The Paul & Jenny Stories Pt. 17i: The Batting Order Ch. 09
Paul.
"If you'll let David in, please, Shirley." My mother said.
Steve had turned his back and was finishing buttoning his flies. Shirley was very red faced. From embarrassment or exertion I couldn't tell.
"Well, let's go then." Steve said walking briskly to where his cricket bag lay. "Help me on with my pads, Paul."
I followed him and knelt behind him to tighten the straps after he had place the pads in place. From the corner of my eye I watched Shirley walk slowly to the gate and open it. My father pulled in beside Jenny's car and got out. They stood looking at each other for a few seconds then he said something. Shirley turned on her heel and walked quickly away. My mother approached my father and said something to him looking in my direction and then towards the pavilion. I could see Jenny looking out of the window. I smiled at her and waved.
"Are you ready?" Jim Clark called from the corner of the Pavilion.
"Just coming." I called back.
Could I smell come?
Steve had undone the front buttons of his trousers and was fitting his prick and balls protector into place. He had turned so that his back was towards my mother, which gave me full view of his prick and pubic hairs. I had to look. He stopped for a second with his prick in his fingers pointing it at my mouth then he put it away and fastened the buttons.
I stood up and we looked at each other. It had been three years since we had done anything together. I had to laugh when I thought of how naive I'd been then. It had all changed in a fortnight on our Venture Scouts camp in Northern Ireland. Steve had wanked me then fucked me. I'd quite liked it. The feeling of warmth as he cock had slid in and out of my ass. Then had come the rapes by Tommy. He was dead now. The pain and humiliation just a bad memory. I looked from Steve's face at Jenny's in the pavilion window. So much had changed. I was married.
"You coming?" Steve said picking up his gloves.
"Yes." I replied. "Let's go."
I picked up Steve and my cricket bags and carried them into the pavilion. The opening batsmen for East Chipstable were standing outside waiting for us to take our places before walking out to bat. I threw the bags through the door of our changing room and give Jenny a kiss.
"What's that for?" She asked.
"For luck."
Why was it I could never use the words?
"Good luck then." She said, kissing me back.
I ran out onto the pitch and towards the wicket.
"Into the covers, Paul." Jim instructed.
As usual, the younger members of the team were fielding away from the wicket, where most of the running about would be done. Len was to open the bowling. He had marked out his run up and stood glaring at the opening batsman as he prepared to receive the first ball.
"What do we do then?"
Ian had appeared by my side, he smelled strongly of beer.
"You shouldn't be here." I said as Len started to run in. "Where did Jim tell you to stand?"
"Oh, over there." He waved in the general direction of where Len had started his run up from.
Crack. The batsman had hit the ball and it shot past Len to where Ian had pointed and on to the boundary markers for four runs.
"That was why he wanted you to stand there."
The ball was stopped by a large man in a yellow jacket and thrown to Ron Watson he had jogged across from his position at long on.
"You had best go back there." I said to Ian, conscious that the whole team's eyes were upon us. "Just stop every ball and throw it in to Steve."
"Och aye man." Ian said, "I'll do that for you."
Len waited until Ian was in position and ran in again to bowl. His arm flashed over, the ball was well pitched up and thudded into the batsman's pad.
"Howzat!" Steve, Len and the three other close fielders cried out as one.
Nobody moved, then slowly, almost apologetically the umpire raised one finger and pointed it at the batsman. The batsman looked down at his pads, then placed his bat under his arm and walked back to the pavilion.
We all crowded into the middle and congratulated Len.
"What happened?" Ian asked.