May 4th (chapter 5 part 1)

Elated, David went straight up to bed when he got home, right after his night time ablutions. ‘This girl is into me!’ he said as he snuggled up with his own Hogwarts blanket. The feel of the soft fleece against his skin was magnificent. He imagined Jessica doing the same and felt the urge to call her. It’s an urge he acted upon, and, when his call was received, he was right, she was snuggled up with her blanket as well.

‘Hello David…from the bar,’ she answered.

‘I had a wonderful time tonight!’ David confessed. ‘We should get together again very soon!’

‘I agree!’ Jessica replied. ‘You are the sweetest, kindest, honest man I have ever met!’

‘Really?’ David raised brow showed his surprise.

‘What other man would admit he was set up with a prostitute a week before meeting a woman?’

‘Does it bother you?’ David asked, intrigued.   

‘A little,’ Jessica replied honestly, Davids's heart sank, ‘but not enough not to see you again!’ she added smiling.

‘Phew!’ David said, ‘the story had to be dispensed with before we could move on, otherwise it would forever be on my conscience!’

‘I applaud your honesty!’ she confessed. ‘Honesty is a big thing for me! I was brought up in a household where I was taught to treat others the same way I wished to be treated! When mom got sick, however, they, meaning my parents, kept it from me. Yes, I was only eight years old, but I squandered some of the precious time I had left with my mother. I watched tv downstairs, whereas I could have watched it upstairs, with her! My mother only told me a week before she died that she was even sick. It killed me. I had no time to prepare, to ask her all of the ‘female’ type questions I wanted to ask her. She left me a scrapbook with everything I needed to know in it, but it would have been better had they confided in me sooner, giving me more time to wrap my head around the whole thing.’

David bowed his head in sympathy, ‘I’m so sorry Jessica!’ he offered.

‘On the day of her funeral, I made a pinkie swear with my father that there would be no more lies in our house, and extended that swear to the rest of my life…well except white lies!’

‘I admire your gumption,’ David admitted. ‘I’m the same, well, without losing a parent, but I don’t lie either…don’t see the sense in it!’

‘Good to know!’ Jessica smiled, her dimples hitting Davids's spine like a firebolt, he loved them that much!

Jessica looked at the clock. ‘I’m gonna head in a few if that’s ok? I’m tired after the shenanigans with my dad last night!’

‘Does he do that often?’ David asked, out of curiosity.

‘God no!’ Jessica shook her head. ‘He rarely goes out after mom and all. Yes, it’s been twenty-two years, but he has acted as though a Marter towards her.’

‘How so?’ David asked nosily.

‘He believes that the ring on his finger is a symbol of their eternal love. He wants to be able to hold his head up high when he goes and meets her again.’ Jessica looked away from the camera and sighed.

‘So, he’s a spiritual man then!’ David added.

‘Yea, and I would love nothing more than to give him a house full of grandchildren. He loves kids,’ she says, adding, ‘but not in a pervish way!’

‘Of course not!’ David reassured her.

‘He always wanted more kids, but mom just couldn’t bear them for him! She had a hysterectomy when I was two. I was oblivious of course, but that was her one regret before she died!’

‘Well, that’s only natural!’ David understood.

‘Instead, they spoiled me rotten! They took me on an outing every Saturday, mom's health permitting. They took me to the zoo, and the park, and other places little kids only dream of going!’ Jessicas eyes filled with tears.

David was struck with an idea. ‘Would you like me to take you to the zoo?’ he asked.

‘What?’ Jessica wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her pajama's. ‘You’d do that?’ she seemed touched.

‘I was going to ask you anyway!’ David confessed. ‘Tomorrow is supposed to be a scorcher, and, well, I’m up for it, if you are!’

They smiled at each other, Jessica continuing to wipe the tears from her eyes.

‘I’d love to go with you tomorrow!’ she answered giggling. ‘I’d go to the ends of the earth with you!’ she confessed. With his brow raised, Jessica apologised for saying that. ‘I just mean I want to spend all the time I can with you!’ she corrected herself.

David bowed his head once more, this time he was smiling away to himself, happy Jessica felt the same way he did.

‘We’d better call it a night,’ Jessica yawned. ‘What time should I expect you tomorrow?’

As David thought, he wore a sporting grin on his face. ‘How about we leave just after the commuters leave the motorway. I’ll pack lunch and collect you around nine? Does that sound ok?’

‘That sounds like perfect!’ Jessica mirrored his smile. ‘I’ll see you then!’ Just before she was about to hang up, she added, ‘oh and don’t forget protection!’

David looked at her curiously, ‘protection?’

‘Yea, sun screen!’ Jessica laughed, acknowledging how her use of words could have been misinterpreted.

‘I have an almost full bottle of spray on factor fifty!’ David laughed, Jessica’s cheeks growing redder by the second.

‘Night,’ she said, ‘sweet dreams and I’ll see you tomorrow!’

‘Night,’ David said, blowing her a kiss which she caught and placed on her lips before hanging up.

 

David was as happy as a pig in shite! He was on cloud nine! He respected the fact that Jessica felt safe enough to tell him about her mom, and, to his delight, he had confirmation that she wanted kids. He took out the other bottle of perfume he purchased, spraying it twice on the pillow next to him. Then he grabbed the pillow underneath it and held it the same way he hoped he would hold Jessica some day!

 

Just as sleep welcomed him, his phone began to ring. Instinctively, he answered it. Much to his surprise, it was Eoin.

‘You ringing to brag about who you banged tonight?’ David asked, then yawned widely.

‘No,’ Eoin began, ‘I’m ringing you to ask you to come get me!’

‘Come get you?’ David looked at the clock with a furrowed brow. ‘It’s 2:30 in the morning! What in the name of God are you asking me to collect you for at this hour?’

‘I’m in the garda station!’ Eoin sighed.

David sat up, sleep a distant memory. ‘What did you do to get yourself arrested?’ he enquired curiously.

‘I was caught on CCTV doing coke with a girl in a back room of a nightclub!’ Eoin said reluctantly. ‘You are my best friend in the whole world and I knew I had to ask you to bail me out.’

The cogs in Davids's mind turned. ‘Are you asking because I have the money?’ he asked with conviction.

‘No!’ Eoin said a little too quickly.

‘I’ve a good mind to leave you there ‘til morning!’ David threatened.

‘Is this about the prostitute?’ Eoin asked. ‘Good god man, I’m sorry, ok! I should never have made you pay for her!’

‘Or maybe gotten her in the first place!’ David was firm in his delivery.

‘Okay, okay, okay. I’m sorry man!’ Eoin said with surprising honesty. ‘I was wrong, ok. Now can you please come and get me out of this piss ridden dump?’

David sighed, his conscience getting the better of him. ‘Which one are you in?’ he asked, knowing Eoin would go miles for a good time.

‘Store street.’ Eoin answered bluntly, adding, ‘please hurry, there’s a man masturbating, and staring at me whilst he’s doing it in here.’

‘I’ll be there ASAP, ok?’ David heaved himself out of bed.

‘You are a life saver man!’ Eoin acknowledged. ‘See you in a while!’

David just hung up without saying goodbye.

 

On the way home, David showed his disgrace towards Eoin by not talking to him. It had taken him an hour to get to the Garda station, and then waited another hour for him to be released. The sun was starting to poke its head out before Eoin broke the silence.

‘Thanks so much man for coming to get me!’

‘I don’t believe you’re sorry in the least!’ David said bluntly.

‘What makes you think that?’ Eoin enquired.

‘Look at the time man,’ David suggested, ‘I have plans for the morning and now, because of you, I’m going to be yawning all day! I need my beauty sleep, just like the next man!’

‘What plans have you got?’ Eoin asked, turning his whole body in the passenger seat so he could face David.

‘I, my friend, am going to the zoo!’ David acknowledged.

‘Don’t tell me,’ Eoin sighed, ‘it’s with the girl you met last Friday, isn’t it?’

‘It is, actually! Not that it's any of your business!’ David replied snottily.

‘You still haven’t banged her, have you?’ Eoin asked.

‘There is more to life than sex!’ David informed him.

‘Eh, no there’s not, and why haven’t you sealed the deal already?’

‘Have you ever heard of the word, chivalry?’ David asked, then yawned widely once more.

‘No…what’s that?’ Eoin asked sarcastically.

‘Look man, I really like her…like really, really like her. I believe that, one day, we could even get married!’ David informed him with a grin on his face. He so wanted it to be true, as Jessica was perfect in every way…so far anyhow!

‘Yea, you’ll get married and then she’ll pop out a kid. Then you won’t sleep or get laid ever again!’ Eoin firmly didn’t believe in monogamy, or relationships.

‘How many women do you have on the go right now?’ David asked out of curiosity. He saw Eoin count on his fingers and shook his head in disbelief.

‘Six!’ Eoin finally admitted.

David shook his head in disgust. ‘Do you even like any of them?’

‘Well,’ Eoin started, ‘I did really like the bitch from tonight, but she got me arrested, so I guess I only have five now!’

‘You’d give up a potential mate for the sake of getting caught snorting cocaine?’ David was shocked. ‘I’d have thought you would have gotten closer from the act!’

‘Naw, she was careless. She promised me the cameras weren’t turned on in the club!’ Eoin admitted just as David reached his house.

‘Well, more fool you!’ he said with no sympathy. ‘Now get out, I need some sleep!’

Reluctantly, Eoin exited the vehicle, shouting, ‘thanks,’ back at David as he drove off.

David, fuming, just said, ‘unfaithful git!’ as he high tailed it back to his.