"Bryn?"
"Yes, darling. I've got an email from that Kate James. She wants to know if we want to go to a rugby club ex-member party."
"I thought that would be happening sooner or later."
"Ohh, do you want to go then?"
"Love to sweetheart, don't you want to?"
"Not really, they don't like me."
"Bollocks."
"It's true."
"Who doesn't like you"
"Kate for one."
"For fucks sake girl, let's analyse this. When did you last see Kate James or AJ for that matter?"
"About ten years ago."
"Aye, and the rest. You haven't seen her since we were playing, have you?"
"No, I don't suppose so."
"We need to get this right if we want an accurate outcome love. Did Sue like you then?"
"No"
"Did Rosa like you then?"
"No"
"Did my Annie like you?"
"You know she didn't."
"No, and poor old Annie is the only one who won't have the pleasure of changing her mind about you. Now she would though, she would like you cos you have made me happy again."
"Kate will like you now as well love. She was my Annie's best mate so she didn't like you back then because Annie didn't. You must just trust me on this piggy."
"They all like you now. Poor Katy can't, she hasn't had a chance yet." My poor piggy looked sad, "you don't have to judge people anymore love. They ain't judging you! Are they?"
"Spose not!"
"You silly bitch, you sound like a 13-year-old. Tiny and I love every millimetre of you. You get fucked by a wonderful man and you have a 35-year-old baby who l cannot get through her thick head that your fun bags belong to me."
"Don't judge love, it's a fucking ugly bitchy trait that has no place in your beautiful head. Even if I was wrong and Katy wasn't nice, you be nice, give her air kisses and just remember AJ has a cock nearly as small as Tiny's.
That did the trick my little piggy gave me one of her very best smiles giggled a bit and said, "do you think we can take Tiny."
"Not sure, where is the little fucker? I haven't seen him all morning."
"Ohh he is a gardener now."
"Oh is she"
"She has a greenhouse. It was delivered yesterday while you were out on your bike and Tiny is now scaring the three big strong boys from Norfolk shitless while they put it up. They have instructions to come and find me if she becomes too much."
I went to look from an upstairs window, Van was right they were terrified of him.
The past comes for a visit and a favour.
A week after the invite to the rugby club party there was a knock on the door. We don't normally get knocks on the door without the gateman asking for the OK to let the visitor in. The retired Colonel who runs the residents association would be furious about it.
He had tried to tell me motorbikes were banned from the estate. I told him to fuck right off. So I assumed they were Jehova's Witnesses or some other nuisance God botherer and went to the door with a big fuck off on my lips.
There stood the past. Or rather two of my favourite people from my past. Kevin Redman and Rosa. Rosa was Rosa Biggs but as I'd heard these two were together and Mick "the shit" Biggs had left Rosa for a male bodybuilder I was just going to call her Rosa for now.
Red, was a bit of a star at our level of club rugby. I was a biggish strong fecker suited to play at Number eight, Red was a powerful highly skilled hooker. Big for his position but very agile with it. Like having a fourth back-row player and the second-biggest chopper in the showers after.
We also had something else in common. He had lost his wife as well. As Rosa went in to have a woman's nosey round he put his hand on my arm. We both know mate. We both know there is nothing to say to make it better.
We did what men do at this point, shook hands and said nothing.
"I'll get Vands in a sec but I need to warn you about Tiny."
"I've met tiny said Rosa." I've told Kev all about him."
"Ok, he's a one-off Kev. Before you get her can I ask you a question said, Rosa?"
"You can but the answer is I love her she is devoted to me, if I asked her to cut her clit off and fry it for me on a stick I think she would. We are getting married sooner or later."
"Yes said Rosa that's pretty much what Van said when we all went for a coffee. I didn't like her much back then. But I do now!"
"She has got the only thing she ever wanted Rosa. And it's not my chopper. She belongs now, she belongs to me and Tiny, what the silly bitch doesn't realise is we belong to her as well. My chopper helps though!"
"That's not what we were going to ask said Kev."
"Go on then."
"I think you two have a similar relationship to us."
"What's that then Kev?"
"Rosa, show him your bum."
"This Rosa was a different kettle of fish from the one I remembered. She hadn't sat down when Kev and I did. She turned around, lifted her skirt and revealed 12 welts left by a cane on her cheeks. Yeh, I reckon you probably do I said. Nice neat work mate!"
"Good, we are on the same page, can I go find Van, said Rosa. I'll leave you to ask Bryn."
Rosa wandered off.
"Ask me what Kev?"
"Yeah, thanks for that love."
"Rosa turned to us. Pointed her index finger up under her chin gave Kev the I'm a total airhead smile and said "you can't expect an obedient compliant subby slut to ask questions like that, can you?"Winked and left.
"Ask me what Kev," I repeated.
"Do you know Rosa's mum?"
"I thought she died when Rosa was a baby and she was brought up by that dirty bitch of an Aunt."
"Yeh, Rosa calls her mum, the only mum she can ever remember. Well, Rosa's mum/aunt is a dyke."
"No, she ain't mate," I said with the certainty of a man who had been there on more than one occasion. "I can tell you a thing or two about Rose."
"You lucky fucker. Yes, well, she bats ambidextrous then. You'd be amazed at who else she's shagging.
"Yes, she is very possibly bi, but I wouldn't be amazed if I found out she was shagging the Pope mate."
"She has a little girlfriend. Who defo bats for the other side."
"Yes."
"She is only 18. Only just 18."
"Yeh"
"The kid is a genius. More A levels than you can shake a stick at. Rose is insisting she goes to University."
"Really. Has she never been told to keep them well shagged poorly shod and chained to the cooker?
"You are a cunt, Bryn"