Chapter Eighteen

FIONA stood the little mongrel puppy on the table of the veterinary surgery and tried to concentrate of what she was about to do, but her mind was on anything but animals that morning. She kissed the little dog and gave it her customary cuddle, but the puppy only whimpered in return.

“I do wish you would keep your mind on your job, Fiona,”... The voice came from the other room where Fiona’s boss, Mrs. Aida Forester was always attentive to anything that wasn’t one hundred per cent attention in her supportive staff.

“Sorry,” Fiona called out and the puppy peed all over her apron. “I really must change,” she went on hurriedly “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes,” but Fiona had no intention of just changing her apron as she threw her coat over her shoulders and made for the surgery door. She had other things on her mind.

“Fiona, Fiona,” a shrill voice screamed from a small room at the back of the surgery. “Where on earth do you think you’re going? I need you here. Come back girl. I need you here urgently,” but Fiona ignored the voice and its urgency as she made her way to the surgery door. There were other things on Fiona Morray-Smith’s mind that morning that needed more than her undivided attention to pissy dogs, she thought as she ran towards her car and jumped in.

As she drove through the streets towards Muswell Hill, she thought of the plight her mother had got herself into and she cursed Maya inwardly for doing it. It was more than she thought her mother should shoulder alone and she was more than willing to help her, but the relationship between the two of them had been strained for such a long time and it was difficult just to say, “Love you, Mum,” and hope that everything would be put right in that instant, but she had resolved to do her very best as she drove up to the flat and hurried to the third floor only to find that the place was empty. She rang the bell but there was no reply.

Fiona came down to the ground floor again and found her mother about to climb the stairs. She looked tired and worn out and Fiona immediately went to help her with the shopping that she was carrying.

“Why can’t you get all this stuff delivered by the internet?” she enquired, but Maya shook her head.

“I needed the fresh air and I needed this shopping too, so it does just as well to kill the two birds with the one stone, is what I say, so now as you are here, will you stay for a coffee?”

Fiona carried the shopping bags up to the third floor and Maya fumbled around for her key.

“Have you been to the doctor, yet?” asked Fiona as she went into the flat and Maya took a deep breath before she answered in the affirmative, but added that she hadn’t been too pleased about the results.

“I’ll tell you more when we sit down, but he didn’t seem to know whether he was coming or going, but never mind that... let me get the coffee going first,” she said and Fiona immediately became alarmed as it was so unlike her mother to be so lethargic and uncertain about anything in her life. Maya Thompson was THE one who could put everything to rights, both in her own life and in the lives of all who knew her.

“Tell me now,” demanded Fiona “and I’ll get the coffee. I know where everything is. Now sit down and get your feet up.”

Maya did as she was told immediately which was another reason why Fiona became worried about what she was about to hear, as this submissive conduct was so UNLIKE her mother... Maya Thompson was anything but submissive.

Fiona served the coffee, bringing in the biscuit barrel to the lounge before Maya moved listlessly in her chair and yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

“Well... What did the doctor say?”

Maya twitched as a nerve shot through her shoulder.

“He says I may have some difficulty with the birth. That’s all.”

“That’s all,” screamed Fiona as she stared into her mother’s eyes “What on earth did he mean by that?”

“I suppose it’s my age... and the fact that I haven’t had children before except Marianna, but that was a long time ago and my body has changed quite a lot since then.”

“And me,” added Fiona as she sipped her coffee, but her mind was alert to everything her mother was saying. She realized the truth of what her mother was telling her but she didn’t want to accept it... and she would never contradict Maya... Maya had always been a bit of an actress; a drama queen, but not at this time in her crisis.

“That seems to be some red herring, Mother,” she said, “I know women who are older than you who have perfectly normal babies. Some even have twins and triplets, for God‘s sake.”

Maya laughed when she heard what Fiona had to say.

“I don’t want twins if that’s what you are thinking and as for triplets... No, never... and anyway, I don’t think I’m having more than one when I look at my tummy. Look I’m still FLAT for God’s sake... and besides,”... Maya stopped talking for a moment as if she was enjoying some deep thought or other. “Most women don’t live as I do, Fiona darling... and you must admit that, scary though it may seem, but I’m not unduly worried. I feel alright in myself so far, except for...”Maya stopped talking abruptly before she continued, “and that’s as much as any pregnant woman can go by, is it not?”

“Drink your coffee before it gets cold and what’s this ‘except for‘, madam? Except for what? Want a biscuit,” asked Fiona but Maya waved her hand in the air.

“I’ll only bring it up again, so what’s the use. I’ve been sick twice already this morning and what I meant by that was I have been having pains and a lot of discomfort far down, near into my groin and I don’t think that’s quite right, do you?

Fiona shook her head. She was worried concerning her mother’s pains and also anxious to know if she had changed her mind about any possible abortion because she was sure it would have been an impossible option to her at that time in her pregnancy however it seemed as though she was determined to have her baby from the way she spoke. If she had decided otherwise, Fiona felt sure that she would have been scared at the doctor’s diagnosis of a possible difficulty at the birth, but for all that was told to her in the doctor’s surgery, Maya Thompson was more than ever determined to have her baby and Fiona was pleased.

“How long now,” Fiona asked to confirm her conviction that all was well and that the birth was forthcoming.

“I think I must be about three months now,” said Maya as she sipped her tea... “and I hope it’s not the same kind of birth as I had with Marianna. She was premature and a breach into the bargain. She screamed all the way into this world, she did, my girl, but I must admit she was a bonny baby for all that... and she never stopped screaming to the day... the day she died.”

Fiona was sad to hear the narrative of the little baby who would have been a little sister to her had she lived and she hoped that her mother would be alright at the time of her next baby’s birth. Several of Fiona’s friends had breach births and she knew the difficulties they had and she was also aware that her mother wasn’t a young woman as far as giving birth was concerned, but the thing that surprised Fiona most was the way in which Maya and she were getting along together... so very different from days not long gone when they were at one another’s throats.

“Have you heard how young Ricky-Boy is getting along at the police station, Fiona,” Maya called out as Fiona moved towards the bathroom and her daughter stopped in her tracks, not quite knowing what to say for the best so that her mother would be least hurt.

“I think he is doing alright... well, that’s as far as I can understand from the policeman who is assigned to his case. I think his name is Gardner and when I saw him last, he told me that Richard would not be held responsible for murder now that your friend, Barnes is well enough to leave hospital, but I think there is some possibility that Richard may have to answer a charge of grievous bodily harm as he did attack your friend and it was because of that attack that Barnes had to go to hospital in the first place, wasn’t it?”

Maya frowned when she heard Fiona say that.

“My friend, as you call him, will not press charges for grievous bodily harm. Not in any way, I can assure you and if he tried to do that, he would have me to answer to and I have more on him than just a punch in the face. Did I tell you that I thought... well, I did see him a short time ago. He told me he was on some sort of bail but that the police were still questioning him...”

Fiona grinned, but she wasn’t at all interested in the Barnes character.

“Mother you shouldn’t get yourself involved in this matter. Barnes is not dead and even if he prefers charges against Richard, I understand from Gardner that the punishment will only be some time doing community services, or at worst a fine of some kind... Oh and he might be electronically tagged for the time he is in the community service, if he is...”

“No way,” Maya replied and her tone was aggressive. “I won’t let Ricky-Boy go through anything like that. I should have shut my mouth when the police came here after that bloody incident that night with Barnes. I feel awful now, accusing young Ricky-Boy of that assault. That big bugger got what he deserved and anyway, Barnes is on a drug’s charge now, isn’t he?”

“So I understand, but then you will have to be careful there mother, because if Barnes talks about drugs, he could involve you.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t take drugs and you know it, girl. I didn’t even know that clown was on drugs until later on that day when he tried to throttle me and Bollocky-Boy came to my rescue.”

Fiona looked at her mother when she described young Richard as she did and her look wasn’t friendly.

“Mother... that’s a terrible thing to call young Richard and you really should have a greater respect for him that that,” said Fiona but Maya only threw her head back and laughed, as she frequently did when corrected by her daughter... for anything.

“Oh don’t be such an old fashioned madam, Fiona. Ricky-Boy and I had several names for each other and my calling him Bollocky-Boy was one of the least offensive names I gave him... if you can call it offensive at all. I rather think he took it as a compliment... Well, wouldn’t you if you were a fella? By the way, did I ever tell you about the time I bought him a thong?”

Fiona’s face fell and an obvious blush coloured her cheeks.

“Mother you... you are going too far. I think you should have more respect for Richard and not do these things to make him feel embarrassed.”

“Don’t be so bloody daft and so old fashions Fiona. He loved it.”

“Mother...”

“Oh don’t be so stuffy, Fiona... If you had a chap wouldn’t you like to see him in a thong,... especially if he was as well endowed as Bollocky-Boy was... is,” said Maya and Fiona knew that no matter what else she said and whether she wanted to hear her mother’s story or not, she would have to listen to it.

“Well I bought him this thong. Deep purple colour it was and very, very sexy. Had a little teddy bear embroidered on the front of the thing... A little sSandy coloured bear with his pink tongue hanging out and I thought it would be nice to see him wearing that when we went on our holiday.”

“Holiday... what holiday? You never told me about this before. Where did you intend to go on this holiday?”

“Spain, of course... Where else do you get the sunshine they have there?”

“Mother, how on earth will Richard be able to... ?” Fiona quizzed and Maya just laughed.

“Pay for that? Is that what you’re asking me? Well of course he couldn’t on his salary if you can call it a salary. More like bloody pittance, I would say. I’ll pay for it. The lad’s worth it.””

Fiona turned her face away but Maya laughed all the more.

“Oh don’t act so coy,” she snapped... “I know you’re dying to hear what I have to say about that bloody thong... sexy thing... so sit back and listen... Bollocky-Boy tried the thong on, but when I went to see what he had done, he had put it on the wrong way... and all his bits...”

“MOTHER,” screamed Fiona, as she put her hands to her ears, but Maya went on with her story regardless.

“All his bits were hanging out and I had to show him how to put the bloody thing on properly... then I put all his things back the way they should be. He’s such a clown and I don’t know at times what to do with him. He’s a bloody good mimic as well you know and I bet you’d laugh if you saw him do Bruce Forsyth, the Brucie version... or even Prince Charles. He does the Muppet version of Prince Charles better than I’ve ever seen it done by a mimic before. Have you seen the Muppets?”

Fiona shuddered and returned her hands to her side, but again, Maya laughed. “You heard all that, didn’t you,” she teased and Fiona blushed all the more.

“I’ve never heard of the Muppets before,” Fiona lied innocently, hoping her mother would change the subject and be a little more respectful towards her young lover. “I’m not a hundred and four, you know.”

“You don’t sound very much less,” shouted Maya.