Letting Go

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

My alarm goes off at seven thirty as it always does. Still groggy, I sit up in bed and stretch. I turn to face Jack, who is sleeping peacefully beside me. I decide not to disturb him.

Today is a very big day. Megan and I are accepting an award for our public speaking work. I climb out of bed and hop into the shower. Once I’m finished in the shower, I get dressed in my best smart casual outfit - a pink shirt and a black skirt, with black heels. Then I make my way downstairs for some breakfast.

I’ve been with Jack now for about a year. We moved in together about five months ago. So far, things were going great. I never thought I could be with anyone even remotely connected to balloon fetishisism again, but our relationship works surprisingly well. He’s a non-popper and although accidents do happen, they are very rare and I’m getting more used to them now.

After breakfast I brush my teeth, then I look at the time. It’s almost eight thirty. Megan and Ben will be here to pick me up soon. Megan’s been very busy lately, what with planning her upcoming wedding and also being pregnant and preparing for the arrival of her baby. I’ve never really given much thought to having kids, and when Jack and I discussed the topic, he said he wasn’t that bothered either. It feels nice to have someone who is on the same wavelength as me.

Before Megan and Ben arrive, Jack gets up. He yawns, wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me.

“How’s the bestest girlfriend ever?” he asks.

I laugh. “I certainly don’t consider myself the best girlfriend ever,” I say.

“But you are,” says Jack. “You love and care about me and you’re cool with my fetish, especially considering everything you’ve been through with looners.”

I must admit, I do surprise myself sometimes with how chilled I am with Jack’s fetish. I guess I’m kind of used to looners now. Plus I still love balloons to begin with, so indulging Jack’s fetish isn’t too bad.

Suddenly I hear a beeping from outside. Megan and Ben are here to pick me up.

“I’ve gotta go,” I say, breaking free from Jack’s arms. “Maybe I’ll have a special surprise for you when I get home?”

“I’ll look forward to that,” says Jack, “especially if it involves balloons.”

“We’ll see. I’ll see you later. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I exit the house and climb into the car.

“Hey, Anna,” says Megan.

“How’s things?” I ask. “Feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.” It really does. We haven’t done any talks in weeks, and what with the wedding and the baby, Megan’s been far too busy to hang out.

“Oh, you know, stressful,” says Megan.

“I still can’t believe we’ve won this award,” I gush.

“Me neither,” says Megan. “People are starting to take notice of us!”

“I know, it’s great.”

The ceremony is being held in London, which is about an hour away from where I live, in Essex. But Megan keeps me occupied throughout the journey with her witty banter. We chat about everything from the wedding and the baby to how my relationship is going with Jack. Megan can’t actually believe I’ve fallen for another looner. Neither can I, to be honest.

We arrive at the ceremony an hour later. Megan and I get out of the car and walk into the ceremony together. I can see that the venue is decorated with purple and white helium balloons, which actually makes my plan for Jack a lot easier. I was going to go to the party shop and surprise him but if the organizers don’t mind, I’ll just take some of these balloons home for me.

We sit down and there’s a nice meal being dished out. I tuck into mine and it’s delicious. Then it’s time for the award to be presented.

“The next award goes to a couple of extremely brave women. They both were once working in the sex industry, and they both ended up in a mental health hospital because of it. Now though, they have turned their lives around and are now speaking up against the dangers of the industry, at schools and youth clubs. This award goes to them because of how they’ve managed to turn their past experiences into a business, and how they’ve inspired so many of the young people they give their talks to. Please welcome Anna Jones and Megan Blease!”

The audience clap and cheer for us, as we make our way up to the stage. Once we’re on the stage the clapping dies away, and it’s time for us to give our speeches.

“Thank you so much,” I say into the microphone. “I’d like to thank everyone who made these talks possible, my family, my boyfriend, and of course my best friend Megan who I get to share this incredible adventure with!”

Cheers go up amongst the audience again. I blush fiercely as we walk back to our seats - the attention makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

The rest of the ceremony goes by in a blur (blame the alcopops). When the ceremony is over I decide to take some of the balloons home with me, for Jack.

Megan can’t help but notice me untying some of them from their weight. “Got something planned for Jack?”

“You know it,” I say, “although I don’t know what exactly I’m going to do with them yet.”

“Don’t look at me,” says Megan. “I’m not the expert.”

I laugh. “I don’t know if I would call myself an expert.”

“Maybe not, but you do know more about looners than the average.”

“That’s very true. Do you mind if I put these in the boot of your car?”

“Won’t they pop in there?”

“I don’t think so. I used to be a decorator, don’t forget.”

“Okay, okay, sure, they can go in the boot.”

“Thanks.”