Under New Management

by June Hopkins

  Mollie laughs at him, “Well thank goodness for that. I think that would’ve driven me to lie down in a darkened room for a few hours!”

  “Don’t discount the dark room Molls. I’m up for it if you are.” He tells her with a devilish wink.

  She looks at him sternly, “No way Josè! You had your chance and fluffed it. Snooze you lose, and all that.”

  Jack’s face drops and he looks at her sadly, “Oh Molls, what do I have to do to make you forgive me? I was young and foolish, what can I say?”

  “Oh I don’t know, buy me a Porsche and a couple of large diamonds and I may find it in my heart to forgive you!” She laughs at him.

  Jack looks at her thoughtfully and then simply says, “Done.”

  Mollie does a double take. Jack had always had a tendency towards impulsiveness. “Um Jack, you know I’m joking don’t you?” she clarifies worriedly. She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t do something that stupid, given his new found wealth, just to show off.

  Jack gives a non-committal shrug and Mollie is just about to have a word with him when Jim enters the room looking slightly the worse for wear.

  “Mornin’ campers! How are you two this morning? I feel like crap. Bloody hell, we put some away last night. Jack my son, how are you? Sofa alright for you? I’m going to make us all a huge fry up, what do you say, want one?” Jim talks as he walks and rubs Mollie’s face gently as he passes, giving her a wink.

  Jack’s eyes light up. He likes to eat and can’t think of anything better than a full English. Jack also loves cooking, so he gives Mollie a wink, too, as he jumps up and follows Jim to the kitchen. “Sounds awesome Jimbo, but I’m helping.”

  Mollie lets out a deep sigh, what a bizarre morning. Anybody would think that Jack had never left. Perhaps she’s been in a coma. Maybe she dreamt the last seven years. Maybe this has really been her life?

  Just as Mollie is contemplating this Lindy joins her. She looks fresh as a daisy, which is annoying. “Morning darling, how did you get home? Are you feeling OK?” Lindy walks over and peers at her daughter as she takes Mollie’s face in her hands.

  Mollie pushes her hands away gently, “I’m fine Mum. Luckily Jeff was delivering the post, thank God, so I cadged a lift off him. I can’t believe you let Jack come back with you, though.” she says in an accusatory tone.

  “Don’t be like that darling. It’s not a conspiracy, events just sort of took over. Next thing I knew, Dan had dragged him into the taxi and we all ended up back here. I think it had something to do with Florrie. Dan, your father and Julie stayed up drinking with him but I went straight to bed. I’ve no idea what time your Dad came up. Nice of Jeff though. Did you see that Kieran chap this morning?” she asks suggestively as she gives Mollie a meaningful look.

  Mollie sighs, “No I did not see him and a bloody good job too. I looked like I’d been dug up this morning. He did offer me a fab job though. Well, the opportunity to discuss a fab job anyway?”

  Lindy’s ears prick up, “What sort of a ‘fab’ job?”

  “Apparently he wants a PA; thinks I would fit the bill and says I would have to travel with him. Caribbean, Mexico that sort of thing,” she says airily, but as she watches the look of excitement grow on her mother’s face she wishes she could bite her tongue off. What the hell did she say that for?

  Lindy squeals, “Oh my God, really? That’s fabulous! Jim! Jim, get in here, you have to hear this.”

  Mollie jumps, “Christ mother, keep it down. He only wants to discuss it and I don’t know if I want it, so don’t make a big deal out of it.”

  Jim appears in the doorway, a tea towel flung over his shoulder, “You yelled my Honeysuckle?”

  Lindy tuts at him, “Tell him Mollie,” she demands as she studiously ignores Mollie’s warning glare.

  “Oh for God’s sake, I said he only wants to talk about it. Nothing may come of it.” Mollie is exasperated now. She wished she’d kept her big mouth shut. She only wanted to get her mother off the subject of the night before and Kieran.

  “Mollie don’t be such a spoilsport. Your father will be chuffed to bits.”

  Jim’s head is batting back and forth between the two of them and Jack has appeared at his side. “I need another pan for the bacon, Jimbo.”

  “Hang on Jack, looks like Mollie’s got something to tell us.” Jim looks at his daughter expectantly. “Come on Molls, spit it out, the sausages’ll burn.”

  Resigning herself to the fallout, Mollie explains carefully about the possible job offer with the emphasis well and truly on the word ‘possible’.

  Jim lets out his famous Homer shout of “Woohoo!” and Mollie sighs. Clearly the ‘possible’ part was ignored as usual.

  “Dad, don’t start getting all excited, nothing has happened yet. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Oh baby, don’t be daft! What a great opportunity. You should be excited. Of course he wants you to work for him, you’re a little genius! He’d be off his head not to.”

  Jack watches her thoughtfully and Mollie squirms slightly with embarrassment. Why did he have to be here?

  Jim claps Jack on the back, “What do you reckon Jack? Would our Mollie make a great PA, or what?”

  “No doubt about it Jimbo. I wish I’d thought of it first.” Jack says it as though he means it, and Mollie squirms even more.

  “Look that’s enough! It was just a breezy comment. I think he felt bad for me, what with those two turning up and me being ridiculously pissed and not having a job. He didn’t mean it and I’ve no doubt he’ll be regretting it this morning. So can you all please just leave it!” Mollie jumps to her feet and leaves the room. She really can’t be doing with this at the moment. She heads upstairs to get changed again. At this rate she’ll need a revolving door on her wardrobe.

  As if nothing untoward had happened, Jim calls after her not to be long and to wake Dan and Julie as breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes. Mollie sighs long and hard as she heads up the stairs. Typical Dad.

  Chapter 12

  An hour later six of them sit at the old farmhouse style kitchen table, sipping tea and coffee and recovering from the enormous breakfast that Jim and Jack prepared. The conversation has not reverted to Mollie’s possible job offer as Jim had been warned by Lindy to zip it. Anyway, that topic of conversation had been blown out of the stratosphere when Mollie pulled out her ace card and persuaded Jack to come clean on the inheritance. As a diversionary tactic, it was right up there. Jim and Dan are beside themselves and are firing questions at Jack as if they are auditioning for the Spanish Inquisition. Jack, to be fair to him, isn’t phased: he’s used to it and is happy to fill them all in on the whole story. Mollie sips her tea quietly. What a strange day this is turning out to be.

  Just as Jack is offering to fly them all out to St Lucia, Mollie spots a figure coming up the path. She does a double-take and feels herself go very cold as she recognises the figure now approaching the door as Kevin. Bloody hell things are clearly about to get an awful lot stranger and there is every chance that there’s going to be a murder. Her thoughts coincide with the doorbell chiming and she nearly falls off her chair in her hurry to get to the door first. Unfortunately she is further into the room than the others and can’t get round them fast enough. Dan jumps up as he is closest to the kitchen door and heads down the short hallway to open the door.

  Not knowing what else to do Mollie shouts at him, “Dan, stop! I’ll get it, it’s for me.” She shoves roughly past Jack and her Dad and the others stare at her.

  Dan however ignores her and gets to the door just as she manages to trip over Julie and spills into the hall. In slow motion, she watches as her brother opens the front door and takes in the sight of the unwelcome visitor.

  It has to be said that Kevin is suffering from the hangover from hell. Last night he caught up with David in the alcohol consumption department and admirably overtook him, storming to the finishing line somewhere around four in the morning with an impressive nose
dive into the luckily empty bath. Or not so lucky, depending on how you looked at it. The old tortoise had nothing on him. David, who’d lagged far behind his partner in the end, had been left to clean up the dreadful nose bleed which had been the result of said nosedive. He’d manhandled Kevin into the recovery position on the bathroom floor. He had eventually left him snoring under a duvet at five o’clock once he was satisfied that Kevin wasn’t in fact, going to snuff it.

  Kevin awoke around nine and had only one thought in his still very drunk brain. He felt very sorry for himself, but realised he had to apologise profusely for the appalling farce that had occurred the previous evening. Without thinking it through he hadn’t even stopped to look in the mirror, wash or comb his hair, he had dragged on his boots (not the cowboy ones) and coat and left the house heading for the Browns. Luckily he had removed the cowboy garb on arriving home. Well, thrown it out of the back door would be a more accurate description. It now lay amongst the flower beds in the garden.

  As Dan answers the door with a broad smile on his face he takes in the sight of Kevin, who looks atrocious. Dried blood is smeared over his nose and cheeks, his eyes are bloodshot and his hair is sticking out at various angles. He smells like a brewery and of stale sweat. Dan steps back slightly out of fume range and the smile on his face is replaced with a look of cold malice.

  The two men stare at each other for what seems like an age. Kevin had not banked on coming face to face with one of the men, he had been expecting to see Mollie. “Um sorry, Mr Brown, I wonder if I could please have a word with your sister?” he asks uncomfortably.

  “Are you having a laugh mate? Looks like you’ve already had one beating. What, did you fall out with Dave? I think the best thing you can do right now is piss off home.” Dan hisses at him.

  Mollie runs the few steps down the hall and grabs Dan’s clenched arm. “Dan please let me deal with this.” Dan just tenses further. Mollie shakes his arm, “Dan please, don’t you think we’ve had enough?” Dan eventually looks down at her.

  “Alright Molls, but I’m going nowhere. If he’s got anything to say he can say it in front of me. I don’t trust him.”

  Mollie moves past her brother to face Kevin, “What do you want Kevin?”

  Kevin stares at her. Seeing her standing there looking so proud makes him feel even worse. Mollie is a nice girl, he’d always thought so. Always kind and polite, he didn’t know anyone who didn’t like her. She hadn’t deserved to be embarrassed like that in public last night. Kevin feels himself becoming choked. He really is sorry, but he can’t seem to find the words. The choking feeling gets worse and his throat starts to close; the pressure behind his eyes builds and the dam breaks. Kevin bursts into tears right there on the doorstep. He sobs like a baby and howls the words, “So sorry, so sorry,” over and over. Mollie and Dan stare at each other flabbergasted. Well, who’d have thought?

  Mollie can’t stand the sight of the poor chap humiliating himself on their doorstep. She melts almost immediately, after all no one likes to see a grown man cry. She steps forward and takes Kevin by the arm.

  “Come on, come in. Let’s get you comfortable, shall we?” she says kindly.

  Dan is too embarrassed for the bloke to argue with her, and so left with no choice he awkwardly takes Kevin’s other arm and helps his sister walk the sobbing man into the lounge.

  The others appear at the door, curious to see what the hell is going on and what is all that God awful noise? Jim sees red when he realises who it is and immediately starts roaring at Dan to get the menace out of his house and away from his daughter.

  Helped by Jack, Dan pushes and shoves Jim back into the kitchen to calm him down. After providing Mollie with a box of tissues, Lindy closes the lounge door and leaves them to it.

  Mollie sits quietly with him until his tears eventually subside, leaving him hiccupping and shuddering. Lindy appears back in the room with a cup of sweet tea which she offers to a trembling Kevin and takes a seat opposite the two of them.

  “Sorry love, but your father insists on one of us being with you. I thought you would rather it was me,” she says matter of factly. Mollie casts her a grateful smile.

  Eventually Kevin starts to drink his tea and finds the words to say what he has come to say.

  With a shaking voice, Kevin looks at Mollie, “I wanted to apologise, not just for last night but for everything. I know that won’t change anything but I can’t continue to pretend that doing what we did hasn’t affected you. You see I love David, very much and I believe he loves me. Like him I have kept my sexuality a secret for so long. It isn’t easy with the job I have and living in a small town. It was such a relief to find him. When we realised that we were the same, well you can’t imagine. Anyway, we had an affair; we didn’t know what else we could do. Neither of us wanted to come out for all the reasons I’ve just said, but we couldn’t stay away from each other.

  That day. . .” Kevin stops abruptly and looks down at his lap. He blushes deeply as he raises his eyes to look at Mollie and clears his throat loudly. He looks away again.

  “That day, well, you see you forced us to confront things. I know that is not going to make you feel better, but what happened made us face up to being gay. We didn’t do it to hurt you Mollie. You are the casualty, I know, but I promise we never wanted to hurt you. The trouble was that not only did we have to deal with you finding us like that, but obviously everyone knowing. We had to deal with the fact that we had been well and truly thrown out of the closet. It was all a bit of a shock.” Kevin sees the look on Mollie’s face and quickly adds, “I know, I know. It was a terrible shock for you, as well.

  “What I mean is we weren’t ready emotionally to confront it; to stand tall at work, in the pub, ‘fess up to our families and friends. I know it’s a poor excuse, but we felt cornered and went on the defensive; decided to front it out; put on a show of solidarity, shove it in everyone’s face and say if you don’t like it, tough. That’s why we did what we did last night. It wasn’t meant to hurt you or disrespect you, I promise. We just wanted everyone to see us out together and get it over with in one go. Of course we assumed it was fancy dress from the invite. David bought the costumes in order to be ironic. You know, get in there first, take control of the jokes by leading the way, that sort of thing. If we hadn’t worn the costumes things may not have got so out of control. I am so, so sorry for it all. We shouldn’t have turned up at your staff party, not without clearing it with you.” Kevin takes a long shuddering breath and looks at her warily, trying to gauge her reaction to his dramatic speech.

  Mollie is silent. She feels sorry for him. Things are somewhat mental in her world right now! Last night had held a plethora of shocks. Jack’s dramatic return and her evident attraction to Kieran had left her feeling very confused. David and Kevin’s unexpected arrival at the party had slipped down her list of problems. Mollie isn’t the type of person who throws back apologies. She is soft hearted and knows a heartfelt plea when she hears one. She has understood their affair for a while now and knows it wasn’t about her. Only the behaviours, the time-wasting and embarrassment anger her. Now that Kevin is explaining things to her she is gaining a better understanding. She knows David well enough to know that this self same apology wouldn’t come from him. David is not known for admitting to ever being wrong. Kevin is doing it for both of them though, and Mollie is not going to make this harder for him. Forgiving Kevin is easier than forgiving David: Kevin wasn’t the one who had lied to her for all those years, but perhaps it’s a start to getting her life back to normal.

  She looks over at Lindy to see her reaction. She smiles at her daughter and nods her agreement. Mollie is her mother’s daughter and Lindy is even softer than Mollie.

  With a heartfelt sigh Mollie puts her hand on Kevin’s arm, “Kevin, thank you for that. It was good of you to come here. I know it must have been difficult. I’m not saying that all is forgiven, but I think we can start to move forward. I don’t believe David will be that
happy about it though,” she tells him in a quiet voice.

  Kevin smiles with relief. He winces slightly as the act of smiling hurts his nose, which is odd.

  “No, thank you Mollie, and please don’t worry about David. I’ll deal with him. We will try and make things as easy as possible, and just so you know I am working on getting the money together for you. I hope you don’t mind it coming from me, I feel it is the least I can do.” He tells her, uncertainty clouding his words.

  Mollie smiles slightly at him. “That’s fine, you are a couple after all. Just don’t make the mistake I did and make sure you get your name on that mortgage. David can be a slippery customer when it comes to money. Just take it as a friendly word of warning.” She tells him sincerely.

  Kevin nods at her, rising from the sofa, “Thanks for the advice. I had better be going. Sorry about the tears and the mess I’m in.”

  “It’s fine, would you like me to give you a lift back?” Mollie asks generously.

  “God no! Not at all, I could do with the fresh air,” he tells her as he moves to the door.

  “Oh Kevin, I have to ask. What an earth have you done to your nose? Do you know you’re covered in blood?” Mollie asks.

  Kevin’s hand shoots to his face and he feels the dried blood on it. He then notices his hands have blood on them as well. Christ what the hell has happened? “Um, I haven’t the faintest idea,” he says with a bewildered look.

  Lindy takes charge, “Kevin, why don’t you use the bathroom before you leave? See if you can’t clean yourself up a bit. We don’t want anyone thinking that Jim or Dan has beaten you up now, do we?” she says meaningfully.

  Kevin cringes slightly, “Um yes please. Yes that would be a good idea, wouldn’t it, if it’s not too much trouble?”

  “Not at all. Follow me and I’ll find you a face cloth and a towel.” Lindy heads out of the room and down the hall towards the bathroom with a very sad and defeated looking Kevin following in her wake.