Lesson Learnt 30
The banging on the door could have woken the whole city, let alone the four female members of the Hartmann household that morning.
“Who the heck is that” Emma said almost jumping out of her skin but settling on just jumping out of the bed. Jenny hadn’t heard the door, she had been dreaming - of life, of her life. She had been dreaming of a warm summer morning and her family walking through a park. Emma had waken her and she was more happy about that than sad. For as beautiful as her family was in her dreams it could not compete with reality.
“Hmmmm...what did you say?” Jenny mumbled as she rolled back over and debated returning to her dream family who were certainly at that moment less disruptive.
“The door. Didn’t you hear it?” Emma said as she scrambled to find her clothes from the night before. She had put them on the floor hadn’t she? Unless Jenny had put them in a draw? Emma did not have time to locate them. It was early and the banging on the door would wake Jemma or if she was already awake it would certainly distress her.
“Bloody hell” Emma exclaimed as she grabbed Jenny’s silk dressing gown. ‘Man this thing is short’ she thought as she made her way to the front door. She placed her hand on the catch and was just about to open the door when she quickly checked the peephole. Emma froze when she saw who it was.
Mrs Hartmann. Blinking heck. What should she do she wondered? Can’t open the door because Jenny says we aren’t a couple. Can’t not open the door because well first of all it is rude and second of all Christine Hartmann would just bang on the door until sunset anyway.
She ran back to the bedroom. Jenny was of course back in the land of nod.
“Jenny. Jen-ny! Get up!” she was speaking in a very harsh whisper and was shaking Jenny’s shoulder quicker and quicker.
“What? What is it? Is it Jemma? Is she OK?” Jenny was now bolt upright and very much in the real world. Her clear blue eyes were full of fear and frantically searched Emma’s brown ones for reassurance.
“Nothing. No she’s fine. Your mum is at the door.”
Jenny looked blankly back at Emma. Emma stared back also in silence. “Is that it?” Jenny said laughing in a combination of relief and the sight of Ms. Muller in a silk dressing gown with her hair something akin to the style of Cameron Diaz in ‘There's something about Mary’.
Emma was a little annoyed at how funny Jenny was finding this situation. “Well I don’t want to open the door and to say the wrong thing….” Emma left that hanging there in the air for Jenny to read what she wanted into it. The message seemed to hit home because Jenny left up and started to get ready. “You’ll have to wait in here. I will try to get rid of her….gosh I hope she hasn’t bought breakfast”.
Jenny shut the bedroom door and dashed towards her mother. She composed herself and smoothed her hair before opening Pandora’s box - also known as the front door. “Oh hi Mum. How are you?”.
Christine Hartmann practically pushed past Jenny with excitement. “Have you heard? Of course you haven’t. It’s wonderful news”. Jenny put her index finger on her own lips in an effort to shush her mother. Just at that moment Natalie walked out of the living room wearing nothing but her pants and bra.
“Christine! I thought it was you!”
Mrs Hartmann turned to her daughter and with a knowing look said “It seems you have done more than hear the news. She’s here”.
____________________________________________________________________________
Luzi awoke with a stonking headache. Rolling over she found Timo in a very similar state. She grabbed a hoodie of his off the floor and putting it on made her way to the kitchen. Water, she definitely needed water. That and some fried food.
She downed two pints of water and instantly felt better. Last night had been good for Luzi she needed a chilled evening in with some friends and some wine...so how did it get to the 4am karaoke and shots? Emma would have loved that. She seemed so down recently, obviously this thing with Kate and Jenny had really got to her. It wasn’t like her to go home so early and be on her own.
Luzi picked up her mobile and checked her messages. Nothing. ‘Hmm I hope she’s alright’ she thought.
____________________________________________________________________________
“I’m sorry Natalie. My mother doesn’t know how to be subtle. Please get changed in my bedroom” Jenny was more embarrassed for her guest than for herself. She felt 16 again. Like when you have a friend over and your mum is forever popping her head around the door, trying to be friendly but instead being a bit of a pain.
“No worries doll. See you in a tick Christine” Natalie said as she sauntered in the direction of Jenny’s bedroom.
“Right Mum well now that you have woken me, Natalie and E...even Jemma I would be grateful if you were to go into the living room whilst I see to your grandchild” Jenny was more than a little bit angry and that was before she remembered she’d just sent a half naked TV star into the bedroom she had just been sharing with a half naked Emma. ‘Shit, shit, shit’ she thought as she quickly got Jemma from her cot and ran - babe in arms - into the bedroom of half naked women. ‘This should be a more pleasurable experience’ she remarked to herself and she entered the room.
Emma and Natalie were looking at each other like two rabbits in the headlights, neither wanting to move.
“Natalie, you can’t tell mum Emma is here OK.”
“Why the heck not?” said Natalie whilst looking at Emma for an answer. The answer from the small German obviously wasn’t forthcoming as she looked at Jenny to answer. Jenny was still clutching at a now wriggling and irritable Jemma, her mind racing.
“Look we are together but we aren’t...well we are but nobody knows OK?”
Natalie half laughed “What nobody knows about the baby?”
“Well no they obviously know that bit and about Emma, but we broke up” Jenny rambled.
“But the girl bloody lives here! How don’t they know?” Natalie turned sharply to face Emma. “Do you just hide in the ruddy wardrobe everytime they come over? I’ve heard about being in the closet but COME ON guys this is flipping beyond the pale”.
Emma felt she should say something. She went and stood next to Jenny and took Jemma from her, smoothing the child’s back with her palm. “Look here. I ballsed up OK. So we split up and I don’t need you Dr. Quinn German medicine woman judging us right now.” Emma had shocked everybody in the room apart from the infant who seemed quite happy now she was being cuddled.
Natalie slapped her hands together and said “Well why didn’t you flipping say. OK girls. Show time”. With that she threw on her blouse and skirt and marched out of the bedroom and onto the stage.
“Who the heck is that” Emma said almost jumping out of her skin but settling on just jumping out of the bed. Jenny hadn’t heard the door, she had been dreaming - of life, of her life. She had been dreaming of a warm summer morning and her family walking through a park. Emma had waken her and she was more happy about that than sad. For as beautiful as her family was in her dreams it could not compete with reality.
“Hmmmm...what did you say?” Jenny mumbled as she rolled back over and debated returning to her dream family who were certainly at that moment less disruptive.
“The door. Didn’t you hear it?” Emma said as she scrambled to find her clothes from the night before. She had put them on the floor hadn’t she? Unless Jenny had put them in a draw? Emma did not have time to locate them. It was early and the banging on the door would wake Jemma or if she was already awake it would certainly distress her.
“Bloody hell” Emma exclaimed as she grabbed Jenny’s silk dressing gown. ‘Man this thing is short’ she thought as she made her way to the front door. She placed her hand on the catch and was just about to open the door when she quickly checked the peephole. Emma froze when she saw who it was.
Mrs Hartmann. Blinking heck. What should she do she wondered? Can’t open the door because Jenny says we aren’t a couple. Can’t not open the door because well first of all it is rude and second of all Christine Hartmann would just bang on the door until sunset anyway.
She ran back to the bedroom. Jenny was of course back in the land of nod.
“Jenny. Jen-ny! Get up!” she was speaking in a very harsh whisper and was shaking Jenny’s shoulder quicker and quicker.
“What? What is it? Is it Jemma? Is she OK?” Jenny was now bolt upright and very much in the real world. Her clear blue eyes were full of fear and frantically searched Emma’s brown ones for reassurance.
“Nothing. No she’s fine. Your mum is at the door.”
Jenny looked blankly back at Emma. Emma stared back also in silence. “Is that it?” Jenny said laughing in a combination of relief and the sight of Ms. Muller in a silk dressing gown with her hair something akin to the style of Cameron Diaz in ‘There's something about Mary’.
Emma was a little annoyed at how funny Jenny was finding this situation. “Well I don’t want to open the door and to say the wrong thing….” Emma left that hanging there in the air for Jenny to read what she wanted into it. The message seemed to hit home because Jenny left up and started to get ready. “You’ll have to wait in here. I will try to get rid of her….gosh I hope she hasn’t bought breakfast”.
Jenny shut the bedroom door and dashed towards her mother. She composed herself and smoothed her hair before opening Pandora’s box - also known as the front door. “Oh hi Mum. How are you?”.
Christine Hartmann practically pushed past Jenny with excitement. “Have you heard? Of course you haven’t. It’s wonderful news”. Jenny put her index finger on her own lips in an effort to shush her mother. Just at that moment Natalie walked out of the living room wearing nothing but her pants and bra.
“Christine! I thought it was you!”
Mrs Hartmann turned to her daughter and with a knowing look said “It seems you have done more than hear the news. She’s here”.
____________________________________________________________________________
Luzi awoke with a stonking headache. Rolling over she found Timo in a very similar state. She grabbed a hoodie of his off the floor and putting it on made her way to the kitchen. Water, she definitely needed water. That and some fried food.
She downed two pints of water and instantly felt better. Last night had been good for Luzi she needed a chilled evening in with some friends and some wine...so how did it get to the 4am karaoke and shots? Emma would have loved that. She seemed so down recently, obviously this thing with Kate and Jenny had really got to her. It wasn’t like her to go home so early and be on her own.
Luzi picked up her mobile and checked her messages. Nothing. ‘Hmm I hope she’s alright’ she thought.
____________________________________________________________________________
“I’m sorry Natalie. My mother doesn’t know how to be subtle. Please get changed in my bedroom” Jenny was more embarrassed for her guest than for herself. She felt 16 again. Like when you have a friend over and your mum is forever popping her head around the door, trying to be friendly but instead being a bit of a pain.
“No worries doll. See you in a tick Christine” Natalie said as she sauntered in the direction of Jenny’s bedroom.
“Right Mum well now that you have woken me, Natalie and E...even Jemma I would be grateful if you were to go into the living room whilst I see to your grandchild” Jenny was more than a little bit angry and that was before she remembered she’d just sent a half naked TV star into the bedroom she had just been sharing with a half naked Emma. ‘Shit, shit, shit’ she thought as she quickly got Jemma from her cot and ran - babe in arms - into the bedroom of half naked women. ‘This should be a more pleasurable experience’ she remarked to herself and she entered the room.
Emma and Natalie were looking at each other like two rabbits in the headlights, neither wanting to move.
“Natalie, you can’t tell mum Emma is here OK.”
“Why the heck not?” said Natalie whilst looking at Emma for an answer. The answer from the small German obviously wasn’t forthcoming as she looked at Jenny to answer. Jenny was still clutching at a now wriggling and irritable Jemma, her mind racing.
“Look we are together but we aren’t...well we are but nobody knows OK?”
Natalie half laughed “What nobody knows about the baby?”
“Well no they obviously know that bit and about Emma, but we broke up” Jenny rambled.
“But the girl bloody lives here! How don’t they know?” Natalie turned sharply to face Emma. “Do you just hide in the ruddy wardrobe everytime they come over? I’ve heard about being in the closet but COME ON guys this is flipping beyond the pale”.
Emma felt she should say something. She went and stood next to Jenny and took Jemma from her, smoothing the child’s back with her palm. “Look here. I ballsed up OK. So we split up and I don’t need you Dr. Quinn German medicine woman judging us right now.” Emma had shocked everybody in the room apart from the infant who seemed quite happy now she was being cuddled.
Natalie slapped her hands together and said “Well why didn’t you flipping say. OK girls. Show time”. With that she threw on her blouse and skirt and marched out of the bedroom and onto the stage.