J & P Book 1 - Say You Need Me

Chapter 3

"Are you listening to me, Paul?" Mrs. Williams raged. "If you are not back in this house by midnight, I am going to be very cross indeed."

"Yes mum," sighed Paul, as he trudged up the stairs and retreated into his small bedroom. He closed the door behind him, sat down on his bed, and all was silent. Well, almost. He could hear her, thundering around downstairs.

Sometimes, he hated her. He was twenty-one years old, and he should not still have to answer to his mother in this way. She controlled his life. Still, midnight was a lucky break. She normally said eleven o' clock.

Paul took off his tattered black shirt, folded it neatly and left it on his sideboard. After spraying himself liberally with deodorant, he opened his wardrobe to find another shirt, pausing to look at his reflection in the mirror behind the wardrobe door.

He was looking pathetic, as ever. He certainly wasn't God's gift to women. It would be a very long time, he imagined, before any girl ran her hands down his chest. A chest that was looking extremely feeble right now. He would have to start working out one day. Perhaps once he started university. But that wouldn't be necessary yet.

He took out a grey shirt. This one was smarter, and he would wear it with his black trousers, which he always wore when he went out. He put it on.

He then changed into those black trousers, and laid his old jeans neatly with the dirty shirt. To complete his change of outfit, Paul pulled on one of his many pairs of grey socks and searched for alternative footwear to his old trainers. He took out his old black work shoes, tried them on, and yet decided to revert to his comfortable trainers. These trainers really match my personality, he thought as he tied up his laces. Ugly. Grey. Boring. Out of fashion.

Jenny seemed to like them, though.

He couldn't explain, even to himself, just what had triggered him to make the call that morning. Why, out of all the girls he knew, had it been Jenny, a relative stranger, he had decided to phone? Why not Lucia? Or Donna? At least they associated with him, normally. That would have made much more sense.

Undoubtedly, Jenny had helped him to work out in his mind just what he was going to do, but had he really needed that help in the first place? Why Jenny, he asked himself? Why?

Well, Jenny was different, he told himself. Jenny was kind, gentle, loving. Jenny had the ability to see through the images portrayed and to scoop out the personality inside. Jenny was understanding. Jenny was a beautiful person. Jenny was...

Realising his stupidity, Paul left his room, taking care to turn out the light first and to close the door gently afterwards. He walked silently past his mother's bedroom door, and crept downstairs, hoping to sneak out unheard. Suddenly, his mother emerged from the kitchen, wielding a knife, with the 'death look' on her face. Which lecture would it be this time, thought Paul. There were three options. Cigarettes, alcohol, or...

"And don't forget young man, I don't want to hear you've been cavorting with some girl, hear me?"

You won't, thought Paul to himself, because no-one is going to tell you about it.

She went on. "I know that you're twenty-one now but believe me, Paul, you've plenty of time in the future for all that. You'll meet a nice young lady at university, I should imagine. You have to enjoy your freedom while you can. I will be very disappointed in you if you waste your youth!"

"Yes mum," sighed Paul, as he put on his grey jacket, which had been hanging on the peg by the front door, next to the clock, which declared the time, half past eight. "Bye," he remarked as he left the house, semi-slamming the front door, which made the number seven, barely still on the door, wobble precariously.