Foreign Affairs

by Patricia Scanlan

  Brenda was white in the face. ‘You fuck off, Jennifer. Don’t take it out on me because you lost your baby. I’m sick of you.’ She stood up and turned on her heel and almost bumped into Paula, who had come to see what the fuss was about.

  ‘And I’m sick of you too,’ she snarled at the astonished Paula.

  ‘Ditto,’ drawled Paula.

  ‘Smart ass,’ Brenda ranted. ‘I’ll never go on holiday with you pair again.’

  ‘Well you invited yourself or you wouldn’t have been on this one either,’ Paula retorted. ‘You’ve done nothing but sulk and act like a child since you came. You should be ashamed of yourself.’

  ‘Don’t you dare talk to me like that, you jumped-up little scrubber. Just who do you think you are? Miss-High-and-Mighty-Company-Director-Matthews. You’ve always been a thorn in my side. I can’t stand your guts. You just think you’re IT. Everybody falls all over you, including Jenny. You say jump, and she says, “How high?” It’s sickening. Well some of us aren’t taken in by your airs and graces. You’d drop Jenny like a hot brick if you had to. All you care about is yourself and your career. It’s no wonder you’re not married. Who’d have a ball-breaker like you?’ She was nearly crying with rage.

  ‘You are the most pathetic, immature, jealous, selfish creature I’ve ever come across in my entire life. I feel sorry for you,’ Paula said coldly. ‘Jennifer, I’ll wait in the car for you.’

  ‘Fucking bitch,’ Brenda yelled after her. Paula ignored her. That made Brenda even more angry. She had a good mind to run after her and shove her in the pool.

  ‘Go on.’ She turned to Jennifer. ‘Run after your friend. You always take her side anyway. She might as well be your sister, because you don’t treat me like one. I’ll never speak to you again after those things you said to me.’

  ‘That suits me fine,’ Jennifer snapped. She picked up her bag and followed Paula to the car, leaving Brenda staring after them in fury.

  Chapter Ninety-Three

  The cheek of them! Brenda glowered as she saw the car speed out of the driveway. The unmitigated cheek!

  How dare that Paula Matthews call her pathetic and jealous and selfish? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! And how low of her to rub it in that she’d invited herself. The nerve of Jenny going on about the way she looked after her children. Her children were perfectly well looked after.

  She carried her dishes to the kitchen. Paula had told the housekeeper only to come in every second day. If Brenda had been in charge she’d have had her in every day. What was the point in staying in a luxury villa if you had to put your own dishes in the dishwasher? Obviously Paula Matthews didn’t have to do too much housework, if having a housekeeper was no big deal for her.

  Brenda felt very sorry for herself. Here she was, stuck in the villa all day with no-one to talk to. She couldn’t even lie out in the sun. She decided to go and sit in the Jacuzzi. She switched on the sauna so that it would be nicely heated up for her, and stripped off her clothes and sat luxuriating in the bubbling waters of the Jacuzzi. It took a long time for her to relax. She replayed the row over and over in her mind and the more she thought about it, the more indignant she got.

  After a while she rubbed conditioner in her hair and went and sat in the sauna. The oven blast of heat was bearable for about ten minutes before she had to retire to the cold shower. She showered and sauna’d several times and then went up to her bedroom and smoothed moisturizer all over her body. At least her sunburn had subsided. Tomorrow she’d buy a higher factor protection cream. She’d die rather than ask Jenny and Paula for any of theirs. If she was very careful in the next few days, she should get a bit of a colour. That was if the sun ever reappeared.

  Brenda walked out to her balcony. At least it had stopped raining, although the sky was still leaden. She could see several people sitting at tables at Yiannis’s taverna across the beach. Brenda glanced at her watch. It was twelve-thirty, lunch-time. Maybe she’d stroll across the beach and have a moussaka for lunch with a glass of red wine. To hell with the others. She didn’t need them.

  ‘I should have said no at the beginning. I should have put my foot down and told her she couldn’t come,’ Jennifer fretted.

  ‘There’s no point crying over spilt milk now,’ Paula said glumly. ‘She’s here and we’ve got to put up with her. The ordeal will be over in four days’ time.’

  ‘Well it shouldn’t be a bloody ordeal,’ Jennifer said indignantly. ‘We’re on our damn holidays. We should be enjoying ourselves.’

  Paula gave a wry smile. ‘It was hardly your average holiday to begin with. You came to get over the accident and losing the baby. I came to try and decide how to sort out the shambles that’s my life. At least Rachel’s having fun.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ Jennifer agreed. ‘I’m glad she missed this morning’s episode. Brenda was like an Antichrist. What is wrong with that girl?’

  ‘She’s always been jealous of you and me, Jenny. And she’s never liked me. Today she got it off her chest . . . and how . . .’ Paula flashed a grin at Jennifer. ‘What did she call me . . . ? “Miss-High-and-Mighty-Company-Director-Matthews.” And I’m a jumped-up little scrubber. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.’

  ‘Oh stop it.’ Jennifer gave a little giggle. ‘You were very restrained in your retaliation, I must say.’

  ‘There’s no point in losing your cool in a situation like that. It only makes things worse,’ Paula said.

  ‘True. It’s a pity I didn’t keep my mouth shut. I suppose I did overdo it, saying it would match her better if she fed her kids properly and stopped offloading them on anyone and everyone.’ Jennifer sighed.

  ‘The truth always hurts,’ Paula retorted drily.

  ‘It’s a holiday we’ll never forget,’ Jennifer said wryly.

  ‘We’ll need a holiday to get over it.’ Paula grinned.

  ‘Have you decided what you’re going to do?’ Jennifer changed the subject.

  ‘I don’t know, Jenny. I keep putting off thinking about it. When I’m driving past all these lovely villas, I keep thinking we should expand Holiday Villa. I love my job. It’s a pity Kieran’s gone and complicated things.’

  ‘He’s a lovely bloke,’ Jennifer said gently. ‘Couldn’t you ever see yourself caring for him?’

  ‘I do care for him,’ Paula said. ‘I worry about him when he’s under pressure with the business. He works too hard. I love going out on the bike with him. I love arguing the toss with him. I just don’t feel for him what I feel for Nick.’

  ‘Can I say something to you, Paula? And will you remember that I’m saying it as your best friend?’ Jennifer glanced over at her.

  ‘Oh dear. It sounds ominous.’ Paula made a face.

  ‘I won’t say it if you don’t want me to.’

  Paula took a deep breath. She knew from Jennifer’s tone that she wasn’t going to like what was about to be said.

  ‘Shoot,’ she said crisply.

  Jennifer hesitated. ‘Let me see, how will I put it . . . ? When you found out Nick was in love with Helen, you were devastated. Up until then, any man you clicked your fingers at fell on his knees in front of you. If Helen hadn’t been involved with Nick you would have had an affair with him. You would have been very happy . . . until the next challenge came along.’

  ‘I love Nick,’ Paula said quietly.

  ‘I know you do, Paula,’ Jennifer said sympathetically. ‘I don’t dispute that. But your love for him has lasted this long because it’s denied to you. You’re one of the most competitive people I know, and I’m saying that to you as a compliment. I just think, if Nick had fallen at your feet like all the others, it would have run its course and you would have moved on.’

  ‘Are you saying I’m not capable of falling in love with someone for ever? I’ve been in love with Nick since my teens,’ Paula protested.

  ‘I’m just saying it’s because you can’t have Nick that you love him so deeply. That’s his attraction for you. But having is not
always the same as wanting. If you’d had an affair with him at the start I don’t think you’d be with Nick now. There are lots of ways of loving someone. The way you spoke about Kieran is the way many partners feel about each other. It doesn’t always have to be as intense as the way you feel for Nick. I just think you should stop focusing all your emotions on Nick. I know you. You’re very one-track-minded.’

  ‘Do you think I haven’t tried not to think about him?’ Paula asked bitterly. ‘Do you think I want to be in love with him?’

  ‘Yes, Paula, I do. Otherwise I can’t see why you’ve wasted all those years loving him, when men like Kieran were ready to sweep you off your feet,’ Jennifer said quietly.

  ‘I had an affair with Pierre,’ Paula retorted.

  ‘I’m not talking about sex, Paula, I’m talking about love. Sometimes I think, because you’re so physically attracted to Nick, you confuse desire with love.’

  ‘That’s not fair, Jenny.’ Paula was hurt.

  ‘Maybe, maybe not, Nick’s a very attractive man. If he wasn’t, you wouldn’t have fallen for him. Just think about what I’ve said. Because if you take off to London or New York, you’ll have to give up your job, your friends, Helen and Nicola, your gorgeous apartment, and all because you can’t get your emotional act together. It sounds like quitting to me, and I’ve never thought of you as a quitter.’

  ‘Oh, let’s talk about something else,’ Paula said wearily.

  ‘Sure,’ Jennifer said brightly. ‘Have you any idea what I could bring Brenda home as a peace-offering?’

  ‘How about a garrotte?’ Paula suggested with a wry grin. ‘You’re as soft as anything, Jenny. It’s her that should be giving you a peace-offering.’

  ‘I hate the idea of her feeling left out and being jealous of us, but let’s face it, Paula, I could never talk to Brenda the way I talk to you.’

  ‘Maybe it’s just as well after the lecture I’ve just endured,’ Paula said affectionately. ‘Come on, here’s a little restaurant, let’s pull in and I’ll treat you to morning coffee.’

  ‘Isn’t that beautiful?’ Rachel pointed out a beautifully carved wooden horse. They’d stopped to explore a small craft shop on the side of the road just outside Messonghi. It had stopped raining and the air was fresher and less humid. She was enjoying her day out immensely. They stopped for breakfast at the taverna Ken told her about and he was right about the coffee. It was the best she’d ever tasted. Gradually, as they explored the island, they relaxed in each other’s company. Ken told her that he was single and unattached. He had three brothers and one sister and he lived in his own house in Glasgow. He was thirty-five.

  Rachel told him about her father and how they were not on good terms, and about how she was going to have to move out of the house she was living in and get a place of her own.

  ‘Why don’t you move to Dublin, and get a job there and live near your friends? They’re very nice. Last night was great fun. If you lived in Dublin you’d be able to socialize a lot more with them.’ He made it sound so easy. Come to think of it, she mused, it was that easy. She didn’t have to stay in St Catherine’s for the rest of her days. She didn’t want to stay in St Catherine’s for the rest of her days. She had a lot of catching up to do. These past few days she’d had a taste of living it up. She’d never had such fun in her life. She loved being with Jenny and Paula. And poor old Brenda wasn’t too bad when she wasn’t in one of her humours. They’d enjoyed themselves shopping that afternoon in Corfu.

  Why was she so reluctant to leave Bray? She didn’t want to be smothered by that boring predictable life any more. After this, she wanted to have adventures and face challenges. It would be lovely to buy a place of her own and decorate it. She’d got some great ideas from the villa. It was uncluttered and so elegantly simple.

  She was going to look for a job in Dublin and then she was going to buy her own place. That was all she’d ever wanted. Getting married was not on her list of priorities. She wouldn’t deem it a tragedy if she remained single for the rest of her life. She was quite happy with her own company. But she would be miserable if she carried on living as she had until now. There were lots of things to do, a lot of countries to visit, a lot of fun to be had. A home to buy and decorate. She’d bought a platter for her dresser already. She would definitely buy a few more bits and pieces here in Corfu, just to spur her on.

  ‘If I do move to Dublin and get a house there you could come and visit,’ she said impulsively.

  ‘I’d like that,’ Ken smiled. ‘And you could come to Glasgow.’

  It was that simple, Rachel thought happily. No big deal at all. ‘I’d love to visit Glasgow,’ she agreed.

  ‘And they left you all by yourself. Poor, poor Brenda.’ Yiannis’s soulful eyes shone with sympathy. ‘Here, have another glass of red wine.’

  Brenda’s lip began to quiver at the sympathy and understanding in his voice. She had told Yiannis about the row. Doctoring it, of course, so that she came out in the best light.

  ‘Don’t cry,’ he said, as he put his arm around her. They were in the villa. Yiannis had walked her home after he’d shut the taverna for siesta. They’d drunk nearly two bottles of wine between them. Brenda rested her head against his shoulder. Yiannis was a big man, six foot two. A much bigger man than Shay. He had melting brown eyes and a gorgeous broad hairy chest. She liked the way he wore his shirt open to display the gold medallions he wore. It was sexy, Brenda decided. He was sexy. Much sexier than even Raul had been. Brenda sighed as she remembered her first holiday romance. Raul had been suave. Yiannis was rugged. She’d stopped short of an affair then, and she’d always regretted it. How ironic that she was the married one now. Yiannis swore that he was single although she wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. Anyway she didn’t care. All she knew was that she felt protected and cherished with this big man’s arms around her. Brenda felt very fragile and unloved after the wounding words that had been flung at her that morning. Jennifer would never have the problems she had, she thought self-pityingly as she allowed her tears to flow.

  ‘Don’t.’ Yiannis kissed her tears away. His lips moved across her wet cheeks and down to her mouth. His arms tightened around her. Brenda felt the pressure of his mouth on hers, the roughness of his skin as his fingers gently caressed the softness of her breasts beneath the flimsy material of her top.

  ‘Let’s go to my room, there’s a nice big double bed there,’ Brenda murmured.

  ‘Yes, yes,’ Yiannis said huskily. ‘And I will kiss away your tears and bring a smile to your beautiful lips.’

  The rain battered against the windows and lightning flashed across the sky. Brenda didn’t care. Maybe it was fate that she was here in the villa on her own with Yiannis. She could have had a foreign affair once before but she’d said no. She knew if she didn’t have one with Yiannis she’d always regret it. She loved Shay in her own way. But the thought of years of mediocre marital sex did not send shivers of excitement down her spine. The thought of a few hot wild sexy lusty hours with Yiannis did.

  Chapter Ninety-Four

  ‘We shouldn’t have stayed out so late. It’s after six. It’s a long time for Brenda to be on her own,’ Jennifer said contritely as they drove back to the villa.

  ‘She’ll have had plenty of time to cool off. I bet she’s standing there waiting patiently to apologize to the pair of us,’ Paula said as she swung the car into the drive.

  There was no sign of life, even though the sun had started to shine again. Paula and Jennifer intended going for a swim and a sauna after their long day shopping and sightseeing.

  ‘We’ll unpack later. Let’s get into the pool while there’s still a bit of heat left in the sun,’ Paula suggested.

  ‘Fine by me,’ Jennifer agreed. They hurried upstairs to change. Brenda was nowhere to be seen. Paula turned left at the top of the stairs to collect her bikini from the Jacuzzi room, Jennifer walked quickly down the landing. As she passed Brenda’s room, she heard a giggle and the sound
of a man’s voice. Jennifer stood rooted to the spot. Brenda had a man in her room. She couldn’t believe it. Maybe there was some totally innocent explanation. Should she knock and see if everything was all right? There was another laugh and then silence and a little moan. Jennifer was deeply shocked. She walked to her room and sat on the bed. She couldn’t believe that Brenda was having sex with someone. She felt terribly sorry for Shay. He deserved better. He was a good husband and father. He’d always done his best for his wife and family. Why was Brenda so dissatisfied and unhappy? But when, thought Jennifer crossly, had she ever been any other way?

  Slowly she undressed and changed into her bikini. It wasn’t any of her business, she supposed. Nevertheless, it was distasteful.

  ‘Jenny, have you any plasters? I thought I had some . . . hey . . . what’s wrong? You look upset.’ Paula stood in the doorway.

  Jennifer motioned her to come inside. ‘Brenda’s got some man in her room. I heard him talking.’

  ‘You’re not serious?’ Paula looked at her to see if she was joking.

  ‘I’m not walking down that corridor again in case he comes out of the room,’ Jennifer whispered.

  ‘Well I’m going for a swim,’ Paula whispered back. ‘Come on, we can go down the steps of the upstairs balcony.’ They had just stepped out onto the wide tiled balcony when a man walked through Brenda’s french doors and ran lightly down the steps. He smiled when he saw them and waved a hand in greeting.

  ‘Kalisperá,’ he said cheerfully and they recognized Yiannis. ‘Yássoo, Brenda,’ he called. Brenda waved. She had a sheet wrapped around her. She looked Jennifer straight in the eye.