Breaking Up and Making Up

"Well, Nobody's Perfect!" Joe E. Brown 'Some Like It Hot' Nikkie Silk

Chapter One

Danny stood at the bar and looked around the pub. It wasn't his usual, but this one had looked bright and warm from the outside on a gray, rainy day. The after work rush wouldn't start for a couple of hours or so yet, so there were only a few old boys who looked like regulars, nursing their pints and looking miserable, cursing the smoking ban. A couple at a table in the corner seemed to be in the middle of an argument. The girl looked upset, and the man seemed to be trying to apologise to her for something.

He had enough problems of his own to keep him busy for months, so he didn't have any time to spare for other people's troubles. Danny ordered a pint, and as he waited for the barman to pour it, he looked round just at the moment the girl in the corner slammed her hand down on the table, angrily got up, grabbed her coat and ran out of the pub. The man with her had his head down and appeared to be crying. Poor sod, he thought, it looks like he's been dumped. Danny knew how that felt.

Turning back as the barman put his pint on the bar, Danny paid and took a long pull of the beer. It was a decent pint, malty and dark, which matched Danny's mood right now. He had just come from a meeting with his Director, who had told him that the company was going to have to let him go. Let me go? Danny snorted, that was the kind of language a gutless little weasel like him would use. As if it had been my choice to leave, not theirs. The company had been taken over by an American media company and everyone knew that there would be lay offs. Danny had hoped he wouldn't be one of them. A redundancy package which would keep him going for a while, and he thought it wouldn't be too difficult to get himself a new job. Danny thought could use his network of contacts to get himself something quickly.

In the middle of this internal monologue, he sensed the guy from the table standing next to him at the bar, trying to pay his tab. Danny turned to look at him out of curiosity. They were about the same age, but the man was taller and more well built than Danny. It reminded Danny that his enforced free time would allow him to get to the pool more often, he could do with losing a pound or two himself. The guy was trying to attract the barman's attention, who was busy serving another customer. He had been weeping, as his eyes were red rimmed, and Danny suddenly felt sorry for him.

'Bad day, huh?' Said Danny.

He turned to Danny and said, 'What? What did you say?'

'I said, it looks as if you've had a bad day.'

He looked at Danny with an angry look on his face.

'Really, you think so?' The sarcasm aimed to sting, but Danny let it go.

'Me too,' said Danny, 'I've had a bloody awful one too.'

'Look mate,' said the guy, 'what do you know about me that lets you say something like that? You know nothing about me.'

Danny shrugged and was going to turn away, when the man said, 'I'm sorry, that wasn't called for. I'm just upset right now.'

'That's OK,' said Danny, stuck his hand out and said, 'Danny, Danny Albright. Alright Albright, they call me.'

The guy looked down at Danny's outstretched hand, considering whether to shake it or ignore the man. He decided and shook the outstretched hand, saying, 'Carl, Carl Jones.'

'OK, Carl, I hate drinking alone, especially today, how about I buy you a pint?'

'No, honestly, thanks but no,' said Carl. He tried to get the barman's attention, but he was now changing one of the barrels in the cellar.

'Come on, Carl, it won't hurt, I have had a shitty day too. Have a drink with me.'

Carl looked at him, as if hearing Danny for the first time, 'What's happened to you?'

'Only been fired this morning,' Danny looked at his watch, 'been unemployed precisely two hours now. I've been walking around since trying to get my head straight.'

'Yea, that's shitty alright,' Carl said, then realising what he had said, 'Oh, sorry, that wasn't deliberate, shitty alright, I mean, that's your name, right?'

Danny laughed, 'Well, the way my luck's been running recently, that's not too far off the mark.'

'Maybe I should buy you a drink then.' said Carl, still flustered at what he had said.

'Nah, I asked you first, what'll you have?'

Carl asked for a pint of lager and Danny finally got the barman's attention and ordered the lager.

'You had some bad luck recently, then?' Carl said, thinking he would probably regret asking.

'You mean other than being fired, my wife leaving me, crashing the car, losing my winning lottery ticket and the goldfish dying?'

Carl looked at him to see if he was joking.

Danny laughed at the expression on Carl's face. 'Well the last two haven't happened yet, but the first three certainly have, all in the past nine months.'

Carl smiled for the first time since they began talking, 'Thank God the goldfish is still alive then.'

Danny said, 'Yeah, it would be if I had one.' Which made them both laugh.

'I'm sorry Danny, for what I said earlier I mean, about what do you know about me and all that. It was pretty nasty of me. I was well out of order, you've had a rough time.'

'Yea, it's been a bit rocky, I admit, but you looked pretty cut up over there.'

Carl debated about what and how much to say, before looking down at his drink and saying, 'She was my girlfriend, or more exactly my ex-girlfriend. We had been together a couple of years and she decided she wanted something different. I was trying to patch things up, and as you can see it didn't go well.'

'It always hurts when it happens, Carl, I know it's trite but time does make a difference. It's been 9 months since my break up.'

'Does it feel any better?'

Danny thought for a minute, 'It still feels bad, but not as often, if that makes sense.'

They had finished their drinks, and Carl bought the same again, as he felt he owed Danny one. As he waited to be served, Carl wondered why Danny had spoken to him. He stole a glance at Danny as he chatted to an old timer who was also waiting to be served. He thought Danny looked a bit scruffy, with his faded jeans, t-shirt, blond hair in a ponytail, but he seemed friendly enough and Carl felt it might be good to take his mind off Simone for a while. Carl guessed Danny also needed somebody to talk to after what had happened to him. The drinks arrived and Carl suggested they move to a table instead of standing at the bar.

Over the second pint, they found they had a lot in common; a love of Arsenal football club, Indian food, old movies and Elmore Leonard novels. They agreed about the best Arsenal team - the unbeaten invincibles - but argued about politics. Danny was Labour and Carl Conservative, but with a small c. They both loved 'Some Like it Hot' and 'North by Northwest', but Carl loved Grace Kelly, and Danny thought Eva Marie Saint sexier.

The second pint turned into a third, and when they finished their fourth, Carl said he hadn't eaten all day and suggested going for something to eat. Danny knew a great Indian place round the corner, and so they headed off there, both of them a little drunk by this time. They ordered their food, and a silence descended. Carl broke it first, 'It annoyed when you spoke to me in the pub, Danny. I'm glad you did, I needed this, I would have gone home and stewed about things.'

'Me too, Carl, It's been good for me too, thanks,' They clinked their glasses in the way that men do and said, 'Cheers.'

Danny said, 'Oh Lordy, I almost forgot, are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon?'

'No, why?'

Danny hunted around in his pockets and produced a ticket. 'The company has a box at the Emirates and they have given me two tickets for the game tomorrow against Chelsea as a sweetener. They're like gold dust, do you want to come along? Free food and booze and everything.'

Carl felt a bit woozy by this time, but he thought why not? He could never get a ticket for that game and it would keep his mind off other things.

'Yes, I would love to, if you're sure.'

'No problems, I didn't have a clue who to invite for the other ticket, so as a fellow gooner, you're more than welcome.'

They swapped phone numbers and after arranging to meet at Arsenal tube station the next afternoon, they made their way to their homes, each carrying a burden that had been only partly lifted by their evening together. Both slept badly, waking in the small hours as the reality of what had happened the previous day sank in.

Carl reached across to where his girlfriend would have slept, and his heart dropped when he realised she was not there.

Danny lay on his back with his hands behind his head as he worried about finding a new job, deciding he would have to start calling people on Monday.

They met as planned before the game and dropped into a pub for a drink before heading to the stadium. When two London teams play each other, it always becomes a tribal affair; north London against south, Arsenal red against Chelsea blue, grit against swagger, yet another full blooded encounter in a long running and bitter rivalry. It ended up close, as they often are, with Arsenal edging the result in the last minute. Danny and Carl were ecstatic, high-fiving and hugging each other at the final whistle, each of them relishing the opportunity to forget their problems for a while, and finding solace in the shared joy of being a fan.

'Danny, that was brilliant, thanks for the invitation, I would have had to watch it on TV. Let me pay you back somehow. How about dinner tonight? My treat.'

Danny looked at Carl, still giddy with excitement and smiled, 'Sure, why not? where do you fancy?'

'Why not Brick Lane? It's Bangladeshi, great cooking.' Carl's enthusiasm was evident and Danny willingly agreed as it had been a some time since he had been there. They managed to squeeze onto a crowded train which gave Danny a chance to think about Carl. Danny didn't have many male friends as his girlfriend had pulled him away from the few he had before their marriage. It seemed to him that she had seen him as a project, a man to be shaped and remodelled.

Danny couldn't believe his luck when Jessica came on to him. Jess was pretty, vivacious and dominant. She called the shots most of the time, and Danny followed her lead. She decided when they did things, where they went, even to when and how they had sex. She liked to play games in the bedroom, usually with him being the submissive partner. Once or twice she had him wear her panties during sex, which he had secretly enjoyed, but had drawn the line when she wanted to use a dildo on him. He had gone along with most of it; Jess was beautiful, the sex was great, and he loved her. Unknown to him, however, she had other admirers, and one of those eventually took her away from him.

He had struggled after the break up; compared to Jess, other girls seemed dull and uninteresting, and after a few disastrous dates, he gave up. Online porn became his release, and he spent many evenings in front of his computer, lost in the fantasy world on screen. He had never realised there were so many varieties of sexual fantasy available at the click of a mouse. He loved the story sites as much as the video ones and spent many hours reading the stories he found there.

Danny had tried to pick up with his old friends, but it seems that they had moved on, some had families now and didn't want to reconnect. Danny hadn't set out to make friends with Carl, he had only spoken to him in the pub because he felt sorry for him, but they seemed to click. Carl was easy to talk to, liked many of the same things that Danny did and seemed happy to have found a friend. It had been good to see Carl so happy at the football. He thought It had been a good idea to invite him.

Carl gave up his seat on the train to a woman wearing a 'Baby On Board' badge, and that made him feel good. He felt manners counted; it didn't take much effort to be kind. He took the opportunity to study Danny as he sat on the train, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Danny didn't look as scruffy as Carl had at first thought. His ponytail was well cared for, unlike the greasy, unkempt ones you often see. He stood a few inches shorter than Carl, slim, and striking blue eyes which flashed when he smiled. He thought it had been generous of Danny to reach out to him in the pub, and Carl flushed at the thought of how he had initially reacted to Danny's gesture. Everything had gone better after that and it had been good to be with someone after Simone had left him in the pub. He felt a sting as he thought of her and blinked away a tear. Danny had been funny, despite his own problems, and Carl had been touched when he offered him the ticket. That had been a true act of kindness, thought Carl. He hoped that he and Danny would stay friends, he thought he would enjoy Danny's company.

They tumbled out of the train at Shoreditch and made their way to Brick Lane where Carl had a favourite restaurant among the many that lined the Lane. Home to waves of immigrants for hundreds of years, the latest incomers had been from Bangladesh, and their cooking had created what had become Bangla Town. It's a bright, vibrant and crowded place, but they found a table in Carl's favourite restaurant and quickly ordered some beers and food.

As well as talking about the match and how well Arsenal would do this year, they discovered more about each other as the meal went on; Carl cycled, Danny swam to keep fit, Carl liked dogs, Danny cats, and both hated golf. Danny talked about his job as a graphic designer and Carl confessed to being a management consultant. Without being fully aware of it, each one felt drawn to the other, both needing a friend who could help each other through a bad time.

As the remnants of the meal were cleared away, Danny offered to pay his share, but Carl insisted on paying the whole bill in return for the football. They had a final beer together in the Pride of Spitalfields before setting off home, when to their surprise, they discovered that they lived only a mile apart from each other in Putney and agreed to share a taxi home. As the cab stopped to let Carl out, Danny promised to give him a call during the week for a drink.

As promised, Danny rang Carl, and they met for a drink in a local pub. Then one of them, they couldn't remember who, suggested they go together to watch a movie they both wanted to see. Quickly, they became close friends, meeting regularly for drinks or dinner or a film. They had come to value each others company and began to share more and more about themselves. Two strangers, brought together by chance, had discovered a friendship neither had intended, but which both now began to look forward to.

Chapter Two

One evening, Carl called Danny to invite him over to his flat for dinner the following Saturday. For some reason, Danny hesitated, going to someone else's place seemed a big step, and would take their friendship to a new level. He shrugged and said, 'Thanks, I would love to. Will there be anyone else?'

Carl said, 'I've invited my upstairs neighbours as well. I have to tell you, though, they're gay. Well, lesbian to be exact, but they're lovely girls.'

Danny laughed, 'So you want me as cover? Do you want me to be your latest boyfriend?'

Carl snorted, 'You're not my type, honey.'

'OK, what time? I'll bring a bottle, right?'

'Is 7 OK? You don't have to bring a bottle, but I'm guessing you will, anyway. It's my homemade chilli, so a bottle of red?'

Danny arrived at the address Carl had given him a little after 7. He had walked from his flat and had bought a bottle of good red wine on the way. He whistled as he saw the building, a detached Edwardian villa that had been converted into apartments which looked expensive. Danny knew Carl had the garden flat, so he rang the bottom bell and heard it ringing somewhere inside. The door opened and a strikingly beautiful woman stood there.

Danny said, 'Oh, I'm sorry, have I rung the wrong bell?'

'Not If your name is Danny, Hi, I'm Julia from upstairs, Carl asked me to let you in.'

'Hi, Julia, nice to meet you.' They shook hands and Julia led him through into the apartment. Danny didn't know whether to look at Julia's backside wiggling away in front of him or the apartment, both looked equally stunning. Julia looked back as he sneaked a peek at her bum, she grinned and said, 'Come on through to the kitchen and meet my far better half.'

Danny thought Julia beautiful; long straight blonde hair, short tight black skirt barely hiding legs that went up for ever and a smile to die for. Danny felt his cock stirring and thought, 'Stop it, she's off limits.' They entered a huge room that must have run across the whole width of the house. At least two rooms had been knocked into one large, open-plan kitchen and dining area, with sliding doors that opened out into the garden. The doors were closed as it was still too cold to go outside, but Danny could see a well tended garden and patio area outside. Carl stood by the range cooker stirring what Danny assumed from the smell to be the chilli.

'Hi Danny, you've met Julia, I see.' Julia waggled her fingers at him over a large glass of white wine. 'Let me introduce Siobhan, Julia's partner. No, sorry, I mean wife.'

A tall red haired woman stepped forward and offered her hand to Danny, 'That's right, Julia made an honest woman out of me a few weeks ago. Pleased to meet you Danny.'

Danny shook her hand and said, 'Well, congratulations to both of you. That's wonderful.'

If Danny had thought Julia beautiful, then Siobhan almost took his breath away. A little taller than him, she had green eyes, and hair for which a pre-raphaelite painter would have sold his soul to get onto canvas. She had the hint of an Irish lilt to her voice, which probably explained the red hair.

Carl put a glass of red wine into his hand and said, 'Here's to Julia and Siobhan, two of the sweetest and best neighbours that anyone could wish to have. Congratulations on your marriage.'

They all raised their glasses and drank to the toast.

'Is this a celebration dinner then?' Danny asked.

'Sort of,' said Carl, 'I missed the wedding. Simone and I were in the middle of breaking up and it had been a bad day.'

'Sorry about that,' said Julia.

'Not your fault, Jools.' said Carl.

'Well, at least she won't cramp your style any more.' said Siobhan.

Danny caught Julia shooting Siobhan a look and wondered what that meant. Danny also noticed Carl had reddened a little and guessed that Carl had been playing away from home and had got caught. He and Carl had never talked about why he and Simone had broken up, Danny didn't want to open fresh wounds with his new friend. If Carl wanted to talk about it, he would sometime.

'So, Danny, what brought you into Carl's life?' said Siobhan. She fixed him with her eyes and he felt slightly intimidated by this beautiful woman.

'We bumped into each other in a pub, we got talking and it kind of took off from there.' said Danny.

Carl yelled over from the cooker, 'It was the day Simone finally broke up with me. Danny may well have saved my life that day.'

'Hardly, I was grateful to talk to someone as well, remember?'

'Oh, why?' Julia had moved to stand the other side of Danny. Danny realised he was being book ended by two of the most glamourous women he had ever met. Julia was a classic Nordic blonde, tall and slender, easy to laugh and with a naughty look in her eyes. Siobhan was smaller than Julia, but with her shock of red hair and green eyes, she had an air of mysticism that made Danny think of misty autumn mornings in the countryside.

'I had been fired at lunchtime. Sorry, not fired, Let go was what they called it.'

'Arseholes,' Julia said.

'Jools, you have such a potty mouth.' said Siobhan.