The Reunion

by Gould, R J

  This was going in a direction David didn’t want to follow. “It wasn’t like that at all, we loved our childhood together.”

  “I’m only repeating what your mother told me, god rest her soul.”

  “Mother liked to grumble a bit, but she and Charlotte got on fine. In fact…”

  “Talking about me?” Charlotte was by their side. How much had she heard?

  “I was just saying what a lovely family you were.” Vivienne might have deteriorated, but a capacity to lie convincingly remained intact.

  Jane approached the group. “David, I need to speak to you.”

  Charlotte hadn’t spoken to her since the separation. “Hello Jane, how are things?”

  Jane didn’t reply, she was looking at David.

  Vivienne chipped in. “You’re the wife who ran away, aren’t you? David was such a good boy.”

  Jane didn’t reply to that either.

  David faced his soon to be ex-wife. “What is it, Jane?”

  “Not here. Somewhere private, please.”

  “OK, let’s go upstairs.” They left Vivienne and Charlotte together to talk about little madams, coping with teenagers and the social impact of punk music.

  David led the way. He headed towards his old bedroom, but this had been the venue of their clandestine sex sessions ahead of getting a place of their own. It would be a poor choice given the circumstances. He did a quick about turn on the landing and they went into his mother’s room. Clothes were piled high in cardboard boxes and the bed was stripped down to the stained mattress. They sat on it.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I think you know very well. How could you, David?”

  “How could I what?”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Donald’s told me everything.”

  “I have no idea. How could I what?”

  “You were so keen to rush the financial settlement, weren’t you? Now I know why.”

  Sitting together on the bed, David could feel the heat of her anger. He stood and walked to the window, looking out over the large garden. The swing at the bottom was still there, though in a sorry state, the chains rusty and the wooden seat rotten. He’d spent many an hour on it as had his own children. The grass needed a mow; the March rain followed by the early April warmth had brought rapid growth. Flower beds housed untidy clumps of uncared for bushes. He wouldn’t miss the place, they should put it on the market as soon as possible.

  He turned back to face Jane. “OK I get it, and what you’re implying is laughable. Remember, you were the one who wanted things done quickly. In time for a spring divorce and your summer wedding.”

  “You knew your mother had a weak heart.”

  “If you’re suggesting I knew she was about to die, that’s ludicrous.”

  “Is the amount of money Donald mentioned true?”

  “I’ve no idea what he told you, but I’m not prepared to discuss it.”

  David walked away from the window, stopping at his mother’s dressing table. There were large opal necklaces and pearl earrings on it. The stones looked real enough, though Mr Spratt had informed him and Charlotte that the expensive stuff was stowed away in a bank safe. On seeing him looking at the jewellery Jane stood up and went across to inspect. David wasn’t comfortable with this and moved across to intercept. They stood close, eye to eye. Anger, distrust and hate had replaced love.

  “What on earth are you going to do with all the money?” Jane asked.

  “I’m sorry, but that’s not your concern.”

  “Maybe it is. You’ve got enough to change the arrangement for how much I contribute towards the children’s maintenance.”

  “I’ve buried my mother today, Jane. This is not the time to have a discussion about anything to do with money,” David asserted. “Much of it will go in tax, then half to Charlotte, and my half for a business venture I’m starting.”

  “Your café? I’ve heard about that from the kids. Why on earth are you chucking in a good job to do something so daft? I don’t understand.”

  “Well, it’s not for you to understand any more, is it? Perhaps more appropriate today is for you to offer your condolences.”

  “You never even liked her. She got on better with me than with you.”

  “Yes, maybe you were more similar than I ever realised.”

  “That’s insulting.”

  David returned to the window and faced the garden. There was a splash of colour, a clump of purple tulips with petals open wide and drooping. Soon they would be rotting – like his mother.

  The impasse continued as they both waited for the other to speak. Finally Jane left and he heard her stamp downstairs.

  Rachel came into the room. “Dad? Everything OK?”

  “Yes fine, Rachel,” he said as she moved closer. He smelt tobacco.

  “Mum’s stormed out. What was that about?”

  “Just the usual post-separation hassles. She’s tough, she’ll get over it.”

  “I hope so, she was furious. We were on our way in and she brushed straight past us. Not even a bye.”

  David shrugged.

  “Would you rather be alone?” Rachel continued. “Shall I go downstairs?

  “No. Actually I’d like you to look at grandma’s jewellery. See if there’s anything you want as a keepsake. Then as soon as everyone’s gone we’ll get going with clearing out her stuff.”

  “It’s weird. I don’t feel a strong sense of loss, but now you’ve said ‘clearing out her stuff’, like chucking away evidence of her life, I think it’s all very sad.”

  When Sam came in to see what was going on, his father and sister were hugging.

  The Reunion – R J Gould

  Chapter 39

  It had been a traumatic day compounded by a painfully slow journey home. David was desperate to unwind. He settled down to watch the recording of a TV drama about a group of factory workers who had won the national lottery. The reviews had been positive and this light-hearted production would provide much needed escapism. The doorbell rang. He waited in anticipation of either Sam or Rachel coming downstairs to answer it, but neither did. With reluctance he pressed pause on the remote and investigated. It was Jim.

  The last thing David needed was this. He would not tolerate an accusation that he’d treated Jane unfairly.

  “May I come in, David?” Jim always looked earnest and sincere. Perhaps it came from being a Philosophy lecturer. The rat.

  “I suppose so, but I’ve had a busy day so not for long if you don’t mind.”

  Since Jane had left there had been only a few brief conversations, predominantly when the children were being taken or collected from their two parents’ homes. The meetings had been civil enough with David’s resentment dissolved once his relationship with Bridget had started.

  “Don’t worry, this can be quick, but there’s something you need to know,” Jim said. He had a face that exuded mood and this one suggested the end of the world was nigh. David prepared his answer to what was to come. He had phoned his solicitor and there was no way Jane was entitled to any of the money left to him by his mother.

  They sat in the lounge. The TV screen was frozen on a painfully thin, middle-aged lady wearing a factory overall. Temporarily static tears rolled down her cheeks. David was unsure whether they were tears of joy or sorrow because despite the win, not all was going well for the lottery winners.

  “Could we…?” Jim suggested, nodding towards the screen.

  “OK,” David conceded and switched off the TV. It struck him that when they had been friends Jim always got his own way. He had a knack of making it blindingly obvious that his preference was the logical one. He wasn’t going to win this time. “What do you want to talk about, Jim?”

  “About Jane. Jane and me.”

  “Look I know how she feels about my inheritance but I have to tell you…”

  “It’s nothing to do with money, David.”

  “What is it then?�
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  “I’ve decided not to marry her, David.”

  David was unsure how to respond. Jim had had what seemed like a wonderful marriage until poor Vanessa had died of cancer. She’d ignored the symptoms for ages and by the time it was diagnosed it was too late to take action. Jane, David too, had been supportive during the last few months of Vanessa’s life and then with Jim afterwards. Of course David hadn’t been aware of just how supportive Jane had been. Was it now evident to Jim that his love for his wife had been so strong that he couldn’t put her memory aside and remarry?

  If this was the case, David had a suggestion. “You needn’t think about marriage. Just enjoy the relationship and see what happens in the future.”

  “I don’t only mean not marrying. It’s over between Jane and me, David.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve fallen in love with someone else, David.”

  David remained silent.

  Jim continued. “A lecturer joined my department in January. We see eye to eye on everything. Right from the start we’ve spent hours in coffee bars and pubs chatting away on the same wavelength. It’s incredible, it’s like we’re telepathic. Yesterday we discussed producing a joint paper on free will versus determinism. You see Descartes viewed the mind as pure ego, a permanent spiritual substance. Of course since then…”

  “Jim, I’m not interested in that. I have similar ideas about the layout of balance sheets as some of my female accountancy colleagues, but that doesn’t mean I have an affair with them.” Mary did cross David’s mind at that instant, but he brushed the thought aside.

  “Fair point, David. For me and Ursula it’s more than that. We’re in love.”

  “Does Jane know this?”

  “Yes she does. She’s rather upset, David.”

  “Rather upset! Honestly, what do you expect?”

  “Fair point, David.”

  “Stop saying ‘fair point’ will you?”

  “Fair…yes, sorry, David.”

  “And stop putting a ‘David’ at the end of everything you say. It gets on my nerves.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean there are only the two of us in the room, not a group. When you speak it’s obviously addressed to me so there’s no need to end with a ‘David’.”

  Jim called up his hurt look. Head down, speaking even more softly than usual, he conceded. “Well, if it bothers you that much I’ll stop doing it.”

  “Good,” David replied, adding “Jim” for good measure to make it evident he saw through the manipulation. But he didn’t anticipate what was to come.

  Jim turned on his ‘deep in meaningful thought’ face as he looked around the room. “I’ve not been in here since you changed things. Jane told me how much she liked the new colour on the walls and I must say I rather agree.” Once again his face transformed, now to an ‘I’ve suddenly thought of a great idea’ mode. “You’re incredibly similar, you two. Made for each other. David, would you consider taking her back?”

  “What?”

  “Jane. Would you take her back? I think she still loves you, David.”

  “I have a new partner, Jim. Someone I love very much. And unlike you with Jane, I intend to ensure it’s long-lasting.”

  “There’s no need for that jibe, David.”

  “I think there is. You’ve quite possibly ruined her life.”

  “I don’t think so, David.”

  “Cut out the David, will you!”

  “Jane will be fine. She’s an attractive woman and let’s face it, there are plenty of fish in the sea for her to choose from.”

  “Including sharks. Fortunately not everyone behaves the way you do. I think you’d better go now.”

  “Yes, perhaps I should, David.”

  Jim stood. Some people think a hand shake makes up for appalling behaviour. Jim had attempted it when he and Jane had broken the news of their relationship and now Jim extended his hand once more. David refused to take it and marched Jim out to the hallway. Jim departed without a further word between them.

  David was shocked to hear the news, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was Jane’s problem. He returned to the lounge, switched on the TV, and fast forwarded to the point where the factory worker was crying. He was pleased to see they were tears of joy. The drama moved on to a younger winner who had bought a flash sports car and had been caught speeding by the police. Offering them a £200 bribe to let him off was not a good idea. It looked like the police were going to arrest him which was a bit of a problem because his wife’s waters had broken and he wasn’t answering his mobile. The drama was hotting up.

  The doorbell rang again. He pressed pause on the remote.

  It was Jane and she was in floods of tears. The memory of her behaviour earlier that day had further soured his feelings towards her, but David’s good nature came through and he put a consoling arm around her shoulders. She was blurting out the news in between tears and David informed her that Jim had been round so he knew. He led her to the kitchen and offered her coffee or wine. She chose wine; he opened a red and poured two glasses.

  “Well he hasn’t come home since visiting you. No doubt he’s off to the club again,” she mumbled.

  “He only left a couple of minutes ago so he wouldn’t have got back yet. But what do you mean by ‘the club’?”

  “The club where he met his new woman.”

  “No, she’s a colleague at the university, a Philosophy lecturer.”

  Jane dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, downed the rest of her wine and held up her glass for a refill. David poured as requested. She took another large swig before continuing. “No she isn’t. I discovered the truth. Jim is a regular at ComeInside. All this time when he’s been telling me he’s got to stay on for a lecture or a meeting at the university, in actual fact he’s been going to a strip joint near Covent Garden.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Completely. I found out after a work colleague phoned to speak with him, a woman called Ursula who I vaguely know. I’d met her at a university drinks party. The evening she called he’d said he’d be late home as he needed to plan next year’s courses. With Ursula, the idiot told me.” Jane started to cry again. “Got a tissue, please?”

  “Yes, I’ll get them.”

  David rushed up to his bedroom, once upon a time their bedroom, and brought down a box of tissues. Jane took a handful and dabbed her eyes before continuing. “Soon after Ursula called, he texted to let me know that the meeting wasn’t over and he’d be staying over. That wasn’t for the first time. Until then I’d had no reason to doubt what he said. I know lecturers can get a bedroom at the university if they’re working late and that had been his routine excuse. Of course, he didn’t stay there.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because this evening I confronted him. As calm as anything he came out with it. Full of his bloody intense looks and you see Jane, this and you see Jane, that.” She gave a bitter laugh before continuing. “I yelled at him for calling me Jane every few seconds. What’s the point when I’m the only one in the room? You have no idea what I’m talking about, but it’s a habit that drives me mad. He speaks like he’s a counsellor giving me advice. So there he was, fucking someone else, and my biggest complaint when he told me was his use of language!”

  “But what was going on if it’s not Ursula?”

  “He’s fallen in love with Nadine, one of the hostesses. I think that’s what they call them though if my internet research is anything to go by, prostitute might be a more appropriate word. According to him she’s different to all the others; a comment which doesn’t help because it implies that he knows all the others. And ‘knows’ in a strip joint puts a certain slant on the word. I hope I haven’t picked up anything.”

  Jane looked across to David, sensitive to the tactlessness of her remark. But thinking about Jane having sex with Jim no longer disturbed him.

  “What happens now?” David asked.

  “Jim
thinks she’s different, a ‘reluctant’ worker at the club, gallantly saving to make sure her daughter has a good quality of life. And now that she’s found true love, la-di-da, she’s going to quit ComeInside and live with him. I suppose as soon as I’m out of the way.”

  She started crying again as she stretched her arm out for another top up of wine. David was still on his first glass. “It won’t last,” he said. “The man’s an idiot.”

  The children had heard the crying and were standing by the lounge door. David was unsure how much of the sordid story they had picked up.

  “Can mum stay here tonight, dad?” Sam asked.

  David had contemplated that; he was prepared to sleep on the couch.

  Jane thanked Sam, but indicated there was no need. Jim had agreed to move out until she found somewhere else to live. She reckoned that somewhere might be her mother’s for the time being.

  There was an awkward silence as the four of them walked to the hall and Jane opened the front door. “What the hell am I going to do now?” she said quietly as she left.

  “I’m afraid that’s her problem,” Rachel said after the door had closed.

  The Reunion – R J Gould

  Chapter 40

  WPC Zara Dixon was sitting on a very comfortable couch in a middle class home located in one of the most affluent outer London suburbs. She was drinking Earl Grey Tea served in a bone china mug. The startlingly bright orange walls were perhaps atypical, but everything else was appropriately respectable. The room was spacious with high ceilings; a maroon lacquered Chinese cabinet with big brass inlays stood by the bay window; two bold abstract art works hung on the wall opposite the Victorian fireplace; and a dark wood table in the centre of the room had coasters placed on each corner. She set her cup down on the one nearest her then examined the swirling pattern on the Oriental rug that covered most of the polished wooden floorboards. David lifted the plate from the tray on the table and offered her a biscuit which she took. Almond and pistachio slices were embedded on a light shortbread base and it was delicious.