Healing Cousin George

by Karin Roberts

Debbie Has a Plan

 

I left Debbie's early afternoon and went home, thankfully Amanda had cleared off as well by the rime I got back. Melissa had exhausted herself tearing around Debbie's yard all morning so I had the opportunity for some thinking space in the bright afternoon sunlight. I poured my self a cool beer from the fridge and sat outside lighting a cigarette I pondered the events of the last 24 hours. The engagement had taken us all by surprise no one had seen that coming and I wondered just how much pushing Amanda had done to make George go down that route.

It was obvious that he liked her and had feeling's for Amanda but during all our chats over the last couple of month's at no point had he given any indication that engagement was close. I suppose the next move will be for her to try and move in, how long it would take her to crack that one was anyone's guess but knowing her I figured it would no be too far away. So for me the end would be in sight cause there was no way I could stay here once she moved in.

Last night's incident with Debbie also got me thinking that you never completely know someone no matter how much time you spend with them. On the surface and to the public eye, Gavin and Debbie's relationship was the perfect marriage but underneath all of the swinging had been going on. As Debbie had said though they were still so much in love with each other and their activities posed no threat to the stability of their relationship so who was I to judge if it worked for them then so be it, each to their own as my mum would say and after all here was I sitting dressed as female Alex so who was I too judge.

I got up and poured my self another beer and lit another cigarette. In all this commotion I had not really thought too much about me in all this. What did I feel what did I want Debbie had hinted that she knew but I was still confused. The change in Alex over the last couple of month's had been dramatic, and somewhat of a roller-coaster. My relationship with George had been unstable, while with Melissa we were now un-separable, their was direct hatred between me and Amanda and with Debbie I felt that I had a friend for life, someone that I could always have fun with, someone I could always talk to, and someone who would always listen.

I was not sure what I wanted I knew what I didn't want and that was for Amanda to marry George and become mother to Melissa. For me that was just a recipe from hell, and would not be in Melissa's best interest. Don't get me wrong it's not that Amanda would be bad to Melissa just that she was not her number one priority. Her real goal was George and the wealth and status that went with it. Melissa would just be a minor inconvenience in achieving her objective.Melissa would be packed off to boarding school or private school and be home for holidays only, if at all. That was not what Grace would have wanted I thought to myself every mother wants the best for their kids but separation from the family unit was not in the best interests of Melissa.

So what to do, I thought to myself. I was not about to charge in like a bull in a china shop and interfere in George's relationship. He knew well enough how I felt about Amanda, we had had chats about it. I'd been told to mind my own business and he was right he was a grown man big enough to make his own mistakes. I could only make my thoughts known and leave it to him. So I would leave it let the dice roll see how it worked out and just hope the somewhere along the line his blinker's would come off and he would see what Amanda's true plans were, sure she wasn't a bad person but certainly she would never make a good mother.

Life pretty much went on as normal after my night at Debbie's sure there was a little tension at first but within a couple of days we were back in the old familiar routine. Friday arrived and with it the height of our British summer. The sun blazed across the sky with the temperature in the low eighties. Melissa was fast asleep on a lie-low under a shaded canopy having run herself ragged in the morning. Me and Debbie sat at the garden table with a iced wine cooler enjoying a cigarette and a glass of wine in the afternoon heat.

"You got a party this weekend" I asked,

"Yeah, Saturday night in Stirling" Debbie replied.

"How do you both cope with it" I asked scraping some ash of the tip of my cigarette with the edge of the ashtray.

"Ok, It's not a threat to us, neither of us goes looking for anyone else just for fun with other people" she said.

"Yeah but have you never, you know"

"Never what"

"Well have you never say been with anyone who maybe satisfies you better then Gavin" she laughed.

"Well I suppose so but it's false you know it's only sex, Gavin satisfies my mind and my emotions and my body the whole package really, you never know that about someone else. I remember this guy in Glasgow once fantastic in bed but a real arrogant swine so it take's more than just sex"

"I suppose" I said the sound of the phone ringing in the background. I got up and walked back into the house.

"Hello, oh Mum is that you" It been about two weeks since I'd last spoke to mum.

"How's everyone there" she asked "great couldn't be better, Melissa's flat out in the heat and Debbie's here, great weather eh"

"Yeah it is, look I'm just ringing about next weekend"

"Next weekend" I said a bit startled,

"Yeah next weekend, you've forgotten haven't you" I stalled

"Your dad's fiftieth birthday party"

"Oh yeah that" I said

"Well your both coming aren't you ?" she asked

"Well I don't know you know what's going on down here, I've changed so much my hair and all that, It would be difficult to just get back to looking like Alex again overnight"

"Alex you can't do this it's your dad's birthday you need to be there, and anyway you've only about four weeks before you start your job you need to start thinking like the old you again"

"Yeah ok I get the message I'll speak to George this week, you know he got engaged to Amanda"

"No when did that happen"

"Last week" I said

"So your time will be over anyway soon"

"Yeah I suppose, but it's the wrong move for Melissa" I said

"Well you just need to get used to it"

"Mum believe me it will end in tears and I'm not sure either him or Melissa are strong enough for that again"

"Well we'll deal with that when it happens, you just make sure you're here next weekend ok"

"Ok" I said and hung up the phone.

"Fuck" I said as I walked back towards Debbie,

"What is it babes" she said as I sat down

"I forgot next weekend's my dads birthday, I'm supposed to be there as Alex, the real Alex"

I said picking up my cigarettes and pulling one form the packet I lit it.

"But your hair nails and all that you would need to get them cut"

"Yeah I know" I said

"So what are you going to do" she asked

"Guess I'll just have to turn back to boring male Alex" I said blowing out a cloud of smoke

"Maybe not" she said "How" "I've an idea" and for the next half our or so she told me what she was thinking.

  

  

  

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