Deasil Street

5.4

Annette was embarking on one of her grandfathers assignments, and this one she really wanted to go well.She was to host a social gathering, and it was to go smoothly. And she had invited both her groups of friends, from the Club and the Street.

The Barrow twins didn’t seem sure about Megan but were being politely aloof. Megan thought they were snobs, and Malika was feeling pretty intimidated.

While Annette tried to get the Barrow twins and Megan talking, Malika and Gerald found themselves chatting. He seemed less unapproachable than the Adam and Alicia, friendly even.

But they found the atmosphere around them was making their own conversation strained. It was a bit awkward, and both of them wished they had met elsewhere.

Annette was struggling. She could only seem to get either Megan or the twins smiling at any one time.

If Megan found something funny, Alicia would turn away affecting boredom. If they discussed something equine, Megan would glower.

Her gathering was a disaster. After a little while, no one was talking to anyone else. It wasn’t just her grandfather who would be saddened by this failure. Annette felt torn too. She had really wanted all her friends to get along.

She hid in her room for a bit when they all left, nursing her disappointment. But she got up and poured out all her woes to Peps. Her horse might not understand what was being said, but Annette felt better having said it all out loud.

Spotting her daughters mood, Ariette tried comforting her at breakfast. No matter what she was going through, Vickers were winners. Harry might have lost them almost everything, but you’d never have guessed from meeting him. Things would look better after a few days.

NO. 6 Flats – Potter and McKirrick Jennifer Potter Jennifer Potter moved into the Street with her ex-husband Pablo Martinez, whose last name she has since dropped. They had planned to start a family in the suburbs, but found getting pregnant difficult. Jen had given up a promising political career to be a mother, so found this failure harder to bear than Pablo.

He didn’t in fact want children, and had a string of affairs to escape responsibilities at home. Jen forgave him the first time she found out, after being told by the Baileys. The second time however, enough was enough.Since their split, Jen has found herself in financial difficulties. She moved into the small, oddly shaped house that was the last built in Deasil Street, which she rents. It’s conversion into flats is a source of concern to her. She hopes to get her career back on track now her dreams of having children are beginning to fade. She is on good terms with everyone on the Street, and is particularly close to Teresa whom she turns to in times of crisis.

NO. 6 Flats – Potter and McKirrick

Angus McKirrick is the most recent occupant of Deasil Street, having just moved into the surprise upper flat above Jen Potter. He moved to Deasil Street following a split with a long term girlfriend, who had had enough with his semi-nomadic lifestyle. Angus rarely lives in a town longer than a year, getting bored quickly.

A writer for hire, he usually works for local newspapers on opinion pieces, sometimes reporting on smallish events.

What he really likes to do is write screenplays. His proudest moment was when he favourite sci-fi show used his work for one episode. It didn’t get particularly impressive ratings though, and has yet to be repeated.

Angus is very relaxed about everything, including clutter and hygiene. How well he fits into Deasil Street has yet to be seen.

Angus hadn’t left his flat for a few days. To the casual observer like Jen, it would see he was pretty lazy. All she could hear was sports from his TV, and the only movement on the stairs was take-away deliveries. But to be fair, he had moved in just before his rugby team were due to play in the finals.

In actual fact, he wasn’t just a waste of space. A professional writer, he always has several projects on the go. Right now, he was penning a review of the invasive forms of advertising during televised sports fixtures. But his real love was science fiction, and was always sending off screenplays to his favourite shows. It wasn’t just work, it was a vocation.

With his article finished, he decided it was probably time to go and meet his neighbour. He wondered about sprucing himself up a bit, but given their proximity she would see him a bit dishevelled more often than not. Why worry?

Jen let him in, and they sat down to have a chat. But it was clear they didn’t have much in common. Jen wasn’t impressed by his dirty jeans or scruffy beard. He was a bit put off by her attitude, especially as she was no better than him. She was living in this cheap building too.

Jen let him out with a heavy heart. It seemed her suspicions were correct, she was sharing a building with a person who wasn’t quite up to her standards.

She wasn’t being a snob, she was no Ariette. But her reduced circumstances since the divorce seemed to be bringing her into contact with people she wasn’t comfortable with.