By
Jan
Chapter 6
“Put yer back into it, Wade!”
Nikki
raised the middle finger on her right hand as an acknowledgement to the
speaker, a woman in her mid-twenties with dark spiky hair walking towards her.
“Is
that all you’ve done?” the woman demanded, scornfully eyeing the patch of newly
turned earth.
Nikki
leant on her spade and rubbed the back of her hand across her sweating brow.
“Annie, if you can do any better, be my guest!” she exclaimed. “It’s like
digging bloody concrete!”
“You
are so easy to wind up,” Annie replied with a grin then dropped a kiss onto
Nikki’s mouth.
“You’ll
be laughing on the other side of your face tonight!” Nikki retorted, holding up
her right hand, revealing the blisters. “Bang goes your love life!”
“And
I thought you were ambidextrous.” Came the teasing response.
Nikki
winced as she touched the broken skin on the largest blister on the palm of her
hand. “Can’t we get some sort of machine to do it?” she suggested, then seeing Annie’s
raised eyebrows exclaimed impatiently. “I’m talking about the garden!”
“Machines
cost money,” Annie replied tartly. “Money we haven’t got,”
“I
have. I can put some more money in,” she offered but Annie shook her head.
“Then let me lend it to you.”
“No,
Nik!” she said forcefully. “You’re almost working for nothing as it is. Your
money is for your club.”
“A
couple of grand isn’t going to break the bank,” Nikki countered. “And me
opening a club is a few years off yet.”
“Let
me think about it,” Annie agreed reluctantly. “And thanks, Nik. Now, put your
bloody back into it!”
Nikki
watched with a smile as Annie walked away. They had met in the bar where she
used to work when Annie had come in with a group of friends and Nikki had been
instantly attracted to her friendly manner and easy smile. Watching the group,
she had tried to figure out if any of them were couples. Annie had caught her
eye and walked over and started chatting. Taking her courage in both hands,
Nikki had asked her out and was delighted when she agreed. They had been
together a few months now and when they had first met, Annie had just started
up in business, buying and renovating old houses then selling them on. She
jokingly offered Nikki a job and was surprised when she accepted. Most of the
workforce was women but as far as Annie was concerned if someone was good at
their job…electrician, plumber, carpenter, whatever…gender didn’t come into it.
As
far as Nikki was concerned the offer of a job couldn’t have come at a better
time. Moderation in everything had become her watchword…in drink, cigarettes
and women. Especially women! She hadn’t turned into a nun overnight but in the
cold, clear light of sobriety she knew she wouldn’t have fancied most of the women
she had slept with if she had been sober in the first place. Annie was
different and she wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.
“Nik!”
She
looked up as a balding middle-aged man poked his head out of the kitchen window
and called to her. “What’s up, Fred?” she asked as she entered the kitchen.
“Slip
to the wholesalers for us, love. Me and Jim are up to our eyes.” ‘Fred’ was the
electrician and ‘Jim’, his assistant, a young man about the same age as Nikki,
with a shock of ginger hair. At first Jim had set his cap at Nikki but she had
told him in no uncertain terms that her girlfriend wouldn’t like it. Now when
they met, he just blushed furiously.
“Anything
to get me out of that bloody garden!” she exclaimed scornfully.
“There’s
an order on the pad,” Fred informed her. “Take the van.”
She
skillfully caught the set of keys Fred tossed to her then tore the top sheet
off his order pad. “Won’t be long,” she flung over her shoulder as she went out
of the house. She turned the radio up loud and tapped her fingers on the
steering wheel as she drove.
The
electrical wholesaler was on an industrial estate about five miles from where
they were working but this was one place she didn’t mind going. There was a
little secretary, Julie, who always seemed to be hovering when she was there
and Nikki felt sure she had been giving her the eye.
Whilst
she was waiting to be served, she suppressed a smile when the office door
opened and, sure enough, Julie appeared. Nikki made no acknowledgement of her
presence but watched her face turn a delicate shade of pink. She wouldn’t cheat
on Annie but she wasn’t adverse to a little innocent flirting.
“Nice
day,” she said chattily.
“W…what?”
Julie stammered nervously.
“Nice
day,” she repeated but before she could say anything else the assistant came
back with her order already packed in a box. She scribbled her signature then
winked at Julie. “See you again,” she drawled.
She
drove back to the house, picking up sandwiches for everyone on the way. In her
job she was little more than a glorified labourer but she had put up half the
money for the house they were working in so theoretically she was one of the
bosses.
“Seen,
Annie?” she demanded of Fred as she dumped everything on the kitchen floor.
Fred motioned upwards with his thumb. She pounded upstairs where she found
Annie in the largest of the three bedrooms, at the top of a stepladder painting
the ceiling. “Are you going to take a break?”
“Just
let me finish this bit and then it’s all done but I think it could do with
another coat. What do you think?”
“Think
you’re right. You missed a big bit over there.”
“I
didn’t, did I?” Annie wailed, then seeing the grin on Nikki’s face exclaimed,
“Bitch!” Satisfied she had made the last brush stroke she climbed down the
stepladder and stood viewing her handiwork. “I’ll let that dry then give it
another coat,” she mused.
“Come
and have lunch,” Nikki ordered.
“Come
here first and give me a hug.” Annie smiled and held out her arms, wrapping
them around Nikki when she was close enough. “Move in with me,” she said
against Nikki’s ear.
Nikki
drew back and looked at her. “Do you mean it?”
“I
wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t,” she replied sarcastically. “We make a good
team. We work well together.”
Nikki
mulled over her words. She knew they cared very deeply for each other but Annie
didn’t have much romance in her soul. Whereas she would turn up for dates with
a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates, Annie’s most touching gesture had
been when she bought her a thermal T-shirt to keep her warm during the winter.
Annie
looked at her questioningly. “Well, will you?” Nikki nodded as she moved in for
a lingering kiss.
They
went downstairs and as they started to go into the kitchen, Annie caught hold
of her hand and drew her back out of sight of Fred and Jim. “I love you,” she
whispered softly, dropped a kiss on Nikki’s surprised open mouth then went into
the kitchen as if nothing had happened. Nikki smiled and shook her head as she
followed her. Maybe moving in with Annie wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Nikki
sullenly dragged the trolley around the garden centre. She had badgered Annie
until she had relented and agreed to buy a rotavator. The garden was dug over
in record time and was ready for planting which was why she was spending her
afternoon supposedly choosing plants and shrubs. After an hour of wandering
round trying to make a decision, she dumped the still empty trolley, grabbed hold
of a thick gardening book and paid for it at the counter on her way out.
Annie
looked at her in disgust when she got back to the house empty-handed except for
the book. “You were supposed to be buying plants not a flaming book about
plants!” she snapped.
“I
bought the book so I could get some ideas,” Nikki retorted defensively. “I’ll
make a list and go back tomorrow.”
True
to her word, she was up until the early hours of the morning, planning and
scribbling and it wasn’t until Annie appeared in the doorway, wearing just a
frown, that she realised how late it was.
“Are
you ever coming to bed?” Annie demanded grumpily.
Nikki
stretched and stifled a yawn. “Sorry, got carried away,” she replied
apologetically. “But I’ve got some really good ideas for the garden.” She
closed the book with a satisfied thud then pushed her chair back and stood up.
“Well,
tonight I’ve got some really good ideas of my own,” Annie said suggestively, as
she grabbed hold of Nikki’s hand and dragged her from the room, stopping only
to switch off all the lights en route to the bedroom.
Nikki
went back to the garden centre the following day and, after asking further
advice of a helpful assistant, loaded her trolley with the plants and shrubs
she had listed the night before.
Back
at the house and ably assisted by Ben – who had done all the plumbing – she set
to work with vigour. Two days later, what had been ‘like digging bloody
concrete’ was ablaze with colour.
Annie
watched affectionately as Ben handed Nikki the last shrub and gave her the
pleasure of planting it. “Nik, it looks fantastic!” she enthused as Nikki stood
up with a grin. She came over to Annie, her face beaming and the two women
hugged each other.
Ben
patted her on the shoulder. “You’ve done a good job, lass.”
“Thanks
for all your help, Ben,” Nikki replied gratefully.
“Looks
like you’ve set a precedent,” Annie teased. “You’ll be doing all the gardening
work from now on.”
“Guess
I don’t mind,” she agreed. “I never realised it could be so calming and
relaxing. I think I’ll make a start on the garden at home.”
“Ye
gods!” Annie screeched. “I’ve created a Percy Thrower monster.”
Nikki
frowned at her. “Percy who?”
They
sold the house and bought another and for the next year their renovation work
continued. They worked together and lived together, hardly a minute away from
each other and for the first time in seven years Nikki felt she was truly
happy. She was in love and, although Annie wasn’t overly demonstrative, she
knew she was loved. However, there were times when she missed socialising –
Annie had never been one for the gay scene – and their only friends seemed to
be the ones they worked with. Even her plan for a club of her own someday had
been put on the back burner because she knew Annie wasn’t interested. More than
once they exchanged heated words because Annie wouldn’t go to clubs and each
time Nikki backed down and they either went to the local pub or to friends.
Eventually, she refused to argue and went out alone. She made a point of
sleeping in the spare room when she got back in the early hours so she didn’t
wake Annie.
“What
time did you get in?” Annie demanded when Nikki had had a particularly late
night.
“Two-thirty,
three,” she replied with a shrug.
“Try
four-thirty!” Annie snapped.
“OK
then. If you say it was four-thirty it must have been four-thirty,” she
answered sarcastically.
“What
the hell do you find to do until that time and who with?”
Nikki
laughed bitterly. “Not what you are so obviously thinking!” she retorted. “I
drink, I dance and I have a good time, something you don’t seem to be capable
of doing.” She saw the look of pain fill Annie’s eyes and immediately felt
guilty. She stood up and put her arms around her partner. “I’m sorry, Annie,
but you can’t expect me to sit in here night after night. I’m only twenty-three
and you’re a long time dead.”
“So
you treat my home like a hotel, coming and going as you please!”
Nikki
moved away from her. “I was under the impression this was my home too. Maybe,
it’s a good thing I didn’t sell the flat.”
“Maybe
it is,” Annie agreed stiffly.
She
started to dress, her instincts telling her to back down just one last time but
she’d had enough. Annie wasn’t her keeper and there was no way she was going to
stop her meeting her friends tonight. With a final glance in the mirror, she
went downstairs to the lounge where Annie was watching television.
“I’m
going. I’ll see you later.”
Annie
didn’t turn round as she spoke. “Don’t bother coming back, Nikki. I’d rather
you stayed at your flat tonight.”
“Fair
enough. If that’s what you want.” She grabbed hold of her keys and slammed out
of the house. She caught a cab to the club and spent the next few hours trying
to shut out Annie’s words but not quite succeeding. She loved Annie and hated
hurting her. She would spend the night at her flat then try and make things
right with her tomorrow.
It
was late when she let herself into the flat. She fell over something and swore
softly under her breath. Snapping on the light, she was amazed to see all her
belongings from Annie’s strewn on the floor. Annie must have brought them and
just dumped them whilst she was out enjoying herself. What had gone so wrong
between them that they couldn’t talk about it?
She
picked up the phone then realised it was too early to call Annie yet. She lay
down on the sofa but she couldn’t sleep and as soon as she knew Annie would be
up, wearily picked up the phone again.
“Why,
Annie?” she asked desperately when her call was eventually answered.
“It
wasn’t working, Nikki. I’ve known for weeks it wasn’t,” Annie replied stonily.
“We want different things out of life.”
“Can
I still see you?” she begged. “What about work?”
“No,
a clean break is the best thing.” She hesitated before continuing. “And I think
you should find another job. When I’ve sold the house, I’ll send you your
share.”
“Please
don’t do this to me, Annie,” she said tearfully.
“I’m
sorry, Nikki. ‘Bye.”
Nikki
clutched the receiver to her chest, sobs shaking her slender body. She was
alone again and from now on that was the way it was going to stay!