Eric thought on for a minute. “So, you went in a dress then?”   The Floral Tales Part 10 By J Morose

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Introduction

This story contains political incorrectness, intolerance, swearing, sexual references and the usual vernacular references as made by teenagers when their parents are out of earshot. If you want a Disney piece, this is not for you.

The story centres around two teenage boys, their girlfriends and their under age exploits when attending the local rock club.

Work presents a whole new set of problems.....

Part 10 – Torment

From part 9...

Eric thought on for a minute. “So, you went in a dress then?”

“H...How the s...s...shite did you arrive at that?” Stuttered Kev, going beetroot.

“Well,” said Eric, “Seen your lot out on the town often enough. So did you wear a dress or what?”

“Huh?” That was about all Kev could say.

Work, Tuesday, 10:10am

Eric the joiner was in full flow now. A big surly grin spread across his stubble ridden face. “Aha! You did, didn't you!” He looked like the cat that had not only got the cream, but had found an unlimited supply of it.

“Huh?” Kev had reverted to neanderthal teenager mode once more.

“So,” Eric continued, “You went out on a Saturday night in a dress then?”

Kev's dad was doing his best to not intervene at this point. He had already decided that this was one of those 'life lessons' that Kev had to learn the hard way. He kept his head down and nursed his mug of tea.

Kev was still in speech deficient mode. “Err....huh?” The beetroot expression gave the game away somewhat.

“So I was right then!”

'Bollocks!' thought Kev. 'Never hear the bloody end of this now.'

“So Kev, you're gay then?”

“Huh! No!” Blunt and to the point.

“Look, wimmin wear dresses to attract blokes. You were wearing a dress, therefore you want to attract blokes, therefore you are gay!” Eric was in full wind up mode now.

“Huh? Shite!”

“Not shite, sunshine. You’re gay, aren't you?”

“No!”

“Yes! You like fellers, that’s why you went out on the town wearing a dress...”

“No, not gay, gotta girl.”

“Ahh, all the gay blokes in hiding have female friends to disguise what they are...”

Kev was mortified and considered Eric an idiot, one who unfortunately, he had to work with for the next week or so. “Bollocks!”

“Look, don't argue with me, you big girl’s blouse. You’re gay!”

“Sod off!” Kev was getting sick of this line of questioning now.

“Bet you don't really have a girlfriend and either you have got a girl or you’re gay!”

Kev's dad decided to intervene at this point, feeling slightly protective of his son's plight. “Leave off, Eric. I'll tell you that he has got a girl.”

“Ahh, so bisexual then, like girls and boys do you?”

Kev stood up. “Look, just sod off will you!”. His hands clenched in fists by his side.

Eric started laughing, loudly. “Got another one!”, he proudly proclaimed. Satisfied that he had another wind up under his belt, he resumed his baggin.

Kev decided to remove himself from the company of Eric and went back to work, Eric's laughing echoing throughout the empty carcass of a building.

Work – Tuesday, 12:10pm

Kev had avoided further teasing from Eric by the simple measure of confining himself to the roof space, working on pulling cables for the upstairs lighting and television aerial. There was no joinery to be done up there and it was out of the way, so he could continue working in peace and actually got quite a lot done.

“Kevin!” He looked around and saw his dad's head poking up the loft hole. “Lunch!”

“Right, just finishing this clipping. Be right down!”

Kev hammered furiously on the cable clips and in very short order was done.

He went down to the space that had been set aside for baggin and was relieved to find Eric absent. “What's for lunch, dad?” He asked.

“Chippy, wanna go?”

Kev thought on. The chip shop was only round the corner. “Sure. Got cash?”

His dad handed over a fiver. “Sausage dinner. Go ask Eric if he wants owt.”

“Daaaaad!” He was hoping to avoid his nemesis, but there was no way out. Building site protocol dictated that the apprentice had to go and fetch lunch. It was one of those unwritten rules.

“See you in a bit!” His dad waved his hand, dismissing him to his peril.

Kev looked around sheepishly for Eric. He heard hammering and followed the sound to it's origin, which was to the rear of the property, where Eric was assembling a door casing. Eric saw Kev's approach.

“What's up, gayboy!”

“Bugger off!” Kkev was well and truly sick of this now. “Goin' to the chippy. Want owt?”

Eric thought on for a moment. “Sausage dinner.” His smile grew. “What do you recommend? One large or two small?”

“Bugger off!”

“Well, you're the expert. Thought we'd established that earlier.”

“Look, what do you bloody want! Make up your sodding mind or get yer own!”

Eric, not used to being stood up to by an apprentice was a bit taken aback. “Just get me bloody dinner, gayboy!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of coins. “And make sure me change is right!”

Kev took the coins and scarpered, cat-like, running across the joists and out the front door. His expression varied continuously from angry to sulking.

Reaching the purveyor of greasy goodness, he entered and joined the queue. The smells of frying fish and potatoes permeated the air, hanging like a miasma at ceiling height. The heat and humidity was not refreshing. Kev looked at the menu board, once printed, but with letters pulled off and replaced with permanent marker. His thoughts turned to the events of the last weekend. He was not a happy recipient of people’s universal ribbing. He stood surly, pondering his own situation.

In very short order he was asked for his order. He ordered three sausage dinners, unsure of what to eat himself and imagination being in very short supply.

“Two small or one large?” The girl behind the counter asked.

'Bugger, the same question again! A bloody conspiracy!' His paranoid thoughts rambled for a moment. “What do you prefer?” He said, repeating Eric's question, for lack of an imagination.

“Well,” she said, looking all coy, “One big one's all right, but two small ones will be more fun!”

“OK, two small ones then!” Kev was getting a little fed up with this.

“That'll be five ten please.”

Kev handed over his money and muttering, “thanks!” fled the shop, with the steaming goodness in a carrier bag. He sulkily returned to work, bag in his hand, grim in his head, trudging moodily with his eyes fixed firmly on the bit of pavement a foot or so in front of his feet.

Eventually returning, Kev handed out the food and sorted out the change. Deciding he had had enough teasing though, he went and sat elsewhere for his lunch, leaving his dad and Eric to it.

Kev's house – Tuesday 18:45pm

Fresh from finishing work, Kev and his parents were sat round the dining table having tea. Today's delight was curried whatever, as was usual on Tuesdays, consisting of the leftovers from the Sunday roast, being insufficient in their own right to make a meal, Which were curried with anything else from the fridge. It was not too bad this time and Kev was spooning in the food as though it was going out of fashion (eating that is).

“Kevin, me and your dad were talking before....”

'Here it comes!'. Kev was always a bit dubious when his mother started a conversation off this way. “yes Mum?”

“Well, I heard about Eric from your dad. Do you understand now why we didn't want you dressing like that?”

Kev understood completely. Being the social inept that he was, he hated standing out from his peers, mainly due to his inability to gracefully respond to off the cuff comments. “Yes Mum. I know what you're saying..”

“Well, if you don't like the comments, don't do it anymore.” This was a completely different approach from his esteemed parent, whose usual approach to anything is to forbid it outright. Saying that, Kev had been forbidden to grow his hair long, which it now was; forbidden to get his ear pierced, which it now was courtesy of a grindstone sharpened stud, inebriation and equally sozzled companions; and forbidden to have a girl alone with him in his room, which was not a problem until he met Anya and now he just goes to her house instead. It should have occurred to his mother that forbidding teenagers things only encourages them to try them to see what they are missing.

“Ok, mum, don't worry about it.”

His mother looked at him, the concern apparent on her face. His dad then said, “It's a mother’s place to worry, Kevin.”

“You were such a sweet little boy Kevin, I just don't like seeing you make a fool of yourself..”

Kev thought on, noting as he invariably did, that it was not what she said the other day. Concern was then more for appearances and upholding some hitherto undisclosed moral yardstick. Something had changed and Kev was at a complete loss as to what it was.

Anya's House – Tuesday 19:14pm

Anya was sat in her room together with Freya. The sounds of The Mission permeated the air almost as much as the fumes from the sandalwood incense sticks burning merrily away in the corner.

“So Freya, what do you think we should do about Kev?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know, about the dressing up.”

“Anya,” Freya was looking most serious, “I had a call from Tony before, he says that Kev is really peed off with the ongoing comments about his clothes from the last Floral. I think you should leave it alone for a bit.”

Anya did not want to hear this. She was the sort of person that threw herself into something wholeheartedly, never one to shirk a challenge. She went over to her wardrobe and fished out the now clean nurses uniform that Kev had worn over the weekend. Sitting back down, she had a wistful expression on her face.

“Anya, are you listening?” Freya was getting somewhat animated. “Anya?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Look, we are gonna have to sort this out, otherwise Kev'll have had enough..”

Anya briefly scowled. “Frey, look, I know Kev and this is what he is, what he wants..”

“Why, did he say so?”

“I just know...”

“How do you figure that?”

“Well, “ Anya looked at Freya intently and spoke softly, “I just know”

was getting increasingly vocal. “Huh?”

“Well, I know what I know...”

“Well, on your head be it!”

Kev's house – Tuesday 20:12pm

“Kevin! Phone!”

“Coming...”

Kev charged down the stairs. Grasping the handset from his mother's hands, he bellowed into the phone. “Hiya!”

“Hi Kev, hows things?” It was Anya.

“Fair to middling. You?”

“Fine. Listen, was wondering if you wanted to pop round tonight?”

Kev thought on this but not for long. “Yeah, will do.”

“Cool – seeya in a bit.”

“Seeya.” Kev put down the phone. He wondered what Anya wanted, she sounded somewhat excited, well, more giddy really.

Kev went back upstairs, donned his customary boots and jacket, charged downstairs and rushing through the kitchen, simultaneously grabbed his lid and bade his mother goodbye. Slamming the back door in the process, he left and was on his bike in moments, the whole process taking just over a minute.

Anya's house – Tuesday 20:34

“Anya! Door!”

Anya heard the shout and rushed to the door with a smile on her face. “Hi Kev, come in!”

She rushed up to him and gave him a massive hug. “Come on up!”

Grabbing his hand, she damn near pulled him upstairs.

To be continued.......

“She came to me with a serpent's kiss,

The eye of the sun rose on her lips,

Moonlight catches silver tears I'd cried.”

Many thanks once again to Angharad for the excellent proofing.

Many thanks for reading. Take care and be happy - Jay