The Fat And The Thin Of It

by Julie Croft

surprisingly capable and couldn’t wait any longer to get down to business.

  Bob had made his way to the table and was stood behind one of the six high-backed chairs that surrounded the table, waiting for them to take everything in with an air of understanding patience before they seated themselves.

  ‘Prat.’ Jackie thought with more than just a little disgust.

  Jackie led the way and decisively sat in a chair opposite to where Bob was standing. She indicated to Jill to sit beside her, and she did so.

  Bob was smiling boyishly and Jackie didn’t take her eyes off him. The scenes of his departure and the myriad of emotions she’d passed through since then suddenly swept through her brain and she realised she couldn’t look at him in the same way as she had in the past. Up to the day he left, she’d considered him as reliable as day follows night, and she’d always felt, up to the day he’d left, a surge of love and lust whenever she set her eyes on him. At that moment, however, while she looked at this Bob, she could only feel repulsion. Anything and everything he’d ever said or done had always been the gospel to her and she’d never questioned him. She would have followed him to the ends of the earth, walked over hot coals and any other clichéd phrase that expressed total adoration would have applied to her. Right then, though, if she’d had something heavy in her hand, she would have thrown it at him.

  Bob sat and poured coffee. “So, it’s nice and milky with two sugars for Jackie…”

  “No, it isn’t,” Jackie interrupted. “It’s black with one sugar.”

  Bob raised his eyebrows. “Okay, love…”

  “And don’t call me ‘love’.”

  He bowed his head and prepared her coffee. “How do you like yours, Jill?” he asked without looking up.

  “The same as Jackie.” Jill replied.

  “Okay.” He finished pouring the two cups, passed them to each woman and then poured his own.

  When he’d finished, the three sat in an awkward silence for a few moments. No-one touched their coffee and the only person looking at anybody was Jackie, who was still staring at Bob.

  “Why did you stop your wage from the estate agent’s coming through the bank account, Bob?” Jackie was the first to break the silence. “It’s not as if you need it, is it?”

  Bob didn’t answer, and Jill kept still and silent.

  “I want you to put it back again then the bills can be paid, okay?” she said calmly. “And you need to put my name onto the account as well, because I can’t touch it unless you do.”

  Bob paused before nodding.

  “By the way,” Jackie took a delicate sip of her coffee and struggled not to wrinkle her nose as she hated black coffee. “Exactly how much did you earn? Legally, I mean.”

  Bob shifted in his chair. “Um… twenty-five thousand a year before tax, but there was also the commissions from sales, if we made any.” He said quietly without looking at her.

  “That sounds about right.” Jackie sipped her coffee again, but it was too foul to finish. “But I think you deserve a raise.”

  Bob looked at her then. “What?”

  “I think you deserve about…” she squinted as she thought. “One hundred and twenty thousand per annum, coming into effect as from next month.” She put the coffee cup to her lips but didn’t actually drink any.

  Bob gave a laugh of disbelief. “I can’t do that, Jackie. Richard can’t afford to pay that, and…”

  “Why should Richard have to fork out the money?” Jackie interrupted, waving a hand about. “I mean, from what I gather you can get money from under stones. Find it and deposit it.”

  Bob looked at her dumbfounded, but she carried on. “You were able to dig up six hundred grand, stash it in boxes and have Richard pass it on to me in roughly…” she took her mind back to that night. “Oh, eight or ten hours, was it?” he didn’t answer. “So, I think you can find what I’ve just asked for over a year.”

  “Jackie,” Bob began. “I don’t think you understand the position I’m in…”

  “Oh, I understand it perfectly, Bob,” she said in a flippant tone. “You ran out on me and Mark for a floozy who’s carrying your child.” She prudently left out the two words that preceded the name ‘Lola’. “You’re living in the lap of luxury although it doesn’t look as if you’re working – legally, that is – so you’re getting some form of income.” She raised her hands. “I’m not interested in the how, all I’m interested in is being compensated for the twenty-four years that I devoted to you, and in turn I will leave you alone and let you get on with whatever you’re doing.” She raised her cup again, but put it down without even feigning a sip.

  Bob was staring at her with his mouth open. “Jackie,” he began with a tiny laugh. “You’ve got it all wrong...”

  “Really? Enlighten me, then.” Jackie rested her chin in the palm of her right hand and looked at him.

  Bob opened and closed his mouth a couple of times in the attempt to enlighten her, but he voiced nothing.

  “Fine.” Jackie got up. “I think we’re done here.”

  Jackie stepped off the terrace with her chin held high and started to walk round to the front of the house. Jill got up quickly and followed her and Bob trotted after the two women.

  “Oh, Bob,” Jackie turned once she reached the gate. “I’d like some form of evidence that you’ve put all of my demands into motion before we leave Ibiza. Some sort of paperwork from the bank or the estate agent’s. I don’t understand these things as you know,” she gave Bob a girlish smile. “But I want to see something.” She put her hand on the gate handle. “We’re leaving on Sunday, so you’d better get busy.” She pulled the handle down and released the catch.

  “Sunday!” Bob exclaimed. “I can’t do anything until Monday at the earliest, and I’ll take at least a week!”

  Jackie turned back to him. “Whatever. But if we leave on Sunday and you haven’t presented what I’ve asked for, I’ll go straight to the police in England on Monday and their first port of call will be Richard’s office, I should imagine.” She pulled the gate open. “I don’t think he’ll be very happy about that, do you?” she walked out with aplomb and Jill was hot on her heels, and the gate swung shut behind them.

  Jackie marched quickly down the hill and Jill had to trot to catch up with her. “What just happened in there?”

  “Just keep walking.” Jackie said as she pumped her elbows to pick up speed. “Do you have the number of the taxi service?”

  “Yes.” Confirmed Jill.

  “Then start dialling. I’ve got a funny feeling that he might try to catch up with us.”

  Jill took out her phone and awkwardly looked for the number, as she was trying to search and trot at the same time. As she did so, she said with a tone of admiration, “Well done in there!”

  Jackie puffed as she broke out into a jog. “Oh Jesus, Mary and Joseph! I just hope we can leave here before we get a midnight visit from the mobsters!”

  The taxi had picked them up half-way down the hill, and Jackie used what little Spanish she knew, breathlessly squealing ‘Rapido, por favour, rapido!’ The driver had obeyed, speeding recklessly round curves and bouncing out of potholes along the way.

  When the women got back to their hotel, they headed straight for the bar. Jackie ordered a Scotch on the rocks and Jill decided on a double brandy and, as was the custom in Spain, Jackie’s Scotch arrived in a long glass with ice up to the rim and Jill’s brandy arrived in a glass of fish-bowl proportions. They downed half their drinks in one gulp, and lay back in their armchairs with a simultaneous sigh of relief.

  Jill studied Jackie for a moment before saying, “You were absolutely brilliant back there,” she smiled approvingly at Jackie. “But you didn’t actually stick to the plan, love.”

  Jackie gave her a glance out the corner of her eye. She was staring without blinking towards the entrance to the bar as she still expected Bob to appear. “I know, but it all just came rushing out of my mouth. I just got so mad at what I saw, what
with…” she waved her hand about, trying to find the words to describe her feelings, but she gave up, guessing that Jill would know what she meant. “What do you think about what I said?”

  Jill raised her glass to her. “As I said; bloody brilliant.”

  Jackie took another swig of her Scotch. “Was it so outrageous to ask for so much? I mean, do you think he can really afford ten grand a month?”

  “I think that doesn’t matter, to be honest.” Jill also took another gulp and shuddered slightly as the warm liquid slipped down her throat with a slight burn. “As you said, he’s getting money to live the life of Riley here from somewhere, so he’ll just have to dig a little deeper.”

  Both women sat staring at the entrance for a while, but they gradually relaxed as only a middle-aged couple had passed through the door in five minutes. Jill then remembered something.

  “You didn’t ask him what he planned to do about the kids.”

  Jackie took another gulp of scotch. “True, but when I saw that slime ball all dressed up to the nines like he was on a world cruise or something, I really didn’t want him round my babies any more.” Jackie slid down her armchair and sighed. “That just didn’t look like my Bob, did it?” she asked, looking for confirmation on her perspective of him.

  Jill nodded slowly, but was reluctant to voice her honest estimation on what she’d seen. “You’re right, love. I don’t know what it was about him, but he did seem different.”

  Jackie exaggeratedly