Page 78 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘No!’ She pushes me away like she did to Rob. ‘You’re not listening to me. I’m telling you, Frankie. I’m telling you I’m gay. I like girls and women. Not boys and men.’
Mandy’s earnest face suggests this isn’t something she’s just decided to tell me on a drunken whim. It’s something she’s been storing up for years, waiting for the right moment.
‘Let’s sit down.’ I gesture to a low brick wall that borders the garden behind us. There’s a dense hedge the other side of the wall so I doubt the owners will notice us sitting there. And an added bonus, if Mandy should topple backwards off the wall, the hedge will stop her from falling. ‘When did you first know?’ I ask as we perch on the red-brick wall together. ‘When we were at school?’
Mandy shrugs. ‘Kind of. I wasn’t really sure, though. I knew I felt differently about girls than boys, but it was when I met you that things began to change in my mind.’
‘I’m flattered.’
Mandy grins. ‘You should be.’
I notice that sitting on the cool brick wall seems to have sobered Mandy up a little. ‘So all that stuff you used to spout about boys, that was all a front?’
‘Yeah, sorry. I was very confused back then. I probably overcompensated for what I was really feeling.’
‘Don’t worry about it. Name a teenager who’s got it all together at that age. I certainly hadn’t.’
‘That’s true. Remember when you asked Rob if he wanted to be a mermaid?’
‘How could I forget?’ I roll my eyes.
‘Even though you were my first crush, Frankie, I didn’t have my first encounter, shall we call it, until I was twenty. And it was at, of all places, Claire’s wedding reception.’
‘No way! Really? Who with?’
‘Remember that talent scout – the American who took our Rob over to the States?’
‘Yes, of course I do. Wait, she was your first?’
Mandy nods. ‘Jenna. She was older than me, obviously, but we got talking at the reception, and afterwards we stayed in the hotel bar drinking until quite late. One thing led to another and I’ve never looked back since. It seems both Rob and I have much to thank Jenna Morgan for.’
I think about this for a moment.
‘Are you shocked?’ Mandy asks earnestly. ‘I don’t mind if you are.’
‘Shocked – no. Surprised – yes. Bothered – of course not!’ I lean over and put my arms around Mandy’s shoulder. ‘If you’re happy, then so am I. Oh, God, I didn’t mean . . . of course you’re not happy, what with tomorrow . . . Lord, I’m such a dunce!’
‘Hey,’ Mandy says, tapping my knee. ‘Don’t be daft. I have such a weight on my shoulders right now with Hetty, that telling you what I have tonight has lifted just a little of that weight away. You’re the only one of the mermaids I’ve told, you know?’
I nod. ‘I’m glad you have. Not because I want to pry or anything, I’m just pleased you wanted to confide in me.’
‘Are you cross about Rob?’ Mandy asks. ‘That I tried to split you two up?’
‘Not really. I think it would have happened anyway. Let’s just say I got a few wires crossed that night. But it was probably all for the best. Look at where he is now. If we’d still been together, I wouldn’t have fitted in that world at all.’
‘You don’t fancy starving yourself into frocks to go to awards ceremonies, or partying with the stars, then?’
‘Definitely not. Rob has his life now, and I have mine. Never the twain shall meet.’
Not any more, anyway.
‘That’s a shame. Much as I hate to say it, I think you two are perfect for each other.’
‘Well, that’s something we do disagree on,’ I say, standing up again. I hold my hand out to Mandy. ‘Come on, you. I still need to get you home.’
Mandy nods reluctantly. ‘I don’t want tomorrow to come,’ she says, still sitting. She looks down at the pavement. ‘Because when it does, I have to say goodbye. And I’m not sure I can do that.’ She looks up at me with such a harrowed expression, I feel my insides twist with compassion.
‘I wish I could take away this pain you’re feeling,’ I tell her. ‘But I can’t, no one can. Tomorrow is something you have to do, Mandy. But you won’t be alone. We’ll all be there with you, supporting you, and helping you through it. Because that’s what we’ve always done for each other. And that’s what we always will do.’
