by KERRY BARNES
She consoled herself with the fact that Lucas knew how vital it was to take those tablets. He didn’t want to die; in fact, he was too selfish to harm himself. After taking a deep breath, she left the car and made her way through the shopping centre to the beauticians. Every last Thursday of the month, she would have a facial and a trim and dye if needed. But she’d been too busy during the last month.
As soon as she entered the salon, the girls all came over to greet her. She was a regular customer who gave generous tips.
‘Shelley, how are you? Come over and take a seat,’ said Piper, with an over-the-top sickly, grovelling smile. ‘Now then, what did you have in mind for today? I see you’ve been booked in for most of the day. Lucky, really, because this time of year we’re full to the brim what with Christmas and all.’ She placed a gown around Shelley’s neck. ‘Er, Simone, lovey, please make Shelley a nice cup of tea and bring over some of those mince pies.’ She chuckled and looked at Shelley in the mirror. ‘Fortnum and Mason no less. So, how are you today?’
Shelley tried to smile and act her confident self but the last hour at home had really upset her. ‘Yeah, I’m fine, thank you.’
‘So, are you looking to have the same colour? Any highlights weaved in?’
‘Yeah, why not. I think I’m due for a change. Is the Botox nurse in yet?’
Piper gave another saccharine smile, showing her bright-white veneers. ‘She’s on her way. Oh, and we have a new treatment you might want to try.’
Shelley was all for trying anything at the moment, anything that was that would brighten up her tired face. ‘Go on, then. Tell me about it.’
‘Teeth whitening. Our Botox lady is also offering a special deal, two for one.’
Shelley’s eyes lit up. ‘Well, yes, then. I’ll have that too.’
As Piper left to mix up the dye, Shelley looked around. A young woman was having her long hair bleached, an older lady was having her eyebrows dyed, and two seats along, there was another woman having a trim.
Shelley stared and wondered how old the woman was. She didn’t look in her twenties, but her face and jawline were sculpted and tight. Her unusual coloured eyes dominated her face, and her long neck made her appear like a model. As the woman clocked her staring, Shelley looked away. Yet she was drawn back to the woman’s appearance and wondered if that hairstyle and colour would suit herself. Then she noticed the woman was wearing black leather gloves.
As soon as she spoke, Shelley jerked. ‘Oh, sorry, what did you say?’
‘I said, does it hurt to have Botox?’
Now engaged in a potential conversation, Shelley turned to face the woman directly. Something about her fascinated Shelley. ‘No, not really, but don’t tell me you’re thinking of having it done as well?’
‘Yeah, why not?’ She grinned. ‘And this teeth whitening, I might go for that too.’
Shelley was drawn in by the smooth way the woman spoke. ‘Well, I’m up for everything. I’ve let meself go lately, what with one thing and another, so it’s an early Christmas present to meself.’
‘And why not? Do you have much shopping left to get?’
Shelley had been so preoccupied with her son that she hadn’t really given it much thought.
‘To be honest, I haven’t even started. Mind you, I only have my boy to buy for.’
‘How old is your son?’
‘Well, I say boy, but, really, he’s a man. He’s twenty-one.’ Usually, when Shelley started talking about her son, she wouldn’t stop. Yet today, she wasn’t in the mood to spew out his praises.
‘Do you have children?’
The woman gave an exaggerated sad smile. ‘No … My son died from organ failure.’
Suddenly, Shelley’s ears pricked up. It seemed to her that they had something in common. ‘Oh, bloody hell. That’s so sad, and I know how you feel. I nearly lost my son. He had kidney failure but …’ She realized she might be seen as being somewhat insensitive. ‘Well, he’s okay now.’
‘Tell me’ – the woman asked, changing the subject – ‘how do you get out of the car park? It’s such a maze. This is the first time I’ve been here. I’ve just moved into the area.’
Feeling sorry for the woman, Shelley was eager to help. ‘Yeah, it is a bit of a nightmare. Where are you parked?’
‘See, that’s the problem. I can’t remember.’
Shelley then reached down into her bag and pulled out her own car parking ticket. ‘Right then. You see that colour there? Mine’s purple, which means I’m on the top floor. Yours will have a colour too. What ya do is take ya ticket to whichever floor you’re on. Say it’s orange, which is the second floor. Well, just before you go into the car park there’s a pay-on-foot machine where you pay. The machine time-stamps your ticket. On your way out, you put your ticket in the exit machine and the barrier will come up. You have about ten minutes, I think, between when you pay into the machine and when you must reach the barrier.’
‘Oh, thank you so much. I was getting anxious, worrying about it. So, do you live locally? Um … sorry. What’s your name?’
‘Oh, it’s Shelley. Yeah, me and me son just moved to Bickley. I left the ol’ man and bought a nice little place just behind Bickley station near the cricket club. It ain’t massive, but it does me and Lucas okay.’
The woman gasped. ‘No way? I moved there too. What a coincidence. Which road?’
Shelley grinned. ‘Pines Road, number fifteen. You should pop over for coffee one day.’
‘I’d like that very much. I don’t know anyone in the area, so that would be fantastic, of course, if it’s no trouble.’
Feeling pleased with herself for making a new friend, Shelley positively beamed. What an improvement to what had been a really shitty beginning to the day. This would be a start to her new life: decent friends, a new haircut, and whitened teeth. She would ditch the bolshie bitch attitude and maybe start living a more relaxed way of life and begin by being friendly and polite to people.
The hairdresser returned with the dye and started taking over the conversation, by talking both women into buying more treatments. It wasn’t long before Piper’s sales pitch reaped the benefits. Shelley was under the dryer and only had a chance to wave as the woman, her potential friend, said goodbye. Shit! She hadn’t discovered the woman’s name. But the stranger had her address, so there was a good chance she might call in for a coffee, and, hopefully, Lucas would be in a better mood when she did.
* * *
As Zara made her way into the Costa Coffee shop, she spotted Mike in the corner, reading the sports pages in the Daily Mirror. He smiled as soon as he saw her. ‘Nice haircut, babe, so how did it go? Any good news to report?’
Zara squeezed through the tables and sat opposite Mike and sighed. ‘I thought I would be in for a challenge, but I was thoroughly disappointed.’
Mike shook his head, in dismay. ‘Shit! So, she didn’t turn up, then?’
‘Oh yeah, she turned up all right. It was a walk in the park. I didn’t even have to work for it. She’s parked on the top floor in the multi-storey car park, booked in until five, and she lives at 15 Pines Road near the cricket ground … and, oh yeah, she wants me to pop in for coffee. Her son, Lucas, who’s just had an op, lives there too.’
Mike laughed. ‘I told ya she’s as thick as shit. Brilliant, so that’s the first part of the plan in order. Shall I have Lou follow her?’
Zara nodded. ‘Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. We need to keep tabs on her, just to make sure she wasn’t giving me a load of old flannel. But, I should tell you, I think she was overly honest, apart from the fact that she said her house wasn’t massive because Pines Road has nothing but mansions, as far as I can recall.’
As Zara ran her hand through her shorter locks, she looked at Mike with a sudden self-conscious, almost bashful smile. ‘Does my hair really look okay? I mean, I was looking at all the pictures in the salon of women with their hair curly and long. I was thinking for the wedding …’
Mike grabbed her hand. ‘You, my angel, are just perfect as you are.’
She blushed slightly. ‘They can do Botox and teeth whitening and so much stuff, and I thought, maybe, I should perhaps just have …’
‘No!’ He raised his voice. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I mean, please, babe, don’t start all that plastic shit. I can’t bear it. When I said you are perfect as you are, I meant it. I ain’t the type of man that goes for rubber lips and expressionless faces. Jackie went down that road, and fuck me, she ended up looking like the bride of Frankenstein.’
A young couple with bags of shopping sat at the table next to them. They were talking about all the presents they’d bought and how Christmas would soon be upon them.
‘Mike, I haven’t bought a single thing. Maybe, while we’re here, we should at least buy your parents a nice gift.’
Mike glanced around at the hordes of shoppers. ‘Shit, I hate shopping.’
She looked at the table and peeked below to see if he had any bags with him. She hoped that maybe he had at least bought a small present for her. It had been a while now since the proposal, and yet he still hadn’t given her a ring.
No matter how confident she was about most things, he was still her weakness – her Achilles’ heel. She wanted to press the issue but at the same time she didn’t want to appear needy. After all, he hadn’t said the wedding was off although he also hadn’t set a date either. ‘So, what shall we do about Christmas shopping then?’
Mike finished his coffee. ‘Let’s do it all online. Now Ricky has taught me how to use the computer, it’s a doddle. All ya do is press “buy now”, and it gets delivered, simple as. Anyway, babe, would ya like a coffee before we leave? I wouldn’t mind another one.’
Zara shook her head and got up to leave. She was feeling a little flat, to say the least. Her mood had gone from feeling proud of herself for getting Shelley’s address to a sense of sadness over the lack of Mike’s interest in her and the wedding. This would have been the perfect opportunity to pick out that ring he’d promised her.
‘Hey, wait up,’ said Mike, as he grabbed her arm. ‘What’s the rush?’
‘Like you intimated, we have business to attend to.’
He detected the coldness in her voice; it was a tone usually reserved for her enemies, and he didn’t like it.
‘Zara, are you okay? Is something bothering you, babe?’
She turned to face him, realizing she’d worn her heart on her sleeve. Had he been reading her mind? she wondered. ‘I’m fine, Mike. I’ve just got a headache, that’s all.’
He slid his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. ‘Well, let’s get you back home, and you, my sex kitten, can have a nice bath and relax. You did well today.’
She pulled away from him, now thoroughly narked. Hearing those words had really pissed her off. He’d spoken to her as if he was her boss. ‘I did well? Really? Mike, I don’t need a pat on the back. I’m not a rookie at an academy, ya know, so please, in future, don’t treat me like one.’
Mike removed his arm and continued on, ignoring her moodiness, putting it down to her having a headache. He didn’t mean to sound so patronizing; he just wanted to look after her, and yet his praises had been seen somehow as disrespectful. Women! He could never work them out, especially Zara.
As soon as they made their way out of the car park, Mike called Lou with all the details, only to discover that he was already at the same shopping centre, loading up with bags. The call was on loudspeaker, and so Zara could hear everything.
‘Mikey, will Shelley recognize me? I mean, she knows us all from the past.’
‘Wear sunglasses and a hat, then.’
Lou laughed. ‘Yeah, I’ll treat meself to a fake goatee an’ all.’
‘She won’t notice you. Just follow her and make sure she goes to 15 Pines Road. If she goes anywhere else, let me know, but don’t make contact. Zara’s gonna do that.’
‘Righto, chief.’
Zara sat facing the passenger side window, still annoyed, yet she couldn’t tell Mike the real reason for how she felt. All kinds of thoughts ran through her mind, the main one being that she didn’t have the third finger on her left hand. Her mind recalled the 1960s song ‘Third Finger, Left Hand’ by Martha and the Vandellas, which was now being played around in her head.
Mike noticed her looking down at her hand, and then as she pulled the black leather glove further up her prosthetic, his heart sank. Would she ever feel 100 per cent all woman? He knew in his heart that as tough as she was, that disability had knocked her confidence when it came to her appearance. It was just a shame, though, that she couldn’t see that it never bothered him at all. He saw beyond the scars, yet he’d never dismiss what she’d been through.
Giving her back her self-respect, he asked, ‘So what’s the plan, Zara? How do you want to play this one out?’
Zara snapped out of her musing and smiled. ‘I don’t believe it will take much to get everything I need to know out of her. I agree. She’s a first-class dope.’
Mike chuckled, and the ice was broken. He made a mental note not to talk down to her when business was being discussed. ‘So, when are you going to make this visit to Shelley’s?’
‘Christmas Day.’
Mike was stunned. ‘What? Why Christmas Day? I mean, what about the family? We’ve got dinner and …’
‘I thought the most important issue was holding Colin Crawford to account? The only way I can guarantee she’ll be at home or at his place will be on Christmas Day, and if she’s just having a turkey dinner for her and her son, then that’s the perfect time for her to call her father and invite him over. Wouldn’t you agree?’
Mike felt a little awkward because she was right, of course, but she was putting him in a difficult position. Would the firm really want to be working on Christmas Day? He thought probably not. For all they’d been through, this was an occasion they would want to reserve for their families, and Willie had nearly lost his, so he had to think of a way of talking her out of it.
‘Yeah, I know you’re right, Zara, you always are …’
‘Do I detect a “but”, Mike?’
A pedestrian, who was laden with parcels, stepped out into the road; for a moment, Mike lost concentration and had to slam on the brakes. ‘Er, sorry. Well, yes, maybe there is a but. It’s just that this will be the first Christmas we’ll all be together. Ya know, with you and Ricky. I’ve been looking forward to it, and I know my parents have as well.’
Zara was conflicted. She was right when she had her business head on, but Mike’s point was a good one. The thing was, though, Christmas had never been special for her. Her vague memories of a celebratory time were only when her mother was alive. After she died, she would have counted herself lucky if she’d sat at a festive table or even enjoyed pulling a cracker. Once her mother was buried, Izzy threw himself into his work, and so her Christmas dinners were spent at restaurants. The food was great, but it lacked the atmosphere – all the laughter, the games, and the crackers that went with the occasion. She was always spoiled with presents; in fact, her father gave her whatever she wanted, within reason. So, having had years either alone or in a prearranged setting, Zara hadn’t really given much thought to Christmas.
‘Well, I’m sure Willie will want to use the opportunity to take his revenge, or am I wasting my time?’
Mike had arranged something special on Christmas Day, but maybe his surprise could wait. ‘Yeah, you’re right. Okay, Christmas Day it will be, then.’
* * *
The days leading up to the event were spent going over the plan. Lou made a daily trip to Pines Road to check if any cars came or went and watched from a safe distance unobserved, clocking the time the lights came on in the morning and went off in the evening. It was something he actually enjoyed doing. He preferred to be less hands-on, though, when it came to the violent stuff.
Christmas morning arrived, and Zara was up before Mik
e, taking a shower. She had all but moved into his house and had all the essentials there in his bathroom cabinets and her clothes in the wardrobe next to his. He’d asked her to move everything in, yet she’d felt she just couldn’t completely tear herself away from her home. She considered that it might be perceived by Mike as one of her weaknesses – the link to the past and her father – but in many ways the house and his standing in the Jewish community represented symbols of what he’d accomplished in his life and what she knew he wanted her to achieve in the future. For her father and herself it was all about legacy and not sentimentalism.
As she stood in front of the long mirror in the dressing room, drying her hair, a pair of arms grabbed her from behind and pulled her close. ‘Hmm, you smell nice, babe. Happy Christmas.’
Zara looked in the mirror at Mike peering over her shoulder. He had a glow and a cheeky glint in his eyes.
‘Merry Christmas,’ she replied, suddenly feeling guilty. She’d insisted on setting the plan in motion on this very day, without properly considering how her decision would impinge on the arrangements made by Gloria and Arthur.
Gloria had bought enough food to feed the street, and Ricky was having Arty and Liam over in the evening for drinks. But, for now, there would be no celebrating until this was over.
‘Come back into the bedroom. I have a present for you. I wanted to give it to you tonight at dinner, but … well, anyway, you can have it now.’
Zara placed the hairdryer back in the drawer and allowed Mike to guide her into the bedroom. She smiled when she saw the red roses on the bed and the candles on either side. Mike wasn’t a romantic as such, but he’d gone all out to turn the room into a honeymoon suite.
‘What’s all this about?’ She could feel herself blushing.
Unexpectedly, Mike got down on one knee. ‘I love you, Zara. I always have, and I always will. Will you marry me?’