Aaron Connor (32 page)

Our lives were moving
unbelievably fast. We had no idea how long this fame would last
for. We had no idea how long the public would keep on being
interested in us. All we knew was that what was happening was
amazing and that we should make the most of it, just in case it all
ends without any warning. We did this for half a year and had a
well good time.

One day I decided that there
was something I really needed to do. At breakfast I told Lizzie
about the idea, she agreed with me. After we’d finished our
breakfast we began to set the wheels in motion, in which to make
the idea a reality. We booked some first class train tickets and
hired a cab to drive us to where we wanted to go once we arrived at
the station. Now that we were financially secure, for the time
being, I just felt that there was someone I needed to see again. We
got changed onto some regular looking tracksuits and headed
out.

Within the hour we had arrived
at Kings Cross Station to board our train. We had travelled across
London with the aid of our hired chauffeurs, who drove us in our
limos to the station. They accompanied us as we walked through the
station wearing large sunglasses, so that hopefully people wouldn’t
recognise us and go mental. Thankfully only one person saw who we
were but was too shy to come over and talk to us.

We got onto the train without
any hassle. The train pulled out of the station and I began to feel
my nerves return to me. I sat in my seat twiddling my thumbs for
the entire journey. Lizzie was reading a magazine and sipping from
a glass of complimentary wine. The landscape whizzed by as my
nerves began to build up inside me. Lizzie noticed this. She put
down her magazine, rested her hand on mine and looked up at me with
those adorable eyes.

“
Are you
alright?” she asked,

“
Oh, yeah” I
replied, “I’m just feeling a bit nervous is all”

“
Are you sure
you want to go through with this?” she asked,

“
Yes” I said,
“It’s only right.”

“
OK” she said,
“But if you’re feeling funny, you know you can tell me
anything”

“
I will, I
promise” I said,

“
Alright” she
replied, “I trust you”

“
I appreciate
that” I said with a smile.

Lizzie kept her hand on mine
for the rest of the journey. She no longer had any interest in the
magazine she was reading. All she was interested in now was making
sure I was feeling OK. I knew that this was bound to make me
nervous, but I knew that it had to be done. Lizzie also knew that
what we were doing now was only right, and she wanted me to know
that she supported me and my decision. Lizzie really was the best
girlfriend a guy could ever have. There’s no exaggeration there.
She was perfect, amazing, kind and (most of all) beautiful. She
really was, and still is, my soul mate.

After an hour long journey, we
finally pulled into the station where the train stopped for us to
get off. We walked onto the platform, accompanied by our
chauffeurs, walked through the foyer and out into the car park. A
taxi was waiting for us. The driver was standing in front of the
black car with a sign which said: “Connor and Penny” on it. The
driver recognised us and went to open the car doors for us.

We climbed in with the
chauffeurs, one sat in the back with us and the other sat next to
the taxi driver. The car roared into life and soon drove out of the
car park onto the motorway. I and Lizzie held our hands tightly as
we began to pass recognisable sights. We saw houses and streets we
recognised. Memories of the past were brought to mind as we drove
through the streets of a Town we knew very well indeed. It didn’t
take long before we finally passed the sign which said;
“St.Ians”

We passed the pubs, the market
and St.Ians Secondary School. When we came across the School I got
a sudden brain wave and told the taxi driver to stop the cab. I got
out, leaving a very confused Lizzie back in the cab, and walked
across the car park towards the front doors. What I had in mind was
extremely childish. Nonetheless I knew that it would feel fantastic
when it did it. Don’t judge me after I tell you this, because it
still makes me smile when I think about it.

I entered the foyer, walked
past the shocked receptionist and headed towards the assembly hall.
I walked down the stairs and entered the hall without knocking or
warning anyone that I was about to make my appearance. The hall was
full of faces I knew very well. The faces had all turned towards me
in reaction to hearing my footsteps enter the room. The faces
looked at me in shock and the majority gasped. This was the
reaction I was expecting to happen.

Mr Bertgill was standing at the
front of the hall. I had interrupted one of his boring speeches. He
stopped talking to stare at me, almost horrified. All of the
teachers also shared the same expression that Mr Bertgill was
pulling. There was a long dramatic pause in which nothing happened.
The room was silent. It was like I had frozen everyone in the room
where they stood. The power was incredible. Over a year ago I was
the least important person in the room, now everyone was staring at
me eagerly.

I stepped forward a few steps.
Everyone in the hall leaned forward to see what I was about to do.
I looked around the sea of wide eyed faces. Then my eyes focused on
Mr Bertgill again. A smile spread across my face, as I raised my
middle finger to him. The headmaster’s head began to shake, as if
he was about to explode from the pressure. I raised my other middle
finger. This was aimed more at the entire room, rather then Mr
Bertgill himself.

“
Mr Bertgill!”
I called from the back of the hall, “Go fuck yourself, you
miserable wanker!”

I walked out of the hall and
allowed everyone to mumble and grumble in displeasure. That comment
had broken the freezing spell that had affected the main hall.
Everyone began to talk all at once, people were tutting and people
were shaking heads. I didn’t care. I walked out of that room with
my head held high. I had found my place in the world. I was no
longer apart of that horrible past-life, with all its judgments and
negativity. I was free at last.

I walked out the main hall,
across the foyer, past the gobsmacked receptionist and out through
the front doors. I walked across the car park with a massive smirk
across my face. Lizzie saw me from the opened car door liking
confused. Her face still expressed her confusion as I climbed back
in my seat. I closed the door behind me and put my seatbelt on.

“
What was that
all about?” she asked,

“
Oh, nothing”
I said, “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“
Do you still
want to go to the your location, the one you told me over the
phone?” asked the taxi driver,

“
Yeah” I said,
“This was just a detour, carry on mate”

“
Righto” said
the taxi driver.

The taxi driver drove out of
the school playground and back on the main roads. We passed more
houses and playgrounds that we remembered so fondly. We drove down
the same streets that we used to escape St.Ians, when we first took
Adam’s bike and began our series of adventures. It didn’t take us
long to arrive at the location I had told the driver about over the
phone. The driver parked the taxi up on the curve, outside mine and
Lizzie’s white, square houses.

We got out of the car and stood
on the grass, looking up at the houses and holding each other’s
hands. It felt so bizarre to be back here where this story began.
After everything we’d been through, every place we went to and all
of the people we’ve met, we nearly forgot about this place. That
morning I decided that I needed to come back and remind myself of
my roots, before it faded from my mind completely.

I didn’t expect to feel as
emotional as I did. Chills ran up my spine as I walked with Lizzie
towards the house. For some reason we couldn’t go any faster than a
slow walk. The emotions that were building up inside our chests
were making us feel anxious. Even with all the fame, the money, the
luxury and the glamour we still recognised this attached council
building to be our true home. Memories of growing up and my
childhood filled my mind, the images were beginning to make me well
up. I took a deep breath and wiped away the tears, as I approached
my front door.

I couldn’t believe how much I
missed my Mother. I was so caught up in my adventures that I
completely forgot about her. It was then that I realised something
dreadful: I hadn’t even called her to tell her I was alright. Had
she been worrying about me? Had she seen me on the television? Had
she been having the Police search for me? Why didn’t I give her a
ring? I thought, just once, to let her know I was ok. It would be a
lie to say I didn’t feel shameful. I knew that I wanted to make
amends anyway I could.

Lizzie let go of my hand so
that she could go and stand in front of her door as well. The
chauffeurs stood by the taxi with the driver, the three of them
just looked on impassively. Lizzie knocked on her door first. Then
I knocked on my door. Lizzie’s parents came out and gave their
daughter a massive hug, I could see their faces smiling and crying
at the same time. It was so uplifting to see that. Then my door
opened.

There she was, my Mother,
standing there in all her glory. She was in a long dressing gown,
there were large bags under her eyes and her make up had run down
her face from crying. Neither of us knew what to say at first. We
just stared at each other for ages. I think my Mum was in shock, I
don’t think she was expecting me to make such a surprise
appearance.

I gulped and said the first
thing that came to my head:

“
Hey Mum . . .
I’m home”

She smiled at me. I returned
the smile. Suddenly she bolted out the doorway and wrapped her arms
around me. I wrapped my arms around her. I could feel her body
jolting as she cried on my shoulder. I have to admit, I began to
cry myself. It was a lovely moment. She pulled back from the hug
and looked me up and down. There was a proud smile growing across
her face. Her lips wobbled as more tears ran down her cheeks. She
was so overwhelmed with emotion, it was like she was malfunctioning
and breaking down.

“
Look at you!”
she said, “My son, a millionaire! Who would have thought it
hey?”

“
Who indeed?”
I asked smiling,

“
I was wrong
about you Aaron” she said, “I want to apologise. I haven’t been
able to forgive myself after the way I shouted at you. I had the
police looking for you for ages. They gave up the search the other
day and . . . I thought that was going to the end of it. It was
only when I saw you on the news that I knew you . . . were just
fine. I’m so sorry Aaron. I’ll be the best Mum I can be from now
on. I know you live in London but you can call me anytime you want.
Anytime you need to talk, I’ll always be here. It won’t matter
where you are in the world, what you’ve done or what you’ve said .
. . you’ll always be my little boy . . . and this will always be
your home.”

“
Thank
you”

“
No Aaron,
Thank
you
”