Headshrinker

Chapter 10

I went to see my mate and the godson when she brought up the christening, making the titles she'd given us official in the eyes of the church. She'd told me I'd be godparent to her child one day back when we were in school so it was about time.

"Will ya help me organise it?" Laura asked once we were settled in her living room.

She loved a plan. She was all about organising. She kept me just about together in school, letting me copy her work especially homework and somehow we both made it through.

"I don't know anything about christenings." I told her, reluctant.

I was just here to see her and Thomas. I was here to hold the baby for a little while, not put together the beginnings of his religious life. I was already roped into giving him a bottle but I didn't mind that, that was quite easy.

"Neither do I but I can't just not do it."

"Where do we even start?"

"Visiting churches?"

"Aren't you meant to already have a family church like the one you were christened in or something?" I frowned, I thought that was already long established.

"Yeah..." she looked at Tommy. "But I'm not sure if they'll accept our circumstances."

I thought about it, trying to think about a way around their circumstances. "Just tell them the dad's dead, better than the truth."

"I can't lie in a church." she exclaimed since that was apparently absurd.

"Alright, tell them the dickhead's fucked off and it's the best thing that could've ever happened." I put it bluntly ince the truth was all we had left.

I hated him more than anything for how he'd treated them. They were more than lucky to have him disappear from their lives for good.

"I don't think they'll like that either."

"Why don't we start with a list of all the churches in Manchester and we'll see which ones are open minded?" I suggested so we could stop thinking about him.

She got her notebook and started writing. We kept thinking and naming churches off the top of our heads until we realised they'd all be listed in the phone book.

They were all there ready to go through in order. She started making the calls until she got run down with rejection. "No one's going to have us. He's going to have to go unchristened."

"That's not a thing, we've just got to keep going." I tried to keep her spirit up, taking over with the phone.

We managed to arrange visits to a couple of churches. Laura wanted me to go with her to see the churches and meet the people there. I wondered what the priest would think to us visiting together but I agreed to go so she didn't have to do it alone.

...

Debbie and I weren't seeing eye to eye after what happened at the clinic. She was acting like I'd shouted abuse at her. It wasn't like that, I was just shocked and awkward about her seeing me using the clinic. We kept ourselves apart.

She was mad at me but I still took care of her rats. I'd really grown to like them, giving them my attention whenever I was in the flat alone. I talked to them and got them out their cage.

I used their treats to encourage them to do the tricks Debbie was trying to teach them. I got so much joy out of them, a bond I'd never expected.

"Did she tell yous or are you in the dark too?" I asked them, obviously not getting an answer. "I don't get why she didn't just tell us."