03. A Night With Lady Magdalene

“We should better get going.” I said.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you got me out of jail, let me pay you ladies back.” She said and walked into the house.

Magdalene, or Maggie had lived a glamorous life and now she was old and she was bored. She told us that she got arrested at least once a week. She always snuck out of the house to do something to crazy.

Maggie was a Russian model that married the lead singer of a band that was huge in the 1960s she had been only 18 at the time and her husband was 32. But they had stayed married for 40 wonderful years before he passed away 10 years ago. Maggie had lost her only daughter Teresa and Teresa’s husband in a car crash when their son, Jeremy, was only two years old. Both her and her husband raised their grandson and now he was the only family she had left.

“So you were married to Vincent Clarkson, lead singer of OASIS... That band was huge, and their songs….classic, my favorite is ‘you make me wanna dance’.” Allyson gushed. We were all seated in the study entranced by stories Maggie was telling about her adventures as a teenager, memories with her husband and daughter…and how she dealt with being married to a famous rock star, but we all stopped to look at Allyson. How did she even know bands that old?

“What? My grandmother still listens to them.” She explained.

“I like that one too, very much.” Maggie said. “Some more tea ladies?” she asked

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re trying to get us drunk.” Jamie said taking a sip of her still remaining alcohol spiked tea.

“You girls just make me feel young again, I can’t remember the last time  I had any friends over much less young friends.” She laughed.

“Your husband was knighted, right, by the queen of England, so that makes you a knight’s wife, a lady...royalty. Girls we’re seating in front of royalty.” Allyson said to us. “Your estate is worth millions of dollars.” She added.

“That’s what they say, how would I know, Jeremy knows all these stuff….and technically, we aren’t ‘royalty’.” Maggie said.

“Well, to me you are.”

Maggie was carefree and fun. She had lived a full and fulfilled life. When I grow old, I’d like to be just like her.

“Why don’t you ladies spend the night here, Anthony, the butler would drop you off tomorrow morning. But first…” she said rummaging through her purse for something.

She brought out something wrapped in a handkerchief. She unwrapped the handkerchief and we all began laughing.  It contained about ten rolled blunts of weed.

“One for each of you.” She said lighting the one she picked up before lighting ours.

I was on my second blunt when Anthony came in to the study. “Lady Magdalene, Master Jeremy has just arrived, I thought I should let you know.” He said before leaving the study.

“Quick hide this. Hide everything.” She said. But we weren’t fast enough.

Jeremy walked into the smoky study in jeans and an untucked buttoned shirt with a tie hanging loosely around his neck.

“I came as soon as I could grams, I’m so sorry, I took so long, I was helping my professor. I went to the station but you were already--” he paused as soon as he saw us and then sniffed the air.

“What is going on here?” He asked.

“It’s nothing precious,” she said “come meet my new friends.”

“Nothing, you tried stealing a car today, but you have a Ferrari parked in your garage.”

“It got towed.” Jamie added.

“No it didn’t, that was her excuse…..and now you’re smoking weed with a bunch of 20 year olds.” He added.

“You’re 20?” Maggie asked.

“We’ll be turning 21 soon enough.” I said.

“This is no time for jokes, Melanie.” Jeremy said.

“Wait, what? How do you know my name.” I asked.

 He stopped and passed his hand through his hair….something his grandmother did often too. “We go to the same university. I’m your psychology lecturer’s teaching assistant.”

I paused for a second as I tried to remember him. “Oh yeah, I know you.” I said “this is your grand mom? She’s a legend.” I said.

“And you’re like a priest. Goody two shoes.” Jamie, who was also in my psychology class, said. We all laughed.

“Seriously, you think this is funny, my grandmother is 68years old and you’re letting her smoke weed. This is over.” He said grabbing the blunt from his grandmother’s hand.

"Oh, Jeremy, I just want to feel young again, Is that too much to ask for? These lovely girls are just keeping me company...” she said touching the empty cushion beside her. “come join us, baby, do this for your grandmother.”

Jeremy sighed and took a reluctant seat beside Maggie. “I was just looking out for you.”

“I know you were. Why don’t you have a blunt?” Maggie said laughing.

“Are you kidding me,” Jeremy said “that’s it…you three….. Anthony will take you to the guest rooms.”

“But---”

“Now! I need to have a talk with my grandmother.”

Jamie, Allyson and I were kept in separate rooms….. I lay on my bed for about an hour but I couldn’t sleep. My room was either beside Maggie’s or Jeremy’s, because a bit earlier I heard someone come enter the room beside mine.

With a deep breath, I got up and went out to balcony and for some fresh midnight air, standing in balcony with me was Jeremy…smoking a blunt.

“You hypocrite.” I said.

“What? This?” he asked looking at the blunt in his hand. “I never said I don’t do this, it’s just not okay when my grams does it, she could get lung cancer you know?”

“And you can’t?” I asked.

“Look, I don’t expect you to understand but my grams is all I have left in the world, and I don’t want her to endanger her health.” He  explained.

“I understand.” I said. “Can I have some?” I asked point to his blunt “I’m having trouble sleeping.” I said.

He paused “Me too.” He said as he walked over to where I was standing. Both our rooms shared the same balcony.

It was at that moment I realized he was shirtless. He was buff and had a well chiseled six pack stomach. I became conscious of myself too. I was wearing only a t-shirt that Anthony dropped off. It had  the words “You Suck” on them. He reached out to touch me, but instead touched the shirt.

"It looks good on you.”

“What?”

“The shirt, its mine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It looks good on you. You can have it if you want.”

“Really, thanks, I love it…I love shirts like this.” I explained. Not sure why.

Maybe it was his hot body that made want to cook for him…and by cook for him, I mean eat off his naked body. Or his wavy hazel coloured hair and deep eyes. Or his rugged bad boy sexy looks trapped in a good boy's body.

But whatever it was, I couldn’t resist…whatever it was…made me reach up to complete stranger and kiss him. 



to be continued......