Honour of the Line by Brian Darley Page A

embarrassment. I was sweating like a pig and ‘I suspect I was as red as a beetroot and was also certain I looked guilty as charged. On the railway bridge by St Jude’s I stood shaking like a leaf as a lovely polished green A40 pulled up. Toot toot sounded and I walked towards the car as though I was going to the firing squad at high noon. Angela jumped, or should I say waddled, from the car and came over to me. She flung her arms around me and kissed me and then she said “Billy meet my sister Jill”.
    As I got my first sighting of Jill I totally froze. Surely this was a dream? Jill looked at me also in a state of shock because, lo and behold, she was the girl from Woollies. No point in telling any more lies so I confessed to Angela that we knew each other from the record counter at the shop. This seemed to ease the tension as Jill made a joke about me spending hours in the shop without ever spending any money. I thought it best not to mention that Jill had helped finance my record player, it just made sense to say nothing. Angela and Jill travelled in the front, with me spread across the back seat and we all seemed okay and spoke about everything except the topic of the day, Angela having my baby. As we pulled away we had a jumpy start as Jill hadn’t had the car for very long. She’d had to save hard after passing her test. For a moment I thought poor Angela would have her baby sooner rather than later, with all the shaking. We all laughed and Angela said that her sister had mistakenly filled up with kangaroo petrol as the ride was so jumpy.
    Once we arrived at a rather deserted beauty spot in the neighbouring town we got out and sat on a bench opposite the lake. It was really peaceful, the buds were trying to break through and at last it seemed winter was disappearing for another year. I sat between the two girls and put my arm around Angela’s shoulders. Rather surprisingly Jill put her arm around me as we discussed what the hell to do. Although it was so terribly wrong and I felt sure Jill was just being kind, she unknowingly sent butterflies through me. It was one of the best feelings I had ever experienced. She asked me what I was going to do about my football career and then touched the delicate subject of my long term plans. Being totally honest I said I hadn’t a clue – in my mind a few weeks seemed a lifetime away. I wouldn’t have to face the music for a while at least. I knew this was totally irresponsible but I was trying to be up-front and honest. Jill then asked Angela the same question and her reply was that perhaps if I took the football route and moved to the Midlands maybe we could rent a house together, because whatever her father said, I would always be this baby’s Dad. Jill then pointed out that at 15 we would almost certainly be hunted down by the Police and the baby taken into care. She told Angela she could understand why she had fallen for me as I seemed a sensible chap and very adult for my age. This made me feel really good but if I were that adult I would surely have been responsible enough to avoid full sex and go no further than fondling and the like. At least I was beginning to notice my faults, it wasn’t like we had only done it once or twice, we were at it like rabbits at every half chance that came our way. Jill said she had no idea how to sort it but would have a chat with her Mum in private as her Dad was like a headless chicken who wanted to be a vigilante and murder every male under 20 years of age who lived within the Arches. His stuck up opinion of us was that we were all low life and it must be one of us, but our sort were his bread and butter.
    As we returned to the bridge by St Jude’s, Jill pulled the car up very gently, stopped the engine and waited for Angela and I to get out. When I got out Jill came over to me and kissed me firmly on the cheek whilst giving me the biggest cuddle. As she did this she asked me to go to Woollies at closing time on Thursday. Angela