The fire engine came hurtling around the corner, bells clanging, horn blaring heading straight for him. It didn't seem to matter where he moved, it couldn't miss him. Then it was too late....
Sitting bolt upright Mike reached out and switched off the alarm clock. Sweat beading on his brow, his breathing erratic, 'Christ' he thought, 'same bloody nightmare, different bloody hangover'
He rubbed his face and then got out of bed, dropping his clothes on the floor as he made his way to the bathroom. He switched on the shower and stepped in letting the cold water run over his head before it warmed up. He soaped himself, letting his mind wander over what he could remember of the previous night, even as he sobered up he couldn't remember any more. What had he done? Did he insult anyone? He wasn't sick, or he didn't think he was. 'God I just cant remember much after Bill Brannon bought me that pint.'
He dried himself and got dressed then headed for the kitchen. "Morning." Mel said smiling, "No you didn't throw up, yes you did wake me and no you didn't swear. Well not much anyway"
Mike looked through slitted eye's, she was dressed in her nighty and dressing gown as usual, looking more than her 25 years. "Oh, ok, I'm sorry Mel." Mike said.
"You cant keep doing this Mike." Mel said softly, "Your going to hurt yourself. Do you remember anything?"
"Do I ever?" he asked, "Did I make my own way to bed?" he looked at Mel, the answer was clear on her face, once again she had got him to bed.
He felt a bit guilty, Mel was his youngest sister, she had been on her own with the two kid's for the last three years, so the last thing she needed was him coming into her home drunk night after night. That's what her husband used to do to her. "I'm sorry Mel" he said, "I don't mean to...."
"Forget it Mike" she said, "I know your finding it hard right now, but you should try and drink a little less, ok?"
She knew he wouldn't, and probably couldn't right now. Since Cindy left him he couldn't get a grip on anything, even his job, which had been his life and the cause of his marriage break up, gave him no pleasure anymore.
He grabbed a piece of toast, "I'm off then" he said, "see you later."
"Bye!" she said.
She watched him leave, wondering if he would ever return to the loving caring fun person he used to be. He had always been there for her. Even though he was eighteen years older than her he still looked after her like she was his baby sister. 'Well' she thought, 'he changed my nappies and even fed me, he was always more of a parent than our real parent's were.'
All through her life Mike had been her only real support, whenever she broke up with a boyfriend he would be there offering his shoulder. When Mike found out that John, her husband, had been beating her and the kid's up he beat hell out of him and threw him out of the house. She went wild after that, bedding any man that she met. Mike said that she had become a whore, except she did it for nothing. He cleaned her up and now she was repaying him. She would be the strong one for as long as he needed her.
'Mind you' she thought, as she walked into his room 'He's gonna have to stop throwing his washing everywhere.' It was one of the few thing's that annoyed her. She always done her washing over night so that it was ready for the drier in the morning, now she was washing twice a day. But over all she was glad of the company, even if he was drunk most of the time. After two month's she was used to having him around.
It wasn't till he arrived that she realised just how lonely she had been these last few years. After Mike had sorted her out she had stayed away from men, she knew that being a single woman with kid's made her a prime target, especially for those men who just wanted to fuck her and leave her, she'd been through that once and now she didn't trust any of them. Not that she hadn't been tempted because she had, not that she didn't sometimes need sex because she did, but so far she had managed without any male interference and that's how she intended to keep it, they were just too much trouble. But it would have been nice now and again just to cuddle up in bed with someone.
Travelling on the bus had to be one of the most boring way's to travel, Mike thought, nobody ever spoke or even acknowledged you, he had used this same route for eight years, met the same people day after day and they never done more than nod there head. Mike's problem these day's was that it gave him too much time to think, too much time to hate and too much time to admit that Cindy would never come back, would never be his again. How could he suffer the pain day after day, why did he go on. He smiled to himself, the answer, he knew, was simple. 'Because that's what you do, you go on.'
Once Mel had taken the kid's to school and done her house work she had the day to herself, she made some coffee and sat on the patio taking in the spring sunshine while it lasted.
"Cooeee." It was Linda from next door. Linda was in her fifties, she was a nice lady but seemed to want to smother Mel with motherly affection, probably because she only had a son, Lee, and she only saw once a week if she was lucky. That was her only company since her husband died last year. "Thought I could smell coffee." she said.
Mel gave her a smile, "Would you like some?" she asked
"Oh please. I haven't stopped this morning."
"Why, what have you been up to then, not that Eric is it?" Eric was a local widower who had taken a fancy to Linda, he kept ringing her up or sending her flower's.
"No, silly girl." she said, with a flush, "It's Lee's birthday next week and his wife has arranged to take the kid's to Portugal for a few week's, she fly's out tomorrow and wont be back till after Lee's birthday, for a rest she say's but I think they may be having problem's. You've met Lee haven't you, cause you have, well his wife is one of those women who goes off on long trips to sulk, thank god really co's I couldn't put up with her. How are Ben and Becky"
The sudden halt in the torrent of word's caught Mel by surprise, "Uh...uh I'm fine, they're fine....yes were all fine. So your having a party then?"
"Oh yes, well I thought I should let you know, and I rather thought you would like to come as well, cheeky really because I was hoping you might give me a hand to get it all ready, if you could that is I know your busy, what with the children and your brother and everything."
"Of course I will, and yes I would love to come it's been ages since I've been to a party."
"Oh good, well Lee will be here tomorrow, maybe we should get together and see what he would like, I mean I'm a bit old for arranging parties really but you are about the same age aren't you so you should know what he would like. That's sorted then see you tomorrow evening about eight." and with that she flew out almost as fast as she flew in, coffee untouched.
Mel smiled, she sometimes wondered how the woman ever got anything done, she just never stopped talking, or even stopped come to that, she was always going here or there, and usually at the speed of sound.
As usual Mike rushed home after work, gulped down his meal, changed and went round the corner to the pub. Mel often thought that if the pub was further away he would get lost on his way home, or maybe he just wouldn't go so often. But really deep down she doubted it would make any difference.
Mel settled the kids to bed and then changed into her night clothes and sat in front of the TV as usual, this had been her routine before Mike arrived and there wasn't really any reason to change it, the only difference was he would come home steaming drunk and collapse on his bed, or the settee if he couldn't make the bedroom. Invariably she would be asleep in front of the TV when he arrived home, she found it difficult to go to bed until she knew he was safe, silly really.
The rattling of key's on the door woke her, she knew it was Mike fumbling for the right key, he hadn't got it right yet so why did he bother. She opened the door and Mike collapsed into her arm's. He was soaked. It was pouring with rain outside and the wind was making it seem even worse. She led Mike to the settee and lay him down, going back to close the door, by which time she too was wet.
'Well you cant go to bed in those clothes you'll catch your death' she said to herself. She shook him and tried to wake him up but nothing stirred, she didn't think it would, once he was asleep nothing would wake him, she had tried many time's before when he first moved in. There was nothing else to do but undress him herself, she undid the button's on his shirt and with a tug managed to got one arm out, she decided that the best way would be one side at a time so she undid his belt and zipper and moving to the end of the settee pulled at the legs until they slipped off. Suddenly she got a little embarrassed, undressing her brother seemed to be wrong somehow. 'Don't be stupid' she said to herself, 'he cant go to bed like that.' She dropped the trousers on the floor and managed to turn him onto his face so that she could remove his other arm from the shirt. Now dressed only in his boxer's she managed to pull him to his feet, staring straight ahead she led him to his room and dropped him on his bed, pulling his feet up and throwing the cover over him she close the door.
She sat on the settee for a moment to catch her breath, she couldn't help but think about the last time she had seen a man naked. And then she remembered that he wasn't there when she woke up the following morning, and neither was her money. She grabbed up the clothes and put them in the washer with the other bit's. 'well at least I only have one wash to do now' she thought, 'that makes life a bit easier.'
She went to bed and put Mike's nakedness out of her mind. She had a troubled sleep, which was unusual for Mel but she put it down to the humid weather rather than the pulsing feeling between her legs.
Mike woke up the following morning, hit by the same old fire engine as usual. He was surprised to find himself undressed. 'Oh shit' he thought, 'I must have puked up, I hope it was outside, Mel will kill me otherwise.' He showered as usual and slowly made his way to the kitchen.
"Morning Mike." Mel said, "Sleep well?"
"Err....yes....but" he stammered, "My clothes....did I...."
"No Mike, you didn't puke, you didn't swear but you were soaking wet from the rain so I had to undress you, don't worry I didn't look." she said, and wondered why the hell she added the last bit. "The clothes are washed and in the drier so don't worry it's made life a little easier for me. Coffee?"
"Yes please." Mike said quietly, "Sorry Mel."
"Mike please stop saying sorry ok. I know you have problems right now and like I said it did make life a little easier for me co's I only have the one wash today not two."
Mike gulped his coffee, grabbed his toast and made a quick exit. Mel believed he did that everyday so he didn't have to face her, too embarrassed Mel supposed.
