EPISODE ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT
Mike was choking and
spluttering as he arrived at the school gates.
The punishing run had taken him longer than he thought. He was so out of condition, and he promised
himself that he would do something about it.
He edged his way through the throng of children leaving the school and found
Daryl and Hannah waiting on the front steps of the entrance. There was no sign of Maggie. Daryl’s frown, the one which was almost
permanent, grew more pronounced.
‘Where’s Mum?’ he demanded.
Mike shrugged and tried to speak, but he was too out of breath.
‘Have you been running?’ said Hannah.
Mike nodded. Daryl turned to his sister
and spoke to her matter-of-factly.
‘He’s been done for drinking and driving.’
He stared up at Mike, his eyes hostile and challenging. ‘So where’s Mum, and how are we getting
home?’
‘I’ve no idea. I thought she was picking
you up, seeing as the car wasn’t at home.’
‘Have you tried her mobile?’
Mike shook his head as Daryl turned to Hannah and muttered something he didn’t
catch.. Precocious little bastard,
thought Mike. He had tried to make the
effort and like the boy, but it was difficult. He was hoping to avoid the old
cliché about stepfathers and resentful stepchildren but somehow the boy wound
him up the wrong way, especially when he stared at him in that infuriatingly
knowing way.
He took his mobile out of his pocket, scrolled down to Maggie’s number and
dialled. It was on voice mail. Gritting his teeth, he clicked it off
impatiently. Daryl stared at him
accusingly.
‘If you got her voice mail, why didn’t you leave a message?’
Mike was about to answer when the mobile rang.
When he answered it was Craig, breathless and speaking hurriedly.’
‘Mike! We have a major problem – at the wine bar. My sister’s here and she’s out of it. Christ!
I’ve never seen her so drunk.
She’s collapsed and we’ve managed to get her out into the kitchen, but
not before she insulted a party of some of our regular customers. Hello?
You still there?’
Mike answered gravely: ‘Yes, I’m still here.
‘You’d better get over here, Mike, and see if you can get her home.’
‘That might be a bit tricky. I’ve just
picked up Hannah and Daryl at their school.
So I’m going to have to take them home on the bus.’
‘Can you take them to my mum and dad’s house in Rusthall? Then maybe get back here. I don’t think it would be good for the kids
to see their mother like this.’
‘Yeah, okay. And I’ll get down to the
wine bar as soon as I can. I’d get a cab
up to Rusthall, only it’s the school run, so the bus might be quicker.’
He glanced at Daryl and Hannah who were staring at him intensely, trying to
work out what was going on. He said a
brief goodbye to Craig and hung up.
‘We going to Nanny and Grandpa’s?’ asked Hannah.
‘What’s happened to Mum?’ said Daryl.
‘She was working at the wine bar and she’s not feeling too well. Come on, we’ve got at least a ten minute walk
to catch the bus. We’d better get
going.’
As they walked out of the school gates, Mike noticed how sullenly quiet both
the children were, probably both suspicious about their mother’s illness and
the cause of it. He started to feel
sorry for them.
‘Sorry about having to go on the bus.
Maybe we can grab a bar of chocolate on the way.’
Both children visibly brightened, Mike thinking it was at the prospect of
chocolate. But he was mistaken as they
both had an excited conversation about a bus journey, a journey that was
probably a novel experience for them.
‘Have you ever been on a bus before?’ Hannah asked her brother.
Daryl frowned thoughtfully. ‘Once...I
think. But I can’t really remember
it. I wish it was longer bus ride than
just to Rusthall though.’
‘Yeah, me too,’ said Hannah.
‘Hey!’ said Mike, with false cheerfulness.
‘Maybe we could go on the bus to Brighton one day. That’s quite a long journey.’
They both looked at him so gratefully, that he warmed to them for the first
time.
*
When Ted arrived at Donald’s house, Donald took him by the hand, led him into
the living room and sat him down on the sofa.
‘Have you thought about it yet?’ Donald asked, with a tremor of excitement.
Ted nodded. ‘I have. And I’d like to take you up on your offer.’
Donald laughed. ‘Dear boy, I’m
delighted!’ He bent forward and kissed
Ted on the lips briefly. ‘But don’t make it sound so formal. Your offer makes it seem like a job offer,
like I’ve just asked you to become an employee.
Not someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.’
Ted smiled sheepishly. ‘What about
Bamber?’
Donald tapped the side of his nose. ‘I
can handle Bamber, who I think will be living at his mother’s house in Lewes
from now on. But the hard part is
dealing with the wife from hell.’
‘I think I’ve sorted it out,’ said Ted.
‘I bought her a mobile phone. I
had to spend an hour teaching her how to receive text messages.’
Donald frowned. ‘What about sending
them?’
‘No need for that. I saw this story in a
newspaper I found on the train. Some pop
singer gave her husband his marching orders by sending him a text.’
Donald giggled excitedly. ‘And you’re
planning to give your wife the heave-hoh in the same way?’
Ted smiled, preening himself at his devilish plan. Sweet revenge.
Donald clapped his hands together. ‘This
calls for a celebration. I’ll go an open
the bubbly.’
‘While I write the text,’ said Ted, grinning hugely.
While Donald was in the kitchen, Ted composed a brief message in his Messages
mode.
Marjorie
Am leaving U. I want a divorce. Goodbye and good riddance. Ted.
Ted stared at the message for several minutes. Then he thought about Donald and their trips
to the theatre. And the money he had in
his own bank account. Money that had
given him so much confidence. He felt like a new man. It was a new beginning. Discovering the person he had always wanted
to be, but couldn’t because of her.
He pressed the send button, and imagined his message travelling like a magic
carpet across the air waves, bleeping its way into Marjorie’s phone.
‘I’ve done it!’ Ted yelled triumphantly.
‘Donald, I’ve done it!’
IN EPISODE 129
Maggie finds it
hard to come to terms with her alcoholism.