by J. R. Bonham
Steven picked them up from the airport and took them home. It had been a long journey and Jan felt very sleepy as she sat in the back of the car. She was aware that Geoff was telling Steven all about being upgraded. She reckoned that was the best part of his holiday. She was hoping he had forgotten all about complaining about there being no food. As they were chatting, all she could think about was the strange conversation between herself and Mike. She liked him. But why would he want to meet up? Then she fell fast asleep until they arrived home.
“Hi Mum, did you have a good holiday?” Louise asked.
“Oh, it was fantastic, it really was. I have it all on video so we can show you the Grand Canyon and all around, it really is such a beautiful country – I love it,” Jan enthused.
“We got your postcard yesterday. You need not have bothered, you could have brought it back with you!” Louise told her.
“I know but your grandparents always expect a postcard; hope they have received theirs by now.”
Jan unpacked both suitcases straight away and put the washing machine on. ‘Back to normal already,’ she mused.
Next day was a Saturday so Geoff was glad to have the weekend to unwind before going back to work on Monday.
“Shall we just have takeaway fish and chips tonight? As a way of thanking you both for having time off work to take us and pick us up from the airport,” Jan asked Louise and Steven. “It is Friday! And I don’t really feel like cooking yet. I’ll start back to normal tomorrow,” she said as she looked in the cupboards and saw she would also have to do a big shop as there was hardly any food left there.
“Yes, please,” both Louise and Steven said at the same time.
“You’ve both been good I assume? No parties?” Jan enquired
“No Mum, I told you we wouldn’t,” Louise assured her. “We know a lot of friends who’ve had parties when their parents were away and which have got massively out of hand. Why would you want to soil your own nest for the sake of other people enjoying themselves?”
Jan wondered where her daughter got her wisdom.
“You’re too clever for your own good,” Jan told her. “But don’t think I don’t appreciate it, because I do.”
“That’s not to say we didn’t want a party, we’re not that sad. It’s just that we knew what the consequences would be!” Steven interjected.
“Quite!” Jan smiled at them both.
On Monday, Jan waved them all off to work and she set to work with making a shopping list, doing more washing and starting the pile of ironing from the first wash. She was only on her third shirt when the telephone rang. She tutted as she had to put the iron down and rush downstairs to answer it.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hello. This is Mike from the holiday. I just wondered if you got back OK on Friday?”
“Oh, yes, thanks,” Jan said, wondering what else she could add. “You did too I gather? Are you back at work today?” she was pleased with herself for thinking fast and asking the right questions.
“Yes, I did and I am,” he told her. “So what are you doing with yourself today?”
“Just finishing unpacking, washing and ironing, there seems to be loads! Geoff always leaves everything to me, doesn’t even unpack his stuff! Let alone pack it in the first place!” ‘Oh God, that sounds like I’m having a right old moan.’
“Really? I always pack everything myself. You can never be too careful. I never leave anything to chance.”
‘Now what do I say?’ she thought to herself. ‘He packs his own suitcase, well, he’s a very modern man, I must say!’
He continued so that helped her out with thinking of something else to say. “You know I said I wanted to meet up?”
“Yes,” she wondered where this was going. “But I wasn’t sure what you meant. We live so far apart it might be difficult. Geoff works every day as I expect you do too, so it would have to be a weekend I guess. Does Rosemary want to meet too?” she asked him.
“No. Not Rosemary. And not Geoff either,” he replied in no uncertain terms.
“Oh!” Things were starting to dawn on her. ‘He only wants to meet with me without our other halves! How come? Where is this going?’
“How about next week, on Wednesday? I could come down to Torquay and take you out to lunch if you’d like?” he asked.
“Oh!” was all she could manage again. “OK, thank you, that’ll be nice. I have some photos of you and Rosemary, I’ll get them developed and let you have them.”
“Thank you very much. Should I come to the house and pick you up?” He wasn’t in the least interested in the photos.
“The neighbours might talk if they see me getting into a strange man’s car! I could meet you in town and we could find somewhere there. Or go further afield.”
“OK, you tell me a place and time and I’ll be there,” he said.
‘God, he’s keen!’ She gave him a time and place and they said their goodbyes. She wasn’t sure if she would actually make it, though, but it wasn’t in her nature to be cruel enough to not turn up. She was happy with the thought that she could ring him the day before and cry off with some excuse.
She got back to her ironing and a whole hour went by when she just couldn’t concentrate on ironing. She turned it off and went to finish the shopping list. She went out then to get the shopping. She met Sheila on her lunch hour in town.
“Thank you for the postcard,” she said to Jan.
“Oh, it’s a pleasure, I’m glad you got it. The kids only got theirs the day before we got home!”
“Yes, I got mine last week. You got back on Friday didn’t you?’ Jan nodded. “Did you have a good time in the end? Your writing wasn’t easy to decipher, but reading between the lines it sounded as if Geoff was making things difficult somewhat!”
“You could say that, yes! Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”
“That sounds ominous!”
“No, nothing like that,” Jan was prevaricating, playing for time. ‘How am I going to put this? I’ll just have to go ahead and say it.’ “I think I’ve met someone!”
“What do you mean, someone? As in a man, do you mean? Where? When?”
“On holiday. In America! A nice man who was on the tour. He wants to meet me again! Next week!”
“Tell me more!” Sheila was becoming much more interested now.
“Well, there’s not really much more to tell. Mike and I found ourselves in the same places with our video cameras and we got talking. Quite a lot really. I know that he works for a large firm of insurance brokers. He’s about 47 and he’s married – to his second wife! He’s got two kids with his first wife and they divorced after about 11 years. And he also told me he wants to retire when he’s 55. I really don’t know why he told me that, but he did.”
“It sounds as if you’re quite taken with him.”
“Oh, nothing will come of it I know, but one can dream. Yes, I do like him but he lives so far away, in Surrey. Now he’s said he will come down and meet me – what d’you think I should do? Should I just let him come and see what happens, or should I cancel him? Tell me what you think I should do?”
“Why are you asking me? I don’t know how you feel, only you know that.”
“I don’t! I really don’t know what I should do. I’ll sleep on it tonight and then I’ll make a decision. I think! I’m a Libran you know! We can’t make decisions or make up our minds to save our lives!”
Jan carried on with the shopping and forgot about the conversation for the time being. She slept on her quandary, but by the next morning she still didn’t know what she should do. She waved off her children and husband to work and she sat down to think. Just then the phone rang, and she thought it might be Mike. ‘Shall I leave it to ring? I don’t think I want to talk to him again in case I say the wrong thing. He didn’t say he was going to ring
again. We’ve already made the arrangement of when and where. On Wednesday next week, that’s over a week away. Maybe he’s changed his mind and he doesn’t want to come after all. It would be rude not to answer.’ She jumped up to answer the phone when it stopped ringing. ‘Dammit! Now I shall never know.’
Later on that day the phone rang and she got to it on the second ring.
“Hello?” she said hesitantly.
“Hi Jan,” said a familiar voice. “It’s Marian, from Thailand!”
“Are you ringing me all the way from Thailand? Wow!”
“No! Silly! I just thought I’d better say who it is and where from in case you had forgotten me or had other friends called Marian. You might have thought it was another Marian! We’re over here on a flying visit for Kai’s work.”
“As if I would forget you! You didn’t say in your last letter that you were coming over here. What a lovely surprise!” Jan was delighted, and also a little relieved that it wasn’t Mike. “How long are you staying, and are we going to meet up?”
“Well, that’s why I’m ringing you. I was hoping we could meet up, but as we’re only here for a week or so and there are lots of things to do, people to see and places to go, I only have a very small window. The day before we go back home is all I have free. That’s Wednesday next week, is that OK with you? I thought I’d hire a car and come down for the day as Kai is still busy that day, but he doesn’t want me then so I’m free! Hurray!”
“Oh, that’s great,” said Jan, but thought, ‘Damn! It’s the very same day I was going to meet with Mike. Well, at least that’s probably solved the problem!’
“OK, that’s fine. I’ll see you then. I’ll take you out to lunch and we can be ‘ladies who lunch’! Do you need to book somewhere?”
“No, I shouldn’t think so, we’ll get in somewhere. Thanks, I look forward to seeing you then.”
‘Now what? I’ll have to ring him and cancel. Where did I put his business card? I know I put it away somewhere safe. But where?’
She knew she had hidden it away so that Geoff wouldn’t find it and give her the third degree as to why she had it.
But where was the safe hiding place?
Chapter 28
Mike returned to work after his holiday with thoughts of his own going around in his head.
“Did you have a good trip?” asked his secretary, Wendy.
“Oh, I think it’s going to turn out to be one of the best holidays I’ve ever had. I’m not sure if Rosemary is going to agree with that, but time will tell!” he replied.
“What DO you mean? You’re talking in riddles! That’s not like you.” Mike’s relationship with his secretary was so special that all his work colleagues were very envious. She was not only patient and good at her job, but she was a loyal confidante whom Mike knew he could always talk to, knowing that it would go no further. She was a lot older than him and, as she would say, a lot wiser too.
“I’m not sure if you really want to know!” he told her.
“Trust me, I do! I’m getting really worried about you. Just tell me what you mean in words of one syllable, or anyway in simple terms that I can understand,” she was getting exasperated with him.
“OK. It’s like this. I’ve met someone. She’s the most gorgeous person I’ve ever met and I’m absolutely smitten. I know I shouldn’t because I’m already married, but I’m actually prepared to throw all that away for this woman. Do I believe in ‘love at first sight?’ The answer to that is certainly and most definitely, ‘YES’ I do! So much so that I can’t concentrate on my work. You can pick the bones out of that and read between the lines, but I think I’ve actually fallen in love and maybe for the very first time, properly.”
“It sounds like you’ve got it bad!”
“You know me so well,” he had creases around his eyes, so she knew he had a genuine smile on his face.
“What’s she like?”
“Well, where do I start?” he asked himself the question. “She’s the most beautiful specimen I’ve ever come across. Not only that, of course, I’m not that shallow! She has the most amazing personality, funny and gorgeous all at the same time. And intelligent too, from the few conversations we had, I could tell.”
“So what are you going to do about it, if anything?” Wendy was curious.
“I’ve got to try and pursue it, otherwise I shall never know what might have been. The only trouble is she lives a long way away. In Devon.”
“That’s not such a long way away. I thought you meant America or somewhere like that! So, let me get this straight. She’s English – tick. You like her – tick. She likes you?”
“She didn’t say she didn’t.”
“Tick.”
“Yes, I actually think she likes me. We got on really well. We had lots of moments together where we found ourselves in the same spot taking pictures with our video cameras and we talked quite a lot about all sorts of things. It all felt so easy with her. Nothing happened of course, in case you were thinking of asking! Not that I didn’t want it to. I would have liked to have given her a kiss there and then. Of course, it was too risky with other people nearby and she might have made a fuss if she thought I was being too forward. Softly, softly, catchy monkey has always been my motto. Don’t jump in when you could be thwarted at the first hurdle. She seems very subdued when she’s with her husband, whereas I’ve seen a side of her that I think might be her normal persona. Whenever we were alone together, she really came alive with a fun, bubbly personality. I can’t think she’s very happy with her miserable husband. They’ve been married for years, nearly 25 years, I think.”
“Whereas you’ve only been married, what, five years?” Wendy pondered.
“Yes. Nearly six years. I should be able to say ‘happy years’ but actually not that happy. OK, but not really happy.” He looked sad then and Wendy went to give him a hug.
“I know you’ll do the right thing, you always do. But don’t let the distance make you keep your distance if you know what I mean.” Then she asked, “What do you mean ‘her miserable husband’? Was he really that bad? And does she have children?”
“Yes to both questions. Her kids are grown up, although they both still live at home. Haven’t flown the nest yet. I know she’s worried about when they do, what she will have in common with her husband after that. You’ve heard of empty-nest syndrome?”
“A lot of women get that. I know I had it when my son left home. It was awful but then after a time other things take their place.”
“What, like having a new husband?” he said with wry smile.
“Are you seriously thinking as far ahead as that?” she enquired.
“Why not! If I don’t try, I shall never know. Anyway enough of that. We’d better get back to work. Thank you for being a shoulder to cry on, or rather a good ear to listen and give me good vibes. That’s been really helpful. Just one thing – I’ve arranged to go and meet her next week on Wednesday, so could you cover for me? I’ll make up the time at the weekend. I know I have to write up these reports, but I can do that in my own time. It’ll take all day to get there, see her and then drive back.”
“Of course. I’ll tell whoever asks that you’re out seeing a client.”
“Thanks. Wish me luck.”
“I will,” she confirmed.
Jan hunted high and low for that elusive business card. She looked all over the house but to no avail. She knew it was somewhere safe but just didn’t know where. The weekend arrived and all thoughts of the card went by the board as she prepared food and entertainment for her family. She had hired a video which the children had asked for. That was the usual entertainment for the family on a Friday night, at the end of a hectic week, for the workers anyway. Jan felt guilty that she still hadn’t found herself a job. Friday was the one night of the week that they all got together as a family. It had been like this f
or the last ten years. She was well aware that eventually they wouldn’t want to keep this up as they got older. In fact, she was surprised they still looked forward to their evening together. The rest of the weekend was their own to do with as they wished.
“Mum? What video did you get for us for this evening?” Steven asked his mother.
“I managed to get Jurassic Park, the one you asked for. It’s in my bag if you want to fetch it out,” she replied. Steven went in search of her bag and came back into the kitchen.
“Mum?” he asked, puzzled. “What’s an insurance broker?”
“What?” She suddenly remembered where she had left the card. “Oh, it’s someone who deals with insurance,” she informed him, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. She had to think fast and preempt the next question.
“So why have you got a card from an insurance broker in London? Wouldn’t we use one from here?” Jan blushed but she didn’t know why.
“Oh, it’s just someone who gave us his card when we were on holiday. I don’t suppose we will be in contact with them again.” She hoped her explanation was enough and she took the card from him, relieved that no one else was in earshot. Louise would have given her the third degree, but Steven was more believing in her explanation. Geoff might also have been a little suspicious. ‘I can’t ring Mike this weekend to cancel, it’ll have to wait until Monday.’
The weekend went by in a blur. She couldn’t concentrate very well on anything. If she had been confronted with questions about how she was feeling, she would just say she was coming down with something. It was easy to do that, as she quite often had problems with her asthma and with chest infections.
Monday arrived and she waved them all off to work and then started to think of what she was going to say to Mike. Just as she was working it out, the phone rang and made her jump.
“Hello?” she said tentatively.
“Hi, Mike here. How are you? Did you have a good weekend?”
She thought, ‘He’s chatty. All these questions. Which do I answer first?’