Jewell, Lisa - Ralph`s Party

Irene Pospichal 6A

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Ralph’s party

by Lisa Jewell

This story tells us about the daily life in a house in Almanac Road in London. Ralph and Smith were best friends and they were living in the basement flat. They had placed an advertisement because they were searching for a new flatmate. One day Jemima came to look at the rooms and Smith was immediately fascinated by her, even though he was in love with Cheri, who was living in the top flat and who ignored him. Jem moved into the house and soon she became Smith’s girlfriend.

The persons living in the flat above Smith, Ralph and Jem were Karl, who was working as a DJ for London Radio and Siobhan, who thought to be too fat to wear beautiful clothes. They were happily unmarried for fifteen years and it seemed like nothing could spoil their domestic idyll, but there was Cheri, the femme fatale who was living in the top flat. She had got her eye on Karl and wanted to do everything for a future together. And they had even an affair.

The prehistory of Karl and Siobhan:

Karl and Ch eri were ending their affair for many reasons – one of them was that Cheri had been pregnant and had had an abortion. Siobhan and Karl went to Scotland, because Karl’s boss sent him there to relax for a few days. They went to a beautiful place where Karl’s colleague from work, Rick, and his girlfriend Tamsin were living. Karl was very surprised when he met Tamsin, because he knew her – she had been a dancing- student of him last summer. Siobhan was also surprised about Rick, because he was such a good-looking, gorgeous guy. For the following evening Siobhan put on a beautiful dress and also make-up and she felt so good, better than the whole time before. They had a funny evening together, did some quiz games and role-playing and Tamsin made a tape recording. Siobhan was flirting with Rick and both went out for a little walk. Rick made many compliments on Siobhan and instead of thinking about what Karl would have said if he saw them, they kissed each other.

While they were outside the house, Karl and Tamsin talked about the past and Tamsin drew his attention to Rick and Siobhan – she told Karl that she couldn’t trust Rick anymore and Karl told her about his affair with Cheri, which he still kept secret for Siobhan.

When they were at London again, Siobhan took Rick’s advice and talked about everything that had happened that evening in Scotland. It seemed that Karl didn’t worry about that – he said that it didn’t matter that she put on quite a lot of weight. Since that conversation Siobhan dreamt of having children.

Rick and Karl talked also about that evening. Rick handed Karl a small silver tape recorder from the night they made their games.

Karl decided to buy expensive engagement-rings and asked Siobhan to marry him. She was not surprised and said yes.

When Karl came home one evening, he met a very angry and worried Siobhan. She had listened to the record which Rick had handed out to Karl some days before. Tamsin and Karl had forgotten to press the stop- button when they were talking about Karl’s affair with Cheri. Siobhan handed back the engagement-rings and wanted Karl to leave their flat. Siobhan often repeated that he shouldn’t call her anymore.

The following night after Siobhan had kicked Karl out, he slept at one friend’s flat. In the morning, when he had to moderate his radio- programme, he started to talk about his problems which he had with his girlfriend. Whenever he wanted to call her, she didn’t answer the telephone. Many inhabitants of London knew his story after that show and he got many pitiable calls. He started to play Siobhan’s favourite songs, but she didn’t react to his efforts.

Cheri saw a chance to become as famous as Karl did, and so she decided to contact Siobhan. She wanted them to meet again.

Siobhan was unhappy at her mother’s house and waited that Karl would rescue her, but he didn’t come. She called Rick and both of them were happy to meet again. Siobhan really hadn’t expected to fall in love with Rick but she did so that evening. She thought that Rick was so different from Karl. He made her feel good and beautiful. Soon she moved into Rick’s flat.

The prehistory of Ralph, Smith and Jem:

First Ralph was not very interested in the relationship between his two flatmates Smith and Jem, because he had a girlfriend of his own. By chance he started to read Jem’s diaries and found out a lot about her earlier life. Ralph fell in love with Jem but he could understand what she saw in Smith – he didn’t restrict her or control her. Jem and Ralph cooked together one evening and Ralph said that he hadn’t met the right girl yet. Jem didn’t notice what Ralph felt for her. She told Ralph that she thought that Claudia, his girlfriend, didn’t make him happy at all and he should search for someone who would appreciate what a lovely guy he was. Jem wanted him to start painting again (Ralph had a gallery in the city-centre), she thought that it was not the best thing for him to sit around at home with a bottle of beer in his hand and doing nothing but watching TV. Ralph followed Jem’s advice and cycled to his gallery – but he had a little accident.

Ralph finished his relationship with Claudia. Since the accident Jem had also feelings for Ralph. She knew that one of the two guys (Smith or Ralph) was the man for her, but she didn’t know which one.

One evening Ralph and Jem went out together, Smith wasn’t at home. They started in Piccadilly Circus and sautered through the streets of London. Jem said how special Ralph was and how glad she was to know him and that whoever he finally would fall in love with was going to be a very lucky girl. They had a really great evening, went to some shops and pubs and Ralph was more in love with Jem than ever before. The next morning Jem started to make a mental pro and con list about what she liked or didn’t like about Smith and Ralph.

One day Smith came home very amazed and happy because Cheri had chatted with him while they were going by tube. Ralph couldn’t believe that his mate still loved Cheri. Ralph felt very disgusted by Smith because he only wanted to make Cheri jealous with having a girlfriend. Ralph knew that Smith would never understand that he couldn’t reach Cheri and he was in the opinion that Jem didn’t deserve this. Smith wanted Ralph not to say one word to Jem because then he would be a homeless mate.

In the evening Ralph and Jem went out again. Ralph declared his love to Jem but he also confessed that he had read her diaries. Jem felt very upset when she heard that. She didn’t talk to him anymore and she tried to stop loving him, but she couldn’t.

Ralph started to paint again. He painted twenty-one paintings in sixty- four days, he didn’t even go home for two months. He missed Jem so much, but he could understand why she was so angry about him. Every day he listened to Karl’s stories about his ex-girlfriend at London Radio.

Jem missed Ralph, too. She noticed that Smith had changed. One day she got an invitation to Ralph’s party – he wanted to celebrate his new life.

That had happened at Ralph’s party:

Ralph had invited some friends and also all the guys and girls who lived in Almanac Road. All the mates came to his party: Smith, Jem, Cheri, Karl and Siobhan.

Smith started to chat with Cheri, but he got on her nerves with talking so much nonsense. Jem noticed that there was something going on with them. Ralph showed her some of his paintings – all of them were of Jem. She felt embarrassed and self-conscious.

Cheri always watched what Karl and Siobhan were doing. It seemed like her plan would be going to become true, she wanted to bring them together again. Siobhan had been trying to tell Karl about her and Rick, but she couldn’t, because he looked so happy.

Smith and Cheri danced a little bit, he enjoyed it very much, but she hoped that somebody would rescue her. Smith didn’t care how loud he was speaking and everybody noticed when he said how much he loved her. He even made a proposal. Jem had listened to Smith and ran from the gallery. Ralph followed her and told her the truth about Smith and his fantasising about Cheri. Jem told Ralph that she loved him for such a long time and Ralph couldn’t believe this, he was so happy.

Then happened something unexpected: When Rick came to pick up Siobhan, Karl wanted to knock him down. Ralph came and separated them and Karl recognised his mistake. Siobhan and Karl made a cooling- down walk, Cheri tended Rick’s wounds, Jem stood with Ralph while he saw off his friends and Smith was found lying on the ground of the toilet, sleeping and nearly naked, with vomit in his hair and shit everywhere. Not only Cheri was very disgusted by him.

Siobhan advised Karl to start a new life.

Jem and Ralph returned to Almanac Road. She told him about the dream she had when she had been a young girl – she had dreamt about a tiny house. When she looked through the window, she could see a man sitting on a sofa. It was the house in which she wanted to live and the man she wanted to marry. For too long she thought that this man was Smith, but in that night she knew that she was wrong. The right man was definitely Ralph.

About the author Lisa Jewell:

Lisa Jewell was born in London and is still living there. She studied art and fashion and have had a variety of jobs. She is thirty years old and this is her first novel (she started to write it after a bet, that she wouldn’t be able to scribble down the first chapters of a book).