by Peter Martin
A week passed and still nothing had been heard about the plane. Lena’s absence during this time only served to add to the uneasiness within the family, and to Garry feeling responsible for their predicament. Then, late that afternoon Tom walked into Garry’s room, looking grumpy and red in the face, saying, ‘She’s back, Dad. Go and speak to her. We’re still here, and it’s been eight days now since we were promised that plane. So what the hell’s going on? Chris and Adam are getting on each other’s nerves and Cassie’s lying down - she’s got a headache and no wonder.’
Garry groaned. ‘Well, if Lena is here, maybe we’ll finally get it sorted.’
‘I can’t understand what’s got into the woman. She’s fobbed us off with pathetic excuses because that’s what they are you know Dad. It’s about time she came clean and told the truth. The longer this takes, the more suspicious I get. Don’t you agree?’
‘I do, and you’re right, I’ll get this sorted out quickly, mother or no mother.’ Garry too had had enough of the feeble excuses. ‘I’ll go now.’
‘We’re all depending on you, and so is mum.’
Garry smiled, but felt sick, He’d have to sacrifice Lena’s friendship to get the desired effect, by the looks of it. ‘Ok Tom, don’t worry, everything will be fine – I promise.’
On his way downstairs he felt a shiver down his spine knowing he must resolve this problem, possibly without upsetting anyone. From the bottom of the stairs, he saw the drawing-room door open and there sitting at a table was Lena looking down into her cup and saucer. As he entered, he was shocked for a moment, he could have sworn she’d shuddered. He’d never seen her like this before.
‘Lena, are you all right?’
She didn’t appear to hear him at first; seemingly more preoccupied with whatever was on her mind. ‘Hallo Garry,’ she beamed lovingly at him at last, but her tear-filled eyes showed something must be wrong.
‘Why are you so upset?’
‘Oh, it’s nothing much…’ she began, sighing, before burying her head in her free hand.
‘Come on, something’s happened – hasn’t it?’
Lena hesitated for a moment before she spoke. ‘It… it’s just that everything seems to be going haywire. Only a few days ago I thought I had everything I ever wanted. A good man in Greg, a real family in you and yours, and the possibility of a great film part that would have kept me right up there at the top in the box office ratings. And now look at me. First Delia leaves, then you and your folks want to follow suit. After that, I have a massive row with Greg, which has resulted in us splitting up, and that film role I desperately wanted has been given to someone a lot younger than me. I can’t believe it Garry, I really can’t. What have I done to deserve this?’ She sobbed, shaking her head in anguish.
‘Nothing, nothing at all.’ He began to sympathise with her. ‘I wish I could help, but I know I can’t. I feel for you Lena, I really do.’
‘But you can help Garry. Talk to your family and reconsider your decision to leave. I’m sure if you tried hard enough you could persuade them to see what they’re throwing away. I have plenty of money, more than I know what to do with – I’ll buy you anything you want and more besides. Please, Garry, I’d hate to live here on my own,’ she pleaded, her tear-stained face panic-stricken.
‘Lena, I’ve already talked it through with the family, but you have to understand it’s impossible. It’s not only because Delia’s gone home, everyone wants to go now. And after promising us a plane eight days ago, we’re still here. I have a right to know what’s going on.’
Even as he spoke he detected a change in his mother’s mood. Her sadness and despair turned into bitterness right in front of his eyes. He watched as her neck and face flushed with anger. Then between heavy breaths she spat out, ‘You know what – some people never appreciate what others try to do for them, do they?’ It wasn’t a question but a deliberate statement. ‘Ever since I met Delia, I knew she wasn’t right for you. And the first time you have a chance of getting something worthwhile in your life, what does she do? She runs off just when you need her most. I’ll bet she’s been the same throughout the whole of your marriage. Can’t you see what sort of woman she is? If you ask me, you’re well rid of her.’
That made him tremble with fury, but he tried to keep his cool. ‘You’re taking nonsense, Lena. How can you judge her? You’ve only known her five minutes.’ He spoke calmly but there was a tremor in his voice as he struggled to control his temper. ‘And what’s more during that time you’ve done your level best to interfere in my life.’
‘No, that’s not true, it’s that fraud of a wife who’s caused all this. I’ve been around long enough to know the type of person she is. What’s the matter with you, man? You amaze me, you really do. Are you that stupid, you can’t see what’s staring you straight in the face? I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve come to the conclusion, you don’t deserve what you’ve been offered. When I think about what I went through to meet you in the first place, and even more so by allowing you back into my life – and how do you repay me?’ As she spoke, her voice rose until she was screaming, her eyes widening into something bordering on hate. He felt uneasy, not needing this sort of behaviour.
‘Well, I’m sorry you feel that way –’ But his words were halted, and the abuse continued.
‘Oh sure you are – you’re just a money grabber the same as everyone else. And as for getting you that plane, go screw yourself, you bastard. Go to hell, you shit-head!’
Garry was thrown at first and just stared at her open-mouthed. He’d often heard of mood swings and felt this was what he’d just witnessed. She’d always seemed pleasant and genuine. Now he was seeing another side to her, a vindictive and cruel side that almost startled him into silence.
‘I’d better go.’
‘Good, do what the fuck you like,’ she spat at him.
Garry walked out of the room, without glancing back, but half expected something to be thrown in his direction. If he’d stayed any longer, the argument was in danger of getting even further out of control. And right now he didn’t care if he never saw her again.
On his way back upstairs, he wondered what to say to the others, and being so uptight went back to his own room first. He needed to get himself together again to stop his heart from beating too fast. It had been difficult to hold back and not retaliate, but he sensed she’d wanted him to do just that - lose control – and then blame him for everything afterwards. Well, it hadn’t worked. And he knew now that he had to tell the others the truth and not tone down her shocking behaviour.
Before long there was a loud rap at his door. Tom, as expected, was there. Garry waved him in, giving him a weary smile.
‘So what’s going on?’ Tom demanded. ‘And what was the shouting about?’
‘Everything and nothing. Lena completely lost it. It seems she and Greg have split up, and on top of that, she’s been passed over for that part she wanted. So when I mentioned the plane to her, she flipped, said she wasn’t interested in the damn thing. I tried to reason with her, but she ranted and raved and even swore at me. I suppose it’s because of all the bad luck she’s had, but I certainly didn’t care much for the way it showed itself. And one thing’s for sure, she’s certainly no lady!’
‘But her troubles are nothing to do with us, Dad.’
‘Yes, but she’s making it have something to do with us? And she’s not exactly being cooperative about getting us that plane son.’
‘Dad, this is past a joke. It’s ludicrous. Surely she can’t want us to stay when she knows we all want to go home. She’s just dragging it out on purpose.’
‘That’s possible, I suppose. I can see she’s had a few upsets and disappointments, but it’s not our fault. She was so aggressive as if she blamed me for all her woes. And more or less said I was a loser for wanting to stay with your mother. I told her straight as best I could without losing my temper but she wouldn’t listen. She kept ranting on like a maniac. Then she told m
e to fuck myself and said I could forget about her chartering a plane for us.’
Tom looked at him bewildered. ‘My God, she’s gone a bit strange. Well, we can’t put up with this - if she won’t get us the damn plane, we’ll do it ourselves and send her the bill.’
‘Tom, please - there’s no need for that. She’s hurt and upset, but she’ll have calmed down when I see her tomorrow, you’ll see. But I can’t help saying, the foul language she used tonight, well… let me just say, she’s not the person I thought she was.’
‘That’s not good enough. One way or another we’ll have to arrange our own transport home. We’ve all waited long enough and anyway from her actions just now it looks as if she’s washed her hands of it. This whole situation has been ridiculous from the start, Dad – like Chris said, we should never have come here in the first place. Time is moving on, and we still haven’t heard anything from mum. We aren’t even sure she’s at home.’
‘Look, Tom, I realise what you’ve said is true, and believe me I’m also extremely worried about your mum. But you know what… ’ He stopped, unsure whether to continue but he did. ‘I’ve got a sneaky feeling Lena’s at the back of all this with your mum. Don’t ask me how because I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure Lena hates her with a passion.’
‘What a great mother she’s turned out to be. If she thought something of you, she wouldn’t have given you up when she did.’
Garry closed his eyes, saying, ‘Don’t you think I already know that, but I had to give her a chance to put things right. I’ll catch her in the morning, and if she refuses to do anything, I’ll phone a few airlines – will that satisfy you?’
‘I suppose it will have to.’ Tom said pulling a face. ‘I’ll tell the others what’s happened.’ And with that he left, leaving his father to reflect on the mess they were in.
He’d promised Tom to speak to Lena in the morning, but after the way she’d spoken to him earlier he didn’t hold out much hope of resolving the matter.
By early evening he’d had enough, and felt in a bit of a dilemma, to say the least. The adage his late mum used to say ‘I can’t do right for doing wrong’ just about summed it up. He’d wanted to remain friends with Lena but also needed to get home as soon as he could. And Tom had to understand things couldn’t be put right at the drop of a hat.
He lay on the bed and fell into a light sleep for half an hour or so. But on waking it all came flooding back. He got up and walked over to the window, the sun casting its rays across the sea onto the coastline below. It would be another hour or so before the sun set. It really was a beautiful place. Why had their holiday ended on such a bad note?
From what he’d witnessed today, there were a good many sides to Lena. On the surface, she appeared loving and very generous – when everything was going her way. But deep down she was unstable and very unpredictable.
He’d need to tread carefully, as there was no telling how she might react to any given situation. She may even do something irrational that she’d later regret.
Moving away from the window, and feeling peckish, he realised it had been a while since he’d eaten. So after a quick shower and change of clothes, he decided to ask the others if they’d like to go for something to eat. They all agreed but over the meal despite everyone’s efforts to lighten the mood nothing anyone said would allay the sense of foreboding Garry felt. Before saying goodnight, they agreed to meet on the landing at seven the next morning to confront Lena as a group.
Back in his room, Garry set the alarm on his mobile for six a.m., and went to bed with that same longing for Delia. Would their lives ever be back to normal?
It wasn’t to the sound of his alarm, that woke him, but the brightness of the sun coming through the window. He rubbed his eyes and looked for his phone, but it wasn’t there. Looking at his watch he saw the time. Seven o’clock. Shit, they would all be waiting for him on the landing. He got out of bed and ran to the door of his room.
But placing his hand on the door handle he was surprised to find it wouldn’t budge. He turned it again – still the same. Then he looked for the key normally in the door. It wasn’t there. An exhaustive search proved fruitless. What was going on here? Could this be Lena playing silly beggars?
And what had happened to his mobile? He could remember setting the alarm last night, but why hadn’t it gone off? Perhaps he’d left it in the bathroom. He got up to look for it but it was nowhere to be found. In his confused mind he realised someone must have taken it.
He lay on top of the bed deep in thought, not wanting to contact his children just yet. No doubt Lena, or one of her aides, had locked the door and taken his phone. Why he asked himself? Why would she do such a thing? And what would she achieve by keeping him locked away?
Chapter Twenty
Now imprisoned in his room Garry felt not only outraged by Lena’s behaviour but also a little afraid. How dare she? She had no right, no right at all. Walking over to the door again, he tried the handle, but again no joy. How someone had managed to lock the door, he didn’t know; his missing key had always been in the lock on the inside so it should have been impossible. Apparently not.
In his frustration, he dashed over to the door once more and gave the handle a huge yank, but it wouldn’t move. Next, he went to the standard lamp in the corner of the room, hastily removed the shade, and charged at the door banging the metal stand on the handle over and over again. But other than scratching the door, the handle stood firm. The door must be made of solid wood with brass fittings; what other explanation could there be? Now sitting back on the bed he had to admit his attempts to escape had been futile. All he’d done was to sprain his wrist from constantly hammering the door.
Once the pain eased he took stock of the situation. What were Lena’s plans now? Why was she keeping him here like a prisoner? Had she ever intended chartering a plane for them? And what about Delia? Had she really gone home? But when the possibility crossed his mind that she might be dead, he knew one way or another he had to get out.
Seething, he went to the window, but that avenue of escape was totally out of the question, the drop was at least thirty feet. There was neither a ledge or a flat roof to climb onto from his window, nor a tree nearby. What on earth could he do?
After a few minutes, realising he was due to meet his children, he knew the time had come to contact them. At first, he hadn’t wanted to worry them. But he needed their help now. He rushed to the bedside table to get his mobile phone, then it dawned on him - it wasn’t there. Again he searched for his phone but failed to find it. This didn’t seem possible. Then the awful thought came to him - was his family locked in too? Surely Lena wouldn’t have locked their doors as well? How could he contact them without a phone? He ran across to the window, opened it and shouted, ‘Tom – are you there?’
No reply. He shouted again only louder.
‘Dad! Is that you?’
‘Yes, Tom. Is the door to your room locked?’
‘Yes, I was just about to ring you,’ he replied immediately, ‘But I can’t find my damn phone. What the hell is that woman up to?’
‘I wish I knew. My mobile is missing too.’
‘My God, Dad. She isn’t going to let us go home, is she? So what can we do?’
‘I’ve no idea. You see, I thought I was the only one locked in and you could get me out. And what about Cassie? Have you spoken to her?’
‘Try shouting Chris, Dad, you’re a bit nearer than I am. Failing that get something and knock on the wall.’
Garry’s room was sandwiched between his children’s rooms. Straight away, leaning out of the window he yelled at the top of his voice, ‘Cassie’.
Within a few seconds, she was leaning out of the window.
‘What do you make of this, Dad? I take it your phones gone missing and you’re locked in too?’ Cassie asked. ‘We should have realised she intended keeping us here – she never had any intention of getting that plane. Not only that it’s frightened Adam, he
’s been crying and Chris, well he’s furious. But why doesn’t she want us to go home that’s what I’d like to know?’
‘I wish I knew, but it’s not because she can’t live without us, that’s for sure. Somehow we have to get her attention. I suggest we bang on our doors as loudly as possible and don’t stop until someone comes. Although from the sound of it, Chris has started already, he has the right idea. Ok, let’s go for it.’
Tom had been listening from his window and shouted, ‘Good idea, Dad’
Within minutes, pandemonium reigned – Garry, beating his own door with both fists, had an idea they might be heard as far away as Whitehaven.
Before long someone came, Lena herself.
‘Hey, hey – what’s going on in there?’ She shrieked from outside Garry’s room.
‘Lena, as you must know we’re locked in, can you open the door? And where are our mobile phones?’ Garry asked.
‘Garry, please be patient, will you? You’re acting childishly, all of you are.’
‘If we’re acting childishly, what do you call your actions in locking us in our rooms? I’ll tell you now you’re insane. Will you please unlock the doors?’
Then came Cassie’s angry voice from the room next room, ‘Adam’s terrified. You must surely have heard him crying. You claim you love him to bits, but your actions prove otherwise. You’re a washout, that’s what you are, through and through. You’ll never take the place of my nan.’
Next, came Tom saying, ‘What’s this about? You can’t imprison us against our will.’
And when Chris roared, ‘You’ll be sorry if you don’t open these doors.’
All Lena said was, ‘Why should I answer your pathetic questions? You may as well cut the racket - it won’t magically open the doors for you.’ Then her footsteps were heard walking away.