It Always Rains in November

by Richard Hoffman

  “What the hell is going on here? All this blood…”

  Carly stood there, shaking and frightened.

  Nathan maintained his grin as he responded. “What do you think we’re doing?”

  “Looks like you’re attacking my daughter,” Marie accused, enraged.

  She grabbed his foot and tried to pull him from the bed but Carly shouted at her to stop. Nathan attempted to preserve his modesty by putting his hands over his crotch.

  “Carly, get your Mother off me, now,” he demanded.

  Marie was speechless with fury. This monster wasn’t going to get away with this. She took off her favourite Laura J shoes and aimed inaccurately targeted blows onto the lad, who used one arm to block whilst the other tried in vain to cover his manhood. Carly was crying but regained sufficient composure to plead on his behalf.

  “Mum, stop it, please. Leave him alone.”

  Marie hesitated, still holding her shoes/weapons. Nathan used the opportunity to start scrabbling around for his clothes. Carly sank to her knees in tears and Marie knelt down, cradling her daughter’s head in her hands.

  “Carly, what’s he done to you? He’s… he’s…”

  “Mum, he didn’t, he really didn’t,” Carly sobbed. “I thought I wanted it, but…”

  Aghast, Marie put her arms around Carly and hugged her child as tight as she was able.

  “It’s OK, love. I’m here now,” she soothed.

  Nathan had found his clothes and, quickly dressed, moved to the door. He waved an acknowledgment to Carly. Marie turned to him.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Mum, it’s OK, leave him,” Carly whimpered.

  Marie stood up, face to face with her enemy. Nathan was a good four inches taller and more than a match for her physically. Nevertheless, he was the only one looking scared.

  “No, I won’t leave him,” she growled. “Is he your boyfriend?” Then, to Nathan, “how old are you – 16? You know this was her 13th birthday today. That makes what you’ve done a crime.”

  Nathan’s eyes widened in shock. “13, I thought she was…”

  “And what sort of boyfriend are you anyway,” she was screaming, “you can wait for Carly’s father to get here. Or maybe I’ll call the police. There’s a word for what you’ve done.”

  Nathan shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. Waiting for Carly’s Dad was bad enough but it struck him that his mum might also turn up. Marie, meanwhile, had no idea the lad stood before her was Janice’s son.

  As Marie turned round back to her daughter, Nathan decided to escape. He had to say something to Carly before he left, but all he thought of was, “Happy birthday, Carly.” And then he ran. Down the stairs and out of the house.

  Marie gave chase but from the front door she could see the teenager disappearing down an alleyway. She went back inside and shut the door. Carly had gone to the toilet to clean herself up, calling out that she was going to have a shower.

  Marie took a deep breath to calm her thudding heart and then phoned Carl, telling him briefly what she had witnessed. He agreed to return home immediately and, whilst waiting, Marie made herself a cup of tea, her hands still shaking. A text arrived from Louis. Marie never answered and turned her phone off.

  Although exhausted earlier, she was now wide awake and filled with determination to help her teenage daughter in whatever way she could. The first thing was to strip her daughter’s bed. The blood spattered duvet symbolized the end of her daughter’s innocence, and washing would not obliterate what had happened. Marie blew her nose and dried her eyes. If she had not stayed with Louis all morning and come to see Carly earlier, as she had originally intended, none of this would have happened. Once again, Marie had messed up as a mum.

  * * *

  Whilst they waited for Carl, mother and daughter sat together on the living room settee. Marie was able to give her daughter her birthday present and card. It was the third exchange of present and card for Carly. The last gift and card she’d received seemed a long time ago now.

  Marie set the laptop up while Carly looked at the message on the card for a wonderful daughter.

  “I’ll bet you don’t think I’m a wonderful daughter now.”

  Marie looked up from the screen. “Of course I do, love. It’s not your fault.”

  “He did wear protection, Mum, I wasn’t totally stupid.”

  “I know, love. I saw that for myself.”

  Both laughed.

  “Carly, who was… ?”

  “That’s the front door, isn’t it…?”

  “It’ll be your dad. I have his keys.”

  Marie went to open the door. Carly heard voices. Must be Janice. Don’t know why he’s brought her back.

  Carl ran through into the living room to his daughter, looking shocked and panicky.

  “Are you alright, love?”

  He went to put his arms around Carly but she was not receptive, pushing him away.

  “She’s had a nasty shock, Carl. Best leave her be,” Marie spoke quietly.

  “Who was this lad? I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend.”

  Carly did not answer. Marie again helpfully intervened.

  “Spiky haired, dark, didn’t give me his name before he bolted like a coward, at least a couple of years older than Carly anyway.”

  Janice froze. Her son. It was her son being accused of virtually raping a little girl on her 13th birthday. She had done her best to bring Nathan up to have respect for girls and to be a decent human being. But she had seen this coming on Wednesday and had forgotten to speak to him. She had been too busy bonking Carl. Looking at Carly, Janice felt a concrete bag of shame smash down on her head. This could have been avoided. There was no defence.

  “Nathan, was it my Nathan?” she whispered.

  Carly nodded.

  “God, I am so sorry.”

  Carl erupted in fury, spinning round to face his friend and lover. He spat vitriol at her.

  “Sorry, Janice?! Sorry! That doesn’t cut it. Your son is a monster – he has raped my daughter. I’ll bloody kill him when I see him.”

  Before Janice had chance to apologise, Carly spoke.

  “Dad shut up. It wasn’t his fault. Anyway, you’re not much better.”

  There was a stunned pause. Carly looked around at the adults’ faces. Janice had been looking like she’d start blubbing. Now she froze, attentive, as the focus shifted from her son to her boyfriend. The aggression had dissipated from Carl. He looked pathetic. Her dad, a pathetic loser. And her mum, who had the balls for both of them, was now about to attack. As if the day hadn’t been bad enough.

  “Carl, what does she mean?” Marie barked. “Carl, I’m asking you a question.”

  “What… I don’t know what…I’m not the one on trial here.”

  Marie wasn’t about to be distracted.

  “You are, Carl. I need to know what Carly meant and I’m asking you, not her.”

  Carl looked round at the accusing faces, sweat visible on his forehead.

  “I don’t know what she meant. This is bollocks. Why am I getting blamed here? Nathan’s the guilty one here, not me.”

  Marie turned away from him with a look of disgust. Until that moment her only thought had been the scene that had greeted her earlier with Nathan and Carly in bed together, but now her mind went back to the meeting at school on Tuesday and that strange paragraph in Carly’s essay. Since she was getting no answers from Carl, she addressed her daughter.

  “Carly, when you said that your dad wasn’t much better than Nathan, what did you mean exactly?”

  Carly looked at her father and drew a deep breath. “I’m telling them Dad,” she mumbled. Carly began to explain. She only looked at her mum. She never caught her dad’s eyes, nor those of Janice, who was watching on as both the men in her life were exposed as sexual predators.

  “I had been, like, having nightmares for a time. I’d wake up
and go into his bedroom and at first I, like, asked to get into bed with him.”

  Carly paused. This was not an easy tale to tell her mum. With her dad there, it was even more difficult. She had never ever reproached him before. There had been plenty of times over the past year that she had wanted to tell Marie, but the opportunity had never arisen. Either Gemma or Gary or Gran had been around, or her and her mum had started arguing. They were always rowing. Now though, the truth was going to be told. She blurted it out.

  “He didn’t do what Nathan did, but I could feel his thing against my body, and sometimes he held me and touched me where he shouldn’t.”

  Carly stopped, and looked at the adults. She waited for them to comment, but none did. Too shocking. A small part of her had hoped that one of the women would assure her that this behaviour was normal in families, that it was no big deal. But they both looked horrified, and were looking at her with pity in their eyes. It must be true, her dad was an old perv.

  In the absence of any interruption, Carly continued. “I kept having nightmares, they seemed to get worse but I stopped going in to see Dad. But then he started coming into my bed. Only when he heard me calling out though. Not every night. And most times he would cuddle me, make me feel OK, but sometimes, what he did was…”

  She paused and then looked straight at her Dad

  “What you did wasn’t right. It wasn’t right, Dad.”

  Carly loved her dad. He was always there for her. When her mum left, it was her Dad who brought her up, always put her first, never a life of his own. Carly’s nightmares had begun when Marie left. Going into her dad’s bed was a comfort at first, something warm and secure. She remembered the first time when he had hugged her and something was not right. His erection, pressed upon her body, made her feel dirty. But he was still her dad; when she wanted help at school, he was there and when she shouted and swore at him, he still loved her. Tears ran down Carly’s cheeks and Marie held her daughter close to her.

  “I am so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry you couldn’t tell me. I’d have stopped it happening,” her voice choking as she hugged Carly.

  “You left us, Mum, Dad was there. He loved me. I felt dirty but I knew he loved me. At least he was still here.”

  Marie released her grasp and took a few moments to digest this before she spoke again. “So this has this been going on for two years?”

  Carly wiped her tears on her sleeve. “Dunno. Maybe two years, maybe a bit less. Like I keep saying, not every night though, and only when I was having nightmares.” She looked up at her mother. “I think he misses having someone, Mum.”

  Marie voice was firm and controlled.

  “Don’t make excuses for him, love. He has done wrong, very wrong, and it isn’t your fault. But don’t worry, Carly. I’m here, your Mum’s here, and it won’t happen ever again.”

  Janice stumbled over to Carly and held her hand. More emotional than Marie, her eyes were red from crying as she spoke.

  “Carly, I’m so sorry. For everything. But, please, remember, none of this is your fault.”

  The two women exchanged glances at each other and fleetingly Janice took Marie’s hand, before making her way out, Carl following.

  “Janice, I…”

  Janice faced the man she’d thought she loved.

  “It’s over, Carl. I don’t want to see you again.”

  Carl had no words to offer and watched her leave. As the front door slammed shut Marie turned from comforting Carly and rounded on her ex-husband.

  “What is it with you, Carl? You weren’t a paedophile when I was with you. What made you become a pervert? Me leaving you? Or all the abuse you took from that wanker, Miller? No don’t answer that. I don’t want you blaming anyone else. You’re fucking depraved.”

  Carl stood in the centre of the living room, shoulders hunched, tears of self-pity welling up in his eyes. Carly wished that he could look like more of a man. Where was her big strong Dad now?

  “I…I’m sorry, Carly. Really sorry. I didn’t abuse you, I forgot where I was…who I was with. It sort of happened by accident. But I never forced myself on you. I swear, Marie, I never made Carly do anything, just went a bit over the top I guess.”

  “A bit over the top! A bit over the top!” Marie leapt to her feet, screeching in fury. “That’s your little girl. You are supposed to love her, protect her, not touch her and arouse yourself. You are a sick pervert and…”

  “Mum, he’s not … it’s like he said. It was my fault; I had nightmares and asked him to comfort me. I shouldn’t have.”

  Marie again turned on Carl.

  “You see what you’ve done? You bastard! You’ve made her feel guilty and it’s down to you that she’s had sex before she was ready for it. You warped her mind, with your sick perversions.”

  Carl finally found the means to defend himself.

  “At least I’ve always been there for her. You with your bloody career, letting her down time after time. Making her feel that her mum didn’t love her. I might have gone too far, but at least she knows I’m always here for her.”

  The attack was the final straw for Marie.

  “You’re comparing us as parents – you sick bastard!” And she punched him in the eye – hard. Carl recoiled but didn’t fall down. Marie had affected a sweet right hook that Mike Tyson in his prime would have been proud of. Reminiscent of Carly in the schoolyard a few days before, Marie sought to drive home her advantage. As Carl held his head in his hands Marie’s sweet uppercut sent a red splatter decorating the living room cushions.

  Still sitting on the settee, Carly screamed out in frustration.

  “Both of you stop it. Stop it now! You’re both the problem. Why does it always have to be about you two? You’re both shit! I’ve got a mum that doesn’t care and a dad who’s a pervert. And now I’m a slag.”

  The aggression drained out of Marie and she went back to sit with her daughter.

  “Carly, I’m so sorry. You aren’t a slag. You’ve made a mistake, that’s all. Listen. You can come back home with me. You can stay with me at Gary’s. Then you, me and Gemma will get a place together away from him.”

  Carly looked at her mum with scorn.

  “No, Mum, you don’t get it. Dad’s right when he says that he never forced himself on me. I hated what he did but I don’t hate him. He’s still my dad and he has always been here for me. You are never there for me. I’ve wanted to tell you about this for ages but when do you ever listen to me?”

  Carl had plugged his bleeding nostrils with tissues from the kitchen but heard Carly defend him.

  “So we’re alright then Carly?” he asked hopefully.

  “No, course we aren’t alright,” she snapped. “You’re a fucking prick. You touched me where you shouldn’t. If you ever touch me again I’ll fucking beat the shit out of you. Anyway, Mum knows now and I’ll tell her if you ever touch me again.”

  “But you’ll come back with me, now?” Marie urged.

  “No, Mum. I want my sleepover tonight with Bethany and Jacquie and I like living near my friends. So I’ll stay here for now. I know Dad. He won’t be doing it again. I’ll call Childline if he ever comes in my room again.”

  Marie fought with her instincts.

  “I want to call the police. He should be…”

  “No, Mum,” Carly added forcefully. “I don’t want that.”

  Marie sneered at Carl. “She’s not your weak little girl anymore. She’s a 13 year old woman now. Don’t you dare try…”

  “Yeah, I am here, Mum. I…”

  They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Carl answered it and Carly jumped from the settee to greet her friends, Bethany and Jacquie. Shouting and squealing together, Bethany asked her if she’d had any good presents.

  “Yeah, it was fierce. I got a new MP4 player and a laptop.”

  With that she took her two best friends up to her room and shut the bedroom door.

  * *
*

  Marie began clearing up the cups from the living room and glared at Carl, who sat slumped in his armchair, looking suitably shamefaced.

  “Listen to her,” he said. “She’s OK. I know what I did and I’ll regret it until I die but it just happened. I made a mistake.”

  Marie looked at him disdainfully, and stared him in the eye, whilst taking care to keep her voice down.

  “It’s not about you though, is it, Carl? Or me. We’ve both failed her, but your failure is sick and disgusting. Our baby daughter is damaged, damaged for ever – I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

  Carl whined, a picture of misery and self-pity.

  “I know, I …”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake be a man for once. You’re going to cry? Poor, pathetic Carl, couldn’t even look after his teenage daughter without losing control of his cock. You’re a weak, useless shit. Sort yourself out for Carly’s sake and think yourself lucky that I haven’t gone straight to the police. I’d better not hear your spineless excuses again – if you ever, ever touch her again, I promise I will kill you.”

  With that Marie left. Carl watched her go and wiped a tear away. He sat on the settee and put the TV on. He could hear the girls laughing and shrieking upstairs. Three teenage girls enjoying a sleepover, without a care in the world.

  Chapter 31

  Saturday November 13th

  Carl was awoken by a phone call at 8.30 on Saturday morning, asking him to come into the office.

  Initial relief that it was not the police was quickly overtaken by the fear that Marie – or even Janice – might have reported him to his employers instead. Still, it was a job that he needed to leave and he was prepared to take his punishment.

  Carly and her friends were still in bed, having been up until after 4 o’clock in the morning, laughing and shouting. A week earlier, Carl would have knocked and walked in to the bedroom to say he was going out. He thought better of it today and left a note for the girls in the kitchen.