A Girl Called Tegi (3 page)

‘Beryl is engaged to be married,’ she said.

Tony nodded. ‘I saw the ring on her finger.’ His
smi
le was wholly charming. ‘Am I still in your bad books?’

‘I don’t know you well enough to form an opinion of you.’

‘Then give me the benefit of the doubt and allow me to take you home?’

Tegi hesitated and watched him take the bag filled with groceries from her hand. He wasted no time in
placing
them on the back of his bike and putting on
the
gloves. Then she was heaving herself on to the
bi
ke behind him.

The swift rush of air as he set off at speed made her cheeks glow and her whole body inside the
raincoat glowed. Problems receded, and she closed her
e
yes. She was flying through space hugging the handsomest, most exciting man she had ever met. Life look on a new and wonderful dimension.
She forgot she was on one of the machines that
sh
e hated because of what they had done to her
father.
She was being swept along the crest of a wave,
and
all because she was with Tony Mastroni.

At her request he dropped her off at the end of the lane leading to the house.

‘Come out with me this evening?’ he said, giving her the plastic bag of groceries.

His gaze was very direct and she lowered her own, deciding on frankness.

‘What about Dorothy, my sister?’ she asked.

‘Dorothy?’ The message did not appear to get through to him.
‘What about her?’

‘I was in a cafe in Douglas today,’ Tegi said. ‘I saw you both. I saw the way she was looking up at you
,
and she kissed you.’

Tony frowned and she thought how thick his eyelashes were. A girl had not a chance against him. ‘And you thought there was something in it?’ he said, and stopped. ‘I can see you did.’ He sighed
. ‘I
was in the hotel bar waiting for my friend Bart to have lunch when Bart arrived with his girl-friend and Dorothy. Your sister had met him on his way to the hotel and he invited her to join us for lunch.’

Tegi said slowly, ‘And afterwards you all walked along the street and Dorothy kissed you for the lunch?’

‘Something like that. I don’t remember what the kiss was for exactly. It was of no importance.’

Tegi bristled at his arrogance. ‘Not to you...’

‘Why should it be?’ he cut in. ‘I am being kissed al
l
the time.’

‘How nice for you,’ she said stiffly.

He just stared, then said slowly, ‘I think we had better get one thing straight. I am a kind of celebrity in a way—a star in the racing world. Girls are always running up to us to kiss us. It is a kind of show business.’

She could not think of a thing to say beneath tha
t
cool gaze. Tony had taken off his gloves and was idly hitting the open palm of a hand with them.

He went on, ‘Those days have gone when girls shyly approached us for autographs. They have few
i
nhibitions and are more free with their favours. If I
were
to take every kiss a girl gave me seriously, I would need a harem in which to keep the donors.’

Tegi laughed and felt a prig. What he said made
sense.

‘I didn’t want Dorothy to be hurt. She’s very young, only twenty, and she has a lot to learn,’ she said seriously.

‘And you?’ His eyes were keenly probing.

‘I’m twenty-five.’

He smiled. His teeth were a bar of whiteness in his limned face.

‘So you look eighteen and are twenty-five. I am
t
wenty-nine. You see, I have been around quite some
t
ime.’

She coloured beneath his mockery. ‘I don’t think ti
me
matters where a man is concerned, especially if
he
’s attractive. Besides, some young girls go for older men,’ she said.

‘True,’ he conceded. ‘But every man’s life is governed by the type of man he happens to be and
the
type of woman who most appeals to him.’ His eyes narrowed and again she noticed the strong,
t
hick lashes. ‘Your sister is not my type. Even if she were, I would not be hers.’

‘How can you be sure of that?’

‘Because I could take my pick of dozens of girls like your sister who just worship an image, not a real man. I am not saying this out of a sense of bragging, neither do I attribute it to my animal charm. I am merely stating a fact.’

He was smiling at her with a charm which made her feel warm and wonderful, and she smiled back.

‘Will you come out with me this evening?’ he asked.

Tegi’s heart was thudding. Idiot, her common sense urged, to be impressed by insolent good looks and physical charm. He can turn it on for every female he comes into contact with. Spare a thought for all those distracted females who’ve been left pining for him.

But this is me, Tegi, her heart cried. I’ve been longing for something like this to happen, and now it has I’m scared.

Tony could have read her thoughts. ‘Scared?’ he queried
!
‘
You need not be. I can behave like a perfect gentleman.’

He was laughing at her again and it stung. Besides, he was too near for her to think straight until memory prodded.

‘I can’t this evening,’ she told him, recalling two entreating brown eyes beneath an untidy thick mop of brown hair. ‘I’m making some football shorts for Gary, my small brother. It has to be a rush job because he’s playing tonight in the junior team.’

‘I
see. And where is he playing?’

‘On the football field on the left to the entrance of the park.’

‘I could see you afterwards?’

‘Sorry, I promised to go to see him play.’ She laughed tenderly. ‘I have to go to cheer him on to victory. He loves football next best to Sam.’

He looked startled. ‘And who is Sam?’

‘His mouse. If I were more partial to Sam I’m sure he’d ask me to take him with me to the match.’

Tony smiled. ‘Well, good luck with the shorts and
.
.. er Sam. Happy to have been of service to you.
’

Tegi felt herself dismissed. She turned and walked down the lane, to be met by Gary, who threw himself at her.

‘Come on!’ he cried impatiently. ‘I’m sure you won’t finish my shorts in time for the match.’ His eyes alighted on the plastic bag of groceries she carried and he beamed. ‘Anything in there for me?’ he
a
sked.

Tegi tapped the eager fingers on the bag. ‘Behave yourself
!’
she grinned.

Further words died on her lips as the sound of a motorbike split the silence like a pistol shot. Tony had gone when she turned round. It was all over too soon, that glamorous world she had glimpsed before returning to the clamorous one again.

The last stitch had been put in the shorts, Tegi had pressed them and Gary was away with them in his hand. Dorothy had been asked to go with them to the football match of small boys, but she, being more interested in the bigger ones, had declined.

Their mother and father had been invited out for the evening and Joe Kelly had come to fetch them in his car. Dorothy had cadged a lift and had gone with them.

At the football ground the air was crackling with excitement. Hope that both sides would win was a living thing. Tegi saw one or two girls she knew. They were married now with small children of their own, and she waved to them before going to a centre seat where Gary would see her cheering him on.

She was wearing a figure-hugging sweater in the bold stripes of the football colours and black jeans.
Colin
edged along the row of steps towards her between hordes of children and adults decorating the tiers of seats.

‘I’ve been to your home and there was no one in,’ he said, sitting down beside her.

Tegi’s colour deepened guiltily. ‘Sorry, I forgot to tell you about Gary’s football match. I have to take him home afterwards and see that he goes to bed. The: rest of the family are out.’

He said, ‘I can’t stay long. Mother isn’t very well.’

Tegi bit her lip. Colin was an only son and his mother in her opinion, was over-possessive. Colin was too easy-going and let her put on him. The girl who married him would have to be strong-minded enough to triumph in the tug-of-war which would eventually ensue.

She said, ‘You could have persuaded her to come with you. We could have gone back to the house afterwards for a coffee when Gary had gone to bed.’

He laughed. ‘Can you imagine Mother among this lot?’

Tegi bristled. ‘Why not? I’m here and so are a lot of our friends, yours and mine.’

He coloured up to the roots of his ginger hair. ‘You k
n
ow Mother. It’s hardly her scene.’

Tegi had to smile, picturing the small elegant figure of his mother exchanging her pastel cashmere sweater for one in bold football colours. Gradually the shuffling around her ceased and an excited buzz greeted the young players as they tripped , out on to the field. It was a perfect summer evening. Everyone was out to enjoy the game, but to Tegi it became more than that.

She looked around during the interval at the young mothers coping with the demands of their offspring. Was this what she wanted—this world of cans of Coke and potato crisps? Surely there were other things to choose from?' Did the choice have to be so limited?

Could she stand a life with Colin returning one day to this very football ground with several young ginger-haired aspiring players? Tegi wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run to.

Colin left just before the end of the match, which came all too soon. Tegi picked up her woolly jacket, said her goodbyes to her friends and picked her way between anxious mothers gathering their children for home and bed.

‘We didn’t score,’ Gary said disgustedly.

Tegi put her arm around him as they set out for home.

‘There’ll be other days,’ she told him consolingly. ‘In any case, you got in some pretty nifty footwork.’

He gazed up at her with a delightful smile. ‘Do you really think so?’ he said.

‘I know so,’ she said, and hugged him.

The big car slid alongside them. Tegi caught her breath at the picture they made, a dirt-spattered small boy and his sister sporting football colours for all to see.

The thought occurred to her that had Tony Mastroni had been one hundred per cent British he would no doubt have been a rugger supporter, but what did she care? He was smiling as he flung open the car door.

‘Can I take you home?’ he asked politely.

Tegi pulled herself together and spoke on breath regained.

‘I’m afraid we’re ... too grubby ... that is, Gary is. We’d mess up your car,’ she stammered, ignoring Gary’s tug at her sweater. ‘Thanks all the same.’

Fiercely, Gary whispered, ‘Let’s get in. I want a ride in it. Please, Tegi
!’

She floundered as her eyes became entangled with dark ones over her brother’s tousled head. Something wonderful brightened the waning light of the summer evening as she tore her gaze away and looked down at Gary’s eager face.

She thought fleetingly, who am I to deprive him of the pleasure of taking a ride in the car of his dreams? By the time they reached the house she was almost back to normal. Her breathing was still irregular as she thanked Tony for the lift home.

As Gary ran on ahead into the house she said a trifle unsteadily, ‘Would you like to come in for a coffee?’

Again she had to lower her eyes from his dark intent gaze, wishing he did not affect her so much. He did this kind of thing to all the girls, of course, and she knew it as well as he did.

His easy-going acceptance of her invitation, the relaxed precision with which he moved with no sign of
the silly dithering his presence subjected her to, annoyed her profoundly, and it was with some satisfaction that she shut him in the lounge with a pile of her father’s motorbike manuals.

Gary was no trouble. She ran his bath water and made his bedtime drink while he washed. He was
tired out with all the excitement and play and he went to bed willingly enough.

Within a short space of time, Tegi had washed, changed into a fine jersey wool dress, brushed her hair and used a little make-up. Then she dashed into the kitchen.

‘Can I help?’

Tony was in the kitchen doorway as she reached for the coffee. She turned with a heightened colour as he took his time looking her over. Her hair gleamed softly in the light and her eyes were green pools of loveliness.

‘I seem to be causing a lot of trouble,’ he drawled. ‘How about coming out with me for a run in the car and a drink somewhere? The boy is all right if we leave him, I suppose?’

She nodded. Her will was no longer her own. Letting him take over, she rushed upstairs for a coat and peeped in on Gary on the way. He was already fast asleep.

In the warm intimacy of the car she felt him slide in behind the wheel beside her. Already her heart was thumping so hard against her ribs she was sure he could hear it.

The car slid like a long sleek ghost along leafy lanes where trees met overhead and gradually she relaxed.

‘Were you surprised to see me?’ Tony asked casually as he put on speed.

‘Yes, I was,’ she answered frankly. ‘Were you checking up on me to see if I was telling the truth about my commitments at home?’

‘No. I knew you were telling the truth, because girls
usually come out with me at first invitation unless they have a pressing engagement.’

Tegi’s eyes were dark fire. ‘Lucky you,’ she said caustically. ‘I can almost imagine the draught as they come running.’

‘You misunderstand me,’ he said coolly. ‘I was merely stating a fact. If you are going to regard me as some Casanova we might as well part company now.’

‘But you are,’ she insisted. ‘You’ve practically admitted it.’

‘Show business. I cannot behave in any other way.’

Tegi wanted to put out her hand and touch the dark curly tendrils of hair in the back of his neck. She wanted to ask him how many girls had done that, but instead she said,

‘There’s safety in numbers, isn’t there? I suppose you’ve known a lot of girls?’

‘Met a lot of girls,’ he corrected her. ‘I have known one or two intimately. There is always someone who stands out from the rest.’

She asked quietly, ‘Do I stand out from the rest?’

‘Every girl is different.’

‘You haven’t answered my question,’ she insisted.

‘
I would say that you know very little about men from experience and I know that you have never been in love. And do you know why?’