The Milieu Principle

by Malcolm Franks

Matt arrived at the door of Jenna’s wooden built bungalow shortly after nine in the morning. Armed with a bouquet in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other, he waited patiently for her to answer.

  The door swung open and Jenna’s tired, sleep filled face appeared, hair tousled into an erratic mess to complement the dark rings under her eyes.

  “Oh Matt, I haven’t tidied yet,” she confessed through a horrified expression. “I must have accidentally dropped off.”

  “I can always come back later.”

  “No, no. You’ve come a long way to see me,” she said, leading him inside. “It’s my fault I’m not ready in time. Are those for me?”

  “Yes. I thought I should bring something but couldn’t make up my mind. What the hell, I thought; I might as well bring both.”

  Tears found their way into her almond shaped eyes and she began to cry. Instinctively, he laid the gifts on the side table and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Hey, it’s alright. What time did you finish?”

  “Eight this morning,” she sobbed. “I thought I would have enough time to clean up before you arrived but …”

  “Hey, it’s okay.” he soothed.

  Matt stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. She was near exhaustion. They stood motionless for a while until her tears subsided. His heart went out to the svelte shaped angel of mercy. Matt realised she was fit to drop and wished he’d left his visit for another day. It was in her nature to try and accommodate him, despite all the other demands upon her time and energy.

  Tenderly, he lifted her frame in his arms and carried her from the hall into the main living area. Jenna’s head rested against his chest as he located the long sofa, placed in front of the small screen television perched on the glass stand, and he eased them gently into position.

  “You should have cancelled,” he said. “You need sleep far more importantly than me turning up on your doorstep.”

  “They rang yesterday and asked if I could cover a night shift as overtime. Nights always pay well. I said yes thinking I would be okay for today. We were busy, one of those nights when we were constantly on our feet.”

  “Well, you can afford to put your feet up today.”

  “No, it’s your day off and I promised to spend some time with you.”

  “Jenna, there’ll be plenty of other Sundays. Anyway, as you’ve already said, it’s my rest day too. I’ll be perfectly happy to spend an easy day here with you.”

  The conversation relaxed into a lull. Matt continued to stroke gently at her hair and peck at the top of her head. After a while, he heard her breathing settle into a deep and regular rhythm. Jenna had drifted into a much needed sleep. He smiled at the situation. Though he’d been looking forward to spending this day with her, he understood his time would be better spent allowing her to rest in his arms.

  After almost an hour she displayed no sign of immediate movement. He craned his head to look into her face and it was clear she was well gone, lost to unconsciousness. He decided the best thing to do was put Jenna to bed, and carried the light frame into the hall to search for her boudoir. Matt located the bathroom first, then the small dimensioned second bedroom. The next opening revealed his destination.

  The struggle to lift back the covers of the double bed with his foot nearly had him collapsing into a heap on the floor but he managed, eventually. Laying her down, Matt considered the merits of undressing her outer garments.

  Bending forward, his fingers touched at the plastic button of her blouse. Courage deserted him and he shot back up into an erect stance. He thought some more. Were Jenna to stir in the middle of this exercise, she was more than likely to regard him as possessing some sort of perversion. They barely knew each other, so to be caught undressing Jenna as she slumbered on her own bed could easily be misinterpreted.

  He bent forward again. The first two buttons loosened and the blouse sprung open to reveal naked flesh. Matt jerked back into an upright position as if he’d been on the receiving end of an electric shock. Scratching at his jaw with indecision, he pondered on the dilemma. Did it really matter she slept fully clothed, he mused. Probably not he reasoned, though he never enjoyed the circumstance.

  Boldness returned and he set about the task delicately, easing first one arm free then the other. He slid the jeans from her legs, and deposited them on the nearby wooden chair to accompany the discarded blouse. Matt gently rolled the covers back up over her underwear clad body and tucked the sheets into place.

  She never moved.

  He thought about returning to Victoria, only to decide there were things he could probably do around the house to help for her out.

  Matt sought out the kitchen first, washed the breakfast dishes and then cleaned the benches using a pack of wipes he found in the cupboard. Once finished he moved from there into the bathroom, and then onto the living space. An aged vacuum proved a little temperamental and took its time to react to his instruction. Matt persevered, forcing the damn thing into successful obedience. The laundry machine seemed fairly straightforward, as long as he’d guessed correctly as to which were the soap powder and conditioner compartments. He hung the damp clothes onto the washing line in the small garden once the washing cycle completed.

  By noon he had begun to feel peckish and re-entered the kitchen in search of sustenance, only to be greeted with a disappointing array of health foods. Unperturbed, he checked Jenna remained in a state of deep unconsciousness and then nipped down to a local shop he had spotted earlier. Armed with the necessary foodstuffs he returned to the house and made himself a thickly layered sandwich, which he devoured whilst reading the local paper he had also bought. Then he watched a bit of television.

  The final credits of the afternoon weepy rolled up the screen. He’d seen it once before and it didn’t upset him the first time. He felt no more involved on this occasion. It killed some time though. Rising from the sofa he spotted the opened mail on a side table and sauntered the few steps needed to reach them.

  Matt hesitated briefly, until he could resist no longer. The statement slipped easily out of its protective envelope. He was only interested in the final balance, located at the bottom of the final document. Jenna’s overdraft neared fourteen hundred dollars.

  He reacted with barely subdued anger at the figure. What kind of society, he wondered, asked people to devote their lives to caring for others yet didn’t value their dedication enough to pay them a decent living salary.

  People like Jenna deserved much more from the community she served, deserved to be freed from the burden of excessive debt. It was not as if, looking at the expenditure items he then examined, she spent wantonly. The vast majority of her costs were the monthly dues she owed simply to live in her own property. Matt regarded the situation as nothing less than scandalous.

  He checked his watch. Another hour and he would have to leave. Matt crouched to check the progress of the ready meals in the oven and stood back up again. Out of nowhere, a pair of arms snaked round his body from behind and held him tight.

  “I’m so embarrassed,” said the voice.

  He turned to face Jenna, clinging to him like a limpet and yawning uncontrollably in a zombie like state of ongoing sleepiness. Matt hugged her back and kissed at the unkempt hair of the scantily clad figure.

  “I can’t believe I’ve slept through the entire day. What must you think?”

  “The same as I’ve thought since the day we first met. You work far too hard and need to take a break every now and again.”

  “I have to work. I’ve got bills to pay.”

  “You won’t be able to pay any bills if you’re tucked up in hospital suffering from physical exhaustion. I’ll pay you not to do weekend overtime.”

  “And what would I have to do in return?” she replied with a mischievous smirk.

  “Behave,” he said. “You just have to be here when I call. Give yourself time to relax and recover some energy.”

  She tightened her grip around his wa
ist and he could feel the tension ease from the muscles of her body.

  “You’ve been cleaning,” she suddenly said.

  “It’s what I do for a living.”

  Jenna started to sniffle.

  “Hey. Now stop that,” he said. “I was happy to do it, I wanted to do it.”

  “You must think I’m pathetic.”

  “Not yet. I soon will if you’re not dressed in time for this average ready meal I’ve got gently simmering in the oven.”

  His gentle stroking of her hair brought the brief tears to an end, enabling Jenna to recover her poise.

  “I need to shower,” she said.

  “Then hurry up. Ten minutes is all you’ve got before I start to dish up.”

  Matt arrived back at the waterside a few minutes later than planned. Jack was tapping his foot impatiently against the ground. He spotted Matt approaching and motioned him to hurry. As he neared, Matt understood Jack’s unease. The plane was full, and his late arrival was the only thing holding them up.

  The two men took their seats at the front and Jack edged out into Vancouver harbour. A couple of minutes later and they were airborne.

  “Good day?” asked Jack.

  “Surprisingly peaceful,” Matt replied with a nod.

  Jack levelled the plane and turned to his friend.

  “Right,” he said. “It’s all yurs.”

  “What’s mine?”

  “The plane,” said Jack. “Yur wanted to fly. Well here’s your first lesson. Grab the wheel in both hands and keep her steady.”

  “I can’t do this!”

  “Suit yur bloody self,” said Jack, reaching for the controls.

  “No! Wait,” said Matt, cautiously wrapping his hands around the wheel in front of him.

  “Relax yur grip and treat her gently,” said Jack. “I’ll take over when we get closer to home. If yur show me yur got some aptitude for this, we’ll look to do landings next week.”

  Jack smiled inwardly as he watched his younger employee revelling in the opportunity. Both were quiet for the next few minutes.

  “How do yur find it?” asked Jack.

  “Absolutely bloody fantastic,” replied Matt.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Growing Up