The Devil in Love (A John Mulligan Story)

Chapter Five

 Chapter Five

A week later, Karena was marking essays; half an eye on the old Bond movie on the TV, and half wondering why she had nothing better to do on a Sunday. She could leave the marking until tomorrow since it was half term and her workload was much less this week, but she liked to get things done and out of the way.

She really did work too much, she thought. She needed to make some time to get out of the house a little more. When Tess was at home, she'd often found them activities that they could do together, but ever since she'd left for University, Karena had found herself turning to work, rather than branching out in her social life. She did have a few friends, of course, she just found it hard to make the time for them sometimes.

Strangely, her mind kept wandering to John and their date last week. She really had enjoyed herself on their date, but she knew that she'd been right to end things there. As tempting as he may be, he couldn't be good for her. Rather like that slice of cheesecake sitting in her fridge right now.

She sighed and tried to refocus her mind on the marking in front of her, when he phone rang. She didn't recognise the number.

“Hello?”

“Karena, hi, it's John.”

Talk of the devil, she thought.

“Hi.”

“Look, did you mean it after the meal, about being friends? You weren't just being polite, were you?”

“Of course not,” she said, though she wasn't sure if she meant it or not.

“Good, because I really need a friend right now!”

He sounded slightly panicked and she was feeling a little uneasy.

“What's wrong?”

“I'm looking after my sisters kid,” he said, which confused her further. “The thing is, it was easy when he was a babe; feed him, pull funny faces for a while and he was happy, but now he's a toddler and I don't know what to do with him! If I tell our Tracy, she'll probably not let me have 'im again, she's that protective.”

Suddenly Karena could hear the sound of crying begin in the background.

“See!” he said. “Help me, please?”

Karena smiled, she was an old hand at temper tantrums.

“Sure,” she was relieved actually, she had been thinking it was something much worse. “What can I do?”

“Could you come here and help me keep him entertained? Or we can meet you somewhere if you'd rather, assuming he'll let me wrestle him into the new car seat.”

“I'll come to you,” she assured him, imagining him trying to wrestle the screaming child into a new, probably not yet fitted, car seat. “Text me your address, I'm on my way now.”

“Thank you, you're a lifesaver.”

Karena smiled and hung up. She put her marking aside and ran around the flat, quickly making herself presentable.

III

John hung up the phone and smiled as he handed Thomas his ice cream back. His crying ceased immediately.

“Sorry, Tom, but if it helps any, it was in the pursuit of true love."

Thomas just grinned, pleased to have been reunited with his ice cream.

“Right, I suppose I'd better fix this place up a bit, make me look as clueless as I seem.”

Thomas said something that might have been an agreement, or could have meant 'more ice cream please'. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes.