In a daze although the result was expected, she stumbled back to her bedroom and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling for a long long time.
Chapter 44
SPIRALLI was released from the prison medical wing early on Wednesday morning and was back in his cell. He’d been kept in for observation after his fall in the exercise yard on Saturday that had caused him to mysteriously black out. His cell mate had been released from prison while he was in the medical wing. He was on his own in the cell for now but he knew, with the overcrowding problem, it wouldn’t be long before he had a new cellmate.
Durak made a point of passing the open cell door on his way to breakfast and glanced in. ‘Gonna have a little chat, cunt!’ was all he said.
Chapter 45
MOLLY prepared for work early that same afternoon. She had spent the rest of the morning contemplating her situation as the initial panic subsided into dread. She knew that the baby’s father must be Philip Stelt. It couldn’t possibly be anyone else. She hadn’t been with anyone other than him for weeks, maybe months. There is no way I want his bloody kid, she thought.
She knew she had two options, both of which filled her with terror. Terminate the pregnancy or bear the consequences of raising a child as a single mother. Termination was against all her instincts, her beliefs, but oh so practical she realised. It was a hugely difficult path for her to even begin to contemplate. But how would she handle her career and raising her child? She couldn’t begin to imagine it. But millions of others coped. She’d have to muddle through somehow.
And how had it happened anyway? She took her pill every night. OK, maybe not every night when she wasn’t in a relationship but she was sure she had every night when she was with Phil. Hadn’t she?
These thoughts had bounced around her confused mind all day. She was however able to make one firm decision: that arsehole Stelt would never know a thing.
Chapter 46
AS she sat at her desk on Wednesday afternoon, Louisa’s thoughts kept returning to her break-up with Colin at the weekend. She hadn’t been able to concentrate fully since she’d kicked him out in a fit of temper when she’d overheard him whispering into his phone. In the bathroom of her own apartment too. She’d demanded to know what was going on and had quickly realised he had someone else – again. It turned out that he was still seeing the same girl behind her back, once her best friend. The one he’d been seeing last year before and after their holiday in Greece.
I was so stupid, she thought. I should’ve dumped him months ago, in fact a year ago when we returned from Greece, when I discovered what he’d been up to.
But she had cooled down and the prospects of a new relationship were the last thing on her mind. She was still churning over the terrible row that weekend; it had culminated in her showing him the door and throwing all of his belongings out after him. It was all so unpleasant. It had left her feeling very low.
It caught her unawares when Billy came to see her. A tall thirty-two year old, brown-haired man, Billy worked on the production line and was responsible for supplying costing information. She wasn’t a cost accountant and he helped her to relate account codes to jobs for her weekly reports. He was a regular visitor and, gormless as he was, he liked her and had asked her out a few times.
‘I hear that you’ve finished with Colin,’ he began without preamble. ‘Does that mean that you can come out with me now?’
Louisa was taken aback. ‘I’m…I’m not ready to see anyone else yet, Billy, but thanks…’
‘Not a proper date then,’ Billy interrupted. ‘Just a friendly drink after work. No strings. On Friday? How about it, Lou?’
‘Don’t call me Lou. It’s Louisa.’
‘Sorry,’ he said not meaning it. ‘Friday then.’
‘Don’t presume. I haven’t agreed to it, Billy. I’m not ready to go for drinks and I doubt I’d be friendly anyway.’
‘I’ll cheer you up, Lou…Louisa. I know you’ll have a fantastic time.’
Maybe a drink wouldn’t hurt, she thought. And he’s not bad-looking either. It may cheer me up. God knows I need it. If I don’t like it I can always leave.
Billy saw her hesitation. ‘Right, so Friday it is then. We’ll go to the Barley Mow. You know it? I’ll meet you outside after you finish on Friday.’
‘No you won’t. I don’t know when I’ll finish. I’m not on the clock like you. If I decide to come, I’ll meet you there.’
‘Yes! Great, Louisa. See you then if not before.’
Chapter 47
CHARLOTTE phoned Lucy on Wednesday evening for a chat and as usual they greeted each other warmly. Their friendship was continuing to grow.
‘The reason I called is to invite you and Jake over to ours for dinner on Saturday evening. It’s definitely our turn. We’ve been to yours for the last two weekends.’
‘It seems strange now we’re back in Wellingbury that we’re not seeing each other every day,’ Lucy remarked. ‘We’d love to come but we’ve already made plans for Saturday.’
‘Well, maybe another evening? Sunday perhaps?’
‘Actually, maybe this is an ideal opportunity…’
‘Ideal opportunity?’ Charlotte asked.
‘Sorry, I was thinking aloud. The thing is, we’re friends with a couple that we see about once a month, either at ours or theirs. I was at school with Tiffy and, although we lost track, we bumped into each other about a year ago. The problem for them is that although they’re naturists, they’re not social naturists. Tiffy is scared silly that someone will find out and as a primary school teacher, she believes that it will at best affect her reputation and career and at worst she’ll lose her job. They restrict their naturism to their home and to ours whenever they visit. I was wondering…’
Charlotte interrupted excitedly. ‘If you’re going to suggest that they come to us with you on Saturday, we’d be delighted to make new friends. Perhaps they’d like to expand their secret circle too.’
‘I knew you’d understand and agree,’ Lucy beamed. ‘I’ll phone Tiffy and Jason and invite them, if that’s OK.’
‘Perfectly OK!’ Charlotte answered. ‘I’m looking forward to this already.’
Chapter 48
AS the Perks family sat together at the kitchen breakfast table on Thursday morning, Evie realised that in exactly one week, since last Thursday, she and Olivia had become firm friends even though they only saw each other for less than half an hour each school day. Evie was teaching Olivia all about life in New Albion from the perspective of a pre-teen and she knew that Olivia liked sharing her secrets with her. As the odd one out, Dominic usually played on his iPhone or pestered Paige and Stevie until told to stop. The two little ones were comfortable playing together with Stevie’s toys and the dolls that Evie allowed Paige to use. Mothers Renata and Marie-Louise had fallen into a companionable friendship too, cemented most evenings over a glass of wine.
‘Mom, what’s, er, natur…naturists?’ Little Stevie spluttered not sure he’d remembered the word correctly. His face was buried in his cereal bowl.
Josh spat his cornflakes back into his bowl in a guffaw of laughter. Evie stared at Little Stevie, a puzzled look on her face.
Stevie father glanced up from his bowl of porridge. ’What’s that, Stevie?’ he asked, peering myopically through his glasses.
‘What’s naturists?’ Little Stevie asked again.
‘Stevie, sit up and eat your food properly. Where did you learn that word?’ Renata asked casually.
‘Paige asked me,’ he replied, sensing a brush off. ‘What does it mean?’ he persisted.
Steven looked at Renata. ‘Naturists? Is that the same as…nudists?’ He mouthed the last word silently, but clearly enough for Renata to read his lips.
‘Paige?’ Evie asked. She could lip read that obvious attempt at secrecy too but she already knew about naturists. ‘How does Paige know that word?’
Her father stared at her, a frown on his face. ‘How do you know tha
t word, young lady?’ Evie bit into her toast and chocolate spread by way of an answer. One of the girls at school had told her about a beach she knew near Firthdale where people, naturists she’d called them, didn’t wear clothes but she wasn’t about to let her parents into her private conversations with her friends.
‘What did she say exactly, Stevie?’ his mother asked.
‘She asked me “are we naturists?”,’ he answered. ‘I didn’t know what she meant so I didn’t tell her anything. Are we?’
‘No, we’re not naturists, Stevie,’ his mother told him emphatically. ‘I’m sure you must have misheard her anyway. She probably meant naturalists. That’s a hard word and easy for a seven year old to get wrong.’ But that was an unlikely question too, she knew. She shook her head and gave up pondering what he may or may not have heard.
Steven shook his head in bewilderment. Where on earth kids are learning this stuff these days I can’t imagine, he thought to himself. He was in his teens before he heard about nudists, thanks to his school friends and that magazine. What was is called? Health and…something?
‘I think that’s what she said.’ Stevie replied, now unsure himself.
‘Well, we’re not naturists and we’re not naturalists, so that’s an end to the matter.’ Steven told him.
Little Stevie knew not to mention it again.
Chapter 49
EVIE and Olivia were in Evie’s bedroom late that Thursday afternoon, amiably chatting about important pre-teen topics.
‘I think Stevie really likes Paige,’ Evie commented. ‘He talks about her all the time.’
‘Paige too. They seem to have become good friends. I don’t know how that happened. I can’t imagine I would ever have a boy as a friend.’
‘Wow, nor me! I meant to tell you, Stevie said such at funny thing at breakfast this morning. If I tell you, promise you won’t say anything.’
‘Promise!’ They did their special ‘promise’ hand gesture, hooking left hand pinkies together.
‘He asked if we’re naturists! Can you believe it?’
Olivia looked down and hesitated for a moment. ‘What did he…why did he ask that?’
‘He said Paige had asked him if we’re naturists! At least, that’s what he thinks she said. Paige!’ Evie burst into a fit of giggles. ‘You know what naturists are, don’t you? They’re nudists!’ She giggled again. ‘Anyway, we think he heard her wrong. It was sooo funny!’
Olivia laughed lightly along with Evie and decided to change the subject. ‘Did you ask your mother about our sleepover tomorrow night?’
‘Yeah. It’s cool. I think they’ll be speaking about it now.’
‘Great! It’ll be such fun,’ Olivia promised.
‘I’m really looking forward to staying at your place. We’ll sleep together in the same room, won’t we?’
Olivia nodded. She had something she needed to discuss with her mother first though. She didn’t want anything to spoil the sleepover. Especially Paige…
Chapter 50
THE only positive part of that Thursday evening at La Grande Large was that Todd had successfully managed to reserve an outside balcony table for four overlooking the river. The restaurant had rarely seen such gloomy guests. Todd and Charlotte were dressed casually but Patience had on a twin set and pearls and Fraser wore his usual sports jacket and cardigan, despite the late summer heat. Although only in their late fifties, both dressed much older.
It was an impressive feat for Patience to force food into her mouth given how tightly her lips were pressed together. Few words were said during dinner except occasional strained, brusque comments but as Todd spooned crème brûlée and Charlotte continued to sit in silence, as she had all night, tensely staring out over the darkening river from their balcony table, Fraser opened the subject all four knew they had to discuss but none wished to.
‘Patience and I have discussed what you told us on Saturday,’ he began, ‘and we believe…’
‘You believe!’ Patience interrupted.
Fraser paused. ‘I believe,’ he corrected, ’that you’ve the right to lead your own lives. You’re old enough…’
‘But not wise enough!’ Patience interrupted again.
‘OK, Mum, that’s enough,’ Charlotte hissed angrily, leaning over the table towards her mother. ‘I’m not going to sit here and listen to your bitter comments. If you carry on, we’ll leave.’
‘Bitter?’ her mother replied shocked. ‘Is that what you think?’
‘That’s what it sounds like to me. I was frightened silly that you would find out and this is exactly the reason. But now you know, we can do nothing more about that and we’re not going to listen time and again to your disapproval.’ Where was this coming from suddenly, Todd wondered?
Patience stared at her daughter in surprise. ‘So, does this mean that you’re not going to listen to reason?’
‘Reason?’ Charlotte squawked shrilly. ‘By that I take it that you want us to forego our sinful ways and repent, right?’
‘Charlotte,’ Fraser cautioned. Todd was loving it though. Unexpectedly, his wife was showing such strong spirit in the face of her mother’s narrow-minded attitude; he hadn’t seen that before.
‘Yes, that’s exactly what you should, no, you must do. Don’t you see how wrong it is and how…’
‘Mother, don’t say another word. Todd and I will do exactly as we wish and live by our own standards. There’s nothing wrong, nothing sinful and nothing to repent about our lives. You’re going to have to learn to live with it!’
Patience Duffy sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. ‘Fraser, I’d like you to take me home now, please.’
‘When I’ve finished my coffee and…’
‘I said now, Fraser!’
‘…and when I’ve settled the bill,’ he continued mildly.
‘It’s fine, Fraser,’ Todd told him. ‘We invited you, so this is our treat.’
‘Treat!’ Patience uttered sarcastically. Fraser put his half empty coffee cup down and stood. ‘Thank you both for your treat,’ he said, emphasising the last word. ‘Patience, when you’re ready,’ he told her coolly.
As they left, Charlotte and Todd looked at one another. Todd breathed a sigh of relief that it was all over. Charlotte was still grinding her teeth, her outburst still at the front of her mind.
‘I can’t believe that she actually believes that we’re going to lead our lives by their principles. And that we’ll change! To suit them!’
‘Not them, Angel. I think your dad’s getting used to the idea. Give her time. She’ll come round.’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘Not in this lifetime,’ she remarked.
*
It was to take many more questions and several discussions for Patience Duffy to even begin to recognise that Charlotte and Todd had the right to live their lives their own way. She finally forced herself to at least acknowledge that the choices that her only child and her husband Todd had made were theirs to make, and theirs alone. Their choice of naturism as a lifestyle preference was a bridge too far though. Patience resisted their predilection strenuously for many months and it was much longer before she slowly began to acclimatise her mind to what she had initially totally rejected. Through it all, however, relationships slowly improved and eventually stayed on amenable terms. The matter was eventually ignored completely and never discussed. This was chiefly thanks to Fraser; he’d stalwartly managed to keep the family together in the face of adversity. Charlotte and Todd had politely and as diplomatically as possible stuck to their guns.
It was many years later, as Patience watched her toddler grandchildren splashing happily naked in her daughter’s pool, that the first tiny flicker of acceptance battled its way into her rigid mind.
Chapter 51
MOLLY hadn’t answered her mobile when Justin had phoned twice on Wednesday and several times on Thursday. He’d left numerous voice messages. Molly knew of course that she had to tell him. She had no option. She couldn’t al
low their relationship to develop, not now. Better to nip it in the bud before it became too painful for both of them.
Bravely, on Friday morning, she took the initiative and phoned him. ‘Sorry I didn’t answer or call you back, Justin. I was occupied.’ Occupied with her own thoughts and problem, she said to herself.
‘Oh, that’s OK,’ he replied, sounding relieved. ‘How are you?’
‘Fine thanks,’ she fibbed. ‘Justin, I have something I want to say to you…’
Justin interrupted her. ‘Before you do, Molly, I just want to let you know how much I enjoyed your visit. No, that’s an understatement. I had an incredible time with you. Can we do it again soon? Or should I visit you?’
Molly hesitated before replying, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent them from watering. ‘Justin, that’s what I was going to tell you,’ she told him quietly. ‘I can’t see you again. Something’s come up…’ She couldn’t continue.
Justin was silent for several seconds. ‘No, no! Please don’t say that, Molly,’ he whispered into the phone. ‘I can’t bear the thought…’
‘Justin, please. It’s nothing to do with you. You’re a great guy but it’s impossible. Please believe me. If there was any other way...’
‘But why, Molly? At least tell me that.’
‘It’s…it’s something personal,’ she answered. ‘Please don’t ask me.’
‘Is it someone else?’ he asked hesitantly, fearful of a positive answer.
‘No! No, it’s not that at all, Justin,’ she replied convincingly.
‘Well, that’s a relief! Molly, in that case, whatever it is, we can deal with it. Maybe it’s something I can help with. Just tell me.’
‘Justin, I have to go now.’ She was close to breaking down, not just for having to hurt Justin in this way but also because of the circumstances that had damned her life.
The Naked Truth: Shall Set You Free (NEW ALBION Book 2) Page 11