Sex, Lies & Stellenbosch

by Eva Mazza

  There was no way that the gravity of Clive’s father’s death had quite hit him yet. But already he was showing resilience. Typical of Clive and, Pete had to admit, his adulterous mother.

  Pete closed the study door gently behind him and looked around. Frankie was as he had found her on his arrival – seated in Lee’s armchair. The morning sun shone on her which gave her an ethereal look. She seemed to derive comfort from her deceased husband’s chair, and he’d yet to see her leave its worn leather embrace.

  He could hear his mother’s friends in the kitchen discussing the funeral tea in low voices and knew that the men would be ensconced in the study with Clive for some time. His sister was on the veranda with her group of friends, and there seemed to be no one else around. Now was his chance. He headed towards the liquor cabinet on the other end of the sun lounge (as they liked to call it) near the big sash windows. “I know it’s still morning, but I could do with a drink. Can I get you one, Frankie?”

  She lifted her head blearily and nodded.

  When he handed her the glass, she looked at him searchingly. “Where is your mom really?”

  “Truthfully, I don’t know.”

  Frankie’s look told him that she didn’t believe him. He downed his scotch. “Really, I don’t. But I did speak to her last night and she asked me to give you this.” He reached into his jacket pocket for the perfume bottle. He studied it as he spoke.

  “Mom said to say you left it in her bathroom on Sunday night, and that’s why she’s sorry she can’t be here. She’s sure Lee would’ve understood.”

  Frankie simply stared at it. Pete tried giving it to her, but she wouldn’t take it.

  “Your mom is mistaken. That’s not mine.”

  “Frankie,” Pete stayed calm. “Mom thinks I haven’t the faintest idea what’s going on. Except I do. I know you sleeping with my father, and now I guess Ma knows too. Sunday night she was at the spa, so you must’ve been at our house with Dad.”

  Frankie’s features contorted into a snarl. “Don’t you dare speak such nonsense! And at such a time. You should be ashamed of yourself!”

  “Shit, Frankie, don’t you think you should be ashamed? We like to hide our secrets in this little town. So, I’m prepared to pretend that I don’t know that you fucking my dad, but only out of respect for Lee and for Clive’s sake and definitely for Ma. I guess, until she’s prepared to admit that Dad is a complete fuck up, I’m prepared to go along with this bullshit, so the least you can do is pretend to believe that Ma is at a spa. If you make one more snide remark about her not being here, I swear I will tell everyone exactly what’s going on.”

  They both turned as Faith entered the room. She placed her hands on Frankie’s shoulders. “Is Madam okay?”

  Frankie clutched her one hand reassuringly. “Yes, Faith, I am doing fine.” Faith gave Pete a look, and he knew it was his cue. He leaned in to Frankie to give her a hug and shoved the perfume into her lap.

  As he left, he heard Frankie cry out, “I loved Lee! I did. I loved him. And he was no angel!”

  He turned to look at her one last time. She was clutching the bottle against her chest. Pete walked away satisfied.

  Jen watched Patty as she was ushered into the boardroom by Ron Opilet, but she didn’t get a chance to catch her eye before Leonard introduced her to his associate, a stocky, mousey-haired man with a lingering smell of aftershave.

  “Mrs Pearce, Jen, I’m very pleased to meet you. I represent Lee on matters personal and confidential. I am going to be completely straight with you, as I don’t know how else to proceed. Patty, you now know is here because she has been employed by Lee for the last five years. She’s been his personal assistant and taken care of all his business matters that don’t involve the farm.”

  Jen turned to look at Patty who avoided eye contact with her.

  “A while back, Lee asked me to be the custodian of some money and gold coins, Kruger Rands, which your mother had left in his care for you. She didn’t want you to have them while you were married to your husband because you would be obliged to share this inheritance with him. The arrangement was that these be handed to you should you divorce your husband, should Lee or your spouse pass away, or on your sixtieth birthday, whichever came first. Your mom, bless her soul, felt that if you were still married at sixty, the likelihood of divorce would be miniscule. If you died while Lee was alive, the inheritance would go to her grandchildren.”

  Patty found a tissue in her bag and dabbed her eyes with it.

  “Patty now heads this trust due to the untimely death of your dear friend,” said Opilet. “It has been decided to disclose the existence of this little nest egg to you. We need instruction as to how you want us to proceed.”

  Jen felt bewildered. She looked at Patty, and this time Patty looked her straight in the eye. What the hell is he going on about? But Jen couldn’t bring herself to ask her.

  “I’ve been told that you’re filing for divorce, and our company likes to keep our clients’ interests at the forefront of everything. Non-disclosure is a suggestion.” Jen looked at him blankly.

  “In other words, Mrs Pearce, our company is willing to keep this ‘inheritance’ in our trust until such time as your divorce goes through – with your permission, that is.”

  Jen felt the colour draining from her face. She needed time for all of this to sink in: the money, Lee’s collusion with her mother, Patty’s role in Jen’s future. Everything!

  “I, I’m not sure what to say.” She was shaking.

  The four of them sat in silence for what seemed a long time.

  Then Jen began to cry. This then was the cathartic moment she had been waiting for. Everything had been building up to this: her mother’s shrewdness; Lee’s desire to keep Jen’s wellbeing at heart; Patty’s role, which was confusing and beyond surprising. How had the universe conspired for them to land up at the same firm of attorneys? How had all of this brought her to the place where she could finally move forward, with the financial freedom she would need to do so, at exactly the right time?

  Jen looked up, and saw Patty crying too. She leaned over the table and placed her hand gently on Patty’s. She barely noticed the two attorneys glancing at each other, nodding, then leaving the boardroom.

  Thirty-one

  Not long after Pete had left, Grant van Rooyen Esq. entered the lounge. Frankie was still fuming as he gave her a long hug and his condolences. He and Lee had been childhood friends, and Lee had been a client of his since early adulthood. Grant had drawn up their marriage contract, had taken care of legal matters pertaining to the farm, drawn up their will and now, she knew, he was seeing to Lee’s estate.

  After a few polite exchanges and after Faith had brought him a cup of strong black coffee, he broached the delicate matter of the estate. “I know that you are aware, more or less, what Lee decided regarding his property and his money. He set up a trust for Clive, the farm is yours until your death and all his liquid assets go to you and your son. There is one thing that has changed, though, just recently.”

  “What?” Frankie was immediately alert. Panicked, even. What if Lee had decided to leave her with nothing after he had found out about her affairs?

  “There is a property that he bought in the city. Upon his death, it goes to his goddaughter, Brigit Pearce. He said that he hadn’t been the most loving godparent and he wanted to make up for neglecting her.”

  Frankie’s relief that she was still in line to be a very rich widow was soon replaced by irritation at Brigit’s little windfall.

  “She’s living in the apartment at the moment, as a tenant,” continued Grant. “She has been paying a substantially reduced rental into Lee’s account, and he never spent a cent of it. So that money will go to you, as the apartment has been paid for. He never wanted her to know. He wanted her to feel that she was making it on her own. And she is, I guess, because she never missed a payment. Now that the property is hers, and there is no bond, she won’t have to pay rent. Isn’t i
t a lovely gesture?”

  “Mmmm,” Frankie said distractedly.

  “Your husband was a kind man,” he remarked, his voice thick with emotion. “He will be sorely missed, Frankie, he really will be.”

  “I know,” Frankie said in a half-whisper. “Although I’m sure Brigit Pearce will be delighted. She’s hit the jackpot, hasn’t she, now that my husband is dead?”

  Grant frowned. “I don’t think she has any expectations, Frankie, so don’t be sore. Just see it as a wonderful gesture on your husband’s part – testimony to the decent man he was.”

  He followed Frankie’s eyes to the sash window where Brigit was huddled together with her friends chatting.

  “I will speak to her for you, unless you want to tell her yourself?”

  “No, I just want to be left alone with my thoughts. It’s been a very sad time for me. I hope you understand, Grant.”

  Grant clapped his hands gently on his thighs – a gesture that he was done and that he would do as she desired. “Of course, I do. I will see you tomorrow at the memorial service. Stay as strong as you’ve always been, Frankie.”

  Frankie watched him leave the room and saw him through the sash window as he approached Brigit and Clive’s group of young friends on the veranda. Brigit shrugged her shoulders at the group and excused herself before walking away with Grant. Frankie guessed that they would have a chat under the big oak tree that had seen years of family gatherings.

  Last night had been a chilling foretaste of others to come. She had ached for Lee next to her in bed. Knowing she would never have him near her again filled her with intense sadness and loneliness. She could not imagine her life without him. His death had forced her to reflect on her marriage, and the issues that had irked her so now seemed miniscule and ridiculous – except of course this surprise matter of Brigit’s inheritance. She hauled herself out of Lee’s chair to pour herself a second glass of whisky.

  “I can’t believe Lee’s dead, never mind all the other things that my mind has to absorb,” Jen said. “Do you know what kind of a whirlwind five days it’s been, Patty?” she asked.

  “I do. It’s been pretty shocking on my side, too.”

  “Ever since I caught you and John…”

  “I’m sorry,” Patty said earnestly. “I really am. You were collateral damage. You weren’t meant to catch us. It was never supposed to happen the way it did. Lee was furious with me, but it worked in our favour in the end. I’m… we’re only sorry that it hurt you so much.”

  Jen blinked and sat up straight. “What the hell are you talking about, Patty? Are you trying to tell me that you colluded with Lee against my husband? That you blew him for a ‘noble’ cause, and not because you’re a…?” Jen checked herself. “Am I expected to believe your bullshit?” She felt ganged up against, angry, betrayed and stupid. The sympathy, which had compelled her to reach out to Patty, had lasted only an instant.

  “God, Jen, I can imagine how hurt you are, and I’m sorry. The story is so complicated, even unbelievable, and I don’t blame you for hating me. I just want you to give me a chance to explain.”

  “Well it sounds as if you and Lee trapped my husband. Not only that, you managed to get rich off it, too. I should be exposing you, Patty, not giving you a chance to explain yourself.”

  “Lee had nothing to do with me, um, and John, in the tasting room. In fact, he was furious with me when he found out.”

  Jen glared at Patty. Patty held her glare.

  “I’m sorry for what I did, but I’ve done you a favour.”

  “A favour!”

  “All you need to do, Jen, is listen.”

  There was a silence. Jen noticed Patty’s hand shaking as she reached for her water. “Well, tell me, for God’s sake. Tell me why I shouldn’t go to the cops about this! In fact, I’m interested to know how you’re okay with prostituting yourself?”

  Patty took another sip of water followed by a deep breath. “I need to start from the beginning – to tell you how I became Lee’s good friend and personal assistant.”

  Jen rolled her eyes. Can’t she just edit her story? It’s bad enough having to sit here with her after what she did, never mind having to listen to her justify things.

  Patty ignored Jen’s obvious hostility and launched into her explanation. “When I first met Lee, my divorce had just gone through and it was my thirtieth birthday. I had absolutely no money, but I felt a newfound sense of freedom. I also had no friends. My husband hadn’t allowed me any, so I was very alone. But that didn’t deter me from celebrating, even on my own.

  “I went to a club because I wanted to dance. I hadn’t danced for as long as I’d been married, and I danced alone, shamelessly. I was just so happy to be free to do exactly as I pleased and to do what I had loved doing so much. Occasionally, guys would join me on the dance floor, and I danced for what felt like hours, lost in the music.”

  Jen sat back and looked out of the window. It was a beautiful day, belying the fact that it had poured with rain the night before.

  Patty finished her water and continued. “I spotted a very good-looking man at the bar. He hadn’t looked up once, and it seemed as if he was lost in thought. After a few glasses of bubbly, I felt brave enough to approach him. I’ve always loved sex.”

  Jen turned from the window and looked at her reproachfully. “Well, it’s the truth. That’s why I stayed so long in my marriage. Our sex life was phenomenal, if you can believe that! Anyway, I went straight up to him and propositioned him. The man was Lee, and we landed up having sex in the club’s toilet.”

  “Oh my God! Spare me the gory details!”

  “No. I need to tell you the details.” She paused, and Jen nodded for her to continue. “We both felt so fucking guilty. Lee more so than me. He’d cheated on Frankie to get back at her.”

  “What was he getting back at her for?”

  “She told him that she’d had her tubes tied.”

  “That’s news to me!”

  “It was news to Lee, too. Apparently, when she married him, she promised she’d try for two children. But she changed her mind after having Clive. She said she didn’t want to go through it all again. He thought that, with time, she’d come around and they would try for their second, but the more time passed, the less keen she seemed.”

  Jen crossed her arms and snorted.

  “So anyway, that day, Lee had brought it up with her. Time was running out. They had a fight, and that’s when Frankie told him that it didn’t matter what he wanted because she’d had her tubes tied years ago.”

  Jen unfolded her arms. “How? When?”

  “I don’t know the details. Apparently, Lee had booked an overseas trip with the boys. Frankie was furious. She eventually said he could go on condition that she book herself in at a health farm. Seems she checked in to a hospital instead.

  “Lee was so angry that he landed up at this club, and my proposition seemed a good idea. His way of getting back at Frankie.”

  By now, Jen was thoroughly engrossed in the story. “Go on,” she urged.

  “I told Lee my whole sob story about my abusive husband, my acrimonious divorce and my joblessness. That was when he offered me a job. He was a partner in an upmarket gentlemen’s club, a whorehouse really, and they were looking for a well-groomed, clean-living woman to work as hostess, see to the tips and payments and oversee the strippers and prostitutes.”

  Jen felt sick. “Oh my God, Lee is one of the owners of that ‘poker’ club?”

  “Yes, he was. And I’ve inherited his share of the business. He was such a generous man. I can’t believe my best friend – let’s be honest, my only friend – is gone.” Patty began to cry again, her sobs washing over her in waves. Jen was intrigued at how easily Patty allowed herself to mourn. She had been raised to stay composed, no matter what.

  When her sobs subsided, Patty sniffed deeply, grabbed her tissue and blew into it. “So you know about the club? It’s very off the radar, and we’re in the process of
moving premises as people are getting wind of it. Strangely enough, working there turned out to be fabulous.” Jen remained mute as Patty continued. “I had loads of responsibilities and I had a chance to show my managerial qualities. I could handle the men, and I was able to handle the women too. I started organising Lee’s personal stuff; he needed someone who could be discreet about his ‘other’ life – the one that included an illicit business interest. He couldn’t trust anyone else with the job. The people involved in the club aren’t exactly like you and your townsfolk, but at least they’re honest about who they are and what they’re doing.”

  “That’s debatable,” interjected Jen. “Their whole operation is undercover.”

  Patty shrugged. “I guess. It is by invitation only. That’s how I got to meet John and the rest of the group. I’m going to be honest, Jen. John never slept with any of the women at the club, but he pursued me relentlessly.”

  Anger began to show on Jen’s face, but Patty didn’t seem to notice. “When he eventually understood my boundaries, we became quite friendly and we spoke often. That’s when he offered me a job as a wine rep.”

  “Oh?”

  “Ya. I laughed it off because I was happy working at the club. But Lee, in the meantime, had found out about Frankie’s affair with a French diplomat.”

  “A what? She never told me about it!”

  “Lee had hired a private detective and he had hard evidence of the affair.”

  “Photos?” Jen remembered Leonard saying it had been Patty, on Lee’s instruction, who had given him the photos of John with other women.

  “Exactly. But Frankie’s other affair was harder to pin down even by the investigator Lee had hired to tail her. She was often at your farm, but Lee thought nothing of it, for obvious reasons.”

  Jen wasn’t sure what she meant by obvious reasons.

  “Well, the two of you were friends. It’s only when he found a number Frankie called regularly that he became suspicious. After investigating, he discovered that the number belonged to your husband. Do you know that John has a second phone?”