Page 63 of The Way We Are Now

‘Right, we’re here.’ Theo pulled up outside our house and, taking me in his arms, he whispered, ‘Anna, I can’t bear to let you go.’

‘Let me go?’ I looked at him in something akin to horror. Was he leaving me? Letting me down gently? Had London been our swansong?

‘Until I see you up in North Yorkshire!’ Theo laughed, pulling me into a tight hug. ‘What did you think I meant? After this weekend? After those knickers of yours…?’ He whispered into my ear, nibbling on my ear lobe, but jumping back as there came a loud rapping on the car window.

‘Hey, you two, enough of that. You’ll have t’neighbours talking.’ Mum made a winding-down motion with her hand. ‘Right, come on, come on in, we’re having a picnic.’

‘I don’t think…’ I started. I really wasn’t ready for Theo sitting down to eat with us all. And where the hell was Mum thinking of having a picnic? Our back garden was a yard where we hung out the washing, and the front garden was a postage stamp, albeit beautifully kept and tended by both Mum and Dad.

‘Oh, come on, the pair of you. We want to hear all about London. What you’ve been up to…’ Visions of what Theo and I had been up to in his bedroom in Holland Park made me blush and I turned to Theo, shaking my head slightly. ‘We’re off up t’th’allotment,’ Mum went on. ‘It’s far too nice to be inside, and your dad’s been busy all afternoon preparing kielbasa and golabki as well as those lovely salads he’s right good at. What’re they called? Mizeria and surowka. Summat like that, anyhow. And.’ Mum turned to Theo who hadn’t said a word up until then. ‘I can always do you a cheese and tomato sarnie – with Joe’s home-grown tomatoes, you know – if that’s what you’d prefer?’

‘Mum, I don’t think—’ I started again, but Theo cut me off mid-sentence.

‘That sounds absolutely delicious. And up at the allotment as well? What could be better? Lovely!’

And before I could stop him, he was out of the car and following Mum through the house, up through the garden and into the allotment.

Hell. I just hoped Les wasn’t around.

‘Theo, you try this.’ Dad handed Theo a glass of beer. ‘It put hair on chest.’

I didn’t like to tell Dad that Theo already had a delicious amount of hair, moving in a dark blond vertical line up from his groin and towards his six pack.

‘Careful,’ I warned. ‘It’s Dad’s homemade mulled grzane piwo.’

‘I get Lublin hops, Polish honey and spices from Polish stall on market,’ Dad said proudly, watching closely as Theo sipped at the drink.

‘It’s a bit like Christmas,’ Theo said.

‘We have it at Christmas, yes,’ Dad went on as Theo, clearly liking the stuff, necked half the glass.

‘I told you it was too Christmassy for a hot June evening.’ Mum tutted but smiled indulgently at Dad.

‘I know, I know, but I thought lovely to sit up here in sunshine, in peace and quiet with birds singing and eating lovely food.’

‘Wow,’ Theo said, draining what was left. ‘That is delicious.’

‘Careful,’ I said again. ‘You’ve to drive back…’

‘Oh, he stay here,’ Dad instructed. ‘Enjoy the food, the drink, the peace.’ He handed Theo a plate with a running commentary about what each dish was, and what had gone into their making.

‘Well, I doubt it’s going to be peaceful much longer.’ Les had arrived, a white doorstep of a cheese sandwich in one hand, a can of Carlsberg in the other. ‘What you all doing up here? God, don’t know how you can eat and drink this stuff.’ He nodded towards the Polish-inspired picnic on the garden table, around which we sat on wobbly wooden chairs.

‘Les, this is Theo,’ I said and Theo stood, holding out a hand across the table.

Les nodded in Theo’s direction, briefly taking his hand.

‘What d’you mean, Les?’ Mum asked sharply, ignoring his comments about the Polish picnic fayre.

Dad put down his plate, chewed contemplatively and then asked, ‘What is it, Les?’

‘What do you know?’ I asked.

‘What everyone around here knows. We’ve got us instructions. Big push at Orgreave in t’morning.’

‘Oh, so that’s what the top brass were all up to on Friday in the office.’ I sat back.

‘What happens at Orgreave?’ Theo asked politely. ‘Sorry, I don’t even know where Orgreave is?’