Teruko groaned and sat up, sliding off me and sprawling next to me, to kiss me once, softly, then grin at me, her eyes sparkling as she smiled.
“Thank you, husband, now I really sure you will be okay! I must have shower, must be clean, you too! Come, we go shopping, sale is on, there is something I want to buy you!”
After a long, enjoyable, but chaste shower, the two of us keeping our hands to ourselves by mutual agreement, Teruko took me shopping; the Boxing Day sales were on, and she wanted to buy me some clothes, as nothing I owned actually fitted me, and we had a dance to go to. I eventually ended up with a new dinner suit and a nice dress shirt, all in my size, so at least I looked more normal and less like a refugee from the health spa from hell…
Mum was happy for Teruko and I to go to the dance; she was going to a long-planned dinner party to bring in the New year with some old school friends, and Grandad was away with his friends, ready to be up and about bright and early for the New Year’s Day shoot at the Chillingmore Park Estate in Staffordshire; he’d stayed for Boxing Day, mostly because a brandy hangover is a nasty one, Teruko dancing attendance on him while he suffered manfully, enduring mum’s raised eyebrow every time she saw his expression of imminent death. I was highly amused; Grandad never drank, except maybe a nip from a hip-flask on a frosty morning if he was out on an early rough-shoot, but this Christmas had been special for him. I’d come home, and Teruko and I were engaged, so he’d celebrated, perhaps a little too much, and mum was enjoying torturing him, so we let her.
Teruko was fooled by his agonized expression, so of course he laid it on thick, hence the waiting-on hand and foot mentioned earlier, but eventually on December 28th , The Feast of the Holy Innocents, he eventually took his leave, hugging me, which was unusual, but understandable, and his darling Teruko of course, his little girl, telling us to bring the Trooper back when we were ready, there was no rush.
The dance was at a large hotel on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, most of my old school friends, some of whom I’d not seen since I was eighteen, nearly four years ago now, were there with their partners, girlfriends or fiancee’s. I spent the early part of the evening being congratulated on my recovery, my head spinning from the number of people who apparently held me in high regard, to judge from their warm welcome and hugs.
Teruko looked particularly delicious in nude seamed stockings and a tiny black sequined Bodycon dress that showed off every curve and contour, and contrasted beautifully with her glossy dark golden hair and pale, creamy complexion. She was concerned that I not overtire myself, so we didn’t dance much, opting instead to spend the evening chatting and reminiscing with old friends about school days and the various escapades and scrapes we’d managed to land in. Harry and Sai Fong were there as well, of course, most of our friends capturing her for one dance each, still lusting after her after all this time, much to Harry’s amusement, and hers. Teruko politely refused all requests for a dance, and I asked her why.
“I am with you, it would not be… proper, and I do not want to dance with anyone, only with husband!”
I grinned at that, pulling her a little closer.
“Aren’t you worried someone will find out about us, that they might guess the truth?”
Teruko looked at me oddly.
“Not ashamed of what we do, I not care if anyone know about us; I am wife, you are husband, there is nothing more to say!”
After that, there was only one possible thing I could do; I led her out onto the dance floor, and held her tight as we danced to a slow, romantic number. After a while, I began to notice the other occupants of the dance floor were giving us small, knowing smiles and nudging their partners. I leaned down to kiss her ear and whisper in it.
“Baby girl, I think our secret’s out!”
Teruko looked around, then smiled back at me.
“I think you right, Jakku san!”
With that, she hugged herself closer to me, holding me tightly as we danced, my world shrinking down to only her, the smell of her perfume, the music weaving around her as she swayed, and the feel of her as I held her close to me. When the number as over, we threaded our way back to our table, my friends and schoolmates gently patting me on the arm or shoulder as we passed them, nothing in their eyes or expressions except understanding and acceptance of us.
And then it happened.
As I was pulling out Teruko’s chair for her, somebody buffeted me between my shoulder-blades, nearly sending me flying. I staggered forward, nearly falling onto her, her expression startled as I teetered before recovering to turn and see who’d done that to me.
“Hello Cameron, looking a bit scrawny there, been ill, have we?”
It was ‘Slimy’ Fineman, looking very smug and pleased with himself.
“Don’t look so tough now, do we, eh, Jackie-boy?” he smirked, reaching out to prod me in the chest hard enough to make me stagger.
“You want to hit me again, Cameron? Go ahead, this time I’m ready for you, and when you’ve done your pathetic best, I’m going put you down on your arse and spend some quality time with that chink sister of yours! She looks just slutty enough for me, I bet she’s really filthy, so here’s what I’m going to do; I’m going to find out, and while I’m having my fun, you’ll be too busy bleeding to stop me; who knows, maybe I’ll even put you back to sleep again! Go on, Jackie-boy, take your best fucking shot!”
That statement was the final proof that Slimy truly was afflicted with weapons-grade stupidity; I actually saw red as pure rage boiled up inside me, and Slimy must have sensed it because he took a step backwards, fear flashing across his eyes, right into the arms of Andy ‘Eggy’ Edgeworth, 250 pounds of muscle and a brain like a steel trap, and the finest Prop-Forward to ever lead the British Lions out against Australia, the Springboks, and the All-Blacks. As he effortlessly held the struggling Slimy, Andy looked at me, a grin creasing his craggy face as he held him off the ground by the scruff of his neck.
“Say the word, Jackie, or just nod, and I’ll snap his neck for you; it would be a pleasure, believe me!”
I made to speak, and Teruko put her hand on my chest, silencing me.
“No Jakku san, now it my turn. Please to say nothing!”
I looked at her as she faced Slimy, her chin held up proudly as she looked into his eyes, her eyes glowing like banked coals.
“What you going to tell people, that Jakku san love me and I love him? Go, do it, I not care, Jakku san not care. This what I think of you!”
With that she turned and slid her arms around my neck, her lips suddenly against mine as she kissed me deeply, her tongue probing between my lips, my arms crushing her to me as we kissed for a few seconds, or hours on end, I couldn’t tell. As she kissed me, a soft collective sigh went up around us as everyone realised what was finally being confirmed here in full view of all of them. Finally she broke our kiss to turn to Slimy once again.
“Now what you do? No-one care what you say about Jakku san, no-one care what you say about me, I not care, nothing you say can harm me, or Jakku san. You are sad man, you have no-one to love you, so you try to harm; why you not see you only harm self? Everyone here have someone, where is someone for you? You try and hurt, and so you are alone, and you will be alone until you learn to be different person. I very sad for you; you try to hurt me, and it not work, now you have nothing. Go away, there is nothing here for you, and it is your fault!”
Andy shook Slimy like a terrier shaking a rat.
“Come on, you, we’re going outside to have a talk!” he growled, Slimy turning the colour of old yoghurt as he looked around and saw nothing but cold anger on every face in sight, no friends, no allies, not a single friendly face. He turned Slimy around, preparing to drag him out, when a tall dark-haired girl stepped up to him, her pretty face grim and her eyes hard as agates.
“Jack Fineman, you are a despicable shit, a coward, and a disgusting piece of work. Happy New Year from everyone!” and with that, she slapped him hard, a real zinger, her face a study in disgusted anger as his head snapped round from the force of the slap. A cheer went up as Andy hustled him out, ably assisted by a couple of my friends, the girl turning to me and grinning as she shook her hand to ease the stinging. I was struggling to place her, she looked familiar, then suddenly it dawned on me who she was; Eggy’s sister, of course! I hadn’t seen her since 5th Form Prize Day, when I was 16, so she would have been 14 or so; she’d certainly grown since then!
“Hello Jack, it’s good to see you again! I’m sorry about that, I couldn’t resist it; he’s such a repulsive little shit!”
Teruko looked enquiringly at me, so I introduced her, stumbling a little over her name, Linda, as I hadn’t seen her in almost six years. Just then, Andy came up, a satisfied grin on his face.