by Jo Meadows
‘There you go. All sorted. You do know that when Mum realises what we’ve done she’ll go mad?’
‘Oh yes I know, and I bet you she’ll be on the phone complaining about it in no time. I’m all ready for that conversation, believe me. She needs to know I’m serious about all this and I’m not backing down. The only problem is she’ll probably blame you for influencing me and conspiring against her.’
‘So what’s new? I’ve got broad shoulders. Hey! I’ve got a surprise for you.’
‘Oh. What’s that?’
‘We’re having a party for Emily’s birthday. And, guess what?’
‘What? - Come on, what?’
‘Michael is coming over with Susan and the kids. They’ll be here tonight!’
‘You’re kidding! All of them?’
‘Yes, all of them. They can’t wait to see you Dad.’
‘Oh Lynnette, that’s great!’ David was suddenly overwhelmed and before he knew it, tears were flowing freely down his cheeks.
‘We all love you Dad and we’re all behind you.’
‘What about Michael? Does he know what’s been happening?’
‘He knows everything Dad. We’ve had long talks and he’s fully aware of what’s going on and what we’re doing.’
‘God, I can’t wait to see them but it’s all a bit embarrassing.’
‘You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about Dad. It’s Mum who should be embarrassed.’
‘I know, but wouldn’t it have been lovely if she was here and we could all be together?’
‘Dad, I hate to say it but they wouldn’t be coming if she was here. I won’t go into details but Michael and Susan have had problems with her and the kids in the past and that’s why they don’t visit very often.’
‘Oh God! I’m so sorry I haven’t stood up to her more over the years. If I had, we’d all have been so much happier.’
‘Don’t be silly Dad. We’re doing the right thing now and that’s what counts. You hang in there. We’ll get everything sorted out. It’ll take time that’s all. We have our plan and we’re going to stick to it.’
‘Thank you Lynnette, thank you so much. What would I do without you?’
‘Don’t be silly. Come here and give me a hug.’
***
As promised, Michael and his family arrived later that day. After much hugging and quite a few tears, mostly from David, they all sat down together with a drink. Emily took Suzie and Davy to her room to watch DVDs and play games so the adults were able to chat freely.
David felt he had to say something about Georgina and his embarrassment about where he now found himself. He thanked them all for being so understanding and helping him the way they were. He especially thanked Lynnette and Leo for allowing him to stay. He thanked Michael and Susan for coming over and bringing the kids and apologised for allowing Georgina to have upset everyone so much in the past. They all wouldn’t hear a word of it. They said they were all to blame for allowing things to get so out of hand over the years and they agreed that whatever happened from now on they would remain determined to overcome their problems as a family.
Michael and his family’s visit was unfortunately, all too short and the couple of days they stayed flew by in no time. Emily’s birthday party became a big event and went really well with all the kids having a great time. Lynnette and Leo had gone out of their way to make sure it was memorable for everyone; it was a huge success.
For David, it was the best time he’d had for as long as he could remember. He couldn’t believe how happy and relaxed he felt. Over those couple of days he had a few feelings of guilt and regret, but in the main he came to realise what true happiness was. He couldn’t believe that he’d allowed himself to be almost ruined both mentally and physically. This is what I want, he thought. I want more of this. If I can’t get Georgina to come around and be happy with me then she can go it alone. Now I’ve tasted this, I’m not going back. Life really is too short and I’m going to live it.
When it came time for Michael, Susan and the kids to leave, they all hugged and promised that they would see each other again soon. David had had a long private talk with Michael and he now knew that both his children were totally behind him. He knew that whatever he decided to do, they were with him one hundred percent. “Whatever it takes Dad, whatever it takes. We’re all with you”, Michael had said. He also said that however things worked out, he wanted his Dad and, hopefully, his Mum to come over to Spain to stay for an extended holiday. David had been over the moon. He’d secretly longed to visit Michael and his family for years but never thought he would get to go in a million years. Georgina wouldn’t hear of it of course; “What? Travel all the way over there? You’re joking. They can come and see us, we’re far too old for all that.” He knew exactly what she’d say, he could just hear her. Well, whatever happens, I’m going, he said to himself, brimming with happiness and smiling inside. I can’t wait.
After Michael, Susan and the kids had left, David thanked Lynnette and Leo once more. He gave them the presents he’d bought and told them how happy and safe he felt. Lynnette of course, would have none of it.
‘Dad, this is nothing out of the ordinary. What we have is love, and the way we are; comfortable with each other and the way we enjoy each other’s company every day, is the way we live our lives. This is what you’ve been missing for so long. But don’t worry; this is how your life’s going to be from now on. If Mum wants to be a part of it great. If she chooses to carry on the way she is then more fool her. You deserve a good life Dad, and you can be sure, I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure you get it. Let’s hope she sees sense.’
‘Thank you both so much and yes, let’s hope she sees sense and pretty soon.’
Two days later, the phone rang. Before she went to pick it up, Lynnette looked at the number on the phone’s display and knew it was her Mum. This will be interesting, she thought.
‘Dad, this is Mum. Do you want me to answer it or would you rather do it?’
‘I’ll do it thanks,’ said her Dad. ‘And don’t worry I’ve been looking forward to this.’
Chapter 24
‘Goodnight Pete, and thanks again for listening. You’re a good friend.’
‘You’re welcome. I hate to see you upset; if there’s anything I can do, anytime, just let me know. Goodnight then.’
‘Goodnight.’
Relaxed and loosened up after the two bottles of wine they’d shared, Georgina decided to have a nightcap before going off to bed. Earlier, she’d remembered the appointment she had at the doctor’s the following day and she’d told Pete she needed to get an early night. Pete, who she now felt she’d misjudged for as long as she’d known him, had been as gallant as ever and had left without trying to talk her into having any more to drink.
Sitting alone with more wine, she thought back over their chat. After a couple of drinks and some small talk, she’d opened up to him about the incidents at the shops and how aggrieved she felt, especially about the way the girl in the supermarket had tricked her into getting banned. Pete had agreed that the country was going downhill by allowing so many migrants to come and take over the shops and selling produce from their own countries. Do they want to integrate into our society or do they want to take over? After a while she realised she was going over the top and opening up just a little too much. That was when she’d suddenly “remembered” her appointment and said she needed an early night.
I need to be more careful, she thought. It’s alright having someone to talk to but I shouldn’t allow myself to open up so much. Pete’s alright but I need to keep him on my side. It would be too easy to say the wrong thing and suddenly find he’s no use to me. She thought back to the girl in the shop and her anger returned. She tried to think of some way she could make her pay for what she’d done but couldn’t come up with anything. God I’m annoyed; the little cow. Giving up, she poured another drink and decided, as she often did, to bide her time. If she had to wait out the ban a
nd catch her at some point in the future then so be it. I’m not going away, and I certainly won’t forget.
What I should be doing, instead of sitting here feeling sorry for myself, is work out what to do about David. I’m dammed if I’m going to call him. Why hasn’t he called yet? Doesn’t he love me? If I could talk to him without Lynnette sticking her nose in I could talk him round, I know I could. Give me two or three minutes on the phone alone with him and he’d be putty in my hands. Her thoughts alternated between anger, frustration and helplessness as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Waking on the sofa several hours later and feeling terrible, Georgina realised she’d fallen asleep with a glass in her hand. The glass was now on the floor beside the sofa surrounded by a large stain of now dried red wine. Rubbing her eyes and standing up, she went to the bathroom to get some tablets for her throbbing head. As she passed the living room clock she couldn’t believe the time. She was already fifteen minutes late for her appointment. Rushing to get ready, and without changing her clothes, she quickly threw some water on her face and dragged a brush through her hair. Looking at herself in the hall mirror as she left the house, she thought, god what a mess. Oh well I’ll have to do.
She arrived at the doctor’s a little while later to be met by a frowning receptionist.
‘I’m sorry I’m a little, I’m afraid I haven’t been feeling too well lately and I overslept.’
‘I appreciate that,’ said the receptionist, ‘But I’m afraid you’ve missed your appointment for today. You’ll need to rebook for another day.’
‘What? But I’m only a bit late; surely the doctor can fit me in.’
‘I’m sorry, I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. The appointment times are quite tight and there just isn’t one available.’
‘That’s nonsense, there must be space to squeeze me in, my time became available when I was late and surely that just moves everyone along. I can tag on at the end.’
‘No, I’m afraid not. You’ll need to book another appointment.’
‘This is ridiculous. I’m not having you dictate to me, you don’t run this place. Where’s the Practice Manager? I want a word with him.’
‘The Practice manager is Mrs. Robson and I’m afraid she’s very busy. If you’d please take a seat over there, I’ll let her know you’d like to see her.’
‘You do that, and be quick about it. What is it about receptionists? You’re all like little Hitlers.’
‘Do you mind Madam; I’m just trying to do my job here and I’m not here to be abused. You’re the one who was late.’
‘Oh shut up and get on with your job.’
The receptionist disappeared into the main office and reappeared shortly after. Georgina, her head pounding, sat for a full ten minutes waiting and by the time the Practice Manger arrived, she was beyond angry; she was livid.
‘Would you come with me please?’
‘Why can’t we talk here? I just want to arrange to see the doctor and have a word about your receptionist’s attitude.’
‘I’d prefer to talk to you in my office. This way please.’ Without another word, the Practice Manager walked back to her office and Georgina was left with no option but to follow her.
‘First of all-’ began Georgina before she was stopped in her tracks by the manager raising her hand.
‘Please let me speak before you say what you wish to say.’
‘But-’
‘No wait, please listen to me first. We have a very strict policy for patients who do not turn up for appointments or are more than a few minutes late for them. In your case today, you were over thirty minutes late, so you were recorded as a D.N.A. or a Did Not Attend.’
‘I told your receptionist, I haven’t been well and I overslept. It couldn’t be helped-’
Do you know how many D.N.A.s we get every month? I don’t suppose you do but the figure is high and as a result, many people who need to see a doctor, sometimes urgently, are unable to get appointments. To try and reduce the number of patients who fail to attend the surgery for their appointments, we have a policy of two strikes. If a patient fails to attend once without reasonable notice or excuse, they will receive a written warning in the post. If it happens a second time, then we reserve the right to remove that patient from our books. That would require the patient to register with another surgery. As this is the only surgery in the local area that usually means that the patient would have to travel some miles to see a doctor.’
‘But look, I’ve said, I haven’t been well. I overslept.’
The Practice Manager looked Georgina squarely in the eyes and said, ‘Madam, you may have overslept but the reason you overslept is very obvious to me.’
‘What on earth do you mean? What are you trying to say?’
‘The reason you overslept is because you were drunk. In fact, I dare say you probably still are. Look at you; anyone can see you slept in those clothes. Your breath is overpowering with alcohol and the smell is offensive.’
‘Now wait a minute-’
‘No! You wait a minute. You come in here very late and worse the wear for drink and you abuse my staff. I will not tolerate that kind of behaviour.’
‘You can’t talk to me like this, how dare you? I’m a patient, I deserve some respect-’
‘You lost that respect when you shouted at my receptionist and called her a little Hitler. You can think yourself lucky that I can see that you’re not yourself today and I’m only going to issue you with a formal written warning. If you behave like this again or you fail to turn up for an appointment, I will remove you from our books. Now, good day to you.’
‘You can’t treat me like this, I never meant any harm, I was angry that’s all.’
‘Please leave.’ The Manager stood and opened her office door. Georgina had no choice but to leave.
‘You haven’t heard the last of this,’ she shouted as she strode back through the reception area. ‘I’ll write to the NHS Trust and report you, you mark my words!’
As she stormed across the reception area Georgina saw Pete entering the building.
‘Georgie, what’s wrong? What’s going on? Why all the shouting? You can hear the racket in the car park.’
‘Oh get lost you!’ shouted Georgina, ‘It’s all your bloody fault, getting me drunk! Taking advantage of a lonely woman. Leave me alone and don’t come crawling to my door with any more of that awful muck you call wine! I know what you’re after!’
‘What-?’
Pete couldn’t believe his ears. What’s got into her, he thought, we only had two bottles and I left at nine; she was fine. God look at the state of her, she’s a mess. I hope she’s okay.
After she’d gone, Pete sat waiting for his own appointment wondering if she really was alright. He couldn’t understand why she looked such a mess and then realised she was wearing the same clothes that she’d had on the night before. He could only assume that either she’d taken some pills to help her sleep and then woken up late or, she’d carried on drinking after he’d left. That’s a bit dodgy, he thought. If she’s taking pills or drinking too much someone needs to keep an eye on her. I wonder if I should give Dave a call. I don’t want to worry him but I need to do something; things can get out of hand so easily. Perhaps I shouldn’t have taken the wine around. No it’s not that, she’s been fine up to now. It’s something else. I’ll call Dave, that’s the best thing to do; if I can find Lynnette’s number that is.
Georgina almost ran home. Once inside, blinded by anger and the humiliation she’d suffered, she’d felt a tightness in her chest and had started to feel unwell. After several deep breaths, she managed to calm herself. Feeling quite unsettled and that the world was against her; that there was a huge conspiracy all arranged by Lynnette intended to bring her down; to bring her to heel and knock her into submission and obedience.
The incidents at the shops and the doctor’s surgery all set up to trip her up and bring her down. Peter had been the clever idea. Get him to p
ly me with drink and smooth-talk me into her way of thinking. Although he hadn’t said anything about why she wasn’t with David and why David hadn’t come home, it would only have been a matter of time before he would have turned the conversations that way.
Don’t be so ridiculous, she said to herself, coming to her senses. What a load of nonsense. You’ve done all this to yourself. You’ve allowed their pressure to build up and you’ve been weak and stupid. Lynnette’s been very clever; she knew that you’d come home and let things fester in your mind. If you allow that pressure to get to you you’ll give in and you’ll lose. You need to get your head together, get your focus back and take control again. She knew that she’d played into their hands from the moment they gave her the ultimatums. She’d allowed her anger and humiliation to rule her head.
She should have stayed at Lynnette’s with David and gradually worked to bring him around. She’d had it so easy for so long with him. Moulding him over many years, she’d had him exactly where she wanted him. Why did she have to go over the top and take things as far as she had? My God it had been fun but she saw now she’d escalated things far too rapidly.
She didn’t really want rid of David, did she? No, of course not. What had she been thinking? If she’d lost him what would she have done? Could she have lived without him? Without his adulation, without his love and adoration, without him just being there for her to use. It would be a nightmare starting all over with someone new, because she knew that after what had happened and what Lynnette now knew, that would be the only way to go. She couldn’t have lived with Lynnette; she would have got nowhere there. She realised there was only one thing for it. She’d have to “give in” and allow them to think they’d won.
Her decision made, she set about making her recovery plan. It would be difficult at first and would take time but she could do it. People were usually easy to manipulate. They were quick to forgive; possibly not to forget but she knew she could turn on the charm when she needed to and by god could she be patient? She’d win in the end and she’d have David back where she wanted – no, where she needed him.
