by RJ Hunter
Both rooms overlooked Falcondale High Street, and before doing anything else, Sally couldn't resist abandoning her case in the middle of the floor to pull back the lace curtains and gaze reflectively out of the window.
It had been many years since she had last been back to Falcondale, and she wasn't quite sure how it would all affect her, being there at the place where she had first met William, and so soon after his death. The melancholic mood was still very much with Sally, and now William was at the forefront of her thoughts. She sensed he was very near, she felt the warm glow of his love, and knew that somewhere he was watching over her and the children, keeping them all safe.
The fatigue from the journey just seemed to wear off by itself, and after tea, Sally took the opportunity to get showered before hanging up her things, and deciding what to wear for dinner. In the next room she could hear Laura and Penny arguing about which bed they were going to sleep in. Smiling to herself, she felt grateful to be blessed with such a loving and supportive family.
The heavy rain that had been imminent finally kept its promise and roared down in sheets. The three of them would now have to be content with an early dinner and a cosy evening spent within the confines of the Black Lion.
To Sally's delight, the eighteenth century coaching inn looked pretty much the same as it had during her student days. Of the other rooms available, only two were actually occupied. Both, it would seem by older applicants, like Sally who had arrived to be interviewed the following day. One of the other students, a woman of similar age to Sally told her that Mr. Meredith was about to retire as the Dean, and a new, younger man was about to take his place. It had been Mr. Meredith who had originally sent out Sally's interview letter a few weeks ago, and she had immediately remembered him on seeing his familiar name at the foot of the page.
Laura was pleased to see her mother chatting away happily to the woman in the guest lounge. Hopefully it meant she had put the Tina episode behind her for the time being. There was a lull in the rain, so Laura and Penny decided to go out for a walk along the high street. Penny was now beginning to wish that she had stayed at Lizzie's after all. First of all it was her mother who was down in the dumps for most of the journey. Now it was Laura's turn to become sullen, she had clammed up on her for no apparent reason whatsoever. Penny let her sister wallow in silence as she glanced in at some of the shop windows they passed. A couple of local boys appeared next to them and one made comments and smiled at Penny. She was flattered and smiled back, but she couldn't quite understand the lad's broad Welsh accent.
"He said he wants you to meet him tonight at the war memorial, you stupid girl!" Sneered Laura.
"Really, is that what he said?" Asked Penny excitedly. "I thought you were away with the fairies?"
"Actually, I was thinking about something," replied Laura testily. "Don't you go getting any funny ideas, Penny. We're having dinner with Mum later, just the three of us."
"Laura, you can be such a spoilsport at times. You must have been young once!" Giggled Penny.
Laura glared at her sister, but refused to let the remark antagonise her.
"Come on let's get back. I think it's starting to rain again."
Penny, however didn't move and glanced back at her sister, with a defiant expression on her face.
"What on earth is the matter with you, Laura, is it the time of the month?"
Laura had to laugh at Penny's dry sense of humour, and after pausing for a few moments, decided to confide in her about the problem that was causing her so much concern.
As they reached the doors of the Black Lion, the heavens opened once more, and the two girls quickly stepped inside. They looked through into the lounge and saw their mother was still engrossed in conversation with her fellow mature student.
"Don't say anything, Penny, will you? Demanded Laura. "I'll tell Mum myself tonight, after dinner."
Sally had just finished her lemon sorbet when the bombshell hit her. In one way she should have been grateful, since Laura at least had the courtesy to wait until her mother had finished her main course before blurting out her revelation.
Laura's disclosure had chilled Sally to the bone. But somewhere amid all the madness that had recently occurred there appeared something that did answer one, if not all of her questions. Sally put her wine glass down on the table gently, as she couldn't quite trust her hands to hold it any longer. In the recent past, she had become rather an expert at hiding her true emotions, now this was one of those moments when she needed to put her skills into practice. Flicking up her clear blue eyes, she gazed at Laura intently.
"You mean, you're telling me that Tina is the daughter of Pauline from university, all those years ago?"
Laura nodded.
"Mother, you look like you've just seen a ghost!"
For a while, Sally seemed unable to speak, it was as if her voice had become paralysed by fear. Her mind went racing back to December, 1962, and the events that led up to the expulsions of both Pauline and Frank from university. She could recall with frightening clarity the moment Pauline caused such a terrifying scene at the Christmas dance when she attacked Frank, cutting him with a broken glass after accusing him of raping her on Sally's birthday. She also recalled how the crazed Pauline had turned on her, with those freaky, staring eyes, and uttering vile threats. If it had not been for William allowing Sally to stay with him, she would probably have packed up her things, and fled back home for good.
Focussing her attention back to Laura, Sally reached across and took hold of her daughter's arm. Finding her voice, she spoke with an air of urgency.
"You should have told me this before, Laura. This poor girl has a psychopath for a mother. It's no wonder she has problems."
"It sounds like she has a psychopath for a father too. I'm sorry, Mum, I was just trying to protect you from the past. Tina told me her dad had done terrible things to her, and wanted to kill her."
"Laura, listen carefully, this is important." Whispered Sally, glancing around to see if anyone was listening. "That night when Tina tried to kill herself, she said something about Frank being her father?"
"Yes, that's right, but I don't think she was thinking straight."
Sally gulped at her wine and sat back in her seat, deep in thought.
"Something very disturbing has come to mind, Laura, and I can't bear to even think that it could be true." She then told Laura about the alleged rape of Pauline, by Frank.
"Oh my god, so you think Frank could be Tina's father, and she was telling the truth?"
"I don't know what to think, Laura. It's just too awful to comprehend. Frank seemed such a nice chap, when I went out with him. I know he had his bad points, but surely he could never sexually assault his own daughter?"
"What are you going to do, Mum - it all seems too much of a coincidence?"
"I think I want out of it, Laura. I don't need all of this in my life right now."
"But what about Tina? We can't just abandon her?" Replied, Laura, concerned.
Sally went quiet again, thinking about what she should do.
"I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Frank did say he was separated from his wife, as she had been unfaithful to him, and he mentioned a grown-up daughter working in London. But it all seems very odd now. Perhaps I should just stick to the business in hand, which is the sale of the house."
Laura didn't want to hear anything about selling the house, and brought the subject back to Friday.
"I feel so sorry for Tina, she's been to hell and back. She told me the most awful things, that's really why I've been so quiet during the trip."
"Laura, you tried to be her friend, which I don't think for one moment was easy. You did far more than most people would have done. Tina, as a result of what's happened to her, is a very damaged person. Let's just hope that her drastic actions have drawn attention to that, and she's able to get the professional help she so desperately needs." Sally gave her daughter a re-assuring smile, before calling over the waiter. "C
an we have some coffee please."
Penny, who had pretended not to be listening, suddenly interrupted.
"Not for me, please Mum, can I go out for a walk in the town?"
"Yes, of course you can, darling," replied Sally somewhat mystified, as Penny left the table.
Laura waited until her sister had gone, before turning hesitantly back to her mother.
"Mum, there's something else I need to tell you."
"Go on," said Sally, bracing herself for more shocks.
"Since Tina discovered that you knew her mother at university, this Pauline has been anxious to get in contact with you, and knows where we live. I wish I hadn't said anything now."
"I see," replied Sally, appearing distressed.
"Apparently this Pauline wants to apologise."
Sally then told her daughter how she had first met Frank during her initial week at Falcondale, and how the situation with Pauline descended into such a hideous spectacle. She then spoke of William, and how he came into her life all those years ago. Over an hour and two more coffee's passed, before Sally realised that Penny had been away for some time.
"Don't worry about her, Mum. I know exactly where she is," said Laura, glancing out of the window towards the wooden bench seat at the war memorial.
"So both Frank and Pauline blamed you for getting them kicked out of university?"
"Yes, I suppose they did. Frank, because I didn't give him an alibi, and Pauline, because of jealousy. I was just glad I was never to bump into them again. Now, I've been out on a date with Frank, met his deeply disturbed daughter, and now his wife wants to meet me!"
"It's weird about Pauline. There was a mix up over the double dates last Friday and Tina caused quite a stir, in fact it was very embarrassing."
"Well, if she takes after Frank and Pauline, that's hardly surprising," added Sally, coldly.
"I take it then, you don't want to speak to Pauline?"
"I don't think so, Laura. There's nothing that Pauline and I need to discuss."
The sky had cleared sufficiently for Sally to risk going out to get some fresh air. She wanted to be alone for a while, just to gather her thoughts, and try to focus her mind on the interview the following day. Although what Laura had told her at the dinner table was upsetting, Sally was determined not to let it affect her. It was still fairly early in the evening, and she headed off in the general direction of the university. It wouldn't be dark for an another hour or so, and Sally felt compelled to wander around the grounds. As she reached the war memorial, she noticed Penny sitting with a young man. She knew immediately by her youngest daughter's suspicious actions that she had been smoking, but decided not to say anything on this occasion to show her up. It was Penny, who spoke first, probably thinking her mother was there to tell her to come back to the hotel.
"Mum, this is Peter, I said it would be okay if I went for a coffee with him, just to that cafe up the road, you know, Pedro's?"
"Yes, I suppose so, Penny," replied Sally, giving the lad the once-over. "Just call in and tell Laura where you're going."
As Sally neared the main gates of the campus, she thought she could detect the unmistakable smell of curry coming from somewhere. Glancing across the road, she was amazed to see that the quaint little tea shop, where Lizzie had discovered that Pamela was her real mother, had now turned into 'The Bengal Lancer', Indian Restaurant. It was a good thing Jonathan wasn't with them, otherwise he would have been straining at the leash to devour a red-hot curry.
She looked in at the gate house, but didn't recognise the middle-aged man, who was too engrossed watching a portable television to notice her. Then, turning left, she followed the perimeter road in the direction of the student's halls of residence. Feeling her heart begin to beat a little faster, and her mouth start to get dry, Sally quickened her pace a little in anticipation of what, she didn't know. She passed a small group of female students and noticed a couple of them were wearing the distinctive black and gold scarves, just like Sally used to wear herself. She made up her mind to go up into the attic when she got back home and dig out her own college scarf, ready to wear proudly, come early October.
Walking another twenty yards or so, Sally caught sight of the grand arch that stood at the entrance of Lloyd-Evans Hall. She slowed her pace so that she could take it all in, and wondered if the building was still the same as when she had lived there. It certainly looked no different, and for a few brief moments she was transported back to the Autumn of 1962. Gazing up at the rows of windows, she counted along from the end, until her eyes settled on one in particular - it was her old room. The light was switched on, and she noticed that someone had at last got rid of those awful, tacky curtains, and had now replaced them with something a little more acceptable. Looking along to the next window, she smiled, knowing she was looking up at Lizzie's old room. Sally recalled the first time she ever set eyes on her best friend, and now wished she had taken a picture of her standing there in the doorway, with her magnificent beehive hairdo, that practically touched the ceiling. Straining her eyes a little, Sally thought she could make out a milk carton, and what looked like, several cans of beer sitting precariously on the ledge. In fact, as she looked around at the other rooms, she saw that most of the students appeared to be using the outer window ledges as makeshift fridges. This certainly wasn't allowed in Sally's time, and they even employed someone during those days, whose specific job was to walk around the campus and report back to the Dean anyone placing food or drink outside their windows.
Sally turned and continued her journey, veering off from the perimeter road, before crossing the little bridge that spanned the river Teifi, which ran a course directly through the campus. She heard the familiar sounds of merriment emanating from the Sports and Social Club, however, the old Nissan hut that served as the main social centre for the whole of the college community stood in abject darkness. Now used as a storeroom, its doors were locked firmly with a stout chain and padlock. The hut looked smaller than she had remembered and seemed somewhat gloomy and antiquated, compared to the brightly-coloured, purpose-built clubhouse, which stood alongside it. Sally chose not to venture inside, and instead wandered past the administrative offices in the direction of the library. The college library seemed to hold a special place in her heart. In fact, Sally had always liked libraries and could often be found just sitting reading or browsing among the shelves at both the libraries in Richmond and Twickenham. She was tempted to have a quick peek inside, and that would be it, she would make her way back to the Black Lion to have an early night.
The library had grown considerably since the sixties, and not only in terms of the books it had acquired. Within the last five years, a new annexe had been added to re-house the language laboratories and the recently established, Department of Computer Studies. Like the student's clubhouse, the building was ugly, soul-less and looked distinctly out of place, with its hideous fluorescent lighting and cold, uninspiring architecture. Sally was appalled that the college authorities could ever allow such a monstrosity to mar the landscape. Why couldn't they build something more in keeping with the style of the main building she thought, with its magnificent columns, friezes and aesthetically-perfect lines. She pushed through the new turnstile entry system, and wondered if she was becoming far too sentimental and a little stuck in her ways. The college was probably strapped for money, and the new buildings, as ugly as they might be, offered marvellous facilities for the benefit of students and staff alike, much more so than was available in Sally's day. Times were changing, and money, or the lack of it had to be the deciding factor in all situations like this.
Once inside, the layout of the library was very much as Sally had remembered it - just as imposing, and still retaining that familiar smell of musty old books. She thought she recognised the librarian as she made her way past the counter, and went down towards the bowels of the building, where the specialist books were kept.
As if being drawn by a magnet, Sally made her way straight to
wards the classics section, and pulled out a selection of books. From the ancient Greek era, she picked Aristophanes, the comic playwright, and Euripides, the tragedian. Then, from the Roman shelves, she selected Virgil's, 'The Aenid' and 'The Histories' by Tacitus. Clutching the books as if they held special meaning to her, Sally went over and sat alone at a desk, where one-by-one, she flicked though the ancient works of literature, taking time to read salient passages. It was as if, she were subconsciously expecting the pages to cast some sort of magical spell, and conjure up someone who could come to her rescue, and ask if she needed help, someone like, William.
Sally felt her eyes begin to moisten, and slammed the book shut. She stood up abruptly, asking herself in her mind, what she was doing, what did she hope to achieve by putting herself through this, by even coming here? She put the book down and hurried from the library, before her tears came in full flow.
Outside, Sally stood in the porch, knowing it was where William had left her the note all those years ago. She felt angry with herself for allowing her emotions to creep up on her again. It was meant to be all over and done, the crying was supposed to be finished. She would never forget William, but she had to learn to live without him, she must.
Pulling a tissue from her bag, she dabbed her eyes before slowly walking down the stone steps. She passed by the assembly hall, which was being used by the Karate Society. The sound of terrifying shouts and screams coming from within was unnerving and caused her to quicken her pace. As she came around the side of the administration building she was relieved to see the main gate not too far in the distance. A little way ahead a door slammed shut. It startled Sally, and she instinctively looked over and saw in the descending darkness, what looked to be the dim figure of a man. He appeared to be fumbling with a bunch of keys, it was probably one of the college porters doing their security rounds she consoled herself. The man turned away from the door and began to walk towards her. As he got closer, she noticed he was quite tall, and walked with a pronounced limp. However, there was something else about him, something strangely familiar.
