The Tour

by Jean Grainger

  As Dorothy marched indignantly down the corridor, she spotted Juliet standing in the doorway of Anna’s room. She heard her name being mentioned. The pair of them were laughing at her! She approached the two women, rage surging through her.

  ‘Oh, so this is what you’re doing Juliet,’ she spat out, ‘skulking around the hotel afraid to go out. You’re to be pitied. How dare you speak to me the way you did this morning?’

  Juliet paled. ‘Dorothy, I just want to be left alone alright?’ she said, backing into the bedroom. Dorothy’s face was now almost purple with rage.

  ‘You just want to be left alone’ Dorothy mimicked cruelly. ‘Oh don’t worry Juliet, you’ll be left alone alright. The only sensible thing your stupid husband ever did was die in order to get away from your stupid mousey little self.’

  Anna interrupted, ‘Dorothy, I think Juliet told you already how she feels, so maybe you should just...’

  Dorothy’s eyes glittered with malice. ‘Well, if it isn’t our little deserted Mommy here to rescue mousey Juliet. Bet she didn’t tell you what she really is though did she? Maybe when you know the truth about her, you won’t feel so inclined to have her as your new best friend! Oh yes, I know about the two of you with your cosy and cute little friendship. But did she tell you she’s a baby thief?

  Juliet looked stricken. ‘Dorothy! No!’

  ‘What’s the problem Juliet? Oh have you not mentioned that you stole a child? That you had to be sent to a mental hospital for the criminally insane? Oh yes Anna, I’d be very careful about leaving her anywhere near your baby. In fact, it’s probably the only reason she wants to befriend you.’

  Juliet started to shake. ‘Dorothy, how could you? Do you really hate me that much? You must be so sad to have so much hate in you.’

  ‘How dare you pity me!,’ Dorothy screeched.

  New waves of rage seemed to wash over her as she shoved Juliet against the bathroom door. As Juliet stumbled backwards into the bathroom, Dorothy shoved her again.

  ‘Dorothy! Stop it. Just leave her alone. She’s told you how she feels!’ Anna said assertively.

  Dorothy pushed Anna aside violently, sending her flying against the bed.

  ‘You pathetic imbecile Juliet! I’m the one who should pity you! Boring anyone who will listen to tales of the saintly Larry! He was a fat, self-satisfied lump and you deserved each other. Thank God you couldn’t breed because heaven knows what kind of moron you and he would have produced!’

  With another vicious push, Dorothy propelled the stunned Juliet backwards, in the process knocking her head against the corner of the bath.

  Anna rushed forward and saw with horror Juliet lying unconscious on the bathroom floor, blood oozing from a cut on her head. She screamed at Dorothy, ‘Stop it! You’ve really hurt her! Call an ambulance quickly!’

  Dorothy just stood there, immobile, as Juliet lay on the white tiled bathroom floor, blood forming a small pool around her head.

  ‘Oh for God’s sake get out of my way!’ Anna barged past Dorothy and dialled Reception. ‘Yes quickly, an ambulance to room 106, and the police. There’s been an assault!’

  Anna cradled Juliet’s head in her lap talking to her all the time as they waited for the ambulance. Hotel staff milled around, trying to calm other guests who had been disturbed by the screaming. Within ten minutes an ambulance crew appeared.

  ‘What’s her name?’ the paramedic asked Anna. ‘Juliet.’

  ‘OK Juliet, we’re going to put you into this back brace now, so just relax and leave it all to us. You’re going to be fine,’ the paramedic announced to the still unconscious Juliet.

  ‘Can I come with her?’ Anna asked ‘I’m not family, just a friend’

  ‘Of course,’ he replied ‘What’s your name?’ ‘Anna’

  ‘Juliet, Anna is coming with us to the hospital,’ the paramedic said as they wheeled Juliet on a stretcher past Dorothy, who remained expressionless.

  Anna sat beside the hospital bed. Juliet had come around in the ambulance and the gash on her head had been stitched as soon as she was admitted. The consultant said he was fairly sure there was no other injury but they’d have to keep her in overnight for observation.

  ‘Will I stay or do you want to rest?’ Anna asked Juliet ‘I’d like you to stay if you could,’ Juliet replied weakly.

  ‘It wasn’t like she said you know Anna. I would never…’ ‘Of course not,’ Anna replied, patting Juliet’s hand.

  ‘I don’t believe a word of it. She’s really scary crazy you know. The look on her face…she was like…she was out of control.’

  ‘I know,’ said Juliet, ‘she really frightened me.’

  ‘Why did you agree to travel with her? Could you not have refused?’

  Juliet sighed, ‘I know I should have, ages ago. She never asked if I wanted to go or not. She intimidated me I suppose. That probably sounds pathetic but since my husband died, I just don’t seem to be able to deal with things as well as I used to.’

  Anna sipped her tea, ‘What made today different? Juliet didn’t respond.

  ‘I’m sorry Juliet, it’s none of my business. Forget I asked.’

  Tears were now streaming from Juliet’s eyes, but she managed to say: ‘I was married for thirty-seven years to a wonderful man. Larry. We were so happy together. I won’t say we never had a cross word. Of course we did, but we were best friends. Larry died suddenly fifteen months ago and, to be honest, I don’t think I’m over it. Sometimes, I forget that he’s dead, and I find myself buying two steaks in the supermarket or throwing his shaving soap in the trolley and then it hits me again. I think my local supermarket manager thinks I’m a bit of a nutcase,’ she said giving Anna a watery smile. ‘I just never imagined living without him you see. I always thought I’d be the one to go first.’

  She paused again, momentarily lost in thought, before continuing: ‘The only thing that made us sad was the fact that we never had children. I guess nowadays there are things you can do, but back then it wasn’t talked about. We tried for ages and nothing seemed to be happening. Eventually, I had some tests and it seems my ovaries never really worked the way they should. I was more or less told to go home and get a dog.’

  Anna smiled and squeezed Juliet’s hand.

  ‘It drove me crazy for a long time. It seemed everywhere I looked there were babies. People stopped making references to the pitter-patter of tiny feet and all that after a few years. I guess they knew there was a problem. Larry was so good to me then. Telling me that I was enough for him and how we had more going on in our relationship to make us happy than most people did. What he never realised was how he, no matter how wonderful he was, wasn’t enough for me. I ached for a baby. I pleaded with God. I took all sorts of crazy potions that were advertised for fertility but nothing worked. Over time, I began to get really depressed.’

  She looked directly at Anna. ‘I did something terrible’

  Anna didn’t react, so Juliet carried on. ‘You see Dorothy wasn’t lying. One day, I was in a store. I don’t know what came over me, honestly I don’t. But there was a woman trying shoes on her little boy who was about four years old. She had a baby in a pram beside her but she was giving all her attention to the boy who didn’t want to fit on the new shoes. I just walked up and pushed the pram away.’

  Her voice was barely a whisper now. ‘I rushed out the door and ran to my car. As I was putting the baby on the back seat, she began to cry, and I lifted her out again trying to soothe her. Just then, the security men came out of the store and spotted me. They shouted and people all around stopped and stared at me. The woman, the baby’s mother, was beside herself with grief and dragged her baby from my arms. The police were called and I was arrested.

  Larry came down to the police station looking so sad and worried. They kept me there for two days and then they released me after the woman said she wouldn’t press charges. Larry never admitted it, but I think he asked our pastor to go and speak to her, plead my case about how I was
messed up because of the infertility. The police let me go. That was so kind of her...’

  Anna stood up and put her arms around Juliet.

  ‘You poor thing, the whole experience must have been awful.’

  Juliet nodded. ‘Yes it was a bad time. I couldn’t have managed without Larry being so supportive, so understanding. I went to stay at a small psychiatric facility after that and I had a lot of counselling to try to come to terms with everything. Larry visited me every day; we walked in the garden and talked about the fact that we would never have a family. We thought about adopting but we were too old by the time we found out we couldn’t have any children of our own. I think the relief of being able to talk about it with Larry without trying to pretend everything was OK was as useful as the therapy. Eventually, I decided we had to make our lives as good as we could and accept the fact that it was going to be just the two of us. Maybe if we’d had children I wouldn’t have taken his death as such a blow. It just wasn’t to be so…’

  Juliet looked as if she had just shed a huge weight. ‘You must think I’m crazy,’ she said.

  ‘Not at all,’ Anna replied, ‘I think it must have been a terrible sadness to you to discover that you wouldn’t be able to do what it seemed everyone else could do.’

  ‘Yes, that was the thing. You asked me earlier what Dorothy had said to make me flip out at her like that. Well, she hit a raw nerve. I told her I wanted to spend the day browsing around the stores, maybe buying a few gifts, when she snapped that I didn’t have anyone to buy gifts for. “It’s not even as if you have children,” she said. It stung me, even after all these years, and I just lost control.’

  Anna smiled: ‘What you said to her this morning was nothing more than she deserved. And for her to come back hours later and attack you like that! She could have killed you. You know something Juliet, I’m starting to think there is strong karma operating in this country. So many things have happened in such a short space of time to turn my life upside down and inside out. But then I meet people like you and Ellen, who help me to see things so clearly. There you were, so sad because you couldn’t have a baby although you had a fantastic husband, and here’s me with a baby but no one to share it with.’

  ‘Don’t you have family?’ Juliet asked

  ‘Oh yes, and they will be great eventually I know. It’s just that …it’s just that they … my parents and my sisters I mean… they did everything the right way around. Married nice reliable people, made a beautiful home and then had children. They may not understand my choices and they really disliked Elliot on the one occasion they met him. I know they would accept my child, but the problem is I really don’t relish the idea of living in a small town again. When I was growing up, I found the town so claustrophobic. Everyone having opinions on everyone else’s business, always the same people around …I can’t imagine much has changed in the intervening years. I couldn’t wait to get out. I became Elliot’s PA, and actually I was very good at it. I don’t know what on earth I’m going to do now though. He was my only employer and it’s unlikely he will give me a great reference after all this.’

  She shrugged. ‘I know it might seem a bit of a mystery why I put up with him and his selfish ways, but he was so cosmopolitan, so New York. I loved the life. We knew lots of people, went to lots of events. We were even photographed for the society pages a few times. It all seems so stupid and trite now, but at the time I really felt I had shaken off my small-town roots and was a genuine, career-driven, city girl.’

  ‘Well I’m not exactly in a position to ask you why you put up with Elliot considering the way I allowed Dorothy to treat me. Sometimes it’s not until you are out of a situation that you appreciate just how bad it was. It seems we have more in common than we first thought Anna.’

  Anna smiled and nodded.

  ‘The thing is, what now for Anna and her baby? Is going back to your parents the only option?’

  ‘I think so, but I wish it wasn’t. I mean, I’ve no home, no job and only a small amount of savings. I have some investments that have come good but not enough to start again. I don’t think Elliot is going to offer to support either me or the baby so I’ll have to sue him for it, which could take forever. And he can hire better lawyers than I can.’

  ‘Hmm,’ mused Juliet, ‘I know how you feel, but he does have legal responsibilities – for you and the baby. From what you’re telling me the only thing he cares about is his bank balance, so why not make him feel a bit of pain? It will make your life a whole lot easier and maybe make him sit up and think about the way he’s living his. My advice would be not to do anything hasty. He has enough money and he is obliged to support his child. The courts will see it that way too I know.’

  ‘You’re right Juliet’ Anna conceded. ‘I just want nothing more to do with him.’

  ‘Well my dear,’ Juliet said ‘that’s what lawyers are for. You need never speak to him again if you don’t want to. Larry’s brother is a family law attorney. He lives in Florida. If you like, I can call him and get some advice. Or maybe you have your own lawyer?’

  Anna and Juliet continued talking for hours covering every topic under the sun – from how much they both loved interior decorating to how they both disliked the cold. As the dawn began to creep across the sky, Juliet said, ‘Anna, this might sound like the craziest idea you’ve ever heard. But I wonder would you think about moving to Florida? I have the down payment in the bank for a small condo in Sarasota. Larry and I had planned to retire down there. Originally, we were going to buy a place with a garden and a small pool. But the way the prices in that development that we liked have gone, I’m afraid a small two-bed in a block is all that I can afford now. It’s a really lovely place Anna, I’ll show you the website. I have some friends there and, if you wanted to, maybe we could go down and have a look at it together. You could stay with me for as long as you wanted, at least until you got a settlement from Elliot and enough money to pay for a more suitable place for you and the baby. In the meantime, you could make a fresh start, and if you wanted to work or retrain as something else, I would just love to take care of the baby for you. I guess I’m offering to be a surrogate Grandma.’

  Juliet’s look of anticipation mixed with fear touched Anna deeply. ‘Juliet, that is an incredibly kind offer. I …I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘It’s OK Anna,’ Juliet interjected, assuming the younger woman was trying to find a way of refusing without causing offence. ‘It’s all a bit sudden. And you don’t have to say anything. I’d probably feel the same way if I was you.’ She smiled, feeling foolish at her suggestion. I mean this young woman barely knew her. She was probably afraid Juliet would try to steal her baby.

  ‘No! I just can’t believe you would make such a generous offer. I mean you hardly know me. But if you really mean it…’

  It suddenly dawned on Juliet that Anna was seriously considering her proposal. ‘Well, all I am offering is a roof over your head for a while and someone to help out with the baby. I’d enjoy the company. Believe me Anna, the prospect of being a Grandma, even a stand-in one, would make me very happy.’

  Maybe there is a master plan for humanity after all, Anna thought. No question, Juliet would be a much better influence in her child’s life than Elliot ever could have been. The prospect of Sarasota sounded enticing – sunshine and beaches for the baby to enjoy, and Florida had a vibrant economy, so there was bound to be work available. And with Juliet’s support, she could still have a life and be able to earn money.

  Suddenly, she had a brainwave. ‘Hey Juliet, I have a better idea. That place you mentioned, with the pool and the garden…well how about we buy a place together? It could be all done legally and we would own it fifty-fifty. If either one of us wanted out at any time, we could just sell up. Property doesn’t really lose value down there if it’s in a good location. Somewhere with a garden would be just lovely for the baby and we would both have a bit more room in a bigger place. We would be like roommates, but with the G
randma bit thrown in. I couldn’t afford anything like that on my own and not many people want to share with a single mom so it might suit us both? I have some contacts in a publishing house in Miami. Maybe they could get me some freelance, home-based work. And if you would help with childcare, even part time…’ Anna’s eyes positively glittered with excitement.

  Juliet stuck out her hand and Anna gripped it. ‘Deal,’ they said in unison. As the rumble of an approaching breakfast catering trolley grew closer, Anna rose quietly from the bedside chair, leaving the now sleepy-eyed Juliet to get some badly-needed rest.

  ‘Thanks Larry,’ Juliet whispered gently before drifting off into a deep slumber.

  Chapter 22

  Dorothy heard a key being turned in the lock. About time. She had been kept waiting for hours. The same detective who had arrested her earlier that morning beckoned to her to follow him down the corridor to Interview Room 1. The chair that he invited her to sit on was bolted to the floor, she noticed. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, on the desk opposite her stood a camcorder aimed directly at her face. ‘I’m putting in a new tape to record our interview,’ he said, stating the blindingly obvious. A green light appeared. ‘Interview with Dorothy Crane, 27th of July 2000 at…3.44pm. Detective John O’Keeffe present.’

  Taking off his watch, and placing it on the table in front of him, he said: ‘This is a preliminary statement regarding the events leading up to your arrest today. As I mentioned, you don’t have to say anything. Neither do you have to speak to me without a solicitor present. If you have a solicitor, we can call him or her for you. If you cannot afford a solicitor, the State will provide one for you. Do you understand?’

  Dorothy made a quick mental calculation. He seemed to be young, maybe early thirties, was dressed in civilian clothes, navy trousers and a blue striped shirt. She imagined he probably wasn’t paid very much. She cleared her throat. ‘Well officer. I … em… I have some money. I can get access to it quickly if that’s necessary. Possibly even used notes? I’m sure you and I can come to an…arrangement? Then we can forget any of this silliness,’ she said, giving what she hoped was a charming smile.