by Diane Ezzard
“What happened, Cassie?” I moved towards her and put my arms around her. Cassie winced and began to sob.
“We had a fight,” she coughed and spluttered. “I’ve done it, Sophie. I’ve left him.”
“He doesn’t know where you are does he?” I enquired with a concerned look on my face.
“No, he went out after beating me up. I knew this was my one chance to get away,” Cassie said. I was worried Cassie may have inadvertently given my address to Charlie but Cassie explained she had memorised it and didn’t have it written down anywhere.
After making Cassie a cup of tea, I tried ringing round some of the emergency numbers I knew for services that helped women who had been the victim of domestic violence. No one appeared to have a bed that night but I found a hostel in Burnley that would take Cassie the following day.
“You can stay here tonight, Cassie. You sleep in my bed and I’ll go on the sofa. Do you want me to run you a bath?” I asked. Cassie sat whimpering and seemed incapable of making a decision, so I tried to reassure her everything would be okay now, even though I knew from experience this was only the beginning of the trouble. I didn’t want to alarm Cassie in any way.
The following day I phoned in work and explained what had happened. My boss was sympathetic, and I was relieved I had been able to sort something out for Cassie. I had some answering to do for giving my address out but hoped I could smooth things over. I promised Cassie I would keep in touch and, if she needed help to go round for her belongings, then that would be arranged. Cassie seemed resigned to leaving most of her stuff behind rather than going back into the volatile atmosphere she had come from.
After dropping Cassie off at the women’s refuge, I sent a text to Martin to see if he’d had any joy contacting Jay. Martin said he had and asked if I wanted to meet up to discuss his findings. I thought a night out could be what I needed after such a heavy time of it at work so agreed to go out for something to eat with Martin a couple of days later.
I thought I’d managed to put all worries behind me but the feeling of being watched kept coming into my thoughts, making me jumpy. Even the noise the fridge made got me on edge. I wondered about going to stay with friends. Although I told myself I was running away, at least if I just stayed with someone for a couple of days it might help to ease the anxiety I felt and hopefully give me peace of mind, so I phoned Angela and told her everything that had been happening.
“Oh, you poor love. How are you feeling?”
“Not brilliant. I wondered if I could come over and stay for the weekend?”
“Sophie, you know you’re welcome here anytime. I’ll just clear things with Nick but I know he won’t mind.”
Angela shouted to Nick while she was on the phone and she gave me a verbal thumbs up. I didn’t waste any time getting organised and putting a few things in an overnight bag ready to take with me. I decided to go to Angela’s after my meeting with Martin.
******************
I was determined to enjoy myself when I walked through the door of the pizzeria. I spotted Martin’s smiling face straight away and went over and kissed him on the cheek. After we’d given our order to the waitress, he turned to me and told me the news.
“Well, the good news is you’ve nothing to worry about as far as Jay is concerned. You know, he’s married now and living just outside Glasgow. He has a son who is causing a lot of problems. He’s in and out of trouble at school and Jay said he’s got too much on his plate to consider coming down to the North of England.”
“Okay, thanks for that, Martin. So, it doesn’t sound as though it’s him then,” I said.
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s not him. I called him under the pretence of meeting to catch up but Jay was reluctant to do that, saying he hoped never to have to come back to Manchester again.”
I nodded. This seemed to put the lid on any possibility the mystery stalker was Jay. I was thankful for that but it meant I still didn’t have a clue who I was dealing with.
I knew I had to talk to someone about what had been happening at home and I decided to confide in Martin about my worries and the idea that I suspected I was being followed. The difference now though, I didn’t know who the stalker was. I did wonder about the possibility of Charlie being responsible for this but, when I checked on the date of the first phone call, it was well before I had given any of my details to Cassie so it didn’t add up. I also thought about the internet dates but that would have been over the top if either of them had got back in touch and behaved in such an extreme way.
We were both sat enjoying our pizzas when Martin starting talking to me seriously.
“I know you thought that what’s been happening to you was the work of Jay but is there anyone else you suspect?”
I did also have suspicions about Kyle, the boyfriend I had after Jay. Kyle’s mental state had often been questionable and he would do and say strange things but I didn’t think this was his style. I needed to keep an open mind if I was to get to the bottom of this.
“There was Kyle,” I said. “He could be a bit odd.”
“What are you like, Sophie, you can’t half pick ‘em.” Martin laughed then glanced at me. His smile disappeared. “Do you want to talk?” Martin looked me straight in the eye. I had just taken the last mouthful of ham and mozzarella and I contemplated what to say as I chewed.
“Do you really want to know?” I enquired. “I wouldn’t want to bore you.”
“Yes, if it helps,” Martin nodded. I put down my knife and fork. I looked up to the left and considered what to say, then looked down.
With a sad expression, I said, “We’d better order some desserts then and I’ll tell you.”
Chapter Sixteen
THEN
How could I forget the first time I met Kyle? Well, quite easily really. It was a fairly non-descript event, sadly rather like him. He would not agree of course. He thought he was a real looker, bordering on Brad Pitt. That, I’m afraid, did Brad a big injustice. Kyle had been sitting with friends in the canteen at Manchester University. I was there with Charlotte. We were studying for our accountancy exams on day release from work.
We’d had a giggle as we noticed the guys looking over at us but then Charlotte had to leave me on my own as she went off to her lecture. I’d spotted Kyle with the others, sat in the next section. He didn’t stand out for me but every time I glanced over he stared back at me. He kept giving me a cheesy grin that was so false.
He was a small guy with a slim frame. He had large green eyes and heavy features. His smile resembled a clown’s. His lips formed a perfect semi circular curve. I thought he looked like a rat or maybe a weasel. I could have been mistaken, but he also looked like he had fake tan on, either that or he spent hours on sunbeds. He didn’t strike me as someone who holidayed regularly on the French Riviera or even Benidorm for that matter. He laughed a lot which was about the only thing going for him, apart from the fact it showed off a chipped tooth at the front of his mouth. Maybe it had worn away with rat poison, I smiled to myself.
I sometimes wondered if I hadn’t lingered as long as I did at that table, things may have turned out differently, you know, like the moment in the Sliding Doors film. What happened next, the guys called me over to go and sit with them and I agreed. I can’t say I felt comfortable. I’d never been truly at ease with the opposite sex, especially when there were a few of them. I tended to clam up and today was no exception.
They had to prise information out of me when they started asking me things and Kyle wasn’t the ringleader. Joey asked most of the questions. He was the tallest of the four of them. Joey looked like a cross between Frank Skinner and Donald Duck but wasn’t anywhere near as funny. After introducing themselves, they fired questions at me from all quarters.
“Where do you live?” Joey asked.
“I… I live near Bury,” I stuttered.
“What are you studying?” The blond one asked. (I couldn’t remember his name.)
“Accoun
tancy. How about you?”
“We’re all doing computer science,” Joey replied.
“What sort of music do you like?” Billy asked next. His face was round and cheerful, more of a Michael McIntyre lookalike
“Oh, anything.” I was non-committal in my replies.
Then Kyle asked whether I was seeing anyone. Oh no, I thought, don’t tell me he’s got designs on me. I didn’t fancy him one bit. As I assumed they knew something about computers, I happened to mention I was having trouble with my PC at home. It kept crashing. Quick as a flash, Kyle told me he could fix it. All the lads could have probably helped but Kyle was the one who jumped in first. Listening to him confidently talk about the subject; I thought he had the knowledge to mend it for me so readily took him up on his offer.
When Kyle came round, I could tell straight away he liked me. He giggled all the time and laughed at all my jokes even when they weren’t funny. That could make a girl feel good. I still didn’t find him attractive, but we did seem to hit it off well. He hung on to my every word and showed genuine interest in things I had to say. He told me all about the break-up with his long-term girlfriend. He said they had been seeing each other for three years and that she was very attractive but also insecure. He confessed that they fought a lot. Her behaviour was often irrational and he would react to her in a less than positive way. I enjoyed the fact I could have an intelligent conversation with him on deep issues. In the short time he was there, we talked about God and the Universe and he was very interested in philosophy. It didn’t take him long to sort out my computer.
“Oh wow, that’s great, Kyle. It’s all working again. How much do I owe you?” I asked.
“No, nothing. I’m happy to help out a friend,” he said. I wouldn’t have called us friends, but I kept that thought to myself.
“Well, I tell you what. Let me take you home.” I said.
“No, you don’t need to do that,” he said.
“I insist, it’s the least I can do.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes, it was a long way for you to come, doing this journey on the bus.”
He lived in Bolton and it took him two buses and a ten-minute walk to get to mine so he agreed to let me run him back. When I dropped him off at his flat, he didn’t try to kiss me or do anything untoward. He gave me one of his sickly grins and I found myself warming to him.
I would often bump into Kyle at Uni. I was surprised to keep seeing him as the place was a big complex with so many people. I did find it unusual and a real coincidence that he was everywhere. I wondered if it was fate. Some months later, he confessed to me he engineered the meetings. He’d worked out the times of my classes so happened to be passing at the exact time I was there. When he told me this, I suppose I should have found it creepy but, if I was honest, I was actually flattered.
On a couple of occasions, he invited me for a drink, casually trying to slip the request in but I was equally casual at saying no. He always asked if my computer was still okay. Unfortunately, it started crashing again. He moved in quickly with an offer to come round again and I agreed he could take a look. This time I volunteered to make him a meal, to pay for his work. I wasn’t keen on the idea of getting something for nothing and it was the least I could do under the circumstances.
He sorted out my PC in no time. If I was a cynical person, I’d have suspected he’d rigged it up to break down again, but I didn’t know if anyone was that clever and I certainly would never have suggested that to him. Whilst he was busy on the computer, I rustled up one of my classic spaghetti bologneses. We sat down to eat it and I listened to him merrily chatting away. He was happy with himself if not a little smug. At the end of the meal, when we’d both finished eating, I was about to get up and clear away the dishes when he grabbed hold of my hand.
“Wait, sit down a minute.” He stared at me. My skin began to tingle as I stared back at him and I slowly sat back down.
“You know I really like you, Sophie.” The stare was still intense, formidable almost. It seemed like his eyes were burning into my soul. My nervous laughter gave away my feelings.
“I….I… don’t know what to say. I had such a bad time with Jay.” I’d already confided in Kyle, details of the horrors of my previous relationship.
“We could take it real slow.” His expression was pleading with me and he increased the grip on my hand. I didn’t reply, and I wasn’t sure where to look. It felt awkward. I managed to release my hand and rose up from the table. He sighed deeply.
“Will you let me take you out for a meal sometime?” I headed out of the room.
“I’ll have a think about it,” I shouted from the safety of the kitchen. I felt close to giving in to him. My heart wanted to say, what have you got to lose and my head said run a mile.
We both remained silent in the car as I dropped him off. He gave me a kiss on the cheek as he got out and winked at me. It was as if he could tell I would eventually give in. I smiled at him, deep in thought.
Two weeks later, whilst having a coffee together and discussing the type of food we liked, we found out we both had a passion for Mexican food. I finally surrendered and agreed to go out for a Mexican meal with him, telling myself, or more to the point, trying to convince myself, it was just as friends. We ended up having a nice evening together, talking about anything and everything and we said we would do it again sometime soon. He behaved like the perfect gentleman and I liked being treated like a lady.
The following Saturday I’d invited a few friends over for supper so I asked Kyle if he’d like to come. I didn’t mind having him around if there was a crowd there. It turned out, eight people turned up, two couples and four single people. I’d not thought to ask about dietary requirements when I made my chilli so Charlotte’s poor vegetarian boyfriend Rob had to sit eating nuts all night. At least he enjoyed the apple pie I made for pudding. Thankfully, he didn’t complain. By the end of the evening, everyone left apart from Kyle and it should have felt uncomfortable but it didn’t and we both sat drinking coffee. It all seemed so natural that when he asked if he could stay the night, it just seemed right to say yes.
From that night we became an item. He was smitten. When we weren’t together, he would text a lot. It wasn’t like it was with many relationships where you sent a text and then were on tenterhooks wondering how long it would be until you received one back. With Kyle, his replies were immediate. Mine weren’t so instant and it would be the main source of our disagreements. He was between jobs and, apart from fiddling around with computers and studying, he didn’t have much to occupy his time. Even if he went to the gym, he had his phone at the ready for any messages, whereas I couldn’t easily use my mobile while working. It was frowned upon unless it was an emergency.
He often came to meet me from work and, one particular December evening, we’d planned to go out and do some Christmas shopping together. The frost made the pavement sparkle. I looked up and could see snow in the air. The cold wind hit my face with a bang. The arctic conditions burnt into my lungs. I shuddered and wrapped my woollen scarf tighter around my neck. I was about to descend the set of steps outside work when I lost my footing and fell all the way to the bottom.
I felt each bump along the way and I landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the steps, in absolute agony. I’d put out my arm to cushion the fall and, in doing so, was now unable to move it. That wasn’t the only pain I felt. The sensation radiating from my right ankle made me cry out. I couldn’t move my foot. I started to feel nauseous.
“I’ll call an ambulance.” Kyle panicked.
“Oh don’t be so dramatic, I’ll be okay,” I said feeling anything but okay. My injuries hurt so much I began to cry. Kyle crouched down and put his arm around me. He didn’t know what else to do. He looked around for help.
“Go and see if Lydia or Matt are still in the office. I don’t think they’ve left yet,” I murmured. Kyle got up and did as he was told. The next thing, I looked up and my boss
Simon was stood towering over me. He picked me off the floor. The way he swept me up was so masterful but I was embarrassed. He carried me down the street to his car. Poor Kyle scampered behind him. At the hospital, Simon was as concerned as Kyle was, but I wondered if it was because he’d realised I might now need to take time off on the sick.
After five hours at A & E, I left with the knowledge I’d fractured both my wrist and ankle. I would be out of action for between six and twelve weeks if not longer. My main concern was how I would manage financially. Unfortunately, my company only paid statutory sick pay whilst off sick and I knew I couldn’t pay my bills with that. I needed to figure out how on earth I could cook for myself and get dressed, not just hobbling around with only one leg but also, I was right-handed and that was the arm where the bone was broken. I wasn’t going to be able to drive. In fact, I wasn’t going to be able to do very much. I had come a cropper in more ways than one.
Kyle was very good. All he wanted to do was look after me. He told me to stop worrying and said he would sort out everything. This became his golden opportunity to muscle his way further into my life.
“Insure me for your car and I’ll drive you anywhere you want to go.” It sounded an enticing proposition.
“I’ll think about it.”
“And if I stay round at yours more permanently, I can cook and clean for you and make you a cup of tea whenever you ask.”
That got me sold on the idea. Even though I wasn’t particularly keen on him staying permanently, I couldn’t come up with any other options.
It took me a while to recover from my injuries. I’d be walking down the road and have to stop and lean against a wall to take the weight off my bad leg but I had my own manservant now to help carry the shopping. So Kyle moved in and didn’t move out even when my bones healed. It wasn’t exactly a romantic decision, more based on practicalities. The thought of having Kyle there eased my stress but when reality kicked in, things didn’t work out so brilliantly.
