Chapter 7
About 20 minutes had past since entering the club. Somehow Bernie had now been coerced into doing another shot. She was standing by the bustling bar with Elinor. She was awkward, feeling out of place amongst a bunch of 20 year olds. 'Ellie, this is silly. Just agree to speak to your mother and I can go homee... you can enjoy your night with your new friendss.' She slurred her words slightly and honked out a laugh.
'You were a solider right? Where's your stamina?' Elinor giggled. She was waving cash around, in a bid to get the girl's attention behind the bar. The bar was busy and loader now and they were being jostled about by people around them.
'Gone in my old age!' Bernie snorted. She took out her phone from her jeans pocket and looked at the time. 'I almost wish I was on the ward.' She laughed looking around the crowded club.
'Well you're not. So drink up Wolfe!' She handed a green shot thing to Bernie and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. 'Just drink it!' Ellie laughed. 'One, two, three...' They both downed the shots at the same time, Bernie winching at the taste and Elinor putting the back of her hand to her mouth at the fowl sour tang. 'God that's rank! Another?'
'Not yet ey?' Bernie looked over at a free table near the window of the club, thinking for a moment about wanting to sit. She took Elinor's hand and pulled her away from the crowded bar area and over to the small table. 'Are your nights out always like this?' Bernie asked sounding concerned as she sat on the high bar stool.
'Like what?' Elinor quizzed back annoyed.
'You drinking...'
'Lighten up...I'm getting to know you aren't I? Could of gone home hours ago when you messed me around at that Albie's place, but I didn't, I stayed...'
'Do you want to ask me any more questions before I get too drunk.' Bernie sniffed, rolling her eyes. She didn't want to start an argument with Serena's daughter, not really.
'Have you always liked women?' Elinor blurted out, before even having to really think. Bernie blushed, she was clasping her hands on top of the table and now was staring down at them uncomfortable, she shifted around on her stool.
'I...um...sort of...it's a...I suppose the answer is yes! But I didn't know how I felt for a long time...Alex my ex made me realise I was missing out on something in my marriage...Serena makes me feel special, on top of the world...it's why I wanted so badly to speak to you...I don't want to come between you both.' she was leaning over the table, shouting to be heard over the music.
Elinor didn't say anything, she just stared at at her. She stared at this blonde 50 something women, who just admitted how much she cared for her mother. Bernie had made her think and coupled with all the drink it was making her head spin. She shook her head a few times and rubbed her face with her hand. Elinor didn't want to be thinking any more and she stood up, walked over to Bernie and placed her hand on her clasped ones. 'Come and dance and I promise I'll let you go home soon, it will be fun, you are here now. Might as well.' She smirked, Bernie looked up at her and smiled with a slight nod. Bernie realising she might have finally cracked Elinor Campbell, she was as suborn as her mother and twice as fierce, but there was a soft heart underneath all that bluster and sassiness.
Elinor dragged Bernie down to the dance floor, some chart dance music was playing something Bernie didn't recognise. However, she fully let go, dancing with all her limbs and throwing her head around. Elinor was laughing so hard, she too was now dancing about in a similar fashion, she noticed Jasmine and the others near by and they gravitated towards each other. They had been dancing away happily for about 5 minutes, when Elinor caught the eye of a young lad opposite her. He was tall and dark, stubble on his chin and had big deep brown eyes. Elinor was grinning and he made his way over to her, stumbling and dancing the whole way. He slinked his arms around her waist.
Bernie watching, gestured to where the toilets were and made her way, leaving Elinor on the dance floor. However by the time she made it back to near where she had been dancing before she could sense something was wrong, Elinor was pushing the man away that had come over to her. Bernie was a bit hazy herself from all the drink, she blinked a couple of times to clear her vision and realised what she was watching, Elinor was clearly trying to push him away.
'Oi!' Bernie rushed across the upper part of the bar and down the steps to where the lower bit of the dance area was, she made a bee line for Elinor.
Elinor was pulling away now, the man drunkenly trying to pull her back in. Wanting to dance more.
'Oi, leave her be.' Bernie grabbed his arm firmly.
He turned to her swaying, 'What's it to you Grandma?' he was laughing now, he was wasted and he seemed to be finding the whole thing really funny. He pulled his arm sharply away from Bernie's grip.
'THAT'S MY BERNIE...' Elinor shook her head again like she did earlier at the table, realising that made no sense whatsoever to the drunk guy, 'MY STEP-MUM! Don't be so bloody RUDE!' Suddenly without warning Elinor grabbed the guy by the shoulders, and kneed him in the balls. 'Dick!' She laughed. 'Oh shit!' The guy was down on the floor crying out in agony. 'I...bloody hell...' Elinor looked around realising the commotion around her, the other drunken dancers, stopping and watching, she noticed the security guards running over to her. Bernie was bewildered and confused as to what had just happened. 'Step-mum?' she whispered to Elinor.
'That's what you are taking from this?' Elinor said jokingly and pointed down at the young man. 'Time to leave...' she said briskly, Bernie was still in shock, her eyes fixed on the man rolling around on the floor. Jasmine had now come over as well and was watching him too, she bent down to try and offer some help, but he battered her hand away.
'Bernie NOW!' Elinor grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her out.
'He was all over you...' Bernie protested, 'Probably shouldn't have but he deserved it.' Elinor was still dragging her away from the scene, fiddling in her jean's pocket to get the number out so she could get their belongings from the cloakroom. 'Ellie, stop!' Bernie demanded. Halting abruptly by the cloak room.
'Listen, normally I would agree...but technically I am banned from here...was months ago now...to be honest I was surprised they let me in.' She giggled.
'Banned!? Yes...well...' Bernie started smiling, 'What are we going to do with you?' She sighed. Elinor just shrugged giggling, she was already collecting their jackets and bags, she took Bernie's arm again and shouted as she saw the security guys get closer. 'RUN!'
She pulled her outside and they ran, half walked briskly down the road away from the club.
'Ellie, why are you banned from that place?' Bernie was panting, as they finally slowed down.
'You don't want to know...it was a good night though.' she was laughing now.
'Oh we're here.' They had stopped outside another club. 'Might as well go in, finish of the night in style and then I'll let you go home.' Elinor was smirking.
'It's 1am...surely I can?' Bernie was desperately trying to leave now. Just wanting her nice warm bed, it wasn't as good as Serena's bed, but it would do now.
'You'll love it in here.' She stood behind Bernie and pushed her gently towards the night club steps. It was a club in a cellar, so they had to negotiate the stone steps in front of them. 'Hold me up Bern!' she was linked arms with her now. 'Seriously this place...you will love it.'
'We just had to run out of the last place... and Jasmine and the boys we left behind?' Bernie asked worried.
'They will be alright and we can text them...Mark, might finally get the hint about you.' she winked and started pulling her down the stone steps.
Bernie felt like she was being dragged into hell, by the devil herself.