Guess Who I Pulled Last Night?

by Nikki Ashton

  “She not my wife, and it’s not my marriage love. You have to make that decision yourself. Just think long and hard about it, please,” Charlotte begged, wishing with all her heart that Kerry would suddenly see sense.

  “I have thought hard about it already Charlotte; I can’t see any other way. Look, thanks for trying, but I think it’s down to me now.” He turned and walked up the drive, pushing his bicycle at the side of him. Looking to Charlotte like a nervous teenager.

  Charlotte’s heart was almost breaking, knowing that the decision had already been made. She got into the car and decided to go and see Tom, who was alone while their parents visited relations in Bournemouth. Charlotte had to talk to someone, and she figured that her baby brother was better than nobody.

  “Alright Sis, do you fancy a cuppa?” Tom was lazing on the sofa as Charlotte walked in.

  “Yeah, okay.” Charlotte leaned against his resting place and stared, unseeing, at the T.V.

  “No sugar for me, please.” Tom smiled, as he laughed at his own joke.

  Charlotte too tired to argue, shuffled into the kitchen and turned the kettle on. As she reached up for two mugs, Tom came in behind her.

  “You’re not fun anymore. I expected at least a small argument,” muttered Tom, but then Charlotte started to cry. “Hey, what’s the matter, come on don’t cry? Is Charley Farley going to tell Tommy Pickles what’s wrong?”

  Charlotte broke into a smile at the sound of their childhood nicknames. “Oh Tom, it’s awful.”

  They drank their mugs of tea, made by Tom, as Charlotte told him everything. She told him about Kerry and Kelvin, Stuart and Bets, and finally about Mr Devine and Grant.

  “Bloody hell, what a pisser,” groaned Tom. “No wonder you are crying. So what do you think Kelvin will do?” He passed Charlotte a handful of chocolate digestives.

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I think short term, he’ll probably go to his mum’s maybe, but I’m worried that if he does it could turn into a long term thing. I don’t think either of them wants that. I just wish it could be sorted out.” Charlotte dunked a biscuit into her tea before popping it, whole, into her mouth.

  “Couldn’t Bets speak to her?” Tom asked, and then answered his own question. “No, not the right time I suppose.”

  “Exactly, she’s not in good shape herself. I know that they’d only just become a couple, but she’s taken Stuart’s death pretty badly.”

  “I suppose it must bring it all back about her mum and dad, plus she’s probably grieving for what could have been. Now she’ll never know whether this was the one.”

  Charlotte smiled and pinched Tom’s cheek. “When did you get so wise little brother?” For all his bravado, he was a genuinely thoughtful man, and she loved him dearly.

  “Not so little now, I’m 26 soon, and I can wipe my own bum.”

  “Can’t drink tea though can you?” Charlotte giggled, pointing at the dark cream splashes on his pristine white T-shirt.

  “Oh shit, Charlotte quick, tell me how to use the washing machine.”

  Three hours later Charlotte decided that it was time to go home. They’d had a lovely afternoon, watching old episodes of Grange Hill and Byker Grove. Tom treated them both to a Chinese Take Away, finished off with a whole Arctic Roll between them. Charlotte now felt incredibly bloated and fat. They had talked as well, and Tom had told her to imagine Mr Devine on the loo each time he ignored Charlotte or was rude to her. Charlotte smiled to herself - such wise words from one so stupid. She had to admit though, he had been right about Bets. She did need to get back on the horse, as he had put it, and try to meet other people again. Charlotte decided there and then that she would call around tomorrow and help start Bets' rehabilitation.

  As she opened her front door, she heard her mobile ringing out. Frantically, she started searching through her bag then just as she found it the ringing stopped. Once inside she dialled her voicemail; it was Kelvin.

  “Charlotte, it’s me, just to let you know I’m at Kerry’s mum’s with Esme. I don’t really want to involve my family at this stage, and well, Sheila is as angry with her as I am. She’s tried to talk to her, like the rest of us, but hasn’t got anywhere.” Kelvin paused as he sighed heavily. “Err, could you keep an eye on Kerry for me and let me know if she needs anything. I’m going to stay here for a week or so and see how things go…err, hope that this makes sense to you, because to be honest it doesn’t to me…err, see you soon, bye.”

  Charlotte could have cried at the thought of what both Kerry and Kelvin must be going through. Kelvin must be really desperate, she thought, to leave the house, and why hadn’t any of them been able to help Kerry. She went into the kitchen, fed Petula and then set about making herself a cup of tea. Charlotte sat at the kitchen table, waiting for the kettle to boil on the gas hob, thinking about the mess that her two best friends were in, and here she was worrying about some stupid prat who insisted on ignoring her, how pathetic was she? The home telephone ringing broke Charlotte’s thoughts; she picked up the kitchen extension.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi Charlotte, it’s me.”

  Charlotte could barely hear the whisper on the other end of the line, but she recognised that it was Bet’s voice.

  “Bets, sweetheart, where have you been? I’ve been ringing you all week, have you been away?” Charlotte leaned over and turned off the whistling kettle.

  “I just had to get away, Alfred and I went to Keswick. We stayed at an animal-friendly B & B; it was delightful!” Bets attempted to laugh, at her feeble joke.

  “So when did you get back?” Charlotte asked in a hushed tone.

  “Oh about an hour ago, what are you doing, do you fancy coming around for a while?”

  Charlotte glanced at the clock, ten o'clock. She really could do with an early night, but Bets needed her. “I tell you what, I’ll bring my ‘jarmies’ over and stay, how’s that. I’ll take tomorrow off as I'm owed a few days holidays, what do you think?”

  Bets just about managed a smile. “What Miss Workaholic taking a day off…that would be great. I’ll see you in a few minutes then.”

  “Okay, see you soon.”

  “Charlotte.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks.”

  The line then went dead.

  Charlotte arrived at Bet’s flat fifteen minutes later. As she locked her car, she looked over at the light coming from behind Bets’ curtains. Charlotte wondered what she was going to say. Oh she’d been there when both Bets’ parents had died, but this was different; you didn’t expect anyone your own age to die. Charlotte hauled her overnight bag over her shoulder, and crunched across the gravel to the apartment block.

  As soon as the door was opened Bets threw her arms around Charlotte, gripping her tightly around the neck. Little sobs escaped intermittently from Bets’ head that was nuzzled against Charlotte’s neck. Charlotte ushered Bets back into the flat and sat her down onto the sofa; the two of them still joined together.

  Eventually, Bets lifted her head and smiled weakly at Charlotte. “It wouldn’t be that bad if the sex hadn’t been so good.”

  Charlotte smiled too and pulled a tissue out of her pocket to wipe Bet’s nose. “You can keep that,” she said as Bets offered it back. “Do you want a cup of tea?”

  Bets shook her head. “No, I’m sick of drinking tea, but I daren’t start on the wine. I don’t think that I’d stop.”

  “Hmm, that's very sensible.” Charlotte nodded earnestly. “So tell me all about it.”

  Charlotte felt that the best thing to do was to let Bets talk, and so she did for nearly two hours. She spoke about her feelings. More to the point that she didn't know how she was feeling. She was in limbo, crying hysterically one minute and then realising that she hardly knew him the next. Bets talked about the nights that they had spent together, and the things that they’d talked about until the early hours of the morning.

  “So believe it or not, it wasn’t just sex!”

/>   Bets talked and talked, punctuated with sobs and some laughter when Charlotte tried to lighten the mood. Eventually, she sighed and lounged back on the sofa, her legs on Charlotte’s knee.

  “Having a whole week alone, with nothing to do but think, has helped,” Bets said.

  Charlotte rubbed her hand gently. “Has it?”

  “Hmm, I thought about Stuart a lot, and I also thought about my parents, but mostly Stuart. He was a real gentleman; he was witty, interesting, handsome had a good body, and excellent in bed.” Bets smiled, thinking fondly of their two weeks of bliss. “But they are all extras aren’t they?”

  Charlotte frowned, not really understanding her. “They seem pretty good reasons to like someone to me.”

  “Ah, but were they the true Stuart, or were they the ‘I’m going to impress my new girlfriend’ Stuart. I didn’t and couldn’t possibly know the real him in such a short space of time,” explained Bets.

  “You may have done, that could have been the real him; most people at the funeral seemed to agree with those sentiments.”

  “Maybe, but now I’ll never know will I? That’s what scares me the most, what if I’ve just missed out on the best relationship that I’m ever going to have. What happens if I never meet that special someone again?”

  Bets’ eyes were like little pools, reflecting Charlotte’s gentle smile, as she fought back the tears. Charlotte said nothing, letting Bets continue in her own time.

  Eventually, Bets broke the silence. “You know me Charlotte; I'm strictly a two date wonder, but I really wanted it to be more with Stuart. Who knows whether it would have worked out, but at that exact moment, I really thought it would? That has never ever happened to me before, and what if it doesn't again?” Bets rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, and flopped back onto a cushion.

  “Of course you will,” coaxed Charlotte. “Anyway, you said it yourself you are a two date wonder. Knowing you, as I do, you’d have been bored within a month.”

  “The point is Charlotte; we will never know, no-one will. Do you know I’m thirty years of age and have only considered being with someone long term once, so you tell me what the chances are of me ever finding anyone now?”

  Charlotte smiled gently and held Bets’ hand. “We’ll see, but I think that you are being a little pessimistic. You said you thought about your mum and dad too, did it help at all?”

  Bets nodded. “Yes,” she answered wistfully. “I realised how much I miss them, and how I have never really grieved for them properly before. You don’t realise when you are young and having a good time how traumatic it is losing someone you love. Let’s face it; I cried for a week and then thought about where the next party was. So this time was their time as well, does that make sense?”

  Charlotte nodded and smiled at Bets. “Oh sweetheart I wish I’d been there for you, but I think that you will be okay.”

  “Yes so do I. I’m not over him yet Charlotte, but I think that I’m ready to get back on the horse and go out again at least.”

  Charlotte started to laugh, not unkindly.

  “What’s so funny,” asked Bets.

  “Nothing, you just remind me of someone; that's all. Well, I don’t know about you, but I think that I’m ready for bed, and then in the morning I’ll tell you all about my day.”

  “What’s been happening with you then?”

  “Oh nothing you need to worry about, it’ll wait.” Charlotte sighed, her heart feeling even heavier than before.

  Chapter 13

  It was a cold miserable day, and Kelvin had been gone for two weeks now, and didn’t seem any nearer coming home. Kerry tried to persuade her mum to talk to Kelvin; at least to allow Kerry to have Esme at home. Kerry's mother, Sheila was, however, on Kelvin’s side, as were her three elder brothers, so there was no chance.

  It was 11:30 a.m. and Kerry had been out the night before, with Pat and Caroline. They had had a stay behind in one of the local pubs, and she hadn’t got home until two in the morning. Kerry was feeling a little flaky to say the least, and so getting out of bed was a real struggle. As she weaved her way to the bathroom Kerry realised that all these nights out were getting a little monotonous, if she were being honest, she was missing quiet nights in with Kelvin, watching old comedy shows on DAVE. Her eyes still closed Kerry reached for the bath taps and turned them on. She groaned at the thudding sound of the water into the bath. Her mouth still tasted of cheap wine, and her head was pounding. It felt so heavy that she dropped it into her hands, hoping to relieve the pressure and pain.

  “Oh God, what am I doing with my life?” she cried, looking down at the wedding band and diamond engagement ring on her finger. Kerry turned them around, and thought back to the days when Kelvin had put them there.

  It wasn’t as if he didn’t make her happy anymore, if she were being honest, nothing did. She felt sad, deep inside and couldn’t explain why. Kerry had thought that maybe Bets would understand, because Charlotte obviously didn’t, but she’d been to see Bets yesterday, and she’d practically thrown her out. She demanded that Kerry go home and pull her life back together. Kerry sighed, perhaps her timing hadn’t been right. It had only been three weeks since Stuart had died, reminding her again that it was two weeks since Kelvin had left, and two weeks since she’d last spoken to Charlotte.

  Her heart felt heavy and empty when she thought about everything, and when she thought about Kelvin and Esme, it felt like it had been ripped out. Kerry sat on the side of the bath with the water still rushing in, as she thought about Kelvin’s twice a week visits with Esme. The whole time she would cuddle and play with her daughter, but there was no contact at all with Kelvin, they barely even spoke let alone touch. It just wasn’t them; it wasn’t him; they had always had such a loving relationship.

  Kerry stood up and slipped out of her nightdress and stepped into the bath, lowering herself into the steaming water. As she lay there she submerged herself, pushing her lungs to the limit as she held her nose. Only a little longer, a little more, come on let’s just see how unhappy you are about your life, come on Kerry don’t be such a baby. Suddenly, gasping for air, she shot up; choking on the water in her nose and throat, and then the tears came. Slowly at first, thick salty ones rolling down her face into the water below. They got quicker and Kerry started to sob loudly, the noise echoing around the bathroom. Kerry pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around them, gently rocking backwards and forwards while she cried deep, sad tears splashing into the bath.

  Charlotte was talking to Paul in his office. They were supposed to be discussing her business case for a new computer system, but her mind wasn’t really on it. She had a banging headache and couldn’t help but wonder how Kerry was.

  “So, Charlotte, I agree that we get Bill Gates to come down here and fit us a multi-million pound system that we don’t need, okay?” Paul asked inclining his head towards Charlotte.

  “Yes, that’s fine,” she replied, biting her nail absent-mindedly.

  “Charlotte poppet, are you actually listening to me, or shall we continue this another time?” Paul put a hand on her arm.

  “I’m sorry Paul; I’m just so worried about Kerry and Kelvin, and Bets for that matter.”

  She smiled at him grateful for his concern and friendship. Charlotte wasn’t really sure how they had become so close. It had just happened during long nights getting the business up and running. They had chatted a lot over coffee breaks with them both having the same common desire - to meet a life partner. Charlotte was able to help Paul on that score, well inadvertently. It was at her 21st birthday party that Paul was introduced to Adam a friend of Charlotte’s, and they had been together ever since. In return, Paul had given Charlotte a career that she loved, and support when she had gone through the horrible times with Grant, plus he had tried to fix her up with a couple of his friends, although both encounters had been unsuccessful to say the least.

  “I thought Bets was doing a little better,” said Paul, breaking
her train of thought.

  “She is, but she’s still sad and finding it hard to come to terms with. At least, she’s getting out more; she’s coming with me to Amanda’s make up party tonight.”

  “That’s a bit like coals to Newcastle isn’t it?”

  “I suppose so, but at least it’s getting her out.”

  “So what about the other two; what’s happening there then?”

  “Not really sure, all I know is that Kelvin is at Kerry’s mum’s and visits Kerry a couple of times a week.” Charlotte saw Paul’s quizzical look. “Kerry and I are not on speaking terms at the moment.” She explained all about their last meeting, on the day that Kelvin had left.

  “Oh dear, why don’t you go and see her,” suggested Paul, perching on the edge of his desk.

  “Maybe, but to be honest I’m not sure that I have the energy for another row with her. I don’t know what else to say or do, except drag her by her hair to the doctor myself. We just go around in circles, saying the same things. I think that in some ways she is right, perhaps she does need to deal with this her way, make her own decisions about things.”

  “I think that you are probably right I’m afraid,” said Paul, leaning forward. “You have tried everything you can; the only thing you haven’t tried is letting her make her own mind up. Ultimately, it’s a risk, but I think it’s a risk that all of you are going to have to take. She’s a bright woman who loves her family and friends, and if there is no-one else involved, as she says, then she will make the right choices. It could just take time, meaning that you will all have to be patient.”

  Charlotte stood up and hugged Paul tightly. “Thank you for being there, at the moment I feel like I’m everybody else’s rock, and I haven’t got any energy left for me.”

  “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” Paul held up his hand as Charlotte began to object. “No. I mean it Charlotte. You’ve only had one of that three days holiday that we owe you from last year, never mind this year’s quota that you haven’t taken yet.