by Jacqui Penn
Angela watched the sad little figure walking away and she wept. Her bastard husband! He was so weak; he wouldn’t have the guts to leave her and the children. The same as she didn’t have the guts to leave him. Why did he keep putting her through this? Did he think she was stupid? Young girls like Sophia weren’t going to want him, and Sophia had been the only one she’d cared about losing. She dried her eyes on a soggy tissue, threw it into the bin and called to the children.
‘Come on! We’re going to be late.’
They hurried down the stairs. ‘Where’s Sophia?’ Lawrence asked.
‘She had to go. Don’t worry, we’ll find a new nanny.’
Lawrence frowned. ‘I don’t want a new nanny. I want Sophia,’
‘Don’t we all?’ Angela ushered the children out of the front door.
Sophia went back to the hostel and dumped her bags on the bed before heading off to the newsagents for a local paper. She needed a new job and somewhere to live.
‘Cheer up, it might never happen,’ the man at the till said, sporting a grin.
‘It already has.’ She took her change and slowly sauntered back to the hostel.
An hour later, with several flats to rent and job vacancies circled on the pages she’d spread out on the bed, Sophia put down her pen and wept. Why? When everything had been so perfect, why did he have to ruin it all? She moved the paper, curled up on the bed and closed her eyes. Her enthusiasm for sorting out her life had vanished. She had no strength to look at flats and no desire to put on a false smile to impress her way into a new job.
That evening she went to the phone box to call Tristan. For some reason, her hands were shaking as she waited for him to pick up.
‘Hello.’
She breathed a sigh of relief that he was home. ‘Tristan, it’s Sophia.’
‘Thought I might hear from you.’
‘You’ve heard from Ru then?’
‘He made up some cock and bull story. Are you okay?’
Tears pricked her eyes. ‘I’ve been better.’
‘Where are you staying?’
‘Canterbury Tales Hostel. It’s—’
‘I know where it is. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Get your stuff packed.’
‘But—’
‘You can’t stay there. Stay with me until you get yourself sorted.’
Stay with him? She hesitated a moment. ‘Okay. Thanks.’
Cars and people passed by on her walk back to the hostel, but she was in a world of her own, surrounded by emptiness. She sat on the edge of the bed. Tristan’s kindness brought a tightness to her chest. She took a deep breath, folded the newspaper, tucked it into a side pocket and picked up her bag. The sooner she left this bare room, the better. She went downstairs to the foyer and handed in her key, before waiting on the front steps for Tristan. At least she’d feel happier staying with him until she found somewhere else. The hostel had been so lonely.
Sophia looked at her watch. It’d been more than three-quarters-of-an-hour since she’d spoken to Tristan. Her stomach rumbled and she realised she hadn’t eaten all day. Come on, Tristan, where are you?
The car swept to a halt and Sophia hurried down the steps. The first thing she saw was Mutley, wagging his tail and scratching at the window.
Tristan swung the door open. ‘Hold on. I’ll put your bags in the boot.’
Sophia smiled. ‘You went and got him. Thank you.’
‘Angela rang and said Ru was being difficult and threatened to throw him out.’
‘No! That man is so horrible.’
Tristan opened the passenger door for her. ‘I’ve seen another side to him. Anyway, less about him, how are you?’
She stroked Mutley’s head and he leaped over the seat and settled down on her lap. ‘Better already, thanks. This is so kind of you.’
‘I wasn’t about to leave you there, was I?’
Tristan pulled away and Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. She stroked Mutley and found his warmth comforting. She was safe.
Tristan led the way into the penthouse. ‘I thought you might like to have your own room. You can share if you want to, but I thought—’
‘That’s great. Thanks.’
He opened a door into a spacious bedroom with fitted mirror wardrobes, a desk, and a chaise lounge. A church spire shone out in the night sky, surrounded below by flickering vehicle lights.
Sophia looked around in awe. ‘This room is lovely. You’ll have me not wanting to move out.’
He pulled down the blinds. ‘Stay as long as you like. I stopped and picked up a take-away. Hope you like Chinese.’
‘Great. I haven’t eaten all day.’
‘Same here. I should have got something for Mutley.’
‘He’ll eat anything.’
‘Chinese for three then.’
Sophia already felt at home. She shouldn’t get too settled; this was only a temporary measure, but one she was grateful for.
Chapter 8
Sophia spent her first few days at Tristan’s searching through the situations vacant columns. She’d left school with a handful of qualifications, but hadn’t a clue what work she wanted to do. Why did Ru have to spoil everything? Another live-in job would ensure she had somewhere to live if Tristan changed his mind, but she needed time to recover from the past few days. Maybe she’d be better looking for a job without accommodation then at least no one could deprive her of both her home and job. She flicked the pen back and forth between her finger and thumb. Why did nothing inspire her?
She threw the pen onto the paper, pushed the chair back and made her way to the door, grabbing her jacket and Mutley’s lead. ‘Come on. Let’s go for a walk and blow away the cobwebs,’ she said to the small dog, now excitedly wagging his tail.
As she walked amongst people, all seemingly busy and on a mission, she felt alone. Tristan had been kind. They’d soon fallen into an amicable living routine, but she had no purpose and while she stayed in her present state of mind, there seemed little hope of moving on.
After strolling around for an hour, Sophia tied Mutley to a rail and went into a supermarket. The least she could do was have a meal ready for when Tristan returned home. They’d eaten take-away since she’d arrived and it seemed that Tristan was used to ordering in. He must have had a menu for every take-away in the area. Choosing ingredients for a curry lightened her mood. ‘Right,’ she said to Mutley, ‘homeward to cook.’
Sophia hummed a tune as the curry simmered away. She took a small amount on a spoon and blew a few times to cool it. ‘Mmm, not bad, just a bit of coriander and I think we’re there. Didn’t we do well?’ Mutley wagged in response. ‘I’m not sure it’s a good thing to be talking to you all day, but seeing as you’re the only one around, you’ll just have to put up with it.’ The intercom buzzed.
Sophia went to the door and pressed the button. ‘Hello.’
‘Hi, it’s Gio.’
‘Oh. Tristan isn’t here. Do you want to come up?’
‘That’d be nice. It’s pouring it down out here.’
‘Sorry.’ She pressed the entrance tab and heard the downstairs door open through the intercom. A moment later a dripping Gio stepped out of the lift.
‘I got you a towel. Do you want me to find some of Tristan’s clothes for you?’
He took the towel. ‘No. I’ll be fine. When’s Tristan back?’
Sophia looked at the clock. ‘He’s later than usual, so I don’t know.’
‘Okay, I’ll give him a call.’
Sophia disappeared back into the kitchen and could hear Gio talking. From what she gathered Tristan had been delayed.
Gio stood in the doorway. ‘He’s waiting for a tow truck. He’s broken down.’ Sophia turned to face him. He had the towel draped around his bare shoulders. His chest was free of hair and muscular. She gathered her thoughts and turned back to the stove.
‘I’d better turn this off then.’
‘Smells good.’
‘There’s plenty if
you want to stay.’
‘I might just do that. Bit of a dry house.’
Sophia shook her head. ‘Dry house?’
‘No offer of a drink.’
‘Oh! Yes, of course. How rude. What can I get you?’ She smiled. Dry house; she liked that. She wasn’t used to playing the hostess.
When she went through to the lounge Gio had turned on the television. He was obviously a regular visitor. She placed snacks on the coffee table and sat in the armchair.
‘So why are you here?’ Gio asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.
‘I’m staying for a while. I had a bit of a problem… It’s only short term.’
Gio laughed. ‘I bet it is.’
Sophia could feel the hackles on the back of her neck rise. Why did everyone have such a bad opinion of Tristan? He’d shown her nothing but hospitality and kindness at a time when she most needed it. She wished Gio had taken her up on the offer of borrowing some of Tristan’s clothes. Having him sat there bare-chested was beginning to bug her. ‘I’m going to have a shower. Help yourself to another drink.’ He raised his glass in the air to acknowledge her and continued to watch the programme.
Tristan’s voice could be heard when she turned off the shower. She quickly dressed and went through to find both men now glued to the television, eating a Chinese meal.
‘Oh! I made us a curry.’
Tristan looked at her momentarily. ‘Well, no one told me. We’ll have it tomorrow. There’s plenty of this in the kitchen.’
She spooned a portion of food onto her plate and went to join the men. ‘So what was wrong with the car?’
‘Shh! Listen,’ Tristan said.
After collecting the dirty plates and refilling the glasses, she filled the dishwasher and put the leftovers in the fridge. Something felt awkward, but she wasn’t sure what riled her. The television was off and both men were laughing when she re-joined them.
‘Isn’t that right?’ Tristan looked at her.
‘What’s that?’
‘Ru tried it on with you?’
‘Not exactly. Do you know Ru, Gio?’
‘Let’s just say I know of him. So what are your long-term plans now?’
‘I need to get a job and then somewhere permanent to live.’
Gio looked serious. ‘My sister’s friend runs a dog walking agency. She’s always looking for staff.’
Tristan burst into laughter. ‘Not the same line of work as my sister, is it?’
Gio raised his eyebrows. ‘That might be interesting.’
Sophia felt the joke was on her. ‘I’ll find something soon.’
‘Seriously, Jan’s always wanting people. It’s not always regular work, but while you pay your rent in kind, it might be okay.’
‘I don’t pay my rent in kind! I have my own room.’
Tristan frowned at his friend. ‘Leave it out, Gio.’
‘I’m going to bed.’ She looked at Tristan. ‘See you in the morning.’ She cast her eyes in Gio’s direction. ‘Bye Gio.’
‘Bye.’ He smirked as he spoke.
The anger set in as she tossed and turned trying to sleep. She could hear their voices and she wished Gio would go away and leave them alone, or at least leave her alone. What was the matter with him? He’d seemed so friendly at his party.
Sunlight shone into the room. She squinted and rolled over. Bloody man! His comments still bore into her. She couldn’t stay in bed, so swung her legs out and stretched her arms. She pulled on her robe, ran the brush through her hair and went to put on the kettle. Tristan wasn’t up. On the countertop was a piece of folded paper with her name scrawled across it.
Sophia,
Jan’s number for you. I’ll ring her in the morning and tell her you’ll be getting in touch. If you want to that is.
Gio
The number was in large numerals.
So he didn’t dislike her that much to be making calls on her behalf. Strange man. She’d leave making the call until later to give him a chance to have a word first. Dog walking sounded alright. Lots of time to contemplate and get some sort of plan for the future underway. Mutley might be able to join her.
Jan picked up the call on the second ring.
‘Walking Woofers. Good morning.’
Sophia stifled a laugh. ‘Good morning. My name is Sophia and…’
‘Yes, good morning. I was expecting to hear from you. Gio said what a lovely lady you are and that you’ve recently rescued a dog.’
‘Well, yes I have, that’s right, but I don’t have much experience.’
‘No worries. I’ll find you some nice easy ones to start you off. Would you like to come along and have a chat?’
Sophia came away from the call with the impression she had a job. Jan’s request for a meeting sounded like a formality and Sophia was already elated. Well, thank you, Gio. So, you think I’m a lovely lady; you kept that well-hidden. I might even forgive last night’s comments.
Jan was as nice as she had sounded on the phone and Sophia had her first dog walk that afternoon. She looked at the address for the umpteenth time and walked up the pathway to a large, well-kept bungalow. Mrs Shepherd was in a wheelchair and found walking Roxy, her Rottweiler, too difficult. She was a large, bubbly lady and Sophia took to her straight away.
Mrs. Shepherd swept her thin, grey unkempt hair back from her face. ‘She’s alright until she sees a cat and then just hold on for dear life. You’re not very strong are you?’ she said, looking Sophia up and down.
‘Stronger than I look. I’ll be fine. Come on then, Roxy.’ Oh, God! Please don’t let her see a cat. The walk went without a hitch leaving Sophia relieved and grateful as she returned Roxy to her owner.
‘Well, old girl,’ Mrs Shepherd said to Roxy, ‘you look well and truly knackered!’ Sophia was going to like this job.
Tristan listened as Sophia enthused about her new occupation. He let her finish and then dropped his bombshell.
‘My mother is coming to stay next week. I’m afraid you’ll have to find somewhere else to stay for a few days’
Sophia’s brow tightened. ‘Why? Can’t she stay in the other spare room?’
‘No. It’s not that simple. I can’t be seen to be shacked up, so to speak. It’s not fitting in Mother’s eyes.’
‘But we’re in separate rooms.’
‘I know that, but she’ll think… Look, you just have to go somewhere for a few days. Don’t you have a friend you could stay with? Mutley can stay here.’ His final comment gutted her. She had to remember that he’d taken her in and she should be grateful. So why did she feel like she was being dismissed? Mutley could stay but she couldn’t. She sounded like a spoiled brat.
‘Okay, I’ll find somewhere.’ Inside she seethed. She’d have to go back to the hostel. She wouldn’t tell him she had no friends. Well, she had Anna, but Anna couldn’t help while she was still in the home. How sad she sounded. Billy no mates. The truth hit her hard, she felt sick.
Chapter 9
A few days later, Sophia still couldn’t understand why she felt so humiliated at being asked to move out for a few days. It wasn’t as though they were living together as partners. The thought ran through her mind that she would like her relationship with Tristan to be something more than it really was. She quivered in denial, picked up her coat and went to her first Woofer walk of the day.
She usually headed off somewhere scenic where she wouldn’t be bothered by too many people or noise from traffic. Today she found herself on a woodland walk with Pongo, a black Labrador, whose owners worked all day. ‘Pongo, you are so well-mannered, next time I’ll bring Mutley along and you two can have some fun.’
The multi-coloured leaves crunched underfoot as they strolled along with the song of the birds and a gentle breeze. Her phone rang and made her jump.
‘Hi, Tristan.’
‘I’m going for a game of pool tonight with Gio, did you fancy joining us?’
‘Yes, I’ll come. See you later.’ She marc
hed on with enthusiasm, humming to herself.
Tristan drove to the sports bar where Gio was waiting.
‘Sorry, we’re a bit late. I had to go and pick Sophia up.’
Gio’s false smile didn’t go unnoticed by Sophia. ‘I didn’t realise we were having a threesome, how cosy,’ he said.
‘Thank you for putting in a word with Jan. I really enjoy walking the dogs.’
‘Glad to be of service. I’ll get us some drinks.’
The men went to the bar and Sophia sat close to the pool table. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be playing much pool so at least she’d have a good view.
Tristan played well, often taking quick shots, but nearly always pocketing the balls. Gio took more time and looked like he was on a mission to win. Tristan won the first game.
Gio handed Sophia the cue. ‘Come on then. Show us what you’re made of.’
‘I’ve never played. You two play again.’
Their eyes met for a brief moment and Sophia felt awkward. ‘Okay,’ she turned to Tristan. ‘I apologise in advance.’
Tristan broke and took the next four shots until finally, he missed.
Sophia had been watching and tried to copy the way Tristan held the cue. As the ball missed the hole miserably, she sighed. ‘I told you I’d be no good at this.’
Tristan potted two more balls and then Sophia went to the table. Gio stood watching. ‘Come around here and go for that one,’ he said, pointing to a ball at the other side of the table.
‘I can’t get them when they’re close, I’m not going to do that.’ She reluctantly walked around the other side of the table and leaned over to take the shot. Gio bent over her back and put his hand over hers on the cue. She could feel his breath on her face. Her cheeks began to burn.
‘Look bend down further and follow the line of the ball. Now put your hand a bit further down the cue for more control. Keep your eye on the ball. That’s better. Now try.’