by Peter Martin
‘Yes, you did, and you also chose to speak for us.’ Cassie exclaimed, giving her father a dirty look.
Lena answered quickly, trying to quell the atmosphere, ‘As I see it, no one’s to blame. Sadly, Delia has decided to leave, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow her lead. I want you all to stay, and I want Delia to come back as well. I’ve told her we’d welcome her back with open arms if she changes her mind, but it’s down to you guys. Whatever she does, my plan to build those houses will still go ahead.’
Then Cassie butted in, ‘But what we think, or want, doesn’t matter? The question is what shall we do now?’ When no one was forthcoming with an answer, she continued angrily, ‘Anyway you have her mobile number, don’t you, Dad? Why don’t you try to speak to her, or leave a message if she’s still on the plane?’
‘Good idea. I have to get in touch with her, as soon as I can.’
‘Go and get your phone and ring her, Dad,’ Tom encouraged him.
Garry nodded, running back up the stairs to his room. He reached for his leather jacket hanging on the back of the bedroom door, took his phone from the inside pocket, and dialled Delia’s number at once. But after three rings the answer phone came on, and not wanting to leave a message he dialled again. After several failed attempts he had no option: in his message, he apologised and asked her to ring him back.
Returning downstairs, he shook his head saying, ‘Your mother’s not picking up the phone. I don’t like this, I’ve got to find out what’s going on.’
By this time the others had joined them and when Adam said with a gloomy face, ‘I miss nan already.’ It was obvious he’d got the gist of what had happened.
‘We all do honey,’ Lena agreed.
‘When will nan come back, Lena?’
‘I don’t know but she will soon, you’ll see. She needs time to herself, to think things through with a clear head. You’ll have to try to change her mind and get her to agree to come and live here.’
‘I suppose,’ Adam said.
‘It’s knocked me for six, her leaving like this,’ Garry sighed nervously. ‘I can’t understand why she acted so impulsively. We’d got our futures mapped out, but now it’s all up in the air again.’
As blunt as ever, Chris cut in, ‘Yes, mate. But it sounds as if you didn’t ask Delia for her opinion.’
Garry didn’t answer. Usually, Chris irritated him, but on this occasion he was right.
Then Lena turned to Garry, a worried frown on her face. ‘Please don’t do anything silly, not when she might yet change her mind. But you may need to prepare yourself just in case she isn’t willing to come and live here. And if that’s what she decides, you’ll have to accept it and get on with your own lives.’
Garry could hardly believe what Lena had just said – implying that he and Delia might lead separate lives. Well, she couldn’t be more wrong. It was ridiculous, over one stupid argument. Had they discussed the move to the island, before he thoughtlessly agreed to it on his own, none of this would have happened. Throughout their married life, they’d always promised each other to be open and honest about everything. That way they’d have a stronger marriage. Why on this occasion, had he forgotten about that? Anyway, Lena was barking up the wrong tree, if she thought he’d rather stay here to live than return to England to be with his wife.
His mind was distracted, however, by Lena saying, ‘Garry, I’d got a surprise planned for all of you tonight. And while I know it won’t be the same now without Delia, I do hope you’ll be able to enjoy it.’
Garry didn’t reply but thought, let’s hope it’s a better surprise than the last one. That surprise had been and still was, for that matter, an ongoing disaster. But when he didn’t comment she continued, ‘Well, I’ve invited a lot of my friends to a party here, it will be quite a get-together. First, there’ll be a meal, followed by a night of dancing and as a few of my friends have children I’ve organised a magician to entertain them, so you see Adam won’t feel left out. You all need something to take your minds off your troubles. What do you say?’
‘I don’t know, can’t say I’m really in the mood for anything like that,’ Garry told her.
‘Oh come on, try to be positive. Tell him Tom, Cassie. It’s about time you let your hair down a little.’
‘I don’t know, I think I’m probably as worried as dad, about mum.’ Cassie admitted.
‘Cassie, I know you are, we all are, but there’s nothing we can do about it for now, is there? We may as well try and enjoy ourselves rather than stay in our rooms and let it prey on our minds. Honestly, it’ll help us get through the next few hours. And tomorrow might be a lot different. All it needs is one phone call,’ Lena said.
‘It would be nice to have a proper night out,’ Jane admitted. ‘Mixing with the rich and famous could be fun.’
She glanced at Chris, but he made no comment, except to raise his eyebrows and shake his head.
‘That’s the spirit – how about everyone else?’ Lena asked, looking relieved when they all reluctantly nodded their heads. Then turning to Garry she hesitantly said, ‘Why not eat with us then go back to your room, you needn’t join in with the rest of the evening if you don’t want to?’ When he indicated he would she seemed pleased, ‘Great, that’s settled. You won’t regret it, I promise you. And I’ve arranged a babysitter to stay with Adam,’ And looking at Cassie and then Chris, she carried on, ‘If that’s all right with you? Just in case the evening carries on a little longer than expected.’
‘Who’s that, Lena? Because I don’t need a babysitter!’ Adam said abruptly. ‘I’m not a baby.’
‘I know you’re not. But you see it’s a friend of mine, I think he likes you. You’ll have to wait and see who it is,’ Lena placated, putting a finger to her pert nose.
And so it was arranged. However, Garry realised, despite what had happened, Lena intended to carry on and entertain her pals - it hadn’t put her out in any way. But his mother was in for a disappointment, she could go ahead and build the houses if she wanted, but they would never be lived in and he berated himself for ever thinking otherwise.
Chapter Seventeen
For Garry the rest of the day passed uneventfully, he spent most of his time trying to reach Delia on her mobile. After a time, it stopped ringing out and he guessed the battery was flat. At this point he decided to ring their home number and leave a message, hoping she would eventually hear it. If he could just talk to her, they might patch things up; at the moment, however, it didn’t look like he’d get the chance. He doubted, even in the future, Delia would consider returning here for a holiday now. Strangely, he had a nagging feeling deep down that her departure had been too clean cut; there was such a lot to organise to leave the island, and yet she’d up and left within the matter of a few hours.
Now, watching from his window, Garry saw the family seated around the pool, soaking up the glorious sunshine. He hadn’t wanted to join in with the rest of them, he still struggled with the enormity of the situation he was in. He could see Lena playing ‘happy families’, talking to Adam about something, and had begun to doubt whether all she’d said was true. After all being an actress didn’t necessarily end on stage or film set.
As the hours passed, Garry wondered why he’d ever seriously considered living here. He’d been swept along by Lena and the joy of finding her. With hindsight, he’d been living in a fantasy world for a short while, which was probably how Delia had viewed it all along. Chris, on the other hand, had been discontented from the start.
Only time would tell how Lena would react when he told her of his change of heart? No doubt she’d stage a performance of total dismay. The way things stood it ought to be obvious to her, but Lena being Lena probably wouldn’t see it that way. After all, with his marriage at stake, there seemed little else he could do.
Thinking of his life back home with Delia he’d give everything he’d got to be sitting in front of the TV with her sipping cocoa and watching a good film.
&nb
sp; Around seven o’clock feeling a little peckish, the time to get ready for their grand night out had come. Having showered earlier, he dressed casually in black slacks and blue top. Seeing his image in one of the full-length mirrors, on another day he might be pleased with what he saw, right now, he didn’t care so long as he was presentable. And had done enough to pacify Lena.
He left his room to go in search of Tom and Cassie; knocking on Tom’s bedroom door first. Tom opened it, a sad smile on his face. ‘Hi Dad, come on in. Ready to go?’
‘I reckon,’ Garry said. He closed the door behind him, to see Jane resplendent in a blue sequinned dress, which, in his opinion showed too much cleavage, but nevertheless, his daughter-in-law looked stunning.
‘Wow, Jane. You’re sensational.’
‘Well, you don’t look so bad yourself Garry.’
‘What’s this, a mutual admiration society?’ Tom joked.
Garry gave a slight smile.
‘Still pretty cut up about mum leaving, are you, Dad?’
‘Of course – I don’t know what’s got into her. And I still can’t get to speak to her, although it’s early days, I don’t suppose she’s arrived back home yet.’
‘What else can we do?’
‘Not much. I just wish she was here with us tonight.’
‘We all do, Dad. She should have given us the chance to talk to her. We didn’t really sit down as a family, and discuss the implications of living here, did we?’
‘On that score I blame myself. I shouldn’t have announced we’d decided to stay, should I?’
‘Well as far as I’m concerned, the sooner we leave the better.’ After a few seconds Tom said, ‘Dad, you need to ask Lena to make arrangements to get us a plane out of here.’
‘Let’s get tonight over with first, and then I’ll speak to her in the morning.’
Tom squeezed his father’s shoulder, which was all he could do at present.
‘Ok, let’s go and see how your sister’s getting on.’
Cassie was a touch more conservatively dressed, but it wasn’t the white broderie-anglaise dress she wore, that caught their attention, but the anguish etched on her face that left no doubt how concerned she felt about her mother’s departure. Chris on the other hand, looking grim and very straight laced sat next to the window, helping Adam to put on his trainers. In contrast, Adam’s animated face indicated how much he looked forward to the evening’s adventures, totally oblivious to the realities of his nan’s disappearance.
A short time later making their way down the stairs, Adam, was overjoyed and hardly unable to wait to find out who he’d be spending the evening with. At the bottom of the staircase, he twisted and turned desperately trying to spot the mystery person. Then out of the blue, as they walked towards the function room, a man donning a clown’s outfit sprang out in front of him. Quite startled, Adam looked him up and down, taking in the floppy hat, red ping-pong nose, black and white checked suit and large black boots with turned up toes. But when his comic glasses and nose started flashing Adam chuckled with laughter.
‘Hallo, I’m Cheeky the Clown.’ A voice said, instantly recognisable as Benson to everyone but Adam.
Just then Lena appeared wearing a low cut, red and white floral dress with short sleeves, that couldn’t possibly have been any tighter, the black stiletto high-heeled shoes making her appear taller. Greg beside her wore a black tuxedo.
‘What do you think of Cheeky, Adam?’ Lena asked with a grin on her face.
‘He’s great!’ Adam shouted joyfully.
‘Come on young man, let’s go upstairs to the playroom. I have a few children I’d like you to meet, and a magician who’s going to perform some magic tricks for you,’ Cheeky-cum-Benson said, taking hold of Adam’s hand.
Having said good night to Adam, they were ready to go and followed Lena and her boyfriend through the double doors into the function room.
The guests were arriving, thick and fast, all greeted by a member of staff who showed them inside.
The party was already in full swing and with lights swirling round the walls and lively background music, the mood induced people on to the dance floor.
Garry headed for the bar at the end of the room; alongside it stood a long table containing a vast assortment of food. He’d thought the ‘do’ was to be a sit-down meal followed by a dance. He must have misunderstood what Lena had said; this was obviously a buffet, there being too much food for anything else. Around the perimeter of the room were tables and chairs and in the far corner, a small stage had been erected and a deejay stood amid the electrical equipment. Next to this were bi-folding doors leading out onto a lawned area, where further seating had been placed. And from where Garry stood, he could see on the far side of the garden a huge barbeque was well underway with a fully kitted out chef.
As more people entered the room, the curly haired deejay turned up the sound, encouraging, even more, people to get up onto the dance floor. Garry guessed it wouldn’t be long before it heaved with revellers.
‘All right everyone, just order whatever drinks you want.’ Lena said and turning to Garry continued, ‘You need a pick me up, Garry. Allow me to personally order a drink for you, not too strong I promise, but enough to make you relax.’
Then she thumped the bar with her fist, an action two days ago Garry would have thought to be quite out of character. But he knew different now, in fact, it spoke volumes about her, how she always liked her own way, wanting everyone to fall in with her every whim. Then as she’d intended the barman looked up and she mouthed something to him, to which he nodded before heading towards the bottles of spirits hanging upside down and returned placing a tumbler on the bar in front of Lena, half full with the concoction he’d mixed.
‘Get that down you Garry – it’ll do you a world of good,’ she told him.
But after taking a small sip he realised it contained a considerable measure of alcohol, although it tasted rather good, being flavoured with blackcurrants. As he hadn’t intended to drink too much alcohol, he put the glass down by his chair hoping Lena wouldn’t notice and went along with everyone else to the food table. After taking a couple of sandwiches, savoury tit-bits and salad, he went over to sit with Lena and Greg.
‘So how are you now?’ Lena said, giving him a big smile.
‘Ok, getting by,’ he said morosely, trying to put on a brave face.
‘Hope you all enjoy this evening. I’ve arranged it especially for you. I want you all to feel you belong here.’
‘I’m impressed.’ Garry said. ‘And you know, in different circumstances, I’d have a great time. But…’
‘You mustn’t punish yourself over this, Garry. It’s not your fault – it’s hers. If she wants to stay in Dexford, then that’s her problem, not yours. Try to forget about it for tonight and enjoy yourself. If she thought that much of you, she’d be here now, wouldn’t she?’
‘Surely you must see it’s not that clear-cut. After what I said, I can’t say I blame her.’
‘It’s none of my business, but I can’t believe it was as bad as that. You’re trying to protect her, but that’s all right. I’d do exactly the same in similar circumstances. Remember you have much to be thankful for – a wonderful son, a beautiful daughter and smashing grandson – and a very grateful mother who thinks the world of you.’
‘You’re right but we have been married for…’ he began.
But she cut in, smiled in her usual way, to say, ‘I appreciate how difficult this is for you, but I promise everything will turn out just fine. Now come on, put your face straight – how about a dance with your old mum.’
He grinned. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you?’
‘No, I’m deadly serious. I can still show you a thing or two even at my age.’ A fact Garry already knew. From what bit he’d seen of her so far, her demeanour was positively eye-opening. She got up and held out a hand to him.
How weird to be on the dance floor with his mother. At first, he’d thought she wa
s trying to help, now he felt sure she was plain and simply interfering in his marriage.
The music was fast, requiring much movement from the revellers, and it was difficult not to join in the gaiety. He stood opposite Lena, improvising while she took the lead; whether she was just showing off he didn’t know, but she’d definitely got a lot of get-up-and-go. More quick dances followed, with Lena so full of energy, seemingly loving every minute. Perhaps she hoped her enthusiasm would rub off on him.
As he started to relax a little he noticed Tom and Cassie and their respective partners had also taken to the dance floor. He was pleased to be dancing by them all and relieved he could keep up with them - for a while anyway.
He left the dance floor alone having succumbed to fatigue, going over to the bar, thirsty and tired, and in need of a rest. He ordered himself a drink, an ice cold beer, which he drank almost in one go, in an effort to cool down.
Having got his breath back, Garry sat on a stool at the bar, but sensing someone had sat down close to him, he turned to see an attractive young woman at his side. Then half-talking to her he said out loud, ‘I’m a bit too old for this nonsense now, although all that dancing does bring back a few memories.’
‘Well, you were doing a good job just then,’ the woman replied. But when he looked at her full on, he recognised her at once.
‘Thanks love, very nice of you to say so. I never thought you’d be here tonight, Charlene.’
‘Well, why shouldn’t I be? It was me that brought you and your mum back together again.’
‘Oh yes, there is that small detail. May I say you look particularly nice tonight – is that for anybody special?’
‘No, not really. A girl likes to look her best whenever she goes out, whether she’s with a guy or not. Anyway, you’re very smart yourself tonight – is that for anyone in particular?’ She said with a roguish smile on her face.
‘All right, Charlene, point taken. So what brings you here?’
‘Just passing through, you might say.’
