"Wake up sleepy 'ead!!" Johns tapping on the door, a constant drumming of fingers harder-softer-harder again and I throw a pillow at the half open door hitting him fair in the head "Ouch, you little devil! Come 'ed got an appointment for you at the doctors, get that lazy arse out of bed will ya" 

The sheets are whipped off me and I immediately cover myself even though the rose pink winter nightie stretches to my ankles. "Ohhhh sexy"

"F' off John I was cold, thankfully, by the way you just tore the sheets off me bed!" I was up hands on hips and he tossed the pillow back at me laughing.

"You leave in.." He looks at the hall clock and frowns adding up the minutes to give me a final answer "in 10 minutes, hop to it"

"10 minutes, get out. Why would you do that ......10! Get out now!" I shove him out the door and he opens it again smiling at me sweetly, like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

"That was 3 minutes ago so you only have 7, ta-rah, tea is ready and Mal's taking you!"

I slammed the door and rushed through the morning's routine dressing in a yellow and white sundress with peter pan collar, yellow flats, a white wide headband and I'm done.

I grab my bag and race down the stairs to be met by Mal and John looking at me bug eyed.

"What?"

"Well I said that but it's not really for another 20 minutes, oh well, cuppa Mal?" John turned on his heel and I launched onto him, thumping his back in equal levels of mirth and grumpiness to his deceiving morning wake up call. Mal grabs me off of him before we reach the kitchen John stumbling through the doorway cracking up laughing. "Tea, Abbs?!"

As I slump in the chair closest to the back door I spy the fixings of toast on the chopping board and grab a slice, the marmalade and buttery topping melting down to give me fuel and a smile as I know damn well it's Johns.

"Hey! Now look here just because I tricked you doesn't give you access to stealing my breaky, Abigail"

"So" I mumble through another bite "Mal what gives me the pleasure of your escort?"

"Oh, luv I thought you needed saving from the swine" Mal crinkled up his eyes and covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laugh as John leered. Mal such a lovable bloke "Anyway, why not a pretty girl to meself for a few hours, can't resist" I offered him a triangle of toast and he begged off.

"Awww shucks, thanks Mal, what would Lily say if she 'eard ya say that?"

"She would probably tell you to run........ quickly" He was a right crack up, his quiet demeanour had slowly opened up to me, Paul had said that he would defrost soon, but now seeing it myself I felt lucky he was letting me in.

"Ok you too luv birds, that's enough. Now doctors, groceries, home 'ere then I'll be back by 1ish, then if you're a very good lass I will let Pattie and George come round for a visit" John, playing grown-up bossing me around was quite funny, I smirked and clapped my hands like a delighted toddler mouthing a 'yay' at him.

"Oh, thank goodness another night of trying to converse with you, John, and I might near of died of boredom" I jumped up and grabbed my bag, pulling Mal out of the house behind me, the hall mirror catching John in its reflecting smiling and shaking his head slowly.

Mal headed for the car, and I rushed back in "Ta-rah dad, I'll see you later" and kissed his cheek, he flushed. John blushing, I didn't realise he could even get embarrassed.

Mal just left, it was 2pm and he had to go to the studio to do a few last minute errands for Brian, he was being a bit strange in the end, dragging his feet about leaving, like he didn't want me to be alone, even making sure I wouldn't wander out for a walk which entailed passing through the 10 or so gate-birds standing guard.

I hadn't given them much thought as they realised I wasn't a threat to them over Paul so they dropped the bitchiness and played nice, they always asked for stuff or favours or autographs from Paul but were nice enough that I could walk through them, have a little chat and smile.

Boredom hit, I had read enough of my fiction novel I had grabbed from the newsstand near the grocery store and headed to the kitchen tossing the novel on the table, I stood hands on hips what now?

Well George and Pattie are coming round -maybe dinner or dessert? Dessert it is, they may have eaten already if they come late, Chocolate melting pudding would have George satisfied so I began making the muddy looking chocoholics heaven dessert, leaving the near finished dish ready to toss in the oven when they arrived so it would be perfectly warm and gooey.

3pm and I'm half way through this rude historical book.. it's rather, ummm, racy and I think I have blushed no less than 3 times since chapter 4. I put it down again at the end of the chapter but the words have me picking it up eager and ready for a new adventure in the girls life. I feel a bit disturbed after the next chapter and take myself for a bath, the book cast to the hall table, my mind trying to shut out the scenes that, through the written word, come bobbing to life right in front of my shut eyes.

The water is nice though and I drift, the door downstairs slams and I think every room underneath the bathroom is searched, I hear his footsteps and voice as it nears the top landing.

"Abbs are you home?" John, not a robber at all.

"I'm in the bath"

"Right ok, want your back washed"

I ignore the cheek of his remark and continue the conversation in another direction -me in the bath and him outside the door. "You're late, I was worried you had dumped me"

"Sorry, had a couple of appointments then out to Surrey. Fight with Cyn, you know, the usual" As he paces the hall outside I can hear him dragging his feet, like he doesn't care much for the polish that covers the floor.

I stand and water sheds off me, towel dried then dressed. I creep the door open.

"'ello"

"Hey" He isn't really in the hall, well he is but his mind seems to be travelling a hundred miles an hour in another direction entirely. He realises I'm watching him and offers a sad tired smile "Sorry, just pissed at me day, come on, Geo and Pats will be here soon"

Tan capris hugging my body and a blouse of olive green on top, I lift my hair to a high pony tail as we head downstairs, booby pins in teeth I question the back in front of me "mmm dinner, ohn?" He turns and takes the booby pins out of my mouth "Ta! Dinner, have they eaten?"

"Nah I doubt it an' even if they did do you really think George would turn down seconds" John deftly placed the bobby pins in my hair and I push his back into the kitchen and it's a tad cooler tonight "Noticed the steaks, want me to Barbeque 'em, I can Barbeque quite good you know"

"Sure, I'll make salad"

And we did, like a couple of old geezers nattering and joking, smoking and barbequing got underway, as the sun set I watched John hustle about checking the steaks and burning the sausages he added with them. A burst of flame absconded from the grill and he jumped back asking if he still had eyebrows.

We were quiet for a bit, the grill turned down so the food was still hot but no longer burning... waiting for the guests. Smoking again he was across from me, the eyes seemingly following my hands moving over my arms as I felt a chill, the buttons and holes were all mismatched on my shirt so I fixed them top to bottom all the while his eyes trailing away after my fingers. I blushed and he glanced up guiltily.

As if he had a dog's sense of smell George raced through the door as we walked in carrying the steaks and snags. I thought to put them in the oven to keep them hot.

They never made the oven.

"I'm bloody starved, give us a sausage" George grabbed the poor sausage and even with the thing being burning hot he tossed it down like a seal chowing down on a fish at the zoo.

The dinner was lovely. Pattie and I had decided the patio was warm enough from the still oily smouldering hotplate so we set up the salad and plates, everyone hooking into the food and George and John tossing song ideas about , while Pattie and I chatted about the doctors.

"So what do you have to do?"

"Eat a steak a day apparently, brocolli and spinach too, ugh"

"Spinach is ok if you're a rabbit" George broke in, the cigarette in his hand dangling "but a human- that's daft, the stuffs not wonderful, that's my opinion any way"

"Why the spinach, Abbs" John cleared the plates and sat back down, rubbing his arms, it was cooling now as the sun settled to bed.

"I'm anaemic and need vitamins, big bottle in on the top of the fridge, and need to eat apparently"

"Well if you don't eat you do tend to die as a result" George tendered.

"Monopoly anyone?" John stood and nodded toward the kitchen table. "What is that bloody smell ?"

"Shit" I skited into the kitchen like the wrath of Satan was on my heels, the boys and Pattie following behind in due course "shit, shit, shit".

"John if you are teaching word of the day profanity again I will report you to Paul" George deadpanned, craning his head over my shoulder as I picked burnt corners off the ruined dessert.

"Here give us a piece of that you tossed, Miss Abigail can't have food wastage, there's a famine in Ethiopia you know" George tutted.

As he nibbled and tapped his chin deciding, I caught a glimpse of John smiling at me as he listened to Pattie, in his ear about something that I couldn't hear.

George nodded finally and took over cutting and serving my creation.

"Oh. My. God. Abby" Pattie looked like she had died and gone to heaven "This is.........Get your spoon out of my dish George!! If you weren't such a piggie gulping it down like that you could still be savouring it.... like so" Pattie grabbed a spoonful eyes shooting heavenward, orgasmic sounds tumbling from her slightly chocolate covered lips, she moaned again and I blushed remembering the book I had been reading.

I had the whole get a guy thing so bad, sex crazed hooligan I am. If a spoonful of gooey chocolate dessert rocked me.....

I stood and collected the now near clean dessert bowls, George had basically licked his clean, there wasn't much left at all.

Monopoly was abandoned at midnight, John chucking a tantrum because Pattie put Hotels on Mayfair and Park Lane, bankrupting him twice. The first time we let him borrow from the bank, the second we stopped his with-drawl.

George grinned and whispered in my ear as Pattie crawled over the floor collecting money and hotels "There, now that Abb, is a sore loser. Can't stand it that one" John was still whinging when he kicked his little money bag token toward Pattie by the fireplace "You should here some of the cock and bull stories he comes up with when one of us one up's him. A right pr-"

"George! Go the fuck home and stop dragging my good name down in Abigail's ear" A grimacing, John picked George up bodily as George continued.

"I guffawed "Good name!?" I was silenced with a death stare. 

"You see Abby, sore loser" George was at the front door with John still clipping his ear "Pattie save me!" I heard the door open and shut, only John returned.

"Pattie, it's been delightful but if you ever bankrupt me again I will toss George to the Beatles scruffs at Saville Row -naked" Pattie and I giggled as she bundled both her and Georges jackets in her hands.

"So I'll see you not tomorrow, the next day, what's that? Wednesday. Ok about 10, right John?" Pattie yelled at John who was ignoring us and reading a book at the fireplace, he just ended up nodding his head in agreement.

"That's late. Why?" I questioned as Pattie and I walked through the hall to the door.

"We are going out, all of us, to the Bag O'Nails- "

The door sneaked open "Hurry up Pat. I'll freeze me whatsit off if you're not quick!" George smiled sweetly at me then, pulled Pattie out the door in the middle of our conversation.

"Sounds like a hardware shop not a night club"

"You'll see. You'll see" Pattie grinned and I kissed her cheek then she was gone.