Laura, The Lorry Driver

Bea emerged from behind the bench seat, placing Laura's gin and a bottle of tonic in front of her.

"Hear you go, and if you don't like it, I'll drink it! I hope you don't mind. I got you a double, just to help calm your nerves."

Bea removed her coat and hung it over the arms of the wooden chair where Laura had hers. Much to Laura's relief, she moved back around the table to sit alongside Laura on the bench. Laura didn't shuffle over too far, enjoying having Bea sitting close to her, which helped her feel not too conspicuous. She raised the best smile she could, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Thanks, it's okay but I'm more of a lager lout but gin will do!"

"Well, you wanted to be the girly, cute one for a change."

"I did?"

Laura shook her head, as she didn't remember saying that. But did feel that way sometimes. She had to admit, drinking lager wouldn't change people's perception of her being the butch half of any couple. There was nothing she could do about being tall, but maybe little things, like her satin blouse, made the difference.

"Yes, well, sort of. Maybe I can help you along the way with your image and your wardrobe?"

Bea theatrically nodded around the room, rolling her eyes.

"We won't catch any fish in here!"

Laura stifled a giggle, not wanting to attract any of the local's judgmental attention.

"There are better pubs in Cheltenham that have more sympathetic clientele, which may be more appropriate."

"Ha ha, maybe I could find someone too, whilst also being your wing woman?"

Laura dropped her head, shaking it slightly. "There's a reason gay people prefer certain pubs and clubs, although you're more likely to have another princess chasing you!"

Laura saw a mockingly shocked face on Bea.

"I know! One can hope, though!" Bea smiled but bit her lip and said, "To be honest, after Steve, I think I need a break from men. I'm not sure I can trust anyone again."

Bea's statement gave Laura mixed thoughts. Her needing a break from men warmed Laura, but sounded more temporary than permanent. Her not wanting to trust anyone hopefully didn't include Laura.

"Do you know what I learned whilst up at the bar?"

Laura laughed, "Er, no!"

"We read the sign wrong at the entrance, as this is actually the bar. The lounge is behind, where they have their restaurant. Look."

Bea unfolded a menu printed on a sheet of paper.

"I grabbed this. Looking at it, it's not as bad as Lou suggested."

She passed the paper over to Laura, who read through the lists of starters, mains, and sweets.

"They have a different lunchtime menu, too."

Laura suspected Bea had something else in mind as she hedged around the subject.

"During the week they do specials too. Look at the chalkboard above the fireplace."

Laura glanced at the blackboard, getting Bea's drift, knowing where the conversation was going.

"How would you fancy coming down again, for curry Wednesday or pie and a mash Thursday or even fish fry Friday, looking at those prices with your first drink free, it would be something different to do?"

Laura pursed her lips, not keen on any of the food marketing ideas.

"I think I prefer beans on toast with slippers on in front of the TV night!"

"Aw, come on, cheer up grumpy. Look, they're having a Valentine's Day fancy dress with a band. Free entry to anyone in dressed up!"

Laura groaned a little too loudly, sinking down on the bench seat, not wanting to read the board further.

"It's only next Friday, too. It'll be fun. Says the band does eighties and nineties covers, some of the best dancing years."

"Ha ha, you weren't around then!"

"Aw, now then, everyone knows the tunes from then. They're almost timeless."

Laura groaned again, but deep down inside, appreciated what Bea was trying to do. She added some tonic to her drink and took a larger-sized gulp, causing her to spasm into a cough as the stronger mix hit her tonsils.

"Add more tonic if it's too strong, silly."

Not having drunk for ages, Laura struggled to bring her reaction under control. She blushed as she looked around to be sure she hadn't attracted anyone's attention. She added extra tonic, hoping to take the sting away from the back of her throat.

At least her coughing helped Bea change the subject.

"That fire is so pretty. It's amazing how those logs burn when there's no gas. At least we're far enough away for it to warm our legs but not burn."

Bea huddled closer, whispering, "unlike the couple sitting at the fireplace, almost on top of it."

Laura chuckled and patted Bea's knee as she sipped her drink, enjoying Bea's narrative. Between breaths and talking, Bea even managed to drink as well. She showed it to Laura.

"Have you ever tried a Tia Maria?"

Laura looked at the rich, darkish red liquid and shook her head.

"No. What does it taste like?"

"Well, it's a coffee liqueur. Have a sip of mine."

Bea passed Laura her glass. She could smell the coffee, but the coke bubbles made it look more appetising, and she took a gulp.

"Hey, sip, it's stronger than you think."

"Ugh, yuk, sorry, that's a little too strong a coffee taste for me, like coffee flavoured chocolates."

Laura handed Bea back her glass, pulling a face and quickly finished her drink, trying to wash the taste away.

"What would you prefer, ahem, that isn't lager?"

"I have drunk rum and coke before, many moons ago."

Bea finished the last of her drink and picked up Laura's empty glass.

"No, it's okay, my round."

"No, my treat now. I've got a job."

Then she whispered, "I owe you more than one anyway, for saving me from being a fallen woman."

Laura laughed as she shushed her, but Bea had already headed off to the bar. Whilst waiting, she read the various scribblings on the board above the fireplace, admitting that coming here for a curry seemed a pleasant idea. Although the Valentine's fancy dress seemed about as unattractive as Monday's quiz night, neither appealing to her.

As Laura read the menu left by Bea, she had to admit the selections were varied and appealing, with it being reasonably priced, too. She watched the couple, sat by the fire, drink up and leave, relieved that neither paid her any heed.

"One rum and diet coke," Bea announced her return, placing a tall glass in front of Laura, joining her on the bench once more.

She thanked her and took a sip.

"Mmm, much better, thanks. Another double?"

"I hope you don't mind, as I was worried when you went a whiter shade of pale when we first came in. I can't guess what your anxiety is based on and I wish you'd tell me, but I'm happy to wait until you're good and ready."

Bea patted Laura's knee but left her hand there as encouragement.

"You keep feeding me these and I might tell you more than you want to know!" She giggled as she placed her glass down.

"Ha ha, I may take you up on that!" Bea winked and squeezed Laura's knee.

Laura struggled with her earlier desire to maintain their relationship on an even keel. Experience told her that a drunken fumble rarely developed into a long-term relationship. In fact, with a CIS woman, rather than having the required result, it could end up quite the opposite.

She needed to change the subject and the vehicle to do that was in her pocket.

"After our discussion earlier, I had some further thoughts."

Bea bounced around to look at Laura, patting her knee once more.

"Ooo, I knew I could rely on you. You've been great about this, helping me understand everything."

She fished out her phone and flicked through to the photographs she wanted.

"As a minimum, sort of breadline level indicator, assume we are going halves on costs."

She showed Bea the first screen.

"This is my rent book, so you can see eight hundred and twenty a month. Graham is threatening to raise it next year, as it is below what is normal for the number of rooms in this area. So I bet once he knows I'm sharing and you're earning, it'll go up, but hopefully not too much."

Bea nodded, gulping.

"I think it is less than we were paying for the caravan, but Steve dealt with that, so I'm not sure of the exact figure, although he said it was more than a grand."

She swiped across to the next photo.

"Electricity, at a hundred and ten, this is a winter bill. Summer bills are about sixty to seventy pounds."

Bea mumbled, squeezing Laura's knee for her to catch a stronger hint of her perfume as she inhaled, almost leaving a taste in her throat. She couldn't place the scent, but she loved it. It took her back to her nightclubbing younger days.

She swept her finger across her phone's screen once more.

"And this is the monthly gas bill. Again, at a hundred pounds, this is at its worse in the depths of winter. In the summer, it can be as low as twenty-five. The council tax is easy, as it is fifteen hundred pounds over ten months."

Bea picked her phone out and flicked to the calculator, her mind now jumping ahead.

"So let's go for the worst case and hope for the best, yeah?. So eight hundred and twenty, plus hundred and ten, plus a hundred, a hundred and fifty for council tax, yeah? Divide by four weeks, shared between the two of us, which leaves me with a bill of a hundred and forty-seven pounds fifty a week, which I'll owe you for my half of the bills."

"And if you divide by twenty hours, you'll get the minimum hourly rate of pay you need to earn to achieve that."

"Seven pounds thirty-eight, give or take?"

"Yes, and that's without eating out or going to the Valentine's Day party or something extra in the winter. You'll be better off in the summer, but who knows?"

Bea squealed, loudly at first, but she quickly toned it down to a muffled, "Mmf."

"Yeah, I'd be so much better off."

Bea's attention returned to her phone as she tapped away again.

"Wow, eighty pence an hour, whoopee doo!"

Her hand landed and gripped Laura's thigh as she stifled a whisper.

"I could kiss you!"

Bea's face lit up, her eyes beaming and dimples on full display, with Laura seeing a few freckles she'd never noticed before.

Laura dearly wanted her to, seeing her ruby red lips, moistened by her drink. Bea's hand squeezing her affectionately.

"And I thought it was great at seven pounds and yet I'd be thirty-eight pence down."

Bea's hand left Laura's leg, which now felt cold in its absence, and she once again tapped away at her phone.

"So at a minimum of ten an hour, I'd only have fifty-two pounds a month to help pay for food and buy stuff?"

Laura nodded. Pleased, Bea had joined up the dots without her having to spell it out or dumb it down.

"Which is why agencies are charging twenty pounds an hour."

"So, I need to decide what is the lowest I can live on as my base bottom line in any negotiations with Lou?"

Laura nodded.

"It's easier to give her a discount at a later date than to ask for a pay rise."

"We'll get another example of the costs I need to share at tomorrow's food shop. Oh, Laura, you're magnificent. Steve never shared this kind of stuff with me. But then I've never had a job before. Hey, I could also be due some sort of job seekers allowance or even short-term working benefit?"

Laura laughed, "You may, but what if in four weeks, they change their minds and you get nothing? It's best not to count your chickens before they're hatched."

Bea nodded. Her warm hand returned to Laura's thigh, sending a tingle through her. Bea's lips drew Laura's eyes once more as she chatted on excitedly, and subconsciously twizzled a lock of her hair by her ear, adding to Laura's desires.

Behind them, they heard the lounge door open and several loud male voices enter and order drinks.

Bea continued to chatter on quietly whilst unwittingly teasing Laura's fantasies as they both sipped their drinks. Once again, Laura found she had to admit to enjoying Bea's company more than anyone else she'd ever known before. She certainly made her laugh, although the doubles were helping.

Then a voice from the bar got closer and a young man walked into view, heading for the fire to warm himself, still wearing a coat and scarf. He stood for a while, then turned around to warm his back, initially looking at the bar and his friends, but then glanced at the two friends with his eyes settling on Laura.

Her anxiety levels rose as she felt his eyes study her, but he seemed vaguely familiar. He smiled and walked over. In a pause in Bea's chattering, he interjected, "It is Laura, right?"

Laura nodded, confirming that she was indeed her, half recognising the voice, but couldn't put a name to him or where she knew him from.

"Ahem, it's Dan?"

Dan looked nervously over at his friends, who were still at the bar.

"Ahh, we used go to the dance nights at the Rat & Carrot."

Laura gasped in relief.

"Oh, my god! Dan, long time no speak? How's, Ahh what's his name?"

"Ha ha, don't worry, he's long gone. I caught him two-timing me with some tramp. What about you? You seem to be doing okay?"

Bea laughed, "Dancing, are you sure we're talking about the same Laura?"

"Hey!"

"You're joking? She's a superb dancer once you get her out on the floor!"

Bea feigned a shocked look as Dan sat in the spare seat opposite them, next to their coat chair.

"Well, I'm glad you finally dumped Helen. She wasn't good for you."

Dan glanced at Bea, and with both women catching his drift, they gave embarrassed giggles.

"Oh, no," Laura coughed, clearing her throat of giggles, glancing at Bea, "She's not my girlfriend. This is Bea. We're sharing a place down the road at Little Foot Farm."

Bea blushed a deep shade of red and slowly removed her hand from Laura's leg.

"Ahh, sorry, me and my big mouth!"

Bea chirped up, unfazed.

"That's okay. You're not the first to mention it. So you're out with the boys?" She joked, nodding at the bar hidden behind the bench.

Dan laughed back. His persona changed a smidgeon, his voice whilst remaining low, became more feminine and his hand flopped from his wrist as he waved, "Ah no, old schoolmates, they're not that way inclined. I thought for ages they never knew, but I think in reality they always did and never let on. It's nice to go out and be one of the lads, once in a while. Still single and enjoying it."

"Yeah, we understand that, sister," Bea commented, lifting her glass, tilting it towards him before taking a sip.

Dan politely laughed and looked at Laura with a little disbelief.

"It's a long story, Dan."

"But Laura rescued me from the streets and destitution!"

Dan's eyes bulged, and he leaned over the table, "Ooo, sounds intriguing, pray tell."

Laura playfully slapped Bea, "He doesn't want to hear about our troubles."

Bea and Dan replied in unison, "Yes, he does!"

And with that Bea told Dan all about the last few days, with him interjecting comments in all the right places, claiming it to be fascinating. Laura rolled her eyes, embarrassed at her being placed on Bea's pedestal, and gulped at her drink, enjoying the warmth of the rum trickling down her throat.

As Bea brought them into their present visit to the pub, Dan gripped both Bea and Laura's hands.

"Right, so, as we're all single girls together, we can go to the singles' ball next Saturday. It'll be like the old days, and don't worry, you won't bump into Helen now she's up the duff."

Dan bit his lip as Laura's face dropped.

"Oh, sorry lovely, I thought you'd know that she's pregnant."

"Is that your ex?"

Bea turned to her; concerned, releasing Dan's hold on her hand and joining Dan in holding Laura's.

Dan explained, "Oh, Bea, she was a cow. After the first Covid lockdown, we had a party, and she told everyone at The Rat different stories that were blatant lies as an excuse about `going straight', but it all backfired as we all dropped her like a bad penny, hoping Laura would return."

"Where's this Rat club I've never heard about?" Bea asked.

"The Rat and Carrot is a pub in Cheltenham. It's a friendly LGBTQ-plus place. It has a hall around the back where on weekend nights they have bands or a DJ and this coming Saturday they're having a singles night, for all those who can't enjoy all the Valentine's stuff on Friday. You two should come."

"Yeah, sounds perfect, doesn't it, Laura? It'll be a laugh."

Laura shook her head in disbelief.

"Come on, I'll play wing woman again and Dan says he'll be there."

"And loads of people who miss you, with even more new girls who will want to get to know you!"

"See, I told you, legs to die for!"

Dan and Bea giggled naughtily.

"Ha ha, you tell her Bea. Make sure she comes as everyone needs a night out and it will be great to see her dancing again."

"I'll nag her into submission!"

Laura stifled a laugh.

"She's not joking. She does wear me down!"

"Hey!"

Bea slapped her leg leaving her hand there.

"Only joking!" Laura looked at Bea. "I hate to admit it, but you are fun to have around."

"See, you love it really!"

"So you'll both come?"

Laura groaned, shaking her head, "Nah, I don't know."

Whilst Bea gleefully agreed, "Yeah, why not, young, free and single, that's us!"

As Bea and Dan gleefully grinned at each other, a tall, short-haired blond man appeared from the bar.

"Dan, your drink is getting warm."

He placed a pint in front of Dan, but looked at Laura.

"Laura, I thought it was you when we walked past the window, so this must be your new girlfriend and Lou's new cleaner?"

Bea smiled and waved a hand. "Er, no, I'm not her girlfriend. I'm Bea, so you know Lou."

"Hi, I'm Phil, yeah I work at the farm. Ever since their kids, Lou's been busy, so we've been short-handed, but they've not been able to get anyone with the right experience. So by having you as cleaner, Lou is free to help on the farm, so less overtime for me and more time with the wife and my two."

Bea turned to Laura.

"So first you tell me you don't know anyone and don't want to come out and yet you seem to know everyone?"

"Firstly, Phil, no, she's not my girlfriend. Why does everyone think that?"

"Ah, sorry. It's just guy talk on the farm. I mean, we all know you're... Ahh, you prefer other women, so when another one turns up, living with you... We..."

"Yeah, you assumed. Oh and secondly Bea, I don't remember ever saying I didn't know anyone. I just didn't want to come out."

Phil and Bea both looked sheepish and apologised.

Laura nodded, accepting their apologies and continued, "But I'm glad we did come out or we wouldn't have bumped into Dan or Phil."

"Oh, I didn't know you knew Dan. We thought he was chatting you both up," Phil laughed.

Dan's eyes pleaded with the women.

Bea grinned, "He was, and was doing a pretty good job too until you arrived."

Phil raised his eyebrows, cocking his head to one side, not quite believing her. He then looked at Dan.

"Er, sorry mate, I've messed it up a bit for you."

"It's okay mate."

Dan's voice deepened slightly, and his hands stopped gesticulating and wrapped around his pint.

"So, a night out with the boys?" Laura asked.

"Yeah. Chris overheard Gloucester were playing and suggested I go to the game, as we've been doing a lot of overtime recently. Dan was free, as were Pete and Steve."

Bea's eyes bulged and glared at Laura, her face paling slightly as Laura shook her head back, knowing what conclusion she'd jumped to.

"No, not your Steve."

Laura confirmed.

Phil looked at them both, unsure of what was passing between them. Almost on cue, two other scarf-wearing men walked into view, carrying beers, as Dan cut in.

"Ah, girls, Pete & Steve. Lads, Bea and Laura."

The two men chorused back, "Hi."

The colour came back to Bea's face as she didn't recognise either voice and turned to double check and say "Hi," back.