Summer on a Winter’s Day

They slammed their doors at precisely the same time and walked out into the thin driving rain. Rain that had been falling over Brighton for what seemed like eternity.

“When do I get to get out of here?” they thought in unison.

James turned up his collar and looked back at the warmth of the house where he had lived all his life. Standing in the cold spiky falling rain he made his decision. Anything had to be better than being in there with them.

Anika pulled her coat around her and stepped out into the wind tunnel that her street created for the howling winds that swept from the seafront. She leant into the wind and walked towards the beach brooding on what she hoped would be the last argument, the last conversation she ever had to have with her parents.

He was still furious at being told once again that he must do something with his life, that he must make a decision and stop wasting his time in that stupid bloody band. His dad just didn’t seem to understand how much that stupid bloody band meant to him and how much thought, time and effort went into trying to make it work. He dug his hand into his pocket and slid out his phone.

She slid out her phone and scrolled through her contacts wondering what she could do, Kate was on holiday and she got the distinct impression that her other friends thought all this stuff with her mum and her mum’s new man was just histrionics or some such thing. She sniffed back a tear as she pondered her situation and realised how alone she felt and that she had no idea which direction to turn.

James stared at his phone, he just couldn’t be doing with any of the band today, all they wanted to do was dream of stardom and fantasise about what they were going to do when it happened. His dad was right about one thing, they were shit, but James believed that if he kept working, kept playing and kept writing he might one day be able to drag those guys along far enough for them all to make a living. Everyone had to start somewhere, everyone had to suck in their basement or garage and keep sucking until they didn’t suck any more. Dave Grohl had told us and Dave was right. He was in Nirvana for fucks sake. The fact was that sucking in a band in his mate’s basement was the best feeling James had in his life and the only thing that made getting out of bed worthwhile.

‘Why did I even bother getting up this morning?’ Anika scolded herself; she knew that there was no any other way that this day could have ended up. The guy was a creep, who was he to tell her what she could and couldn’t do. She was old enough to make her own decisions and old enough to decide if she should go to London clubbing with her friends. What a control freak! He had his mother in his clutches so much that she had lost the wild and mouthy exuberance that Anika so admired and had become withdrawn, mousey and subservient. Anika often wondered who she hated more, him for taking her mother away or her mum for letting it happen.

“Fucking parents!” they both posted to Facebook at the same time.

James reached the end of his street and had to decide which way to go, left into town to look round the music shops in the North Laines t and dream of the guitars he could buy, or right down to the beach to watch the horizon and dream of the places he could go. The weather seemed to be taking a turn for the worse so he took a left towards the shelter of town.
Anika reached the seafront and looked out at the clouds rolling in from the dirty choppy mess that was the English Channel in winter. ‘Into town’ she thought as she began to walk along the seafront road pressing herself as close as she could to the cafes that sat motionless, waiting for the sunshine to bring them and the city back to life. Ducking up a side street she decided the ancient old alley ways that cut through this part of town would offer her the most protection and lead her to her favourite part of town.

James checked his phone again and flicked onto Facebook to see if anyone had commented, to see if anyone was going to save him from his fate, save him from the constant monotonous rain and the sheer drudgery of winter in a summer town.
One like from Norman fletcher, a guy he had known at school but really had very little to do with. This was not going to be an almighty change in his life but then in his experience Facebook was rarely the force for good that he always dreamed it could be. He put his head down and walked on through the rain, the icy needles of the fine rain bombarding his head and spiked his cold sensitive ears. He cursed himself for not grapping a hat when he had walked out, his soul began to drag as he found himself on the main Brighton shopping strip of Western Road. This mile or so of road was home to a range of middle of the road, lowest common denominator chain shops. The same chain shops that could be found in every high street up and down the country. Western road led to the seventies nightmare of Churchill Square. A shopping centre so dire that no matter what they did to it and how they modernised it, it would never be able to throw off its concrete soul or rid itself of its lurid neon heart. This place had been a constant in his life and represented everything that was wrong with the world and everything he and his band wanted to smash.

Anika slid into the alley way and leaning against the south wall found enough shelter to check her phone and Facebook. She smiled at the two notifications and dreamed for a moment that they would lead to something better, something more than the endless rain and endless boredom of her life. The notifications were both from Kate. One for her ‘like’ and one for a comment. She found it odd that people liked miserable or horrific comments posted on Facebook. Somehow ‘like’ just didn’t seem to be an appropriate reaction to bad news. Perhaps this is the changing face of language that Mr Vine at school was always banging on about. He seemed to find it fascinating what the youth were up to and how technology was changing the world. He was so enthusiastic about it that t always seemed a shame to bring him down by telling him just how shit things really were. The constant bombardment of her life by insipid crap like Britain’s got talent or the endless reality game shows that manufactured drama out of nothing. And the music, controlled by lobotomised record companies that recycled the same made to measure, lowest common denominator crap time after time. She longed for the golden era of her indie hero’s from Joy Division, through the Smiths and the Stone Roses even Oasis although bloated and coke ridden were real people making real music.
Anika opened her post and read Kate’s comment

“Not again!!…sorry hun…..love ya”. She appreciated the thought but that wasn’t really going to help her at this time.

James grumbled as he traversed the monstrosity of Churchill Square. He struggled through the constant rhythmic rain that pounded the near deserted streets. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he struggled to slide his hand into the wet jean pocket. As he pulled it out he found a Facebook notification and slid his thumbs over the screen to reveal it. ‘Not again…..sorry hun……love ya.’ ‘That’s lovely Kate’ he thought but that isn’t really going to help me now. He tucked his phone back in his pocket and peered out into the rain considering how the road shone with a desolate and deserted beauty as the rain drops bounced high.
‘The rain falls hard on a humdrum town’ he sung as he continued down North Street. His phone buzzed again.

Anika sheltered from the rain under a jewellers awning and flicked her Facebook feed to try and find something to restore her faith in humanity. Amongst the selfies and selfish musings of social media she noticed Kate’s comment once again. This time though it was a little different, She stopped the feed with her thumb and scrolled back up to find the same ‘fucking parents’ quote that she had posted. ‘1 hour ago’ it read underneath, she was bewildered as she looked at the name above the post; ‘James Manifold.’

She remembered that Kate had mentioned him before; he was in some band or other. She considered a while and then slid her thumb over the keyboard to comment on his post.

‘You too huh? Can’t stand being in that house any longer.’

She smiled and slid her phone back into her pocket.

James’ phone buzzed and beeped and he retrieved it check the message that Anika had left. He looked down at his rain covered screen and squinted to see who had left him this comment.

‘Anika Stones (friends with Kate Blacksley)’ it read. He remembered vaguely that Kate had mentioned a friend with a weird foreign name. Hesitantly he replied and hovered his thumb over the send button. Unsure of what was happening here he made his way down North Street and hit send.

‘They just never let up, so sick of ‘living under their roof.’

Anika made her way down the narrow laneway towards North Street. Her phone buzzed again and she quickly dragged it out of her pocket. Another notification: this time from James Manifold. She read his comment and smiled to herself, happy that someone else was sharing her shitty day. This was a boy who clearly understood her. As she was lost in the possibilities of her Facebook conversation she bumped into an old lady. The lady tutted and Anika quietly mewed her apologies distracted by considering what she could write next.

‘Mine just won’t let me doing anything! They don’t trust the decisions I make’

James fished his phone out again and smiled as he read Anika’s new comment.
He allowed himself a little laugh to himself as he sent back the comment hoping to hit the mark with a slightly flirtatious comment and hoping she would reciprocate.

‘Parents eh? They just can’t let go. You can’t choose your family…….but friends???

He began to wonder who this girl was, where did she live? He looked with confusion at her profile picture. What was that? A bear? A monkey? He clicked on it and as it enlarged it he recognised it from somewhere but as much as he tried he couldn’t remember where. She lived in Brighton and went to Brighton and Hove High school. Before he could explore her profile any further he walked right into someone. He turned and muttered his apologies in the vague direction of the wet and matted blonde ringlets belonging to a girl who hardly even looked up from her phone.

‘Some people!’ they both thought at once.

‘What about friends of friends? I think Kate should have introduced us, with our similar parent problems ;)’

She typed hoping the winky face wasn’t too much. She smiled to herself as the knot in her stomach began to loosen. She brushed her sodden ringlets away from her face and lifted her head to face the world as an equal. Realising that the rain had eased and that her face was not stinging any more she looked up and saw the clouds had changed from the darkest black to a light grey, some of them even white. Then she saw a guy in the distance, the guy that just bumped into her while he was on his phone? How rude of him she thought as she headed along the street some distance behind him. He was back on his phone again and she watched as he swiped the screen and gently jiggled his shoulders with silent happiness. She checked her purse and found she had enough for a hot chocolate. It would be nice to get into the warm and dry off a bit. Maybe today wasn’t going to be so bad after all. Her phone vibrated again.

‘She certainly should have, I will be speaking to her about that’

James could not supress a little smile as he pressed send and slid his phone back into his pocket. He really would have to speak to Kate when she got back and ask her to set up a meet with this girl he was currently sharing a cyber-moment with. Maybe this wasn’t just a cyber-moment, maybe today wasn’t going to be so bad after all, may be life wasn’t so bad after all. He slid back his wet hoodie and enjoyed feeling of the soothing cool dry air on his cheeks. He could really use a coffee and stopped to check his wallet. As he leant against the wall he looked back along the street and saw the girl he bumped into on the corner. She was about his age and as soaking wet as he was. She slowly moved closer and he couldn’t help but watch her out of the corner of his eye. He noticed how beautiful she was even with her blonde curly hair matted and stuck to her cheek. She was smiling at her phone her warmth lighting up the grey day around her. As she drew nearer he could see her ice blue eyes sparkling with the water on the road surface as sun forced its way through a crack in the cloud.

‘What has he stopped for?’ she wondered as she finished off her comment. Maybe he is going to get me again and finish me off this time. She looked up at him catching his eye and making him look down at his wallet nervously. ‘Was he looking at me?’ she wondered. She scowled a little at him and then felt disappointed in herself for thinking that actually he was quite cute. She hit send on her phone.

She heard his phone vibrate and watched in silence and motionless shock trying not to let her surprise register on her face. This was weird. She watched his hand slide into his pocket and retrieve his phone and involuntarily looked up and caught his eye. All of a sudden all she could see was his warm, soft brown eyes the rest of the world was a blur. The rain soaked streets suddenly seemed to drift out of focus like a painting of Monet’s garden twisting and spinning as she walked past lost in this perfect stranger.

His phone vibrated, he smiled involuntarily as he slid his hand into his pocket. He drifted into confusion and indecision as he caught those beautiful blue eyes rising up to his to take his breath away. Suddenly there was nothing in the world except him and them. No rain, no streets, no parents, just him, this beautiful stranger and the infinite possibilities that lay in front of them. He watched her walk by him the confusion swirling round him, surrounding him, his legs feeling weak as he fell gently back against the wall. Instinct took over.

‘Anika?’ he called out weakly after her. She could not hear him over the wind and cars that rattled through the old street.

He caught himself and smiled at his ridiculous notion. That wouldn’t be her, couldn’t be her. That would be weird, too weird. This kind of stuff just doesn’t happen in real life. He went back to checking his wallet, enough cash for a coffee. He could dry off a little and get his head back together ready for the rest of the day.

Anika continued walking and laughing at the crazy coincidence she had just been part of. She tried to convince herself that nothing had happened but she could not deny the feelings running though her body and soul. ‘That couldn’t be him!’ She tried in vain to tell herself. ‘It would just be too weird.’ She looked back and saw him still checking his wallet. She looked back at her phone and her heart sank a little as there was no notification. ‘Was their conversation over?’ She checked the post again and pushed open the door of the café.