calam had managed to get tickets so easily.  On the radio she had heard that the gig had sold out in minutes.  Typically Calam was so laid back about it that it reminded Caitlin of why she loved him.  Jool's and Rebecca were so jealous although she suspected that Vanessa wasn't that particularly enthralled about Eddie Rutnam.