by RJ Hunter
"Are you saying I caused a scene because I was immature?" Demanded Pauline, glaring intently at Sally.
"No, Pauline, of course I'm not," replied the hostess, sensing Pauline's rising anger. "I just didn't understand that's all."
"I've been horrible to Frank too, Sally. Sometimes I have to let him know that he can't just treat me like dirt whenever he has the inclination."
"I see. How is Frank these days?" Asked Sally, feeling her blood freeze over, in the knowledge that she had been out on a date with him, and he was coming over to her house for dinner later that evening.
"He's certainly not the easiest of men to live with, Sally, not by a long chalk." Smiled Pauline, proud to speak of her husband. "We've been together as a family since he came out of prison," she continued dreamily.
"He must really love you?" Interrupted Lizzie in a somewhat mocking tone, before getting up to go and fetch some wine.
Fortunately, Pauline seemed totally oblivious to Lizzie's sarcasm and continued happily speaking of the love she shared with her partner. It was only the sound of a large glass of wine being put down heavily in front of her that shook Pauline out of her trance-like state.
"He gave me a wonderful daughter, so yes, Lizzie in answer to your question, I suppose he does love me." Then turning her attention back to Sally, Pauline continued; "That's the main reason why I'm here. It's because of Tina, and what you did to help her. Sally, you and your family saved her life, and for that reason alone, I have come here to thank you personally."
Sally noticed that Pauline looked quite tearful now, and went over to sit next to her.
"How is Tina, Pauline?"
"She's off the danger list now, if that's what you mean. But she'll never be able to have children or even finish her nurse training. How she'll cope, I just don't know."
"I'm sorry, Pauline, poor Tina, that's so awful. I can't bear to think about it. If there's anything I can do - anything at all, just ask."
"Thank-you Sally, you're being so nice to me," replied Pauline with a concerned look on her face. It was a look that unnerved Sally, and had her wondering if it was a look of contempt or simply the face of a woman trying her best to contain the obvious torment she was going through.
"There is something you could do. Please thank Jonathan for me. He's been wonderful, visiting Tina every day. I think it's seeing him, that's given her the will to go on."
"I'll certainly do that, Pauline. I think my Jonathan has taken quite a liking to Tina. He speaks very highly of her."
"I'm glad someone does," remarked Pauline sourly. "But they do seem suited, it's such a pity he wont be able to see so much of her."
"What do you mean?" Asked Sally, a little surprised.
"Tina is going to be assessed for Section Three of the Mental Health Act, that's what I mean."
"Section Three? I'm sorry, I still don't follow you, Pauline."
"It means, Tina will be locked up in a psychiatric hospital, doesn't it, Pauline?" Butted in Lizzie, getting up to refill Pauline's glass.
"Yes, that's right, if you put it that way," was Pauline's slow reply. "When she's fit enough to travel, she'll be taken to Greenfields, it's a secure unit, full of poor souls like my Tina."
"But Pauline, that's terrible. What on earth has happened to make her be like this?" Blurted out Sally, before realising that she may have over stepped the mark.
If Sally's forthrightness had bothered Pauline in any way, she didn't show it. She picked up the replenished glass of wine, and brought it up unsteadily to her flushed face. There was a pause as she took a couple of large mouthfuls, before settling back on the settee.
"Tina has always lived a life of fantasy. When she was young she used to make up the most unbelievable stories. Then, if she wasn't taken seriously she would fly into the most violent of rages. She even accused her father of interfering with her sexually."
"You mean, Frank?" Gasped Sally, shocked.
"Yes, that's right. She was obviously trying to wreck our marriage for some unknown reason. But I know all of her tricks now, and what she's capable of doing. In fact, going to Greenfields may be the best thing for her."
"You can't really mean that, Pauline?"
"I do, Sally. I can't guarantee her safety if she's at home, and she's far too much of a risk living in the nurses quarters. Tina needs treatment, and if that means being sectioned, then so be it."
"Maybe the best thing for her is to be heard, to be listened to. If what she said was true, then action needs to be taken." Remarked Lizzie bluntly.
"You don't know what you're saying. Frank would never do anything like that, not to his own daughter. How dare you." Hissed Pauline, glaring at Lizzie.
"But there must be something in it, Pauline, if things have got this bad?" Exclaimed Sally, trying to take the attention away from Lizzie.
Pauline realised she was being unreasonable, and softened her stance.
"Look, I've already said that Frank is not an easy man to live with. He used to beat me, and sometimes Tina, if she got in the way. She wanted her father away from us. That's why I think she accused him of assaulting her."
Sally and Lizzie stared at each other in total shock, unable to believe what they had heard.
"But Pauline, but why did you stay, why didn't you just take Tina and leave him?" Asked Sally, after a brief moment of silence.
"Frank is my husband, and I will stand by him, no matter what he's done."
Sally realised she was dealing with a very disturbed woman, and decided not to press her any further. She felt uncomfortable and wanted Pauline out of her house, but she couldn't help thinking how Tina had suffered so badly, and how she had been so let down by those who were supposed to love and protect her.
Lizzie glanced up to the clock, and turned to her friend.
"Sally, look - it's getting on for three, don't forget your hair appointment!"
"Oh no, what shall I do? I completely forgot!" Exclaimed Sally, frantically.
"Shall I call them and cancel it for you?" Asked Lizzie, trying to be helpful.
"Yes, will you, thanks. My hair is of little consequence after hearing of Pauline's troubles."
"Sally, look I'd better leave. I'm sorry if I've caused so much disruption. I didn't realise you had an appointment." Said Pauline, finishing her wine, and getting up to go.
"It's fine, no problem, I'll see you out." Replied Sally, leading her visitor towards the door.
As they walked out into the hallway, Pauline suddenly stopped. "Could I just use your phone to call for a mini-cab?"
Sally waited patiently as Pauline dialled the number that had been ingrained in her mind for so many years. It was then that she noticed Sally's own number displayed on the dial and quickly made a note of it. Ten minutes later, they heard a car pull up outside and the tooting of a horn. Both Sally and Lizzie went to the front door to see Pauline out.
"Sally, you remember a little earlier, you said if there was anything you could do for me?"
"Yes, Pauline, of course I remember - what is it?"
"Well, I've thought of something else. I'd like us to become friends. Will you promise you'll come over for tea at my house soon?"
"Of course, Pauline, I'm sure we could arrange something." Replied Sally, trying her best to sound sincere.
Once Pauline had finally gone, Sally and Lizzie went back into the house. But it was Lizzie who was the most concerned about the visit.
"She's totally, crazy, and I hope you're not going to take her up on the offer of tea?"
"No, of course not, I just wanted her to leave."
"Listen, Sally, you've got to call Frank and cancel tonight. You can't have a suspected wife-beater and child molester in your home."
"He's very interested in buying the house, Lizzie and I don't want to do anything to threaten that. Besides, there's always two sides to every story. I just can't believe he would do that to his own family."
"Just say you're not selling, and tell that crazy Pauline
where to go. Doesn't it seem odd to you that she didn't appear to know anything about Frank buying your house? Isn't that something a husband would normally discuss with his wife?"
"Lizzie, there are times when I don't understand you. You just heard what she said about Tina. How could I possibly be rude to her, after all she's been through. Besides, I genuinely believe she feels remorse about the incident at Falcondale."
"Well, I'll let you be the judge of that. But please, look at the facts; Pauline is crazy, she proved that when she attacked Frank, and we could both see that she's still got problems. Then, to confound things, you're seeing her husband tonight. Plus, we already know Frank was a robber, rapist and all-round villain, and now we have these other atrocities which he may have committed. On top of that, we've got Tina, their daughter, who is also showing signs of being totally insane. Doesn't all that say something to you, like stay away?"
Sally looked directly at her friend and nodded.
"Yes, you're right Lizzie, I'll let Frank come over tonight, and tell him I can't see him anymore because of the circumstances. Then, I'll tell him that the house sale has to go through the proper channels."
Pauline was pleased to finally get out of Sally's home. Although, she was an alcoholic, her drinking was something she preferred to do at home, and always alone. Getting drunk in front of others, only increased her agitation and paranoia. Had she remained any longer, then it would only have been a matter of time before she reacted to Lizzie's sarcasm, and who knows what might have happened.
Mark knew she had been drinking, and chose to keep silent as he drove her back to her home.
"You're very quiet Mark, had another row with Frank?" Asked Pauline curtly, after a few moments.
"No, Pauline. I just know better than to try and talk to you after you've been drinking. Sometimes, it's like the whole world is your enemy."
"How dare you! I'm not drunk, certainly not after a few glasses of wine. If you think that, then you don't know much about me after all these years?"
"See, that's exactly what I mean, you should listen to yourself, always paranoid and looking for a fight. Anyway, where have you been, I've never picked you up from there before?"
"I've been to visit an old friend from university. It was someone I used to hate." Replied Pauline, searching through a diary she had produced from her bag.
There was a silence as Mark tried to make sense out of Pauline's last remark.
"I don't understand, what do you mean?"
"She was Frank's girlfriend once. Until I came along." Replied Pauline, with a cold chill in her voice.
"So why go and see her, the past has gone, why re-live it? Haven't you got enough pain in your life at the moment?"
"She helped save Tina's life. That was the house where my daughter tried to kill herself. I had to see Sally again, if only just to say thanks. She's also..." Pauline stopped as her voice filled with emotion.
"She's also what?" Asked Mark.
Pauline grimaced as she compared Sally's phone number to the one she had found in Frank's pocket, and had copied into her diary.
"If you must know, she's the woman Frank is having an affair with. In fact, I think he's going around there tonight."
Mark was shocked and had to stop the car.
"Are you sure, Pauline, how do you know?"
"You know as well as I do that Frank is always seeing other women. I can't stop him, it's just something I have to live with."
"But how did you know he was seeing this Sally, then?"
"Women's intuition, and a phone call from Claire, she told me that Frank was at Swann's recently with some new tart."
Mark reached across and put his arm around Pauline, who was staring expression-less through the windscreen in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Pauline. It must have been hard for you seeing her again after all this time?"
"I wanted to confront her there and then, but she wasn't alone, her whore friend was there too. In fact, it was Lizzie who I started to detest the most after a while."
"Pauline, please, I'm asking you again - leave Frank. Do it now, before it's too late. Putting yourself through all of this is doing you no good. I could give you and Jamie a decent life."
"What about Tina, can you give her a good life too?"
"It's too late for Tina, but you, Jamie and I could go abroad, Spain, perhaps?"
"I don't want to hear all that now, Mark. I can't even think straight at the moment."
As the car pulled up outside the house that Pauline shared with Frank, Mark looked around warily, before kissing his boss's wife affectionately on the cheek. Pauline didn't respond, and opened the car door to get out. As she did so, she turned to him and said in a low, direct tone;
"Do you remember this blouse, Mark?"
He gazed at the tight-fitting garment for a few moments.
"No, why, should I remember it?"
"You see, that's what I mean. You don't know me, you don't understand me. This was the blouse I was wearing that day, surely even you can remember 'that' day, Mark?"
With that, she slammed the door hard, and walked towards the house without once looking back.
Mark shook his head and put the Ford Grenada's gear lever into drive, before speeding off down the road. He thought Pauline was being unreasonable about the blouse, it only served to highlight even more, her deteriorating mental state. If the day she was referring to was the one and only time they had slept together, how could she really expect him to recall what she was wearing over a decade earlier.
The day in question was a September afternoon back in 1972. Frank had returned home early, and was in high spirits. He had just won a new contract with a large chemical company that had established its main headquarters in London. It would mean a lot of work for his drivers, and the opportunity of lucrative overseas courier work. Frank was understandably excited.
He uncorked some champagne and set up the garden furniture under the canopy they had recently attached to the rear of the house. There had even been talk of a swimming pool at one stage, but Pauline never mentioned this unless Frank spoke about it first. She was happy because he was happy, and for a while they seemed the perfect couple, chatting away and giggling together out on the patio celebrating Frank's new success.
"Go and get your gear on, let's hit town!" Said Frank straight out of the blue, as he poured the last of the champagne into their glasses.
"You mean go into London, just the two of us?" Replied, Pauline beaming with excitement.
"Yes, just the two of us. It'll be fun, we can have a meal, then go on to a casino."
"But what about Tina, she'll be back soon."
"Don't worry about Tina, she's a big girl now. Just leave her a note. I'll book us a table."
"That's a good idea, Frank. Yes, Tina wont mind being on her own. Besides, there's plenty of food in the fridge."
Pauline rushed off to get changed. If she was going to a restaurant and a casino in London, she would want to look her best. After much deliberation, she opted for a black and purple silk blouse which accentuated her figure perfectly. It was one that she had recently brought, and would go well with her black skirt and platform shoes. It was while she was upstairs changing that she heard the telephone ringing. It rang for some time, before she eventually picked up the extension on Frank's bedside table, presuming him to still be out on the patio finishing his drink. However, Frank must have answered it from downstairs at the same time. Pauline listened discreetly as her husband chatted to a well-spoken woman on the other end of the line. At first she thought it was a business call, and she was about to hang up, but there was something about the over-familiarity of the conversation that aroused her suspicions, so she listened intently to the rest of Frank's phone call;
FRANK: "Marion, is that you, is everything okay?"
MARION: "I'm sorry, Frank. I know I shouldn't have called you at home, but I was excited. It's wonderful news isn't it?"
FRANK: "Marion, you did it, you
got me the contract, I thought I'd blown my chances. I just can't believe it!"
MARION: "Well, it certainly wasn't all plain sailing, but you're right you did nearly blow it, in fact you were bloody awful at the meeting, not convincing at all. After you had left, the MD was about to go for the North London company, they had far more experience. I really had to sell him your firm, Frank. I just hope you live up to my expectations."
FRANK: "I have done so far, Marion!"
MARION: "How about meeting up tonight, Frankie boy? We could touch on a few points not covered at the meeting!"
FRANK: "If you put it like that, Marion, how can I refuse! Oddly enough, I've already booked us a table for tonight."
Pauline replaced the receiver and sat on the bed, she decided to try and keep calm, and after a short while went downstairs to see how Frank would handle things.
"Listen Pauline, something's cropped up, there's a problem with the new contract. I'm afraid we'll have to give tonight a miss."
Pauline remembered screaming at Frank. She couldn't recall quite what she said, but she certainly remembered the blows. She was lucky they weren't punches, as these probably would have killed her, coming from such a powerful man. Frank used his open hands to beat her viciously about the head and body. As Pauline slumped to the floor, he slammed his knee hard into her face with terrifying effect. She fell back heavily, her head swimming and her nose gushing blood.
After he had got bored with the assault, he went over to the cocktail cabinet. Pauline saw her opportunity and took it. She hauled herself up, and grabbing her handbag, ran to the front door and fled out into the street.
Making sure he wasn't coming after her, Pauline made her way to a telephone kiosk at the top of the road. Delving into her bag, she found some tissues to soak up the blood that was still streaming down her face. She waited a few moments before she felt calm enough to press a coin into the slot and speak to someone at the mini-cab office.
Fortunately, the small vanity mirror situated inside the kiosk hadn't been vandalised, and she was able to do a quick clean up job on her face as she waited for her cab.