Page 3 of New Beginning

Teddy turned his back on the screen and looked out over the crowded floor, at the faces he remembered, the faces he didn’t, and the people desperately trying to project success. There were lawyers, teachers, junior partners, property developers, a few in the media and then there was Teddy, who, when asked “So, what are you up to these days?”, still relied on a long, theatrical cough to buy himself four seconds to draft a response that made him and his job sound interesting.

He couldn’t even keep Charlie by his side. He’d wandered off to talk to the Headmaster and Teddy found a quiet corner to hide in, counting down the minutes before he could reasonably ask the others to leave.

He was crap at hiding.

“Nice designer stubble,” Sandra Bevis said and sat beside him. “Wow, you haven’t changed a bit. Like to see some pictures of my kids?”

It was ten by the time the four of them were in the car. At least it wasn’t too late, but the fog was terrible. Not only was it foggy, it was also dark and when they reached the minor roads out in the countryside with no streetlights, Teddy slowed even further. He didn’t want to have an accident.

“How many goes did it take you to pass your driving test?” asked Jon, who was at his side.

“I passed the first time,” Teddy said.

“You know you can get fined for going too slowly as well as too fast,” Geo told him.

Teddy pressed a little harder on the accelerator so they’d think they were going more quickly, then eased off again. They all wanted to be at home in bed, and Teddy would be the last one into his because he had to drop the others off first, but he wasn’t going to be pushed into going faster than he was comfortable with. He was sensible. Safety came above everything else.

He’d stuck to non-alcoholic drinks the whole evening but his three friends were absolutely sloshed. They’d had a good time and that was fine, as long as they didn’t throw up in his car.

“We’re never going to get back,” Geo whined. “Just a bit faster, Teddy.”

“I want to get us home in one piece.”

“This week?” Jon said and the other two laughed.

Teddy managed a small smile. The thing was, when it wasn’t long until Christmas, there were too many idiots on the road who thought only having had a couple of drinks meant they were safe to drive. Exactly the sort of idiot Teddy didn’t want to meet. In the dark. In the fog. On an unlit country road. With three friends in his car.

“Faster, faster,” Gio chanted and the others joined in.

“Okay,” Teddy said, but didn’t change his speed. He doubted they’d notice.

He held his breath as headlights loomed ahead of them in the fog, then released it again when the vehicle went past. Going far faster than he was. Too fast.

“We do love you for driving us back,” Piotr told him.

“I love him more,” Jon hiccupped.

“No, I love him more,” Gio said. “Thank you, Teddy. You’re the best! If I was gay… I’d pick you.”

“No, I w-would,” Jon hiccupped.

Teddy sighed. “How could I choose between you?”

They laughed.

This fog was horrible. He’d hate to be walking in it. He’d not seen fog as bad as this for years. The white lines in the middle of the road were his only tether to reality, appearing out of the gloom like steady, ticking seconds on a clock. He was concentrating so hard, his head was aching. The windscreen wipers were on, clearing microscopic condensation only for it to reform a moment later. Fog lights made little difference to the visibility. He wanted to pull in somewhere and wait but there was nowhere to pull in and he could guess the response if he suggested it.

It was safer to keep close to the white lines in the middle of the road than it was to stick to the edge because there were no markers there. Well, maybe there were but they’d been covered in gravel. He didn’t want to drive into a ditch, though it made him uneasy being so close to the middle of the road.

“If you grip that steering wheel any harder, it’ll snap,” Jon said.

But Teddy couldn’t loosen his hold.

Then came more headlights and fog lights. They appeared suddenly from over a hill and were blindingly bright.

“Shit!” Jon said. “They’re on full beam.”

As Teddy gently braked, he realised the vehicle was on their side of the road, heading straight for them and going too fast.