Charlotte Sometimes - chapter 15 - killing an arab

Charlotte was surprised but relieved that her parents had agreed she could go to London to check out the Art College at Open Day. They?d said they?d pay for the bus, and they?d even provide some spending money.Emma had spoken to Fiona who was delighted that they were going to come and visit and they could definitely stay with her for a couple of nights. Charlotte couldn?t wait to see Fiona again and had fallen asleep the past few nights with her hand in her knickers imagining their reunion.The only dark cloud on the horizon was how they were going to find the two hundred pounds needed to pay for Emma?s abortion. Emma?s family had very little spare cash and there was no way Emma could ask them for it anyway. They were devout Catholics and while the shame of Emma being pregnant would be bad enough, the thought of her going for an abortion would have been ten times worse.Charlotte had dug out her Post Office savings book one afternoon when she had the house to herself. While the fifty-four pounds and fourteen pence would go some way towards it, there was still a lot of cash to find.?Fuck, it?s hopeless.? Emma slumped back on her bed and curled herself into a ball.Charlotte was finding it harder and harder to keep Emma?s spirits up. The pregnancy and the secrecy were stressing her out. The blow-up with Deirdre had been vocal and very public. Charlotte still shuddered at the memory of when Deirdre saw Charlotte and Emma sitting together. While Charlotte was glad that she had Emma back as a friend, she knew losing Deirdre after years of friendship was tough on Emma.?There?s only one thing for it,? Charlotte sighed. ?We?ll have to sell our guitars.??We can?t. You can?t. You love your guitar.?Charlotte shrugged.?The band?s finished anyway. And there?s no other way we can get the money.?Emma opened her mouth, then shut it again. She knew it too and nodded reluctantly.?OK then, if you?re sure??Saturday afternoon and Charlotte felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes as the man in the guitar shop held her guitar up and twirled it, checking for scratches on the body and the condition of the frets. He?d barely glanced at Emma?s bass but was really taking his time checking out Charlotte?s imitation black Les Paul guitar.?I can give you eighty for the Les Paul but the bass is only worth forty.??I paid you ninety quid for that bass less than two years ago,? Emma countered.He bit his lip and looked at Charlotte?s Göztepe Escort guitar again. He was just opening his mouth when Charlotte butted in.?Give us one hundred and fifty for the two of them.?He smiled but shook his head.?Go on, you know we?ll be back soon enough to buy new ones.? She smiled and tilted her head to one side.?I must be mad,? he laughed, ?but alright then. One fifty it is.?Once outside, Emma hugged Charlotte, whispering thank yous in her ear. Charlotte could feel dampness on Emma?s cheeks. Finally, she straightened up and Charlotte suggested maybe they should pop into the library and phone and arrange everything. Emma sniffed, wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded.Within an hour, everything was sorted. Charlotte and Emma would get the bus and ferry on the Thursday evening, arriving in London on the Friday morning. They?d go to the clinic and Emma would have the procedure and be back at Fiona?s that evening. They?d spend Saturday in London with Fiona and travel back on the Saturday night, getting into Strabane on the Sunday lunchtime.?It all sounds so simple,? Emma whispered.?Yeah,? Charlotte agreed. ?And no one will ever know.?As the day of the trip got closer, Charlotte felt her nerves were fraying. The morning sickness had started to kick in and Emma was worried that her Mum was getting suspicious. Some of her clothes were starting to get a bit tight around the waistband and she?d taken to wearing long flowing hippie skirts with an elasticated waist and leggings rather than her usual tight jeans or miniskirts.Charlotte found her thoughts kept drifting to Fiona. Memories of the weekend in Belfast, the day in the graveyard and that first night in the car all merged together and swam in front of her every time she closed her eyes. She hadn?t spoken to Fiona in weeks as Emma had made all the arrangements with her older sister. Charlotte was excited to be going to London and see the Art College but was so scared for Emma.Their mums waved them off from the bus station. Both girls were under strict instructions not to talk to anybody on the journey, to phone the minute they arrived in London, and Fiona was to make sure they were back on the bus on Saturday night.They got off the bus at Larne harbour. The rusting hulk of the Sealink ferry loomed over them. The bus driver told them all to go through the passenger entrance to the terminal and he would collect Göztepe Escort Bayan them once they disembarked in Scotland. It was freezing cold and even when they got inside, it wasn?t much warmer. The doors at the far end were wedged open and a chill wind swirled around the fifteen or twenty people sitting huddled, waiting to board the ferry.On entering the terminal, they were both handed a piece of green card and a pencil. Charlotte looked at it. ?Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions ) Act 1989? and a Royal Crest were stamped across the top. She read through the questions; name, address, date of birth etc, then stopped. Purpose of visit? She nudged Emma.?Should we put down ?having an abortion? or ?bombing London?'??Don?t fucking joke about it, Charlotte. If we are not on that ferry and I miss that clinic appointment because of you being a smart arse, I?ll fucking kill you.?Charlotte lowered her head and filled out the rest of the form in silence. She watched police with guns walking slowly around the waiting area and it was only after two plainclothes policemen took up their positions at the security desk that the passengers were called forward. They read through Charlotte?s and Emma?s cards slowly. ?Art College Open Day?? There was a contemptuous sneer as the policeman read the card aloud but he finally nodded and the two girls were allowed to get on the ferry. The journey was uneventful, though the bus pulled into Victoria Coach station almost an hour late due to a problem with the landing ramps at Stranraer harbour.Emma uncurled herself and stretched before waving excitedly as she saw Fiona waiting for them. After the obligatory hugs, Fiona promised to get them some breakfast in the cafe at the Art College and the three of them sauntered out of the coach station.Charlotte wasn?t sure how Emma would be around Fiona. It was the first time the three of them had been together since the night of Fiona?s exhibition and that was before Emma?s outburst about fucking queers. Fortunately, Emma seemed either oblivious to the glances Charlotte and Fiona kept sharing or had decided to ignore them.When Emma headed to the loo in the cafe, Charlotte and Fiona shared a hurried kiss and a cuddle. ?Do you think we?ll get any alone time while I?m here??Fiona laughed.?Why? What did you have in mind, you naughty little minx??Emma arrived back at that moment, wondering Escort Göztepe why Charlotte was blushing a deeper shade of beetroot and what was so funny that Fiona was grinning guiltily at her.Fiona stood up and after telling them she had a tutorial to go to and then needed to do some painting, arranged to see them in the bar opposite the college at 5 pm. ?Now don?t get lost if you decide to go shopping, and don?t be late.?Fiona gave them both a hug and headed off. ?Fuck, I thought Fiona was going to be suspicious when I never ate anything but I don?t think she noticed.??Come on, let?s get you to the clinic anyway.?They found the place easily enough. The woman had given them precise directions over the phone and Charlotte pushed open the black-painted door with the brass knocker and the two of them headed inside. The sound of their footsteps echoed around the walls as they walked down the highly polished parquet flooring.A woman in a white nurses uniform and a black cardigan looked up from the reception desk. ?Hello, ladies. Do you have an appointment???I do,? Emma whispered. ?It?s Deirdre McLaughlin.?Charlotte suppressed a giggle. Emma had been worried that somehow her parents would find out about the clinic so they?d decided to use Deirdre?s name instead.?OK, Deirdre. We have your details here. If you just want to pay now, we?ll get everything started.?Charlotte and the nurse watched in silence as Emma counted out the two hundred pounds in ten-pound notes. The nurse gathered up the money and after locking it in a drawer, handed a form for Emma to sign. As Emma read the sheet of paper and scrawled her signature at the bottom, the nurse looked at Charlotte. ?Do you have somewhere to stay this evening??Charlotte nodded.?Good. You can come back to collect your friend at four o?clock this afternoon.??Can?t I stay with her???No, we don?t allow partners or friends in and she will be asleep for most of the time anyway. It?s best you go off and keep yourself busy.?Emma hugged Charlotte. Eventually, the nurse coughed and Emma unwrapped her arms and turned to go.?Good luck,? Charlotte whispered as the doors swung closed behind them.~~~Charlotte was relieved when she got back to the Art College that the Open Day tours were still going on. She fell in love with the place. She wanted more than anything to go somewhere like this and just draw and paint all day. She followed the tour around the college and spoke with lecturers and current students about all the courses she could do. After a while, she felt her brain was going to explode with all the different avenues open to her. There were so many galleries, exhibitions, cinemas and theatres around the place that it seemed like another world to Strabane.