Departure - Episode 5 - Part I

BANG!

Kevin woke with a start. “What was that?” he thought groggily, his eyes still full of sleep.

BANG!

He pushed himself out of the bed ready to fight the burglar, if it was a burglar they were pretty rubbish… robbing a house in broad daylight, who’d have thought it?

He opened his bedroom door, just a crack, there was no-one there. He hurried over to the fire and picked up a poker from the companion set, ready to attack if someone burst out on him.

BANG! Kevin nearly jumped out of his skin and swung the poker around wildly. “Who’s there?” He called out. BANG! Suddenly he realised, the sound was not coming from inside his apartment but from the one next door, Leona’s.

He hurried out into the hallway, the poker still in his hand, terrified as he was, if Leona was being robbed while he could stop it he would never forgive himself.

He stood outside the door and listened, there was a lot of shuffling about. He knocked and there was a pause. BANG! And silence.

The door opened and a red faced, puffed out Leona was stood there smiling at him.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” She asked.

Kevin walked inside. “Yeah you did, I thought you had a burglar… well I thought I had a burglar. What were you doing?”
Leona shrugged. “Nothing.”
“You have a guy here don’t you?” Kevin laughed.
“Don’t be absurd, Kevin! Of course I don’t. I was just… packing.”

Kevin walked in further and had a look around. “Do you mind if I go in here?” He asked, pointing to her bedroom.
“No.” She replied simply.
“Ok, so he isn’t in your bedroom… perhaps he is in the bathroom? Is he cute?” Kevin teased.

“Kevin! There’s no guy here.” Leona said, hitting him playfully on the arm. “I was trying to get my suitcase out by the front but it’s too heavy to move by myself. Do you want to help me?”

“You really want to get going don’t you?” Kevin said, holding one end of the suitcase. He waited for Leona to get the other end. “Leona… I’m helping you not doing it for you!”
“Oh right!” Leona quickly hurried round and held the other end.

“Ready? One, two, three… lift.” They both lifted the case and began to carry it over to the door. “Bloody hell, Leona! What do you have in here?” Kevin gasped as he heaved his end as fast as he could over to the door.
“Just… stuff…” She replied breathlessly with her face screwed up from exertion.

“I have something to confess.” She said as they were almost to the door. “I phoned your parents last night.” Kevin dropped the suitcase on his foot and howled in pain. “I told them where we were going and I gave them the phone number of the cottage in case of an emergency.”

“Any emergency they have is no concern of mine.” Kevin replied coldly. “I can’t believe you did that Leona. You know how I feel about my parents and you know, exactly, how they feel about me and my… sexuality.”

Leona bit her bottom lip. “I know Kevin, but there might not be any emergency and then you have nothing to worry about. You might change your mind if something were to happen… now let’s just get this suitcase by the door.”

“Get it there by yourself.” Kevin snapped, walking away from her.
“Kevin!” Leona whined. “I know I shouldn’t interfere with your family affairs, but your mum wants to get to know you. She told me on the phone that she regrets what happened, so I told her what we were doing. I’m sorry Kevin.”
Kevin spun around. “My mother has been calling you?”

“Yes.” Leona nodded. “All the time, to make sure you are Ok and to catch up on what you are doing.”

Kevin picked up the suitcase and carried it, awkwardly, to the door by himself.
“Thanks Kevin.” Leona said. She quickly hugged him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it before, but she didn’t want you to know until you were ready to forgive her and go home.”
“I’m not going home.” Kevin said stiffly. “I’m going on vacation with you.”
“I know, Kevin.” Leona said softly. “Do you want me to help you with your bag now?”
“No thanks, I want to be alone.” He answered, pulling away. “Just get ready and I’ll meet you out front in an hour.”

Barry knocked on Lynn’s bedroom door. “Lynn, are you awake? I want to talk with you.”
There was a groan and then some muffled footsteps and the door opened. “Barry it’s far too early, go back to sleep.”
Barry stood there defiantly making sure she didn’t close the door on him.
“Oh all right, come in.”

“Lynn you’re the only one who knows about what went on between me and Kevin in High school…”

“You mean I’m the only one who knows that you’re gay? Yeah, so why are you bringing girls home?” She enquired.

“I’m not gay Lynn.” Barry said folding his arms and not meeting her eyes.

“You’re still denying it? You let Kevin touch you where only you have touched. You told me that you had never had a girl do it to you before so why are you still lying to yourself? Dump that redhead and find Kevin. I bet he hasn’t forgotten it.” She laughed aloud.
“Lynn, could you keep your voice down a bit? I don’t want anyone to hear what we’re talking about. I’m not in denial, I want to get married and have children…”

“That’s just you being brainwashed by the ideals of society; you can have all of those things even if you are gay, you know?”
“I can’t have biological children Lynn, they won’t be mine.”

“It’s not the blood that runs in their veins that decides that Barry, it’s the love that is shared between the parent and the child. And being gay isn’t a choice… you were born this way. There is nothing you can do about it anyway. You aren’t worried about what mum and dad will say are you? You know they would accept you for who you are; they always have. And your friends won’t mind – they’re friends with Kevin aren’t they?”

“That’s different.” Barry replied shaking his head with tears in his eyes.
Lynn moved closer when she noticed that her older brother was crying. “How is it different?” She asked softly.

“Kevin has always been gay; he has always been ‘out’ to everyone. There was no secrecy…” he looked at her sideways. “…about being curious.”

Lynn shook her head.
Barry got up. “I have some things to do, thanks for the chat Lynn.” He left the room, and Lynn covered herself back up and went to sleep.

Ben looked across at his beautiful girlfriend as they cuddled up on the sofa. “You know I love you don’t you?” He asked her, looking into her beautiful blue eyes.
“Yes, and you know I love you.” She replied kissing him.

“Oh!” She cried, clutching her stomach.
“What is it?” Ben asked standing up with a panicked look in his eyes.
“I think I’m going to be sick!” Emilie said running to the bathroom.

“Well that was romantic.” Ben said when she came back. “Was it the love talk? Or the kiss that did it?” He asked coldly.
“Ben, it was morning sickness!” Emilie said desperately.

He let out a laugh. “Had you going there didn’t I?” He tickled her and pulled her into a hug.

Paige awoke and stretched out expecting Barry’s warm body to be lying next to her, but the sheets were cold. She sat up confused. It was normal for the guy not to be there the next morning if it were in her house, but not in his own.

She left his room and went into the hallway dressed only in her underwear. There were voices downstairs, but only those of Barry’s parents. She went over to Lynn’s bedroom door and knocked.

“Yes?” Lynn asked when she had opened the door and had finished looking Paige up and down.
“Do you know where Barry is?” Paige asked. “I woke up and can’t find him.”

“He said he had to do some stuff, maybe he left you a note or a message with my parents or something…” Lynn shrugged. “But, if you’re going to speak to my parents I’d get dressed, they’re a couple of prudes.” Lynn shut the door.

Kevin was in his bedroom shoving things angrily into his bag. His mother was calling Leona to find out more about him… what had Leona told her? Why wasn’t his mother calling him instead? If she wanted him to forgive her she was going to have to make more of an effort.

He dumped his bag by the front door and scribbled a letter of complaint to the landlord about the central heating still not being fixed, put it in an envelope, picked up his bag and went downstairs to post his letter.

He put his bag in the car and waited for everyone else to come down and for Barry to turn up.

Paige left the bedroom, dressed, and went downstairs into the living room where Eve and John were sitting. She was watching the television and he was reading a book.
“Hi.” Paige announced herself scratching the back of her neck. “Barry didn’t happen to say where he was going did he?” She asked.

Eve looked up at her and smiled. “He said he forgot to pick up the alcohol for the vacation and that you’re just to head to the meeting point yourself and he’ll meet you there. You look nice.”
“Ok, thanks, Mrs. Ryder. I’ll head there now, I’ll see you sometime…”
“Yes, it was lovely to meet you Paige.”

Paige left the house muttering under her breath. Why had Barry not taken her with him? What an embarrassing morning. She would be having words.

“Trust Barry to be late.” Leona said, her arms folded as she paced up and down the sidewalk. “I mean, we leave him to get the alcohol and he turns up late… that’s if he turns up at all…” She said with a snort.

“He’ll be here Leona, don’t worry.” Ben said. “He’s probably just been held up by something at home. I trust Barry – besides he wants to go on this vacation more than you know.”

Emilie was sat on a suitcase outside Kevin’s car, she was sighing exasperatedly. “You do know that I would like to get to the cottage at some point today? If Barry isn’t here in five minutes we should just leave without him.”
A couple of people walked by, looking at the group of friends with interest.

“Who is that?” Ben asked, clearly impressed with what he was seeing.
They all looked up, a girl; a redhead pulling a suitcase behind her was approaching them.
“I have no idea…” Kevin said craning his neck to get a better view.

Paige fixed a smile on her face as she saw that all eyes were on her. Barry wasn’t there yet, just typical. Well, at least they all knew she was coming.

“Have you ever seen her before?” Emilie asked.

“Perhaps she’s Barry’s sister, just come to drop of his luggage while he deals with whatever he has to deal with?” Leona added reasonably.

“Or maybe, she is coming with us.” Ben said enthusiastically.

Kevin slammed the car door, clearly annoyed. “Well, it looks like we have an extra one.” He sighed as the smiling girl came into clear sight.

Paige watched them all stand up as she approached and she picked up her pace – she felt uneasy with them all watching her.

She held up her hand and waved. They all slowly waved back at her. “Thank God.” She thought. “They were expecting me.”

“Hi.” She said when she reached them. “I’m Paige, but you must already know that.” She added with a giggle. “You must be Ben.” She said pointing at Ben, who nodded. “And you must be Leona?”
Leona frowned. “Yes.” She snapped.
“And Emilie?”
Emilie nodded.
“And… oh, I never could remember – Barry has told me a hundred times… ah, Kevin!” She finished eagerly.
“That’s right!” Kevin said patronisingly.

She looked around at them all again, Ben was looking at her eagerly, which she found a little weird but charming at the same time.

Emilie just looked a little surprised to see her.

Leona, well she just seemed to be frowning in confusion.

And Kevin was giving her the worst look she had ever been given.

The she realised, Barry hadn’t told them.