Suzie tells all!

I wrapped my good arm round Suzie’s shoulders.
‘Come on,’ I said. ‘Spit it out. I’m sure you’ll feel better when you’ve told someone.’
Suzie gulped and nodded. ‘It’s terrible,’ she said. ‘It’s been on my mind for just ages. And I feel like such a hypocrite.’
‘You feel like a hypocrite?’ My mind raced. Surely Suzie wasn’t about to tell me that she’d told her friends she’d slept with Ben too?
Suzie nodded glumly. ‘You’re never going to believe this, Kate,’ she said. ‘Not after what I’ve said to Ben.’
What she’d said to Ben? About what? About him talking about her as if she was a slag? Or about other stuff? I didn’t know much about what Suzie said to Ben except…except that she was very strict about what they could and couldn’t do together. As far as I understood it, she hadn’t let him go any further than snogging. Surely…surely she wasn’t about to confess to…no, I couldn’t believe it. Not of Suzie.
‘Go on, Suzie,’ I said.
And then it all came tumbling out. How it had happened while she was on holiday in the summer. There was a boy on the same campsite with whom she’d got on really well. They’d spent a lot of time together – swimming, bumming around on the beach, exploring the local town. By day three they were meeting each morning to go and buy baguettes and croissants. In the evening, they went for long walks or to the disco on the site.
‘I didn’t think anything of it,’ said Suzie. ‘I’d told him about Ben. I’d said we could only be friends.’
‘But?’ I said.
‘But…’ Suzie began to cry again and had to rummage up her sleeve for a tissue. ‘But on the next to last night, he walked me back to my tent and just as I was saying ‘Goodnight’ he kissed me. And I kissed him back. Not very much. Just a quick kiss.’
‘Is that all?’ I asked.
Suzie shook her head vehemently. ‘No – that was the trouble. Until he kissed me, it felt fine. He just felt like a friend. There was no contest. Ben was my boyfriend and there was no way I was going to cheat on him – and what was the point, anyway? After the end of this week, I was unlikely to see Hamish ever again.’
‘Hamish?’ I said. ‘Isn’t that a Scottish name?’
Suzie nodded. ‘He’s from Dundee,’ she said.
‘So are you still in touch with him,’ I asked.
Suzie blushed. ‘Only on Facebook,’ she said.
‘You’re on Facebook?’ I said, surprised. ‘I thought you’d be on My Space.’
Suzie blushed a deep crimson. ‘I joined to find Hamish,’ she said. ‘So we write – and chat sometimes.’
‘A lot?’
Suzie shook her head. ‘No – only about once a week.’
‘Well, that sounds fine,’ I said. ‘I can’t really see the problem, Suzie. I think you should tell Ben. I’m sure he would understand.’
‘I haven’t told you everything yet, Kate,’ said Suzie. ‘There’s more.’
‘Go on,’ I said.
Suzie gave me an anguished look, almost as if she was begging for mercy. I still had my arm round her and I gave her a squeeze.
‘I’m not going to shout at you, Suzie,’ I said. ‘And you don’t have to tell me, you know.’
‘Oh but I want to tell you!’ Suzie wailed. ‘I’ve got to tell someone – and you’ve got to help me sort out what to do.’
It was getting hard to be patient. I was so worried about Greg and, much as I like Suzie and really wanted to smooth things over between her and Ben, I was getting irritated. But then, suddenly, it all came out in a rush.
‘It was the last day,’ said Suzie. ‘We spent all day together and, because it was such a beautiful evening, we went for a long walk along the beach, further than we’d ever been before. Mum and Dad were fine with it. They liked Hamish and trusted him. He’s sixteen, nearly seventeen – I think they thought I’d be safe with him. He wouldn’t let me drown or anything.’
I snorted. Sometimes, Suzie’s parents, lovely though they are, seem a bit naïve. I’m not an adult, let alone a mum, but it just didn’t seem to me that the biggest risk was Suzie drowning.
‘So he didn’t let you drown but…’
‘We walked around the headland and found this beautiful little cove and then…well, then we just started kissing…and it was so warm I’d only got on my bikini and a sarong. So we laid the sarong on the sand and lay down and…’
Suzie stopped.
Please tell me she didn’t have sex with this guy! I begged God. She is seriously underage.‘And…and…’ Suzie’s head was sunk so low her chin was grazing her chest. ‘And well…Kate, I’m too embarrassed to say any more…it wasn’t that we had sex…but the thing is, I’ve never let Ben do what I let Hamish do. And I care far more about him than Hamish. It was such a stupid thing – just the end of the holiday and I was feeling sad – and it was so warm and romantic on the beach and it was just so easy. And the trouble is, Kate, it was so exciting. I really liked what we did and…’
‘And what, Suzie?’ I was trying hard not to act shocked. But I was. I mean Suzie is the same age as my little brother! And she was telling me that she’d done things with a strange boy on holiday that I hadn’t done myself! Not to mention the fact that Suzie is so conscientious about going to her church – she’s in the Salvation Army – and has been (as far as I know) really strict with Ben about doing nothing more than snogging. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised she felt like a hypocrite! She’d given Ben such a hard time about what he’d said and she’d actually cheated on him on holiday!
‘You’re horrified, aren’t you, Kate?’ said Suzie. ‘Please don’t look so shocked. I had to tell someone! I couldn’t live with worrying about it any more.’
I was struggling to know what to say. It may not sound like a big deal to you – she’d only made out with a guy on the beach and it was months ago. But it just didn’t fit with the Suzie I knew. I made a huge effort to pull myself together.
‘Suzie, it’s over,’ I said. ‘Isn’t it? It’s not like you’re seeing Hamish every weekend or anything, is it? OK, so you had a one-night stand but it’s not the end of the world. Ben need never know. Or were you thinking you should tell him?
Suzie shrugged and I unwrapped my arm.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ she said. ‘That’s why I wanted to talk to you.’
I was puzzled. ‘But I really don’t see the problem,’ I said. ‘It’s over with Hamish. If you can forgive Ben for what he did – and, given what you’ve just told me, I jolly well think you should – then you can just get back together and be very happy.’
Suzie shook her head. ‘But Kate – the thing is, I don’t want to stick to just snogging any more. Now that I know what it’s like, I want to go further with Ben – but I don’t think I should. So you see, I just have to dump him – and that’s why I pretended I was cross about what he’d said! So that I have a reason!’

Serious stuff!

‘I have bad news about Greg, I’m afraid, darling,’ Mum said, at last.
The look on her face was so serious that I felt an awful surge of adrenalin and suddenly my hands and legs were shaking.
‘What?’ I said. ‘What is it?’ He can’t be dead, I was telling myself, it can’t be that bad. He only rescued Biggles from the river – and he was discharged from hospital the same day! What on earth could be wrong? Maybe it was something to do with Biggles. At that thought, my heart nearly stopped, I’m sure.
‘He hasn’t had to have Biggles put down, has he?’ I said, suddenly feeling so sick that I reached for the nearly empty bowl of grapes on the coffee table. ‘They didn’t decide he was dangerous after he bit me, did they? He is so not – he’s the most gentle dog ever – that was only because he was so very distressed!’
Mum looked aghast. ‘Good grief, Kate, of course not!’ she said. ‘Everyone knows Biggles would never bite anyone normally. No, actually, Kate,’ – she looked grave – ‘it’s more serious than that. Greg has been rushed into hospital.’
‘What on earth for?’ I gasped. ‘He was fine! They sent him home!’
‘It’s because of all the river water he must have inadvertently drunk,’ said Mum. ‘At first they thought he’d just caught a cold or had the flu – but now they think it’s Leptospirosis – and that Weil’s disease might have set in.’
‘I’ve never heard of either of them,’ I said. ‘What do they do to him?’
‘Well, the leptospirosis is rather like flu but the problem with it is really that there can be nasty complications.’
‘Like what?’ I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Greg must have them or Mum wouldn’t be looking so serious.
‘Liver failure, kidney failure – and meningitis.’
I felt as if someone had suddenly opened the door and an icy wind had blown in.
‘Meningitis?’ I said. ‘Is that what they think he’s got then?’
Mum shook her head. ‘They’re not sure. He does have a terrible headache and a stiff neck but no rash. But it’s a possibility. No, the thing they’re really worried about is liver failure. He’s become extremely jaundiced, very suddenly. It’s called Weil’s disease.’
‘I thought you said it was called lepsori – thingy whatsit.’
‘Leptospirosis. Yes, it is – Weil’s disease is a complication of it.’
‘So is he going to be all right?’
‘Kate, they can’t be sure. He’s very poorly right now. He’s in intensive care.’
I burst into tears. ‘Why did no one tell me?’ I sobbed. ‘What if I want to visit him?’
‘We didn’t tell you because we didn’t know. No one knew till the early hours of this morning when he staggered into his mum’s room with the awful headache. The thing with leptospirosis is you start with flu symptoms and then they stop – and then all the complications start – if they’re going to.’
‘And they have?’
‘Yes,’ said Mum. ‘I’m afraid so.’ She handed me the box of tissues. ‘But you must remain positive, Kate. It is treatable and it’s not that rare. The doctors know what they’re doing – and he is young and strong.’
‘But how did he get it?’ I demanded. ‘Just through being in the river?’
Mum nodded. ‘Yes – it’s often passed on through rat’s urine – and he swallowed quite a lot of water. Kate, you can’t visit him at the moment, I’m afraid. No one can except his parents. He’s really, really poorly.’
She came and crouched by my side – which if she hadn’t just told me such terrible news, I couldn’t have helped smiling over. When she squats down like that, her bottom half looks like a Sumo wrestler, she has such an enormous bum. But her top half is wonderfully cuddly and I wrapped my arms around her neck and buried my nose in her hair – which is black with magenta streaks at the moment.
‘Can we pray for him?’ I whispered.
‘Of course,’ Mum said.
There are some advantages in having a mum who is a part-time vicar. Very good in the sort of crisis where there’s absolutely nothing you can do except pray! Of course, I joined in. But it was great to have her there to start me off and to keep my mind on the job. I don’t know about you but my mind wanders dreadfully when I’m praying, even when it’s something really serious. Anyway, we prayed for Greg and his Mum and Dad and when we’d finished, I felt slightly better. It must be awful if you don’t believe in praying at all. What do you do in a real crisis? What do you do when there’s someone you care about in trouble and there’s nothing else you can do? It must be agony. I think that, even if I didn’t believe in God, I’d still give prayer a go. I mean, it would be worth a try!
There was a tap on the door.
‘It’s OK, Suzie!’ Mum called. ‘You can come in now – that is all right, isn’t it, Kate?’ She got up and opened the door and then disappeared into the kitchen
I nodded, blowing my nose at the same time. I didn’t mind what state Suzie saw me in – and I still hadn’t talked to her about Ben, what with the accident and everything.
‘I didn’t know you were here,’ I said. ‘Is Ben around?’
Suzie shook her head. ‘No – I texted him to check. He knows I don’t want to see him till I’ve talked to you.’
‘He must be really fed up,’ I said. ‘He wanted me talk to you days ago.’
‘I know,’ said Suzie, ‘but you know what Ben’s like. He gets in a real state about things but then, when he’s calmed down, he’s the most laid-back person I know. That’s one of the things that’s really great about him – especially when you’re used to my family. They run on rails!’
I laughed – and then felt guilty. I had forgotten about Greg for a moment. But Suzie must be a mind-reader.
‘You can’t worry about Greg all the time,’ she said. ‘Life goes on, you know.’
‘I know, I know,’ I said. ‘It’s just – how can I have forgotten the state he’s in already?’
‘You haven’t,’ said Suzie. ‘You’ve just remembered him, silly! Just pray every time he flashes through your mind. I would!’
‘Well, you’re a much better person than me,’ I said. ‘Which reminds me – we’d better get on and talk about this fiasco with Ben telling people he’d slept with you – the stupid, stupid boy.’
Suzie was looking at the floor.
‘What’s up?’ I said. ‘Lost something?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘I just feel awkward with you saying that I’m a better person than you, Kate. I’m so not honestly. I’m just so not.’
I looked at her red cheeks quizzically. ‘What is it, Suzie?’ I said. ‘Something’s really worrying you, isn’t it?’
To my surprise, Suzie, who is always so jolly and buoyant, began to cry.
‘Oh Kate, you’re not going to believe this,’ she sobbed. ‘It’s bad – it’s so, very, very bad…’