Chapter 21 - Regrets and Apologies

Robert ran home, anxious to get his mobile so he could ring Georgie and apologize to her. When he walked in the house, he was dismayed to see his mum and dad sitting on the couch, both of them looking deeply worried. It was clear they’d been waiting for him.

“Robbie, are you alright?” his mum asked with concern, getting up right away and going to him.

“I’m fine, mum,” he said, giving her a hug and kiss as the guilt burned through him again for worrying her.

“We thought we heard you shouting,” his dad said. “You sounded angry.”

“No, it was nothing,” he said quickly, thinking fast. “I, uh, was watching a football match – on my laptop, y’know. They made an error – a really stupid mistake. And then, I, uh, decided to go out for a bit – for a run. I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye before I left. I guess I forgot – still thinking about that error.”

“Oh, well, that’s good. I mean, did you have a nice run?” his mum said, appearing relieved.

“Yeah, it was alright,” he said, and looked at his dad. He looked like he wasn’t sure he believed Robert, probably because he was dressed in his work clothes instead of his running clothes.

“Well, I’ll head upstairs now,” he said quickly, anxious to make an escape in case his dad decided to question him further.

When he was in his room, he rifled through his closet and located his mobile. He sat on his bed and pulled up Georgie’s number. He was about to push the button to ring her when he hesitated. What was he going to say to her exactly? What if he heard her voice and crumbled, unable to apologize to her properly or even lost his temper with her again? He didn’t want to make things any worse than they already were. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to do this over the phone.

He’d write to her instead, he decided suddenly. It would be much better that way. Then he’d be sure to do it properly. He picked up his laptop and opened his e-mail account. He started a new e-mail and began, typing, ‘Dear Georgie’.

No, that was stupid. Just because she started her e-mails like that didn’t mean he should. He changed it to ‘Georgie’.

As he looked at it, that didn’t seem right either. It was too cold, too distant. He changed it back to ‘Dear Georgie’.

No, that was too familiar. It sent the wrong message. He changed it back to ‘Georgie’. Then he slumped, sighing deeply. This was much harder than he’d thought it would be.

He stared at the blank space below it and sighed again. Now what?

He spent the next hour writing and rewriting until he’d come up with something he felt adequately apologized to her. It was short, but he was satisfied he’d said what he needed to say.

Georgie,

I want to apologize for the things I said to you this morning. It was wrong of me and I deeply regret it. I know I hurt you and I shouldn’t have. I should have found a different way to say the things I said. You didn’t deserve for me to talk to you that way.

I’m very sorry,

Robert

He hit send and closed his laptop. He set it on the floor and laid back on his bed, putting the crook of his arm over his eyes as a heavy bleakness descended over him. He was desperately trying to fight off what was threatening to overwhelm him when his mobile started vibrating.

Shit.

Was she calling now that she’d read his e-mail? He didn’t want to talk to her. He couldn’t. That’s why he sent that fucking e-mail. He looked at the display and breathed a sigh of relief before he answered it.

“Hey, Darrell.”

“Hi, Robbie. I was wondering if I could come over for dinner tonight.” Robert was surprised.

“You’re in town?”

“Well, I will be by dinner time.”

Robert sighed. He knew what this was costing Darrell. And he knew he was the reason Darrell was making the sacrifice.

“You don’t have to do that, mate.”

“I know, Robbie. But I want to, yeah?” he said firmly.

“Cheers,” he said gratefully. With Darrell over, he’d be able to keep the desolation from overwhelming him completely. “Yeah, come over. I’ll be here.”

“Alright. I should be there in an hour.” Then Robert heard Betsy’s voice in the background. “Oh, Betsy says ‘Hi’.”

“Yeah. Tell her ‘hey’ from me.”

“I will. See ya soon, Robbie.”

“Bye, Darrell.”

---Then---

Robert and Georgie were in bed, waiting to fall asleep. It was the best part of the day as far as he was concerned. When it was just the two of them lying together in the dark, he could forget about everything else and just be in the moment with her.

She was running her fingers through his hair and he was just drifting off to sleep when she said quietly, “Don’t you think it’s so romantic how Darrell and Betsy are in love but they’re hiding it from each other?” He wasn’t quite sure he hadn’t just dreamt that.

“What?” he asked, his eyes blinking open.

“You know, Darrell and Betsy. They’re just like how we were,” Georgie said. Apparently he hadn’t dreamt it.

“Darrell and – Betsy?” he asked, scarcely able to believe it. His best mate and his sister?

“Robert, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how Darrell looks at her,” she said, as if he was being ridiculous. “Especially when she doesn’t know he’s looking. It’s the same way you used to look at me before I knew you loved me.”

“He does?” Robert tried to remember if he’d ever seen him do that.

“Haven’t you noticed the way she looks at him? I even asked her about it once.”

“You did?”

“It was the night we were getting ready for the club. Of course, I couldn’t just come right out and ask her,” she said casually. “So I said how I thought Darrell looked so big and tough but really he was so sweet and gentle. I could totally tell she liked him by the look on her face when she agreed with me, and then she said she thought he was cute!”

“She did?” Robert was shocked.

He’d tried to forget everything that happened that terrible night but now it came back to him, Darrell holding Betsy on the couch and then Betsy spending the night there. But she’d been upset hearing the argument between him and Georgie and turned to Darrell for support – as a mate. Had he been wrong about that?

“Haven’t you ever noticed how Darrell’s always around when Betsy’s home. They’re together practically every minute she’s here,” Georgie continued, interrupting his thoughts.

Now that she said it, Robert realized she was right. Darrell had been hanging about whenever Betsy was home from university. As he considered it further, he realized that had been going on ever since she’d left home over two years ago. Had Darrell fancied her for that long? How could he have missed this?

“It’s just so romantic,” Georgie said with a sigh. “I wonder when they’re going to finally realize it. They’re going make such a cute couple, don’t you think?”

“Uh, yeah,” Robert said, still hardly able to wrap his mind around it.

Was it really possible Darrell and Betsy could’ve developed feelings for each other? Robert wasn’t sure how he felt about the possibility if they had. It wasn’t that Darrell was a bad bloke. In fact, if he could pick someone for either of his sisters, Darrell would be just the kind of bloke he’d want for them. He was solid, stable, in spite of his terrible home life. He was a good man, loyal, dependable. But he was Darrell, practically a brother to all of them. Wasn’t he?

The next day was a Saturday and Robert rang Darrell in the morning after he’d had breakfast to invite him to hang out at the park. The two of them kicked around a football for a while and then sat on a bench and watched some lads playing a game in a nearby pitch. They were sitting in their usual silence, but the whole time Robert was trying to decide how he wanted to broach the subject.

Finally he blurted out, “D’you fancy Betsy?” Darrell looked at him suddenly with wide eyes. Robert could scarcely believe it, he looked scared.

“May – be,” he replied hesitantly.

“You either do or don’t, mate!” Robert said loudly, instantly feeling angry. “You’re not going to toy with my sister’s feelings!”

Darrell slumped and looked away. Robert waited over the next few minutes of silence as Darrell kept his face turned away. When he finally turned back, he looked sad.

“Robbie, the truth is I love Betsy. I have for a while. I didn’t say anything because – well, I didn’t know how you’d feel about it.” Then he looked away again. “And besides – I don’t think she’d be interested in me – in that way,” he finished quietly. Robert was astonished.

“Why not?” Darrell looked at Robert like he couldn’t believe he could be so thick.

“She’s a fantastic girl, that’s why! She’s so smart – and funny. She’s beautiful. And she’s going to university. She’s going to do something with her life. And I’m –.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked away. “Why would she want to be with someone like me?” he finished dejectedly.

Robert was completely shocked. It had never mattered to him that Darrell’s dad was an alcoholic, that his mum had left, or that he never went to university. He didn’t look down on him because he worked as a bricklayer instead of in an office. And it had never occurred to him that any of those things would matter to Darrell either. This was a side of him he’d never seen before.

“First of all, you’re a great bloke, y’know?” Robert said. “Any girl would be lucky to have you, including Betsy. And second of all, I’m pretty sure she fancies you.” Now it was Darrell’s turn to look shocked.

“You’re joking!” he said loudly.

“I’m not,” Robert said firmly. And then he realized he was going purely by Georgie’s word. What if she was wrong? But she hadn’t been wrong about Darrell, and when Robert thought about it, Betsy hadn’t had a boyfriend in years. The same years Darrell had been hanging about whenever she’d been home from university.

“I think you should tell her,” Robert said firmly. “I think you should go to her today and tell her.”

“What? No!” Darrell said loudly, looking alarmed.

“Why not?”

“Because – she’ll probably laugh in my face,” he said dispiritedly.

“That’s not going to happen, alright? Look, I know why you think she wouldn’t want to be with you. But those things shouldn’t matter if you two really love each other.”

“Whoa! Stop right there, Robbie!” Darrell said loudly, sitting up straighter and holding his hand up. “You just said she loves me! Where’d you get that from? A minute ago, you said she fancied me!” Robert couldn’t believe Darrell was being so dramatic.

“Listen to me, will ya? You care about her, right?”

“Yeah,” Darrell said quietly.

“And I’m pretty sure she cares about you.” Darrell looked at the ground.

“If the two of you care about each other, you should be together. All that other stuff is just – stuff. It doesn’t matter. Look! Darrell!” he said more loudly, getting his attention. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last two months, it’s that you fight like hell for the girl you love, no matter what the obstacles are! Because if you don’t, you’re going to lose her!” Robert could tell he’d struck a chord with him. He was considering it.

After a minute, Darrell said, “D’you reckon I should see her today? I mean, what if she’s busy or –.” Robert pulled his mobile out of his pocket and rang Betsy’s number. Darrell sat up straighter, looking at him with alarm.

“What’s up, Robbie?” Betsy asked when she answered.

“What are you doing today?” he asked.

Darrell immediately shook his head and mouthed ‘No’ over and over, looking scared. Robert turned his back to him.

“Well, I have a paper to write, and, uh, two exams I have to study –.”

“D’you have time for a quick visit?” Robert asked, interrupting her.

Darrell was standing in front of him now, waving his hands wildly in an attempt to stop him. Robert ignored him.

“Uh, I guess so. I’ll be in my room all day. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing much. I, uh, just wanted to ask you about, uh, the university – there. I’m thinking about applying.”

Darrell started walking off angrily, then came back and stood in front of Robert with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at him.

“What d’you want to know?” Betsy asked.

“I, uh, I’ll ask you when I get there, yeah? I want to walk around a bit. See if I like it.”

“Robbie, you’ve been here before!” she said with exasperation. “I don’t see why you need –.”

“But I didn’t get a proper look!” Robert said loudly, cutting her off. “I’ll be there in an hour! Bye!” He hung up on her. “There! She’s waiting for you,” he said, with a grin on his face.

“I could punch you, y’know!” Darrell growled at him.

“But you won’t,” Robert said, still grinning.

He sent Darrell on his way with a few more words of encouragement and a slap on the back to bolster him up. He didn’t hear from him again until Sunday night when he got a text. It was one word, but it told Robert all he needed to know.

‘Thanks’

---Now---

As soon as he hung up from talking to Darrell, Robert was desperate to escape the heavy bleakness that still threatened to overwhelm him. He tried to think what he could do to kill an hour while he waited for Darrell. He quickly made a decision and went downstairs. First he went to the kitchen to find his mum just starting to get things out of the fridge to cook dinner.

“Darrell’s going to be over as well, mum,” he said.

“Oh, lovely!” his mum exclaimed happily.

Then he went directly to the small upright piano and sat down. He didn’t allow himself to think about anything, he just put his hands on the keys and turned his mind off as he began playing. The next thing he knew, Darrell was there.

He immediately felt better seeing him and they slapped hands and gave each other a one armed hug. When they went in the kitchen, he could tell his mum was happy to see him when he went to give her a kiss on the cheek.

The four of them had a pleasant dinner, all of them grateful for Darrell’s presence. Robert even felt well enough to participate in the conversation a bit. When they finished eating, Robert’s parents cleaned up the kitchen and he and Darrell went into the sitting room to play Street Fighter II.

While they were setting up, Darrell said, “I had a thought, Robbie. I wondered if you’d fancy going to a car boot sale tomorrow. I heard from a bloke at work about one. It’s a bit of a drive but it’s supposed to be fantastic, one of the biggest in the area.”

Robert considered it. A long drive and then walking around outside, looking at all the stuff people were selling out of their cars. That could take up the entire day if they took their time. It was exactly what he needed.

“Yeah! That’d be brilliant!” he said enthusiastically.

“We’ll have to leave early in the morning. It starts around nine and we’ll want to get there when it opens, yeah? It’ll take about two hours to drive there. It’s at Bath Racecourse.” Robert looked at him sharply.

“What?” Darrell asked, seeing the expression on his face.

“Uh, nothing,” he said quietly, looking away. He cleared his throat against the tightening he suddenly felt, while the ache in his chest got worse. “Uh, so it’s in Bath then?” he said quietly, looking at the TV as the game loaded.

“It’s in Lansdown, between Bath and Bristol.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, sounds good,” he finished quietly. Darrell was still looking at him but he kept his eyes on the TV and tried to get through the set up menus as quickly as he could so they could start playing. As soon as they began, he lost himself in the game.

They played until eleven and then went up to Robert’s room. Darrell pulled out the camping bed and Robert set his alarm for six a.m. They said their ‘goodnights’ and Robert turned out the light on his bedside table. He pulled the bedcovers over his head, and tried to turn off his mind. He was desperate to fall asleep as soon as possible, wanting to keep at bay the one question that had been trying to take hold ever since Georgie had called him that morning.

Now that she wanted him back, did he want to be back with her?

****

I had intended it to be a lot more of a shocker that Darrell and Betsy ended up together but I think it was more than a little obvious they had feelings for each other as the story ended up being written. SpacedOut28 guessed it the first time they appeared together back in Chapter 7! But it was fun to write Georgie and Robert being matchmakers.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put in another 'Robert' piano video since he finally plays for the first time in the story. It's yet another great cover by the young guy who was my inspiration for Robert's mad piano skills. I hope you enjoy it and check out his many video's on youtube!

Will Robert decide to get back together with Georgie? Will she respond to his e-mail? And what’s up with Robert and Bath? I wonder if anyone remembers what the significance of that city is.

Thanks for reading! For all of you who vote and comment, I really appreciate it! The feedback I get from all of you makes me work extra hard on my writing so I give you the best story possible! Please continue to let me know what you think and vote to let me know if you’re enjoying it.