“Who, my Mum?”
“Yeah. Harry, she told me about a child.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice suddenly quieter.
“Harry, it’s OK, I mean it’s OK that you didn’t tell me, it’s before we met, right?”
“Oh god, I’m sorry babe. I knew I should have told you but the longer we were seeing each other, then married, I sort of just thought, you know, that it was better not discussed.”
“I know. I know. Is there anything you want to tell me now? I got a sort of version from your Mum.”
“Hon, it was probably as she told you. She and Dad made the arrangements with the adoption family, maybe the agency as well, I don’t know.” Lydia listened to his voice, his words. He hadn’t called her ‘babe’ for years, but it wasn’t used defensively, there was affection in the way it was said. “It was a girl, I think they called her Julie or something.” He sounded warmer, a result, she hoped, of her new approach.
“Juliette”
“Yeah, that’s it. I’ve never seen her. Her Mum took care of her until she was adopted.” He wrote the girl’s name out in full on the pad by the fridge and underlined it. “My Mum worked with the girl’s Mum and the foster family, I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“This was Lauren’s Mum?”
“Yeah, Mrs Dalton. They were pretty nice about the whole thing although I think her Dad wanted to kill me.”
“You were young though, these things happen.”
“I’ve never spoken to Lauren since then, you know.”
“I’m sure, I know you haven’t,” she replied, nodding as the couple played on the swings like a teenagers.
“So what’s this about the Police?” he asked.
“Juliette has been missing for about four days now.”
“Four days? Oh god, that’s not good!”
“She’s nineteen, probably simply left the nest and is out making her way in the world.”
“But without telling anyone? I assume there’s no violence suspected?”
“Yeah, that’s why the Police are involved but no, they suggested she just got up and left, no idea which way she went.”
“But why my Mum and Dad?”
“I think the Police thought she might try to contact them, or they might have heard something.”
“And they hadn’t of course,” he added.
“Right, they hadn’t thought about the whole thing for years according to your Mum and Dad, but they did feel that I ought to know so they told me some of the details.”
“OK. Hon, I’m sorry, I should have told you sometime.”
“It’s OK, it was a sort of secret, but no harm done, eh?”
“Yeah. Jeeze, that’s sad but not much we can do, right?”
“No. Well, I’ve got to run and get Holly, then get back to your Mum’s.”
“OK, speak to you later, text if you need anything. Love you”
“Love you too.” She touched the disconnect symbol and stared at the little screen. Where did that ‘Love you’ suddenly come from?
Chapter 15 – Message on a blotter
Harry slipped the phone back into the charging cradle and looked out of the window at the garden and the woods beyond. One day, he thought, all of this will be one huge housing estate and the woods will be gone. It was a depressing thought as they offered a wonderful level of tranquility as well as a place to run.
He boiled the kettle and made coffee for himself and Holly, ate a biscuit and then went back upstairs, kicking open the bedroom door to see Holly curled up and asleep again. Her long hair fell across her shoulders and over the top of the duvet, shining and healthy in the morning light. He placed her coffee beside her, dropped his robe on the floor on his side of the bed and got back under the covers just as his cock began to harden. He didn’t want to have sex with her that morning but expected it to happen again that day, maybe after dinner but not in the bed they were using. He was certain that if they made love right there then his wife would discover the fact, even if they boiled the sheets and opened all the windows.
He shuffled over to her and nestled against her back, turning so that his cock didn’t poke her in the back. She was warm, asleep, hopefully dreaming about something nice for a change. He leaned down to kiss her shoulder and she stirred, opened her eyes and smiled almost immediately, even without turning towards him.
“Daddy,” she said, quietly but with delight in her voice.
“Good morning. It’s midday,” he replied.
“What, you’re joking, right?”
“Yeah. A daddy joke. It’s just after eight.”
“And you brought me coffee!”
“Yeah, but don’t get too used to it, OK?”
She sipped her coffee, lay back on the pillow with her back to him and pulled his hand across her stomach. She sighed contentedly, shuffling back towards him so that his cock lay hard against her spine.
“Uh oh, sorry,” he said, embarrassed.
“Daddy, don’t be sorry, I’m flattered.”
He nuzzled her ear, happy with her response and took it was permission to keep poking her. “What do you want to do today?” he asked as he lay against her head, inhaling the clean smell of her hair.
“I don’t know. Do you need to go anywhere?”
“No, I don’t think so. Do you need anything from the shops?”
“Like more knickers?” she suggested, giggling.
“No, you must have some left, right?”
“Yeah, but I used two pairs yesterday, plus the one’s you ripped off my body!” She laughed out loud, delighted to be able to say such a thing to him or to any man.
“So you only have one pair left?”
“You shouldn’t get me so wet,” she said, moving back against his hardness. “Don’t worry, I’ll stick them in the wash later on.”
He rolled over, pulled on his robe and grabbed his coffee. “I’ll make breakfast. I’ll call you when it’s ready.” She nodded with a look again of adoration and genuine thanks.
Harry had been in his study for almost an hour, alternating between pictures of young girls, email and then more pictures of young girls when he heard the sound of footsteps from his bedroom towards the bathroom, followed by the creaking of the stairs. He pulled his robe together and tied a knot in the belt.
“You went back to sleep?” he asked as Holly appeared.
“Yeah, I must have done. Sorry, but that bed is so comfortable and warm.”
He smiled at her, the nightie covering very little and her tousled hair making her close to irresistible. His cock moved and he leaned forward in an attempt to hide it under the desk should it pop out to welcome her. “There’s breakfast laid out, help yourself.”
Holly walked up to him and kissed his head. “Thanks Daddy!” she said, then turned towards the kitchen. Harry’s eyes absorbed every millisecond of the view of her legs and the tiniest hint of the shape of her sex. The whole ‘Holly in a nightie’ experience was only spoiled by the two ugly bruises that he saw on her arm and thigh and he stared at the carpet where her little feet had been, thinking how close he had come to permanently injuring or disfiguring the girl.
Holly saw that cereal and bread were on offer and went over to the fridge to get some milk. It was as she pulled the carton from the fridge that she saw her name on the notepad. Her heart thumped in her chest and she replayed the day’s events, working out quickly that the information must have come from the phone call earlier that morning, which sounded to her, perched on the top of the stairs, that it had been his wife. She exhaled loudly, unsure what to do. They would be back in two days, around mid-afternoon Tuesday. Most probably she would have to leave anyway tomorrow morning, Monday, as he would need to go to work. That really only left one more night, less than twenty four hours as long as he didn’t ask her to leave later that day. She looked around for inspiration, grabbed a magazine from the local church and used it to cover up her name.
Both Harry and Holl
y showered separately but changed back into pretty much the same clothes they had worn since breakfast. Back in the lounge, channel surfing for anything of interest, Holly leaned on Harry’ shoulder with her arm across his stomach. The dearth of anything remotely intelligent kept his mind off her body and firmly on the bill he got each month for the TV service.
“Hol, I was thinking,” he said, giving her the remote, “I have to go to work tomorrow.”
“I know. I’ve been thinking that,” she said, cuddling him closer. “Daddy, I know I have to go, so don’t worry.”
“Yeah, I know. But I was thinking that maybe I’ll call in sick tomorrow, and we can have one more day.”
She gasped, looking up at him with delight. “You’d do that just for me?”
“Sure, why not. Also, you probably don’t feel fit enough to walk all that way. Do you have any money?”
“Not much, no.”
“So I can take you to the bus station tomorrow night and get you a ticket.”
“I thought you had a presentation tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I know, but I can have someone move it maybe.”
Holly simply sighed and leaned back against his chest and reveled in the feeling of being with the man. After lunch they returned to the lounge, cuddled again but showed great restraint even though the sexual charge was building up in both of them as the day progressed. Later in the afternoon, Holly said she was going to go upstairs to lie down and Harry felt that it would be a good time to call in sick as well as finish off the presentation and email it so there could be no suggestion that he was calling in sick because his work wasn’t complete.
Holly entered his daughter’s bedroom and closed the door, once again looking around at the softness of the decor, the mementos of Holly’s happy childhood and the large, inviting bed. She kicked the school skirt and blouse nearer the door to remind herself that something had to be done about them, then smiled at the ripped knickers which were draped over the little LED alarm clock.
Sleep came within minutes punctuated only by a sinister man in red who was quickly driven away by her new Daddy.
Chapter 16 – Homeward Bound
“Well, I’m sorry that you’re leaving early,” said Grandma, rising from the kitchen table where they had eaten lunch. The early departure had surprised them but it was clear that they had very much enjoyed seeing their daughter-in-law and grand-daughter.
“I know Mum, I’m sorry but I just feel that I need to be there tonight so Harry gets to this presentation feeling rested and confident tomorrow. It’s a big deal for him, major client.”
“OK, we understand, don’t we James?”
“Yeah, and we should all be grateful that we’re healthy and happy. Just think how that family must feel now they know their daughter is OK.”
“Oh they found her?” asked Lydia.
“She contacted someone according to the news. Sounded like she was with friends or something.”
“Oh good news indeed,” said Lydia, hugging her father-in-law.
“On your way then love, before the traffic starts to build up. South bound can be pretty bad these days even on a Sunday.”
They said their final goodbyes, hugged again and set off south, a drive of four hours ahead of them. Holly spent the first half hour looking at the buildings and places she had known for so many of her earlier years before they had to move house. By three o’clock the trip was of little interest and she played with her phone, texting friends to say she was heading back.
“So, how was Billy’s last night? How were her parents?” asked her mother.
“They were out at a casino or something, I didn’t see them,” replied Holly as she stared straight ahead at the traffic.
“Oh so they left you two all alone?”
“Mum, we’re almost eighteen. We’re not going to fall out of the window or something,” said Holly angrily.
Lydia glanced across at her daughter, eyebrows raised. “I know, but that’s nice. You hadn’t seen her for what, almost two years?”
“Nineteen months.”
“Gosh. She’s such a lovely girl, isn’t she? You’ve been friends with her since, what?”
“Since we were ten,” said Holly quietly. She leaned her head on her window and stared at the trees as the car gradually slowed with the traffic.
“When will you see her again then? Maybe in the summer?”
Holly shook her head and remained silent. Her dear Billy was behind her, an ever increasing distance away and months would pass before they could see each other again. After last night, text, email and phone calls simply didn’t match the warmth of her body, the hugs, kisses and shared laughter. She sniffed and cursed herself for feeling this way.
“Hol?”
She shook her head in anger and but couldn’t hold back the feeling of abandonment and total loneliness that washed over her on this miserable afternoon. Her best efforts to contain the tears and sobbing failed so she simply let it go, not caring if her mother heard or not. The tears were for Billy, her beautiful Billy. They were for the way they fell back into their total understanding of each other within seconds of meeting and for the wonderful times that they would always have together. But at the top of her list was the feeling of warmth when she had woken up that morning with her best friend by her side and the thrill of being able to kiss her lips to wake her. Her crying continued unabated as her mother drove on in silence.
They passed a huge road sign which they always regarded as the half-way point. Lydia turned to her daughter and touched her leg.
“Hey, Hol, I’m sorry.”
Her tears had subsided but she still gasped for air now and again as the sobs seemed to return with every new thought of her young lover, the loving and laughter they had shared just a few hours ago. She shook her head again angrily and moved her leg away from her mother, staring through watery eyes at the gathering darkness over the fields.
“I know she’s special to you dear.”
“No you don’t! You just don’t know!” shouted Holly, grief stricken. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and breathed in hard. “You don’t understand so can we just drop it?” she sobbed, shuddering against the cold window. They drove for another couple of miles in silence before her mother spoke.
“When I was your age, actually, when I had just started college, I had a friend like Billy. About nineteen I was, long before I met Daddy.”
Holly sat up a little and looked at the traffic ahead, the lights of the cars stretching endlessly in both directions. She had not heard many stories about her mother’s college, only that she stayed away from home which sounded like one of the best reasons to go to college.
“Her name was Becky, short for Rebecca.” Holly sniffed again, her emotions still causing her to sob and draw in sharp breaths occasionally but her attention was fully on what her mother was saying. “We met at a club for art appreciation. She had an interest in art and I went because one of the guys had joined and I fancied him.” Holly managed a ‘tsk’ in response which seemed to be what was expected. “I had seen him at the swimming pool and could see he had something hugely interesting in his trunks.”
“Mummy!” gasped Holly. Her mother had never spoken in that way. Never in a month of Sundays would she have dreamt of suggesting anything about a man or a woman’s private parts. Holly digested the words and tried to work out not only where this was leading but why her mother was now using such language. Her tears had abated but she still shuddered from her grief as her mother’s story unfolded.
“I tried very hard to get off with the guy but he wasn’t interested. One night Becky came to my dorm room to give me the news that she had seen him with someone else. She cuddled me as I cried my eyes out and we agreed the guy was a total bastard.”
Holly turned briefly to her but her mother was focused on the road. The swear word would never have been tolerated in the house either. She would have lectured her father or her if they had spoken like that and reminded them
continually about the path of righteous behavior.
“It was Saturday night, just like last night. Becky stayed with me all through the weekend until Monday classes. We were like you and Billy, Hol.”
“Mummy, we’re friends!” said Holly defensively.
“Hol, you’re my daughter, I’ve known you all your wonderful life. A month ago you were your normal self, then once the trip to Grandma’s was planned and you knew you would see Holly you were a different person. Remember, you absolutely had to go shopping at Victoria’s Secret for new underwear? You had to have your hair done last week. You cleaned your room, texted her constantly, you stared out of the kitchen window whenever we sat down to eat. With each day that passed you got more and more lively, happier until I thought you would burst!”
“So? I was excited to go back,” replied Holly. She smoothed her jeans on her legs, pleased with the feeling of her hand on her thigh and fascinated by her mother’s observations. She wondered though what her mother had guessed about Billy, knowing that her experience with Billy was always going to be far more sensuous and loving than her mother’s friendship with Becky.
“When Becky told me about that little shit of a boy I was almost inconsolable. I just couldn’t stop crying, although looking back at the time the boy had never given me any hope of becoming more than a distant friend.” Lydia glanced across, knowing that she had her daughter’s attention. “Becky went back to her dorm, grabbed food for both of us and came back in five minutes. We cuddled for ages, talking, giggling together.” Lydia overtook a lorry and pulled back into the slow lane. “By midnight that evening we were naked in bed.”
“Mummy, I don’t believe you! You wouldn’t do that!”
“Hol, I’ve done many things, some of which I’m not very proud of, others I am very happy about. Loving Becky was one of those wonderful things, and it’s good that you know a little about it. You’re not the first girl to fall in love with another beautiful girl.”
Shake That Tree Page 14