by S M Mala
Even Suri was taken aback by her mother’s actions as they all watched the full-scale fight between two very mature women.
‘Aren’t you going to stop them?’ Suri asked, trying to step forward, but her husband had wrapped his arms around her, so she couldn’t move. ‘Can someone do something?’
‘This is quite good fun, isn’t it?’ grinned Jack, starting to laugh. ‘More enjoyable than Sunday service.’
‘Jack! Do something!’
Mrs Henderson picked up the knife and held onto it as Edgar stepped in front of her and his wife.
‘I never liked you!’ screamed Mary, now grabbing Janet Peters by the hair.
‘Get off me!’ the woman yelled back, trying to hit Mary, who seemed very good at flinging her handbag about.
‘I bet you knew all along my child was innocent and let her take the blame and nasty comments! And you tried to kill my daughter in your car when everyone knows you’re a drunk!’
‘It’s like Sleeping Beauty isn’t it?’ sighed Jack, cradling the sleeping baby. ‘The good fairy and the bad fairy.’
‘Just stop it!’ Suri shouted at the women. ‘Mum!’
‘I think your mother wants to vent,’ said Joe as they all gasped when Mary landed a handbag attack at Janet Peters’ head. ‘Remind me never to cross the mother in law.’
‘This will sober you up! You say you’re sorry!’ screamed Mary and took Janet Peters’ head, dunking it in the font. ‘Sorry for all your nasty bitterness. Say it!’
‘Remember when you filled it with gin,’ sighed Jack, beginning to smile at the women. ‘I think that would come in handy right now.’
They all stood there in shock, looking at the scene. Her mother continually dunking Janet Peters’ head until the sobs became so loud; they echoed through the church.
‘I’m sorry!’ cried Janet Peters. ‘I’m sorry!’
‘Louder!’
‘Mum,’ Suri said, now feeling sorry for Janet Peters. ‘Can you let her go?’
‘No!’
‘He came round to the house, Rory. Told Felicity that it was a mistake, and he was in love with you. She was distraught.’ Janet Peters was trying to gulp for air. ‘I told her, you see, told her to make him stay.’ Then the sobbing turned very heavy. ‘I said ‘you have to convince him once and for all.' I didn’t know she’d taken the knife until it was too late. Too late!’
The woman screamed out in pain and Suri realised the burden Janet Peters had carried around with her. She felt guilty that she told her daughter something that led to her eventual death. Suri glanced at Edgar’s ashen face.
‘I’m sorry Suri!’ Janet Peters received another dunking from her mother.
‘That’s for persecuting my innocent child. My baby!’ shouted out Mary. ‘And trying to hurt her!’
‘She told me when she died what she’d done and I didn’t know what to do.’
Then Mary stopped and looked at Suri, letting go, but not before letting Janet Peters drop heavily to the floor. Her mother was certainly venting.
Janet Peters fell, crying her heart out.
‘Is that why you’ve been so angry since she died?’ whispered Suri. ‘Is it guilt? It wasn’t your fault and-.’
‘I sent my child to her death! It was me!’
‘What did Felicity say?’ Edgar gently asked, looking like he was going to collapse at any given moment.
‘She stabbed Rory because he wanted Suri, not her. She loved him, you see. Wrote about it in her diaries,’ cried Janet Peters, her hair wet and clothes dishevelled. ‘I didn’t want people to know what she’d done, so I hid them and decided to keep it to myself.’ She gulped hard. ‘Felicity was my baby! I’d do anything to protect my child.’
Everyone watched the woman, completely distraught, cry against the font and Suri gently removed Joe’s arms.
‘I’m so sorry for your loss,’ Suri whispered.
Walking towards her, she bent down and wrapped her arms around Janet Peters, who sobbed her heart out into Suri’s chest.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she told Suri again and again. ‘Forgive me. I lost my baby girl; I lost my child!’
Suri looked up at the angel and then her husband, who looked devastated before catching the eye of Jack, still cradling her son, before saying,
‘I forgive you.’
‘No football?’
Suri smiled at Joe as they sat on their bench a few weeks later, looking at the church. ‘I thought you’d want to play all day, given you’re not working, and Reverend Jack has volunteered to do the service.’
‘I wanted to spend Sunday with my wife,’ he said, kissing her hand. ‘And Mary offered to look after our son today. You know she wants to take him to church.’
‘So she said. And then what do we do?
‘Make love all afternoon.’
‘And not go for a cream tea?’
‘There are plenty of scones at Jack’s we could take and have them in bed.’
Joe kissed her gently on the lips as she smiled.
It was a warm summer day in July, five weeks since the baby’s christening. Suri looked at her gorgeous husband. He was wearing normal clothing today.
Then it hit her, what had happened in her life since meeting him.
Closing her eyes, she knew the tears were going to come.
She said it was the baby blues but everyone knew it wasn’t.
All the pain she’d suffered for the past eleven years had now come to an end and she felt relieved, which was demonstrated by weeping.
‘Don’t,’ Joe whispered in her ear. ‘It’s okay.’
‘I know,’ she said holding tightly onto his hand. ‘It just feels raw.’
‘I’m so very proud of you.’ Joe pulled back her hair, kissing her neck. ‘You forgave Janet and held her so tightly. The woman was wracked with guilt, no wonder she acted the way she did. It must have been awful for her, and for you, that goes without saying. Suri, it takes a very special person to comfort someone who hurt them so much. I am in awe if you, do you know that?’
‘The man who was sent by the gods to ‘All Angels’ church, is in awe of me?’ she laughed, letting the stray drops fall down her cheek. ‘You shouldn’t be.’
‘You didn’t say anything and let her tear you to pieces, all because you wanted to protect her and Edgar. That takes some doing.’
‘And talking about tearing to pieces, mum just about forgives me for doing it, even though it was at my family’s expense. And we talked about me being pregnant by Rory, and why I didn’t tell her. She was really upset but that’s how I felt at the time.’ She turned to look at Joe. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing but it still hurt us. Though, personally, I think my mum has wanted to clobber Janet Peters for years. And a fine job she did.’
‘Janet told everyone the truth before she went into the clinic,’ Joe said gently. ‘She does have some deep problems and when she’s better, let’s all move forward.’ Not wanting to make eye contact, Suri looked away. ‘I’m not saying I want you guys to be friends.’
‘That can never happen.’
‘You’re going to have to learn to live with each other, and put all this behind you.’
‘I know Reverend Isley, all that forgive and forget stuff.’
‘You know I love you very much.’
He turned her head and kissed her, pushing his tongue inside her mouth, slowly moving until she could no longer breathe. Pulling away, she wiped his lips with the tips of her fingers.
‘Are you my saviour?’ she asked, smiling.
‘I think you’re mine.’
He looked over at the church and she followed his eyes. They had an audience.
‘I better go to service,’ he said, standing up. ‘Where are we meeting for lunch?’
Smiling up, she then stood.
‘I’m coming to church with you today,’ she said, watching him do a double take. ‘I love you. I support you but I don’t necessarily believe what you do. All I know is that love is the
most important thing.’
‘Are you sure?’ he laughed, shaking his head, then nodding. ‘Okay, that’s good.’
‘It’s a miracle,’ she mumbled, holding his hand as they walked towards the doors.
Like the God rock star he was, Joe was greeted by everyone, shaking hands and kissing. Suri stood behind and held his hand, looking down and avoiding eye contact as much as possible. Then he guided her in and sat her down in her usual place of old, sitting next to her.
Her mother was at the front, proudly cradling her grandson. It was turning out to be a family affair.
‘You can go to the front,’ she whispered as he squeezed closer to her. ‘I’ll stay here.’
‘As this is the first service you have volunteered to come to which isn’t related to singing, a proposal, a marriage, giving birth or a christening. I want to stay here.’ Joe kissed her cheek. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’m not praying,’ she mumbled as he laughed.
‘One step at a time.’
Then Jack walked to the front of the church, wearing his big white frock and looking pleased as punch.
He’d spotted Suri and was giggling to himself.
‘He’s going to say something,’ Suri said seeing Joe grin.
The service began and Jack was on form.
She recalled how he thought that Sunday was his chance to be a stand-up comic, which seemed to amuse his congregation. His anecdotes intertwined with his message about Christianity.
Suri watched her husband join in and pray.
She couldn’t stop looking at him as she sang along at the end of the service.
‘And I am pleased before we finish to welcome new additions to the service,’ Jack said brightly.
‘If he mentions me, I will kick him,’ she hissed. Joe held her hand. ‘I mean it.’
‘Be nice.’
‘Furthermore, one of them contributed to us winning the choir contest all those weeks ago and today, she has agreed to perform for us,’ said Jack happily. ‘Mrs Thomas-Isley, will you sing?’
‘Why that little-.’
‘Suri, you’re in church,’ Joe whispered, trying not to laugh.
‘I have no choice, do I?’ she said before turning to look at him. ‘This is for you.’
Getting up, she walked to the front and scowled at the man in the large frock.
‘I’m going to beat the living crap out of you,’ she whispered to Jack, through gritted teeth.
‘And God bless you my child,’ chuckled Jack.
Looking around, she felt all the eyes on her. The angry faces she had met for years were now softer, and smiling. Then she caught Edgar’s eye as he started to laugh before his face changed to a sad expression. Suri grinned and noticed her baby was staring at her while Mary looked proudly on.
Then she thought what song would be perfect, looking over at her husband.
‘Here goes nothing,’ she said before singing ‘For once in my life’.
And she sang it with all her heart, all the time glancing at her child and husband.
Then to her shock, her busker was in the church and he played along. Suri couldn’t help but smile at seeing him in a smart suit, still covered in a large hat and sunglasses. Then she noticed a chain around his neck. It had his name on it. ‘Kevin’.
Her imagination had only been slightly dashed. He could be called Kevin Wonder she thought, before trying not to laugh.
When she finished, there was silence before a rapturous round of applause.
Joe stood up and clapped hard, looking very proud.
‘Ah, Reverend Isley, won’t you join your wife? What a treat. I’ll leave the stage to you.’
Joe walked up towards her before whispering, ‘That was wonderful. Thank you.’
‘Let’s sing ‘As’,’ she said, kissing his cheek.
And they sang in perfect harmony, while their baby gurgled in the background, as if wanting to join in.
She glanced at Jack trying to dance which made him look like a wobbly white jelly.
Suri started to laugh and then felt Joe squeeze her hand.
When they finished, everyone stood to their feet, clapping loudly, and she hugged her husband.
‘I love you so much, Reverend Isley,’ she whispered into his ear, feeling him discreetly squeeze her backside.
‘Show me when we get home,’ Joe mumbled. ‘I love you Mrs Reverend Suri Thomas-Isley, busty lady.’
‘That’s not my name,’ she said, shaking her head and kissing him gently on the lips.
The wolf whistle came from Jack’s direction. Then she smiled at her baby before looking at her husband.
Suri’s eyes fell on the angel and she knew she was looking out for her, after all.
‘Stop that fondling in the Lord’s house!’ gasped Jack, starting to laugh.
‘Thank you, Jack,’ she said, turning to look at him.
‘I told you to have faith and the Lord would see you right.’ Then he smirked. ‘Little did I know it would be my very own Vicar who’d give you one!’
‘Jack!’ Joe said, going bright red.
‘I’m telling you, you clergy boys have got sex on the brain,’ she laughed.
‘Who’d have thought that Suri Thomas would have come voluntarily to church in a million years?’ bellowed Jack as the congregation burst out laughing and clapped some for. ‘Bless this glorious place!’
‘Here, here,’ she said, before grabbing her very own Vicar and planting a big kiss on his lips. All in the eyes of God and with an angel overlooking Suri, who now seemed to care. Then she whispered to her very own angel in Joe, ‘Bless this love and bless you.’
Published by S M Mala
Copyright © S M Mala 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication is to be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any forms or by any means, including photocopying, recording or any other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher/author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
All characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
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Books to look out for by S M Mala:
My Mother in Law’s Lover
What he did to her
The problem of getting Rich Quik … part one
The problem of getting Rich Quik … part two
Relative Strangers
The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha … begins
The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha … ends
Pushing over 40
Good Vibration
Bad Advice
Hot Flush
Trust Me
Happy Now?
Love’s Foolish Punch
Bless this Love