Living Two Lives - Book 4

Chapter 1

“Five women. You’ve been at the whisky again father.”

Andrew went to walk past him and go to his room.

“Andrew McLeod!”

Guess who wanted to be part of the conversation.

“Why are five women inviting you to a party?”

“Look, let me get into the damn house and put my bag down. I need a glass of water. I have been away for three days. I really don’t know what is going on, any more than you do.”

Once he got settled Andrew found that he had calls from Katie Gibson, inviting him to a party at her house on the upcoming Saturday. Followed by calls from Suzanne, Tanvi, Moira, Hannah, Tanvi again and finally Moira again wanting to know if he was going to the party at Katie’s.

“Who are all these girls Andrew? You have just come back from visiting Nikki and you see Leslie all the time and now this. What are you doing?”

That was a perfect encapsulation of his mother. Never could see a conclusion without jumping at it.

“Katie, Suzanne, Hannah and Tanvi are all in the field hockey team. Suzanne and Hannah are in some of my classes. Moira and Suzanne study with me in the library after school. Moira is getting me to tutor her this year in Maths. Katie and Tanvi are in 5^th year and Moira is in 6^th year. Have I missed anything?”

“Andrew, they all seem awfully keen for you to be at the party.”

This was his dad sounding surprisingly calm, although he had switched from a sneering tone to an innuendo laden one.

“I will give them a call over the rest of the afternoon and find out why they are all eager to make sure I am there. I will let you know.”

“What will their parents think about all this?”

His mother at her finest.

“I don’t know Mum. I will check with Katie, who I will call first and find out about this party. I presume her parents will be there.”

Thus Christmas Eve afternoon was spent trying to talk to everybody. All the while trying to keep his mother from worrying about what all these parents thought of her. He started to see where, indeed who, Rowan got her self-centeredness from. She of course wanted to know why he was on the phone, what was happening, why she wasn’t allowed to go the party. You get the idea. 13 going on 3.

Katie was easy. She was having some people over to the house. The hockey team, some people from her year. She had invited Moira through Suzanne who she had called to get his number. Her parents were going to be there. Any time after 5.00 and it would be done by 11.00. Andrew thanked her and asked if he could bring something. He noted down her address and said he would be there around 6.00.

Suzanne wanted to make sure he knew about the party. Completely redundant as she had given his number to Katie. They spoke for a while and he told her he would see her there on Saturday. Andrew called Tanvi next and of course got her father.

“Hello Dr. Jindal, can I speak to Tanvi please. It is Andrew McLeod sir.”

His mother was vibrating with intense interest that he knew Tanvi’s father.

“Hello Andrew, let me get her. I presume this is about the party on Saturday.”

“I presume so too sir but I don’t know for sure.”

Polite, give nothing away.

“Here she is Andrew.”

“Andrew, hi, how are you? Sorry to bug your parents but I wanted to make sure you heard about the party on Saturday. I wasn’t sure that Katie had your number. I had to phone a couple of people to get Suzanne’s number to finally get yours.”

Andrew didn’t think she breathed once as she gabbled that all out.

“Hello Tanvi, it is nice to hear from you. I did get a message from Katie about the party but thank you for checking to make sure that I did too. I presume that you are going to the party judging by the comments your father made to me before you came on the line.”

“Oh yes Andrew, I have helped Katie organise it. About 40 people are coming. I am very excited.”

She laughed at herself.

“In case you can’t tell.”

“You do sound enthusiastic about it that is for sure.”

“What time will you be there Andrew?”

“I told Katie I would get there around 6.00 Tanvi. I will see you on Saturday. Thanks for looking out for me.”

He managed to get off the phone and explain to his mother how he had met Dr. Jindal at the hockey. When he phoned Moira it was Lord Barnes who answered. Andrew nearly hung up.

“Hello, can I speak to Moira please. It is Andrew McLeod sir.”

Andrew figured he would try and avoid the Lord Barnes thing with his mum listening to every word.

“Call me Jim, Andrew. No need to call me sir.”

He sounded like he had been at the whisky.

“I think if I call you Jim sir, my mother would beat me with the telephone.”

HIs mother looked mutinous as Andrew smiled sweetly at her.

“Well, you’re probably right. Let me see if I can find Moira.”

There was a gap of at least 40 seconds while he could hear shouting at the other end. Eventually, a breathless Moira answered the phone.

“Hello, Andrew. Are you still there?”

“Hello Moira, yes I am here. Has your father been at the booze? He wanted me to call him Jim.”

She giggled on the phone.

“I think he started at the golf club and has had several more since he came home. Did you hear about Katie’s party?”

“Oh yes, half the attendees of this party have called. My mother is not used to her son getting seven calls from five different girls. I have had some explaining to do.”

“Who else called Andrew?”

Her calm voice not masking her keen interest in the answer.

“Katie and a couple of people in my year. Everyone wanted to make sure that I knew about it.”

He told Moira he would see her Saturday and finally got her off the phone. Before he could even try and talk to Hannah his mother was on him.

“Have you met Moira’s father as well?”

“Yes I met him after studying one day. He introduced himself as Jim Barnes and it is his running joke that I should call him Jim. I never do.”

“What does he do?”

Andrew was going to have to dance carefully round this one.

“I believe he is a lawyer Mum. Half the parents who have kids at Heriot’s are lawyers.”

He finally was able to break free and call Hannah. His mum appeared to have given up at this point and finally left him in peace. Hannah answered the phone and brightened when he said hi.

“I just wanted to see if you were going to the party on Saturday Andrew?”

Her too.

“Yes, I am going. I should be there fairly early, around 6.00. Thanks for making sure I had heard.”

“That is okay, I just wanted to make sure you would be attending. Otherwise I was probably going to skip it.”

She sounded a bit down.

“I will be there but why were you going to skip it if I wasn’t going to be there.”

Andrew was confused here.

“I am having a bit of a hard time with the other girls at the moment that is all.”

Okay.

“Would you like to get there with me Hannah? I am going to be at my friend’s place before the party and think I am going to walk over. It is only 20 minutes or so from his house. Why don’t you come over at 5.30 and say hi and then we can walk to Katie’s together?”

The relief in her voice was clear.

“That would be really nice Andrew. Your friend won’t mind?”

“Julian? No he will be okay with it. If the weather is miserable he’ll give us a lift in his Capri. He likes to get out in it even if it is only a short distance.”

Finally he was off the phone. Time to actually process all that was happening here. Hmmm. Suzanne was fine. Even though she knew Katie would call she was just being territorial. They were past the dating thing. Hannah worried him a little. She seemed to be becoming isolated within the year and the team. He hoped that the weather would be good so that they could talk on the way over. She needed a friend more than anything else at the moment. As for the other three, Andrew couldn’t begin to fathom it. Moira sounded like she needed a friend as well. There was their underlying agreement that added a frisson of excitement to their interactions but she just seemed to be up for some fun. Probably at his expense. But she had also been blunt and honest, they were not a couple. As for the last pair he was completely confused. Tanvi seemed to be most obviously attracted to him but at school they went round as a pair. He had no idea whether Katie was helping or competing but Saturday night was going to be an interesting night. Nobody could ever accuse him of a dull life.

Christmas Day had a huge surprise. Leslie and her parents had accepted an invitation from his parents to come for Christmas dinner. Nobody had said anything to Andrew and so he was blown away when he opened the front door and the three of them were standing there. He came to his senses and got them all inside. Brian and Leslie were laughing that they had managed to keep the secret. Even Mary, always the quietest one, was smiling. Andrew later found out that his mum had briefed everyone about Faith and to steer well clear of cancer unless the Campbell’s raised it first. It gave Andrew a rare moment of appreciation of his mum. Normally around him she wasn’t that sensitive.

As it turned out the Campbells decided to address the issue early on. When asked how they knew the family, Brian quietly stated that they had met Andrew when their daughter was also in hospital. Afterwards he had become a good friend to the family and was Leslie’s best friend. What was clear but left unsaid was the outcome of the other daughter’s treatment. However, Brian smoothly went on to talk about Andrew’s work with him over the summer and the sombre moment quickly passed. Soon Leslie was centre stage. The family remembered all the tales that Nikki had told the previous year and there was much reminiscing but Leslie was requested to tell some new Andrew stories. Leslie was a born story teller and had really blossomed in confidence since starting her business course.

“The thing with Andrew is that he is a very discreet young man. Some of the tales he has shared, I am the only person he has ever told. We will have to find some others that are more suitable for a Christmas audience.”

Half the family looked eager to hear these tales and the rest were laughing. One person looked like she had sucked a lemon. Guess who.

“The best Andrew story that I can think of is the time he asked one of his classmates out. 3^rd year, not yet 15 years old. Dinner and a movie, no big deal other than one minor detail. Italian Catholic girl. Mum and Dad want to meet this young man who dares to take their daughter on a maybe, not quite, sort of date. Andrew and the parents of his classmates can be a very volatile mixture. He is less than enthused but hey it’s a pretty woman, a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”

Already several of his family were laughing hard.

“What everyone forgot was Nana. So when Andrew turns up for a quiet meal and hopefully a low key interrogation what does he find? 17 of the family all invited by Nana to meet the boy who is daring to take out her oldest granddaughter. So in walks the hero of the tale and gets sat down next to Nana. Questions coming thick and fast. The young lady is trying to run interference and is banished to the kitchen. This one then tells her to stay and bold as brass tells Nana that he is a Viking protestant, and a poor one at that, his words. He was her friend and he admired her courage and temper. He told Nana he could see where she got it from. Complete silence in the room. Nana is looking at the pair of them and then turns to her son and scowls and says “A Protestant!” Just for one second she holds the face but then smiles and our hero has swayed another fair heart.”

Everyone laughed and clapped and his grandmother smiled at the way he had charmed another old lady. Leslie ceded the floor at that point but did spend the rest of the day telling Andrew tales to smaller groups. The day passed quickly and was just a hoot. Andrew didn’t say anything when they left but he called Leslie later just to check they were okay.

“They were very grateful to your Mum for asking us Andrew. They knew if they came then Faith would come up so Dad decided to do it that way. Everyone was very nice and a couple of people asked if we were doing okay. It was a step in the right direction. With your family, after what you went through, there would be no thoughtless comments. Thank you for letting me tell some Andrew stories.”

Andrew laughed.

“Let you? Ha. As you were telling it I kept thinking about all the stories that we can’t tell. The farm, tension relief, the business, McBride, Lord Barnes, Nikki, the house, the Ferrari, all the best ones.”

“I was thinking the same thing Andrew. I nearly told some of the business stories but was worried where it would lead. Does anyone know how rich you are?”

“No I don’t think so. Dad signed all the documents at the start and particularly the setting up of the two companies. But I haven’t talked about any of the deals with ComputerCom as you signed them as the director of JA Computers. Dad did sign when I bought the house, but I am not sure he was into all the detail. I presume he has told Mum but I am not sure he has given her all the details. He didn’t pay much attention to the Ferrari when he was signing as he was so stunned by the house. Mum would need hospitalisation if she found out I have a 170 mph sports car. Mhairi had a small note in her Christmas card saying that it will be finished in mid-January. The idea of owning a Ferrari is a dream to most people, saying even just to a couple of people that I own a Ferrari has been cool but the thought of driving it, let’s leave aside the license issues, is pretty scary. I need to find somewhere to safely store it for five years and worry about it later. Can I ask you something about this party on Saturday?”

Andrew told Leslie about the seven calls from the five different girls. She surprised him by immediately focusing on Hannah.

“Having trouble with the other girls?”

He confirmed that.

“Wanted you to be there otherwise she was going to skip it.”

She was thinking out loud at this point.

“Andrew, this one is going to be very interesting for you. My suspicion is that Hannah is a lesbian and that somehow her friends have found out and they are treating her poorly.”

“Leslie, are you sure? That seems a pretty big leap from what I told you. I can hardly just ask her, can I?”

“No of course not. Andrew, it goes back to the safe friend thing. I am guessing you are one of the few boys that she is close to.”

“I see her in all of my classes except Geography. She sits beside me or near me in several. I am friendly without being close.”

“I am just warning you that she will hang around you a lot at the party and my guess it is for safety not romantic reasons. Which will complicate things even more when Moira, Tanvi and maybe Katie all flirt with you. You will have to decide what you are doing with Tanvi. I know you have a big thing about parents and they will be even more protective. Dr. Jindal made a pre-emptive move when he saw you didn’t he? So you have to figure out what is happening there. She seems to have heard most of your stories and has told her father. I can see a red warning light above her head, so tread carefully. As for Katie, you will just have to wait and see. I can’t tell if she is helping Tanvi or the two of them are competing for you. Only you could have lots of women fighting over you. I worry that I have created a monster.”

Andrew laughed again.

“Remember that story about the biggest slut in your school. What was his record, I might want to take a run at the title.”

Leslie shrieked with laughter.

“Go to bed, you horrible man. Bah. As you can tell I will be expecting a full blow by blow recounting on Sunday.”

They hung up to them both laughing at her appalling joke.

On Boxing Day Andrew went to a footie game with his cousin Patrick. He was 15 years older than him but had always treated Andrew well. It was him that Andrew’s dad had called after the Grand National win. So he knew about the win. The first half of the match was exciting but scoreless and they were sitting at halftime when he started chatting.

“I heard that you gave Gran and Auntie Vi a hefty thank you for the National win. That was nice of you. I also heard that they get their winnings in a weekly allowance. Which is very smart.”

“That was Dad and Auntie Nancy.”

Nancy was his dad’s oldest sister, Andrew’s aunt and Patrick’s mother-in-law.

“You know they would blow the lot otherwise. She was happy yesterday. It brought everybody up short when they found out that she was so lonely. Not only does she have a little extra for the horses but everyone tries to see her more often. I have been terrible this term actually and need to try harder next term.”

“Do you have friends that are your own age? The last two Christmas’ have been enlivened by Nikki and Leslie and Leslie especially knows how to spin a tale. Two of your closest friends are women, one of them significantly older than you. I just worry a little that you are too mature, too serious.”

Andrew was touched that Patrick cared about him like that.

“Remember the story Nikki told last year about the Food Bank warehouse. Well the party tomorrow is going to top it.”

Andrew went on to tell him about all the calls, his mum’s reaction, the calls back, trying to figure out which ones were after him. He hammed it up a little and Patrick was laughing along.

“I take it back Andrew. You seem fine. What did Nikki say last year? She challenged us to try and top some of your stories. I can’t wait to see who is invited to Christmas next year!”

He had a fun afternoon with Patrick. They were not close just because of the age gap, although Andrew realised Patrick was only just older than Nikki and probably around the same age as Tony. Andrew had told Julian he would be over a little later that morning as he was going to the Pool. He was up and away before any of the rest of the family were even awake, although he heard Scott starting to make some noise as he left. He would not see any of them until his dad collected him at 11.00. The pool was deserted at 8.20 on the 27^th of December and Andrew had a lane to himself as he swam for more than an hour. He got to Julian’s at 10.15 and grabbed a cup of coffee with him in the kitchen as they caught up.

“I hope you don’t mind but I asked a girl to meet me here before we head over to a party. She should be here around 5.30. Is that okay?”

Julian laughed.

“Did you ask her to bring a friend? Nah, that’s fine. Are you talking about Katie Gibson’s party?”

“Yes, did you get invited too?”

“I did. It freaked me out a bit to be honest. You know me, I am still awkward around girls, unlike you, you smooth bastard!”

Andrew smiled and preened immodestly.

“So yeah, I am going. I am more relaxed now knowing that you are going? How do you know Katie?”

Andrew explained the back story including the little known incident where the girls were going to drop hockey because of the way he had been treated by Lyle.

“So you have known her since they all started last year?”

“More since January. I don’t think I spoke to her until the start of second term last year. It is only this term that we have had more conversations. I see her and Tanvi most days and they always say hi.”

Andrew snorted.

“They are a lot more sociable than I am, that’s for sure.”

They had a lazy day. Neither of them was in the mood for hours of coding, so instead went out in the Capri after lunch going nowhere, just to burn off some time. Often when it was the two of them and they were not coding they would talk about music. Leslie and Andrew were pretty similar in their tastes but both Julian and Pete were into stuff that Andrew was not and often forced him to listen to stuff that he was initially dismissive of. It was through their more adventurous musical taste that Andrew got into a bunch of great bands. That afternoon was another example. They were going to see The Who in February, right there in Edinburgh for once. Then Julian suggested they get tickets for Bruce Springsteen in May. Again he was going to be in Edinburgh, it was not like they had to drive or take sleeper trains like Leslie and Andrew had done twice. Initially he was reluctant not through any dislike of his music but lack of knowledge. He may have heard one song on the radio but he was not familiar with him. Julian badgered him a bit and Andrew gave in and said he would go. He really was a lucky SOB with his friends sometimes. He had to be forced to go and see Queen and Bruce Springsteen within six months of each other!

They got ready for the party and waited for Hannah to arrive.

“Do you mind if I walk with her for the first bit? There is something going on with her and the other girls and I think she wants to talk about it. Can you give us 20 minutes and then meet us at the bottom of hill just past the zoo? Then we can arrive together.”

“Sure. What is it with you and girls?”

“Is there anyone you want to talk to here tonight Julian? You stay pretty private normally when it comes to the ladies. There are 40 people coming and I know the hockey girls are all going to be there. There should be more girls than guys.”

Andrew looked at him curiously.

“You know how I am with women Andrew. It is the one thing I am always jealous of you for. I stand there blushing unable to think of anything to say and you are chatting away merrily. Hell you hang out with Suzanne every single day. Half the guys in my year would sell their record collection to swap with you for one day. And you two are totally platonic. Someone brought up that maybe you were gay.”

They were in the not very enlightened early 1980s here.

“I just laughed at him. I reminded them of the fights you got into with those clowns Brown and Kerr over going out on dates with both Suzanne and Paula. That shut them up pretty quickly. Never mind the fact that your best friend is a 20 year old college girl who is smoking hot. Anyway, I am not quite as smooth as you are with the ladies.”

He laughed at himself.

“I will see who is there. Try and leave some girls for the rest of us, okay?”

He was a good friend. When Hannah arrived Julian introduced her to his parents and explained that they were all going to the same party together. Then Andrew and Hannah left and started walking. She looked confused.

“Why is Julian not coming with us?”

“Oh, he is. He will get us in his car at the foot of the hill. Save us the walk up that last bit. I wanted 20 minutes or so to talk to you before we got there. You seemed very down when we spoke on Christmas Eve and I wanted to make sure you were okay. That’s all?”

Andrew then waited to see if she would say anything.

“Everything is fine Andrew. Just some girl drama that I don’t need right now.”

Her tone was not convincing.

“I am not going to pry. If that is true then you can hang out with me at the party. I have no idea who is coming other than the hockey team. I presume there are more guys than just Julian and I.”

He started laughing.

“Although to see the look on his face would be fantastic!”

“I have heard it is 25 to 30 girls and 10 to 15 boys. Don’t know the exact details.”

Andrew said nothing and they carried on walking in silence.

“Are you not going to say anything to me Andrew?” she sounded plaintive.

“I’m sorry, I was waiting to see if you wanted to say anything else. You still seem quite unhappy. I’ll let it be. How was your Christmas?”

They talked of nothing substantive for the rest of the journey and Julian pulled up in front of them just before the agreed meeting spot. It had been a good call to get him to drive as the hill was a lot steeper than Andrew remembered. The house was easy to find and they stood on the doorstep about to ring the bell when the door was flung open.

 

Chapter 2

Katie was waiting for them as they walked to the door.

“Hi, come in.”

After shedding their coats they went through to the kitchen. Her mother was there taking a tray of something that smelled amazing out of the oven.

“Mum, this is Hannah, Julian and Andrew.”

Mrs. Gibson looked up and said ‘Hi’ before turning back to get another tray out the oven. Katie was trying to lead them into the house but two teenage boys had smelled food and were not going quietly into the good night. Mrs. Gibson laughed and gave them a couple of plates so that they could grab some of the hot food. The Gibson’s had a large family room with a conservatory off it which was where everyone was hanging out. There were more than 30 people in the room and Andrew knew about half of them. There were a bunch of guys from Katie and Julian’s years that he didn’t really know and some of the older girls he recognised but didn’t know to talk to.

Then the chaos started. Moira practically tackled him with a hug. Tanvi immediately came over and said hi, followed by Suzanne who also gave him a hug. Poor Julian looked quite upset and then suddenly his eyes blinked and he smiled. Andrew saw him looking over at June Wyatt. She had been in Andrew’s class the previous year but Andrew was not as close to her and Mary Jones as he was to Hannah, Allie and Kate. Julian wandered off in her direction and Andrew hoped the pair of them hit it off.

Keeping Hannah close by Andrew moved over into a corner and there was a bunch of ‘what did you do for Christmas’ chat to break the ice. Allie came over and said hi. They had drifted apart over the last year after she turned him down for any more dates and then when Andrew stopped music that term. They were still in a bunch of classes but he never had time to talk to her on her own. It was a shame as she was a lot of fun. Other members of the hockey team also came over. Andrew spoke to all the girls in his year other than June who was otherwise engaged. Some of the guys had drifted over as the girls came and talked to him. Most seemed harmless but there were a couple that reminded Andrew of Murray Jones. Obnoxious and petty, bullies who like to throw their weight around. The usual high school pains in the arse. Often jocks, who have a lousy reputation for a reason. These pair were typical.

As with all these dickheads Andrew figured it was better to ignore them. They wanted some of the girls to pay attention to them and were getting more and more frustrated that it wasn’t happening. They were in Katie’s home and her parents were around somewhere. They were going to have to calm down or they would be out on their ear. Fuck them.

It was Tanvi who sprang the first surprise of the evening. It started innocently enough when she talked about how she had always wanted to go to New Zealand. There was a lot of talk about New Zealand, all the while she was looking at him.

“Andrew, have you ever been to New Zealand?”

Klaxons were starting to sound.

“No, I have only ever been to France once when I was seven, no I was only six. Other than that I have never been overseas.”

He looked at her suspiciously. Here it came.

“Do you know anyone from New Zealand?”

The picture of innocence. Devil! Andrew thought for a moment ‘Okay, let’s see if you will call my bluff Tanvi?’.

“Nope, I don’t know anyone. Do you Tanvi?”

Her confident air took a dent for a second but she rallied quickly.

“Yes there was a girl at school last year called Mary from New Zealand. She was an exchange student for six months. She had such interesting stories.”

Trying to keep telling this story on two levels was giving him a headache. Time to change the subject.

“Never mind New Zealand Tanvi, tell us about India. How long have your family been in Scotland? Were you born here or in India?”

Andrew was actually interested but it was also the chance to get away from what Tanvi knew about him and Mar.

“Yes I was born here. Dad moved here with his parents after Independence. He went to university here in Edinburgh and became a doctor. He has limited memories of India and I have never been. I will go back and see the extended family one day but this is home. My parents are thoroughly westernised now. You’ve met Dad. We might not be the McJindals” this made everyone laugh “but we feel no less Scottish.”

That broke the ice and they had a long chat about family histories. Several people were descended from the English who enforced the Union back in the 1700s. Others were Scots as far back as they were able to tell. Andrew was one of those.

“Dad and one of his cousins have researched the family tree back to the late 1400s in Caithness. That area was all Norse and Viking until the middle of the 1200s. So we’ve been here for more than 500 years but if you could take it further back we are probably Norwegian. All conjecture though. As Tanvi said, it doesn’t make me feel any more or less Scottish. She has been Scottish for a year longer than me!”

Andrew had never really thought about stuff like this before. Scotland was an overwhelmingly white country. There were not a lot of minorities, 1% maybe. He didn’t know. It made him stop and think. He never thought of himself as Norwegian or Viking, that would have been absurd. He blended in with all the other whites from wherever. Tanvi thought of herself as Scottish yet stood out as a minority. It was odd. He looked up and several people were staring at him.

“What?”

He fought the usual instinct to check his fly.

“You really do get lost in your head sometimes don’t you?” this was Suzanne. “What were you thinking about?”

“The whole what is Scottish thing. A lot of people see Tanvi as Indian, yet she has never been there and thinks of herself as Scottish. Then there is that guy in the class who started this year who is English, Alex I think his name is. He moved here and unless you talk to him, people assume he is Scottish even although he goes on and on about being English. The differences were making me think.”

“Do you ever just relax and not overthink everything?”

Suzanne was laughing as she said it. He looked sheepishly around.

“Probably not. Once a nerd, always a nerd.”

Everyone laughed and the conversation moved on. Every time they talked about something he was told to not overthink it. Andrew had a fun time, Hannah had stayed beside him for most of the night and although quiet had contributed to the conversations. He still didn’t get it. He was getting no flirting vibe from her at all, unlike half the rest of the girls there. He was beginning to think that Leslie was right. Hannah had to want to talk about it though. Andrew went to pee and grab some more snacks from the kitchen. It was a beginner’s error on his part not to take reinforcements. Mrs. Gibson was there setting out more food.

“So I finally get to meet you Andrew.”

Another day, another interrogation by a parent. Andrew actually laughed out loud which was probably rude in hindsight.

“Hello Mrs. Gibson, what would you like to know?”

Let’s cut to the chase here.

“Sorry. I don’t understand.”

She sounded miffed.

“Oh my mistake I thought you had some questions for me, sorry. Great snacks by the way.”

Andrew turned to leave.

“You are too smart for your own good young man.”

So close to escape. He turned and faced her again.

“Not really. You are the.”

He paused here as he added up all the interrogations and meetings.

“Sixth parent who has wanted to talk to me as a result of being friends with their daughter. I am used to it by now.”

“I feel like I am late to the party then.”

She smiled as she said it. Andrew was buying none of it, he knew to keep his guard up. He stood silently waiting for her to speak. Where the hell was everyone else? Surely someone was hungry and would come and grab a snack. Unfortunately she anticipated this and asked him to follow her through into the dining room. Oh, a real interrogation.

“Having your daughter grow up is hard for a parent. Katie is our third and so we are battle-tested now. Maybe it is different with boys, I don’t know. For someone who is younger than her and who we have never met, she talks about you a lot. That is what intrigues us. We have no reason not to trust you. I don’t know what questions to ask you. Everyone always calls you odd although in a nice way. Maybe unique is better. Everyone knows you are the smartest pupil at the school.”

She waved away his attempts at humility.

“You are also kind and loyal. You have looked out for Hannah all night and people will notice that.”

Andrew needed to come back to that statement later.

“In some ways there are no questions, in others there are hundreds. It was nice to meet you tonight. To get to talk to the young man as opposed to seeing the bundle of clothes very carefully standing away from all the parents at a hockey game. I should let you get back. Katie will be mortified that I have nabbed you for a chat.”

Andrew left the dining room none the wiser about anything. He was barely out the kitchen when Katie grabbed his arm.

“Where have you been?”

“Your mother wanted a chat. I was in the dining room talking to her.”

He wasn’t going to sugar-coat this. Katie looked like she wanted to cry.

“I can’t believe she did that to you. To me. Oh my god. What did she want?”

“Relax. It was fine. I added it up while I was talking to her. She was the sixth parent to ask me some questions. There are no new questions to ask. I think she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. She called herself battle-hardened or something like that. Sounds like your two older sisters gave her a hard time growing up. I don’t think she did ask a specific question. She called me odd. Then felt embarrassed about that and called me unique instead.”

Andrew left Katie plotting the murder of her mother and went back through to the family room. Hannah was now sitting on her own, with no one talking to her. He said hi to a bunch of people but kept moving and sat down beside her.

“Sorry about that. Mrs. Gibson couldn’t pass up the chance to talk to me. It wasn’t even an interrogation but she went on a bit. How are you doing? Do you want to leave?”

He looked at her.

“No I am fine thanks Andrew. It is fun to people watch at these things. The subtle flirting, the blatant flirting, who looks at who. All those things. Your friend Julian seems to be having a nice time.”

She nodded with her head and Andrew saw that June now had her hand on his arm. Progress indeed.

“Anyway, when you are here people will wander over. It is already 9.30. There is not long to go.”

Just then Suzanne plopped down on his other side.

“Some people just will not take a hint. That pair are fucking annoying.”

She rarely swore so he knew she must be mad at somebody. The arseholes from earlier were looking over from the doorway through to the conservatory. They looked pissed off that Suzanne had come and sat with him and Hannah.

“Ignore them.”

Hannah asked if Suzanne had heard from Paula.

“Occasionally, but the frequency has dropped off. She moved to Lincoln and it looks like her Dad will be there until she graduates. We were the best of friends for one year but I don’t know that I will see her again. We just have to move on with our lives. I will see, maybe I am being pessimistic about it. It is tough for her to hear me going on about Andrew all the time. In some ways he replaced her.”

“Your class this year would have been tough for you if he was not there. The only girl. Can you imagine that last year? The only girl in the class. I would not have gone back for the second day.”

It was good to see Hannah opening up. The next hour was lower key as people wandered over and off again. People started to leave and generally it was very relaxed. Then Hannah went to the bathroom and Tanvi was over in a flash.

“We never got a chance to chat alone Andrew. That is a shame. I would like to talk to you.”

“Sure Tanvi. Give me a call in the morning tomorrow or anytime on Monday. We can chat if you want.”

“Can we meet on Monday instead of talking on the phone?”

Andrew was curious as to where this was going.

“Sure. I will meet you at the foot of the Mound at 11.00. Does that work?”

A huge smile broke on her face.

“And there was me thinking it was going to be the Scott Monument.”

“I will see you on Monday Tanvi. At the Mound!”

She left with the smile still on her face to be replaced by Moira.

“Well aren’t you Mr. Popular. I’ll be blunt Andrew. Dad is going to Ely to play golf next Saturday. Can you come over and help me study? You know how much better I study when I am relaxed.”

He laughed out loud.

“Now there is an offer I can’t refuse. I will be there about 10.30. Is that too soon?”

“No, should be perfect. I’ll see you then.”

She jumped up and Andrew saw Hannah leaning against the door with a smile on her face. She came over.

“I can go back and wait if there are any more people that need some one-on-one time with you. First Tanvi, now Moira. I should just go and tell Katie you are free.”

Instead she sat down next to him.

“I don’t know what to say to that statement so I will say nothing.”

“Always the gentleman Andrew McLeod, always the gentleman.”

“I try Hannah, I try. But let’s face it I am still a teenage boy. I am sure I will screw it up somehow.”

They both laughed.

“Go and find Katie and say goodbye. I will get our coats and see you at the door.”

He found Katie talking to her mother in the kitchen.

“Thank you, Mrs. Gibson, for hosting tonight and cooking all the great snacks. For someone who only had daughters you sure kept a lot of teenage boys well fed. Thanks again.”

Katie took his arm and led him through to the front door.

“Can we go out sometime Andrew? Maybe dinner and a movie?”

She was biting her bottom lip adorably.

“Sure. I am working at a farm in the run up to New Year. How about New Year’s night? It should be quiet after the chaos of the night before. 6.00 at the ABC?”

It was a date. Andrew figured the way to deal with all the drama was to talk to the girls individually. Three down, one to go. He gave Katie a big hug as a thank you. Hannah handed him his coat and said goodbye to Katie. Katie ignored the good bye and pulled her into a big hug. Nothing was said and yet everything was said. Hannah gulped and smiled and then they left. It was 10.58 and his dad would be there any minute. Hannah saw her mum in her car down the street.

“Thank you for tonight Andrew. As usual you were a good friend. Thank you for that.”

“It was a pleasure Hannah. Would you like to meet on the 2^nd? Next Friday. Go for a long walk and talk?”

He kept pushing gently.

“Why is it important to you Andrew?”

“It is important to you and you are my friend. I will meet you outside the school at 11.00 am on Friday. If you don’t want to meet then leave Mum a message. Okay?”

She nodded but didn’t say anything. She just gave him another long hug. Andrew could see Mrs. Adams giving him the eye over her shoulder. Hannah left and his dad arrived. Andrew chatted to his dad on the way home without really saying anything. He was halfway home before he realised that Julian and June had disappeared together around 10.00. That made him smile the rest of the way home.

He left early again the next morning to swim. He was tired after an hour running both mornings as well as the previous day’s swim so his pace was a lot slower than normal. He moved over to the medium lanes, even although he was in no one’s way and floated on his back gently gliding up and down the lane thinking about the night before. Suzanne needed to find a nice guy. For whatever reason she tended to attract arseholes. The pair from last night being prime examples. Moira was clearly just horny. She had barely spoken to him all night, which was fine, but he smiled at the prospect of regular sex. It really did calm her down. It was a noble sacrifice but one he was prepared to undertake! Hah. The key thing was avoiding Lord Barnes at all costs. Hannah was unhappy. He had several thoughts as to why she was unhappy but needed to be careful not to presume until she opened up. Just because Andrew had a lesbian couple as his friends did not make him the teenage expert, in fact she didn’t even know about Nikki, no one at school did. If she wanted to talk then he would listen. As for Tanvi and Katie who the hell knew. That is why he had agreed so readily to go out with them that week. Explanations and information would help figure what was going on. They appeared to be aware of the other’s interest so he was more than a little confused. Andrew stopped and thought about them as individuals. He needed to think of them separately. He had known Katie longer but still did not really know her. Judging by the way they all gossiped the girls knew a lot more about him than he did about them. Andrew thought about them as women. Both were small and slight. Andrew thought of Katie as petite, a small frame, gentle curves but a wicked smile and a look of perpetual mischievousness. Tanvi was even smaller. She was a waif, no curves. Andrew doubted that she weighed much more than him after his chemo. There was nothing to her, but she was beautiful. Classic Indian face, almond eyes, long dark hair. She was an absolute beauty. The next day was going to be fun as long as Dr. Jindal didn’t come along as well!

He finished the lap and slowly pulled himself from the lane. Less than an hour later he was at the Food Bank warehouse. There had been a lot of turnover that year and they were short staffed. He started a couple of hours early and worked away bringing cases and boxes over to the packing tables where they were split and sorted into the individual parcels. Repetitive work that allowed him to think about his life. He wondered about Tanvi or Katie, or heaven help him, both of them wanting to date. Exclusivity. Moira would not be happy with that. Whenever he wondered about dating and sex it occurred to him that he had an expensive Mews house sitting empty. Only Andrew had bought it 400 miles away. They say that guys think with their dicks. Clearly, he needed to think with his more!

Leslie had offered to pick him that evening for which he was grateful. But Andrew knew she was just keen to hear all the gossip. He filled her in on all the latest news including all the meetings in the coming week.

“Bloody hell Andrew, you are going to catch Martin at this rate.”

Martin was apparently the slut referred to earlier.

“You have a date with a beautiful Indian, outcome to be negotiated, two nights out at the farm trying to fulfil every fantasy Kenzie has, another date with a different older woman, outcome also to be negotiated, a meeting with a confused girl who may or may not be a lesbian, and a study session with a fourth older woman where, in your own words, you hope to fuck her senseless. Are you listening to this?”

“You know it is all your fault. If you hadn’t worked on my confidence with women, I would be this shy, confused, scared nerd.”

The whack was inevitable and expected.

“I see Kenzie twice a year and I need to dial down my excitement. She may not be there, or be serious with someone else. Sure I hope to fuck her but I can’t presume it. Hannah may bail on the meeting. I am also not presuming on that. She is upset but Leslie, let’s face it she might want to talk to me about health stuff. She knows I had cancer. Maybe she has mole, or a lump, or a whatever. She needs to pluck up the courage to talk to someone. It was a mole on my back that started to hurt and grow abnormally. That is why I want to go for a long walk with no distractions. Whatever it is she needs to do it at her own pace.”

When he brought up a possible health scare Leslie looked very upset.

“Fuck, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I was so sure it is sexuality I was blind to everything else. Yeah, you would be the perfect person to talk to about stuff like that. Shit.”

“I know. I am trying to get her to talk to me but I don’t want to push too hard. It is a tough one. Come on I didn’t mean to kill the mood. All I was trying to do was make sure in my own mind that I didn’t go in with preconceptions. Unlike next Saturday. I find it a huge turn on to think about going to see someone knowing that I am going over to try and fuck the stress out of them. Literally. As for the other pair I have no clue. The fact they are friends and know about the other confuses me. I think Tanvi spoke to Mareikura before she left as there were far too many New Zealand jokes last night. I thought Hindu’s were uptight about sex before marriage. I need to get to the library and figure this stuff out. She is not a typical Indian. Hang on. That was absurd. She is the first person of Indian origin that I have spoken to. She thinks of herself as Scottish. She was born here and brought up here. She is just as Scottish as I am.”

“Really? She thinks of herself as Scottish? Wow. I suppose. Does it matter where her parents came from? Three of four of my grandparents were not Scottish, one Irish and two English. Only Dad’s dad was a Scot. That is why we are Campbells. Okay, you have my permission to talk to her. In fact I think I would like to meet her.”

“Calm yourself. Given everything else in my life it may come to nothing. Same with Katie. Same year, same physique, different colour. Fun, bubbly, nice to hang out with. But I know nothing about her. Figured it was easier just to go out and ask the questions than dance around it all term.”

The evening with the Campbells was nice and relaxed with lots of jokes about Leslie’s story telling at Christmas. A nice way to end a busy day.

The following week was going to be even busier.

 

Chapter 3

For the third day in a row, Andrew was at the Commonwealth early. He was swimming hard that morning not even sure he would make an hour. After 57 minutes he was done and had to use the ladder to get out the pool. His body ached, in a good way. Even taking his time getting changed Andrew was still way too early for Tanvi and had 50 minutes to kill. He wandered up to the Virgin Record store on Thistle Street and Bruce’s Records on Rose Street looking through the new and second hand albums. He wasn’t really looking for anything he was just killing time while trying to stay warm. At 10.45 he headed over to the Mound. Tanvi too was early and with the day being so miserable Andrew suggested they go into the National Gallery since it was right there. He had limited interest in the art but it was convenient and warm. He waited for her to start but she looked very nervous.

“What happened to confident Tanvi from the party on Saturday night? Now you seem worried about something.”

He found a bench they could sit on and Tanvi sat down beside him, but still quiet.

“Alright I will start. You asked if you could talk to me alone. You and Katie have been flirting with me for weeks. I know I am slow to pick up these things but even I noticed eventually. I think Suzanne knew the first or second day. On Saturday night you seemed to have a fascination with New Zealand. I remember Katie saying the first day I was introduced to you that you transferred over from Erskine’s. Finally, you are the older sophisticated woman and I am but the young, callow youth. I am supposed to be the bumbling fool. Talk to me Tanvi.”

“That’s just it Andrew. You are not the bumbling fool. You are this quiet, cute nerd who looks out for his friends. Katie called me yesterday and told me about her mother. Is it true you have been interrogated by six sets of parents?”

He nodded.

“Yeap. Your Dad is one of the six. There is at least one more to come as well.”

“Dad, really?”

“You remember, that day at Goldenacre when we first spoke. He was gentler than some. Helped by the lack of time to think about it. He just came up to me and knew all about me. I was thrown off by that. As I had spoken to you for the very first time five minutes earlier that morning, he could hardly give me the ‘what are your intentions with my daughter’ speech. I get it, teenage boy hanging around teenage girl will get antennae twitching. But I also have an angry young man streak and I will not stand by and be accused of something I haven’t done. Parents of teenage young women seem to conveniently forget that women get horny too.”

The way Tanvi blushed answered that unasked question.

“Let me ask you something. What do you want? Do you want a friend? You already have me as a friend. I find you fascinating and insightful. You made me think as everyone saw on Saturday. Do you want to occasionally date as more than a friend but not as a couple? Do you want to be an exclusive couple? What will be the reaction of your parents to this situation?”

“That is part of my problem. I don’t know.”

She was silent for a long time.

“I am confused and suspicious I suppose. I am at Heriot’s because I was very unhappy at Mary Erskine’s. The school was all very supportive and tried to deal with my problems but I was hassled and racially abused by a couple of girls there. It was always their word against mine and the school seemed powerless to stop it. That is why Mum and Dad moved me to Heriot’s. Everyone has been nice to me so far at Heriot’s and I am happy there. You are this nice guy everyone goes on about and nobody really understands. You seem to breeze through school but then you are in the library all the time so I know you work hard, that is hardly breezing. You made an effort with the girls on the first day and have stayed a friend. You turn up and support the team every week and never ask for anything from any of the players.”

She paused for a second.

“As you guessed, I spoke to Mary who I came to realise was actually called Mareikura. She told me all about you and alluded to an Easter never to be forgotten. Four months later I am on the hockey field with you on the sidelines. So I started asking questions about you. I found out all these interesting facts and most people reckon there is more. You never talk about anybody with anyone, other than the legendary Leslie. And if Suzanne had not met her none of us would believe she exists. You seem too good to be true for a lot of people. I haven’t shared the Mar stories. I don’t know what would happen if they knew you were rumoured not to be a virgin and apparently great in bed.”

She looked at him.

“This is proving to be a lot harder than when I practiced it in my head. I don’t know what I want. I am glad that we are friends. You have a lot of loyalty to your friends. We all saw that. As for the Mar stories they are just a whole other level of frightening and confusing. I want to date you and I am scared to date you. I want what Mar had and I am terrified of it at the same time. I am a big old mess.”

“Well isn’t that an interesting tale. I have no idea what stories Mareikura passed on. She is a friend and we spent the Easter holidays visiting historic sites around Scotland, mostly with Dad along too. I am sorry that you had a hard time at Erskine’s. Mar did not really enjoy it much either. As for the rest we are teenagers, it is supposed to be confusing. Would you like to go out now and again? Dinner and a movie. I will walk you down to the bus or wait with you until your Dad collects you. Maybe if the mood strikes us we will share a sweet kiss at the end of the night. How does that sound?”

“I think that is a good start. Am I your girlfriend?”

“No. I don’t think that should be the label.”

Her face fell.

“Okay, why are you upset? What does the label mean? Exclusivity? Suppose I go out with another woman? You talked to Katie yesterday. I am going to The Who concert with Leslie. Half the school apparently thinks I am secretly dating Suzanne. Do you want all that scrutiny?”

“Okay, I see your point. A girl just wants to feel special.”

“Do you need a badge saying I’m Andrew’s girlfriend? Don’t define yourself by me. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life. You are stunning. I am so happy that you are my friend. But I have lots of friends and lots of them are women. Leslie is my best friend and I tell her everything. Tanvi, I mean everything.”

Andrew looked at her until she got the point.

“Suzanne has called me her best friend and we talk every single day. I am tutoring Moira seven hours a week, some weeks more. You and I, we will go out on Friday or Saturday nights. That’s all the free time that I have. If you want someone who dotes on you and spends hours with you every week then I am not that person. I will talk to you every morning. Smile as you flirt away with me. You are adorable when you do the ‘biting the bottom lip’ move by the way. If you want to come and study in the library at lunch and after school then I will be delighted to see you. But every person in my life from my parents and Leslie on down know that studying will always come first. It is who I am.

“You also know that I never talk to anyone about my personal life. Apart from Leslie. All the stories that are told about me are exaggerated tales. When word gets out, and we both know it will, it won’t be from me.”

“You live life on your terms Andrew.”

“It does seem that way but it is more that I know what I want to achieve in my life. I am only 15 years old. I am honest with people and I try not to disappoint them. If you would rather not go out with me and just be friends then I will be happy with that. I don’t want you to feel that I am using you or not being sufficiently there for you.”

She didn’t answer that and they walked around the gallery in silence for a while.

“Do you think about my background, my ethnicity Andrew?”

Andrew thought for several seconds.

“I found the discussion on Saturday to be fascinating. I had not stopped to think about it before. Your parents are Indian and you were born here, you are just as Scottish as I am. I thought about it a lot when I was swimming this morning. Britain was the colonial power in India and if I was born to my parents but they worked for the Government in India, would I think of myself as Indian or Scottish who happened to be born in India. With most of the colonial staff, though not all, they thought of themselves as British in India rather than Indian. They were in India temporarily. The way you described your family situation is different. Your parents have made their home here permanently and you think of yourself as Scottish. I find that distinction fascinating. You are a year more Scottish than I am. It was when you said you thought of yourself as Scottish that it started to make sense. I saw your skin colour and thought of you as Indian. You see where you were born and think of yourself as Scottish. You happen to be Scottish and brown as opposed to me who is Scottish and white. We are both Scottish. I think that most people’s reactions are the same as mine was originally.”

He knew there would be many more mornings of swimming thinking about all this. It was a minefield of assumptions and labels. Tanvi was bouncing around in her head though.

“Do you really think I am the most beautiful girl you have ever seen?”

“What is this complement Tanvi day? Yes, I stand by that statement. You are stunning. Not stunning for an Indian, but stunning for a human. You should be a model.”

Her smile was breathtaking.

“You are the most confounding man Andrew McLeod.”

Again a long walk of silence. They came to another bench, it may in fact have been the same bench, but they had been paying no attention to their surroundings. She sat down and patted the seat beside her.

“Thank you for being honest and letting me think. I did not know what to expect today. What I got surprised me and disappointed me at first, but then as we walked and I thought it through what you are suggesting is actually what I need right at this moment. I would like to spend time with you on a Friday or Saturday night, just as you described. I worry about the race stuff. That was why I was upset when you said you did not want a girlfriend. But then you explained more and, what’s that phrase everyone uses, oh yeah, that big old brain; then that big old brain of yours churned away and I could see you processing stuff. I am sure we will have a lot more conversations about all this stuff. Part of me wants to be your exclusive girlfriend but the larger part of me realises that that would be a terrible idea. I must admit that I find the idea of kisses at the end of the night to be a very good one.”

That breathtaking smile again, Andrew smiled in return.

“Let’s go and find somewhere to have some lunch. All this emotional drama has made me hungry.”

So they got themselves bundled back up to face the day. When they were outside on the steps Andrew grabbed Tanvi’s hand in his and they started walking. They walked hand in hand along Princes Street to his usual little café in St. Andrew’s Square. They were able to find a small table and squeezed in.

“Why did you take my hand?”

“It seemed the right thing to do. I also wanted you to have no doubts about me wanting to be seen with you. Every time we go out I will hold your hand and at the end of the night snog you in front of whoever is there. Deal.”

She giggled.

“Goofball, but deal.”

She looked very happy. They cut short the rest of the day. It was way too cold to be out on the street. Something Andrew would need to consider for Friday with Hannah. All they did was wander from shop to shop. It was in the last store that he thought about her parents.

“What are you going to tell your parents?”

“Everything. Just as you have Leslie, I have Mum and Dad. No secrets. They know I was coming here to meet you today. Dad quite likes you and Mum is keen to meet you.”

Andrew looked horrified.

“Oh, yes Andrew. You get to complete the set. They are nice. They worry about their daughter but are not too crazy. So at some point in the coming term you will be coming over for dinner.”

“You thought you would wait until now to drop this little titbit into the conversation? What about the whole religion thing?”

“Now who is worrying about the future? We are going on dates Andrew, not getting engaged. That is not something to stress about right now.”

Andrew smiled at her, one more thing to overthink.

“Come on. Let’s walk over to your stop. I will wait with you until your bus comes.”

They walked hand in hand out of Menzies and headed across the road. The stop was deserted and it was a nasty windy December day. Andrew wrapped his arms around her. She was so small that it brought out all sorts of protective feelings in him. She looked up and her eyes had a sparkle in them.

“You know, this has been a sort of date and it is the end of it.”

The words trailed off. Sometimes even Andrew couldn’t miss the signals. The Bell Rock Lighthouse blinded him in both eyes and he leaned down and gently kissed her. Both their lips were cold and his were chapped, it didn’t matter. For 15 seconds he had this most beautiful young woman in his arms and he was kissing her. They separated and smiled at each other. Andrew was not sure who looked the more pleased with themselves. He got her safely onto the bus and walked down the street to his own stop. Nothing about the upcoming term was going to be simple. School, the Open University, tutoring, women. But he would survive fine on a steady diet of kisses like that from some pretty young women.

When Andrew got home there was a message from Hannah saying that she would not be able to meet on Friday. He was sad but felt he had pushed as much as he could, maybe even too much. She knew he was there to talk. Andrew asked his dad if he was free for an hour after dinner. He told him he was off to phone Harry and see if it was alright to come out that night so that he could help in the morning. Harry did not even do the ‘are you sure’ routine with him.

“Great Andrew. You can do the dairy cows as usual. I will go and check the little room in the barn is ready. See you after dinner.”

Andrew and his dad chatted on the way out to the farm. A Christmas card and letter from Mareikura had arrived that morning and so they talked about the letter and reminisced about both the days out back in the spring. His father loved Scottish history and really enjoyed talking about it and explaining it to people. Later Andrew sat with Harry and Josephine in the farmhouse and caught up on their news. Did they want him to work outside or did they want help with some of the paperwork? He could do either.

“Cows and then some other stuff until lunchtime. In the afternoon and evening if you could help catch up on a couple of the forms and reports that would be a big help. It will let us get them all packed before Wednesday night. Then on Wednesday it will be a little bit of everything. I may even get you to go and collect some of the others on that little tractor you drive. If you are going to take them back on it on New Year’s morning there is no point in having a bunch of Landrovers in the yard until the weekend when they can come and get them.”

Harry had a point. May as well accept the reality of the situation.

Tuesday morning Andrew was up and over to the farmhouse for breakfast in plenty time. He had done his exercises but there would be no running until Friday and no swimming until the weekend, he would cope. It was good to get back into the routine. He had to stop and think a couple of times while dealing with the milking but then remembered and finished it up. Mac came by as he was sterilising the equipment in preparation for the evening. Never one for many words he wanted Andrew’s help. A couple of the beef herd had got into a tussle and one of them had been gored in the neck. It was still bleeding and they needed to separate it from the rest of the herd and let the vet fix it up. Well wasn’t that a bundle of laughs! This heifer was a Houdini. It took them two hours of chasing, sweating and swearing before they finally had the damn beast captured. Andrew arrived back at the farmhouse hot and sweaty. Dinner came and went and it was 9.00 before they had got the last of the forms squared away. It was not the complexity so much as the volume. Sometimes Josephine got behind and just needed a hand to catch up. He said goodnight and walked over to the barn.

While it was not unexpected, his heart beat a little faster as he looked over at the bed and saw Kenzie lying in it already. Andrew smiled and started taking his clothes off, not before he pulled two condoms out of his wallet and put them on the nightstand. By the time he was naked he was achingly hard. Kenzie pulled the covers back exposing her body. All the memories came flooding back. Sitting on the edge of the bed she beckoned him forward and just engulfed his dick right there. Neither of them had said a word and yet Andrew was about to blow a huge load down her throat. Sure enough her hand came up and caressed his balls and he was gone. Pulse after pulse shot out of him. The intensity of that first blowjob always left him light headed and Andrew put a hand on her shoulder to steady himself for a second. Kenzie finished swallowing and his dick slipped lifeless from her lips. He hauled her up for a kiss and then just held her in his arms for a second. Then it was her turn.

Andrew spun her round and his hands roamed over her. Her solid hips, up over her flat stomach, teasingly past her breasts and up until they were on her shoulders. He flicked her hair away from her neck and nibbled and kissed his way from one side to the other. Odd little places made her shiver and Andrew would tease and torment them again and again. He let his hands caress her flanks, from her shoulders down across her hard stomach down until they were caressing her mons, right above her bush. But he completely and deliberately ignored the main sexual areas, never touched her on her arse or breasts and kept his hands and fingers away from her pussy. Andrew kept this up for longer than he thought possible. His dick had recovered and was now prodding Kenzie in the small of the back and backside as he continued to tease her.

“Andrew, you are driving me crazy. Touch me, fuck me, do something.”

The first words of the night. Andrew continued to kiss her neck but grabbed a condom and quickly trapped his cock in its latex prison. He carefully pushed her shoulders down and positioned his dick at the entrance to her pussy. He pushed gently in case she was not ready but the head slipped into a moist warm grasping tunnel, she was more than ready. Kenzie put her arms on the edge of the mattress and braced herself, Andrew grabbed her hips and drove forward steadily. He sank into her and they were fully coupled. Andrew always struggled to describe that first moment. Pushing through the accommodating flesh, the groans from both of them, the sheer physical joy of the act and the feeling. It is a moment that he always savoured. His strokes were strong and steady. This was not a frantic fuck, this was one to be savoured, enjoyed, repeated. Every five strokes Andrew would move his hand round and caress Kenzie’s clit, just a little tickle to tease her. Then after a couple of minutes he kept his hand on her clit and oscillated a finger back and forth. Kenzie peaked moments later. He stopped the movement but kept the pressure on it with his finger as he continued to fuck her. Pausing for a second, Andrew slipped the finger down so he could pick up some lube from her pussy. Then he kept his hand close to but not touching and picked up the pace. As Andrew felt his own orgasm start to approach he once more pressed down on Kenzie’s clit, this time flicking it with a fingernail. Her own orgasm pulled his right out of him. Her already tight grasp intensified and he could barely move. The muscles in her pussy spasmed and he came hard with her. They were poised, in stasis, beside the bed recovering from the moment. Andrew pulled out and went through and dumped the condom in the trash can. He brought a warm washcloth back with him but Kenzie was already back under the covers. He joined her and they cuddled close on that cold winter night.

“As good as ever Andrew. You just turn me on. I thought it was going to be a hard fuck right here in the bed, but instead it was touches that just made my pussy ache and you never went near it. If I hadn’t begged you to fuck me you would still be teasing me now.”

“Maybe on a warm summer’s night. I did not think that through completely as I was getting cold there at the end. When I came into the room and you were all tucked up in bed, I just went with it. As for the hard fuck, if you give me a few minutes to recover I will endeavour to satisfy your cravings.”

They lay there chatting away about nothing in particular. Andrew was caressing Kenzie’s bum and she was fondling his cock. They knew why they were there, they were young, fit and horny. No false promises, no raised expectations. They were there to bring each other off, repeatedly. It was Kenzie who decided that he was hard enough and ready and who ensured that he was safely wrapped up. As she lay back Andrew knee walked between her thighs. He could feel the muscle definition in her legs as he got into position. Andrew entered her with a gentle push and gave her a second to get comfortable. She squirmed around and then locked her ankles behind his arse and pulled. This was a mutual fuck. She was not lying back letting him do all the work and it was not like when she was on top and she was doing most of the work. This was a couple’s fuck. She was trying to haul him into her with every flex of her strong legs. Andrew was having to work hard to pull out of her for any distance. He grabbed her hips and lifted them off the bed slightly. The angle worked better and their thrusting became even more competitive. Kenzie was looking at him with an intense gaze, daring him not to come. He could feel he was losing the battle. ‘Soon’ was all he said but one hand flew to her clit and three seconds after Andrew started coming Kenzie also came with a grimace and a series of grunts. If he didn’t know better he would have thought she was in pain. She unhooked her legs and Andrew flopped down beside her. He grabbed the condom, pulled it off, then wiped his dick with the unused washcloth and then used it to wrap up the condom. He would take care of it later.

Neither of them said anything. Andrew reached out and set the alarm for 5.45 as usual and turned off the light. They feel asleep, Kenzie using his shoulder as a pillow and his hand resting on her arse. They moved during the night and in the morning Andrew slipped out of bed without waking Kenzie. He turned the alarm off and went to the bathroom to pee. Once that was dealt with he pulled on a pair of shorts and worked through his exercises before showering. When he came out Kenzie was peering up at him from the bed.

“Good morning. It is 6.10. I am going to the farmhouse in 10 minutes for breakfast. What time do you need to get home to avoid running into your dad?”

“Yeah, I should get up and head back. What are we doing tonight?”

“Are you coming to the party this year or is it the same as last year and we meet after midnight?”

“I would like to come to the party. Will it be too obvious if we leave it before midnight or even right after?”

“Based on last year, I doubt it. Everyone was pretty hammered. Rowan is going to my grandmother’s and I think the Strachans are doing the same with their kids. It is a collection of adults getting hammered, well other than Scott. There is a lock on the door here so as long as we are subtle leaving the house we can probably escape pretty early and not be discovered. I am going to milk the cows in the morning so Harry is giving your father the day off. Are there any younger guys coming to the party who could pester you? That would be the only issue. A drunk farmer getting arsey.”

“Nah, they are all older. It won’t stop a lot of staring and some ‘accidental’ brushing against me but nothing more than that. They all know I will break their wrists if they try anything. Done that twice already this year and the message seems to have sunk in.”

She was blasé about harassment and injuring people. Andrew gulped. Don’t mess with Kenzie! He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

“I will see you tonight. I am collecting some of the guys adjacent to the farm on the ATV. Once they are all liquored up, including my parents then we can come over here and celebrate the New Year our own way.”

Andrew was left to work on his own all day as Harry worked with Josephine to get the house ready for the party. His parents and Scott arrived around 4.30 and he wandered over to say hi. But he left them to go and talk to the Strachans and went and picked up the first of the farmers. He did two early trips, one of which was both the husband and wife. After the evening milking Andrew went on three more trips before going and changing himself. Kenzie was waiting for him and stood there watching him shower. She was promising him a night of good dirty fun as he cleaned myself. Unsurprisingly when Andrew stepped out of the shower he was hard. She spun him round this time and wanked him off into the shower.

“That should keep you until later.”

They wandered into the party and honestly, they could have just spent the evening in the little apartment. It was sad how desperately everyone was drinking, even Andrew’s parents who had Scott with them. Kenzie had been drunk on many occasions but other than trying some wine and beer at the dinner table recently Andrew had never had a drink, and had never been drunk. Between the night out in Glasgow the previous week and the stumbling stupidity that night he was in no hurry to start either. He was standing next to this cute, curvy, hard bodied woman who wanted to fuck him all night long. Or he could get falling down drunk and pass out with his head on the kitchen table. Hmmm. That decision didn’t take long.

Andrew made sure his mum and dad had seen him and acknowledged that he had attended the party. Around 10.15 Kenzie slipped away and 15 minutes later so did Andrew. He didn’t say anything to anyone although the next morning he would tell his parents he had told them goodnight. They were in no condition to remember. The second night with Kenzie was more of the same. Although she dreaded it, she also was begging for it so after he had eaten her to two orgasms, he slipped two fingers into her and started on her g-spot. Right as she orgasmed hard, back arched, screaming his name Andrew leaned in and pressed his tongue down on her clit. She thrashed in his arms as he kept up the pressure. Finally he relented and held her in his arms and let her come back to earth. Slowly she regained the power of speech.

“Thank you for not nipping it like I asked. That was beyond insane Andrew. The way you kept the pressure on it as I writhed around. Oh my god. I am going to need some time to come down from that.”

Andrew just held her, stroking her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. Kenzie became a more active participant after a little while then she pushed him onto his back and grabbed the first condom. She slithered down his body rubbing her breasts against him as she descended lower and lower. HIs dick was hard as she rested her face on his thigh looking at it. His foreskin was all the way back and the pronounced corona was red and inflamed. She reached out and ran her tongue up the side. Andrew twitched at the sudden contact. She smiled and moved so that she could take the head into her mouth. Kenzie kissed and licked the glans then took her lips and put them over the corona. Tightening them she pulled back until the head popped out of her mouth. She repositioned it and took the head into her mouth again. This time she softened the pressure on her lips and started to push back and forth across the corona. This was driving him crazy but it was not quite enough to get him over the finish line. Then Kenzie engulfed as much of his dick as possible and tickled his balls. 0-60 in half a second. Andrew started coming and Kenzie continued caressing his balls at the same time as he was coming. It was like she was coaxing every last drop out of them. It worked as they felt tingly sore by the time she was finished. Kenzie still had the condom packet in her hand and so she continued to apply strong suction and tongue action until his dick harden again to her satisfaction. She slipped the condom over the head of his dick and slowly and sensuously rolled it down until it was seated securely. Then she flung her leg over him and impaled herself in one simple move. She lay against him, her head tilted as if she was listening to his heart. This began the longest slowest fuck of Andrew’s life to that point. He was hard and in no danger of coming any time soon. It was almost a lazy fuck. Kenzie would wiggle her arse and move her hips for 5 or 10 strokes and then he would take over and flex his arse up and fuck her for the same number of strokes. It was languid and sensual. Contented. At times neither of them did anything. Kenzie would flex her pussy muscles to keep him hard but neither of them moved. Gradually they both recovered their energy and the movements became more coordinated and active. The pace picked up and Kenzie sat up and presented her breasts for his attention. Never being one to disappoint a lady Andrew lavished attention upon them concentrating on her nipples. Switching between them it seemed as if the left one was more sensitive based on her responses. He tongued it exclusively for a minute and Kenzie started panting and telling him to not stop. Putting his lips round it Andrew pressed down with moderate force on her nipple and she came. It wasn’t just a nipple orgasm but it sure was helped by it. He flipped Kenzie over and increased the pace and force of the strokes. After a couple of minutes Andrew came, sweat dripping off his nose from the exertion. They both rose and cleaned up after disposing of the condom. It was not yet midnight but they were done. They climbed back into bed and fell asleep in the same position as the previous night.

 

Chapter 4

New Year’s Day 1981 Andrew woke up early as usual and went to pee. Then standing in the shower he quickly wanked off thinking about Kenzie and her hot body. With the immediate urge taken care of he went back through into the bedroom. Her body was warm and soft and strong. Andrew lay beside her and gently kissed her nipples. Nothing aggressive, just gently kisses and teasing with his tongue. Her left nipple, nearest to him hardened under his touch. He continued suckling on it while twirling his finger round the other one. With an almost feline purr Kenzie arched her back and opened her eyes.

“Hmm, what a great way to way up. Do you know what would be the perfect way to wake up?”

Andrew ripped open the packet and seconds later was poised over her.

“I am so ready for you. Easy in, but then just go hard Andrew. I need a damn good fucking to remember you by until the next time.”

Considering himself ever the gentleman, if the lady wanted a damn good fucking, then the lady shall receive a damn good fucking.

Andrew wanted to shout from the rooftops that morning. Intense, sweaty, hard fucking. A beautiful woman responding to him, praising his efforts. Telling him not to stop. Andrew so got off on Kenzie’s encouragement and it just made him try harder. Did it last a minute? Fortunately not. Did it last 10 minutes? Probably not. Kenzie came and was well on the way to coming again when Andrew popped. Five seconds of clit play and she rode up the downside of his orgasm. They both were fizzing with energy that morning. There was a bare minimum of cuddling though, instead while he showered she tidied the room. The sheets were stripped off the bed, the condom wrappers were found and deposited into the garbage can and then the can emptied into a garbage bag for discreet disposal in the dumpster later.

They were both dressed and heading out the door at 6.20. Before they left Andrew caught Kenzie in a big hug. They looked at each other and smiled, no words were said. Three minutes later he quietly walked into the house, the garbage bag already disposed of. He threw the sheets down beside the laundry, 6.25 was too soon for that. Instead he did a quick survey of the house and a body count. There were even more bodies than the year before including a couple of guys who weren’t there when he and Kenzie had snuck off. Andrew collected the empties on the kitchen counter while waiting for some toast. He wouldn’t start the fry up until the cows were milked.

When Andrew returned 80 minutes later with the cows all milked, fed and watered and back in the field nothing had changed. Nothing. No movement from any of the passed out drunks on the main floor and no sounds upstairs. Other than his baby brother. There was a bottle of milk in the fridge for Scott, prepared by his mother the evening before. Andrew bounced Scott on his lap waiting for the milk to warm up. Andrew had to hold Scott as he guzzled from the bottle as there was no highchair at the Strachans. Once Scott had been fed, burped and his nappie changed Andrew put him in his baby chair on the floor, several toys close at hand. Scott initially wasn’t happy about being strapped in but the house, and especially the kitchen, was no place for Scott to wander about. After Scott’s mild squawking settled Andrew got the soiled bedding into the laundry then started breakfast. The smell of bacon and coffee started to get people shifting. Nobody was awake yet but there were at least signs of life. He set up a buffet arrangement at the dining room table. Bacon and egg sandwiches and a pot of coffee. Somebody Andrew had never seen before was the first to move and grabbed two sandwiches and made a mug of coffee. Grunting an acknowledgement to Andrew he wandered back into the front room. Once that started then it was pretty constant for a couple of hours. There was not a lot of talking but a couple of guys muttered thanks and soon most people were awake and fed. Andrew knew where most of these farmers stayed so he would pile three of them onto the ATV and take them back to their farms. With barely a wave they would wander off, almost certainly straight back to bed. After the third trip there were only four guys left from those he had found that the morning but Harry had come down as well.

“Where are all the rest?”

He sounded rough as shit.

“Home already. Three trips. Do you want some food?”

“Not yet but a mug of coffee would be great. I can’t believe you have most of them home already. I thought they would be here until at least lunchtime.”

“Bacon and coffee smell. Works every time.”

Andrew left Harry to his coffee and went to feed the beef cattle. They were all at the gate waiting to be fed. They weren’t aggressive but they were jostling him as he filled the troughs with fresh feed. Andrew had to be careful not to get trodden on. Soon though they were feeding away happily and he could check the water trough as well. The all looked fine and there appeared to be no other signs of goring.

His two chores done Andrew just had to wait for his lush parents to face the day and head home. With six hours of sleep and no hangover he felt fine. He would do his exercises and go for a run when he got home. The rest of the morning was a bore. He took 11 half empty bottles of whisky and put them in Harry’s booze cabinet. Apart from a couple of blankets there was nothing else that needed washing downstairs. Andrew made himself another bacon and egg sandwich and sat chatting to Harry. The year had been good for him and he was pleased. But there was always a natural caution with farmers. They are one bad harvest away from disaster, but Harry was pleased with the way the year had gone. The rest of the time spent waiting for his parents to surface Andrew took Scott to show him round the farm. At 14 months he was fascinated by everything and babbled away in his own language at all he saw. Andrew didn’t really spend a lot of time with his brother, an hour here and there was the extent of it.

Even at 15, never having driven on the public roads before, Andrew would have been a better bet than either of his parents that day. They made it back okay but he was sure that his mum should not have driven. Next year he would ask Leslie to come and get him in the morning and leave the folks to come home at dinner time when they had sobered up. He already knew he was going to have to get the bus into town. When they got home Andrew went to his room to change. 20 minutes of exercise later he was ready to head out for his run. His father had returned from collecting Rowan and joined his mother in going straight to bed. Andrew escaped the house and his run that afternoon was refreshing. The run of someone who is not hung over and feeling very virtuous about it. He got back to the house winded but feeling good and walked round the block, a luxury he never gave himself during term time, to recover.

After his shower he got ready to head into town. His dad was up before Andrew left and he told him he would be home around 11.00. His dad barely nodded acceptance. The bus was quiet on the way into town and the streets were deserted. Andrew was there 20 minutes early, just because of the reduced service schedule, but Katie was in the same situation. A limited choice of buses.

“Happy New Year.”

He gave her a big hug.

“Did you have a good time?”

Time for the edited version Andrew.

“Nope. I went with my parents to their friend’s farm 30 minutes out of the city. I watched a bunch of farmers get shit faced. Drinking like they were trying to forget. I left and went to bed at 10.30. Never saw in the New Year or anything and I don’t think anyone noticed I wasn’t there. Then spent three hours getting them up, fed and out of the farm this morning.”

Oh yes, and he had a lot of great sex as well.

“I think my parents might have been at the same party, only theirs was doctors not farmers. I went for a walk around 11.00 this morning as the smell of stale booze was making me ill.”

They picked which movie they wanted to see and got the tickets, before heading down Lothian Road to the Italian Andrew usually ate at on his dates. He was relaxed after a couple of days at the farm and with Kenzie. Tanvi had been very nervous and it felt like he dragged her feelings out of her. Katie was even more of an enigma. Although Andrew had known her a year longer she kept herself at a distance. He wondered how the evening would play out. They got to the restaurant and the talk was all idle nothingness until the waiter had taken their order. Andrew sat and observe Katie waiting for her to make the first move. Taking a deep breath she began.

“You probably wonder what I am doing here, and what Tanvi and I are up to.”

Andrew continued smiling but said nothing.

That was a preview of Living Two Lives - Book 4. To read the rest purchase the book.

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