The Fault

by Kitty Sewell

  Never in his career – relatively short as it had been – had he suffered such disruptions and setbacks. This farcical state of affairs, involving so many factions and agencies, was simply not what his vision was about. He’d become a kind of minion of his own project. Daily he had to justify his actions and plead his case; he was weighted down by minor irritations. Neither was it good for the men in his teams to see the creative mastermind behind the project paralysed by what they might perceive as misgivings or doubts, to see him having to humble himself and be plain ignored by the visiting inspectors.

  He jumped when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw it was Mimi herself.

  ‘Mimi, for fuck’s sake. Where are you?’ he bellowed.

  ‘At the place we call home.’

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Why shouldn’t I be?’

  ‘I’ve tried calling you about a hundred times today.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘I’ve had the most awful feeling about you today. I’m sure you know why.’ He refrained from telling her he’d been running around Both Worlds, ringing door bells and then searching through Montegriffo’s apartment to save her.

  ‘Come home, bro. We need to talk.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ he said, his bad humour fizzling out. ‘Mimi, sweetheart, I’m sorry about this morning,’ he said, ‘I know I should have been more…’

  ‘Forget that,’ Mimi interrupted. ‘Just get your arse back home.’

  Somehow, knowing Mimi was safe, he was reluctant to hurry home to have to deal with his appalling behaviour towards Eva. He felt ashamed of the way he’d acted when she got back from the dive with Brian, but when it came right down to it, he’d begun to seriously question how much of herself she’d been hiding from him. He didn’t want to mistrust her, but after the bombshell of the other day, finding out that he was living with a married woman, quite a number of things had begun to fall into place. She’d cheated on her husband, for a start, even if it was with him. And she was still married to the guy, whoever he was, with no apparent plan to get divorced.

  He slipped the phone back into his pocket, dragging his feet as he headed towards Azzopardi’s hut to ask his man to call him a taxi. Jorge looked a bit more serious than usual when he took his leave.

  ‘I’m sorry about the news,’ he said as he accompanied Sebastian up the ramp. ‘It couldn’t have cheered you up much. I was in two minds about it myself. It’s good for Gibraltar on the one hand, but what it’ll mean for the project, God only knows.’

  Sebastian looked at him, perplexed. ‘Sorry. What exactly are you talking about?’

  Azzopardi pointed to Gorham’s cave below the parapet. ‘Look, they’re in there poking around as we speak. Even in the dark, with torches.’

  ‘I know,’ said Sebastian. ‘It’s ongoing research, isn’t it? I don’t think it’ll affect us much. The last thing the planners said about it, was that we can wrap around it or have the outside bracket just to the north of the cave. I’m trying to sell it as a feature, an attractive boardwalk connecting the cave to the southern end of the development.’

  Now it was Azzopardi who looked puzzled. ‘But it said in the papers that it would mean all the caves along the cliff would be protected.’

  ‘Protected from what?’

  ‘Well, once they’ve proclaimed Gorham’s cave a UNESCO World Heritage Site, absolutely no development can be undertaken along here, as I understand it.’

  Sebastian felt a sinking feeling in the very pit of his being. World Heritage Site! Why the hell had he not heard anything about this? Did Saunders know? Dear God, that could well be the kiss of death to the entire project, at least in this part of the world. It could even affect his credibility and reputation, never mind that this unforeseen kick in the teeth was none of hisown doing. Damned Gibraltar! Nothing, absolutely nothing had gone right since they came here. To be the last to know…it was fucking humiliating.

  He tried his best not to show his distress. ‘You know, I just go along and do my work. If I don’t do the shelf project here, I’ll do it in Norway, or in Japan, or some other deserving country. The politics of this whole thing has been a damned nuisance, and I’ve tried to stay out of it as much as I can.’

  ‘Of course, of course,’ said Azzopardi. He shifted his feet and looked out to sea. ‘You know, it hurts me to tell you this, but I’ve been offered another job. It’s a good one, and I think I ought to take it. I don’t mean to be disloyal or anything, you mustn’t think that. You’ll get another head security man easy enough. There are many good guys here in Gib, with all the construction that’s gone on.’

  Sebastian closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. He realised, with painful clarity, that – apart from Mimi and Eva – Azzopardi was his only friend in Gibraltar. He would sorely miss their little interactions at the end of each day.

  He reached out to shake Azzopardi’s hand. ‘Well, congratulations. I don’t blame you in the least. If this is a sinking ship, we must all do the best for our respective careers. I might well have to do the same.’

  It was with a sense of devastation that he got into the taxi. To add to his grief, his head was throbbing and small red dots flew like shooting stars crossed his vision. As soon as he got home and inside the door, he’d get down on his knees to beg Eva’s forgiveness. He needed her and wanted her. Making love to his mermaid would make him forget everything. Only she could make him feel better when he felt as low as this.

  Eva

  Brian insisted on driving her to Benalmadena Pueblo, though she begged him to drop her at the bus station in La Linea, or better still, in Algeciras where the buses ran continuously along the coastal highway. There was time enough, but he was adamant. They got across the frontier without the border guards of either country so much as glancing at their passports. Brian drove through La Linea towards the motorway.

  She took her phone out of her bag and tried to call Sebastian for the third time. He still did not pick up the call. Surely he was ignoring her on purpose, punishing her for her ‘affair’ with Brian. How would he feel about what she was doing right now, in a car with the man himself, on their way east along the Spanish coast? She would let Mimi tell him.

  Finally, Brian broke the silence between them. ‘Now for heaven’s sake, Eva, tell me what’s going on. Why that drastic amputation of your lovely hair?’

  ‘I’m having a break for a while,’ she said quietly. That’s why she didn’t want to have him drive her. She didn’t want to explain her predicament to him. Not because he wouldn’t be understanding, but he would take a stand, offering to go with her, protect her. Or just plain refuse to let her go. He was just that kind of man.

  He reached over and patted her hand. ‘Are you sure you’re not overreacting about something? Maybe you ought to give Sebastian more of a chance; you haven’t known him all that long. Running away is often a knee-jerk reaction.’

  She grimaced. ‘Yeah, I’m a jerk all right!’

  ‘I know he doesn’t drive, so when you’ve sulked long enough I’ll come and bring you back.’

  She turned to smile at him. He was a gem of a man, and in a different life she might even have loved him. He was down-to-earth, rational, sensible and, above all, humble. All the things that Sebastian was not. But she’d fallen for Sebastian because of his passion, his originality and his charisma. He had a fanatical belief in what he was doing, he was dynamic and enthusiastic and grasped life’s opportunities like no-one she’d ever known. He made her feel alive, inspired, but she acknowledged the other feelings he brought out in her. Often she felt low on the scale of his priorities and his energy sometimes drained her, as if in some strange way his own vitality were topped up by sucking it out of his surroundings, from the people close at hand. His increasingly domineering attitude towards Mimi was another concern, reminding her all too often of the tyranny in her own past. At least, with Sebastian, it had never been directed towards her.

  ‘I appreciate it,
Brian. But for now I’ve got to get away.’

  He turned to scrutinise her face for a second. ‘Are you perhaps going to meet someone?’

  She paused. Why not tell the truth? It was the lack of truth that was the root cause of all her problems.

  ‘Yes, my husband.’

  ‘Your husband?’

  ‘I’m hoping the bastard will agree to a divorce.’

  Brian turned to her then shook his head. ‘Do you want to tell me about it?’

  ‘Not really. The talking cure never worked for me, and for you it’s better not to know.’

  They passed Sotogrande and stayed on the toll road where the traffic was sparse. At the brow of a hill, just at the last moment before leaving Cadiz province, she turned around to look behind her. There, in the far distance, was the Rock of Gibraltar. It stood like some other-worldly megalith, rising straight up from the sea and piercing the sky. She looked at it in wonder. Shrouded in mist, it was like nothing she’d ever seen. Would she ever go back there?

  They passed over the hill and it disappeared from view.

  She had sometimes wondered if she could turn back and face Adrian? Now, finally, her fury and indignation had awakened her courage. If she was ever to have a life, she would have to face him first. She wanted to face him. She was never going to run again. Ever! Wherever he’d called from, wherever he lurked, she’d wait for him until he showed up. Perhaps bruises would be all the penalty she’d have to pay. He’d given her bruises enough, and often. Three tooth implants, concussion a few times, a broken arm and plenty of stitches.

  ‘When will I see you again?’ said Brian.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I expect you to show up for work if I need you.’

  She smiled wanly. ‘Look. There is the sign for Benalmadena.’

  They stopped at a service station right off the motorway. While Brian went to the counter to order some coffee, she rifled through her capacious handbag. She took out her compact mirror and stared at herself. She looked so different, and she was glad. That angelic quality that her waist-length hair had lent her was gone. This new short style made her look gutsy and rebellious, much more in keeping with the person she’d become in the last few hours. She took out her comb and felt her hair bounce back when she combed it. The lightness of it felt wonderful, actually, like a burden shed.

  She dropped the comb back and took out the package that Mimi had pressed on her. Was it a favourite book of wisdom, perhaps? However, handling it, she noticed that the contents moved in a strange way. Popping off the rubber bands she unwrapped the plastic.

  All she could do was gape at the open package on her lap. Money! A huge sum, by the looks of it. With a trembling hand, she picked up one of the two bundles and searched through the bills. Every single one was a five hundred euro note. She shook her head in shock. Where the hell did all this come from? How had Mimi laid her hands on such a vast amount of money? Was it stolen? A drug deal? She must have held up a bank or something! What sort of secret life did this young woman have? She’d always been dark and unfathomable. But this?

  She glanced up to see if she was alone. No-one was sitting nearby. Quickly she counted the notes. There were ten to each bundle. Twenty times five-hundred. That meant there was ten thousand euros on her lap. Ten thousand!

  She sat there, stunned, until she saw Brian approaching with a tray. She wrapped up the bundle, popped on the rubber bands and quickly shoved it in her bag. No wonder Mimi had wanted her to zip it up.

  ‘As soon as we’ve had our coffee I’m going to say goodbye to you, Brian. I want you to turn around and go straight back.’

  He quietly took the coffee cups and some packets of sandwiches off the tray. He pushed one of the cups towards her.

  ‘Milk?’ he said, though he knew she didn’t. ‘Sugar?’

  ‘Did you hear me, Brian?’

  He put down the spoon with a clunk on the table and looked up at her with his deep blue eyes. ‘Do you honestly think I’m going to leave you here…with your scruffy suitcase to carry? There’s nothing around here.’

  ‘I’ll call for a taxi. I’m going to lie low and wait, and I just don’t want anyone to know where I’m staying; anyone, Brian. When you’re in as much trouble as I am…you just don’t want anyone you care about involved. Can you understand that?’ She reached over and cupped his cheek in her hand. ‘You’re a lovely and decent man and I care about you.’

  ‘There is obviously more to this than just asking nicely for a divorce. I don’t like the sound of it, but I’ll have to trust you know what you’re doing.’ He knew her well enough by now, but a moment later he said, ‘I have a surplus of money in the bank, Eva. If you need some I can…’

  ‘Stop it. Really, I’ll be okay.’

  They sat for a while looking out of the window. The Spanish costas spread below them, a far-reaching urban sprawl inhabited mainly by sun-starved expats. How very different it felt from Gibraltar which – admittedly – had its tourist façade of tacky Britishness, but was layered with history, peculiarities and mystique.

  She drank down the last of her coffee. She’d not been able to touch her sandwich, but out of consideration for Brian she put it into her bag for later consumption. They got up and went outside. The sun had begun to set and a mild wind cooled her. They stood by a railing and watched lights going on along the coast.

  ‘There is nothing stopping you from giving me a call. You’ve got my number.’

  ‘All right, Brian. I’ll keep you posted.’

  ‘I’ll be waiting.’

  She turned to say good bye and, on impulse, threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her so close, with such genuine concern, she almost wished she could have stayed there.

  The woman at the counter told her that Benalmadena Pueblo was only fifteen minutes’ walk from there. She set off in the sunset along the slip road, passing a huge Tibetan style stupa sitting incongruously on the Spanish hillside. She peered at the driver of every car that came up from behind, and every so often she turned to survey the road behind her. There was no-one there. She knew it was sheer paranoia. It was hardly possible that Adrian had been so close he’d been behind them, following them here. Was it?

  Sebastian

  ‘Hello, I’m home,’ he shouted.

  Mimi came out from her room to meet him. Her meek appearance startled him a bit. Her hair was wet, combed back like a boy’s and she looked smaller, dressed in a pair of jeans rolled up several turns as they were way too long for her. Normally she only wore tight, black clothes…and wore them with attitude.

  ‘Aren’t those Eva’s jeans?’

  ‘So?’

  He laughed. ‘They don’t look quite right on you.’

  ‘I guess it’s comforting or something.’

  ‘Comforting?’ He smiled quizzically. ‘You’re not the sort. Is she home?’

  ‘No, she’s gone, Sebastian.’

  He stopped dead and looked her in the eyes. ‘Gone? Where?’

  ‘I don’t know, but she wanted me to tell you she’s gone to meet her husband.’

  ‘I knew it,’ he groaned, covering his face with both hands.

  ‘Don’t panic, Sebastian,’ Mimi said and came up to him, taking him firmly by a forearm. ‘Let’s have a cup of tea or something and I’ll tell you what she told me.’

  He had a sudden terrible hunch and rushed into the kitchen. The piles of papers and notebooks looked more or less as he had left them, but he began to rifle through them in a panic.

  ‘What the hell are you doing?’ said Mimi, following behind him.

  ‘Nothing, nothing. What else did she say?’

  To stop his frantic search, Mimi wormed herself in between him and the table. ‘Sit down now and take it easy, bro,’ she mumbled and led him to Eva’s armchair. ‘Just cool it. She has to deal with it in her own way.’

  He grabbed her hand. ‘Did she take anything? Did she take anything from this table?’

  ‘Of course not.’ She
gave him a strange look. ‘I’ll just put the kettle on. Try to chill a bit. You know you’ll get a migraine if you get worked up.’

  ‘Just tell me straight. Has she left me?’

  ‘No, that’s not the deal at all.’ She paused and sat down opposite him. ‘You probably haven’t noticed, but Eva has been getting some weird phone calls for a while, a couple of months I think.’

  ‘Yes, she told me: from her husband.’

  ‘They sounded like threatening phone calls, but I don’t know what was said.’

  ‘What makes you think they were threatening?’

  Mimi shrugged. ‘I could hear it in her voice. We didn’t have much time to talk about it before she took off. I know she was going to confront him and ask him for a divorce…but I have the feeling she wasn’t sure if she’d come back. I guess it depends on how you feel about her.’