They didn't get on all the time. They both called it arguing like good, old Italians. Neither of them had any Italian blood in them of course, but they'd go at it sometimes over the slightest thing. She was good for him in this case because he could actually be a pretentious prick sometimes. Angie was very grounded - and had enough blunt confidence to tell him so. Fred liked to think he talked beautifully, which he did sometimes, but other times she'd tell him off for it.
We were in the pub one time, a bundle of empties in the middle of the table - we'd all had a few.
'I like the morning. It's a torchlight spreading a waking Mexican wave around the world. Everyone standing up dutifully and performing their days.'
'Fred - you are so full of shit sometimes. Sorry, I know you're trying to be poetic and all that, but seriously.'
'Hey, screw me all over the place for saying something nice sweetheart.'
'Come on though. We are having a few beers, maybe more, and talking about usual stuff and you come out with something like that. It's, well, it's out of tune with the moment.'
'I'm just speaking my fucking mind. You know I do that, so shut your face with another beer, alright? I'm off for a piss anyway.'
I went with him to the toilet. Standing at the urinal he acted as though they hadn't just spoken like that. He wasn't whistling, but you often felt like he was about to.
'You should go a little easier on Angie. It was a fair point in a way and she was just having fun with you.'
'It's alright Ruk. She hates it when I say anything that competes with her own beauty.'
'Ha - that's bollocks too. Come on. Say sorry to her and lets have a couple more.'
'I'm not apologising. We love it. There's nothing like a little anger between us, manufactured or not, to get the juices flowing. We'll have our make up later and then when we get to bed it'll be fireworks mate. Arguing is fuel for a fuck. It thickens me up just here thinking about it.'
Fred waggled his cock in his hand as he said that. Beer makes the best of us a little vulgar I guess.
'The thing is, we make up and we have a great fuck proving we still love each other. A solid argument flames up her cunt lips and fattens my ball bag. So, not sure we'll be having more than another pint to be honest. We'll want to get home.'
'As you say Fred. As you say.'
------
Fred proposed to Angie that night. He was on the phone telling me about it in the morning.
'I asked Angie to marry me Ruk. It was perfect.'
'So, how did it go?'
'I told her that she does the impossible for me. She is beyond everything I imagined anyone could be. That she multiplies infinity.'
'There's a Fred line if ever I heard one. So, what did she say then?'
'Hang on. I'm just chewing.'
I could hear his mouth. Fried egg or something slopping in there. He was munching on it to wind me up - I knew that much.
