Headshrinker

Chapter 13

I got a call from my best friend. There was progress with the Christening. The date was set and the invites were ready. Everything was booked and it was all going ahead.

"Hey, I've sent your christening invite to your mum's."

"Oh okay." I tried hard not to sound disappointed, I didn't want it there, I wanted it at my flat, where I lived. "I'll go get it at some point."

It was like everyone outside of uni didn't want anything to do with me being in uni. I wasn't even out of town and she never visited. I understood her finding it difficult now she had a baby but I didn't know why it was always me going to her and everyone else.

"You are still coming?"

"Of course, I can't not, can I?"

"I guess not."

"I can't believe you're getting me to go to church."

"You'll fry." She did the same joke we always did every time church was mentioned because I wasn't a believer at all.

"You're mean."

"I am." She accepted. "I've invited your parents, your kid and Kate and you can bring someone if you want. More the merrier."

"I've no one to bring. That day is all about you and Godkid for me."

"And you're coming back to ours after?"

"Yeah and whatever else I'm supposed to do to give him the best christening."

Now I had actually been invited to the christening (even if I didn't have the invitation yet) I had to work on what I was going to wear. I didn't know what I was supposed to wear at all. I wasn't comfortable getting dressed up so I needed to find something that was just smart enough for the occasion and didn't make me stand out from everyone else.

Shopping for clothes was horrible. I wished I could buy them without having to traipse round all the shops. There were catalogues but they were annoying too, they took too long and the clothes were for older people.

...

Debbie did want to live with us for our final year. That was if she made it to the third year- we all had doubts about that. We started looking for new flats, hopeful of finding somewhere good since we'd started reasonably early.

I wished I could tell them about my plans. Every room we saw I wondered if it could fit a cot and anything else I'd need. It wasn't like I could demand the biggest room. Maybe they wouldn't want to live with me if they knew I'd have a baby with me. We had so much to consider, price, location, condition, whether the landlord was legit or a cheapskate arsehole.

...

I got to the rehearsal room and found Tony. He was sat at the drum kit all alone. He'd been stood up. The session was cancelled and no one had bothered to let him know. He was always the last to know anything.

He aired his frustrations as we left. It felt like he had been fading into the background of the band and he needed to use his voice. I was happy enough to listen.

I took him to my flat, insisting that the evening didn't have to be wasted. Once we were there one thing led to another that I didn't think I'd ever do with Tony. I didn't really know how we'd gotten to it and we both pretty much acted like it hadn't happened when it was over.

He put his boxers on, got up out of my bed and looked around my room. "What is this place?"

"My flat." I answered, watching him with my head still firmly on my pillow.

"Noel's bedsit is bigger than this."

"Is it? Has he got an en suite though?" I asked, pretending I didn't know that wasn't true.