It was late on Friday night and as Sophie lay on her bed in the black silence of her bedroom, she just couldn't get to sleep. Glancing over at her digital alarm clock it was almost midnight already and she had already been tossing and turning for a couple of hours without success. In the morning she would be loading up all her earthly possessions into the back of her mum's car so they could make the long journey to University in York. It would be her first time living alone, in a strange place where she would meet new people and be opened up to a whole new world of experiences. You might assume that it would be nervous excitement and trepidation about her future that was keeping her awake, but it wasn't, it was Wilf.
When she had gotten home from his place a couple of days earlier she had snuck into the house, unlocking the front door as quietly as possible and creeping upstairs to change out of her outfit from the night before. During her walk home she had managed to hold it together, but once she was in the safety of her room the waterworks had begun in earnest. She had changed into her pajamas and hung her dress back up in the closet to ensure her mum would have no idea that instead of spending the night with her friend, she had actually been having sex with a man in his early sixties.
Laying on her bed, she had sobbed into her pillow at the thought of being away from the man she had grown to love. The fact she had no-one she could talk to about it just made her feel even more wretched. She was trying to be quiet, but as her mother had passed her bedroom door on the way to the bathroom to carry out her morning ablutions, she had heard the sounds of distress coming from her first borns room and knocked on the door with a concerned look on her face. "Sophie, are you ok?" she asked softly and when no response came she slowly pushed the door open.
When Sophie was a little younger, she had been very protective of her personal space and had screamed at her mother multiple times for entering the room without knocking. All teenagers had a phase like this of course and Sandra was just grateful that it had only lasted for a year or so. Even though Sophie had mellowed in the years since, she always tried to respect her daughter's privacy, but at times like this, it was more important to check that her eldest was okay.
Upon pushing the door open Sandra saw Sophie splayed across the bed, face buried in her pillow as soft sobs escaped from her mouth whenever she had to take a breath. She rushed to the bed, sitting next to her and rubbing her back soothingly. "Baby, what's wrong?" she asked in a gentle, reassuring tone.
Sophie knew that she couldn't tell her the truth, but she had to explain her sadness somehow. She pulled herself up from the bed into a sitting position, tears streaming down her face and Sandra pulled her into a tight cuddle, stroking her hair and kissing her on the head as she let her baby girl cry. After a couple of minutes Sophie had composed herself enough to be able to speak as her mum passed her a tissue from the box standing on her nightstand. "I guess I'm just overwhelmed about going to University," she lied, "it's kind of scary, you know?"
"Oh pumpkin, I understand," Sandra replied as she pulled Sophie back to her breast, cradling her in her arms as she gently rocked to try and soothe her like she did when she was a toddler. "Sometimes it's good to be scared, it means that it's something exciting! I promise that you'll be fine and even if you aren't, you can always come back home okay baby?"
"Thanks mum," Sophie replied as she wiped away the last few tears and gave her the biggest smile she could muster, "I feel a bit better now." They continued to talk for a while about the plans for taking her to York before Sandra had to leave to get ready for work.
As Sophie lay in bed unable to sleep, reflecting on what had happened during the week, she felt incredibly guilty. Guilty for lying to her mother, who had been so kind and understanding when if she had known the truth, her reaction would have been very different. Even more so however, she felt guilty about withholding the truth from Wilf for so long. It hadn't been fair of her and he had been so lovely and understanding. She shouldn't be surprised, he had been amazing to her ever since they met, but now as she lay alone in the dark, she felt empty and incomplete. She needed to fix this. Now.
Mind made up, she climbed out of bed, pulling on her pajamas and a big loose fitting hoodie along with a pair of sandals. It was still warm out even at this late hour, so she wouldn't be too cold despite her choice of attire. She couldn't risk going out of the front door, it was right under her mum's room and with it being the first night of the weekend she could still be awake watching TV in her room. There was only one thing for it. It would have to be the window. She had used it to sneak out many times when she was younger, using the tree that stood next to it as a makeshift ladder to ease her descent to the ground. It had been months since she had resorted to using it and she hoped it would still be as reliable as it used to be.
Pushing open the window, she felt the breeze on her skin and the smell of chips and kebab meat wafting through the air from the takeaway on the corner. Was she really doing this on the night before she left for University? As she questioned her conviction the image of Wilfreds handsome, kind face came into her mind's eye and gave her the answer she needed as her pussy instantly dampened. Grabbing the spare key to her elderly lover's house from a locked drawer where she kept all her most precious and secret belongings, she took a deep breath and climbed onto the window frame.
The large branch that ran parallel to her window had taken some damage over the winter, but it still looked sturdy enough to take her weight and she gingerly stepped out onto it, testing its strength. Once she was satisfied that it would hold, she pushed herself off the window frame and grabbed hold of the tree's thick trunk for support. There were two branches she had always used as handles and she smiled to herself as she felt for them, finding they were exactly where she remembered them being.
Leaning backwards, she pushed the window until it was almost closed, leaving enough space for her to slide a finger underneath for her return trip. Assuming she ever did come back. Blood rushed to her head, a combination of the perilous position she was in and the fact that she had just considered staying with Wilf for good. That wasn't possible was it? Of course it wasn't, she told herself as she descended down the trunk carefully, testing each foothold before committing to moving onwards and after a couple of minutes she was safely on the ground, looking up at her bedroom window. "Sorry Mum," she whispered as she walked down the garden at the side of the house and to the front gate, gently pulling it open and shutting it behind her before walking off into the dark summer night.
As Sophie walked along the mostly deserted streets her excitement grew and grew as she did her best not to get too distracted so she could be aware of her surroundings. She knew the town she had grown up in like the back of her hand, but a young woman alone late at night still needed to be careful. Thankfully Wilfs house wasn't too far away and after a few minutes of walking she was only a couple of streets away from her destination. As she walked she approached a small local pub with a few punters loitering around the entrance, some smoking as they all talked loudly, their voices carried by the breeze. As she got closer one of them made eye contact with her. "Hey there beautiful," he slurred in a drunken drawl as he staggered in her direction, a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth as he left a trail of smoke in his wake. He looked like he was in his early twenties, brown hair tied up in a messy man bun, an ironically 'funny' t-shirt underneath a checked shirt, a pair of tight fitting chinos and a pair of nondescript slip on canvas shoes.
"Where you going?" he asked as he closed the gap between himself and the young woman, all his friends except one looking on with wry grins on their faces, waiting to see how this was going to play out. The oldest one of the group kept a watchful eye over what was happening, a fatherly instinct telling him he needed to look out for her. Sophie kept her head down as she walked, trying to ignore him, but he was persistent as he walked alongside her. "Why don't you come inside and let me buy you a drink?" he offered as he reached out to grab her wrist to stop her from walking away. Sophie spun around, a furious look on her face as her eyes burned with anger, using her free hand to push him in the chest as hard as she could, mustering up every ounce of her strength. She was usually a very calm and measured person, certainly not violent in the slightest, but he had gone too far by laying his hands on her and her mum had always raised her to stick up for herself, no matter what.
The handsy drunkard toppled backwards onto his posterior with a huge crash as his lit cigarette went tumbling across the pavement sending bright orange embers flying through the air. The wind was knocked out of him and his friends rushed over to him as Sophie did her best to stand her ground, holding firm and staring him down defiantly. As a couple of the other pub patrons helped up their friend he lunged in Sophie's direction, breathing heavily, enraged at being embarrassed by a girl half his size. The other men were quick to grab him, holding him back as Sophie recoiled in fear, her mind flashing to Wilfred, wishing he was there to protect her. Suddenly a loud voice rang out, "STOP IT STEVE, NOW!" It was the older man of the group and he stepped in front of Sophie's assailant and firmly pressed his hand into his chest. He was probably in his late forties, some gray hair peeking through his brown locks, a neat cardigan and pair of gray slacks giving off a comforting, approachable vibe that reminded Sophie of a kindly school teacher. "Stop it now, she's just a young girl you wanker" he hissed sternly in his friend's face and instantly the younger man calmed down, dropping his fists and ceasing the struggle to break free of the others grip.
