Madferit: The Novel

Chapter 45

           

I'd heard enough about football but there were still things about it I didn't understand. And I still had yet to go to an actual match despite Noel's promises he'd take me.

            The season wouldn't start until August but we had reason to go to a stadium...the Stadium...way before then.

            We flew straight into Manchester even though Noel wanted to stop in London first. But we had enough clothes and if we stopped there first, we'd have had to get a train sorted or whatever.

            Liam led the way through Peggy's front door.

            "Mam?" He called like a child coming in from school or something. "Mam?"

            "In the living room, dear!" She yelled back. "We've just brought the kettle up."

            "We?" Noel echoed curiously.

            But Liam paid no attention to him and took off to the living room with the rest of us right behind him.

            He stopped right in the doorway and stood frozen still as he stared in the direction of the couch.

            "Fuck's sake!" Noel muttered when he saw what Liam was looking at.

            "Hi Liam!" She beamed.

            "Alright." He nodded. "What you doin' here?"

            "Come for Maine Road-"

            "You aren't invited!" Noel snapped.

            "Noel!" I exclaimed.

            "We've still got another week left-"

            "Actually less than a week now." Emma pointed out.

            He glared at her.

            "I heard what happened in Vancouver." Patsy chimed in again as she jumped up from the couch and went over to Liam. "Those Americans are absolutely barbaric!" She began stroking his cheek.

            "Not all Americans!" Emma said under her breath.

            Liam shrugged. "It weren't that bad." He said. "Our Noel's the one who got the worst of it and he's all better now. Things cooled off the next day when we got to Seattle so that one gig was all we had to worry about. And we just told 'em we weren't fuckin' havin' their shite and we didn't. Tell 'er, Tixie!"

            I looked at him confused. "Tell her what?" I asked. "I think you pretty much covered everything."

            "Not the part about ya bein' on the telly!" He turned to Peggy. "You shoulda seen it, Mam. Our Tix and our Emma were interviewed by MTV just after we were."

            "Yeah but we didn't end up on TV!" Emma reminded him.

            Like a couple weeks prior in Germany, Emma and I were given the task of watching the boys while they did their interview in the States. We were in Denver by that point and things were a lot better than when we were in Vancouver.

            Liam and Guigsy...well, actually it was just Liam. Guigsy was there but said fuck all as usual. Just sat there stoned as ever giggling occasionally even though I'm sure he didn't have a clue what he was laughing about.

            The MTV correspondent was a guy named John. I'd seen him on TV before interviewing other people but could never remember his name. Regardless, he was there to review the show and interview the boys, which included Noel as well.