by H. R. Moore
Tony was sitting on a low wicker sofa at the edge of the room, overlooking a beautiful rose garden with an impressive water feature and square pool in the centre. There was a woman with him, who seemed about his age, with stylish short grey hair, wearing an expensive-looking full-length summer dress. It was bright yellow and dragged attention to her, but she wore it with confident poise. Must be Tony’s wife, Lulu concluded.
Tony saw Lulu approaching and sprang to his feet. ‘Lulu!’ he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide in welcome. She reached him and kissed him on each cheek.
‘It’s lovely to see you,’ she said, thinking again what a lucky man Guy was to have a grandfather like Tony.
‘The pleasure is all ours,’ he replied, turning to introduce her to the woman at the table. ‘And this,’ he said with an arm flourish, ‘is my beautiful wife, Isabella. Iz, this is Lulu, Guy’s...friend.’
Isabella raised an eyebrow as she flowed elegantly to her feet. She held out an effortless hand and waited while Lulu reached over to shake it. ‘It’s a pleasure to actually meet you,’ Isabella said cryptically.
‘Iz, stop it,’ said Tony, ushering them all into seats. ‘Do excuse my wife’s personality.’ He sent her a silencing sideways glance. ‘She can’t help herself.’
‘Do excuse my husband’s irritating ways,’ countered Isabella, ‘he doesn’t realise how rude he is.’
‘Iz, Lulu has not come all the way here, in person, to watch us have a domestic, legendary though they are; you could probably use one as inspiration for a painting,’ he laughed. ‘Sixty years together is a long time.’
Tony stopped talking, but Lulu wasn’t sure how to respond, so she waited for one of the other two to pick up the conversation.
‘Anyway,’ Tony went on, ‘where are our manners? What can we get you to drink? Tea, coffee, something stronger?’ He gave her a sly smile.
Lulu wasn’t sure what it was about the older generations, but they had a strange obsession with drinking at lunchtime. She’d always found it gave her a terrible headache and made her want to sleep the afternoon away. She laughed. ‘Some water would be great.’
Tony signalled for a human butler to come over, and ordered Lulu’s water and two cups of tea. ‘Are you sure we can’t get you anything else? Cake? Toast? Some lunch? Have you had lunch yet?’
‘Honestly, just some water would be great,’ she replied. She hadn’t been able to eat anything since Guy had left. The stress and emotion had put her on edge. There would be plenty of time for eating when her work was done, when she and Guy were lying on a beach, sipping elaborate fruit juice concoctions from a pineapple. Or at least that was the version of her future she liked best, from the endless scenarios she’d run through in her mind.
‘What can we help you with?’ asked Isabella authoritatively, as the butler retreated with their order. ‘I’m sure you haven’t come all the way out here for a social call.’
I didn’t come out here to see you at all, thought Lulu, prickling at her tone, but told herself to focus on the matter in hand. ‘No,’ she said, ‘I came here to tell you there’s a warrant out for Guy’s arrest. Thomas Watson, you know, the one Guy helped up the ladder?’ They both nodded, pained expressions on their faces, so she continued. ‘Well, Thomas decided, for whatever reason, to inform on Guy. He went to Iva Brooksbank, the one who’s been running the investigation into Guy’s business affairs,’ she added, not knowing how much Isabella knew. They nodded again. ‘He told her everything about the Africa project, and the Eastern Europe project.’
‘Has the new facility been destroyed?’ asked Tony, suddenly all business-like and focused.
‘Yes,’ replied Lulu, biting her lip as she thought about all the investment, physical, mental, emotional, and probably financial, that Tony had made in that venture.
‘Christ,’ said Tony. ‘It couldn’t have come at a worse time. The warehouse was brimming full of robots.’
‘I know,’ said Lulu. ‘Benji wasn’t happy about it, but everything was successfully destroyed, so there’s no evidence that can be used against Guy, or the others involved, whoever they are. However, Thomas has given Iva the full financial records, and he’s told her in detail how he siphoned money from Cybax to pay for the projects. Guy’s hoping the other partners are safe, but he doesn’t know for sure. He never thought Thomas would betray him.’
‘Always too trusting, that one,’ said Isabella, accepting her tea from the butler. ‘I told his mother that, when he was a boy. He never wanted to see the bad in people, even when it was staring him in the face.’
‘Yes,’ sighed Tony. ‘But that won’t help us now. Did he get away? She hasn’t caught him?’
‘I think he did,’ she replied, gloomily. ‘He took a boat from his house on the coast, but he wouldn’t tell me any more of his plan, so as not to put me in a difficult position.’
‘So that’s it?’ asked Isabella. ‘Guy’s gone and he didn’t ask you to go with him?’
‘Iz,’ said Tony, ‘that’s between Lulu and Guy. It’s none of our business.’
‘It is our business,’ she replied hotly. ‘Guy is our only remaining grandson, and the only one of our children or grandchildren to have successfully developed a heart. He’s given it to her,’ she said, accusingly, a hint of a French accent sneaking into her voice, ‘and I can’t imagine he would have left without asking her to go with him. So she must have said no.’
‘Don’t jump to conclusions,’ chastised Tony.
‘Well then?’ demanded Isabella, rounding on Lulu. ‘Did he ask you to go with him?’
‘Yes,’ she said, matching Isabella’s hostile tone, ‘and I intend to join him. But there are a few things I have to do first. One of those was to come here, to tell you the truth about what happened.’ She took a deep breath to calm herself. ‘Guy and I won’t be able to contact you, possibly ever again, so he wanted me to make sure you knew the true story, and to tell you he loves you two more than anyone else in the world. He said to tell you that if you need anything at all, Benji will help.’
‘We’ll be fine,’ said Tony, dismissively. ‘Look at where we live. Our biggest problems in life are what to order for supper, and the early-morning yoga class being too full.’
‘Be that as it may,’ said Lulu, ‘if you need anything, you know where Benji is.’
‘Good old Benj,’ said Tony.
‘What about Mila Carter?’ asked Isabella. ‘Wasn’t she working for this Iva woman?’
Lulu nodded. ‘Yes, she was. But when she found out what Guy had really been doing, she tipped him off. That meant he could destroy the robots and get away in time. Iva suspected she was responsible, and fired her because of it.’
‘She can’t do that,’ said Isabella, enraged.
‘Iva doesn’t have any evidence,’ Lulu agreed. ‘Mila’s got her family lawyers on the case.’
‘Iva should be quaking in her boots then,’ said Tony, a twinkle in his eye. ‘I’d put money on Iva having just issued her own P45.’
‘P45?’ asked Lulu.
‘You youngsters,’ said Tony, laughing. ‘It’s the piece of paper they used to give someone when they left a job.’
‘Oh, I see. Obviously they don’t have to do that any longer.’
‘No,’ agreed Tony, ‘it’s all linked up, online, like it should be.’
‘I think Iva realised she’d acted a little hastily. But she did it in front of a whole team of people, and Mila said then and there she was going to sue her, so it would’ve been difficult for Iva to back down without losing a lot of face.’
‘Well done, Mila,’ said Isabella, warmly. ‘I always liked her fire; she would have been a splendid addition to the family.’
Tony’s eyes went dark. ‘Indeed, she would have.’
They sat in silence for a few moments before Lulu picked up again. ‘Guy doesn’t think you’re implicated anywhere, Tony, and you were never in any meetings with Thomas, so he doesn’t think there’s any trail back to you. But
he said to warn you, as there’s still a chance there could be. Who knows what Thomas got up to? Or Iva could pretend she has something on you to try and intimidate you into cooperating with her.’
‘Over my dead body,’ spat Isabella. ‘If she tries that I’ll do a special exposé on her. See how she likes that. In fact, I have a good mind to do one anyway.’
‘Might be best not to bring unnecessary heat onto ourselves though, darling,’ said Tony, squeezing her hand warmly. ‘And anyway, after that business with her fiancé, I don’t think I could condone something so nasty.’
‘Oh I suppose you’re right,’ she conceded.
‘The business with whose fiancé?’ asked Lulu, confusion written across her face. ‘Iva’s? She has a fiancé?’
‘Had a fiancé,’ said Isabella, quietly.
‘What happened to him?’ asked Lulu, reading the meaningful look between them and knowing there was something they weren’t telling her.
‘He died,’ said Tony.
‘Whilst working for our son,’ added Isabella.
‘Iva wanted an inquiry. She insisted there was something untoward in the way he died. She had a whole file on it,’ said Tony.
‘But our son paid off his family, and because she was only the man’s fiancé, she had no legal rights to do anything other than obey his family’s wishes.’
‘My God. Is that why she wants to take down Guy so badly?’ asked Lulu, finally understanding the ferocious hatred in Iva’s eyes.
‘I imagine so,’ said Isabella, shrugging.
‘She was supposed to take a job working for Cybax when she graduated from Plymouth, but after the incident, she went and did a post-grad at Oxford, and then became an investigator. Her whole career is about avenging her fiancé,’ said Tony.
‘Our son always was a bit of a blunt instrument,’ said Isabella, shaking her head. ‘Should have brought Iva in, not sent her packing.’
‘And now Guy’s paying the price,’ said Lulu, sadness settling on her.
‘We’ve all paid the price for our son,’ said Isabella darkly.
Lulu stayed and chatted for another half an hour; she enjoyed their company and found their relationship intriguing. She never knew if Isabella was going to blow up, or agree wholeheartedly with what Tony was saying, and Tony humoured and respected her in equal measure.
‘You know relationships like ours take time to bloom,’ said Isabella, catching Lulu watching them. ‘It took us a good two decades to work out how to live together.’
‘And then another two decades to work out it would be better if we didn’t!’ added Tony.
‘My point,’ said Isabella, giving Tony a chastising look, ‘is that if you do decide to go to Guy, make absolutely sure it’s what you want. Guy’s not frivolous when it comes to matters of the heart, and it’s better to end it now if you’re not entirely sure. You’re going to be exiles, and that won’t be without its baggage. It’s going to hang over you every day, niggling away at you, worrying you, making you wonder if it’s your last day together before someone hands Guy in. It’s quite an emotional weight you’re going to have to carry. It’s not a load to take on without serious consideration.’
‘Oh Isabella, stop trying to put her off,’ said Tony crossly. ‘If you ask me, jump in with both feet and don’t look back. Who cares about the issues; you only get one life, so you’ve got to live it. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, but you’ll always regret it if you don’t give it a go.’
‘And now you see why we can’t live together,’ said Isabella, dismissively. ‘We can’t agree on a damn thing.’
‘And yet we’re still madly in love,’ said Tony. ‘Baffling, isn’t it?’
* * * * *
‘Thomas,’ said Penny, throwing the door open and wrapping her arms around her son. ‘It’s so good to see you.’
Thomas awkwardly patted his mother on the back, pushing her away moments later. ‘It’s nice to see you too, Mother,’ he said, looking around the small, square, terraced house with disdain.
‘Mother?’ she laughed, in surprise. ‘You’re formal all of a sudden. What happened to Mum?’
‘I guess I’ve grown up,’ he replied.
Gerry rolled his eyes, stepping forward to shake his son’s hand. ‘Thomas,’ he said, inclining his head. ‘Come on in.’
‘You’re a bit later than expected,’ said Penny lightly, ‘so I hope you don’t mind if we eat straight away? It’s just that your brother has a new job; it’s up towards Bristol, and he’s working this afternoon.’
‘Ben?’ said Thomas, surprised to see him. ‘I thought you and Sam had moved out?’ They took their seats at the table, and helped themselves to the roast pork with all the trimmings that was waiting.
‘We did,’ said Ben sheepishly, as he heaped potatoes onto his plate, thinking of Sam, now alone in that apartment, ‘but it didn’t work out.’
‘Why on earth not?’ asked Thomas, with a hint of condescension. ‘Could you pass me the applesauce? This isn’t the healthiest lunch, is it?’
Everyone ignored Thomas’ reprimand; they’d learned from experience that no good could come from biting. Ben answered his first question instead. ‘Because I got a lesson about the cost of living the life I live,’ he said, honestly, ‘and got a front row seat to the unveiling of Sam’s true self. He’s borrowing money to keep living as we did here: gambling, gaming, and has hired a butler to do everything for him. He can’t afford it on top of rent, groceries, socialising, and all the other little costs that unexpectedly add up. Every time I brought it up, he either got aggressive, or told me to pay for everything. He said he’d pay me back later, but short of winning the lottery, I don’t see how that’s ever going to be possible, and he’s going to run out of credit very soon.’
‘I can’t imagine they’ve given him any kind of decent credit limit,’ scoffed Thomas. ‘I mean, his only income is UBI and he has no credit record, having always lived here and never having had to pay for anything. And he’s already used up the limit, you say, Ben?’
Ben inwardly rolled his eyes at Thomas’ pompousness, but let it lie in the interests of cordial relations. ‘Yes,’ Ben replied. ‘Not sure what he’s going to do when the money runs out, but anyway, I reined in my spending, refused to pay for any of the butler, and got a job. To my surprise, I really enjoy working. I’m just working as an attendant at one of the plush old-people complexes, but I like the sense of community there. I like that people have time to stop and talk. I like real, in-person conversations; there’s something richer about them. I like that I’ve got a reason to get out of bed, that I’m good at my job, and I like earning money. It’s empowering.’
‘Crikey,’ said Thomas, ‘quite the convert.’
‘Thomas,’ said Penny, her tone sending a clear warning, not even looking at him as she loaded her fork.
‘Bro,’ said Ben, shrugging, ‘it might not be the swanky gig you’ve got, but everyone has to start somewhere, and I’m a few years behind you. Who knows,’ he joked, ‘in five years’ time, I might be running the place.’
‘Ha! Maybe,’ Thomas laughed. ‘Like me, you mean,’ he continued, before sitting back expectantly.
‘Um, what?’ asked Gerry, through a mouthful of crunchy crackling. ‘Amazing crackling, by the way, Penny.’
‘Thanks,’ she smiled, wiping some stray gravy from her lips.
Thomas sat up taller in his seat, preening his feathers. ‘Richard’s just named me as his successor. I’m Pixbot’s new CEO,’ he said, puffing out his chest, proudly.
Penny raised an eyebrow and Gerry put down his knife and fork. They sent each other a meaningful look. Ben kept eating, as he already knew the news; Lulu had come to see a couple of residents at work and had told them all about it. He’d been listening in, of course; he’d always found her interesting, but he was a few years older and had hung out with a different crowd back when they were kids, and they hadn’t seen each other in years.
‘What’ve you g
ot on him?’ asked Penny flippantly, as though it might be a joke.
‘I’m sorry?’ coughed Thomas. ‘I tell you I’m going to be CEO of one of the biggest, most successful tech companies in the world, and you ask me that? Not even a word of congratulation?’
‘Congratulations,’ said Gerry heartlessly. ‘But seriously, the only way you could have got that man out of that job is if you’re blackmailing him, and everyone will know it. Even that Rottweiler Iva- whatsit couldn’t topple him.’
‘After the ordeal Iva put him through, Richard has realised that he wants to spend more time enjoying life: playing tennis, seeing his friends, going on holiday. I’ve been a loyal and dependable employee, and, seeing as he had to fire his whole top rank after the investigation, I was the obvious choice as his successor.’
‘Because there was no one else?’ asked Ben, scraping up the last of his gravy with his knife, which he then put straight into his mouth.
Thomas shuddered. ‘Because I’m the best man for the job,’ he spat, putting down his knife and fork with a clatter. ‘Honestly,’ he said, with a pained expression, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. I decide to let bygones be bygones and come all the way here,’ he said as though his parents’ home was beneath him, ‘and you can’t even do me the courtesy of saying well done when I tell you my news.’
‘Well done,’ said Penny, her tone almost mocking. ‘Is that why you’re here? Because you have no one else to give you praise and adoration?’ Thomas looked as though he’d swallowed a wasp. ‘When you cleared our debts, I thought you’d finally developed a heart, or missed us, or had realised that the whole point of human existence is our relationships. But it looks like I couldn’t have been more wrong.’
‘Cleared your debts?’ said Thomas, confused. ‘I didn’t. Those are your debts, not mine, and I thought it was good for you to have them hanging around your necks. That it might help teach you a thing or two about fiscal responsibility.’
Gerry balled his fists and Penny gave him an encouraging look. ‘How dare you,’ said Gerry, standing up, his body tensed in fury. ‘You come here, to our home, and you talk to us like this? We were ready to put the past behind us and move forward as a family, but obviously all you want is a fan club. Well, here’s the thing, Thomas,’ he said, spitting the name as though it were poison, ‘we are not your fans. You’re selfish and arrogant and conceited and rude and condescending and full of your own ludicrous self-importance. We couldn’t care less if you’re a CEO or unemployed. All we ever wanted was for you to be a good person and to find something meaningful and enjoyable to fill your time. We hoped you’d found that when Guy took you under his wing, but it seems as though it only completed your corruption.’