Kate & Alf

by Carrie Stone

  Her mobile flashed suddenly and she felt her stomach lurch. Despite being set to silent tone, her brother’s name flashed across the screen. Grateful as ever for having her own office, albeit a small one, she slid the slider across the screen, a sickening feeling sweeping through her.

  ‘Jonnie?’

  ‘Sis…Can you come and get m…me?’ She noticed the unmistakable slur in his voice.

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘Sss… Sss… Sid’s h-house.’

  ‘You’ve been drinking’ she accused, immediately regretting it. Ten years of the same pattern and yet she’d made the crucial mistake of pointing out the obvious, opening up a door for a tidal wave of denial and abuse.

  ‘Oh, for God… God’s sake. I haven’t been drinking. I… I haven’t touched a drink. Fucking always accu…accusing me of drinking. You nasty bitch.’ He spat the last word with such force that she held the phone away from her.

  He continued with his rant. ‘I just wanted to… to see you. But no, you al-always think th-think the worst of me. Accu… accusing me all the time.’

  Feeling sick to her stomach at the rising agitation in his voice and his abusive language, Megan took a deep breath to calm herself. She knew from experience that there was no way she’d be able to help him at this point. It would be a fruitless effort, with him directing his anger at her. It was better to distance herself and be thankful that at least he was still alive. He would undoubtedly begin to sober up within the next day or so.

  ‘I have to go, Jonnie. I’m at work.’

  She cut the call with shaking hands. Even though she’d been through similar conversations countless times, the process always affected her emotionally.

  ‘At least he’s safe at Sid’s,’ she muttered to herself, thankful that he hadn’t been calling from a police station or hospital, as he had on many an occasion. Megan ignored the once again flashing screen of her mobile, turning the handset face down. She knew that if she ignored the calls for long enough, he’d eventually stop calling.

  What saddened her about the situation was that it wasn’t directly his fault. Growing up with their alcoholic mother hadn’t been the best precedent to begin with. The difference was that their mother, to an extent, had been a ‘functioning alcoholic’. Whilst she hadn’t provided the same level of care that some of Megan’s friends’ parents displayed, she had managed to hold down a job and take care of the basic needs of her two children, single-handedly.

  Having to learn to be highly responsible from a young age, Megan had automatically taken on most of the caring duties for her younger brother. It was she who ensured he was properly washed and fed. And it was she who eventually took over the role of guardian to Jonnie when, as soon as she turned eighteen, their own mother scarpered off to Scotland with her on-and-off boyfriend.

  Jonnie had never really stood a chance. He was just thirteen when their mother had left and, despite Megan’s best efforts, the impact had obviously been too great. By the time Jonnie reached twenty, he’d already been in and out of prison for minor offences and began to drink heavily. It was heartbreaking to see her younger brother destroying himself. Especially as he’d been doing so well for the past three months – even securing himself a job at the local builders’ merchant.

  Megan sighed as her PC monitor dulled and a screensaver took its place. Maybe, just maybe, once Jonnie sobered up, he’d get back on track and finally seek the help she so frequently and desperately tried to convince him that he needed…

  She tapped her mouse and brought the PC back to life. Reluctant as she was, she had to get on with her work.

  Kate re-dusted the rolling pin with a handful of plain flour and continued to work on the pastry she was rolling out. It had been an unexpected disappointment to arrive home the previous evening and find the house empty – she’d had hopes of getting to know more about her mystery guest, Marcus. It wasn’t often she come across men so beautiful and especially one who was going to be staying under her own roof!

  Instead, she’d found herself greeting Alf a lot earlier than usual, thanks to an out-of-city local meeting he’d attended. Without waiting for her to ask, he’d explained that Marcus had been commissioned to cover a last-minute story for a national newspaper. Given his circumstances he’d jumped at the chance and headed back up North for the overnight stay. For a moment she’d been disconcerted, until Alf had swiftly followed up that he’d be returning to stay with them the next day.

  As a consequence, her best-laid plans for an evening in Marcus’s presence instead gave way to a rather sombre affair, especially after Alf had spent most of it recounting the details of his client meeting. Part of her had wanted to tell him that she didn’t give a hoot about professional indemnity insurance aimed specifically at engineers and architects, and neither did she care that the chief executive was a ‘smarmy git’. However, she’d feigned considerable interest and calmly nodded in all the right places. Only when Alf finally seemed satisfied that he’d exhausted the topic, did Kate dare to bring up the subject that had been niggling at her.

  Still raw from the proposal disappointment and without having the distraction of Marcus, she’d felt bold enough to raise the matter of the house being in need of redecoration. On some inner level, the uncomfortable association with the house’s neglected appearance reflecting their relationship was eating away at her. And she had wanted to remedy the situation, especially as she still hadn’t found the courage to broach the real reason for their issues…

  Unfortunately, raising the subject of the house had done nothing but leave her feeling dejected. She’d immediately deduced from Alf’s quick glance around the room and nonplussed attitude to her suggestion, that he didn’t feel it absolutely necessary. Although she could have easily argued her case – and she was in no doubt that he’d have told her to go ahead if it was what she really wanted – his lack of initial enthusiasm disappointed her. She felt it was an omen of things to come.

  A sharp tap on the front door caught her attention, breaking her thoughts. Sam, who had been sitting quietly by Kate’s feet, ran cautiously to the safety of his corner box as she dusted off her floured hands on a nearby tea towel. Walking into the hallway, she could vaguely make out the distorted sight of a man leaning against the glass. Her spirits lifted a little. She had high hopes for the evening ahead and was welcoming the much-needed presence of Marcus to distract her from her current relationship situation. The guilty part of her conscience did wonder why Marcus was striking such a chord within her – she’d never felt such felt such a bubble of excitement at the idea of spending time with a man who wasn’t Alf. Yet she pushed the self-reproach aside and told herself it was simply a diversion from her own mounting concerns, especially the fundamental issue of her problems with Alf.

  Ignoring the thudding in her chest and her quickened breathing, she hastily opened the door.

  The sight that greeted her wasn’t what she was expecting…

  Chapter 6

  ‘Jonnie…?’ Kate once again impatiently shook the shoulder of the slumping bulk of Megan’s brother on her doorstep. ‘Jonnie, get up.’ She heard the wariness in her own voice and tried to keep calm, despite her escalating sense of dread. Jonnie was refusing to stir and, aside from a gentle snort that assured her he was still breathing, he remained a dead weight half-propped against the doorframe. ‘Can you hear me? Please get up,’ she urged, knowing it was a fruitless request.

  Upon opening the door and looking forward to greeting Marcus, she’d been dumbfounded to see a dishevelled and foul-smelling Jonnie instead. He’d barely managed to stay standing long enough to utter her name, before collapsing into a heap at her feet.

  Panic suddenly shot to her core and Kate felt momentarily at a loss as to what to do. Thankfully, Alf wasn’t due home for another hour – she couldn’t begin to imagine his reaction at finding a drunken, passed-out Jonnie on their doorstep. It didn’t bear thinking about. Alf had never attempted to be compassionate or understanding of the
situation with Megan’s brother, despite Kate’s gentle persuasion and subtle hints about the childhood he’d endured. It was no use, often falling on deaf ears. Part of her wondered if Alf’s refusal and inability to understand could be attributed to the fact that he’d had a relatively straightforward childhood. How does anyone know about tragedy and loss unless they themselves have experienced it first-hand?

  The stories of Jonnie’s alcoholic behaviour had only been told as references to Megan’s predicament; never had they directly involved Kate herself – until now. She was without doubt that Alf would be livid if he arrived home now.

  Trying to calm her anxiety, she thought of her options and decided that the best course of action was to call Megan. Pushing the door to, she ran into the kitchen and hastily grabbed her mobile from the counter, dialling Megan’s number and walking quickly back into the hallway. Kate’s heart sank as the call immediately went to voicemail. Glancing at the time on her phone display she knew it was highly likely that Megan was on the tube. It would be at least twenty minutes before Kate could reach her.

  ‘What the hell? Mate? Are you okay?’ she heard a male voice outside the door. Marcus. Her heart sank a notch further. This was not how she’d envisioned her evening in the slightest. Goodness knows what Marcus would think – not to mention that he’d undoubtedly tell Alf. Kate rushed to the door, dreading a showdown if Jonnie chose that moment to regain his senses. Forgetting pleasantries, she jumped to Jonnie’s defence.

  ‘Marcus, it’s okay. I know him’ she said hurriedly, immediately noticing the shocked expression on his face. She also noticed that he looked exhausted, his olive skin pasty and his normally sparkling green eyes lacklustre.

  ‘What’s happened? Are you okay?’ he asked in concern, reaching out for her arm.

  She waved him away gently and kindly, feeling a strange relief that at least she wouldn’t have to deal with the situation alone. ‘I’m fine. Nothing untoward has happened.’ She gestured to Jonnie and tried to explain quickly, aware of the ticking clock and Alf’s imminent arrival home. ‘He’s my friend’s brother and he has a problem with drink. I thought it was you, so I opened the door and he passed out on the doorstep.’

  ‘Shall we get him inside?’ Marcus asked, putting down his overnight holdall and pushing the street door open as wide as it would allow. He bent down to hoist up the guy, who looked to be slightly younger than himself.

  Kate considered this for a split second, before shaking her head. ‘Actually, I think it’s better if we get him to his own home.’ She wondered if he had a key somewhere. ‘You check his pockets for a door key, I’ll quickly lock up here – if you don’t mind helping me?’

  Marcus looked slightly surprised, but quickly nodded his reassurance. ‘If that’s what you think is best’ he said, noticing that she sounded harassed. He quietly wondered what Alf was going to make of the situation.

  Kate had already rushed back into the kitchen to turn off the steak she’d been braising for the pie. Between switching off the hob and grabbing her handbag from the dining chair, she locked the back door and tried Megan’s mobile once again. Voicemail.

  As she reached the door again, she saw that Marcus had put his holdall in the hallway and was attempting to stand up a drunken and ever-so-quietly-slurring Jonnie. A set of keys dangled from his left hand. ‘Ready?’

  ‘Oh, that’s a relief, he’s got his keys on him,’ she said, really meaning it. Taking her car fob from the hallway bureau she unlocked her car, thankfully only metres away, and proceeded to help Marcus practically drag Jonnie to the rear of the small Renault. Positioning him on the back seat took some manoeuvring, but they eventually managed it.

  ‘Don’t worry, it’s not too far a drive. About ten minutes from here and hopefully my friend Megan will be home by the time we get there. She works in the City,’ Kate explained, grateful that Marcus had automatically opened the front passenger door and settled himself in the seat. She hadn’t taken it for granted that he would accompany her, but she gave silent thanks, wondering how she’d have managed to get Jonnie out of the car alone otherwise.

  She got into the driver’s side and started the engine.

  ‘Is this a regular thing, then?’ Marcus asked, looking sideways at Kate and noticing a small patch of dried flour on her cheek. Her skin was flushed and he considered her slightly shaking hands gripping the steering wheel as a sign of her unease.

  ‘Well, for as long as I can remember he’s had a problem with the drink. But he’s never turned up at ours before. I can’t think why he would either, to be honest.’ It was true. Why ever would he knock at her door?

  They heard a groan from the back seat and Marcus looked over his shoulder at the fully grown man, head flopping onto his chest and dribbling from the mouth. Instead of disgust, he felt pity.

  ‘Drink destroys people,’ he said at the same moment as Kate briefly glanced in his direction. She couldn’t be sure but she thought she caught a shadow of sadness pass across his face.

  Feeling responsible for the unexpected drama that had welcomed Marcus home – not to mention the change in his mood – and eager to change the subject, aware that Jonnie could awaken at any moment and overhear their conversation, she forced a smile.

  ‘So how was your business trip? Alf told me you went to do an interview up North.’

  Marcus nodded his head tiredly. ‘Yes, I happen to know the editor and they’d been let down by another journalist at the last moment. So he called me in instead.’ He glanced out of the window, thinking about the irony of the trip and how he’d almost been tempted to stay up North.

  ‘Will you be doing the same work here, then?’ Kate asked, curious. Alf, never one to elaborate, had only filled her in briefly on Marcus’s situation – that he’d split with his fiancée in Leeds and returned to his roots to start afresh. Usually she would have pressed for more details, but knowing that Marcus was coming back to stay with them, she’d thought it wiser to get the story from the horse’s mouth.

  ‘Yes, hopefully – well, I have a few things already in the pipeline and then there’s my book….’ he tailed off, shrugging his shoulders. ‘I’ve almost finished the final draft – I’m hoping something will come of it.’

  Kate indicated left, turning into the side road that led directly to Megan’s end of terrace that she shared with her brother. ‘You’ve written a book?’ She was impressed. ‘What’s it about?’

  Marcus smiled at the sudden enthusiasm in her voice. He liked the way she glanced at him with genuine and pleasant surprise. ‘Well, it’s fiction but the main character is loosely based on my grandfather. He’s had an extraordinary amount of adventure in his years. I thought it’d make for interesting reading.’

  He noticed they were slowing to a stop and Kate reached for the hand brake, pulling it up gently. ‘That’s doubly impressive. Not only have you have written a book, you’ve based it on your granddad. He must be rather proud.’

  Marcus grinned, wondering silently how his grandfather would react when he revealed that he’d chosen him as the main subject of his newest ‘project’.

  ‘He doesn’t know yet.’

  Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘Well, I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic – provided you’ve not included too many of his personal secrets.’

  A splutter, followed by a loud sneeze came from the back seat. Jonnie groaned loudly and Kate and Marcus both reacted quickly, their conversation instantly dismissed as she turned off the engine and Marcus undid his seatbelt.

  ‘Let’s get him inside as fast as possible. It will be better than if he wakes up – in case he starts being abusive.’ Kate began getting out of the car, grabbing her mobile and dialling Megan’s number one last time. She could tell from the lack of lights in the half brick and rendered property that Megan wasn’t yet home. The call went straight to voicemail.

  Marcus was already pulling an incoherent but now semi-awake Jonnie from the back seat.

  ‘Come on, mate, let’s get
you inside.’

  Thankfully, Jonnie seemed to have gained the use of his legs and stumbled out of the car, eyeing Marcus through squinting eyes with an aggressive look on his face.

  Kate took control of the situation, sensing that Jonnie would react badly to a stranger giving him orders once he became more aware. She gestured with her eyes from Marcus to the passenger door, nodding her head and hoping he’d understand that it’d be better for him to wait in the car. He did. Except he refused to get into the car, choosing instead to stand beside it, just in case Kate needed assistance.

  Kate ushered a staggering Jonnie to the blue street door and opened it, breathing a sigh of relief as he walked straight into the house, without so much as a word or backward glance. Stumbling to the nearest armchair he collapsed into it, his eyes closing again.

  Without wasting time, Kate put his set of keys onto the sideboard and hurried out of the house, closing the door behind her with an overwhelming sense of relief. There wasn’t any need to stay a moment longer than necessary.

  ‘That was quick.’ Marcus commented in surprise as she came up the paved concrete path towards him.

  ‘I know, he passed out on the chair as soon as we got in.’ Kate walked straight to the driver’s side and got into the car, Marcus following suit. She couldn’t help but glance at the overhead digital time display with a cautious expression. ‘Oh goodness, it’s six-thirty already. Alf will be home soon.’

  Marcus heard the distinct tone of anxiety in her voice and looked at her quizzically. ‘Are you worried about Alf coming home?’

  Regretting her words, Kate started up the engine and shook her head slowly. ‘No. It’s not that.’ She considered how best to put across her worries. ‘It’s just that Alf’s always found fault with my friend Megan, despite us being friends since childhood. If he finds out about Jonnie…’ She exhaled slowly, pushing her head back against the headrest. ‘Well, it’ll just probably cause an argument between me and him and I don’t want that. Not tonight.’