Everything to Nothing

by Mark Henthorne

  Eagerly she snatched the money from the man’s eyes and he thought his heart would melt as he watched the mother roll her eyes and snatch the money back from her daughter and gave it back to the man. ‘You know better than that young lady! Don’t snatch and say thank you!’

  ‘Sorry mummy. Thank you sir. This is very kind of you.’

  Gently this time she took the note and offered it to the cashier, stretching up on her tip-toes. The mother smiled at the man as her daughter took the savings book back from the cashier, who smiled back at her and he walked with her out of the bank, the woman calling her son to her side as they exited.

  The two children scampered off a short distance ahead, the mother keeping a sharp eye on them as they walked. ‘That was a really nice thing you did back there. I think you’ve got a friend for life now.’

  ‘Thank you. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind.’

  ‘Well, usually I would. You have to be careful these days, but you seem harmless enough.’

  ‘Thank you again.’

  They approached his Ferrari and as they did the children ran back to their mother and took a hand each. ‘Erm, this is me.’ He could not help noticing the flash across her eyes as she realised that the man she had been speaking to was clearly rich.

  ‘It was nice to meet you,’ said the woman.

  ‘You too.’

  ‘What do you say to the nice man?’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Hey, erm, would you like to go for a coffee sometime?’ the man asked. ‘I mean, I know you don’t know me but it would give us chance to get to know each other if you like?’

  ‘Erm, sure.’

  ‘Well, here’s my card. Give me a call when you would like to meet.’

  ‘I will.’

  ‘What’s your name so I know it’s you when you call?’

  ‘My name is Sally.’

  ‘Well, nice to meet you Sally. My name is Peter, Peter Johnson. Please, give me a call sometime.’

  ‘I will, definitely.’

  ‘Bye then.’

  ‘Bye.’

  He offered his hand to shake which she accepted, liking the feel of his firm handshake, he liking the feel of her soft, gentle hand, and then he got into the Ferrari and with a wave he raced off with a roar down the high street.

  *

  Sally lay in bed alone, rotating the business card through her fingers, studying the gold embossed writing. Peter Johnson the card said, just that, with a mobile number written under his name. Nothing else. No company name, no address, no title.

  It was the morning after she had met him. The twins had already been taken to school and now she lay alone in bed thinking about how handsome he was, how nice he had been to her children, how smartly dressed he was and how he was clearly wealthy with his brand new Ferrari.

  Sally ran the card through her fingers some more, and thought about the man in the lounge who was no doubt sipping from a can of beer watching some rubbish on television, resting the beer on his huge belly as he ate crisps or ordered some takeaway pizza.

  All she wanted, all she truly wanted was her partner back, her true partner though, not the fat, horrible slob in the living room who showed no love or affection to her or his children. She knew that hidden inside that horrible body was the David she had fallen in love with but he seemed now to be forever lost to her. He had never recovered from the setback her father created and she knew that he blamed her for it. Even the children could not bring him round.

  For months the children, especially Sophia, were confused about the swift change that had overcome their father and for months she tried to coax them into David’s life. She gave up though one day after David had pushed Sophia over when she walked in front of the television and David missed a goal being scored. From that day, as much as possible she kept the children away from him, enrolling them in as many free afterschool activities that she could find to keep them away from home.

  Now as she lay on the bed she longed for a real man to enter her life, someone who could support her and the children, someone who cared for and loved them. In her heart she knew that she should have left him ages ago, but for the sake of the children she forever hoped that eventually he would get better and out of the self-destructive cycle he was in.

  She had no friends, no social life and could not get a job so she never met anyone, but this chance encounter had occurred with the good looking wealthy man and a strong part of her told her she would be crazy to pass up on this opportunity.

  From the living room she heard David call her name but she ignored him at first and only responded to his shouts when he started to swear. Fearing the neighbours would hear him, she walked quickly into the room where he sat in the armchair munching last night’s left over chicken.

  ‘Get me a beer.’

  ‘David, it’s barely past eight in the morning. Do you not think it’s a little early...’

  ‘Shut up nagging me and get me a beer!’

  ‘Get it yourself!’

  Sally tried to walk away but he grabbed her wrist and started to squeeze and twist it. ‘Get me a fucking beer or I’ll snap you arm off, shred it and feed it to your precious kids!’

  ‘You’re sick and they’re your kids too!’

  ‘No, they’re not. Get me a beer NOW!’

  For some peace and quiet Sally nodded and David released her wrist. She got him the requested beer and then returned to her bedroom and cried silently into her pillow. Slowly she managed to get control of herself and as she sat up her eyes landed on the business card which she had thrown onto the bed when she went in to see David. Quickly she picked it up, grabbed her mobile and dialled the number.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Hello? Is that Peter?’

  ‘Yes. Who is this?’

  ‘Erm, it’s Sally. I don’t suppose you remember me from…’

  ‘Ah Sally!’ His voice noticeably brightened. ‘Of course I remember you. How are you?’

  ‘Fine thanks. Erm, I was wondering if you’d like to meet for that coffee?’

  ‘Yes, of course I would. I’m a bit busy this morning. How about this afternoon?’

  ‘Sounds perfect, but it would have to be before three though.’

  ‘Not a problem. Shall we say one at Starbucks on Church Street?’

  ‘I know it. I’ll be there.’

  ‘Perfect. See you then. Bye.’

  ‘Bye Peter.’

  With a sigh Sally lay the phone and the card on the bed next to her and contemplated what she was about to do. The one thing she always said she would never do she was contemplating doing. She had decided long ago to support and show her love to David no matter what, but he had changed, he had changed beyond all recognition and he was no longer the David she had fallen in love with. And now this man, this Peter, had entered her life seemingly by chance, and she had to think of the children. She could not continue to bring them up with this aggressive drunk in their lives, something had to change.

  For the next couple of hours she stayed in the bedroom only leaving the room to fetch David a couple more beers. At eleven thirty she started to get ready. She searched through her wardrobe of supermarket clothes looking for anything even remotely sexy. Eventually she found a short pink skirt that she put on only to find that it barely covered her knickers and she decided that she looked like a prostitute, a cheap prostitute at that. As she removed the skirt she caught a glance of herself in the mirror and she stood to look at her body.

  Considering she had given birth to two children and was now closer to thirty than twenty being that she was now twenty-eight, she still looked astonishingly beautiful. Unable to afford the best moisturisers or beauty products a few lines were starting to appear on her face and at the corner of her eyes, yet her eyes still sparkled like emeralds.

  Sally’s eyes made their way down her body she grabbed hold of one of her breasts and pushed it up. When she released it barely moved down at all, still firm and full. Turning she looked at her round tig
ht bottom, which she thought was starting to droop a little, but Peter was not the only man to have nearly crashed their car when they saw her behind wiggling down the street in town wrapped in tight denim. Over the years her legs had filled out as had her hips and waist, but she still had a slim and slender figure. With ease she could have still made it onto the front cover of Vogue, but her father still put a stop to any attempt she made at obtaining any kind of work.

  Making a decision she decided to dress like who she now was, a mummy going for a coffee with an acquaintance. So she opted for a simple white t-shirt, over which she placed a small cardigan, and a simple pair of jeans. Quietly she walked into the bathroom and applied a little makeup, a touch of rouge to the lips and squirt of perfume to her neck. She knew that she could have dressed better with a thousand pounds to spend, but she decided that what she was wearing now would have to do.

  When she opened the bathroom door she jumped because David was directly outside the door leaning on the wall. ‘Where are you going?’

  This surprised Sally. For as long as she could remember he had not shown any interest in where she was going or who she was seeing. Why was he asking today of all days? ‘Out. Why are you bothered?’

  ‘I’m not. Do you usually put makeup and perfume on if you’re just going out? Got a date?’

  ‘No. Even if you don’t love me anymore I still love you.’

  ‘Whatever. Can I use the bathroom now?’

  ‘Of course. I’ll be gone by the time you come out.’

  ‘Good.’

  David brushed past her and closed the bathroom door behind him. Now happy that he was just waiting outside the bathroom to use it not to see her, she left the apartment and started to walk into the town. The old car she had managed to buy had long since been scrapped so now the only means of transport she had was the bus or to walk. She wanted to put a little extra into the children’s savings account this week if possible and as the weather was nice she was trying to walk as much as possible.

  For the first time in as long as she could remember, as she walked through the streets she listened to the birds singing and she breathed in the early autumn air deeply. Occasionally in quiet moments like this she reflected on how her life had changed since that fateful day seven years ago. Although a part of her wanted her old life back, the money, the riches, the privileges, another part of her was quite content. The last few years had made her stronger, they had made her fight for survival and now that she had set herself on a course of action to rid herself of the one last thing from that old life there was almost a skip to her step.

  It took her half an hour to walk into the town and she arrived at the coffee shop fifteen minutes before he was due but she still went in. Before she sat down she went to the toilet to run a comb through her black hair and make sure she looked as attractive as possible. She succeeded, and although she did not notice, as she made her way to a seat near the window, every man in the shop turned to look at her, a couple of them being spotted by their partners to which they received a telling off.

  At nearly one Sally heard before she saw the Ferrari as it roared up the street and parked quickly in a space a little down the road from where Sally waited. Nervously she waited and watched the doors looking for him to enter then she spotted him. He stood in the doorway to the shop and removed his sunglasses then adjusted the jumper that been draped casually over his shoulders. The top buttons of his shirt were undone showing a muscular, firm chest and Sally could not help herself as she dropped her eyes down his slim body to the area of his crotch. She ran her hand through her hair, wriggled in her seat and crossed her legs even tighter as he spotted her, smiled, and weaved his way through the tables. As he approached her heart skipped a beat as she realised that he was actually more handsome than she remembered and he smiled again showing perfect white teeth as he arrived next to the table.

  ‘Hi. Nice to see you again.’ He offered his hand which Sally lightly accepted and he sat down in the chair opposite her. ‘How are you?’

  ‘I’m fine Peter, thank you. And you?’

  ‘Yep, I’m good. Damn it’s good to see you again. I didn’t expect you to call at all, but I was happy, very happy when you did.’

  ‘Well it’s not very often I receive a guy’s number nowadays.’

  ‘Now I find that very hard to believe. Have you ordered anything?

  ‘No, I was waiting for you.’

  ‘What would you like then?’

  ‘A latte please.’ Sally made to get her purse out of her small handbag but Peter shook his head.

  ‘No, honestly, I insist. My treat.’

  Reluctantly Sally nodded and he wandered over to the counter and as he walked she could not help watch his tight rear end in the expensive looking jeans. He was quickly served and for the rest of the afternoon they made small talk with each other, getting to know one another. Sally told him her partner had left her about six months ago and she was now coming to terms with it. ‘I mean, I’m over him now, but, you know, I don’t want to bring my children up without a strong male role model in their lives, but I don’t know who is going to be interested in me now that I’m damaged goods.’

  ‘Damaged goods?! That’s a laugh!’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Believe me, I know many men, me included, who would love to get to know you better.’

  ‘Well thank you for saying that, but I don’t believe you. How about you? Are you seeing anyone?’

  ‘Funny you should say that. My girlfriend of five years left me about eight months ago.’ Peter could still lie effortlessly.

  ‘Oh, right. So are you over her?’

  ‘I mean, I was pretty shook up at the time, but now if she walked in here now I wouldn’t give her a second glance.’

  ‘Did you like my children?’

  ‘They seemed very nice, very bright. The girl looks like a tiny version of you, very beautiful.’

  ‘That’s a very nice thing to say.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind getting to know them better and you of course.’ Peter lied again. One night was all he wanted with his head buried in those breasts and buttocks, one night that was all.

  For a moment or two Sally contemplated the man across the table from her. He was good looking, easy to talk to, charming and rich. Thinking about her life now and what she used to have, she knew that she did not want or need the riches she had, but some stability in her life, in her children’s lives, was what she craved for. A man that went out to work, made an honest living and cared for her and the children was all she wanted. It was then as these thoughts flew through her head that she made her decision. ‘Would you like to go to dinner with me?’

  The question came as a shock to him. He would have thought he would have had to do a lot more work before dinner dates were offered and accepted, but he was not shocked for long. ‘Sure. Why not? What have we got to lose?’

  ‘Exactly. Shall we say tomorrow night, at eight? We can meet at whichever restaurant you choose?’

  ‘Sounds perfect. Will you be able to get a babysitter at such short notice?’

  ‘Yeah, I have a friend, another single mum. I’ve looked after her kid a few times when she’s gone out. She owes me a favour or two.’

  ‘It sounds like we have a plan. Let’s meet at Giordano’s, the Italian over on King Street in the city. Do you know it?’

  ‘Yes, I do. It looks like a nice place.’

  ‘It is. Hey, it’s gone three. Didn’t you say you had to be somewhere at three?’

  ‘Yeah, the school gates!’

  ‘Oh right, of course. Come, I’ll give you a lift.’

  ‘No, it’s okay. Honestly, it’s not far.’

  ‘Okay, no problem. Well I see you tomorrow at eight. Let me know if you have any problems.’

  ‘I will do. Thanks for a lovely afternoon.’

  ‘And thank you,’ replied Peter, after which he hesitantly leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on her cheek. ‘See you tomorrow.’


  ‘Definitely.’

  Peter left the shop and Sally spent a couple of moments to gather her thoughts. With a sigh as she contemplated what she was planning to do, she also left the shop and walked to the school where she spoke to her friend who agreed to look after Sophia and Jacob all night and bring them to school the next day.

  *

  The morning after meeting Peter at the coffee shop Sally grabbed her children’s savings books and without saying a word to David she walked back into town. Asking for her children’s forgiveness, but also stating to herself that her actions would hopefully eventually lead to a better life for them, she withdrew fifty pounds from each of them and then spent the rest of the morning strolling through the shops trying to find a perfect dress for the night, a dress that said sexy yet was quite reserved too. Eventually she found a perfect red dress within her budget that was sexy yet classy too. It was just short of knee length and it showed some cleavage but not too much.

  After buying the dress she walked home and sneaked into the bedroom hiding the new dress in the depths of her wardrobe. She spent the rest of the day getting ready. She shaved and plucked all the hair from her legs and armpits, ensuring that they were all smooth and silky to the touch. With the use of a mirror she carefully tidied up her pubic region, a region that had not been touched by another person for many years.

  When she would have usually left the apartment to pick up the children she did not, but she was not surprised that David did not notice. By that time in the afternoon he would be drunk beyond thinking so she was able to continue to get ready without him knowing. She washed and lightly curled her long, black hair, leaving it to fall naturally over her shoulders and down her back. Carefully she applied makeup, using more than she had when she went for a coffee, and by the time she had finished Sally could have walked straight onto a photo shoot for any of the leading fashion houses.

  Quietly returning to the bedroom she took the red dress out of its bag and slid it onto her body over the black lingerie she was wearing. Finally, she slipped on black sandals and studied herself in the mirror. She decided that with a bit more money she could have made herself look even better, but after contemplating her image she gave a satisfied nod and left the bedroom this time sneaking out of the apartment.