Loving Jemima

45. Guilt

Matty

I was splashing about in the pool when max finally emerged. His dad presence had calmed him down and he'd joined us with Sandra and Ralph. William had been calling her phone on and off for two hours, I was tempted to switch the blasted thing off.
"All ok max? Where's my sister at? You can't hog her all day! William's still trying to ring her"
"Prick" he tutted then looked at me worriedly "shit, not you, posh prick. Can't he get the bloody hint. She sent him a birthday message what more does he want.
"They're still friends mate, which you said you were cool with."
"I am but...never mind. Matty can I speak with you please" max suddenly went serious, he was very rarely serious
"Yeah sure mate, what's up! You still feeling down?"
"No, well yeah." He scratched his head "can you get out of the pool? This is kinda of serious and you're sitting on an inflatable crocodile right now! its distracting me."
"What's wrong? Something happen? Where is she? What did you do! Did you flinch and hit her again? How bad? Mate how bad!" I panicked heaving myself out of the pool, Ralph rushing over with a towel to calm me down

"No, no Matty it's nothing like that. Please, I'm trying to help my girl and you. I'm not good at this shit, Emmy says I am but I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you when you weren't on an inflatable! Man to man."
"Okay, calm down, take a seat dude. What's up?"
"I errrr" max flustered looking at his dad awkwardly
"Max what did you do?" I sighed "just tell me so I can help."
"No, I didn't do anything. It's Emmy"
"Okay" I strung out looking around for some help "she throwing up again? You didn't hurt her with your.....thing." I wiggled my finger at him "you try something and it went wrong?" I asked screwing my face up.

"What! No! Matty!" Max blushed bright red "jesus, you're all obsessed, it not that bloody big! My girlfriends just blooming cheeky and winding you up." Everyone fell about laughing "shit sorry sorry. No Matty it's nothing like that. It's about you and her not me and her."
"Oh thank god, continue" I laid back on a sun lounger
"Well" he started shifting awkwardly "she showed my something and she wants to show you but it's Christmas but, there's never a good time is there."
"You're being cryptic weaver and you're starting to ADHD ramble mate."
"She had one last assignment from therapy and she's been putting off doing it, well she did part of it. She did peters part."
"Oh sweetheart has she finally finished his letter?" Sandra asked sadly, max nodded
"What? What letter?"
"Mattyyyyyy" Jem skipped out, I looked at max confused she didn't seem upset
"Don't say anything until she does, I just didn't want you to be taken off guard, with your anger. Keep your cool. It's not nice. The letter I mean. She has a private one for you that I haven't seen but she showed me the one that we can all hear. It's....hard to read Matty."
"Okay thanks dude." I patted his leg

"Jem! Looking good My Christmas pudding" I joked with her as she did a spin of her Christmas pudding dress Peter had randomly sent her in the post.
"I like it, even though it's making me hungry. I think it's scented? Sniff me" she offered herself to max for a sniff
"Oooo I like it. Smells like, cinnamon maybe? Cool. Oh great you bought your box down. He's gonna love this Emmy." I looked even more confused, he'd changed his tune all of a sudden. "You remember that random letter you got sent that you keep in your guitar case, the one with the kangaroos on it"
"Yeah, why"
"It really was from Emmy!" Max grinned at me
"What? I thought it was one of you lot trying to make me feel better. Like the fake Valentine's card we sent to Tom after he got dumped"
"I knew that was you lot!" Tom gasped and laughed
"Guess when she sent it!" Max grinned again kissing her cheek, I shrugged "the day after you left. Must have got lost."
"No way! Really? That was from you Jem?" I smiled tears rolling down my cheeks, Sandra sitting on the lounger with me, holding my hand. I'd told her at the time I knew it was from one of them but I wanted to pretend it was from Jem anyway.
"I told you the new owners said they'd found it" Ralph laughed at me, then lent into Henry to explain "he thought I was pulling a tooth fairy act on him I think. Stupid boy. It had a polaroid in it, where he thought we'd get that from god knows."