Parallel Me

Parallel Me Part 24

Friday and Saturday morning I spent with Josephine, then went out Saturday evening. I hadn't a favourite pub in town, and wandered into the green dragon pub, at nine and found Rose all on her own.

"Can I buy you a drink Rose, or have you had enough?" I asked as I sat down at the table, she was already sitting at. I had seen her as I walked in, gone to the bar and ordered my drink. She had half a glass when I came in, it looked just as full as I sat.

"Might as well JJ nothing else to do in this town, except drink your sorrows away." We had a few more and finished the last one as he rang the bell at ten.

"Come on I'll walk you home, we live in the same street," I said holding out my arm, for her to take.

"I don't live there anymore JJ, I've got a flat in town just over there." She said pointing to the car park, and the unloading area for the shops.

"Would you like a coffee, that's all I can offer I afraid," she added steering me across the road, then into the entrance to the car park. Up a flight of stairs and onto a razed walkway, a few paces we were in her flat.

"How do you take your coffee JJ?" She asked pouring water into the kettle, and then looked at me puzzled as I looked around.

"What's the matter JJ, is there something wrong." I was standing looking at her flat, it was strangely familiar and I was sure I knew why.

"Didn't Lesley Thorn live here, this is where I bought," I nearly said Rita's name but stopped myself.

"Lesley would let me use his flat, to be with a friend most Saturdays." Rose was smiling at me, as she waited for the kettle.

"You used to bring a girl up here, how old were you then JJ?"

"Fourteen and a half till we were sixteen, she moved away just as she got to sixteen. Hang on, if this is Lesley's old flat, and we came in from the loading area. Then the alleyway to the high street is just down here and comes out next to Roger's second shop. Which means this flat is over Roger second shop, and that staircase leads down to the back storeroom." The look on Rose's face was sheer terror, as she realised I had rumbled them.

"Has the plumber been Rose, did he fix the water leak that was up in this storeroom. Only it's not a storeroom is it Rose, it where he takes you to bed. How long have you and Roger been shagging Rose, since he put you in this flat?" She was fearful, and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"You're going to tell Alice aren't you, and I'm going to lose my job and my flat. It will ruin Roger, and he does love Alice and Josephine." She said tears now flowing freely, as she sobbed and babbled on.

"O dear what am I going to do now with no job, dad won't let go back to them. O my I'll be out on the street, with nowhere to go." I walked over to her, held her shoulders trying to calm her.

"Shush Rose don't upset yourself please, quiet now it's alright, I won't tell Alice not a word. Be quiet now your make yourself ill, it's alright I promise you." She was still sobbing, and her lips quivered as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Shush now I am promising you, Alice will not know about you and Roger from me. Now all I want to know is, how long have you two been err seeing each other." I think she was beginning to believe me, as I wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You're not going to tell Alice not ever, why wouldn't you; you're her brother?" She asked blinking her panda eyes because her mascara had made her eye black.

"I have my reasons Rose, and one of them is to see Alice stays happy. Do you think she would be happy if I told her Roger shagged you up here every day?" She gasped and defended herself, staring at me defiantly.