Confessions

Simon and Derek settled into the snug of their local, pints on the table, the sounds of the bar muted. Simon had phoned Derek and invited him out for a pint because he needed to talk to a friend about something serious. They'd known each other since they were in prams together, their mothers the best of friends. Simon looked unsure how to begin but Derek just took a sip of his Guinness and waited. His friend had a fine gift of the gab and would be okay once he settled down a bit.

'Well, you see it's about mum's friend Karen. You know her, don't you?'

'I'd like to! She's gorgeous for her age,' sighed Derek wishfully.

'Yeah, you see I've been screwing her for the last year...'

He was interrupted by Derek admiring whistle. 'Seriously,' he demanded, disbelieving.

'Seriously,' Simon confirmed. 'And there's more...I've only gone and knocked her up. She's fucken delighted about it!'

Derek threw back his head and roared out laughing at Simon's admission. With tears in his grey-green eyes, '...don't know if I should envy you or pity you,' he told his friend unsympathetically.

Simon grinned in relief. This was exactly the sort of down-to-earth answer he been hoping from Derek. The man's ability to ground you could not be overstated.

'...thing is,' Simon admitted after a sip of his pint, 'there's more...again.'

Derek wiped the tears from his eyes, still recovering from the laughter, he gestured for his friend to carry on.

Feeling much better about the whole thing, Simon did. 'Well, Karen invited me mum over to tell her. It didn't occur to her there was any problem with it happening with me in the house! They've been friends for so long they shared everything. They had no secrets!'

Derek's eyes just popped out of his head. 'How did she take it?' he asked expectantly.

Simon shook his head in wonder, remembering. 'You won't believe this!'

Derek's grin got really broad, he was enjoying this. 'Tell me?'

Simon's shoulders started to shake with barely suppressed laughter, as he tried to get the rest of the story out. 'I thought Mum was going to get angry,' he told Derek. 'Instead, she got undressed, pulled down my jeans and started sucking my cock.'

Derek had his pint halfway to his lips but he stopped and put it back on the table, sighing in disappointment. It had been a grand story up 'til now but this was just too far.

Simon waited until his friend eyes met his again. He didn't defend himself or elaborate. He just slowly nodded his head.

Derek's jaw dropped with equal slowness. 'Why?' he demanded, completely stunned.

Simon shrugged. '...seems it was that awul bio'illogical clock. Both of them wanted kids. Mum had me very young because of that dirrty bastard at the Social. It had just never happened for Karen, no matter what she got up too.' He paused, thinking for a moment.

'I suppose it's gotten to the point where they just didn't care anymore, along as they got what they wanted.' He shrugged his ignorance of the motivations of women. Especially when they flat out refuse to tell you, yet expect you to guess and if you get it wrong, it's your fault for not being a telepath!? There was nothing a bloke could do but try not to mess up too badly. He sighed, such was life.

Derek, recognising the signs, nodded sympathetically.

They both took a long philosophical draught on their pints.

'So, what happen then?'

Simon's grin returned, warning his friend another doozy was coming.

'Believe it or not, I'm going to be a daddy twice over early next year!'

Both men exploded with laughter loud enough to be heard by the whole bar.

Carly was serving nearby and left the Guinness she was pouring to settle to stick her head into the Snug section to check if everything was ok. To find two of her regulars howling their heads off apparently over a good one with half-finished pints in front of them, something she liked to see in her pub. Derek Meehan was a good lad, earning well in the builder's trade at the moment but Simon Norton? She could never put her finger on it but there was just something about that lad that got her warm. She couldn't understand it, a forty-six-year-old woman getting the hots for a nineteen-year-old working his way up in a local factory.

A thought crossed her mind, Karen Duffy had been in a lot lately looking for him and she wasn't a big drinker. Her dark eyes grew wide as her shrewd mind suddenly put two and two together and made...three, judging by Karen slight bump. So, her body's reaction was spot on. The lad liked older ladies! She tucked that fact the way for a cold lonely night.

Both still streaming from the eyes, Simon told Derek, 'It's like they are in bloody competition to see which one can break me first! They just won't leave me alone!'

Carly, whose ear was still cocked to the snug, absorbed the they part while not reacting in front of a bar full of customers hungry for gossip. Now, that was intriguing! Who was the other? Who would be willing to try sharing with Karen and risk going up against Marie Norton over her only son? Again, her shrewd mind cleared a fairly huge suspicion in a single bound. Schooling her expression only with difficulty. The other would have to be Marie! Ooooh, that was juicy! Not that she thought ill of either woman, in fact she rather admired their desire to find love wherever they could and to hell with the rules. When it comes right down to it all that tiresome morality rubbish just got in the way of common sense, something which women achieved degrees in over the course of our lifetimes. She had no thought of reporting them but did have every intention of feeling them out on the idea of sharing?

Derek had a long swallow and wiped a foam moustache from his upper lip, still grinning at his friend's sort of good fortune. Timing it well, he inquired nastily,

'So when do you take the ladies down the aisle?'

As expected, this sent Simon's mouthful all over the back of the door of the snug and caused a choking fit. Derek took the pint from his friend's hand and slapped his back to help ease the fit.

Simon managed to draw in a hitching, painful breath to gasp, 'ya bastard!'

Derek laughed good naturedly at the insult. He was enjoying catching his friend like that.

Recovering his breath and his pint, Simon took a deep drink to clear his throat, glaring,

'...don't do that to me again!' He demanded, caught by the mad image of him explaining two brides to the priest at the alter!

Derek grinned unrepentantly at his friend and raised his glass in a toast.

'Too your impending daddy-hood! Silante!'

Again, Simon had been hoping for something like this from Derek and raised his pint in response, laughing. 'Silante!'

Since he was nearest the bar, Simon called out, 'loveliness?' as he got to his feet.

Carly appeared behind the bar, grinning naughtily.

'You do know how to get a woman's attention, lad.' she said happily flushed. '...fresh pints?'

'Maybe...afterwards...' he said lazily, his gaze travelling the length of her strong legs, across her trim midriff, well stocked bra to arrive at her flushing cheeks and smoking hot eyes.

Though thoroughly enjoying his inspection, it managing to catch her off guard. There was something about the tone of his voice, the stance of his body and the look in his deep blue eyes. That like with a simple nod from her, he would step through the hatch, take every stitch of clothing from her and ravish her right there on the floor!

This fantasy, with which she found herself in total agreement, was dispelled by reality rearing its ugly head and returning her to the dull mundane world with a dispiriting thump.

'Err...I'll get the pints, then,' stammered Carly, walking away. Not before she heard the low Sid James laughter from behind her. She shivered yet not from annoyance. She deliberately got the fresh pints from the pumps on the other side to give herself a moment of breath and thought.

Simon sat back down with Derek. Who was shaking with silent laughter at Simon's effect on Carly! 'Jaysus man, she's got to be fifty if she's a day? How do you do it?'

Simon stared at his friend, confused. 'Well, for starters forget that a number has anything to do with her being a woman.'

Derek nodded, listening with full attention.

'...and I speak to her as if she's the hottest thing on the planet.'

Derek's mouth worked but no sound came out, he looked confused.

'How do I do that?' Simon asked him. '...is that what you're trying to say?'

Derek could only nod again.

'The way you're thinking about it, that's exactly the wrong way,' explained Simon. 'Carly is fully aware that in the normal scheme of things it's not likely to happen, which is boring! The only real difference between her needs and mine is Carly has better taste in clothes. Being a hot-blooded woman isn't something you switch off, she's just had to put it away to get on with the job, earn money, pay her way.'

As Simon laid out his thoughts to Derek, he caught sight of a reflection in the mirrored back of the bar shelves. The reflection of a flushed blonde woman holding two pints listening intently thinking she was just out of sight. Smiling, he decided to take advantage of a rare opportunity and continued. 'If it were to happen; Carly's skill, my stamina...what a night!' he finished his pint. Turning around casually to put his empty glass on the bar, he looked straight into the reflection of Carly's dark eyes and winked. Her grin was like the sun coming up. Getting to his feet, he took Derek's empty glass to put on the counter.

In a low voice, he asked her, 'Am I wrong?'

In an equally low voice, the thoroughly charmed woman replied,

'No, you are bloody well NOT!'

Derek stood up behind him saying something about going to the loo.

Once he was out of the Snug and the door closed again, Simon crooked his finger, beckoning Carly closer, his head tilted as if to share a secret.

She leaned forward all ears, expecting some juicy tit-bit of gossip. Instead, she was both equally stunned and delighted when at the last second, he kissed her full on the lips. His lips open just a little, not rough or forcefully, just a sensual moment that curled Carl's toes.

Before she could say a word her brother, Charlie called her from the curve of the bar, a crowd of new customers was entering. It was the beginning of the lunchtime rush. Frustrated and conflicted, the choice was made for her as the main door banged and lunchtime started in earnest. With a soft inviting smile at Simon, she got back to work, forgetting to take the money for the two pints. Simon left more than enough on the counter and sat back down with the two new ones. Charlie came by with one handful of dirty pint glasses and spotting the money on the counter. Raising a questioning eyebrow at Simon, who pointed to the fresh pints? Nodding, Charlie took it and was gone.

It was a while before Derek came back; the pub was so crowded and noisy now it was becoming too distracting to have a conversation. Both finished their pints, left the dirty glasses on the counter. Stepped outside by the side door to avoid the crowd round the main bar ordering lunch. Shaking hands and saying goodbye with a quick hug, both walked home in opposite directions. Simon to two women heavily pregnant who been out shopping for the morning.

Derek to his lovely wife and two little girls who he had been planning to take to the park because it was such a nice day but you can hardly refuse a friend in need. It only taken little over an hour. Margie had already forgiven him, Josie and Lizzie would require bribery with ice cream, maybe a toy each. He grinned, looking forward to it.

Sadly, he never knew this was the last day he would ever see his friend, Simon.

Simon's walk was a bit longer. He knew exactly what was ahead of him; the massage videos he had been watching on the YouTube over the last few months were coming in very handy. When both women returned from their shopping trip their ankles would be sore, so would their arms and shoulders from carrying their many bags. He had offered to join them for muscular support but was politely but firmly told that morning over breakfast that today was different. That had given him the time and the idea of talking to Derek. Unlike his old friend though, he knew that this would be the last time they would speak. Mum and Karen both knew that people were asking questions about the babies and putting then off only lasted so long. The answers would get them into serious trouble. They were moving and had to do it quickly, simply and without suspicion.

Karen had a great aunt, who lived across the water on the outskirts of a bustling big city. Perfect to hide themselves and continue their lives. Both women had made it clear to him that they had made had made their choice and were were happy with it. His role was no longer just of a young lover, now he was a father and possible husband. Contrary to the reaction he knew they had expected, he was looking forward to it. To having those two young lives nestled in his arms. Even if it meant losing a lot of sleep and maybe some sanity, it would still be worth it to have those two beautiful women. That was all what mattered to him.