“Lena, Leen!” A boy with a bicycle stands beneath the five-story block of flats, craning his neck to shout up at a window. The buildings front door hangs loose on its hinges, clattering in the breeze.
“Lenaaa, Len!”
“I swear Ill throttle someone!” A burly man in a blue vest leans out, scowling. “Clear off!”
“Wasnt calling youLenaaa!”
“For heavens sake!” A woman in a nightgown and curlers pops her head out another window. “Its Saturday! People are trying to sleep!”
“Shut it, the lot of you!” A tall, balding man yells, rubbing his eyes. “I barely slept all nightjust dozed off, and now”
“Lenaaa, you coming or what?”
The creaky door groans open, and out steps a girl in a light summer dress, carrying a tote bag with something wrapped in parchment.
“Hey, took you long enough. Oversleep?”
“Nah, was making sandwiches,” she says calmly, tucking the bag into the bikes carrier before hopping onto the crossbar. The boy kicks off, swerving sharply.
“Bloody hooligan!” the irritable man yells.
“Let us sleep!” another voice chimes in.
“You *are* sleeping!” the boy shouts back as they circle past the windows. “Its Saturday morningwhats *your* excuse?” Laughing, they pedal out of the courtyard.
He pumps the pedals hard until the town fades behind them, the bike rattling down a dirt path.
“Lena, you alright?”
“Fine. You?”
“Never better.”
They crash into the grass, wheels skidding as the tire goes flat.
“Oh no, what now, Alex?”
“Dunno,” he says, sprawled in the clover. “Guess we live here forever.”
“Alex!”
“What? Well build a hut. Rivers closeIll fish, well grill it over a fire.”
“And the firewood?”
“Well gather sticks.”
“Matches, Alex?”
“Who needs matches? Well rub sticks togetheror nick some off fishermen.”
“Right.”
They collapse laughing.
“Alex, that cloudlooks like a teapot.”
“Now its a dog.”
They lie there, cloud-watching.
“Fancy a swim?”
“Go on then.”
They race to the river, dry off on the hot golden sand.
“Lena, whatll you do when you grow up?”
“Finish school, maybe uni, then work. You?”
“Marry you. Get rich. Or vice versa. Those two things.”
“Prat.”
“Youre rightneed more. Army stint, maybe. Gotta get a trade before you run off with someone else.”
Lena giggles.
“Like who?”
“Dunno Vicky? Saw you two giggling, heads together.”
“We were making the school paper!”
“Sure. But listenIll steal you back, no matter what.”
***
Saturday dawns quietuntil a motorbikes roar shatters it.
“Lenaaa, Len!”
“Menace!” a woman shrieks from a window.
“Let us sleep!”
“Pipe down!”
“Lenaaa! Not *you*its Saturday! Lie in!”
The same wobbly door creaks open, and out steps Lena, squinting in the sun.
“Hey. Oversleep?”
“Hey. Nah, made us butties.”
“Keep it down!” a voice snaps.
Alex hands her a helmet. She straps it on, climbs behind him, and wraps her arms around his waist.
“Disgraceful!” an insomniac yells.
Alex revs the engine, shouts “Sleep well!” and peels off.
They zip through town, hit the asphalt, then bump onto a country lane.
“You good back there?”
“Fine!” Lena presses closer, wind whipping loose hairs from her helmet.
At the riverbank, Alex kills the engine. Lena hops off, shaking out stiff legs. They flop onto the grass, staring up.
“Alexthat cloud! Two cats sitting together.”
“Theres one like a bike. Swim?”
“Yeah.”
They splash in the river, bake on the sand, then kiss till theyre dizzy.
“Lena”
“Hm?”
“Im joining up. Youll wait?”
“What? When?”
“Tomorrow. Got my papers.”
“You *what*? Why didnt you”
“Didnt know till now.” He shrugs.
“Is that why you skipped uni? *This*?”
“Dont cry Ill go after. Then marry you. You wont run off with Vicky, yeah? Lena?”
***
Lena waits on the platform, heart thudding. Soldiers spill from the train.
“Alex! Son!” A woman flings herself at a tall, broad-shouldered lad, near fainting. “Home, loveyoure home.”
His dad grips his hand. His little sister sobs on his neck. Then Alex scans the crowdsees *her*, arms folded tight, eyes wet. He pushes through.
“Lena crying?”
“Happy tears, Alex.”
“Plenty more ahead.”
His sister sulks, his mum sighs, his dad huffsbut he only sees Lena.
***
“Son, its early dayswhy rush? Uni first, surely?”
“Sorted, Mum. And Im marrying Lena. Dont fuss.”
“But shes just after a ring! You should sow wild oats”
“Mum, shes nineteen. I dont *want* oats. Just her.”
“Alex, its too *soon*”
“Enough! When I got back, you nagged me to settle. Now its wait?”
“We saved you from drink! Your layabout mates”
Alex smiles, shuts the door softly.
***
“Its a boy! A *son*!” Alex bursts into his parents house, beaming. “MumDadhes here!”
His mum weeps, his dad swipes at tears.
“A nephew! A proper little lad!” his sister squeals.
Five years later, a princess arrives.
***
“Son, your dad says you quit? Howll you live?”
“Mum, Im done working for pennies. Well manage.”
“Lena agreed? This place had *security*”
“I want *better*. My kids splitting one chocolate bar? No.”
“Alex, we never had treats”
“That was then. Well make it.”
And they did. Not smoothlyhighs, lows, near-breaking points. But Lena kept making sandwiches, steady as ever.
One night, she hands him a guitar.
“Lena, *what*?” He bites back a yell.
“Sing, Alex. Bad things fade when you sing.”
*”Ill ride my bike for miles”* they murmur.
Lena cries when hes not looking. He pretends not to notice, fights harder.
They made it. House in the country, flat in town, kids set, parents cared for. Holidays by the sea.
Yet Alex feels restless. Lifes comfortablelike his mum says, theyre “rolling in clover.” But its stagnant.
Then a mate invites him to a sauna. Cliché, but
“Nah.”
“Come onits not *about* the sauna. Trust me.”
Maybe?
“Alex weve got theatre tickets.”
“Cant. Work thing.”
First lie hes ever told. Feels vile. At the sauna, he glowers.
A polished woman sidles up. “Lets leave. Hate it here too.”
“Why come?” he snaps.
“Needs must.”
Outside, she explains: single mum, deadbeat ex. “Saving to escape. Or find a decent bloke like you.”
Honest. Sharp. Bold. They walk all night, talking. He returns dazed.
Meets her again. And again. Soon, he *lives* for those hours.
A month in, he comes home to silence.
RealisesLenas been gone three days.
Calls the kids, his parentsno ones seen her.
Meets the woman. “Im sorry. I love my wife.”
“Thank you,” she says. “I envy her. Want me to tell her we never even”
“Ill do it.”
***
Lenas in her childhood kitchen, fourth day there. Needs to think.
She spreads butter slowly.
*”Lenaaa Leen!”* A motorbike growls below.
“For *Gods* sake”
“Give over!”
“Some of us sleep!”
*”Ill ride my bike for miles”* Alex sings under her window. *”Stop by distant fields, pick flowers for the girl I love”*
The door slams. Lena steps out, takes the helmet, climbs on behind him.
They speed through town, bump onto the dirt road, into flower-strewn fieldslike another lifetime.
“Lena, you alright?”
“Fine.”
They sprawl in the grass.
“Lookthat clouds a ship.”
“Theres an old couple drinking tea.”
“Lena”
“Hm?”
“Forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive.”
“But I hurt you.”
“Did you?”
“Wont happen again.”
“What wont?”
“You singing alone. You *were* singing?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too. Lets do it together.”
“Alright.”
*”Ill ride my bike for miles”*
