Chapter 3
Sally Metcalfe has put on a good spread; as always, she prides herself on hosting the best parties, and the neighbours love her for it. Well, most of them do, anyways. Carla received an invitation to Sally's early Christmas get-together at the rovers and promised her machinist that she would show her face after avoiding last year's party like the plague. Kirk butchering classic love songs in the name of karaoke and platters of soggy sandwiches is her own version of hell, so she has roped Michelle into going with her, but in typical Connor fashion, they are running late. Sally is onto her third tipple of the night, and with each sherry that passes her lips, the more vocal she is becoming, and Jenny has already warned Tim to keep her under control in fear that the night will end up like the last party she hosted, and from the gossip that went around the street, it was not pretty.
Sally smiles smugly, looking at the buffet she contributed to. The rovers standard buffet is good enough for most, but not Sal. She brought her own food to add to it, and everyone must give it to her; she has outdone herself this year. She has been in the kitchen all day. There are hot beef sandwiches, vegetarian assortments, salads, even homemade pies. Not wanting to disappoint, she made an array of desserts too, from mini cheesecakes to a big fresh cream cake dashed with powdered icing. Looking around the Rovers, Sally claps her hands together and beams with pride. Her food is going down a treat, and putting on karaoke was the best decision she made. Everyone seems to be having the best time, and that pleases her to no end. Everything is going perfectly apart from the ruckus coming from one table full of lairy women that she has never seen before. Well, she has seen one of the women at the table, but she is the reason that is stopping her from putting in a complaint with Jenny.
"Ryan, can you bring another bottle of wine over when you have a minute, please?" Lisa calls over to Ryan, who is behind the bar. She notices Sally scowling at her, so she offers her a small, sarcastic wave. Ryan walks over to the table from hell and wonders how Lisa ever ended up in this friendship group. He has seen the women she is sat with before, but never with Lisa, and he would never in a million years have guessed that Lisa knew them, let alone been friends with them. He hated this particular group of women, and whenever they ended up in the rovers, they always ended up getting turfed out.
Once the wine is on the table and Ryan has walked away, Lisa sits quietly. She has had a drink, and she feels the alcohol taking over her body. To be fair to her, she has drunk far more than she had planned to, but after the first couple of beverages, she felt that familiar intoxicated buzz, and the more that she drank, the less she thought about Carla, and after the few weeks she has had, the alcohol has been a welcomed distraction. Lisa is in her observant mood, sitting at the booth. She surveys her group of so-called friends, and like Ryan, she wonders how she has been able to bear them for so long. She wouldn't necessarily call them friends; they were Becky's friends, and since Becky passed, they make an effort once a year to get together. They are a group of women that she first met years ago when she and Becky first started dating, and she never really liked them. She just tolerated them for Becky's sake. Diane Smart was the first of the women Lisa was introduced to. Becky had known Diane since their university days, and although they were chalk and cheese, they had been good friends ever since. In Lisa's opinion, Diane is completely not right, and even her screechy, high-pitched voice grates on Lisa beyond belief. At 43 the woman looks a lot older than her years. She seemed quite normal at first; she came across as a typical Manchurian bird with a bubbly personality, but Lisa has learnt not to judge a book by its cover in her line of work, and that saying had definitely been true in Diane's case. She turned out to be anything but normal. After marrying young to a much older banker, Diane was very happy with the cards she had been dealt in life, and when he died suddenly a few years ago, she became a very wealthy woman overnight. The money went to her head, and Lisa always thought it was very strange that she did not seem too upset when he passed away; the hefty will he had left her probably softened the blow.
As the women get merrier with each drink they practically inhale, Lisa downs another glass of wine to keep up with them. She will need to be absolutely bladdered if she is going to put up with them all night long. The youngest woman of the group slings her arm around Lisa's shoulder and pulls her into her side.
"Thank you for coming out with us, Lis. Diane didn't think you'd come, but I knew that you would. Even if we don't see each other as much as we used to, you'd never miss my birthday. She says slurring every word, and Lisa grins at her. Today is the woman's 40th birthday, and although Lisa wanted to give it a wide berth, she would have felt guilty if she did not at least show her face.
"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Lisa slurs back. She is unsteady on her feet and getting louder by the second. It has been a while since she has had a proper night out, so with each drink she pours down her throat, she reminds herself that she deserves this. Her days are consumed by her teenage daughter and work; it is very rare that she gets to let her hair down, so she is making the most of it tonight.
Lisa is too far gone to even notice Carla walk in arm in arm with Michelle. Carla, on the other hand, sees the blonde straight away, and she can see from where she sits down at the bar that she is absolutely plastered. As Lisa throws another drink down her throat, Carla looks away. Tonight is about showing face for Sally and enjoying a good night out with Michelle. It has been forever since they went out and enjoyed a drink together, and she is not going to let Lisa ruin that, no matter how drunk she may get herself.
"I'm not being the hero tonight," Carla tells herself. It hardly ended up well the last time she took a very drunk Lisa home. Besides, Lisa is with her friends. It is up to them to make sure that the detective doesn't make too much of a fool of herself tonight.
As the night goes on, neither woman approaches the other. Lisa's eyes have been burning Carla's skin, though. She has been watching her from afar all night, so Carla decides to bite the bullet. She gets up and wanders towards her.
"Alright, ladies? Enjoying yourselves?" Carla asks, her eyes not leaving Lisa.
Before anyone could even acknowledge Carla walking towards them, Lisa pipes up. "Girls, this is Carla. Close to an hour she's been sitting over there and only bothered to come and say hello now."
Carla gives Lisa a pitying look. There is no point in engaging in an argument with Lisa when she is in this state. Unlike the last time Carla found her drunk in here, Lisa is drunk and argumentative, opposed to drunk and jovial. "Don't start, Lisa, not tonight. I've only popped in for a quick drink with Michelle, and I am really not in the mood to go back and forth with you tonight." Lisa rolls her eyes to the back of her head, and as she tries to stand up, she stumbles backwards. Carla grabs her arm, stopping her from falling, and she pulls her closer, lowering her voice to talk to her. "How much have you had to drink?" She asks, genuinely concerned that if she carries on drinking, then she is going to be in no fit state to get home. Lisa pulls her arm out of Carla's grasp and almost takes a tumble again.
"I've only had a couple. I don't need you keeping tabs on me," she replies cockily. Lisa rarely lets private matters be known in public. She prides herself on that, but things change once there is some alcohol in you, and Sally is already looking over at them along with Fiz and Beth. They will be the talk of the street come tomorrow, but Lisa is too drunk to care, and Carla is smiling through gritted teeth, trying not to draw more attention to them. Deciding that it is best to leave Lisa to it, Carla shakes her head in despair and walks back over to Michelle, who was watching their interaction from the bar along with Ryan.
"I take it that didn't go well?" Michelle says from behind her drink. Carla just sighs and sits back down.
"She's drunk," is all she says and drops her head into her hand.
*
Carla sits quietly observing the room and sipping her wine while keeping half an eye on Lisa. As much as she tells herself that she is not getting involved in the blonde's drunken antics, she can't help but want to make sure that she is okay, and if that means sitting here all night keeping an eye on her from a distance, then that is what she will do. She would never forgive herself if something happened to her in her drunken state—no matter what has gone on between them or how much Lisa tries to push her away, Carla still cares for Lisa deeply, and she can't just flick a switch off and forget that.
The door swings open, and Betsy stomps in with her overnight bag over her shoulder. She went to Sabrina's house hours ago and was supposed to be spending the night there, so Lisa is surprised to see her daughter marching over to her. "Betsy!" She grins, happy to see her. "What are you doing here?"
"Roy said you'd be in here. Are you alright, Mum?"
"Never been better," Lisa lies and pats the booth. "Come and sit down here. You remember your Auntie Diane, don't you?"
Betsy has just had a falling out with her best friend. Her and Sabrina are joined at the hip nowadays, so their argument over something so silly has really ruined her night. Not being in the best mood to begin with, politeness is now out of the question. Forcing an obvious false smile onto her face, Betsy nods her head.
"How could I forget?" She mumbles, and Diane gets up to smother her in unwanted affection while rambling on about how grown up she has gotten. Lisa sees that Betsy is uncomfortable, so she stands up.
"Have a drink with your mum. Do you want a Coke or lemonade?"
"I'm alright, ta. Can I have your key so I can go home?"
"No, you're here now. You may as well enjoy yourself. Get yourself a bit of food and put your name down for the karaoke."
"No way!" Betsy protests. "You're drunk, Mum, and I'm tired. I just want to go home to bed."
"One more and then we'll head off. Deal?" Lisa says, and Betsy has no choice but to nod her head in agreement, although they both know that Lisa has no intention of leaving any time soon.
*
The karaoke starts back up. Izzy has just finished screeching along to a pop song, and Lisa's friend Diana gets up, pulling Lisa along with her.
"Come on, girls. It's our turn," the woman says excitedly, galloping towards the karaoke. Lisa and her friends follow behind, clinging onto each other to stay upright.
Michelle is watching the situation unfold, and she is thoroughly enjoying herself. "She's not going to get up there and sing, is she?" She is trying not to laugh. She is afraid that if she does, Carla won't see the funny side, and it'll result in a telling off from her best friend.
Carla sips her wine and places it back down on the sticky counter. "It looks like she is. God, she will be mortified with herself in the morning"
"That's if she remembers," Michelle chuckles.
After absolutely murdering the Spice Girls' hit 'Wannabe,' Lisa and Diane go on to butcher Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' classic 'I've Got You Babe,' followed by 'Dancing Queen' by Abba. They are all well and truly making a show out of themselves, and the whole pub is laughing at them, not with them. It makes Carla cringe inside. The second-hand embarrassment she feels is no joke, and all she wants to do is pull Lisa away from that karaoke and her loud-mouthed friends and get a glass of water down her in hopes of sobering her up, but she knows that if she tries, then it will result in a bigger show for the nosy Weatherfield residents. It's not worth it. So she sits there chewing the inside of her cheek and watches as Tim charges towards the drunk women. Tim Metcalfe has now had a gut full of the women refusing to let anyone else have a turn on the karaoke, and Sally stands holding her hands to her hips.
"I'm sure everyone would much rather I had a go. I don't mean to brag, but I was once approached by a talent scout after he heard me singing Celine Dion a few years back," she says, eager to get her hands on the microphone. Lisa is in her own world, but her friends are refusing to give up the microphones, which is really starting to grate on Tim.
"Come on, ladies. You must stop now. Other people are waiting to have a turn.
"Shut up and give me that mic back!" The brunette lady shouts. She is now having a tug of war with Tim over the microphone. He really doesn't need this shit. He didn't even want this spectacle of a Christmas party, but beknown to everyone, Sally tells him to jump, and he asks how high. Lisa now gets involved, fighting for the microphone back, and as she starts trying to pull it from Tim's hands, Carla can't take it anymore. She jumps up and runs over to her.
"Come on, Lisa. Let's go and get a drink, eh?" She attempts to pull Lisa towards her.
"I don't want a drink with you. Do you not think that I've been watching you and that slapper all night? all over each other you were." Lisa raises her voice, pointing at Michelle, whose jaw drops open. "Yeah, you!" Lisa shouts. It takes a lot for Carla to get embarrassed, but Lisa has broken her. Her face is turning red. Ignoring Lisa's silly accusations, she still tries to get her to come with her.
"Alright, Lis. I think you've had far too much to drink, don't you?"
"Get your hands off me!" Lisa shouts as Carla manages to pry the microphone from her hand and gives it to Tim. As Lisa pulls herself away from Carla, she trips, but Carla manages to catch her, along with Tim. Still insisting that she is not drunk, Lisa is not happy, but she finally allows Carla to take her by the arm and walk her back over to the closest booth to sit down. "I thought Sally said that she could sing?" she slurs as Sally begins her performance on the karaoke. The look on Lisa's face makes Carla laugh.
She rubs Lisa's shoulder and grins. "Don't worry, you were much better. For a second I thought if I closed my eyes, then I could trick myself into thinking that Dolly Parton herself was actually here." Carla jokes, and Lisa lets out a small laugh, then covers her mouth with her hand. "You wait here, okay? I'm going to pop to the bathroom, and then I'll get you a water, and we'll think about getting you and Betsy home, eh?"
Lisa frowns. "I don't need you babysitting me, you know?"
"I know. I just think that Betsy is ready to go home now. She's finding Sal's gig as boring as watching grass grow."
"Paint dry," Lisa mutters, confusion on her face.
"Eh?"
"Isn't the saying 'as boring as watching paint dry'?"
"Tomayto-tomato, Tofu-tofuh" Carla waves her hand. "I'll be two seconds," and with that she reluctantly leaves Lisa sitting at the booth and goes to the bathroom. Michelle is still watching Lisa and cannot believe that this is the woman that Carla was so upset about last night. She just doesn't understand it. In Michelle's opinion, the woman is obnoxious, rude, and lacking self-respect, but the thing is that Michelle doesn't know Lisa, not like Carla does. The way Lisa has behaved tonight is out of character, but Carla doesn't expect Michelle to understand that. She just hopes that Michelle doesn't think too badly of the other woman. In any other circumstances, she reckons that they would get along like a house on fire. She doubts that there will ever be an opportunity though to test that theory.
"What a state," Michelle says to Ryan, who, like Carla, is treading wearily where Lisa is concerned. "Doesn't she have any self-respect?"
Lisa gets up and turns towards her, immediately making eye contact. "I have no self-respect? That is a bit rich coming from you. So much for you and Carla being just friends. I bet you have loved this, haven't you? Laughing together behind my back" she runs over to her, and Betsy jumps up. Grabbing her mum by the shoulders, she pleads with her.
"Mum, please don't do this."
Lisa has a look on her face like a dog whose bone has been taken away. She is furious, and Michelle is taken aback by her brazenness. Betsy is still begging Lisa to leave it, but there is no chance that will happen. "Stay out of this, Betsy. This is none of your concern," she tells her daughter.
Michelle, now having it to her back teeth with this woman's stupid allegations, stands up. She is not one to be intimidated easily, but she is not about to get into a drunken argument with someone she barely knows over something so ridiculous. "I think this is the whole pub's concern, actually, since you've put on such a show tonight. Take her home, Betsy, before I do something I will live to regret."
"How can I take her home? She's drunk!" Betsy says, then turns to Lisa. "Please, Mum. You're making a show of yourself, and me! Everyone is looking."
"Let them look!" She snaps back. Michelle just scoffs and reaches for her bag to leave.
"I'm not standing for this! Carla has had a lucky escape if you ask me."
That is like a red rag to a bull. Completely out of character, Lisa lunges towards her, but Michelle manages to move out of the way, and Lisa loses her footing, falling forward and knocking Sally off her feet on her way down. The whole of the rovers gasps in unison as she lands on top of the older woman.
Carla can't believe her eyes as she returns from the bathroom. "Oh for fuck's sake," she curses, taking in the chaos unfolding in front of her. Sally is screaming bloody murder on the floor, Ryan is pulling Lisa from on top of her, Betsy is close to tears, and Michelle is absolutely enraged. Carla cannot believe her eyes, and Betsy is standing, deep-rooted in shock, as Ryan props Lisa against the bar. In any other circumstance she would have found this whole scene in front of her hilarious, but not when her mum is front and centre of the commotion. She has never been so humiliated in her whole life, and she wonders to herself if she will ever forgive her mother for this. Her night has gone from bad to worse, and all she wants to do right now is run away.
"Honestly, what an embarrassment. A copper of all people acting like this, in front of your poor daughter too. You should be ashamed of yourself." Michelle can't stop herself from one last dig.
"Alright, Chelle. Now's not the time," Carla tells her, making sure that Lisa is okay. Sally is still in hysterics across the bar, but switching off from her over-the-top screeches, Carla helps Lisa out of her now soaked blazer. She knocked Sally's drink out of her hand, so now they are both drenched in gin. Michelle is shaking her head in disapproval.
"I think now is the time, Carla. She's just charged at me. She should think herself lucky that I'm not reporting her for assault"
"Charged at you? Why on earth would she charge at you?" Carla asks, and Michelle scoffs, not amused.
"Because she is tapped up here." She taps the side of her head with the tip of her finger. "She thinks that we're a thing, which is ridiculous, but even if we were, what has it got to do with her? She didn't want you." Michelle regrets her words as soon as they leave her mouth. Everyone is watching them, and she has unintentionally embarrassed Carla beyond belief. She immediately apologises, and Carla laughs it off. Betsy though couldn't laugh even if she wanted to. She looks at Lisa with disgust.
"You are so embarrassing!" She hisses. She is absolutely mortified, and as Lisa tries to hug her, she pushes her away roughly and looks at Carla. "I'm so embarrassed; what are we going to do? I can't get her home in that state."
Carla looks at Betsy's flushed cheeks and could cry for her. Lisa is nothing like her own mum. Carla's mum was a raging alcoholic, but she remembers the shame she felt when her mum would make a show of herself in public. She puts a hand on Betsy's upper arm and rubs it with her thumb. "Don't worry, Betsy. It's your mum that will be embarrassed in the morning. Let's get her back to mine, and you can stay the night. I'll keep an eye on her, and you can get some kip in my room."
"Are you sure?" Betsy asks, her eyes now brimming with appreciation.
"Positive. Ryan, you'll help me get her to mine, won't you?"
He nods, and Michelle shakes her head again, annoyed that Carla has became the one to take care of her. Carla puts her hands on Michelle's shoulders and offers her an apologetic smile. This is not how either of them expected the night to end. "I'm so sorry, Chelle. I'm going to have to get her to bed."
Michelle returns the smile and gives her a quick hug. "It's fine, honestly. Just make sure she's alright. I'm here to stay, and the rover isn't going anywhere, so there will be many other drunken nights for us to be had...just not that drunk"
"You're a legend." Carla kisses both of Michelle's cheeks and turns to Lisa, who is hanging off Ryan, trying her best to steady herself. She looks over at Sally, who still seems to be in a state of shock, and she has to bite her tongue in order to stop herself from laughing. This night is definitely one for the books, and she won't be forgetting it any time soon.
Betsy goes to use the bathroom before leaving, and Ryan waits for her inside while Carla leaves with Lisa. The cold air is welcomed, and Carla hopes that a bit of fresh air will help sober the blonde up. Lisa is staggering out of the pub with her arm over Carla's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she finally speaks.
"Oh, don't be sorry; we've all been drunk," Carla chuckles, trying to make her feel better.
Lisa shakes her head. "That's not what I mean."
"What do you mean then?" Carla asks her but she can guess. She just wants to hear Lisa say it, even if she doesn't mean it. Lisa turns so she is face to face with Carla. The look on Carla's face makes Lisa want to cry. She knows that she has hurt her beyond belief, but that was never her intention. She swallows hard and reaches a hand up to brush Carla's dark hair behind her ear with her fingers. Lisa's fingertips brushing against her cheek makes Carla's skin scatter in goosebumps. Her breath hitches in her throat as she watches Lisa's eyes drop down to her lips, and her heart beat starts to quicken. She knows exactly what is going through Lisa's head, but this can't happen. Not like this; it wouldn't be right. So as Lisa leans forward, Carla turns her head to the side. She closes her eyes and her eye brows knit together as she tries to compose herself.
"Lisa—"
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Lisa repeats quietly. "I'm so sorry for everything." She cries, and the door opens. Carla has never been more pleased to see Ryan in her life.