What Talbot did

Yeah. I’ve been hesitating to tell you. Even now. After all this time. Even though I’m quite used to it. Even like it, really. Especially now that I have Patrick.
And yeah. I got to be like the rest of them. Drooling over Dr Talbot.
It was the day I had the mega argument with Mummy and Daddy. And I mean mega. Of course, it was about the Irish dancing. It would be, wouldn’t it? They wanted me to go to the show with Aunt Kitty. Tamsin was dancing in the youth section. I hate Tamsin. She‘s so good at everything. It’s Tamsin did this and Tamsin did that, and did you know, how good Tamsin is at this, that and the other? I used to feel sorry for her. Her daddy died when she was just five. Aunt Kitty was a mess for years. But now she’s so spoilt and so up her herself. Everybody fusses about her. She can dance though. And that makes it worse. I gave up the dancing when I went to high school. I used to like it, but I was only average.
No, I didn’t want to go and watch her swanking again. I wanted to go to the social at the boys’ school. All the others were going.
“You will not be going to that place filled with rampant young male hormones,” shouted Daddy. His face was bright red and he’s screwed his eyes up so they looked little and mean, just like always when he’s angry.
“You will obey your father,” Mummy cried. “And you know your cousin needs your support.”
“She doesn’t need my bloody support,” I answered. “She’s got everybody and she can dance as well.”
“Fyonah McBride,” said Daddy, getting even redder if that is possible, “you will not use language like that it in this house.”
I think he went to hit me. His arm was definitely raised.
“Donald, no,” shouted Mummy.
But I got out before he could touch me. “You’re damned right,” I shouted “I’ll use what frigging language I like. Because I won’t ever be in this house again.”
And so I went to the social at the boys’ school.
It was actually incredibly boring.
All the others got off with the skanky, pimply lads there. Oh, I had approaches enough, thank you very much. They were all so thin and awkward, though, and most of them were smelly. Either too much deodorant or not enough. They didn’t seem to know what to say. You see, by now I was sooooo in love with Talbot. He was a real man. He wouldn’t be awkward. He’d know what to do.
And because I’d not made proper arrangements about how to get home, I had to walk. Of course I took the short cut through alley off Park lane.
You see, Talbot is dangerous. If he hadn’t have made me love him, if I’d have got off with one of the lads, if I hadn’t turned when he called, if I hadn’t have been on my own….
Yes, it was Talbot that did this to me.
But it might not be quite how you think.
I wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for Talbot. He rescued me.