EPISODE SIXTY-SEVEN
Tears ran down Mary’s face. Her hands shook as she read her ex-husband’s
letter. ‘Oh no!’ she pleaded. ‘Please, Ronnie! No!’
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Dave, stifled by the inadequacy of his question. But there was no mistaking the genuine
concern in his voice and Mary looked up from the letter momentarily, love and
gratitude in her expression.
Thoughts of the club bookings in Blackpool and the north west struck him, worried that he might have to make noble
sacrifices. A sob caught in Mary’s
throat and he chased away the selfish thoughts and gently touched her
hand. He spoke softly but his voice was
uncomfortably resonant in the empty room.
‘Are you going to tell me what’s up?’
Mary recovered slightly, wiped her eyes, and wet her lips before speaking. ‘Listen to this – see what you make of it.’
She read from the letter.
‘“My darling Mary, I still think of you as my darling, you see, babe. The fact is I can’t get over you. I know it’s been a long time and we’ve both
had other partners since we split up but – who knows – we might give it another
go. Because this here’s the good
news. I’m coming home. Things didn’t work out with me and
Sharleen. Or with her kids. Yankee brats!
And blood’s thicker than water, as they say.
‘“I know I treated you badly, but I never stopped loving you, babe. Until death
us do part. And that goes for my kids as
well. I’m really looking forward to
seeing them again. They’ll like it over
here. Tell them I’m looking forward to
taking them to Disneyland. I’ve got a
great job now, hon, selling hush-hush equipment for an electronics
company. So I’m going to be doing a lot
of commuting across the pond. My first
trip is in October sometime, so here’s lookin’ at you, kid. Love you, babe. Till death. Ronnie.
Mary stared at Dave, begging for reassurance, protection. He shrugged helplessly.
‘I’m not sure. I...I mean, why are you so upset?’
‘Because I thought I’d seen the last of him.
That’s why.’
‘But surely he’s got a right to see his children.’
Mary shivered involuntarily. ‘The man’s
dangerous. He lives in a fantasy world.
‘Lots of people do.’
‘Not like Ronnie. Believe me, he’s
dangerous.’ She thrust the letter into
Dave’s hand. ‘Take a look at the last
line.’
Dave squinted, holding the letter away from him. ‘He’s underlined “death” with
a red pen.’ He frowned at Mary. ‘Why?’
‘Because he’s a sick bastard, that’s why.’
‘Dave put his arm round her, protectively.
‘It’s baking hot but you’re shivering.
You’re frightened of him, aren’t you.
I mean, I know he put you in hospital that time, but...Has he ever done
anything to scare you before?’
‘Loads of times. He saw me staring at
this good looking black guy in a pub one night.
He didn’t say anything. Just went
quiet and moody. When we got home, he
stripped me off, making me think we were going to make love. Instead,
he smacked me hard with his open palm, slowly, over and over in the same
place, so it hurt but it wouldn’t show.’
‘I know this is probably a stupid question but – why didn’t you fight back?’
‘I was too scared. Psychological fear
was Ronnie’s greatest trick. He’d do
unpredictable things. He used to love
watching violent videos. Anything
American he adored. He bought replica
guns.’
‘Was this before the kids were born?’
‘Before, during and after. He used to
spoil them rotten. Then, if one of them
misbehaved, he’d go to great lengths to inflict the cruellest punishment.’
Mary’s eyes filled with tears as she remembered.
‘Simon’s favourite toy was his Thomas the Tank Engine. Ronnie took a hammer one day and smashed it
to bits in front of him. He was only
four at the time.’
Dave exhaled slowly. He felt tense. His shoulders ached. Eventually, he muttered, ‘How could anyone do that to a young kid?’
‘You don’t know Ronnie. After we split
up, the court ordered him to keep away from us.
Thank God! When he went to America I thought that would be the last we’d hear from him.’
‘I wonder how he got our address?’
Mary shook her head. ‘God only
knows. Unless he somehow managed to
trick my mother into giving it to him.’
‘I’ve got an idea. I can get loads of
work up north – especially the north east.
Why don’t we all move up there?’
Mary sighed deeply. ‘If he managed to
get this address while he’s living in the States, he wouldn’t find it too
difficult to trace us when he gets over here.
No. Running away’s not the
answer.’
‘What do we do then?’
‘I wish I knew, Dave.’ She let her head
fall onto his shoulder, buried her face into his neck and sobbed. ‘I wish I knew.’
*
‘Cheers!’ said Jason, sipping Mexican beer from the bottle.
Vanessa, who was having second thoughts about this date, raised her Bacardi and
Coke glass and half-heartedly toasted him in silence.
‘What’s wrong, sweetheart?’
‘I can’t help thinking about Nicky. I
feel guilty.’
Jason rewarded her with a cheeky smile, trying to charm her with his
roguishness. ‘No, you’re not. Be
honest. I think we’re having fun. That’s what life’s all about. Having a laugh.’
Vanessa frowned, and echoing her thoughts, said, ‘I’m not going out with you
just to get at Nicky, you know.’
‘Did I say you were?’
‘Usually we get on quite well together.’
Jason shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, if I were you.’
Vanessa stared thoughtfully into her glass., swirling the ice round with her
little finger. ‘’I wouldn’t like her to
get hurt.’
‘What the mind doesn’t know,’ grinned Jason.
Vanessa looked up sharply. ‘You’re very
sure of yourself, aren’t you?’
‘Me? No. You’ve got me wrong. I’m really insecure.’
‘Hah, hah. Pull the other one.’
‘It’s just that I really fancied you.
Soon as you walked in that door.’
‘Hang on!’ Vanessa giggled. ‘You were
the one who walked through the door. You
came to our house, remember?’
‘Oh yeah. It must be the romantic in
me. In my mind’s eye I saw you making an
entrance, with a shaft of sunlight hitting you.’
Vanessa laughed and shook her head, then noticed he was staring at her
intensely.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘You’re not going to like what’s rushing through my head right now.’
‘That depends what it is.’
‘After we’ve had some food, why don’t we go back to my flat?’
Vanessa’s eyes widened. You don’t
believe in taking things slowly, do you?’
‘That’s not my style. And I know we
could make beautiful music together.’
Seeing Vanessa wince, he added, ‘I wish I hadn’t said that.’
‘So do I. It was pretty crass.’
He laughed. ‘That’s me. A crass remark to end all crass remarks.’
Vanessa was suddenly distracted, and stared over his shoulder with a look of
panic. ‘Oh my God! Don’t look round. It’s a friend of Nicky’s.’
But Jason had already turned round and been spotted by the girl standing at the
bar with two other girls.
‘Whoops!’ he exclaimed as he turned back to face Vanessa. ‘She knows me as well. She introduced me to Nicky at the party. Come on, let’s finish our drinks and get out
of here.’
Once they were out in the street, they fell against each other and Jason slid
an arm about her waist. Both giggled at
this heady feeling of treachery and forbidden fruit.
Jason stopped walking and brought his lips close to Vanessa’s ear. ‘When we’ve eaten,’ he whispered, ‘will you
come back to my place? Please...will
you?’
She kissed his cheek lightly. ‘Okay,’
she whispered almost imperceptibly.
IN EPISODE SIXTY-EIGHT
Nigel become extremely jealous of his fiancée’s new interest in life.