How difficult could it possibly be for Molly and her sparring partner to get their friends together?
BY TESS NILAND KIMBER
Keeley and Aaron are… made for each… other,” Molly said, puffing as she manoeuvred her friend Ellis into a hold down.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, struggling to loosen her grip from his white judo jacket. “Both love running and the great outdoors… and both had bad break-ups with their last partners.”
Ellis wriggled out of the hold and threw Molly onto the red mat.
“Urgh!” she said, flat on her back as Ellis quickly pinned her to the ground before she could turn over. “We’ve got to get them together, it’s Valentine’s Day soon. Keeley needs to meet someone who’s good for her. It’s a year since she split from Simon.”
As she struggled to shift Ellis, she heard Liam, the instructor, end the lesson by clapping and calling, “Mate.”
Ellis released his grip on Molly, and holding out his hand, pulled her to a standing position. The judokas formed a circle and bowed to each other, marking the session’s end.
“So, how can we get them together?” she panted, collecting her drink from the edge of the mat as Ellis joined her.
“I don’t know. We’ve tried. When I invited them round for dinner, Aaron caught the flu and couldn’t make it.” He wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Then I took Keeley bowling and she had to rush home before Aaron arrived. I was worried she thought I fancied her!”
Molly laughed but, as they parted ways to go into the changing rooms, she felt a sudden pang she couldn’t translate.
She pushed the idea from her head. There were more important things to worry about – like how to get Keeley and Aaron together.
Keeley had been Molly’s best friend since secondary school. She’d been there for her through every trauma.
When she’d been bullied at school, it had been Keeley who’d stuck up for her; and when her beloved Bruno went missing, Keeley had joined the search, rescuing her labradoodle from the ledge where he was stuck.
When her mum and dad split, Keeley had supported her too, telling her, “Your parents love you and your dad’s only moving round the corner.
“It’ll work. And they’ll be happier.”
Her words were comforting and had proved correct. After a while, the new family dynamic had worked. Keeley was good like that; she always saw the positives in life.
