Fireworks to Thailand

by J. R. Bonham

  “There are eight women members and one man and we’re all about the same standard,” Pauline eventually told Jan. “You are welcome to try us out. Come next week.”

  “Thank you, I will.”

  Jan became the newest member of the badminton club and she was delighted. They were such a friendly lot. They played once a week for years and became lifelong friends.

  It was the same at the tennis club. Apart from her and Mike playing early on weekends, Jan also played a couple of times in the week. The women with whom she played were exactly her type and who became firm friends very quickly. They were also much better players than Jan and this improved her playing ability. The social side of the tennis club was so much better than in Devon where Jan had mostly played on council-run courts. Mike and Jan enjoyed joining in the events which were put on and they soon made friends very quickly.

  Mike came home from work one day and told Jan someone wanted to meet her.

  “Who would want to meet li’l ol’ me?”

  “My secretary, Wendy, wants to meet you. She wanted to wait until you were settled in properly. Do you remember all those days off I had when we first got together in Devon? Well, she covered for me many times at work. And now she wants to meet the person who’s made me so happy.”

  “Oh, that’s nice. When will I meet her?”

  “I’ll bring her home after work one day. We could have a drink and then go out for a meal if you like.”

  “That’ll be nice.”

  Jan met Wendy the following week and they took her out to dinner.

  “What a great person. I like her. She’s got a lot of get-up-and-go,” Jan told Mike when Wendy went home after a good evening out with good food and great company.

  “And she told me she likes you too. Said I’m very lucky,” Mike added.

  “And you are!” Jan laughed.

  Chapter 45

  A year later Jan received her decree nisi in the post as part of her divorce from Geoff. And Mike received his, the very same week.

  “That seems very final and real,” said Jan breathing a sigh of relief. “Geoff’s done the right thing at last!”

  “Yes, and at least now we can get on with our lives. We could set a date for our wedding although we would have to wait for the decrees absolute. It could take a while.”

  “I don’t know how these things work. We will just have to wait for it to work itself through. When we get married, shall we do it abroad somewhere? Las Vegas? Be married in a little chapel by an Elvis lookalike?” Jan asked.

  “That’s a bit naff, isn’t it?”

  “I know! But fun. I’ve never been to Las Vegas.”

  “I have, and it’s very tacky. And hot. We could look at other places, though. What about Thailand?”

  “Hey, that’s a good idea. Get married on the beach. I wonder if Marian would do the honours and arrange it for us?” Jan wondered. “I’ll ask her.”

  Jan got a letter back from Marian almost straight away that she would love to, but there might be a problem. She told them that in Thailand the paperwork would have to be done in an office in Bangkok. After that, the couple could do what they wanted in the way of a beach ceremony, which would be something extra. There was no way the proper ceremony could be done on the beach.

  “I’m not that keen on having the official ceremony in a horrible sweaty office in Bangkok. That sounds dreadful,” Jan told Mike. “No, I’ll tell Marian to put it on hold. We can look elsewhere to see where we can go. If there’s nowhere else that we fancy then we’ll get back to her and do it there.”

  They sat down and looked at brochures to see where else they could go.

  “Sri Lanka!” Mike suddenly exclaimed. “How about that? Kuoni does a fabulous trip whereby you travel around first for a week and then you go to a place called Kosgoda for the wedding. It’s a beach resort with bungalows and duplex buildings in the grounds. It sounds ideal. They do all the arrangements and you get married on the beach. The whole kaboosh. You take all your clothes and things and they arrange everything down to the last crumb of wedding cake! They do the bouquet and cake, arrange for the celebrant to marry you and then give you a certificate in English. It sounds marvellous. What d’you think?”

  “Oh, yes. Let’s do it.”

  “I’ve got a surprise for you,” Mike told Jan one day.

  “You’re full of surprises! You always keep me on my toes!”

  “Well, you’ve done some corporate entertainment in the past but we have to do lots more. I’ve been told at work that I have to show many more clients a good time. It’s a way of getting more business, that’s how the business world works.”

  Jan had met some of Mike’s clients in the past. He had taken them to the opera and for occasional meals out. She liked that part of Mike’s job, even though it was all quite new to her. She had never done anything like that in Devon, and her father’s small family business in Bristol didn’t really work in the same way. ‘That was Bristol and this is London, the Mecca of business,’ she thought.

  “My company has a box at Lords and I must take some clients to watch a cricket match. You’re invited too, of course. We get there in time for coffee and then watch some cricket and then have lunch, all in the box. We have a waitress who serves us all day. It’s quite exclusive,” he explained. “And there’s someone who will be coming who wants to meet you. She had met my wife some time ago and when I spoke to her yesterday on the phone, she asked after her and I told her we weren’t together anymore. She was really interested so I told her all about you. Now she can’t wait to meet you.”

  “Oh!” said Jan. “Am I going to be put on display?”

  “No, of course not. Anne is a really nice lady and a true friend. You’ll like her I’m sure. She can’t quite believe we’ve done what we’ve done, but she’s really pleased for us. I didn’t tell her about you before now because you went back and I didn’t know if you were ever going to come back to me.”

  Jan learned over the years that Mike liked women and felt very easy in their company. Women liked him too. Jan wasn’t at all surprised that he had confided in, first of all, Wendy his secretary; now Jan discovered he had been talking to a friend called Anne. He may have mentioned her before but Jan couldn’t remember.

  “I can’t wait to meet her. If she’s a friend of yours, then that’s cool with me.”

  Mike was relieved to hear this. He had had some relationships in the past where the person he had been with was extremely jealous and possessive. Jan, of course, had first-hand knowledge of how destroying this was to a relationship and it just wasn’t in her nature to be jealous.

  Jan duly met Anne at Lords. She also met other clients of Mike’s and she was the perfect hostess.

  Next day Mike came home beaming. He had been speaking to Anne on the phone.

  “Anne thinks you’re lovely. A bit quiet perhaps. She thinks your past shows why your self-esteem might be a bit low. In time, she reckons you will come out of your shell.”

  “She must be a very astute woman to read all that in a person after just one meeting.”

  Anne met with Jan about a year later and noticed a difference in her.

  “Jan has truly come out of her shell and she has you to thank for that,” Anne told Mike.

  “Yes, I’ve noticed the difference in her too. Her confidence has rocketed. She’s almost not the same person I met not so long ago but I love her all the more for it. I took on a mouse and she’s changed into Frankenstein’s monster!” They both laughed. Anne knew exactly what he meant. Jan had been free to express herself and Mike loved to be able to let her. She was becoming a much more self-assured, confident woman in her own right.

  Jan’s sister, Clare, rang Jan with news from Devon and Bristol.

  “I know John told you that Geoff met a new woman, just a few months after you left. Well, according to
John, they’re going to get married,” Clare announced. “When the divorce goes through of course. It’s taking its time isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. Mike and I are waiting to get married too! Anyway, I hope Geoff will be much happier than he was with me. Will you go?” Jan smiled to herself, thinking that he definitely wasn’t her problem anymore.

  “I’m not sure if I’ll be invited. But John and Vera are sure to go. I’ve met her once. John keeps more in contact with Geoff than me and they’re really quite friendly. I think Geoff thinks I’m more on your side. But that’s OK, I think I probably am. On your side, I mean. Us girls have to stick together.”

  “Quite. What’s she like?” Jan asked, curious.

  “Well, actually she’s not dissimilar to you in looks! Jamie thought it was very funny when we met her. He called her Jan Two, but not to her face, of course!”

  “Of course.” So, Jan had been replaced already by someone just like herself. Both moved on. She wondered how her children would take to this new woman in Geoff’s life.

  “And there’s more. Did you know that Steven and Sheryl are going to get married too? Sheryl’s a lovely girl, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, she is. I thought they probably would, Steven was very smitten with her. But you know there’s no contact with them?” Jan asked rather scathingly. “I never hear from them. I’ve written so many letters to them, but they never respond. They have completely shut me out of their lives. The only way I’m going to find out things is through my own family, i.e. you and John or maybe Mum and Dad.”

  “OK, point taken. I only heard in passing from something John said. Geoff must have told him. The wedding will be next year I think, Steven’s that is, not Geoff’s! I’ll let you know when I hear.”

  “I shan’t get an invitation anyway, I know that for a fact. He’ll be influenced by his sister and grandmother so I know the outcome already. “I do love to have news of them, so please don’t stop. Do you see them very often?”

  “Only sometimes when we go to the cottage with Mum and Dad. Anyway, if I get an invite to go and you don’t, at least I can take some photos for you. I took photos at Louise’s wedding. It was really very good but such a pity you weren’t invited.”

  “Yes, I know. Don’t rub it in!”

  “Sorry. Mum’s not well, by the way. And the house is a tip. Dad’s been doing his best, but you know what men are like! He got a cleaner in but Mum didn’t like her in her house so she got rid of her, by fair means or foul! Her manic depression is quite bad now. She’s not really looking after herself and Dad can’t cope with her. He’s talking about putting her into a care home.”

  “Well, he mentioned that a couple of years ago. I guess that’s probably the best place for her if he can’t cope. But she’s not that old is she?”

  “She’s 73 now. Dad’s over 80, so they’re not getting any younger. At least he can cook and look after himself if they can only keep hold of a cleaner. Mum’s upset so many of them they just up and leave. Then Dad has to go and get another one. They’ve gone through about five to date!”

  “Oh, dear. You’re having to cope with all that while I’m over here in Surrey, but if you need me to do anything you must let me know.”

  “I will don’t worry!” Clare replied.

  “Dad still says he won’t meet Mike. Mum says she wants to meet him but we can’t visit together. I just have to go and see them on my own. Probably not often enough, because we seem to be so busy here with work and everything else. My life has changed beyond even my wildest dreams.”

  “It sounds as if your life is better than it was when you were with Geoff,” Clare said.

  “You can say that again! I have to say I couldn’t be happier,” Jan agreed.

  “I’m so pleased for you.”

  “Thanks. I really am so lucky,” Jan reiterated.

  Chapter 46

  Audrey was put into a care home the following year. She was just 74. Ken had kept her at home as long as he could. He had tried very hard to cope with her at home but the doctor told him that his own health was suffering. They missed each other, but he visited her every day and he was happier because she was getting better care. Her mental health, as well as her physical well-being, improved. She was the youngest resident there and was in better physical shape than most others. She became quite a ‘character’ and developed a couple of friendships.

  Jan did the journey to Bristol as often as she could to visit her father at home, and then to see her mother in the care home. The rest of the day she went to see Clare and had a good catch-up with her and her family. Then she would go over to see her friend, Paula, and if there was time after John came back from work, she would see him and Vera. Both of their children had left home and were living and working in London.

  Jan would get home to Mike utterly exhausted after all the visiting and the journey. They would have supper and then curl up on the sofa together for the rest of the evening. Happy to just be in each other’s company. Happy with life in general.

  “I’ve just heard from Louise,” Clare said to Jan on the phone one day. “She’s so excited. She’s pregnant. That means you’re going to be a granny!”

  “That’s nice, I’m really pleased for her,” Jan began. “But I’m afraid I won’t be a hands-on grandmother. They’ve already told me in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t ever meet my grandchildren if ever there were to be any. They told me that years ago.”

  “What? I don’t believe it!” Clare exclaimed. “Are they really going to stick by what they said such a long time ago? When you first left?”

  “It looks like it, yes. They never reply to any of my letters. Of course, I know it would be difficult for me to see them very often even if there was no rift. It’s such a long way away. But I would obviously make the effort if I thought they would respond.”

  “You’re not regretting leaving now are you?”

  “Heavens no! I’m so happy. I wake up with a smile on my face every single day. The flat is a bit small but there’s only the two of us, so it’s fine. I’m fine, honestly.”

  “I can hear it in your voice that you’re happy but what do you feel about, well, being a granny, even if you won’t be able to meet him or her?”

  “Happy of course, but also very sad about the situation, naturally. But what can I do? I can’t just force myself upon them. Turn up at their door. I think they’d slam it in my face. I couldn’t hack the rejection.”

  “You could write to Louise and say I told you about the baby news. Try again for a reconciliation. She might be feeling more vulnerable and need her mother.”

  “You don’t know how hard she can be. I always noticed when she was younger how intolerant she could be. And stubborn! Stubborn as a mule. I guess I can be pretty stubborn too as I won’t give up on trying to get a reconciliation with them. But I reckon she’s definitely more stubborn than me!”

  “Well, well. I never knew that. I thought she was such a lovely girl.”

  “She was! But I reckon she’s being influenced by you-know-who!”

  “Betty?”

  “Got it in one. She’s a right Jekyll and Hyde character. Nice to your face, but behind your back, she’s the nastiest person I know. Two-faced isn’t the word for it! It’s worse than that. I’ve had first-hand experience, you know. She becomes friendly with someone, but then when they’ve gone home she will tittle-tattle about them. It’s really horrible.”

  “Oh dear. Well, she’s getting on a bit. Maybe when she’s gone then you might have more chance.”

  “Her poison will start emanating from Louise, I’m sure. By then, she will be indoctrinated. Sorry to sound so negative, but I’ve seen it all before.”

  “Well, anyway, I’ve given you the news. Baby is due in the new year. But there’s more!”

  “I can’t take any more! What?” asked Jan, curious.

&n
bsp; “Steven and Sheryl are definitely getting married, next year. They’ve actually set a date now. In May, the start of the summer. She said she always wanted a summer wedding.”

  “That’s nice for them and I hope they’ll be very happy. Sheryl’s a lovely girl, Steven is a lucky chap. I wish them well.”

  “You still don’t you think you’ll be invited then?”

  “Of course not. I’m not expecting anything.”

  “How sad,” Clare said.

  Jan replaced the telephone receiver and sat back in the chair. ‘Granny! Me! But I’m too young to be a grandmother. Not really. Louise is 28 now. If she had fallen pregnant like I did, at 19, I could have been a granny eight years ago. I could still be there too, in Devon, with Geoff, if I hadn’t met Mike. Imagine that. Still there, just Geoff and me, biding our time, waiting to be grandparents. Being bored out of my tree, with Geoff still treating me like dirt! I’ve got so much more going on in my life now. I’ve a job I love, playing tennis and badminton with some great people who are becoming good friends. And a man who loves me and I love him. Everything in the world is rosy as far as I’m concerned. Yes, I’m going to miss out on a lot of things, but as Steven once told me, “You can have most things in life, but you can’t have everything”! When did he become so wise? And now him to be a married man! My little boy, all grown up.’

  “We ought to start planning our own wedding,” Mike suggested when Jan told him about the phone call from her sister. “Our decrees absolute should come through any day now. They seem to have taken ages.”

  “Shall we go for that Kuoni one to Sri Lanka? That means we can have the honeymoon first and then get married! We might as well do something completely different. Marian is still saying if we did it there then we would have to do the paperwork first in an office in Bangkok. I don’t fancy that at all.”

  “Neither do I,” Mike agreed. “What date shall we go for? We met on June 14th so shall we go for that date next year? We’ve plenty of time to arrange it.”