Dark And Light

Maddy's Week

One Week Later and Maddy was on the way to meet her sister. She was travelling in a taxi as she couldn’t be bothered to get the underground. What a week she’d had, the best week of her life but this was it now; she was meeting her sister, just as they’d planned. She was and wasn’t looking forward to it, looking forward to seeing her sister because she’d decided that from now on she’d definitely stay in touch with her, she’d missed her and hadn’t realised how much and now she’d lived in Mia’s shoes she kind of knew what she’d been through and it wasn’t what she had thought it would be like at all.

So this was it, the week was up and she wasn’t looking forward to seeing her in the other respect because of what was about to be said. She put her head back against the seat of the taxi and watched the buildings as they flashed by, remembering the week she’d had…

…When she’d got back to the flat Judy was kind of waiting for her, she’d obviously seen her arriving and the front door was open.

“You left your phone here,” she said, the phone in her hand. “He’s rung twice, wondering where you are.”

“Who?” said Maddy but of course knowing who. It must have been Mike, it had to be.

“Mike, that’s who Mia,” said Judy. “I answered the second time and he sounded desperate to speak to you, what are you playing at? He sounds really keen.” Judy said pacing up and down, obviously angry with me.

“I just don’t think it will work out with him,” I said going through to the kitchen and getting myself a drink out of the fridge. I still couldn’t believe that Judy couldn’t guess that I was Maddy, wasn’t it obvious? Although we looked alike we were totally different in character, we had little mannerisms that would give us away, wouldn’t they?

“How?” she said. “He sounds so nice and I know you like him, you do like him don’t you?” she said leaning on the work surface, watching me. I wished she wouldn’t just look at me like that. She’d guess any minute that I wasn’t Mia, I knew she would, it was like living on eggshells with her all the time, so I just glanced away and walked off back into the living room and slumped down onto the sofa. She handed me the phone. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you just lately, before I went away you were so miserable and going on about getting old and getting grey hair and wrinkles, you’re only 21 Mia, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you still, I don’t get it and now this Mike wants to be with you and you’re not giving him a chance.” she said slumping down next to me.

She put the phone between us. “I think you should call him anyway, I think you should explain to him that you don’t want to see him and to stop calling you up, tell the guy he has no hope and just for the record, I think you’re mad, he sounds so decent.”

“He is, he’s great, I like his company, that night we spent was just great,” I said dreaming to myself.

”You spent the night with him?” said Judy.

I turned to her, forgetting that she didn’t know.

“Yes. It was great,” I said, and then blushed.

“So you like him, so…why do you think it wouldn’t work?” she said with more of a gentle tone.

“He lives so far away and is on the road a lot.”

“So? You’re fed up with your work, you could travel with him too, it can work, don’t turn this away,” she said.

I’d grown to like Judy and I never ever thought I’d say that. When we were younger she ignored me, just hung out with Mia. She barely looked at me but then I’d been the same, I’d hated the way she dressed, the music she liked, her attitude to things but then that was ages ago and we’d all changed slightly.

“Mia, call him, see what he has to say, give him a chance, as you say he’s a good guy, don’t leave him wondering if you don’t want to see him then have the decency and maturity to tell him.” She said and I knew she was right.

I picked the phone up and went through to the bedroom and when he answered my stomach leapt just hearing his voice, deep and toe curling.

“Hey Mia, I’m so glad you called back, your friend Judy explained that you’d left your phone behind but I’m glad you called, I was wondering if you’d like to join me at the BBC studios this evening. We’re being interviewed and afterwards there’ll be food and drinks and then may be we can go onto a club, that is if you’re not doing anything,” he suddenly decided to say.

I gave in.

“Mike, I’d love to see you,” and I did, I desperately wanted to see him, my heart was telling me to see him but my head knew it was wrong. I’d make this the last time I thought then tomorrow I’d tell him, tell him that there were to be no more phone calls and no more dates.

But how wrong I was because that night was even better than the last time we’d met up. I’d had a great time at the studios and I’d watched them being interviewed from the side. Afterwards Mike came straight over to me, obviously taking delight in the fact that I’d enjoyed the show. The guys had a drink and a bite to eat before they played the show out. They sang Boulevard of Broken Dreams and it brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat just watching them, these guys that I’d loved since I was young were right here in front of me, playing so wonderfully and the guy that I’d held close to my heart, whose personality and kindness were even more than I would ever have imagined was standing there and I knew I couldn’t do it, right then at that moment I knew I couldn’t leave him.

So I didn’t, all week I’d spent with him, wherever he went I went too. We’d done everything together and I’d spent most of the week at his hotel. My mind wasn’t on my meeting with Mia at all, my mind had been with Mike…

…But now, as the taxi pulled up outside the café, I knew it was going to come to an end. Mike told me last night that he loved me and I told him that I was meeting up with my sister the next day, he’d insisted on coming and he was sitting beside me now in the taxi, waiting to meet my sister, not even realising that he’d met her before and that she was the real Mia and I was an imposter.

How would he feel about me now?