Georgie

by Jo Meadows

  She decided to make a list of things to consider in order of priority - their priority. And, she decided to try and address their concerns in a way that would appease them. She knew that everything she now did needed to look as though she was contrite and was going along with their demands in every respect.

  They’d accused her of intentionally causing David to have a build-up of stress prior to his stroke and then failing to support him when he came home from hospital. She couldn’t deny her violent outbursts, but, she could deny that the stress build-up was intentional and that there was no way she could know it would lead to a stroke.

  She realised she’d been stupid to talk out loud when she thought David couldn’t hear her and there could be no denying what she’d actually said herself; in effect, what she’d admitted to. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to get around all that and she would have to apologise and say that she hadn’t been herself. What else could she do? What she must avoid was playing the victim in any of this. David would go along, possibly, he usually did, but Lynnette would have none of it she was sure.

  Oh well, there was nothing for it but to admit defeat and rely on their forgiveness. If she played it right, they would soon let her back in and she could work on them all individually to regain their trust and get back the respect she deserved - no, the respect was entitled to.

  What was it Lynette had said she thought was wrong with me? Narcissistic something? - Narcissistic Personality Disorder that was it? What the hell is that? She even said I needed professional help! God forbid. She made a mental note to go to the library to find out what she could about the condition. The more I know the better I’ll be equipped to deal with all that. There’s no way on this earth I’ll be seeking professional help and there’s no way I’ll allow any of them to push me down that road. What a load of nonsense.

  Next - and this was the “Biggie.” Selling the house and moving closer to Lynnette or paying for an extension to be built on Lynnette’s house. I could see us living in a little bungalow or house relatively near to Lynnette but there’s no way I’m going to put up my money to provide funding for some glorified home improvement project. Does she think I’m stupid? It would be bad enough having little “Miss High and Mighty” on my doorstep, but actually living with her? God no! She decided to speak to an estate agent and discuss a valuation before she called David or did anything else.

  She felt better. All the thinking of the way ahead and the planning of her recovery had given her a purpose. She was thinking more clearly than she had for months. Why had she let everything deteriorate so much? I’ve been an idiot yes, but let’s not dwell on what’s past and gone. Look to the future and to getting back to how things were and what I had.

  The very first thing I’m going to do is stop this stupid drinking; it hasn’t done me any favours. God knows why I ever thought it was a good idea. She got up and went through to the kitchen. Looking in the fridge and in the cupboard, she couldn’t believe she’d bought so many bottles. What was I thinking? Party time or what? She briefly wondered whether to knock on Peter’s door and ask him if he would like them. No, don’t be silly, she thought, I will have to apologise to him though. I may need his help again soon. She opened each bottle in turn and poured the contents down the sink. ‘Here’s back to the old me’, she said out loud. ‘Look out, I’m back!’

  Later that day, after she’d eaten and showered and changed, she saw Peter outside and went out to him. She cried a little and even allowed him to hold her. After she “managed to calm herself down”, she apologised for shouting at him and said how silly she’d been. She made some excuses about not really being used to drinking and that she shouldn’t have overindulged like a teenager. She said she missed David more than she knew and that everything had got on top of her. She made sure he knew that none of it was his fault and asked him to forgive her outburst in the doctor’s surgery. Peter had been a true gentleman and told her not to be so silly. We all have our bad days, he’d said, and told her not to worry. He once again extended an offer of help whenever she needed it and they left it at that. Georgina thanked him and left to go to town to see an estate agent and begin to set the first part of her plan into motion.

  She visited two different estate agents and arranged for them to come and value the house the next day. She discussed the sales procedures and potential costs but didn’t go as far as to tell either of them to put the house on the market.

  On the way home she stopped at a cashpoint to withdraw some money and, on a whim, much as David had done a couple of days earlier, she requested a balance check. She didn’t really need to, she knew exactly what the balance would be, but when she saw the figure she was shocked. She went into the bank and asked for a printed statement. Reading it a couple of minutes later, she knew exactly what had happened. She didn’t know why the figure was the actual amount it was but she could see that neither David’s state nor company pensions had been paid into the account. Interesting, she thought. They’re cutting off my money and trying to show me how serious they are; Lynnette’s well and truly got her claws into him now hasn’t she? Oh well, no problem, just one more thing to contend with; she’s trying to increase the pressure. Good luck with that Lynnette; I see you.

  Her heart skipped a beat and she suddenly felt as though it had dropped to the pit of her stomach. She felt sick and anxious all at once and for the second time that day, her chest tightened. God! Does he know about my account and my money? Exactly what does he know and if he’s worked everything out, what will I say?

  Chapter 25

  ‘Do you think she’ll be alright now? – Yes, yes, I’ll get in touch with her straight away. Leo will probably be coming to pick her up pretty soon and I’m sure everything will be fine once she’s back here with us.’ David paused and held the phone against his chest.

  ‘It’s Pete from next door. He says your Mum’s had some problems in some shops and the doctor’s,’ he said quietly to Lynnette.

  ‘Thanks for that Pete, I appreciate it. You’re a good friend. No, no, I won’t worry. She’s probably had a rough time being there all on her own while I’m over here. She’s probably been a bit upset; we’ll soon change all that when she comes down here.’ He paused again, waiting while Pete said goodbye.

  ‘Okay, thanks again Pete. Yes, hopefully I’ll get to see you soon. Take care of yourself. Bye for now.’

  ‘What’s been going on Dad? Is Mum alright?’

  ‘Well it seems your Mum’s upset a few people. Pete asked me to keep it to myself and not tell her he called me; it would be really embarrassing for her if she knew. She’s been banned from the supermarket and the little corner shop; something about her behaviour. The worst thing is she’s thrown a wobbly at the doctor’s, shouting the odds and abusing the receptionist. Apparently she’s been warned that she’ll be taken off their books if she does it again.’

  ‘Oh dear, it sounds like she’s come across someone who won’t take her attitude. I bet that came as a shock.’

  ‘Pete said he thought she was late for an appointment at the doctor’s because she overslept and she overslept because she’d been drinking. He’s been a bit worried about her but he partly blames himself because he took a bottle of his wine round and they had a drink together. Anyway, when they said she’d missed her appointment and had to rebook, she went mad.’

  ‘Oops, she wouldn’t have liked that.’

  ‘Pete said she calmed down a bit later and apologised to him. He thinks she’s okay now but everything must be getting to her though. What do you think we should do now?’

  ‘I don’t know right at this moment Dad. I’d give it till the end of today perhaps and if she doesn’t call, you may have to call her yourself. I don’t suppose we can leave it much longer. I wonder if she knows about the money yet.’

  ‘If she’s got a bank statement she will, she’ll have picked up on that straight away.’

  ‘Well with a bit of luck that should prod her into doing something. Let’s w
ait and see. At least we’ll get something moving, we can’t carry on like this forever, we need to get some resolution to all this. Are you still happy about everything?’

  ‘Oh yes. Don’t worry about me. I’m determined to do what we agreed. I’ve loved being here with you and if I’d realised how happy I could be I may have done something years ago.’

  ‘Good, I’m glad you’re not caving-in just because she’s getting a bit upset; we knew she would. It’s the shock and the wake-up call she’s needed.’

  ‘Yes, I know.’

  That evening, David was just about to pick up the phone to call Georgina when it rang.

  ‘Lynnette,’ he called. ‘It’s your Mum.’

  ‘Good; saves you calling her. I’m glad it’s this way round. Good luck.’

  ‘Thanks but I shouldn’t need it,’ he said picking up the phone.

  ‘David? Is that you?’

  ‘Yes Georgina. How have you been? Are you alright?’

  ‘Oh David, it’s been awful,’ she said sounding tearful. ‘I’ve made some terrible mistakes.’

  ‘What mistakes? What do you mean? Are you okay?’

  ‘I’ve been taking you for granted David,’ she said, crying noisily down the phone. ‘I realise I’ve caused so many problems for us and I’ve been so unhappy since I’ve been at home on my own. I love you David and I don’t want to lose you. Can I come to be with you? Please say yes. Please.’

  ‘Of course you can. You do remember what we said though don’t you? I was very serious. We can’t go back to the way things were.’

  ‘I know! I know! – David I know you’re serious and I know I’ve been terrible to you in the past. Please forgive me; I just want to be with you. I’ve been to the estate agents and I’ve had the house valued. If you want us to live near Lynnette, I will. I’ll do anything to be back with you.’

  David was taken aback by her outburst of emotion but he knew he needed to remain calm if he was to stay in control. God it was hard though, regardless of what he’d been through he couldn’t stand to hear her so upset.

  ‘Alright Georgina, but we need to have a very long talk when you get here. I’ll speak to Lynnette and Leo and we’ll see how quickly we can pick you up. How soon can you be ready to come?’

  ‘I’m ready now Darling. Please come and get me.’

  ‘Alright, I’ll call you as soon as I’ve arranged everything.’

  Oh thank you David, I do love you. I don’t deserve you.’

  ‘I love you too Georgina, bye for now, take care of yourself, I’ll speak to you very soon.’

  ‘Goodbye Darling.’

  ‘How is she Dad? What did she say?’

  ‘She’s very upset at the moment and she wants to come here and, to be honest, she sounded genuinely sorry.’

  ‘Be careful Dad…’

  ‘I know, don’t worry. There’s a long way to go before I’ll truly trust her again. We knew something would happen at some point, perhaps this is it. I suppose we’ve got to give her a chance to do what we asked.’

  ‘Of course we do. What does she want to do now, what did she say?’

  ‘Not too much really but she did say she’s had the house valued. The rest of what she said boiled down to saying how much she loved me and that she’d made some terrible mistakes. I told her we’d have to have a long talk when we saw each other. That’s the time to judge whether she’s genuine or not, when we’re face to face.’

  ‘This has come about a bit quicker than I expected to be honest. I wonder if it’s cutting off the money that’s done it. I can’t see her giving in this easily; she’s had total control for a long time, she won’t give it up without a fight.’

  ‘We’ll have to see when she gets here. Are you still okay with us both staying here? It’ll take a long time to build an extension or get a new house sorted out.’

  ‘Of course we are. If she does actually come around it won’t be too bad, we’ll manage. Well, it won’t be any worse than it always has been; we just need to stay committed to the plan.’

  ‘We also need to be aware that she’ll try and twist things her way. You know what she’s like.’

  ‘We’ll cross those bridges when we come to them but we know she’ll have her own opinions about whatever we try to do; we just need to make her think she’s being listened to and give her some leeway without letting her dictate everything. I expect she’s really embarrassed right now so we’ll also need to treat her as though she’s been forgiven, at least a little bit. Can you do that?’

  ‘Yes of course I can. I still love her. If she behaves herself, I’ll be very happy. I’ve just got to keep my wits about me.’

  ‘Okay then. When shall we see about picking her up?’

  ‘She says she’s ready anytime so as soon as possible I suppose.’

  ‘Alright, I’ll ring Leo at work and see if he can get a day off before the weekend. We need to move quickly or she’ll think we’re delaying on purpose.’

  ***

  The following morning Leo had set off early, having managed to secure the day off. He planned to pick up Georgina and get her back home by late that afternoon. Emily was on half-term holidays from school and Lynnette took her shopping. They’d decided to have a special meal that evening to welcome Georgina home and were trying to decide what to buy.

  ‘What about these?’ asked Emily, holding up a large pack of party snacks. ‘Look, there’s little sausages and chicken legs.’

  ‘No Darling, I don’t think so. We’re not having a proper party; we want something nice that everyone will enjoy to welcome your Nana home. You know how she doesn’t really like things like that even if we all do. Let’s buy a nice big joint of meat and I’ll cook a roast dinner. Do you fancy lamb? You like lamb.’

  ‘Yes please, I love lamb.’

  ‘And, for dessert we can have something you choose. What do you fancy?’

  ‘What about cream cake with ice-cream?’

  ‘Great idea, but without the ice-cream I think. Cream cake it is, let’s go and find a nice big one.’

  ‘Mummy, is Nana alright now? I know she was poorly when she left.’

  ‘Yes Sweetheart, she’s alright. She wasn’t really poorly when she left, she was just very upset.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Well, she said and did some silly things and we had an argument about it. She was upset about that and went home.’

  ‘I hope she’s happy when she gets here. Grandpa must have missed her.’

  ‘Yes he’s missed her, and yes, she should be happy when she gets here. I bet she can’t wait to see you.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see her too.’

  ‘I know you can’t Darling. You will remember to tell me or Daddy if she asks you to keep secrets or if she says anything to you that you don’t like won’t you?’

  ‘Yes Mummy, I will. Will Uncle Michael and Auntie Susan come to see us again soon?’

  ‘They might but it won’t be for a while.’

  ‘Oh I wish they would come soon!’

  ‘They will come soon hopefully but not just yet.’

  While Lynnette and Emily were out shopping David sat alone in the conservatory deep in thought. He was really looking forward to seeing Georgina again. It seemed an age since they’d last been together although in reality it was only a week or so. Then he remembered how he’d felt when he’d been ill. He’d been frightened beyond belief and had felt that he was living with some crazed psychopath who was just waiting to strike rather than with the woman he’d loved for what seemed all his life.

  Living with Lynnette, Leo and Emily had changed all that. He was more relaxed and more sure of himself than he’d felt in years. But - what about when she walked through the door? How would she be and what would she say? For a moment a familiar feeling of fear crept up on him and he had to stop himself from starting to worry. ‘Don’t be so stupid! Stop it!’ he said out loud. He knew he was being silly. After all, there was nothing to be afraid of was there? They’d had
it out with her and she knew that her secret was out.

  She’ll be on her best behaviour I’ll bet, he thought as his resolve slowly started to return. As I said to Lynnette, I’ll just need to keep my wits about me and I’ll have to watch her like a hawk. The first indication of her going back to her old ways, even with her little throw-away comments and opinions, she’ll need to be told. ‘You can do this,’ he said getting up to make himself a coffee. ‘Bring it on!’

  ***

  ‘Hello Georgina, how are you?’

  ‘Hello Leo, my goodness, it’s so good to see you. I’m fine thank you, how are you?’ Georgina said as she reached up to hug him and kiss him on the cheek.

  ‘I’m great thanks. We’re all so pleased that you’ve decided to come down.’

  ‘Yes, I’m so embarrassed. I’ve been really silly and I see now that you were all right. I’ve made some huge mistakes and I need to put them right. I want to make a new start and I hope you’ll all forgive me for the way I was. I can’t wait to see David, how has he been?’

  ‘He’s fine and, if you didn’t know, you be hard pushed to know that he’d had a stroke at all; he’s doing really well but he’s missed you terribly.’

  ‘I’m so relieved. He’s very strong, he always has been. I was very worried when he had the stroke and I’ve been mortified to think I might have been part of the cause,’

  ‘Come on Georgina. Don’t think like that, you’ll only upset yourself. That was the past; he’s recovered very well and we should all be grateful for that, he’s dying to see you. He loves you to bits you know.’

  ‘I know he does, I don’t deserve him. I hope he’ll forgive me.’

  ‘I’m sure everything will be fine when you see each other and once you’re back together, you can decide what you’re going to do about a new place to live.’

  ‘You’re right, we need to move forward. I was surprised how little this place is worth though. I hope we’ll be able to afford something near you.’