Francesca, page 39
Tony put his hand to his mouth. ‘Oh my God, Jake. You told her that? Why would you tell her that?’ Tony looked horrified at the very thought of Jake telling Francesca what he was saying.
Jake slapped him on the knee and smiled. ‘No, mate. The rest, yes. But you want to tell her that, then you say so in English and when you’re sober.’
In some ways, Tony wished Jake had told her. At least it would have been said. On the other hand, he was glad he hadn’t. He felt like a big enough fool as it was.
After Jake’s second cup of coffee and a new change of clothes, Tony sat back on the sofa with Jake. ‘You know what, Jake? I had the strangest dream last night. It was one of those dreams that stays with you. I dreamt we were in each other’s arms fast asleep. I could smell her perfume. I don’t know the brand.’ He seemed in a dazed state as he told Jake, ‘I could feel her warm naked body against mine and hear her breathing. It feels like some flashback in and out of my brain. Weird or what?’ He turned to Jake for an explanation, although he knew there wasn’t one.
Jake nearly choked on his coffee and sat up. ‘Is that it? No naughty bits. That’s drunken fantasy, mate, or wishful thinking. There isn’t a cat in hell’s chance of that happening last night, the mood she was in.’ Jake burst out laughing. ‘Bloody hell, Tony, I would have thought if you were going to dream about her, there would have been more to it.’ He looked at Tony, and through their hangovers, they both burst out laughing. Jake was right. Tony could have come up with more than that in a fantasy!
At last, Julie was coming home. Elle had resumed normality, even though I knew she felt I had been a little harsh on Tony. But she couldn’t be sure I had done anything wrong. The door flung wide open, and Julie walked in, baby bump first, with a handful of designer shopping bags. ‘Prezies, girls, from abroad, courtesy of Ralph’s credit card.’ She laughed out loud.
It was good to see her. We had both missed her. She was full of gossip about all of the sights she had seen. She moaned relentlessly about ralph being overprotective and boring, though Elle and I could both see she had enjoyed it. She was putting on a little weight, but as far as she was concerned, she looked like a beach whale!
She told us all about Josh and what a pleasure it was seeing him enjoy a holiday for once—probably because Julie had been sober and Ralph hadn’t spent all of the time on the telephone. It must have seemed like a real family holiday to Josh.
Julie was enjoying asking Elle about Albert and how things were going. She enjoyed tormenting and teasing Elle about the new man in her life. For once, I could watch Elle squirm and look embarrassed.
‘He’s not my Albert, Julie,’ Elle said indignantly. ‘He’s just a friend. That’s all.’ She poured Julie some orange juice and didn’t mention Albert again.
‘Well, Fran, and you, Elle, of course, you have had my gossip. What’s yours? Anything exciting happen?’ Julie looked back and forth between us, waiting for one of us to speak up.
Elle got in first. After Julie’s teasing, she wanted to get her own back. ‘Tony stayed over last week,’ she said. And then, having purposefully dropped her bombshell, she hurriedly made herself scarce, going upstairs to dust something.
Julie’s eyes widened with expectation. She picked up her glass and took a sip. ‘Well, well, Francesca. Come on. Give me the dirt.’ She made herself more comfortable on her chair and waited.
‘Oh there is nothing to tell.’ I explained what had happened.
Apart from being shocked and then bursting into laughter about his foolish behaviour, she looked at me oddly. ‘What is it, Fran? What is it you’re not telling me?’ She gave me that cheeky wink of hers and waited.
Of course, I denied there was anything more to tell and brushed her suspicion off.
She waved her finger at me. ‘You’re hiding something, Fran. Spit it out.’ Julie was a wise woman, and she could see straight through me, unlike Elle, who wasn’t sure. Julie could see my guilt and wasn’t going to stop probing until she got the truth. Now this was the kind of gossip she enjoyed.
I got up to close the kitchen door and made my way back over to the breakfast bar to where she was sitting. I saw the frown on her brow. Now she knew there was something, because I didn’t want Elle hearing it.
‘I may as well tell you because I know you won’t leave it alone. But before I do, Julie, you have to swear not to tell a soul. Promise me, or I won’t tell you. I mean it, Julie, if you ever say a word, our friendship is over.’
She could see I was serious and was taken aback at what I had said. Now she was serious. She folded her arms. ‘Okay, Fran, I swear. Has he hurt you? Because if he has, I will strangle that son of a bitch with my bare hands.’ I could see Julie’s anger rising.
I shook my head. I didn’t want to raise her blood pressure. Then I poured out the whole sordid story from beginning to end. I could see the shocked expression in her face, and little by little, her jaw nearly fell onto the breakfast bar. She stayed quiet and didn’t comment until I had finished.
I was glad to tell someone. I had felt it was loving and warm at the time, but now, the more I thought about it, it sounded disgusting. When at last I finished my confession, I looked at her shocked face, waiting for everything I had said to sink into her astonished brain.
Suddenly she burst into laughter—large howling laughter. Tears were coming down her face, and she could hardly speak. So much for not raising her blood pressure. ‘That’s date rape, you pervert.’ She was nearly choking with laughter and holding her stomach. ‘You saucy minx, are you telling me that all of the time he was unconscious, you were groping him and getting off on it?’ Again she burst into laughter, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hands.
I could feel my face burning. I hadn’t expected this. I thought she would have taken it more seriously. ‘It’s not date rape,’ I whispered. ‘Shut up, will you. Elle will hear you.’ I was regretting my decision to tell her. It had felt good telling someone and getting it off my chest, but her reaction made me curse myself.
‘Tell that to the judge, Fran. It’s date rape, I tell you. Ask anyone.’
Slowly I realised that what she was saying was right. Date rape—that made it sound even worse that what I had been thinking. I suppose it could be construed as something like that.
‘You promised me, Julie. Not a word. Not a word to anyone. You promised.’ I was desperate now and could feel my panic. Why had I told her? What had I done?
‘You know what, Fran, love. I almost wish I hadn’t promised now. Do you realise he would be suicidal if he knew. In fact, I don’t know a man in the universe who wouldn’t be kicking himself. There he was in body, if not in spirit, and a gorgeous young woman climbs into bed with him and starts groping him, and he doesn’t remember. Are you sure he doesn’t know?’
I let out a sigh of relief. Thank God Julie could see the funny side of it. ‘I think I covered my tracks,’ I said and then burst out laughing with her.
Julie held her hands together like a trumpet close to her mouth. ‘Listen up, everyone, womanising know-it-all Tony Lambrianu is a victim of date rape. You do realise that I am going to have to get him some counselling leaflets.’
Although we were laughing like two schoolgirls now, I still regretted telling her.
29
A Family Holiday
At last my mam and brothers were coming for a holiday. It was nearly the end of the school summer holidays and the only time my mam could get off work. I had informed the surgery that I wouldn’t be available during this time, as the office staff had gotten into the habit of ringing me at a moment’s notice and asking me to work.
Nothing was going to spoil this holiday. I had looked forward to it for weeks. I met Mam and the boys at the train station. I had hired a minibus for the week. Not only were we going to stay at my house near the seaside, we were also going to explore all the famous London sights.
After loads of hugs and kisses at the station, we all, including George, piled into the minibus. He had decided to come after all, and I had decided to make a valiant effort for my mam’s sake. I had gotten used to the house by now, but I could see the pound signs in George’s eyes when he saw it. Driving up to the iron gates, I typed in the security code, and the gates opened, revealing the long drive down to the doorway with its fountain in the middle of it.
Although it was a hot day, Elle had still made a full roast dinner for everyone. She’d thought they would be hungry after all of their travelling. I thought that was thoughtful of her, but I felt my mam looking at her strangely. She kept making the odd sarcastic remark and then sat down with us as normal. George was impressed by the en-suite bedroom that he would be sharing with my mam.
After my brothers and Bobby had wolfed down their dinner, they ran out into the gardens to explore and play on the swings. Susie was in full barking mode, running around while the boys threw her ball for her to chase. I couldn’t really have a nice one-to-one chat with my mam because George was making his presence known.
I suggested a walk on the beach, and the boys asked if they could take their towels and wanted some buckets and spades. I had bought almost everything they might want but had forgotten the obvious.
The seafront was in full swing, people enjoying their holidays. The caravan parks were packed to the hilt with people and families enjoying the weather and all the seaside pleasures. The fairground had queues around the corner, so I suggested we would go back later or another day. After all, I lived there. We didn’t need to stay and do it all in one day, did we?
Watching my brothers and Bobby paddling around in the sea and building sandcastles warmed my heart. I had gotten all this through my deal with Tony. There had been times when I had wondered if it had been worth it. Seeing them all enjoying themselves in my home by the sea confirmed it. It had all been worth it.
I was a little peeved that George had declined to come with us, saying he wanted to stay at the house and relax. What had he come for then? I know it sounds awful, but I had whispered to Elle that, while she was tidying up, she should keep a firm eye on the family silver.
In all fairness, though, this gave me the opportunity to have that private talk with my mam. While the boys were all running around enjoying themselves, I decided to broach the subject about buying my mam’s house or even something bigger. I discussed the plan I had concocted with Julie and Elle about being her landlord, though no money would change hands.
It surprised me she didn’t jump at the chance. I could see she had something on her mind. ‘What about George?’ she said. ‘What if he wanted to move in with me?’
So that was it. She though my offer extended to my brothers only, but I had already thought about that.
‘What about him? It you want him to move in he can. What’s the problem?’
I could see her mulling it over.
‘Of course, Mam, if he wants to buy you one for himself, I don’t want to interfere.’ I know my voice dripped with sarcasm. We both knew he had no intention of doing that.
Mam patted my hand. We were sitting side by side in deck chairs, which meant she didn’t have to look me in the eye. All the time we spoke, she kept looking towards the sea and the waves gently washing up on the shore. ‘I’ll think about it, Fran,’ she said. ‘By the way, does that housekeeper of yours always have to hang around? I’m your mother, and she struts about the kitchen like she owns the place.’
So, that was it—jealousy. I thought her words were a little harsh. But now I knew what the testiness I’d seen was. It came down to my mam being jealous of mine and Elle’s friendship and her relationship with Bobby.
‘She’s not the housekeeper, Mam. She’s more than that. And she has been good to Bobby and me. She shared her home when I needed somewhere to stay and always looks after Bobby for me while I go to work. She has become a friend to us both.’ I felt I was having to justify myself. Hopefully, the rest of the holiday would create a better atmosphere.
It was nearly five by the time we got back. I didn’t think anyone would want to eat much, considering they had eaten fish and chips, ice creams, and doughnuts. As predicted, the boys weren’t hungry, so it was upstairs to the bathroom and shower off all of the sand. They all looked tired, and obviously they just wanted to relax, possibly watch television. Then it would be time for bed.
It was still a warm evening. So they all wanted to sit outside in the garden with their drinks, their faces red from the sun and bearing that tired look that comes from a good day. It was time to discuss what we would all do tomorrow. The boys were all shouting out what they wanted to do and see—Buckingham Palace; Big Ben; and, of course, Madame Tussauds.
It was at this moment that George finally got his backside off my sofa and came outside to join us—beef sandwich in one hand and a can of lager in the other. He really had made himself comfortable. Elle had obviously made her escape, which I was sorry for. God knows what George had been doing in our absence.
‘What about meeting the big man himself?’ he said, looking at me directly.
For a moment, he threw me, what with all of the boys shouting out their London sightseeing suggestions. I looked at George, waiting for him to say what he meant.
‘That husband, or should I say that ex-husband, of yours. When are we going to visit his fancy club?’ The smug expression on his face reminding me that Tony was my ex-husband made my blood boil, and my mam could see it.
‘What he means, Fran,’ she said in that peacemaker voice of hers, ‘is that it would be nice during the holiday to have an adult’s night out. Maybe it would be nice to visit the club we have all heard about.’ She was defending George’s shallow comments. That was all he had come for, to meet Tony and possibly have his photo taken with him to impress all of his friends down at the local pub. I secretly hoped that he would get fed up and catch the train home.
‘Anyone is welcome to go, George,’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘The entry fee is around £100 to a £150 pounds. In fact, I don’t mind babysitting while you take my mam out. That would be nice, wouldn’t it.’ I knew he had no intention of spending that much money on an entrance fee.
That really didn’t go down well at all. He gave me one of those disgruntled looks I had come to associate with him and took another gulp of his lager. He never answered me. Now I realised that was all he had come for, not a sunny holiday by the beach with my family.
It started getting a bit cooler, so we all went inside, leaving George outside sulking with his lager.
‘Nice one, Fran,’ said the older of my brothers. He had a big grin on his face as we walked through the patio doors. ‘It’s good to see him told off for once.’ As innocent as it was, I didn’t like the comment. That meant George was used to telling my brothers off.
My brother told me when I took them all upstairs to bed that George had told all of his friends at his local pub that he was best friends with Tony, because he was my mam’s son-in-law. God, what an overbearing man. I felt I might need some help during the course of George’s stay. So I telephoned Julie and asked what she was doing over the next couple of days.
Thankfully, like the cavalry, Julie turned up the next morning, all guns blazing. She had everyone make a list of where they wanted to go and put all of their bits of paper in a bowl and shook it. She took out one piece of paper and read it. That was the plan, and over the next few days, it was how we decided what we’d do.
She had brought Josh with her. I had explained to my brothers as best possible that Josh was shy. I didn’t want them overpowering him.
George had at last had his bit of excitement. He had met Julie Gold. He sat at the breakfast bar with her, and his eyes lit up. ‘You’re Julie Gold,’ he said, stating the obvious. ‘I have read about you and that husband of yours. He’s a bit of a lad, isn’t he?’ I think he was waiting for some silly stories to come about Ralph so that he could pass them on to his friends. But remember, this was Julie he was talking to.
Julie looked at me and then at George. She gave her best smile and walked up to him with all her feminine charm. It reminded me of the first time I had ever met her.
‘I am glad you have heard of Ralph, George. Just thank your lucky stars, he hasn’t heard of you,’ she tweaked his chin for good measure and sat back down again.
George’s smile dropped. If he had read anything about Ralph, this thinly veiled threat from Julie spoke volumes. I was proud of her. She had put him in his place without an argument or a cross word.
George came along to our day trips out. But I found it embarrassing how, no matter where we went or what we did, he never took out his wallet and paid for anything—not even an ice cream.
To George, a free holiday really meant free, all inclusive. It annoyed me the way he told the boys to be quiet when they were getting excited like boys do or when he told them they had eaten enough chips or chocolate, considering he wasn’t paying. What had happened to my mother? Had she lost her tongue or something? She’ never stopped him bossing them about or pretending to be the man of my house.
Julie kept a lid on things. ‘It’s their business, Fran. He’s not hitting the kids or anything, is he? I just think you resent him a bit. After all, you knew your dad more than the others do. Don’t be so hostile, eh?’
‘No, he’s not hitting them. It’s just his attitude towards them, Julie. And you have heard the way he speaks to my mam sometimes—telling her to fill up his coffee cup and see if there are any more lagers in the fridge.’
She opened her arms and gave me a hug as best as she could, considering her bump. She really was a big sister. ‘Fran, love, I have met these kind of men. They want some kind of status. He has boasted far and wide that his girlfriend’s daughter is a Lambrianu, divorced or not. While he’s doing his best to impress his friends, they are buying him free drinks and making his ego bigger. He also sees you as the golden goose.’
