The Vineyard

by Karen Aldous

  ‘Bonjour, Lizzie. As you know, I was worried,’ Anton said. ‘You look very well.’ His eyes leered at Lizzie’s silky golden body glistening in the water as she held to the side of the pool.

  She shuddered, feeling exposed. ‘Well as you can see,’ Lizzie pointed to the sleeping child, ‘Thierry is also well and here, in France, with me.’

  ‘Ok, I admit I thought you had taken him to England, I have come to see for myself.’ He turned to Thierry, knuckling the side of his neck. ‘I was waiting to hear from you. Why does it take you so long? I want to spend time with my son, I have rights as a father Lizzie but you choose to ignore them.’

  She pulled herself up from the pool and grabbed her towel, wrapping it securely around her. A deep sigh escaped her as she perched on the edge of the chair next to Thierry and found another towel in which she began squeezing on to the ends of her hair.

  ‘I’ve been really busy and obviously had plans already in place to bring Thierry away but as I explained to you last time I saw you,’ she told him in firm tones, ‘I never imagined you would be interested in a child and, of course, I never prepared for this. I need to find out the next steps.’

  Her patience was thinning and, with her fingers, she rubbed her hair with vigour. ‘Well you don’t need to worry. I doubt I’ll be going to England, even though my mother is supposedly ill.’ Lizzie nibbled at the corner of her finger nail.

  ‘But if she is unwell you must go,’ Anton stated, unexpectedly concerned. ‘I will look after my son.’

  Lizzie scolded herself. Why didn’t I just keep my mouth shut?

  ‘Huh, if I thought she was genuine, I wouldn’t hesitate, believe me! Look, I just want to do this properly. Get professional help as to what’s best for Thierry,’ she said, her irritation climbing by the second. ‘I can’t leave him with you, not until…’

  ‘He will have everything he needs with me,’ Anton cut in.

  ‘No. Just wait until I return, the day after tomorrow and, I promise to sort it.’

  Anton looked around him. ‘Would you like a drink?’ he asked, pulling his long t-shirt in an agitated way from his torso.

  ‘No. We’re fine,’ declared Lizzie, even though she was parched. ‘I have some bottled water in my bag and some juice for Thierry when he wakes. Thank you.’

  ‘Please have a drink with me Lizzie?’ he requested again. ‘I would like to talk to you now I’m here and, of course, see my son.’

  Lizzie puffed, rewrapping her towel. ‘Anton, I’m wet, half naked and Thierry will… sorry but I really need some space right now. Please. You’ve found what you came for.’

  ‘What is wrong with giving me just an hour of your time? I have every right to see my son,’ Anton insisted.

  ‘Do I look like I want to sit and discuss things right now? I will make time as soon as I return. Thierry will want to go in the pool once he wakes. I’m sorry, this is just not the right time.’

  ‘I think I’ve waited long enough,’ he said, placing both his hands on his hips.

  Thierry began to stir.

  ‘You’ll just have to wait a bit longer. Why the rush now. You’ve known for weeks, months and you didn’t bother. Is it you couldn’t stand the thought of not being in control of my life? That’s not my problem. As for my taking him to England,’ Lizzie fired, ‘What difference does it make to you where I take Thierry?’

  ‘If you take him out of France I will never see him again,’ he accused.

  ‘I won’t live in a bubble at your convenience Anton,’ she told him as he pulled another chair close by and sat with her head under the shade.

  Lizzie bent down to Thierry as he stretched in his pushchair.

  She spoke softly. ‘I have built him a life that’s comfortable. He’s a happy, healthy child. Children need love, care, time, nurture and emotional support. It has to be done gradually. Yes, I took a risk not telling you. We, or I, made a mistake but I was prepared to take the consequences. I’ve never asked you to pay for that mistake. Yes it was a big decision but I’ve just dealt with what I had to do. Right now he has no idea who you are. You wouldn’t know him or how to take care of him. It would need time,’ she said, unstrapping Thierry and sitting him on her lap.

  ‘Now you don’t know that. He will soon get to know me, won’t you?’ Anton moved forward and raised his hand to Thierry’s small hand but the child gave an ill-tempered groan and his father shot back into his chair.

  ‘He’s just woken up,’ Lizzie said. ‘He’s groggy.

  ‘He should be happy then surely?’ Anton gave his son a smile but Thierry rubbed his eyes and yawned.

  ‘Sometimes he is but usually first thing in the morning.’

  How could she explain to Anton all there was to know about children? There was lots he didn’t understand but, she knew however, Anton would never accept that. She was sure he wouldn’t leave until he got some sort of result for his trouble. She quaked at the idea of leaving her son with him. The image of him losing his patience with Thierry horrified her. He could potentially scar the child with fear. She had to think of something quickly but she couldn’t.

  ‘Drink, Mummy,’ Thierry whimpered.

  ‘Look, I suggest we work through this at the right time. Once I’m back home, I’ll organise some visits, short ones to begin with and build it up gradually.’ She put Thierry back in the push chair and reached into her bag for his drink. Anton made his way behind the child’s buggy stroking the handles. Lizzie’s heart lurched and she swallowed hard, not taking her eyes off him for a second.

  ‘Why do you make it sound so complicated. He is my son and I have a right to him,’ he said, wiggling his hands and trying to manoeuvre the buggy. Lizzie sprang out of her chair and lurched over her son like giant crab gripping every corner of the buggy.

  ‘Don’t play games Anton.’

  ‘Oh, you really don’t trust me do you? What did you think I was going to do, run away with him?’

  Her eyes drilled straight into his smirking face and scowling dark eyes. Yes, it was obvious what she thought but she wasn’t taking any chances. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm her thumping heart, and eased herself up, keeping a vigil on his movements. He laughed at her.

  ‘Great pose by the way. I bet those guys down there got quite a show. Here, give them another one.’ And he wiggled the buggy again, grinning. She shot back into crab.

  ‘Stop being so childish Anton,’ she urged louder, aware he was now mocking her but it made her nervous just the same and she didn’t really care what she was showing at this moment in time.

  ‘Why do I have to do things your way? You didn’t and don’t give a fuck about me,’ he said, narrowing his eyes, and then he lowered his head, searching the back of the buggy, Lizzie feared, to find the brake. She thrust her weight down with all her might, her feet locked around the front wheels. He seemingly found the brake and thrust the buggy backwards, Lizzie clung on for dear life, with panic roaring through her ready to explode. She let out a scream.

  ‘Stop. Stop now or I call the police.’ Cal raced to the scene and she saw Anton throw a look of horror at the tall figure closing in on him.

  ‘Here is your lover boy to the rescue but he’s not having my son. I think it’s time I took him home. This is my child,’ Anton thundered as he held on fiercely. Cal clutched his phone in one hand whilst crowding his body in front of Anton.

  ‘I can call the police or you can let go of the child.’ They were chest to chest. ‘Lizzie take the child from the buggy and go straight to your room.’ Panting like a racing greyhound, Lizzie grabbed Thierry, her hands, fumbling for her bag. She dragged it from the floor and flew from the terrace.

  ‘You have no right,’ Anton protested, stepping forward. ‘I am his father.’

  Cal lifted his arm and clasped a firm grip on the other man’s shoulder. ‘Unless you have proof you are the child’s father, I suggest you leave quietly otherwise I will call the police.’ Cal remained composed, not taking his eyes from A
nton’s.

  ‘You cannot stop me taking my own child,’ Anton protested, his body rigid as his furious eyes glared at the interloper.

  Cal stared down at him from his six foot frame and didn’t budge. He held firm, staring patiently until Anton also finally calmed.

  ***

  Clutching the boy in her arms Lizzie reached her room, squatting while her shaking hands searched for her keys in her bag. Thierry clung to her neck.

  ‘It’s ok darling,’ she whispered. You’re safe. Mummy will get you your drink as soon as we get inside. Ahh, here they are.’ That was the main thing. He was safe. He was unhurt. They were both safe. He was with her.

  Securing the door behind her she blew out a huge sigh and released Thierry to the floor. She lifted his drink out of her bag followed by a smaller bag.

  ‘Swim?’ he asked.

  ‘Later, darling. Chocolate biscuit?’ She pulled out the miniature pack and his tongue emerged at her with his biggest smile and Lizzie’s heart swirled in delight as she handed them to him. He’s ok.

  ‘And, cars,’ she gathered some from his bed, ‘Yes, they’re wanting to come and play with you. Here sit on the floor and Mummy will get your play mat and I’ve also got some grapes and strawberries you can eat. You like those don’t you?’

  Once settled, Lizzie found herself some water and fell back in the chair and watched her beautiful son. Why oh why did I ever admit to Anton that you were his son? I obviously didn’t think this through. But he’d caught her unaware. Cal, well, he was now her hero, and Thierry’s. Thank God he arrived when he did. He immediately took control. It took guts to intimidate Anton.

  She could only blame herself, she thought. It was her own fault for not having some kind of strategy in place, a story just in case. So confident was she back then that he wouldn’t be interested in a child, she thought it the best option never to let him know. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all. Or was it? If she had told him, he could have done everything in his power to make her abort it, or insist they married or, and she didn’t know what could possibly have been worse, control and manipulate everything she did. None of the possibilities were pleasant, and now he had found out the truth, gaining control was probably his intention but, snatching her son, would he? Was he teasing or was he for real? She had to find a way to deal with him.

  That’s if Cal hasn’t beat him to pulp she thought, recollecting how strong and imposing Cal looked against Anton out there. She stood suddenly and peered out of the terrace window. They could not be seen. She opened the door and poked her head out as stealthily as she could so as not to get noticed. Neither man was to be seen.

  Twenty minutes later, a light tap of the door surprised her. She jumped up and called, ‘Who is it?’

  ‘It’s me, Cal,’ he answered and Lizzie sheepishly pulled opened the door.

  ‘Where is he?’ she asked, looking over his shoulder.

  ‘Gone.’

  ‘Where?’ She pulled the door back to allow Cal in.

  ‘Left, in his car. I don’t think reception will let him back in,’ he said with conviction. ‘He knows police will get involved if he sniffs round here again.’

  ‘I don’t trust him. I don’t know why he wants…’

  ‘Lizzie, I’m all for men having access to their children. Don’t get me wrong, I would support him normally, had he approached it like an adult. He knows it’s an offence to abduct a child, even his own.’

  ‘Do you think he would have actually taken him? I’m not sure if he was serious or whether he was just trying to goad me. I think it started as a joke and I panicked and when I held on to the buggy, he found it funny that I was flashing my arse. It probably looked a lot worse than it actually was.’

  ‘It didn’t look like much of joke from where I was stood,’ Cal told her pacing to and from the window, hands on his hips. Lizzie fixed her eyes on Thierry.

  ‘Oh, I don’t know what to think. I just won’t trust him again though, never. It was scary.’

  ‘Well no doubt his emotions are raw just discovering he has a child and was never told.’

  ‘I had my reasons for not telling him. I certainly didn’t want to be with him and you can probably understand why after…’

  ‘You don’t have to defend yourself.’

  ‘Anyway, a huge thank you. I don’t know what we’ve done if you hadn’t arrived. Of course, your friend Charles said you too have a son.’

  ‘Yeah, but, I knew the child was mine from the start but was lied to, then denied access. She tried to say it was Reuben’s, her husbands. I did the same though, I was determined to make my claim on what was mine. I went to the US to Jack’s mother, Kelly, to sort it out.’

  ‘I bet you didn’t behave like that though?’ she said, watching Cal stride back from the window, his eyes blinkered in thought.

  ‘Absolutely not but I had to fight to get him back. She was married to this other guy when I found out what she’d done; claimed the child was his. I had to wear her down to get her to admit the truth, not to me so much, I knew that child was mine, but she had, in living her lie to Rueben, almost convinced herself the child was his.’

  ‘That must have been awful,’ Lizzie said. ‘So she convinced him so he would support her.’

  ‘You could say that. She was quite young and quite needy I suppose. I had just signed up to the Navy so I wasn’t around. She wanted something different clearly: money, security or she fell in love, who knows? I never got to the bottom of it.’

  ‘I was quite different. I was used to being independent, running my own life, I’d set up my own business by the time Thierry was born, making decisions for myself and Thierry.’ Lizzie suddenly felt she was talking too much. She bent down to where her son played and although her body was less shaky she was suddenly uneasy that Cal was now in her room and they were chatting like old friends.

  ‘Well, I think we’re ok now. We appreciate your help though, thank you.’

  ‘I’m pretty sure you won’t have seen the last of Anton. He is keen to get access and,’ Cal grimaced, ‘he was talking about getting his lawyers involved. I took the liberty of telling him you have rather a lot on your plate right now with your mother’s ill health, so fingers crossed he’ll give you a bit of breathing space.’

  Lizzie wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful or annoyed. It seemed her world was becoming surreal and somewhat out of her control. He was now no doubt expecting her to make a decision about going to see her mother and she still wasn’t sure whether to trust him.

  Cal knelt down to their level, and instantly she breathed in his scent and shackled her mind. She had to keep her physical attraction out of the equation and get a grip on the reality of what she was faced with whether she liked it or not.

  She watched a while as Cal and her son pushed cars around the floor together, Thierry making vroom sounds and occasionally checking Cal out with his eyes.

  ‘I just want to be left alone now if you don’t mind,’ she told him and, leaning on one hand, went to push herself from the floor but, losing her balance, slipped directly head first into his chest. He clutched her torso, lifting her gently, their lips brushing. Lizzie squeaked as desire sprang from within her. Peering up as he held her, she fell helplessly into the depths of his eyes, unable to move. How their lips stayed apart she didn’t know. Then she heard a giggling. Thierry ran and threw himself on her like she was playing a game.

  ‘Mummy, that’s funny.’

  ‘Are you ok?’ he asked, helping her to her feet. Then he joined in with Thierry, laughing.

  Flicking her hair back with her hand she revealed her flushed face. ‘Yes, sorry. Legs,’ she said, pointing the blame. Then she burst out with laughter.

  ‘Anyway, Yes, sure. I’ll leave you two alone.’ Cal released a small vehicle from under his leg with his fingers and pushed himself against the floor, with his knuckles, to stand up. ‘Look Lizzie, I would like to help or, rather, Charles could help. He’s a good lawyer who deals in Fr
ench family law. I think you should at least seek advice. You will be better equipped knowing where you both stand.’

  Lizzie looked at him severely. ‘I am quite capable of finding a lawyer.’

  ‘Fine. But watch out, especially if you do wish to travel home.’

  ‘Oh believe me, if I really wanted to take him to England, I wouldn’t let Anton stop me.’

  ‘I meant the law could be on his side if you take his child out of the country. He has rights as a father?’

  Lizzie tried to read Cal’s intent as she now stood looking at him searchingly, without getting captivated by his eyes. It dawned again, that Cal had been in Anton’s position and denied access. At least initially. Yes, he would have the first-hand experience albeit he had dealt with the US law rather than the French.

  ‘Do you know what I think? I think it is you he has a problem with,’ she said, holding Thierry in her arms. ‘He knew about Thierry several weeks before he began his demands. It seems to me that his concern only heightened since that day in Cannes, when he saw us there.’

  ‘He still had feelings for you and he’s jealous you think?’

  ‘No. I don’t believe he has feelings for me,’ Lizzie said. ‘He probably felt threatened only because he thinks you and I are an item and, he’s protecting what’s his. I think he doesn’t like the idea of his child being, well he virtually admitted, he couldn’t watch him with another man.’

  ‘I can understand that,’ Cal nodded.

  ‘Well I got myself into this mess. I will work something out.’ She averted her eyes once more to stop herself being hypnotized by his. She couldn’t stop the tingling inside her but she was learning to ignore it. Cal rubbed her gently on her arm.

  ‘Anyway, I’d better go now. I want to ring Caroline and see how she is.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Can we meet for dinner later?’ he asked

  She turned to face him and just motioned a no with her head. Her head ached and she just wanted to lie down. ‘I have some food for Thierry here and I’m not sure yet if I will want to eat later,’ she told him, opening her door.