by Paul Kelly
"Let's have 'hush' all round, he said and Alison brought in the coffee.
"By the way," she said, wide eyed and hoping for less 'hush' and more talk, "I have something in my flat that might be of interest to you guys. It's something that I got as a wedding present and I have two of them, so what do you think?"
Dillon looked surprised as Alison spoke.
"Are you married?" he asked with surprise.
“No. I was married once, but I'm divorced now ... but what about ...“ However before she could say another word, Dillon interrupted again.
"So that means that you are able to marry again?" he asked and Alison looked from the little boy to his father.
"Yes, I could, but I'd have to find the right man this time and above all, he would have to ask me," she replied and Dillon gave a sigh of relief.
"Now about this thing you have in your flat that you don't want. What is it Alison?" he asked and Alison took his hand as she looked at the coffee mugs on the table.
"It’s a percolator, that's used for making coffee, you know and it’s what you told me you didn't have."
Dillon jumped with joy and clapped his hands, but Daniel sipped his coffee slowly.
"You might need it again, if you get ..." he said, but he had difficulty in finishing his sentence.
"Get married again?" said Alison ... "Well now, that would be a great day, wouldn't it. Me and some bloke staggering down the aisle with two percolators in my hands."
Dillon laughed and Daniel followed.
"It's very kind of you Alison. I was about to get one myself, but like everything else these days, I never get round to half the things I want to do or even SHOULD do. Thanks."
Alison grunted her appreciation with a grin as she cuddled Dillon.
"Now then, I'll finish what I came to do, unless there is anything else you need," she asked as she drained her coffee mug and reached for her coat.
"You've done more than was required, Alison ... but I don't know how to repay your kindness," added Daniel with a look of despair in his eyes. Alison knew what he meant by that look as she left the flat, concluding that whatever she did or didn't do for Daniel Roberts, there was never ever to be an 'item' as far as they were concerned, but as she walked home slowly, she felt a bitterness that she had never ever felt before. She was bitter towards Rene for her lack of understanding when she was married to Daniel. She could not appreciate his 'noise' as she called it, because Alison felt that the reason for this was because Rene had no passion in her soul. How could anyone call that music a 'noise' and nothing more ... and then she felt bitter towards Frieda. How could she have treated Daniel as she did, if as she said, she loved him. She loved the music and didn't consider that to be noise, unlike Rene, but Frieda loved what she heard in Daniel's music because she was a musician herself and Daniel was 'incidental' to that. Frieda could have loved ... if you can call it love ... Frieda could have loved anyone in Daniel's capacity, but she didn't love the man behind all this attraction that apparently swept her off her feet, at some time or other. She had destroyed the energy and soul in Daniel that made his music talk and Alison also thought that Daniel's 'disposition' and not his illness was the one big thing that Frieda could not accept. She wanted to shine and had no time for what she described as 'losers'. Frieda had to be FIRST in everything. She had to be ‘top dog’ and she considered herself to be a leader, but she could not follow. She was half a woman ... a woman with half a soul, if she had any at all.
Alison returned to her flat with her dreary thoughts and cried herself to sleep. She knew that she truly loved Daniel Roberts, but proving it was obviously beyond her power and she blamed the other women in his life for destroying that love in his heart that might otherwise have been rekindled with a little genuine affection and care and then the world could have been a happier place.
Chapter Twenty Two
Alison wasn't too surprised when she opened the front door of her flat to find Rosie standing on the doorstep, but she wondered what on earth she would have to talk about as it was only the evening before that she had met her in the cafe where they worked and she had said nothing to her then.
"Good morning Rosie," said Alison heaving her shoulders high and raising her eye brows as if expecting some great and elaborate news that had come about from just a few hours earlier, but Rosie didn't respond to her as she had hoped. Instead she started to cry ... and Alison ushered her swiftly into the flat and closed the door behind her.
"What 's wrong, Rosie? Is it that ..." Alison was about to refer to Ken as a creep again, but she thought better of it this time until she had heard what Rosie had to say.
"I saw him last night, Alison," Rosie said between gulps and tears. "I wish I had never met him," she went on, "but as you know Alison, I love him and I can't forget or deny that."
Alison put her arms around her friend to console her, but Rosie only cried all the more as she shook with emotion.
"Sit down Rosie. I was about to make some coffee; will you have one with me?"
Rosie nodded and Alison went into the kitchen where she noticed again that she had stored one of her percolators in a plastic bag, tied up with string, to take with her whenever she went again to visit Daniel, but the news she got from Rosie when she returned with the coffee tray was something quite different to what she had expected.
"I think I will have to leave him," said Rosie with her hands folded neatly in her lap, with a look of confirmed assurance on her face which was still shiny from the tears, but she wiped her eyes and continued. "I saw him last night, as I have said, after waiting for ages at his flat ... on the doorstep, I might add ... and it was raining too. When he did eventually arrive, he looked at me and I thought he looked scornful at my 'bump'. I asked him was he glad to see me and he nodded as he opened his front door, but I didn't think he sounded too enthusiastic. I followed him inside and he turned on me angrily as he asked if I had got rid of the 'thing' yet."
Alison didn't look surprised at Ken's response, but she was very concerned for Rosie as it was the last thing she thought she would ever hear her say, that she would leave Ken.
"What about the baby?" she asked and Rosie lowered her head before she spoke.
"I'm gonna keep him ... or her," she replied and the tears fell again.
"Are you thinking of leaving the cafe, Rosie? Old bossyboots will be sorry to lose you. You know that, but under the circumstances, it might be the best thing to tell him now, rather to leave it until it's too late."
"I'll see him today and give him a month's notice, but if he wants me to leave immediately, I will do that. After all, he has had a lot of comings and goings with the both of us, hasn't he Alison. He might just be too fed up and tell me to get the hell out of it."
Alison grinned as she sipped her coffee.
"I doubt if he'll do that," she said, "You are too good a waitress for him to take that attitude."
Rosie squirmed when Alison said that.
"You could be right, but who wants a wobbling, oversized waitress in a nice cafe like he's got, eh? and besides that Alison.” she went on as she sighed heavily, “Something you told me about Ken ... and which I never really wanted to hear, was that he was a womaniser."
Alison stopped drinking when Rosie made that remark. She put her mug down on the coffee table and looked intensely at her friend, wondering what she was going to hear next.
"Yes, Rosie. I remember saying that, but perhaps I shouldn't have done. After all, you are in the relationship with Ken, not me and it really is not my business any more. I only thought it best to tell you and maybe now I shouldn‘t have done ..."
"I think you may be right, Alison."
"What? Don't tell me you've caught him at it?"
Rosie screwed up her face for a moment as she drank her coffee.
"I'll leave this for a few
moments," she said as she put her mug down,"Too hot for me and I like it cooler, but I think you may be right, Alison."
"Yes, yes what has happened?"
"Well, I told you that last night he didn't want to know about the baby, but after a few moments of being with him in the flat, he suddenly turned the lights down low and ..."
"Oh! Rosie. Don't keep me in suspense. What the hell happened then?"
"Alison, he pulled me towards the bed and put his arms around me. I watched his face, but it wasn't a look of love. It was quite evil when I think back on it now. He fumbled around with my bra, shoving his hand under my blouse and I tried to shove him off, but he slapped my face and told me that he knew I would like what he was going to do ... as I always did."
"Yes, Rosie ... Tell me what happened next, please."
"Well, Alison, when he realized that I didn't want to respond to his advances, he laughed and told me there were plenty of pebbles on the beach and that one day, I would come screaming to him for more 'loving.’ I laughed when he said that, as I felt anything but loved at that moment and also, as I moved my face on the pillow, I was sure I could smell a strange perfume. It wasn't one that I use and it wasn't the after shave that Ken wears. It was a cheap sort of stuff. Something that you might buy from a market stall ... you know, an imitation of the real thing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it."
Alison smiled knowingly and bit her lower lip.
"Do be careful, Rosie," she said, "I'm not telling you what to do, but I think, given time, your natural instincts will tell you what you have to do. I'm just sorry that he got so far with you in the first place, the swine."
"Did he ever? I mean was he ever like that with you when you were married to him Alison?" Rosie asked innocently and Alison raised her eyebrows.
"He was and always will be like that Rosie. I'm sorry but that's the way he's made. I don't think he can help himself. He thinks he's God's gift to women and if you ask me, he's a washout in every way as a man."
"I know that now Alison, but I still love him and I don't know which way to turn. Will this other woman ... if there is one, will she be the last do you think?"
Alison didn't want to laugh, but she couldn't help herself.
"Rosie, take it from me, if you let him get away with this, he will plague you for the rest of your life. Take the step now, if you want my advice. I'll stand by you in whatever you do. If you want to keep the baby that's up to you. Only you can make that choice, but don't let him baffle you into thinking he will love you forever and a day. He won't ... and if you want to ..." Alison didn't finish her sentence. She knew how she felt about abortion, but her thoughts were nothing to do with Rosie and she realized that Rosie should do as she liked and whatever she did, their friendship would continue and she would give her all the help she could.
Rosie rose from her chair and sighed.
"I'd better go now Alison as I am due at the cafe shortly as I'm on the early shift while bossyboots sorts out his business with the VAT man. He's due to meet him this morning, but I think I will wait a while before I tell bossyboots what my intentions are. I don't want the sack at the moment as I need the money. Bye and thanks for your kind advice."
"Bye Rosie and try not to worry. Maybe I'll see you later on. I'm on at six, so if you want to call in, I'd be pleased to see you."
After Rosie left the flat, Alison ran her bath, but her mind was in confusion. She felt so sorry for Rosie, but knew that any advice you can offer to someone in love, will obviously fall on deaf ears, however now that Rosie thought as she did about Ken, things might be different. Alison concluded that she would work out a precise strategy for when she would see Rosie that evening and she made some mental notes as she dried her hair. She thought of the number of times Ken had let her down and the many excuses he made which came to nothing. She tried also to remember some of the names of the women he had been with, thinking that might be a more definite re-assurance for Rosie, but only three came to mind and she laughed at that. Only three, she thought again. My God, one would have been one too many, but three AT LEAST ... She laughed but her heart was sore, not for herself, but for the future that Rosie was about to embrace if she fell in with Ken's way of thinking.
Suddenly, in the middle of her thoughts, the telephone rang.
"Hello ... hello," she called out and then raised her eyes to the heavens as she was sure she could hear heavy breathing. "Not another of those bloody anonymous calls," she thought aloud and then a little voice came through on the other end of the line.
"It's me, Alison. It's Dillon. Can I speak to you for a little while please?"
"Of course you can darling. I hope you and daddy are alright, are you?"
"Well, I'm O.K. but I think daddy is worrying about something ... I mean something more than his health."
Alison became immediately alarmed when she heard Dillon say that.
"What's the matter with daddy, Dillon? If I can help, you know I will. Anything. Anything at all, you know that."
"I know that Alison and that's why I thought it best to phone you."
Alison couldn't wait any more to hear of Daniel's worry and she wished Dillon would get on with it, but she had to be patient with the little boy and she was indeed glad that he phoned her before anyone else. It showed a certain trust, even if it was from the junior Mr. Roberts when she could have wished it would have been from the senior one.
"It's Frieda, Alison. She is pestering daddy again and she says she is coming round this afternoon to sort things out."
"Sort things out Dillon. I don't know what you mean, love."
"Well neither do I really," Dillon went on, "but she seems to think that daddy should give her a lot of money as well as the flat and other things and ... and ... " Dillon started cry and Alison soothed him as best she could on the phone.
"Try not to worry, darling,“ she said in a soft voice, “What time is she going to come to see daddy? Do you know, Dillon?"
Alison was hoping that she might be at Daniel's flat when the 'witch' appeared, but Dillon only knew it would be sometime in the afternoon, so Alison decided she would visit Daniel about 1.0pm. That would give her plenty of time to see what she could do and still be able to start her work at the cafe at six, but she didn't say anything about her intended visit to Dillon in the event that Daniel might try to stop her.
It was a worrying morning for Alison after she made her decision to try to help Daniel when she thought in detail how she could do anything in the circumstances and she remembered Daniel telling her that, at one time he did love Frieda It was she who walked away from the marriage; not Daniel, although Alison felt sure now that even if things were to change and Frieda would like to come back to the marriage, Daniel would hear none of it. He had totally turned against his ex wife number two and nothing would appease the anger and hurt that he felt due to her cruel action in just giving him a letter one morning as she left the house ... and that was it. Final ... No more to it. Daniel and Frieda had burnt their boats.
Alison wasn't worried about defending Daniel if need be when she went to his flat, but she was concerned about Frieda's reaction. Apparently this wicked woman had tried to extract money and other things from Daniel and he was afraid, due to the way the divorce was going at that moment and the lies Frieda was telling amidst her tears ... .
in order to win her case. Alison began to wonder what on earth an oath was for, if someone could take it in a court of law and then lie through their teeth ... It was at that moment that she remembered what her own divorce lawyer had told her on one occasion and it made her think again. “The law and justice go their own separate ways,” She heard that lawyer say again and she resolved in that moment that the truth must be adhered to if she was to help Daniel Roberts in any way and she wished she had more knowledge of the situation.
Her morning passed all to
o slowly and she made her way to Daniel's flat with her percolator under her arm as a suitable excuse for her visit, together with her little tape recorder in her handbag, but with a sad heart, if also with a determined mind to do all she could for him. It was Dillon who answered the doorbell and she hugged him as she stepped into the little hall leading to the lounge.
"Nice to see you darling," she whispered in the little boy's ear thinking that Daniel may not hear until she was actually in the flat, but contrary to what she wanted, Daniel suddenly appeared from the bedroom, still dressed in his pyjamas and dressing gown and demanded to know what she was doing in his flat as he had no recollection of any arrangement where they should meet. Alison thought swiftly and looked at Dillon.
"I wanted to see Dillon before he went back to school, " she lied "It's tomorrow he goes back isn't it?"
Daniel looked at Alison sternly.
"Dillon is on holiday for the summer months, Alison. I thought you knew that," he said and she could see that Dillon was a little taken aback at her excuse. He looked worried. "I may have to ask you to leave soon, Alison," said Daniel as he brushed his hair away from his face. "I have a visitor coming this afternoon and it is rather private business, so if you don't mind." He looked at her with one eye cocked and Dillon interrupted to save the day.
"Oh daddy, please let Alison stay, just for a little while. We could have a cup of tea or something, couldn't we?" he jabbered somewhat incoherently with nerves and Daniel sighed heavily as he sat down on the sofa.
"Well, yes, I think you should have something now that you are here," he said,"but I do have a lot to do this afternoon and ..." Alison interrupted to ease the situation,
"I understand perfectly," she said, "and I just wanted to see Dillon as I've said ... oh! and also to give you this." She brought the percolator from the carrier bag she had in her hand and Dillon jumped for joy.
"Oh! Look daddy. It shines beautifully and we can have some lovely coffee now. Thank you Alison. I should give you a kiss for that,"