‘FETCH IT, LOTTIE!’ Throwing the stick into the canal, Don sat on the bank while the stocky, white bull terrier launched herself belly-first into the murky waters. He laughed at the dog’s antics as she spun round and round, frantically searching for the stick. ‘Look, there it is … right in front of your great big nose!’
Catching the stick between her huge jaws, the dog swam back. Struggling out of the water and up the bank, she dropped the stick at Don’s feet, before shaking the excess water from her plump body and spraying him from head to toe.
‘Whoa, you gormless bugger!’ Scrambling to his feet, Don wiped himself down. ‘Are you trying to drown me or what!’
In reply, the dog gave another almighty shake, and when Don ran for cover, she followed him at the gallop, thinking it was a game and giving a loud, excited bark.
Laughing, Don dug into his pocket and fed Lottie a biscuit treat. ‘Well, at least we’ve stretched our legs and felt the sunshine on our backs, eh?’ He looked up at the skies, noting the fluffy white clouds beginning to move in. ‘We’ve been lucky with the weather all week, and we’ve still got a few hours of daylight yet,’ he told her. ‘Tomorrow night the family are back, so we’d best make the most of it, eh?’
When he settled himself on the fallen tree trunk, the bitch fell against him, shifting and fidgeting until she was as close and as comfortable as she could get.
Don didn’t mind; in fact, he welcomed her genuine affection.
Since the day he had gone into town and witnessed for himself the way his daughter had let herself be drawn into a life of violence and debauchery, he had been more than grateful for the company of this faithful old friend.
Cutting across the back ways to the little corner shop in Heath and Reach, he bought the basic necessities ready for the family’s return: bread, butter, cornflakes, and a good helping of ham and cheese. ‘Oh, and I’d best take a new jar of marmalade; the old one looked a bit worse for wear, so I threw it out. And I’ll need a two-pound bag of dog biscuits, please.’ He pointed to the sack spilling over with the bright colours and shapes of the biscuits that Lottie loved.
‘So, is that it then?’ The shopkeeper was a man of considerable proportions, with a friendly manner and a bright twinkly smile.
Don gave a firm nod of the head. ‘It’ll have do till Nancy comes home,’ he answered. ‘I’ve kept me and the old dog going all right, but I’m blowed if I know what else to get the family. I know young David likes his cornflakes, and that Sammie looks forward to her marmalade on toast, so there you have it. The milkman is going to leave three pints tomorrow.’
While the shopkeeper packed the goods into a bag, he chatted as always. ‘So, the family have enjoyed their holiday then, have they?’ Don’s family were regular visitors, so he knew them well enough.
‘I think so, yes,’ Don informed him. ‘Apparently they’ve had excellent weather and they’ve each done what they wanted. Me and the faithful mutt have wandered hill and dale and even been swimming in the canal, so it can’t be bad, can it, eh?’
The younger man agreed. ‘So, it was daughter, son-in-law and two children, was it?’
‘That’s it, yes.’
‘Must be nice, having a grandson … especially as you don’t have a son of your own, eh?’
‘That’s right, and he’s a good lad, is our David.’
‘Me and the missus, we had three daughters and one son, though I would have liked more children.’ The shopkeeper smiled. ‘At least we had three girls … all of them Daddy’s little darlings.’ He gave a sigh. ‘I would have welcomed a dozen more just like them.’
‘Just be grateful for what you’ve got.’ Don was thinking of Judy. ‘We don’t always get what we want.’
‘So were you disappointed? I mean, it is just the one daughter you have, isn’t it?’
Taken aback by the other man’s pointed question, Don took a moment to answer. When he did, it was with a forced smile. ‘Just the one daughter, yes. But like I say, we don’t always get what we want, do we?’ With that he collected his brown carrier bag of groceries and took his leave.
‘Good afternoon, then. Nice seeing you.’ The shopkeeper was surprised when Don left so abruptly. ‘Must have been something I said,’ he muttered, closing the till with a clatter.
The bull terrier was excited to see Don emerge from the shop doorway. She could smell the ham. ‘Come on, old lass.’ Don untied her from the lamppost. ‘Let’s get off home, eh? We both need a bath, or the house will smell of canal water, and Nancy would not like that, would she, eh?’ he chuckled. ‘What! She’d be down on us like a ton of bricks and no mistake.’
No sooner had he got inside the kitchen than the telephone rang. ‘Hello?’ Dropping the groceries on the table, Don snatched up the receiver.
It was Sammie. ‘Hello, Grandad, are you all right?’ came her voice.
‘Hello, love – yes, I’m fine. Me and Lottie have just got back from a long walk.’ He told her how the dog went in after the stick and soaked him top to toe, ‘… shook herself all over me, the dopey mutt.’
When she laughed, he playfully chided her. ‘Oh, go on – mock your poor old grandad. Never mind that I might get pneumonia.’
They chatted for a while, about the holiday, and how Uncle Mac and Rita were already on their way home, and that they would all be together for their last night. ‘Uncle Mac said we’re to put our glad rags on, because he’s taking us out to dinner, as a thank you for looking after the house. We’ll be home tomorrow though, Grandad.’
‘So, you’re being wined and dined, eh?’ Don smiled. ‘That’s your Uncle Mac for you – nothing but the best, eh?’
‘I wish you were coming with us though, Grandad.’
For a moment, Don thought he detected something in Sammie’s voice, something not quite right. ‘Is everything all right with you, my love?’
Sammie sounded brighter. ‘’Course! Why shouldn’t it be?’
‘I mean, you’ve not caught the sun or anything, have you? I hope your mother’s keeping an eye on you.’
‘Huh! Mother ALWAYS keeps an eye on me, fussing and fretting. She doesn’t seem to understand that I’m old enough to look after myself.’
Now Don realised the problem. ‘Oh, I see. So your mother’s been laying down the law as usual, has she, and now the two of you are at loggerheads. So go on – tell me I’m wrong.’
‘Not exactly, Grandad. Only she caught me chatting to this boy I met at the beach, and now she’s watching me like a hawk.’
‘Oh, I’m sure you’ve got it all out of proportion. She just doesn’t want you getting in any trouble.’ Judy came to mind, and his heart sank.
‘I knew you’d say that.’
‘Well, if it all gets too much, you can always call me and have a moan.’
‘Sammie laughed, ‘All right, I will!’
‘Oh, and tell your mother she’ll find her house all spic-and-span. I’ve not been partying or entertaining, and the dog hasn’t chewed everything in sight. In fact, you tell her we’ve both been very well behaved.’
‘I will, Grandad. Got to go now and put on those glad rags. Apparently, we’re being taken somewhere really posh.’
‘Ah well, only ever the best for your Uncle Mac.’ Don was not surprised. ‘It’s very thoughtful of him, especially when he’s only just got back.’
‘That’s what I told David, but you know what he’s like.’ Her voice dropped. ‘David is always looking for a reason to dislike him. He says Uncle Mac is only taking us out to show off.’ She gave a grunt of disapproval. ‘I think he’s just jealous!’
Don gave a little smile. There had been a time when even he had been jealous of his younger brother, but not any more. Not since he’d seen how hard Mac worked, and how many hours he put in.
He relayed that to Sammie now. ‘Besides, your Uncle Mac enjoys treating people, especially family, and there is nothing wrong with that in my book. So, you tell David he’s to enjoy the evening, and not to forget his manners. All right?’
‘All right, Grandad. I’ll tell him.’
‘Have a good time then, and give my regards to everyone.’
‘I will. Bye then, Grandad. Love you.’
‘Love you too, Sammie. Bye, see you soon.’
Replacing the receiver, Don took a minute to consider his younger brother. ‘Mac has done very well for himself,’ he told the dog. ‘But it didn’t come easy. He always said he would be rich one day, and by God, he’s kept to his word. Even as a kid he would work after school, running errands and whatever else might earn him a pocket full of coins. All us other kids used to laugh at him, but we’re the fools now, because here he is, all grown up and making money hand over fist, with a big grand house, a boat in the Mediterranean and a healthy bank balance, while the rest of us have little to show for all the years of slogging.’
He laughed out loud. ‘If I’d let him show me a trick or two while we were kids, who knows? Even I might be a wealthy man now.’
In his mind he went back over the years. ‘Funny how we were so different,’ he muttered while unpacking the groceries. ‘I’d be out them school gates and off to the woods, climbing trees and collecting conkers, or swimming in the canal, and there was young Mac, doing his deals and leaving the rest of us far behind.’
He nodded approvingly. ‘Oh, yes! Whatever young David thinks of his Uncle Mac, he can’t deny that hard work pays off.’ He felt a rush of impatience with the boy. ‘Matter of fact, it might do our David a world of good, if he was to take an example from his uncle.’
He chuckled, ‘Especially when it comes to chasing girls instead of getting on with your school work. By! You would have never seen my brother chasing girls, oh no! Work first, play later, that was Mac’s philosophy.’
Pausing in his task, he looked down at the dog, who was waiting for a biscuit, her whipcord tail wagging and her soulful bloodshot eyes fixed on Don’s face.
Giving her a playful pat on the head, Don threw her a biscuit. ‘We may never be rich, Lady Lottie,’ he murmured, ‘but y’know what? You and me over the fields and down at the canal today – I wouldn’t swap that, not even if you were to offer me a heap of banknotes. Oh no!’
Though he regretted not having been successful in material matters, he had lived his fair share of joy and contentment, and felt not a shred of envy towards his younger brother. Instead, he felt a rush of sibling pride. ‘The boy has done well! He deserves the best.’
Apart from his profound shock and sadness at Judy’s downfall, he was mostly content with his lot. ‘Best get this place shipshape.’ He gave the dog another biscuit. ‘Take it outside now,’ he instructed, ‘and don’t you be dropping crumbs, or Nancy will have our guts for garters!’
Nancy was in a panic as usual. ‘Honestly, Brian, we ought to be headed back to Mac’s now. There’s so much to do, what with all the clearing up and packing, and you know what Sammie’s like when she’s getting ready.’
Slapping the sun-tan lotion on her hands and face, she smothered her legs with it before tucking the bottle underneath the cushion. ‘I swear, that girl believes the world revolves round her.’ Phew! She couldn’t believe the amazing weather they had had this week. One or two days had been hotter than July. They were all tanned and healthy-looking.
Lying beside her on his deck chair, Brian seemed not to have heard, or he had shut his ears as he had long ago learned to do when Nancy was on the rampage.
‘Brian!’
‘Yes?’
‘Did you hear what I said?’
‘Er … yes, and I totally agree with you.’ He had not the slightest idea what she was talking about.
‘Brian!’
‘What now?’
She gave a loud tut. ‘I swear, the world could be tumbling round your head and you wouldn’t even notice.’
‘What’s wrong now?’
‘Nothing – at least, nothing I can’t handle.’
Thankful that he was let off the hook, he flicked the pages of his newspaper. ‘Ah!’ Arriving at the racing page, he scanned the list of runners in the four-thirty. ‘Fair Play, eh?’
‘Are you talking to me?’ Nancy stared down at him.
‘No.’ He tapped the page with his finger. ‘I was just talking to myself.’
‘Huh!’ She gave him a scornful glance. ‘That’s about right.’
Igoring her cynical comment, he concentrated on the horse’s form. ‘I think I’ll put a couple of quid on Fair Play. It’s won the last three times out, and was pipped at the post just last week.’ Licking the end of his pencil, he put an asterisk beside the horse’s name.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, is that all you can think of … horse-racing?’
‘Ah well, you wouldn’t say that if I won a fortune. You’d be up the high street, shopping for another holiday before I could say Jack Robinson!’
‘You might be right,’ she conceded with a little smile. ‘But just now, I’m more concerned about getting us all back to the house. First we need to clean ourselves up, and then make sure the house is thoroughly clean before Mac and Rita get home.’
‘Which won’t be for at least another six hours.’ Brian looked at his watch. ‘It’s just gone midday. They’re not due home until after six. There’s plenty of time, so stop panicking. Just enjoy the beautiful day – our last day remember – before we get back to the hustle and bustle of life at home.’
Nancy had to smile at that. ‘Heath and Reach is hardly hustle and bustle, is it?’
‘Stop nit-picking. You know very well what I mean – daily routines, driving to work, keeping to schedules. All that.’ His smile fell away. He felt really down now. The reality of this wonderful, lazy holiday coming to an end had only just dawned on him.
Nancy had stopped listening. She was too busy keeping an eye on Sammie. At the far end of the beach, talking and laughing with a group of people her own age, Sammie was in her element. ‘I do wish she wouldn’t keep talking to strangers.’
‘Who?’ Shifting his sunglasses to the end of his nose, Brian followed his wife’s concerned gaze. ‘Oh, you mean Sammie? Oh, now look, Nancy, you’re going to have to stop treating her like a little kid. She’s a teenager. She likes to chat. Where’s the harm in that, eh?’
‘Don’t you dare take her side on this!’ She was still bristling from the other day when she and Sammie had strong words, about the very same subject. ‘I was hoping you might back me up on this, but I should have known better than to count on any support from you.’
‘I’m sorry, Nance, but I just don’t happen to think Sammie will come to any harm talking to people of her own age. Especially when she’s never out of our sight.’
‘I see.’ Turning away, Nancy lapsed into one of her famous silences.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t go all sulky on me!’
Putting her back to him, Nancy lay on her side.
‘Nancy!’
She ignored him.
‘Oh, right! So now you’re not talking, eh? Well, that’s just dandy, isn’t it? All four of us, invited out to a special dinner in a special place, and my wife won’t even talk to me. That’s wonderful! Bloody wonderful!’
Nancy swung round. ‘Stop that swearing and cursing.’
‘Only if you stop the sulking.’
‘So, do you want an ice cream, or not?’
‘Are you offering?’
‘I might be.’
‘Are you paying?’
‘If I have to.’
He grinned from ear to ear, the winner of round one. ‘Go on then, I’ll have a choc ice.’
‘You’ll get fat.’
‘So there’ll be more for you to cuddle, won’t there?’ He peeped at her. ‘What are you having?’
‘Same as you.’
‘Don’t you care if you get fat then?’
‘Nope!’
‘Well, neither do I.’
He watched her treading through the sand. ‘Oh, Nancy, Nancy!’ he groaned. ‘When will you ever learn that Sammie is a young woman now. Keep crowding her the way you do, and we might lose her altogether.’
The very thought of that made his skin crawl. Sammie was his special person. She was what put the smile on his face and the spring in his step. His daughter could be unpredictable – deeply caring, yet fiercely argumentative, she was one of the most generous, loving creatures on God’s earth, and Brian Wells was the proudest father alive.
A short time later, Nancy came back carrying the cornets, with the ice cream dripping over the backs of her hands, ‘Quick!’ Handing him his one, she then proceeded to wrap her tongue around the steady trickle of ice cream, meandering down the side of her cornet.
‘Mmm!’ Easing herself into the deck chair, she fished a hankie out of her bag and handed it to Brian. ‘Look at the state of you,’ she grinned. ‘The chocolate is all round your face. You’re worse than the kids!’
Brian called her attention to the string of donkeys travelling across the beach in front of them. ‘Look there!’ He pointed to the donkey at the back of the line, a great lump of a thing with huge sticky-up ears and a long tail that brushed the sand as it went along.
Shading her eyes with the palm of her hand, Nancy peered through the sunshine. ‘It’s our Sammie sitting on it!’ Horrified, she stood up to make sure. ‘Whatever does she think she’s doing?’
‘She’s enjoying herself.’ Brian drew her attention to their son, who was kicking a football about with a group of youths. ‘David and Sammie are making the most of their last day, and so should we,’ he advised. ‘Leave them be for another hour or so. Then we’ll pack up and head back, all right?’
His wife nodded. ‘If you say so.’
There were times when she had to give in, albeit reluctantly, because as Brian frequently pointed out, David was more than capable of looking after himself, and Sammie would all too soon be leaving her childhood behind. It was a terrifying thought.
Nancy consoled herself with the idea that Sammie still had a way to go before she was a young woman, so, until then she meant to keep a firm hand on the girl, whether she liked it or not!
The plane was late landing. ‘I’m not so sure I want to go out tonight now,’ Rita said tiredly. She did not like airports as it was, let alone hanging about after luggage when they were already over an hour late. ‘Can’t you ring the family and explain?’
‘I’ve already phoned them,’ Mac told her. ‘You saw me go off in search of a phone booth.’
Usually placid and non-argumentative, Rita came back with, ‘Yes, but you only told them we would be late. You didn’t ask them if they would mind staying in tonight and having fish and chips.’
Mac patiently reminded her, ‘I wouldn’t even dream of it! My brother’s family have been good enough to take care of our property while we’ve been away. Don’t you think the least we can do is take them out for a decent meal?’
His wife felt ashamed. ‘Of course you’re right. I’m sorry if I sounded ungrateful. It’s just that I’m really tired and fed up. It’s almost seven-thirty now, and there’s still no sign of the luggage.’
Three-quarters of an hour later, they were actually on their way home. ‘Feel better now, do you?’ Mac asked.
‘Yes, thank you.’ Leaning back in her seat, Rita gave a sigh of relief. ‘It’s a good job you rang and changed the time of the restaurant booking.’
‘It will still be a bit of a rush,’ he reminded her. ‘I’ve allowed half an hour for us to wash and change, and another fifteen minutes for the drive to the restaurant. Do you think you can manage that?’
‘Of course.’ Sometimes he had a way with him that made her feel inadequate. ‘If you can manage it, then so can I.’
‘Good girl!’
It was just as well he did not see the frustration on his wife’s face.
‘SAMMIE!’ Nancy’s voice sailed up the stairs. ‘Aren’t you ready yet … they’ll be here before you know it!’
‘I’ll be down in a minute!’
‘Oh, look!’ When the car drew up outside the house, Nancy was frantic, ‘SAMMIE! THEY’RE HERE!’
‘All right, all right!’ Giving her hair a final brush, Sammie stepped back to see herself in the mirror. ‘I hope you don’t let anyone down.’ She had taken ages trying to control her wild hair, and even now it still looked scruffy to her. ‘Don’t forget, you need to be on your best behaviour!’
She wagged a finger at her image. ‘This is the first time you’ve ever been to a posh restaurant.’
When Mac and Rita got out of the car, Brian came out of the house with David, waiting to give a helping hand with the luggage.
Rita was the first to thank them, for looking after the place. ‘It means that Mac and I can really relax,’ she said, ‘knowing we’ve got family keeping an eye on things for us.’
A moment later they were in the house and up the stairs, with Rita rushing about, searching out a pair of shoes and a clean shirt for Mac. ‘Your stuff is on the bed,’ she told him. ‘I’d best get myself washed and changed.’ She then hurried off to the bathroom, leaving Mac to fend for himself.
In a remarkably short time, everyone was ready to leave – apart from Sammie. ‘Where is that girl!’ Nancy was exasperated. ‘She has more time than anyone to get herself ready and she’s always the last to show.’
When Sammie did finally come down the stairs, Mac was the one to voice what everyone else was thinking. ‘My Lord!’ He appraised her from head to toe; the calf-length blue fitted dress, and darker blue shoes with a heel. Her usually unruly hair was sleek and shining, the natural burnished curls teasing about her face and neck. She looked so grown-up.
‘Oh Sammie, you look beautiful!’ Rita smiled on Sammie with genuine affection. ‘I can’t believe you’re the same girl,’ she said.
‘WOW!’ David was well impressed. ‘Is that really my little sister?’
Brian was equally proud. ‘Who is this young woman?’ he wanted to know.
Laughing, Sammie launched herself at him. ‘I’m still your little girl!’ she protested. ‘Only I’m all dressed up to go out.’ She had been so excited about the prospect of going to a ‘posh’ restaurant that she had even raided her savings for a new outfit.
Up until then, Nancy had said nothing. Seeing her daughter looking all grown-up had a strange, disturbing effect on her. ‘I want you to go and change!’ She said it almost without realising.
Like everyone else, Sammie was shocked. ‘Why? What’s wrong? Don’t I look nice, Mum?’
Aware that everyone was hanging on her every word, Nancy mentally shook herself. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart,’ she said. ‘It’s just that you took me by surprise. You look so … so …’ Suddenly she was stumbling for words.
‘So different?’ Brian discreetly rescued his wife. ‘I’ll be the proudest man in the restaurant tonight.’ He looked directly at Nancy. ‘So now, shall we go?’
On the whole, the evening was a great success. Lovely venue, choice wine, good food and delightful company.
Everyone chatted and laughed; Mac was extremely entertaining, even though a little inebriated. Brian teased Sammie about riding the donkey; Rita had a little moan about the plane being late, and David relayed a few tales of scary exploits.
Nancy, however, was noticeably quiet, her gaze constantly straying to Sammie.
When in an unguarded moment she caught her mother looking at her in that certain way, Sammie asked teasingly, ‘What’s wrong, Mum? Have I got gravy on my chin or something?’
Nancy forced herself to laugh out loud. ‘Keep waving that fork about and we’ll all be covered in gravy!’
Nancy’s well-chosen comment had the desired effect of shifting the focus from herself, and on to Sammie.
But there was no doubt about it, Nancy had been deeply affected by Sammie’s appearance. She was no longer the impossibly mischievous tomboy. Her daughter was fast becoming an attractive, confident young woman, with strong ideas, and a powerful thirst for life’s adventures.
There was something else too. Something Nancy had not noticed. Until tonight.
Try as she might to enjoy the evening, she was too deeply unnerved by the thoughts swimming through her head. For her, the evening was ruined, though she hid her fears as best she could.
‘Well, do you want it or not, before my arm drops off?’ Brian had been holding the wine bottle over her glass for a while, before Nancy realised.
‘Oh, sorry! Yes, please.’ She then astonished him by instructing, ‘Fill it up, right to the very top.’
‘That’s not like you,’ he remarked quietly. ‘Half a glass is about your limit.’
‘Not tonight,’ she said with a smile. ‘Tonight, I just might get tipsy.’
Brian laughed at the idea of his wife being tipsy. He could not even envisage it, though tonight there was something about Nancy that was beginning to bother him. ‘Are you all right?’ he murmured.
She gave an impatient nod. ‘I’m absolutely fine! I just want to make the best of our special evening out, that’s all.’
Her explanation went only partway to satisfying him. He had no idea what it was that troubled Nancy, but there was definitely something. He knew her too well.
After a glass or two, everyone was merry. Uncle Mac was the life and soul of the party. David ate everyone else’s leftovers, much to his father’s disgust. Rita got giggly and started Sammie off, though not unduly, as the girl had stuck to one glass of red wine.
As for Brian, he found himself trying to keep up with the flow of conversation, while at the same time keeping a wary eye on Nancy, who to his thinking was too quiet, and not at all like her usual bossy self.
Nancy made a supreme effort to join in, but it was not easy.
Not when she had seen something that took her back over the years, to a time she would rather forget.
All too soon the evening was over and a much-inebriated Mac was shepherding them into the two taxis he had ordered. ‘Squash up at the back,’ he joked. Thrusting Rita in between Sammie and David, he clambered into the front seat.
Laughing and joking, and being altogether too loud, Mac entertained them all the way home, where they climbed out and made their way up the steps to the front door.
‘Wait!’ Frantically searching his pockets, Mac finally located his wallet and paid the fares, together with a handsome tip which put a big smile on the drivers’ faces. That done, he scrambled up the front steps to be with the others.
‘Who’s got the key?’ Rita had forgotten to bring her own, and now there followed a brief confusion, when Mac fell backwards down the steps, to be heroically rescued by Brian.
Producing the key from her purse, Nancy saved the day. ‘Panic over,’ she said and everyone poured into the house.
Everyone but Nancy that was.
Having drunk more than she was used to, she watched the others go inside, her worried gaze constantly returning to Sammie. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered brokenly. ‘I’m such a bad … bad person!’
Realising his wife had not followed them in, Brian returned outside to find her leaning over the railings, and sobbing her heart out.
‘Hey!’ Taking her into his arms, he rocked her gently back and forth. ‘What’s all this about, eh?’
‘I’m sorry.’ Nancy clung to him. ‘I didn’t mean it.’
Brian shook his head. ‘What didn’t you mean?’
‘Nothing.’
‘It’s the wine, I guessed as much.’ Brian had seen it all before. ‘I knew it would affect you. It always does.’
Jumping at the excuse, Nancy quickly agreed. ‘That’s it!’ She wagged a finger. ‘You never should have let me drink wine. It doesn’t agree with me.’
Brian groaned. ‘How did I know I’d get the blame – as per usual?’
‘Because it’s your fault!’ Wiping the palms of her hands over her face, she assured him, ‘I’m fine now. Come on, let’s get inside – see what everyone else is up to?’
Brian had other ideas. ‘It’s such a lovely evening, Nancy. Incredible weather for the time of year. Let’s sit over by the summerhouse for a while, eh?’
‘Why?’ Nancy was not in the mood for small talk.
Slipping an arm around her waist, Brian explained, ‘I just think it would be nice to end a great evening, sitting together away from the others, just you and me.’
‘But why?’
Taking a deep sigh, Brian spoke softly. ‘Because we never seem to have any time to ourselves. We’ve had the most marvellous holiday, and I’m grateful to Mac and Rita for that, but we’ve never once enjoyed each other’s company without the children around us; or without being frantic when they’re out of sight. The thing is, love, they’re not babies any more. It won’t be too long before they leave home for good, to set out on their own life adventures, and then it’ll be just you and me.’
Without realising it, he had touched a raw nerve. ‘Do you think I don’t already know that?’ she snapped, and reached for her hanky again.
‘I wasn’t meaning to upset you. It’s just that, well, it’s almost time to go home, where we’ll have even less time for you and me. There’ll be work, and the kids, and …’ He hesitated.
‘And what?’
Embarrassed, he looked away. ‘It’s just that I never get you to myself these days, and I miss you, Nancy. So very much.’
‘Oh, I see.’ Nancy was in the mood for a fight. ‘You mean my father, don’t you?’ she demanded. ‘You don’t like it because I asked him to come and live with us after we lost Mum. Admit it! You want my father out of our house and the sooner the better. That’s it, isn’t it? That’s what you’re trying to say.’
Brian was shocked. ‘Never. That is not what I’m saying, and you know it. I love your father as much as you and the kids do. Besides, it was me who suggested he should come and stay with us – or have you forgotten?’
‘No, I haven’t forgotten, but it sounds to me as though you’re beginning to regret having suggested it in the first place.’
Angry, Brian took her by the shoulders. ‘What the hell is wrong with you tonight?’ he demanded. ‘You’ve been acting strange all evening.’
‘Nonsense.’ His wife tried to wriggle away. ‘You always did have a vivid imagination.’
Brian wasn’t about to fall for that one. ‘It has nothing to do with imagination and it has nothing to do with the wine you drank either. I saw you, Nancy! I saw your expression when you looked at Sammie. It was as if you’d never seen her before. As if you were looking at a stranger.’
‘Now you really are talking nonsense!’ Nancy snapped.
‘Apart from that, you’ve hardly spoken a word to anyone all evening; then you asked me to fill your glass to the brim, even knowing how wine can affect you.’
He went on, ‘Just a while ago I found you sobbing your heart out, and now, for some reason I can’t even fathom, you seem to be hellbent on picking an argument with me!’
All evening he had seen her behaving out of character, and it worried him. ‘As for accusing me of wanting to throw Don out of house and home … For crying out loud, Nancy, I think the world of him, and you know that. So why don’t you tell me, what’s really going on in that head of yours?’
Exasperated when she deliberately turned away, he swung her round to face him. ‘I’m beginning to think there’s something you know and I don’t. So come on, out with it. What’s going on?’
Aware that she had foolishly aroused his suspicions, Nancy quickly turned the tables on him, ‘It’s you! You’ve got me all confused, with your need to sit in the summer house, just the two of us. Then you moan about the kids always being round us, so where else would you have them be, eh? Roaming the streets, getting into trouble?’
Just as she had planned, her tirade put him on the defensive. ‘Don’t be silly, woman! It’s just that we seem to have lost touch with each other. We never have time to sit and talk about us – you and me! It’s always other people – family, neighbours, the woman in the corner shop or the man who sells papers on the market. Other people!’
When he thought he had got her attention, he went on more quietly, ‘The truth is, Nancy, we seem to have lost our way. All I want is for you and me to get to know each other again … just to talk and be together without anyone bursting in on us, or demanding our time, or calling us away … stealing what time should be ours, so that in the end, there’s nothing left for either of us.’
His voice grew soft and persuasive. ‘I bet you can’t even remember the last time I told you how much I love you?’
Nancy gave a small embarrassed laugh. ‘Honestly, Brian, just listen to yourself! We’re not two young people who need to keep telling each other things like that.’
‘Oh, but you’re wrong, Nancy. It’s at our time of life, when the children are learning to flex their wings and time is running short, this is precisely when we need to let each other know our feelings.’ He took hold of her hand. ‘I want you to know that I do love you, Nancy. I always have and I always will.’
He smiled knowingly. ‘In spite of the fact that you can be bossy and frightening at times.’
Humbled and somewhat flustered by his unusually sincere outburst, Nancy drew away from him. ‘You’re drunker than I thought!’ she chided. ‘We’d best go inside, before they wonder where we are.’
More sober now, and definitely in control, she marched up to the house, with Brian staring after her, forlorn and rejected. ‘All right, girl, if that’s the way you want it,’ he mumbled, following behind. ‘You can pretend all you like, but I know there’s something different about you tonight. You’ve been too quiet, and just now when you flew at me in a temper, it wasn’t me you were angry with, oh no. Seems to me, it was someone else who upset you tonight, and for some reason, you don’t want me to find out – in case I start a skirmish, eh? Well, you needn’t worry, because I’m not that drunk.’
Kicking out at a loose stone, he raised his voice to yell after her, ‘And I’m not taking the blame either!’
In fact, there very nearly was a skirmish later on that night – but neither Brian nor Nancy had anything to do with it.
David and Sammie were in Sammie’s room, chatting about the end of their holiday, and saying how they would have liked to have stayed on a while longer. ‘I’m sure if we asked to stay for another few days, nobody would object,’ Sammie remarked. She couldn’t remember now why she had been so reluctant to come on holiday. It had been brilliant!
David shook his head. ‘No. I’ve had enough of the seaside. Anyway, I’m due back at work on Monday. How do you fancy a weekend in London instead, seeing the sights? Sam Martin’s brother had his stag night there, and apparently it was the best night they’ve ever had in their lives.’
‘Oh, whoopee-doo!’ Sammie threw one of her pillows at his head. ‘We’ll have to get you married off, then we can all have a party. That’s if we ever find a girl who’ll have you!’
‘You little monster!’ Grabbing the other pillow, David threw it at her, then when she retaliated, the pillow fight really got underway, with a volley of screaming and shouting and laughter that reached the downstairs lounge, where the others were talking about boats and holidays.
‘What the devil’s going on up there!’ Nancy was already on her feet and ready to run up the stairs, when Brian caught hold of her.
‘They’re just being high-spirited,’ he said. ‘They’re just kids, burning off energy. That’s all.’
When Nancy seemed determined to go and investigate, Mac stood up, albeit rather unsteadly. ‘I’m the man of the house,’ he declared stoutly. ‘You lot talk among yourselves, while I sort the kids out.’
Before anyone could object, he was already headed for the stairs.
David heard the footsteps approach. ‘Ssh. Somebody’s coming!’ In a minute he was out the door and back in his room, before Mac even got to the top of the stairs.
With his ear to the door, he heard his Uncle Mac knock on his sister’s door. ‘Sammie, it’s Uncle Mac. Is everything all right in there?’
‘Yes, thank you, Uncle Mac.’
‘We thought we heard a lot of noise.’
‘Oh, it must have been the radio. Sorry if it disturbed you. I’ve turned it off now.’ There was a pause, then, ‘Goodnight, Uncle Mac.’
‘Goodnight, then. Sleep tight.’
David heard the conversation and was quietly chuckling to himself. ‘“I had the radio on, Uncle Mac”.’ He mocked Sammie’s voice to perfection. ‘“Goodnight, Uncle Mac”.’
He had to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Waiting until Mac’s footsteps receded down the stairs, he then slunk out of the door.
As he came onto the landing, he was astonished to see that Uncle Mac had not gone downstairs, after all. Instead, he was half-crouched by the balustrade, stamping his feet in a manner that would suggest he was actually going further away, when in fact he had never left the spot.
Realising his intention, David smiled. You cunning old devil, he thought and shrank further back into the shadows. Trying to make Sammie believe you’ve gone down the stairs – until she starts with the ‘radio’ and then you’ll be banging on the door again.
He quietly chuckled. ‘You’re more crafty than I gave you credit for!’
What he saw next wiped the smile off his face.
Unaware that David was watching from the shadows, Mac peeped over the balustrade, making sure there was no one on their way up. Satisfied that he was alone, he gingerly placed his hand on the doorknob to Sammie’s room, and very carefully turned it, until the door inched open.
A furtive glance to right and left, then the man leaned forward, painstakingly pushing open the door, just enough for him to look inside and watch Samantha as she undressed for bed.
When he became visibly excited, licking his lips and shifting from one foot to the other, David was deeply shocked. He could hardly believe what his eyes were telling him.
Why was Uncle Mac still there? Why was he peeping into Sammie’s room like that?
Suspicions were forming in his mind; dark, terrible suspicions that made his skin crawl. No! He had to be mistaken. But there in front of him was the truth – Uncle Mac, nervous and excited, like he had never seen him before. No, he had to be wrong! Uncle Mac would never do such a thing.
Making as much noise as he could, David came down the landing, whistling and calling, ‘Uncle Mac! Oh, did the radio disturb you? I told Sammie she should turn it down, but she wouldn’t listen.’
Flustered and shocked, Mac instantly shrank from the door. ‘Oh, David! Er, yes, I was just waiting at the door to make sure she turned the darned thing off.’ With the effects of drink still on him, he staggered drunkenly to the top of the stairs. ‘Sounds as though she might have gone to bed now, so I dare say we won’t hear any more of that tonight, eh?’
Going unsteadily down the stairs, he called back to David. ‘Goodnight, lad.’
Still shaken by what he had witnessed, David mumbled back, ‘Goodnight.’
Returning to Sammie’s room, he softly tapped on the door.
Sammie called out, ‘Who’s there?’
‘It’s me! Can I come in for a minute?’
‘What’s wrong?’ Sammie left the door open for him. ‘I thought you’d be in bed asleep by now.’
‘I don’t feel tired, sis.’ It was clear to David that she had just climbed out of bed; her robe looked like it had been thrown on, and her feet were bare.
‘Uncle Mac was at the door, complaining about the noise.’ Giggling, she threw herself onto the bed and swung her legs over the edge. ‘I told him I was sorry to have disturbed them, but that it was the radio, which was now turned off.’
David already knew all that. ‘Did you let him come in?’
‘’Course not!’ she laughed. ‘I was getting ready for bed. Anyway, he was only there for a minute and then he went away.’
David wondered if should tell Sammie of his suspicions. But then if he did, what would he say – that Uncle Mac was peeping at her through the open door?
When he thought of it like that, it sounded ridiculous. After all, the very reason Uncle Mac had come upstairs was because of the noise, which she had told him was the radio. So wasn’t it feasible that he should look in to make certain Sammie was not waiting to turn the radio back on, once his back was turned?
Besides, David wasn’t sure if what he had thought to be Uncle Mac being excited or sinister, wasn’t merely agitation at having reprimanded Sammie about the unacceptable noise.
He couldn’t even be certain if Uncle Mac had seen anything untoward. What if Sammie was already in her bed and completely covered over? What if Mac really was just checking to see if everything was all right like he said?
David had partly convinced himself. ‘Maybe I should run it by Dad?’ he muttered aloud.
‘Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,’ Sammie declared.
David looked up. ‘What are you talking about?’
Sammie groaned. ‘I just said, telling Dad first, about a possible trip to London, sounds like a good idea to me. Then he can tell Mother, and maybe persuade her that we would come to no harm if she was to let us loose for a day. Then we could decide where to go and what to do.’ While David was thinking of his suspicions about Uncle Mac, Sammie had been rattling on about the idea of going to London.
David gave a sigh of relief. ‘Oh, right! Yea … or we could maybe go fishing, what do you think?’
Sammie didn’t know what to think, ‘I reckon you should make up your mind,’ she grumbled. ‘First we’re going up in a hot-air balloon, then we’re going to somewhere else. And now, it’s fishing!’
Relieved to leave his suspicions behind and pick up on the conversation, David reminded her, ‘Mother probably wouldn’t let us go on our own anyway.’
Sammie was determined. ‘We’ll just have to insist then, won’t we?’
‘Oh, what! And start World War Three?’
‘If needs be, yes!’
Something about Sammie’s fighting attitude made David think.
If he was to raise the matter of Uncle Mac peering in at Sammie’s door, it might cause more trouble than it was worth. Or it would turn out to be something and nothing and he would end up with egg on his face.
He decided to let matters rest.
After all, he was probably overreacting. He reminded himself that Uncle Mac had obviously had too much to drink over dinner, and that he was probably fidgeting about because he was unable to remain steady on his feet.
Even though he had no particular liking for his uncle, there was no real evidence that Mac was harbouring bad thoughts towards Sammie, and why should he? They had always got on like a house on fire, even when David had tried so hard to turn Sammie against him; and that was probably out of petty jealousy. It riled him that Uncle Mac had always paid more attention to everyone else than he did to his nephew.
Yes, that was it! David told himself. It was nothing more than his own sibling jealousy, and that was the truth of it.
For the next little while, he and Sammie talked of certain things they’d like to do before getting back to normality.
The more brother and sister chatted, the more David became convinced that Uncle Mac was guilty of nothing worse than downing too many glasses of Bordeaux.
Even so, when he left, he made Sammie promise to lock the door.
His sister grinned. ‘Why? Do you think Count Dracula is coming to snatch me away and suck my blood?’
‘You’ve got a shockingly vivid imagination, do you know that?’
‘And you’re getting paranoid. Just like Mother!’
As he walked back to this room, David thought of what Sammie had said. ‘God, I hope I’m not getting like Mother,’ he muttered. ‘When she sets her mind to it, she can be the most unreasonable, troublesome creature on God’s earth. Sometimes I really pity Dad, having to put up with it.’
That settled the matter once and for all. ‘Sammie is absolutely right! I’m getting paranoid and imagining things.’
After all, when it came right down to it, all he had seen was his uncle a bit worse for drink, impatient and irritated, because the noise had disturbed the adults downstairs.
He decided to put the whole matter behind him.
Mac though, found it far more difficult to forget the incident.
Restless into the early hours, he could not get the image of Sammie out of his mind. Until he looked inside the room and saw her just now, arms stretched up as she slid her nightie on, he had not fully appreciated how his delightful little niece was beginning to blossom into womanhood.
He had never considered Sammie to be beautiful, in the traditional way. Pretty, yes, and maybe with the promise of beauty, but not yet open to full bloom.
Lurking in him now was a carnal realisation of how deeply desirable she was. Seeing her like that had been truly disturbing. In a way that both shocked him and aroused his worst fears.