by David Barry
‘OK,’ he said. ‘We could both do with some help from a professional. We’ll be fine, Maggie. We’ll be fine.’
When Mike caught Daryl’s eye, he noticed the boy was looking at him without his usual sullen expression. He could have been mistaken, but Mike almost thought he could interpret it as admiration.
***
Mary had spent most of the day tidying the house in preparation for the first visit from a potential buyer. Two days it had been on the market and already the estate agent had telephoned to make an appointment, telling them it was a single man and a cash buyer.
While they waited in the kitchen, staring across the table at each other, wondering what to say to kill the time, Dave and Mary recognised that neither of them wanted to move. It was fear that was driving them away.
As if she was hyperventilating nervously, Mary blew out a deep breath.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Dave.
‘You know what’s wrong. We’re both running away. Neither of us want to live in Blackpool.’
‘But I thought...’Dave began, frowning uncomprehendingly.
‘Yes, yes!’ said Mary, impatiently. ‘They sentenced Ronnie to a year, and he could be out in nine months. Then what? It doesn’t bear thinking about.’
Dave opened his mouth to speak, but there was a ring on the door.
‘That’ll be him,’ said Mary. She glanced at her watch. ‘Talk about punctual.’
When Dave opened the front door, he immediately realised he’d had preconceived ideas about what the prospective buyer would look like. He’d been expecting someone more professional looking. This man looked like the sort of bloke who always dresses in sports clothes but never exercises. He wore Addidas track suit bottoms, the elastic waistband being stretched to an optimistic level of support by an enormous beer belly, and a purple polo shirt. His arms displayed a plethora of tattoos, and a shaved head dominated an otherwise insipid red face.
‘Mr. Whitby?’ he said.
Dave nodded, trying not to look too taken aback. ‘You must be - er - Mr Caven?’
‘Please. Call me Terry.’
Dave smiled and stepped aside for the man to enter. ‘I’m Dave. Come in.’
As he entered the man put out his hand. ‘Good to meet you, Dave.’
Dave tried not to let the agony of the bone-crushing handshake show. Recovering, he shut the front door. Mary emerged from the kitchen.
‘This is Terry,’ said Dave. ‘This is my other half - Mary.’
The man grinned and looked Mary up and down. ‘Good to meet you, sweetheart.’
Dave gestured towards the living room. ‘Shall we start with the lounge?’
As the three of them stood in the living room, and Dave and Mary took it in turns to explain what everything was, the man seemed remote and disinterested. Dave was explaining about why the electricity meter was housed in a cupboard next to the fireplace when the man interrupted him.
‘So why are you selling the place?’
Dave looked towards Mary before replying. ‘We’ve - er - decided we’re going to settle up north.’
The man smiled and looked Dave in the eye. ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere?’
Dave blushed slightly. ‘Well, years ago I used to be on the telly. I’m a stand-up comedian. But I’m sure you’re too young to remember.’
The man’s grin got wider. ‘That’s the great thing about DVDs and all these other channels now. You can catch up on the oldies.’
Dave laughed uncomfortably, and was about to commence with his explanation about the meter, when the man leapt in again, almost as though the house was incidental to his interest.
‘So you’re going back up home, are you?’
Dave frowned. ‘Sorry?’
‘Well, you’re from up north. I detect the accent.’
Dave tittered foolishly. ‘Well, I’m from Yorkshire, but actually we’re going to settle in Lancashire.’
‘Oh? Whereabouts?’
‘We’re looking to settle in Blackpool. Or somewhere near there.’
The man nodded thoughtfully. Dave gestured towards the door.
‘Shall we take a look at the rest of the house?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I only came round to give you a message from Ronnie. See, him and me’s great mates, and he guessed you might move out the district. So he sent me round to find out where. Job done. He says one way or the other he can find out where you bugger off to. So it’s no good trying to avoid him. And he told me to tell you, nine 0r ten months’ll go by just like that.’
The man clicked his fingers and walked to the door. He turned back and stared at Mary, whose face was drawn.
‘Ronnie said you was a looker. He was right. No wonder he don’t want to let you go. Some things are meant to be, eh?’
The man walked into the hall and let himself out as Mary clutched Dave’s arm and tears sprang into her eyes.
‘Oh my God, Dave! I’m scared. I’ve never been so scared. Even from prison he’s got a hold on me.’
Sixty - Eight
Donald chuckled softly as he stared at Ted across the breakfast table. ‘That bruise is amazing.’
Ted pursed his lips before replying. ‘I’m glad you think so. It bloody well hurts, I can tell you.’
Irritatingly, Donald laughed again. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen so many colours in a bruise before. There must be at least seven. That’s it! It’s the spectrum! You’ve got a rainbow shiner.’
Ted sighed deeply. ‘Seriously, Donald, what am I going to do about my things?’
‘Buy a new wardrobe of clothes. You can afford it with your winnings. I’ll take you out shopping. Make a new man of you. A new, trendier-looking Ted.’
Ted shook his head unbelievably. ‘Oh my God! That’s what I was afraid of.’
‘Come on, Ted - cheer up. You’re free of her at last.’
‘But it’s Miranda I’m worried about.’
Donald eased his chair back from the table and stood up. ‘We’re seeing the solicitor this afternoon. Wheels will be set in motion.’
Ted frowned. ‘Yes, but what worries me is what Marjorie will say about you and me.’
Donald walked over to the window and stared out at the garden, talking to Ted with his back to him. ‘She’s bound to say we’re living together as a gay couple. So we just deny it. Who can prove otherwise?’
‘I’m not very good at lying.’
Donald spun round and grinned at his partner. ‘Now that is a lie. I think you’re better at lying than you think you are. And look at the lie you’ve been living all these years - with her.’ He glanced round at the garden again. ‘Oh this dull, depressing, damp weather. It would get me down but for one thing.’
‘What’s that?’ said Ted.
‘Even though the weather’s been like it for weeks now, the same old everyday drizzle, I still feel brand new. And you must too, Ted. Changes are taking place. Changes for the better. Come on, let’s get ready and go out shopping.’
***
In spite of the never-ending tedium of the overcast sky, hanging over the country like a shroud, and the mild unnatural temperature for the time of year, changes were taking place. Not only with Donald and Ted, but also with Maggie, who, along with Mike’s support and help, recognised she had a major problem and made a start by going to see her GP and speaking openly about her condition.
Because of her behaviour over the last few weeks, Craig and Mandy had been left to run the wine bar on their own. Neither of them minded. In fact, they were glad they no longer had to contend with Maggie’s behaviour, which they suspected had lost them customers.
Late one midweek night, Mike arrived at the wine bar. Craig greeted him hesitan
tly. He was reticent in committing himself to being to over friendly with his sister’s boyfriend, as he saw Mike as a bad influence; but when Mike outlined his plans to attend counselling with Maggie to help her through the bad times, Craig became slightly more affable, telling Mike a few topical jokes he had received by text on his mobile.
Mike laughed diplomatically, not wanting to spoil the developing relationship, as they were now practically brothers-in-law, by admitting he had already received the same jokes on his mobile.
‘Look, Craig,’ he said, ‘I know we’ve been absent from the wine bar recently. But I think Maggie should still have some time off, spend a little time away from temptation for a while.’ He waved a hand towards the alcohol stacked behind the bar. ‘I know you can’t go on working seven days a week. So I’ll be quite happy to work on the quieter nights, then you can have some time off.’
Mandy, who was stacking glasses in the dishwasher behind the bar, said, ‘That would be great, Mike. Because Craig needs time off to look for a new flat.’
Craig’s mouth dropped open as he looked at Mandy. Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she stared back at him.
‘You’re right, Mandy. But I’m only going to move into a new flat if you move in with me.’
Her expression was impassive, and Mike could see the wheels turning in her mind. Suddenly she beamed at Craig, and said, ‘I thought you’d never ask.’
***
Change too was taking place at Dave and Mary’s, where they’d had an offer for his house, this time from a genuine buyer. They had accepted the offer, and Dave hatched a plan to put Mary’s ex-husband off the scent when he came out of prison.
‘I don’t really want to leave the district,’ he said. ‘I’ve got used to it here down south. And now we know it’s pointless trying to run away. Ronnie can always find us.’
‘So what do we do, now that we’ve sold the house?’
‘I think we make it official ... you become my other half, and change your name to Whitby.’
Mary’s intake of breath was an excited gust as her eyes lit up. She threw her arms around him. ‘D’you mean it?’
‘I wouldn’t joke about a thing like that. Once we’re married, you go and see Ronnie in prison and give him the news. Then you can tell him the newlyweds are going to settle in Blackpool. He’ll have no reason to disbelieve you, especially as he’ll already have heard from his mate how we planned to escape up north. With any luck, he might just consider you a lost cause.’
Mary snuggled closer to Dave. ‘I don’t know about that. Ronnie’s hell-bent on revenge.’
‘Well, we go and see that detective who gave us his card. And we tell him about what happened; about that bloke coming round to see the house and threatening us. Then, when Ronnie’s released, if we have any more problems, we get straight in touch with the police again. Any more nonsense, and they’ll bang him up again. But for a while, he’s going to think we really did go to Blackpool.’
Mary looked into her lover’s eyes and frowned. ‘So what do we do about this house, now you’ve accepted the offer?’
‘Oh, we go through with the sale - hopefully. And I’ve been looking in The Courier. There’s a nice house in Rusthall I want to look at.’
Mary giggled. ‘I feel really safe now. I mean, Ronnie’ll never be able to work out how we escaped from High Brooms, and made it to the wilds of Rusthall.
One mile the other side of Tunbridge Wells.’
***
Most changes that were taking place in the new year were positive, but if Ted could have been the proverbial fly on the wall and seen his wife after she returned from the meeting with a solicitor, he would have been shocked. The solicitor had explained to her how, even though she had inherited the house from her grandmother, Ted might be entitled to half. As soon as she got home, her face white with the deadly heat of suppressed rage, she suddenly exploded. Everything Ted owned she dragged out of drawers and cupboards, took out into the garden and set alight. Then she got every photograph, memento of their lives together - weddings, anniversaries, birthdays - tore them into shreds and added them to the pyre. She began to feel cleansed as she air-brushed him out of her life completely. And then she remembered Tracey, whom she had left with her friend Freda while she visited the solicitor. Tracey would be the perpetual reminder that she would never be able to expunge all traces of the man she had grown to hate.
***
Vanessa moved in with her boyfriend. Not long after, unable to bear living in the same house as Nigel, Nicky found herself a small flat in Tunbridge Wells. A week later, Jackie arranged to meet up with them and took them out to lunch at Pizza Express.
After they had ordered, Jackie sniffed, brought out a small lace-bordered handkerchief, and dabbed delicately at her nose and eyes, as if she was appearing in a television costume drama. Vanessa could see her mother was upset, and was both annoyed and amused by this over-genteel display.
Nicky asked: ‘Is everything all right, Mummy?’
Jackie sighed and shook her head. ‘It’s just such a wrench. My babies leaving home for good. I know you both used to irritate me, but I do love you. And I loved having you around. Now you’re no longer there ... well, it’ll take some getting used to.’
‘I’m sure you’ll manage,’ said Vanessa. ‘Now you’ve got lover boy all to yourself.’
‘I do wish you wouldn’t call him that.’
Vanessa smiled cruelly. ‘And how is our ... er ... stepfather?’
Jackie blew her cheeks out, showing how difficult life was. ‘He’s hard work sometimes. I bought him some socks for Christmas...’
‘Socks!’ exclaimed Nicky, and startled herself.
Jackie glanced around the restaurant nervously. ‘Keep your voice down. I did buy him other things as well. The socks were an extra present. Pretty dull I know. Especially as he only wears black socks. The day after boxing day, he came into the kitchen, dropped the socks onto the kitchen table and went on about his sock stock rotation. And I had to sit down there and then and sow in little pieces of different coloured wool into the ankle of each pair so that he can tell them apart.’
‘But you don’t have to do that anymore,’ Vanessa said. ‘You can buy plain socks with different colours on the toes and heels, so you never get them muddled up.’
‘I wish I’d known that.’
‘Oh, Mummy!’
Vanessa caught Nicky’s eye and they both spluttered and laughed.
‘I think Nigel’s a sandwich short of a picnic,’ said Nicky.
Jackie surveyed them both and smiled. ‘At least he’s reliable. I didn’t think I could cope with all the changes. Especially you two leaving home. But at least Nigel with his stick-in-the-mud ways will always be solid and dependably dull.’
Vanessa grinned hugely at her mother’s forthright confession of how she really felt about Nigel. ‘No change there then,’ she said.
‘No, thank God!’ said her mother.
Although Jackie acknowledged and accepted change was taking place, with her daughters leaving home for the for the first time, at least she felt comforted by the knowledge of her husband’s unwavering beliefs and rituals.
It seemed to be a time of change. Jackie felt that change was all around. Not just her and her family, but she almost felt a sixth sense, a supernatural feeling about the people all around her, the hundreds of people she didn’t know, who were all searching for something knew, yet still clinging to the calming protection of day-to-day routine.
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