A Long Time Waiting

This has taken me longer to write than I thought, mainly because it kept getting longer. Hope you like. All participants over eighteen (well over in one case!)

---

I was stood in front of the little dustcart, watching some of the participants of the 'walk for life' as they walked around. The 'walk for life' was a twenty-four hour charity thing and the council had donated the use of the little dustcart to keep the site tidy without charge to provide support. Several of us had volunteered to crew it throughout the twenty-four hours, also free of charge. Bill and I had just taken over for the last eight-hour shift. The idea of the walk was to have at least one person walking at all times throughout the whole twenty-four hours. According to the pair we had not long relieved the night had been full of fun and frolics as people tried to stay awake, to keep others awake. Now it was early morning and things were much quieter, only two people determinedly marching around. Bill had nipped off to Maccies to get us some breakfast as the smell of bacon from the various tents was making the pair of us ravenous. People who had managed to get some sleep were waking and taking over from the heroes of the small hours. I poured myself a coffee from the flask and sipped it, smiling at a couple of people who walked past. A girl of no more than twenty years old came up and dropped a pair of black sacks onto the pile at the rear of the truck.

"Can I have some replacements?" She asked, coming up to me.

"Sure." I replied, opening the cab door and grabbing a handful of fresh bags. I handed them over and caught her looking at me somewhat intently. At first I was a little put out by this until I looked closer at her and realised her face was familiar.

"Do I know you?" I asked as she took the refuse sacks from me.

"You've seen me, but you don't know me, no." She said, cryptically.

"You a friend of my niece then? She's about your age."

"I don't think so." She grinned enigmatically.

"Oh come on, make an old man happy. Exactly where have I seen you?" I smiled.

The girl smiled back.

"All right then. You emptied the bins in Bastogne Close for a few years?"

"I've done most of the closes in this town at one time or another, but yes, until about three years ago I drove the dustcart that did Bastogne Close." She was giving me an amused look, waiting for the recognition she was sure would come, a sparkle in her green eyes. And then it hit me. "You were one of my four girlfriends!" Four schoolgirls had always waved at the RCV when we saw them.

"What!!?" She laughed.

"The rest of the crew always called the four of you my girlfriends, because you all seemed to wave to me whenever school was out and we were collecting, that started about six or seven years back."

"Well, I don't know exactly why the other three copied me waving," She smiled, "But I liked to see you smile when you waved back."

I was actually quite surprised by her reply: It had been a joke between the crew, four schoolgirls waving at someone old enough to be their father. Then I remembered something else.

"You were the one who gave me the Christmas cards; the blondish one who could actually roller-skate. The other three were very wobbly."

"Oh my god, you were looking at us after all!" She laughed, shaking out her now properly blonde hair. "And what were you thinking about while you looked at us; something bad?" She was teasing now.

"If I remember, I was thinking 'why are these girls waving to me?'" I said and then decided I was allowed some teasing in return. "And 'that one who actually can skate is developing a nice looking bottom'."

I smirked as she reddened slightly.

"I'd better get back." She said, trying to cover her embarrassment as she turned and walked away.

"I see I was right!" I called out to her retreating back. She stopped, looked over her shoulder, grinned, patted her backside and then carried on, swaying her hips exaggeratedly. I laughed and gave her a wave as she ducked inside one of the tents.

Bill came up beside me and handed me the bag with my breakfast in it.

"What's going on? I leave for a couple of minutes and you suddenly start chatting up attractive young women."

"It's not like that Bill," I grinned, "In fact it's better. You remember 'the four girlfriends'?" He nodded slowly. "She was the cute one who started the waving!" I laughed.

"Huh! I don't believe you."

"Ask her yourself." I shrugged.

"What's her name then?" He asked grumpily.

"I didn't ask." I shook my head.

"Pillock!" He clipped me around the back of the head. "You still can't get it right can you?"

"Never could, never will." I grinned and took out my breakfast.

"Looks like you'll get another chance." Bill nudged me and pointed: The girl was coming back over to where we stood. As she got closer Bill called out: "Hey sweetie! You don't want to bother with him," He jerked his thumb in my direction, "He's gay, you know?" Bill was always pulling my leg about my lack of success with women, saying I must give off the wrong vibes.

"I bloody well am not!" I said through a mouthful of breakfast.

"I don't think so." The girl smiled. "I'll prove it."

"How?" Bill asked.

"Like this!" With a jerk she lifted her jumper and momentarily flashed her naked breasts at us. Bill and I both stared open-mouthed in shock. "See, same reaction from both of you; if he's gay, so are you!" She laughed, we joined in. "Anyway, I was wondering when you were going to start chucking that rubbish away, we've got a broken chair we want to get rid of."

"We were going to leave it until everyone seemed to be awake; it makes a lot of noise. Just drop the chair with the rest and we'll throw it on." I said.

"I remember the noise. And I was sort of hoping I could sling it into the back myself, I always wanted to try that." She gave us a huge grin.

"That's okay with me, but it's a strange thing for a girl to want to do."

"Maybe I'm not like other girls." She said shyly.

"No, I don't think you are." I smiled. "I'm Dave, this scruffy git is Bill." I held out my hand.

"Emma." She said, shaking my proffered hand in amusement. "I'll bring the chair over when I hear you start the truck." With that she turned away again. Part way back to her tent she twisted back around. "After over six years my fantasy guy has a name at last." She called before disappearing into the tent again.

Bill and I looked at each other astounded.

"Did she just say what I think she said?" I asked Bill.

"She did," He said, "And I don't believe it, it was a joke, not reality." He shook his head slowly. "I just can't believe it."

"What? That I'm an attractive girl's secret crush?"

"No. That she can find her way about without her guide dog." He laughed.

"Git!"

---

We threw the collected sacks of the night into the dustcart about an hour later. Emma came over and she threw the broken chair in and I let her press the button that ran the back. She seemed remarkably pleased with such a simple act. After that Bill and I settled back to watch the event for a while. Now there were more people awake and walking it was mildly diverting. The walkers thinned out again and then the organisers blew a whistle. Suddenly the course was packed again, and with all the walkers in fancy dress, mostly as some sort of medical staff. I looked at Bill and he looked at me. We both just shrugged, neither of us had any idea what was happening. Emma walked around past us as one of the sexiest nurses I'd ever seen. On an impulse I fell in step beside her.

"Hi! What's the deal with the whistle and the dressing up?" I asked.

"Hello again Dave." She gave me a sweet smile. "It's a friendly competition to make things more interesting. At certain times they blow the whistle and we all come out in the appropriate costume. They award points for originality, authenticity and so on, to each entered group. We're doing quite well."

"So you're not really a nurse then?" I asked with a grin.

"Maybe I am?" Emma teased again, a sparkle in her eyes. "Why?"

"Well, I've a terrible pain in all the diodes down my left hand side." I smiled, putting my hand on the faux injury.

"Are you in BUPA? I don't do NHS work." She laughed.

"Just the RAC." I grinned. I had done a complete circuit with her, so I stopped by the truck again. "Thanks for the info."

"No prob. Pity you're not covered." She waved and went on. "Nice 'Hitch Hikers' reference by the way." She called out.

"What the hell was that about Dave?" Bill asked, stepping up beside me.

"I think I was flirting."

"You? Flirting? With a real girl?" He shook his head.

"That's what it seemed like. It's been a while, so I can't be sure." I grinned.

"Huh! As if the day isn't weird enough already, now you're getting delusional. It must be getting up so early on a Sunday."

---

And so it went for the rest of the event, sarky comments and brief periods of keeping the field tidy. I missed one of the fancy dress sections when I went to the nearest shop to get a snack but I caught the final one. The theme seemed to be something like 'Law and Order'; there were cops and robbers, prisoners, a wild west sheriff, some guy in a suit claiming he was an embezzler, even a couple of superheroes. This time Emma was a policewoman. It didn't look like a costume, more like the real thing. I wondered if it might be hers. As I fell in beside her again she greeted me with a grin.

"Hi Dave. What are you meant to be?" She asked.

"I'm a council driver who breaks all sorts of traffic laws." I smiled back.

"Really?" She said raising her eyebrows. "In that case...." She tailed off.

I felt something metallic encircle my wrist and when I looked down I saw that she had handcuffed me to herself.

"I hope you've got the key for those." I half joked.

"Of course I have."

"You really a member of the constabulary then? The uniform looks real."

"The uniform is: I'm not. It was my mothers, she was with the police."

"It looks good on you anyway Emma."

"It's a bit tight around my bust and my bottom." She said wriggling a little.

"Like I said; it looks good." I grinned wolfishly.

"You're awful." She laughed.

"So, if you're not a nurse and you're not in the police, what do you do?"

"I work part-time in a shop at the moment but I'm actually studying to be a physiotherapist."

"That sounds interesting. Any reason?"

"Well, you remember a couple of years after we started waving you'd sometimes see me out jogging in the morning?" I nodded, remembering that she had still waved although her friends only did so when the four of them were together. "I hurt my ankle late that summer and had to go and get physio on it. It sort of caught my imagination for some reason and I decided that it was something I'd like to try and do."

"And that decision had nothing to do with running your hands over studly young athletes I suppose?" I asked jokingly.

"NO!" She snapped and then reddened. "Maybe a little bit." She said sheepishly. I just laughed.

We continued going round for a while, just talking, until I felt I ought to get back to what I was supposed to be doing. I held up my cuffed hand.

"Well officer, I should get back to work, what about these?"

"Oh, I suppose I can let you off with some community service." She gave me her prettiest smile.

"Meaning?" I asked.

"I volunteered to stay and help tidy up after the event, and being as you and your dustcart are going to be here too, I was hoping to scrounge a lift home."

"I can't really drop you off in the truck," I said dubiously, "someone might report it." Her face fell a little. "But if you're prepared to come to the yard while I take it back, I can take you home in my car."

Her face brightened again.

"That would be fine."

"You just want a trip in a dustcart don't you?" I mockingly accused. Emma nodded enthusiastically. "You are an odd girl Miss." I smiled.

"So everyone tells me." She laughed.

"All right. When we're done, come and find me."

"Thanks Dave."

At that I started to move away, back to the truck. She gave me a little wave, just like the first time I ever saw her all those years ago. I was slightly dazed by the events of the day, the half day really, but I knew that in that short time Emma had become special to me although I was sure nothing would come of it. Then another thought hit me: It wasn't a short time; it had been nearly seven years building to this. The waving, the Christmas cards, the glimpses of her jogging, it had all been leading to this day. I shook myself. 'Don't be so bloody silly man,' I told myself, 'she's a girl half your age who is interested in oddball things. Get a grip.'

I got back to the dustcart and was met by a grinning Bill.

"You can shut up before you start." I said.

"I never said a word." He smirked.

"Your unaccustomed silence speaks volumes." I leant against the cab door. "I just told her I'd take her home after the tidy up at the end." I sighed. "I must be mad."

"You know Cindy is picking me up from here when we finish?"

"Oh hell! I forgot that. What is it going to look like when she finds out it's just me and her?"

"You'll have to tell me tomorrow." He grinned. "Just don't leave anything incriminating in the truck when you leave it in the yard." He stepped away as I swung at his amused face.

"You know nothing will happen." I snapped.

"No. You THINK nothing will happen. Or maybe you HOPE something will happen." He was really enjoying taking the Mickey.

"Sometimes Bill, you're a real pain in the ass." I stormed off to try and think things out.

---

I was still wondering what I should say when Emma came over and met me at the dustcart after the tidy up, a large carryall over her shoulder, presumably holding all her clothes.

"Hi Dave! Thanks for this." She said brightly before noticing the worried expression I was wearing. "What's up?"

"Well," I sighed, "Bill's girl picked him up already."

"So?"

"So there's only the two of us: I'm worried that you might think I planned it, that I've some evil intent."

"The fact that you're so worried means I don't have to be." She smiled. "Now come on, I've wanted a trip in a dustcart for ages."

I smiled in relief, suddenly realising what a wonderful girl Emma was, but knowing she was way too good for the likes of me. I opened the cab door for her.

"All right, I've warned you. Now hop in and I'll pass you your bag."

Luckily she had changed out of the tight skirt of earlier, into jeans and a t-shirt, otherwise it might have been a bit tricky for her to get into the high cab. I climbed into the driving seat and started the truck. I glanced sideways at Emma and saw her eyes shining in excitement as she did up her seat belt.

---

The trip back to the depot didn't take very long, no more than fifteen minutes even taking the scenic route, nowhere near enough time. All too soon I was swinging the truck up to the locked depot gates.

"You enjoy driving these don't you?" Emma asked as I snapped the hand brake on. It was the first time she'd spoken since she'd got in.

"I do actually, although this one is more like a supersized van, the proper ones are much more fun. But what makes you say that?"

"The way you drive, all wide sweeping turns, only one hand winding the wheel around, that sort of thing, but mainly I think it's the big grin you wear while you're doing it. A bit of a giveaway." She laughed.

"Most of it's just showing off for you, always was," I laughed back, "and the grin is more about the company than the driving."

"You're very sweet." She said, another grin lighting up her face.

"And you are very pretty." I replied, somewhat to my own surprise. I had been thinking it all day but had convinced myself not to say so, thinking she didn't need to hear it from a guy like me. And now it had slipped out. Emma blushed, seeming to confirm my fragile theory. "So if the pretty girl would slip out of the cab and wait here by the gate, I'll park this up and get my car." She nodded, still looking a little flushed. "Sorry to have to ask, but I don't want to answer questions when the CCTV catches you in the yard." I apologised as I unlocked the gates.

"S'okay." She smiled again, her apparent discomfort disappearing.

---

I was as quick as I could be; parking the truck and then dropping the keys into the office before jumping into my car and rushing back to the gate, fearful she may have gone for some reason. She was still there when I pulled up though.

"Drop your bag in the back and jump in. I just have to lock up again." I said as I hopped out. When I got back in Emma gave me a dazzling smile for no apparent (to me) reason. For the first time I really thought that maybe this whole day hadn't been one big tease on her part; there was so much that I found hard to believe; chief of which was the notion that I had been her fantasy guy.

"All right then Miss Emma, where am I taking you?" I asked.

"Do you know Beechfield Avenue?"

"I'm a bin man, I know everywhere in this town." I grinned. "Aren't the houses there a bit big for a single young lady?"

"Not the ones converted into flats and bed-sits." She laughed.

"I stand corrected. Beechfield Avenue here we come."

---

We chatted a little more during the short trip; inconsequential stuff about the day mainly. I realised she was definitely teasing me now; the way she phrased innocent questions so that they had dual meanings, and all with a twinkle in her eyes and a hint of a naughty grin. I decided I didn't care and let it roll over me. This girl could say anything she wanted to me and I didn't mind as long as she was talking to me.

I pulled up outside the address she'd given me.

"Want to come in for a coffee?" Emma asked. I hesitated momentarily, wondering if there was some sub-text to the question. She seemed to sense this. "It's just a coffee, to say thank you for the lift."

"In that case, how can I refuse?" I grinned and followed her in, carrying her bag for her.

---

I was leaning against the kitchen door removing my work boots as she busied herself making the drink. Even while she was doing such a mundane thing I felt myself entranced by her. Suddenly, without looking around at me, she spoke.

"Dave, I have a bit of a confession to make."

"If it's about teasing me all day about me being your secret crush it doesn't matter. I enjoyed the idea."

"I was teasing you a bit about some things, but not that. Never that. You really were my fantasy guy." She smiled earnestly as she turned around. "My confession is that I talked to your mate Bill behind your back."

"Well, I wouldn't believe most of what he told you, Bill is prone to exaggeration." I said, my mind reeling from her assertion.

"He said you don't date much. If you don't mind me asking, why is that?"

"Apart from Bill's 'gay vibes' theory?" I laughed.

"Seriously Dave."

I shrugged. I couldn't not tell her.

"I had a lot of bad dates as a teen and into my twenties, a lot. After a while I figured it was me and just gave up trying."

"What do you mean by 'bad dates'?"

"I just kept messing things up. Trying to be funny at the wrong moment or serious when they were joking. I appear to have two brains; the more immature one seems to have control of my mouth most of the time, making me blurt out jokes and dumb comments at the most inappropriate times. However the other brain, the one that over thinks everything, always takes over when the mouthy one would be more use. The clever clogs part always worries too much, and then smartarse says something bloody stupid and the moment is gone." I shook my head sadly. "So, there it is: I didn't 'get' girls then, and I still don't. To me you are strange and scary creatures Emma, strange and scary." I sighed.