After a few more moments of silence, Simone was the first to speak.
“You know about Teale and me, don’t you, Megan?”
“Yes,” Megan replied.
“Did he tell you?”
“He didn’t have to. When you’ve been in love with a man, as I have with him, you just know these things. I saw how you two interacted at the Braithwaites’ party, and how Teale looked completely lost and forlorn when you left.”
“Why did you want to talk to me?” asked Simone, after a short, pregnant pause.
“Well, when I saw Teale at my apartment a few days ago, he was a mess. He got quite drunk, which is not like him, and it was clear he had just been dropped by you. Then, when I spoke to him by phone on Monday, he told me he was going to your place for dinner! Since then he has dropped out of sight, and has begun returning briefs to his instructing solicitors, saying he is unable to do the work. I’m worried about him. What have you done to him? Are you playing some kind of game with him?”
“I didn’t invite him to dinner, my daughter Sasha did.”
“Ha, I beg your pardon! What kind of a sick person are you? To let your daughter invite your ex-lover to dinner at your place?”
“That was not something I had any control over, and I was mortified by it. My daughter knows nothing about Teale and me. I hoped he would have enough sense to cancel, but he didn’t.”
“Well, what happened at this dinner party?”
“Between Teale and me, nothing. But, it turned out to be a disaster - for other reasons.”
Simone then proceeded to tell Megan, briefly, about Anita’s suicide, and its impact on Delia, and on the whole family, that night.
“So,” she continued, “Teale found himself in the middle of a family crisis, and sensibly decided to leave. That’s the last I’ve seen or heard of him. I thought the whole drama might have brought home to him the magnitude of the baggage that I’d bring with me into any relationship, and help him to realize we can never really be together.”
“How do you feel about him, though?” asked Megan.
“I can’t deny there’s a very powerful, almost irresistible sexual attraction between us, but that’s all, from my point of view.”
“You have a husband, don’t you? Where does he fit into your scheme of things?”
“We’ve been leading almost separate lives for years,” replied Simone. “I suppose, in a way, it has suited us.”
“What about him? Has he got a lover, too?”
“I wouldn’t know,” said Simone, with a rueful shrug. “But he has given some indications, lately, that he might be amenable to a re-building of our relationship. Anyway,” she added, after a pause, “I think I’ve answered quite enough of your questions. What is it you really want from me?”
“I’d like you to let me know if he contacts you, and tell me how he seems, if he does.”
“Do you want me to go over to his uncle’s place, and see if he’s alright?”
“No!” replied Megan, quickly. “I’d prefer you to stay right away from him, and give him time to get over you, so he can get back to the man he was before you came into his life.”
“Well, I have to go now,” said Simone, placing some money on the table for her coffee. “I will ring you if he contacts me. What’s your phone number?”
Megan silently handed Simone her business card, before saying, “I am sorry to hear about your younger daughter. I hope she comes through it OK.”
“Thank you,” replied Simone, before rising to leave the coffee shop. As Megan watched her go, she had to admit, to herself, that, although clearly older and less attractive than she, Simone had a very charismatic aura about her.
“How was the session?” Simone asked, after she had picked up Delia from the counsellor’s rooms.
“It was OK, Mum. Barbara’s cool,” replied Delia. That response surprised Simone a little, given Delia’s initial scepticism about the whole idea. However, Simone had also noticed that Delia offered no resistance to the making of a second appointment, before they left Barbara’s rooms. She felt quite relieved that her daughter appeared to be having a positive reaction to the process, and began to harbour some hope that it would really be beneficial to her.
Next morning, after an early breakfast, and just before leaving for work, Lee suggested to Simone that it might be good for Delia if the whole family could go for an outing together on his boat, on the following Sunday. Simone agreed, and undertook to raise the topic with their daughters, neither of whom had yet come down for breakfast.
Simone was lingering over another cup of coffee, when Sasha and Delia came down together, and joined her in the kitchen. It was immediately obvious to Simone that Delia had been crying again, but she was gratified to see that her two daughters came into the room arm in arm, and that Sasha appeared to be acting like a protective big sister towards Delia.
While the two younger women were making their breakfast, Simone mentioned Lee’s proposal for a family boating excursion on the coming Sunday.
“Oh, no, Mum, we can’t,” said Sasha. “Brodie and I have arranged to take Delia to The Shady Pines farm-stay and animal refuge out on the highway for the weekend. Brodie knows the manager there, and has been able to arrange some special hands-on involvement with the animals for Delia, She’s looking forward to it.”
“OK,” replied Simone, “if you’re really sure that’s what you want to do, Delia?”
“Yes, Mum, I am,” said Delia.
“Why don’t you and Dad go out on the boat on your own?” asked Sasha. “You never seem to go anywhere together.”
Then, without waiting for any reply from her mother, she glanced at the kitchen clock, and continued, “Hell! Is that the time? I have to get going. I’ll see you both later.”
Grabbing up a piece of buttered toast, she gave Delia a warm hug, and her mother a quick peck on the cheek, before dashing off.
Simone spent some quiet time with Delia that morning and, after lunch, Delia took a pill and lay down for a rest. When Simone was sure that she was sleeping, she decided to make a quick visit to the Braithwaite residence to see if Teale was still there, and to check on his state. Before leaving, she called out to Hannah, who was pottering around in the kitchen, “I won’t be long, Hannah. I’m just going across the street to check on something. If Delia wakes up, tell her I’ll be home soon.”
When she rang the doorbell at the Braithwaite home, at first there was no answer, and she thought that Teale may have left. However, on her third ring she heard movement from within the house and, eventually the door was opened by Teale. He was unshaven, appeared drawn, and was a little unkempt. Despite his appearance, Simone felt the strong surge of sexual desire that always came upon her at the sight of him.
“Hello, Teale,” she said, her voice thick with repressed emotion. “I was worried about you. You said you’d ring me, but you haven’t.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He replied. “I wanted to ring you - more than you know! But thought I should give you some breathing space for time with your daughter. How is she? How are you both?” he asked with genuine concern, his eyes never leaving hers.
“We’re getting through it, I think, but it’ll be a slow process for her. She was really fond of Anita.”
He reached out to her, then, took her by the hand, and drew her quickly into the house, closing the door behind her. Although she wanted to resist, she could not. Instead, she yielded to his fierce embrace, and responded passionately to his frantic kiss, her pliant lips pressing responsively into his, and her probing tongue entwining urgently with his in their hungry, open mouths.
Before either of them had given conscious thought to what they were doing, they began to strip the clothes from each other, as they moved away from the door, and into a nearby, sumptuously carpeted sitting room. In no time at all, they were both completely naked, and entirely ready for coition.
Using some soft cushions from the sofa, they took to the floor where their fr
antic coupling quickly brought them both to an explosive climax, Simone experiencing a series of quivering orgasms.
As they lay together enjoying the afterglow, Teale was the first to speak.
“How can we even consider permanently denying ourselves of that?” he asked, rhetorically.
“I know,” she replied, after a thoughtful pause. “But I have my family’s needs to consider, and I simply won’t let our relationship threaten them, particularly Delia’s recovery. If we are going to continue, it has to be on a strictly limited basis, and we’ve got to be much more careful than we have been about being discovered.”
“I can accept that, as long as I know it’s not the end for us,” said Teale.
They continued to lie together in silence, for a few minutes, before Simone started gathering her clothes to re-dress.
“I have to go now,” she said. “Delia is at home.”
“OK – I understand,” replied Teale, as he too began to dress.
As he prepared to open the front door for her, Simone turned and gave him a lingering, tender kiss. That was something she had never done before after one of their wildly passionate encounters. Then, having closed the door behind her, Teale found himself whistling as he re-arranged the cushions, and tidied up the sitting room.
CHAPTER 18
On the following Saturday morning, Simone kissed Sasha and Delia goodbye as they prepared to leave with Brodie for their weekend at The Shady Pines. She felt pleased that Delia was going to spend some time at the animal refuge, as it might give some fresh impetus to her veterinary studies, which, naturally enough, had been somewhat neglected since Anita’s tragic death.
Lee had gone off early to join some of his colleagues for a day of golf, which was a regular feature of his life. Simone knew from experience that he would not be home until late, as the socializing with his mates in the clubhouse after the game was a significant feature of the outing for Lee. She wondered whether he would be too tired or hung-over next morning to go on their planned outing, together, on his boat, something which, following Sasha’s suggestion, they had both agreed to.
As she settled down with a cup of coffee to read the morning newspaper, following the departure of Sasha and Delia, she was suddenly struck by the silence of the house, the ticking of the clock and the hum of the refrigerator being the only sounds reaching her ears. She had difficulty absorbing the content of the news article she was trying to read, as she found herself reading the same passage over and over, without real comprehension. In frustration, she put the paper aside, realizing that what she was feeling was intense loneliness. She had missed her occasional interaction with her work colleagues and clients this week, and felt some resentment that it was always she who had to put her personal life aside to deal with family matters. And she wondered, too, what the future would hold for her, once her two daughters had become fully independent and were off leading their own lives.
She felt a strong temptation to ring Teale, but, with difficulty, resisted that impulse. She knew her feelings towards him had deepened, and that, if she were not careful, she could easily reach the point of no return with him. She was sure, however, that at this point in her life that would be both unwise and very selfish. She also felt a slight twinge of guilt that, after her last contact with him, she had not rung Megan to let her know that he was OK, as she had promised to do. But, she could not face another interrogation by her about what had happened at that meeting, and she assuaged her guilt by telling herself that, following their tryst, Teale would have become less reclusive and would surely have returned Megan’s calls, or at least answered if she rang again.
At that point, she decided that, in order to temporarily escape her mental turmoil and her loneliness, she would visit a local market to obtain some fresh produce for the home. Donning an old pair of faded jeans, a T shirt and a pair of battered sneakers, off she set.
Later, laden with bags of fresh fruit and vegetables, Simone decided to pause for a break, and a refreshing cup of herbal tea at an open-air tea and coffee bazaar. As she was searching for a vacant table, she noticed Nadine, and another woman, sitting at a table drinking tea, and it was clear that Nadine had also seen her.
“Hello, Nadine,” she said, briefly interrupting her search for a table. “It’s good to see you out and about. How’s the ankle?”
“It’s getting better, slowly, thanks,” she replied. “My friend here talked me into hobbling out with her for a much needed outing,” she added, hastily, with a slightly embarrassed look. “I rang the surgery on Friday to report my progress, and hope to be back at work fairly soon. Oh, and Janet told me the sad news about Delia’s best friend. I was sorry to hear that. Please convey my sympathy to Delia.”
“Thank you, Nadine. I will,” responded Simone.
“Oh, I beg your pardon. This is my friend, Pat. And Pat, this is my boss’s wife, Simone.”
Simone and Pat acknowledged each other, before Simone excused herself to continue her quest for a table.
“Bitch!” whispered Nadine to Pat as soon as Simone was out of earshot.
“She seemed nice enough,” responded her companion.
“Ahh – that’s just a front. It was all she could do to even acknowledge me, and she couldn’t get away quickly enough.” Then, after a pause, she continued, “Do you want to hear some goss about them?”
“I’m all ears,” replied Pat, leaning forward expectantly.
“Well – I’m pretty sure that her younger daughter is a lesbian, and her ‘friend’ who committed suicide was her lesbian lover!”
“No kidding?” responded Pat, with a surprised but gleeful look.
“And that hypocritical bastard of a husband of hers,” continued Nadine, “who tried to put the hard word on me, is playing the role of the dutiful husband and father. Janet tells me that he is even taking the whole family out for a lovely boating excursion tomorrow. It made me sick to my stomach, and so angry when she told me that. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to go back to work with him.”
Pat made no comment at this latest outburst by Nadine, but sipped her tea with a very thoughtful look on her face. As soon as she had finished, she glanced at her watch, and said to Nadine, “I’ll have to go soon. I promised Mort I’d go over and cook a decent meal for him and Steve tonight. They’re a pretty useless pair when it comes to cooking!”
“OK,” replied Nadine. “I’m ready to go too. I need to get home to Sam. Mum’s been complaining a bit lately, about how much I’ve been leaving her to look after her.”
“Now, you both know the drill for tomorrow,” said Mort. “Pat, you front up and ring the doorbell to make sure no one’s ‘ome. If there is, then you’ve just got the wrong address, and you ask if they know where such and such a street is (think of a similar name). If no one’s there, use your mobile to ring Steve, and we’ll be there in a jiff to do the job. You then retreat to the end of the street and keep a lookout for any of their cars approaching. If you see one, ring Steve again, and we’ll be out of there in a flash.”
“Yeah, Mort, I’ve got it all straight, no worries” replied Pat.
“It was a smart move your gettin’ friendly with Mark’s bird, Nadine,” continued Mort. “We sure got plenty of handy info from her about this lot, even if she hasn’t yet let slip whether Mark’s got some of that cash he embezzled stashed away somewhere.”
“As for you Steve, it’s dead simple,” he continued. “As soon as you get the all clear from Pat, we roll up there, and you take care of the front door. It shouldn’t be too hard for you. Once we’re in, I’ll turn off the alarm, using the code number we heard the snobby bitch tell that bloke who was takin’ her drunk daughter home from Zoot’s that night. Then you ‘n me’ll go through the joint, as quick as we can, cleaning out anythin’ that’s valuable, moveable and fenceable.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know what t’ do,” replied Steve, in a slightly irritated tone.
“Now, make sure you keep your cool, Steve, a
nd don’t do anythin’ bloody stupid. You’re like a loose cannon sometimes ya know!”
“Why’r ya pickin’ on me? I ain’t done nothin’ wrong,” replied Steve, defensively.
“Well, just keep it that way, stupid,” added Mort, dismissively.
“Don’t call me stupid, Mort,” continued Steve. “Who got that incriminatin’ photo of that snobby bitch so that we can blackmail her any time we like?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know ya did, but just make sure ya don’t fuck it all up tomorrow!” concluded Mort.
Steve mumbled something under his breath, before subsiding into a surly silence.
“So, we’ll leave ‘ere, tomorrow mornin’, at ‘alf past ten, OK?” added Mort. “Don’t be late, Pat.”
Further discussion was interrupted by a loud knocking on the front door.
“Ah, that’ll be the pizza bloke,” announced Mort. “Go get it Steve.”
Taking some money from an old biscuit tin on the kitchen table, Steve went to do as he was told.
Early on Sunday morning Lee and Simone left for their day of boating. After they had motored to what Lee regarded as a favourable spot, they spent most of the morning fishing, with some success. Around midday, they agreed to have some lunch, and Simone grilled some fresh whiting that Lee had just caught, cleaned and filleted. They washed that down with a nice cold bottle of sauvignon blanc.
“How did Delia seem this morning, when you spoke to her on the phone?” asked Lee, as they lingered over the last of the wine.
“It wasn’t actually Delia I spoke to,” replied Simone. “It was Sasha. She said Delia was busy helping the farm vet with some of the animals. She also said that as Delia seemed to be getting so involved and interested, they’ve decided to stay over until late Monday afternoon.”
“I’m really proud and pleased at how Sasha has rallied to Delia’s support in her time of need,” said Lee. “It was a great idea she and Brodie came up with to take her to that animal refuge and farm to get her involved in something she really cares about. That should help her a lot.”
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