Who Needs Vivienne Westwood? Chapter Three

'Come here, shorty!' Chris enfolded her in a stronghold f a hug. He was easily over two metres tall with a jolly Father Christmas figure, all the better to wrap your arms around.

'You should be a professional hugger,' Jools laughed.

'Jools!' Gemma called out from the open plan kitchen, putting the final touches on a green salad, the kitchen counter already swooning with a variety of side dishes for the barbecue. 'How about we fix you up with a glass of wine? I'd say it's wine o' clock for a Sunday!'

They were the very epitome of warm and gracious hosts.

' Sure, thanks, Gem.' Jools sidled up next to her at the kitchen counter for a friendly embrace, handing over her bottle of wine.

'I'm just finishing up here so long, but I'll come join you soon. Go outside and make yourself comfortable.'

Jools seated herself at the patio furniture with her glass of wine and began to make a rollie from her tobacco pouch. It was such a fine day for a barbecue. Barely a breath of wind and the sun ablaze. She noted with some disappointment that John wasn't there.

Joining her at the table were Dave and Justin and Keegan.

Justin, a keen permaculture nut, was espousing on the benefits of yoga while Dave nodded enthusiastically, a yoga teacher himself. Keegan seemed more than just a little disinterested.

'Howsit, Jools!' Justin and Dave just about synchronised.

'Howsit. Keegan.' Keegan extended a formal hand. More than just a little disinterested.

'Yeah. Jools.' Gawd. She was so over this. She'd met Keegan numerous times. Keegan and Justin and Dave had been in a band together in their younger years. And she'd been going steady with Matt going on two years now, and still, Keegan failed to remember her as his significant other, no matter how many of these gatherings she'd attended. Jools, the invisible girlfriend. Slightly irritated, she lit her rollie and took a long, satsifying drag.

Soon and not soon enough, Gemma joined the gang and the conversation took a turn.

'So when is that man of yours going to put a bloody ring on your finger?' Jools nearly choked on her wine. Oh dear.

For all intents and purposes, Gemma and Chris were the perfect married couple with barely a blip on their relationship, a couple in a golden, fuzzy harmony, so she guessed it seemed only natural for Gemma to ask. But honestly, nothing could be further from the reality with a man who couldn't even say the 'L' word.

'Yeah, yeah.' Jools chuckled defensively. And true to her big heart, Gemma, noticing her discomfort, dropped the subject altogether.

'So how's work treating you?'

Jools wondered if this was any better. Work had been more than dismal lately and she was flat broke.

'Bit here, bit there,' she relinquished elusively. 'But we'll see. I'm trying to be optimistic I guess.'

'Of course!' Gemma enthused sincerely. 'You're a fabulous writer. I just adore your blog! You'll see... Things will pick up.' She gave Jool's free hand a heartfelt squeeze of encouragement.

'Here's hoping.' Jools held up crossed fingers and took a glug of her wine. 'How are the kids and their new school?'

Deflection was the best offense she decided.

'Just peachy. They' re loving it. And their teacher says they're making great progress.'

'Ah. That's great. Uh... Speaking of which, where are the little rugrats?'

'Oh they're in the spare telly room watching Zootopia for the umpteenth time! I'm sure they'll terrorise you soon enough.' Gemma flashed Jools a conspiratorial grin.

Even though Jools was unsure if she'd ever have kids of her own one day, kids just seemed to like her for some reason. And to be frank with herself, she often felt more comfortable in their company than she was with adults. There was a delightful unpredictability to kids that had the power to amuse her to no end. And a refreshing honesty too. You always knew exactly where you stood with little ones.

'Aunty Jools! Aunty Jools!' The twins flung themselves into her lap, as if they'd known the grown ups were talking about them.

'Look how big you are, you monsters!' Jools ruffled their hair and sat one on each knee.

'Look! Look!' Liam, the slightly taller of the two, broke into a massive smile and showed her with great gory delight a gaping hole where his two front teeth should've been. 'The tooth mouse gave me money!'

'Well isn't that something?'

'But look... Me too! Me too!' Jimmy wriggled one of his incisors making her wince a smidge.

'So I guess the tooth mouse is going to be very, very, veeeeeery busy with the two of you! He's not going to have a penny left when you're done with him!' She hugged them tightly, overwhelmed momentarily with a broodiness that caught her off guard.

They were two gorgeous kids, each with a mop of curly, sandy blonde curls and bright, clear blue eyes. They'd be real heartbreakers soon enough, of that she had no doubt.

A memory came to her... A small round wooden box with a teeny tiny white porcelain mouse where she had left her own teeth once upon overnight, only to be handsomely rewarded the next morning. She'd loved that little wooden box. Its teeny tiny mouse...

A chipper voice interrupted.

'And what do we have here?'

Jools looked up, thrilled to see that John had indeed joined the gaggle of guests and made his arrival.

'Uncle John! Uncle John!' the twins jumped off Jools' lap and flung their arms around John, all but wrestling him to the ground. Wasn't that just the thing with kids? One moment you felt like the centre of their universe, only for them to abandon you for the next shiny thing. Jools had to smile. John was great with them, it had to be said. He had a certain child-like charm of his own and easily fell in with the young 'uns.

'Uncle John... Aunty Jools... Come watch Zootopia with us?' Liam pleaded.

'Maybe later, big guy!' John hoisted him up skyward before placing him squarely back on his two bare feet. 'Uncle John and Aunty Jools are just gonna have a wee catch up first.'

'But we've got pizza!' Jimmy attempted to bribe the two grown ups.

And Jools was tempted.

'Well in that case you better save us a slice! Now shake on it and skat!' John extended his hand in a mock formal agreement with the little Jimmy, before grinning like fiends, the pair scampered off again.

***

'Hey, babe. I think I'm gonna go lie down for a bit.' It was around 3pm and they were back at hers. This was nothing new. Matt was famous for his long afternoon naps on their weekends together.

'Sure. Chilled.' Jools resigned herself to her own company yet again.

She thought back on their one year anniversary.

All the effort she'd gone to, with a bottle of champers and a basket brimming with cheeses and dips with crackers, for them to enjoy in the February sunshine on her balcony.

The anniversary had fallen on a Saturday and it had indeed been a glorious summer's day. But instead he'd told her he was positively knackered and passed out on her queen size bed all afternoon long, while she sipped on bubbly and nibbled on the lavish spread she'd doled out for, all by her lonesome.

Yet again, she poured herself a glass of wine and made her way to the balcony by herself... Just me, myself and Eileen, she mused. She was grateful at least for Poh's company as the white and ginger flecked Siamese cross weaved in and around her legs, meowing away.

But she had to face facts.

She was growing tired of the lacklustre state of their ever dwindling relationship. Little passion. No passion at all really. Not anymore. Zero effort made. Zero romance. Zero, well, love, it almost felt so very dismally.

She'd become so used to it that the disappointment had dulled and become rather a familiar bedfellow, something she just resigned herself to... Still, something in her niggled... A longing...

Surely there had to be more to life than this.

But did she deserve any better?

She took a slow, savouring sip of her wine and sighed a great sigh. But the longing remained.