Julie figured that Mike would soon find out about what had happened. It was unavoidable as the news was spreading through the office like wildfire. She knew that he hadn’t been in the office much this week as he had a diary full of customer visits, so the chances were that he hadn’t heard the rumours yet. “Fine,” she thought. “I’ll leave off telling him for now and cross that bridge when I come to it.” At least that way she would have a chance of him getting to know her without any pre-judgement.
Mike looked even more gorgeous outside of work than inside. His appearance was less formal but still smart. He wore a pair of slacks and a very fetching shirt, and she could tell that he was freshly showered and shaved. As he approached her she caught a whiff of his expensive aftershave. They made small talk, complimenting one another on their appearances as they drank. Then, when they had finished their first drink he guided Julie out of the pub and into his car.
‘Come on, let’s go!’ he suggested.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘Wait and see, it’s a surprise, but I just hope you didn’t have a big tea before you left home.’
Julie smiled and relaxed in the comfortable seat of his shiny new Ford Sierra while they headed out of the city, and in the direction of the Cheshire countryside. Mike flicked a switch on his state of the art stereo and the sound of Motown classics filled the car.
After about a half hour drive, they stopped at a beautiful restaurant. It was an old building, surrounded by greenery and with a small stream flowing towards the rear. Julie stepped inside the restaurant and was pleased to find that it was full of old-world charm, affluently decorated, and with an abundance of knick-knacks dotted about the place. There were toby jugs, and brass ornaments and plates, many of which appeared to be antiques. The atmosphere was tranquil, and, as soon as they entered, a waitress showed them to their seats.
Julie was a little taken aback to find that she couldn’t understand much of what was on the menu. It was either in French, or, otherwise, it contained dishes that she had never heard of. She guessed that this was all aimed at making the place much more upmarket than your average restaurant. For a while she struggled through the descriptions grasping at vague recollections of her ‘O’ level French vocabulary. She didn’t want to appear ignorant and unsophisticated in front of Mike.
‘I’ll start with the escargot,’ she announced, opting for a word that seemed vaguely familiar and attempting to sound confident in her choice.
Mike looked puzzled. ‘Are you sure?’
“Oh damn!” she thought. “I’ve hit a no-no. I must have remembered ‘escargot’ for the wrong reasons.”
It was only by thinking of the most undesirable French dishes imaginable that she recalled the meaning of the word that had been bothering her for the last few minutes. “No wonder it rang a bell.”
‘It’s bloody snails isn’t it?’ she blurted out and then became embarrassed at her little outburst.
Mike found her embarrassment hilarious and it was a while before he could control his laughter enough to respond.
‘I didn’t think you were a snails type of girl myself,’ he teased.
‘I’m not, I just forgot what it meant, that’s all.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Mike, covering her hand with his. For some he may have appeared patronising, but Julie saw it as kindness, and was thankful when he offered to translate the entire menu for her.
Julie made her choice, opting for soup followed by a mushroom starter and chicken in a creamy garlic sauce for the main course, and declaring emphatically that there was no chance of her wanting a sweet after so many courses, let alone the cheese and biscuits. She mistakenly thought that this might make her appear more ladylike.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you Julie.’ Mike said. ‘I’ve known women who had excellent etiquette but it doesn’t make them any better a person you know? I like you for yourself and if I can show you a bit of the high life, then why not? There’s no rules about who can come in here Julie.’
Once the chore of choosing her food was out of the way, Julie began to unwind and enjoy herself. However, when the food arrived she regretted her decision to waive the sweet. The courses were minuscule and so decorative they appeared almost too good to eat. However, she didn’t gasp in wonder, but tried to act as though this type of meal was an everyday occurrence for her as she tucked into the mouth-watering works of art with gusto.
Mike was the perfect gentleman throughout the evening. He pulled her chair from beneath the table for her, opened doors, and allowed her to choose the wine. He was also good company and during the exquisite meal he regaled her with tales of his exploits. She hadn’t laughed so much in a long time.
Julie was sorry to reach the end of such a perfect evening. Despite her earlier decision not to mention Amanda’s death, she found herself opening up to him, such was the calming effect that he had on her. During a break in the conversation she happened to comment on how nice it was to have such a good time after the lousy time that she had had recently. Then, before she could help herself the whole story came tumbling out.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Mike.
Julie missed the note of irony in his voice and the way in which he switched the subject, telling her about the recent loss of his aunty and how it had affected him. She merely thought that this was Mike’s way of sympathising with her.
At the end of the meal there was no awkwardness about who paid for what. Mike just settled the bill, no questions asked, and they headed back to his car.
He insisted on taking her home even though she tried to refuse, embarrassed by the prospect of letting him see the area where she lived. She was also relieved, however, as he knew that she lived with her parents so he wasn’t expecting anything from her in payment for her evening’s entertainment.
When they arrived outside Julie’s house Mike didn’t comment. He just gave her a chaste goodnight kiss, and told her how he had enjoyed their evening together and how much he was looking forward to seeing her again. Then he left it at that. The whole experience had helped to cheer Julie up at just the time when she needed it. She couldn’t wait for him to ask her out again.
--------------------
Friday 27th June 1986
‘Something’s put a smile on your face,’ said Norma when Julie arrived for work the next morning.
‘It’s about bloody time!’ said Julie. ‘The rest of this week’s been hell.’
Despite Julie’s other worries, she couldn’t resist telling Norma about her night out and what a great time she had. She detailed the restaurant, what they had to eat, how Mike had been the perfect gentleman, and added that he hadn’t even expected to drag her back to his flat afterwards.
‘You were wrong about him you know,’ Julie stated. ‘He’s a lovely man. If he’d have been the womaniser that people say he is then he’d have had me back to his flat in a flash.’
‘Don’t count your chickens. Maybe he’s trying to win you over before he does the dirty on you.’
‘Thanks very bloody much Norma. Spoil my day, why don’t you?’
‘Sorry,’ said Norma. She didn’t say any more. She didn’t need to. Each of them already knew what the other was thinking.
Chapter 14
Friday 27th June 1986
Friday night arrived after a trying week at work for Julie. Rita and Debby called for her, and they walked to the Flying Horse together. In many ways this was like any other Friday night; the three of them dressed to impress, the make-up, the heady scent of perfume, the excited chatter as they made their way down the street. Julie knew deep down, however, that this wasn’t just an ordinary Friday night. So much had changed in the last week.
Although they were trying to carry on as normal, it was the little things that gave it away; the way Rita had insisted on calling for Julie instead of meeting her in the foyer of the Flying Horse, for example. Julie knew that Rita recognised her need for support but Rita didn’
t want to mention it outright. Then there were the uncomfortable breaks in the conversation, especially from Debby, who couldn’t fail to mention previous good nights out in an attempt to cheer Julie up. Unfortunately, those good nights had been when Amanda had still been alive. Any oblique references to Amanda’s presence last time they had all been together caused Dizzy Debby to stutter with embarrassment and Rita would then try to change the subject.
When they arrived at the Flying Horse, Rita turned to Julie and said ‘Well, their seven days are almost up. Let’s see if they’ve found something else to gossip about, eh?’
Debby turned to Rita with a look of confusion on her face.
‘Seven day wonder,’ Rita explained, but to no avail. ‘Oh, never mind!’ said Rita, frustrated, ‘Let’s just get in and get a bloody drink, shall we?’
The fact that this Friday night was different from others became even more apparent when they entered the pub. They noticed the tense atmosphere straightaway. Numerous pairs of eyes stared at them and then gazed away as they approached. At the bar backs were turned against them. People whispered in corners.
‘Stuff them all!’ said Rita, raising her voice. ‘They haven’t got a bleedin’ clue!’
She looked antagonistically around the room, challenging those present to say something, but was met by a stony silence. Julie and Debby looked at Rita beseechingly. Julie took a few steps away from the bar area hoping that Rita would follow; to her relief Rita eventually did. They chose to sit at a table that was positioned along the outer perimeter of the room in a quiet part of the pub.
‘I can’t understand it’ said Julie, dismayed, ‘I thought they were our friends.’
‘Just goes to show then, doesn’t it?’ replied Rita, loudly. ‘It’s at times like this when you find out who your friends are, isn’t it? Sod ’em all, they’re nowt but a bunch of arseholes if you ask me!’
Julie pleaded with Rita to keep quiet. ‘I don’t want any trouble Rita, I’ve had enough this last week.’
‘All right,’ conceded Rita. ‘Let’s just ignore them.’
The three girls tried to pretend that the atmosphere didn’t exist but it was impossible to disregard it. When Debby suggested that they go elsewhere, even Rita agreed.
As they left the pub they could hear the sound of Lindsey Pilkington’s voice shouting, ‘That’s right, bugger off! Can’t you see we don’t want the likes of you in here?’
Before Julie and Debby had a chance to respond, Rita was back inside the pub, turning over chairs and anything else that stood in the way of her and Lindsey Pilkington. Within seconds she was on top of Lindsey, clawing at her face and yanking at her hair like a madwoman.
Lindsey’s friends were quick to react with three of them tugging at Rita in an attempt to drag her off Lindsey, and shouting malicious insults. In the ensuing clamour caused by Rita’s threats, Lindsey’s terrified screams, and the shouting of Lindsey’s friends, Julie struggled to make herself heard.
‘For God’s sake Rita, leave it!’ she yelled. ‘It isn’t worth it.’
Either Rita couldn’t hear her or she was too consumed with rage to notice, but she continued to tear into Lindsey while Lindsey’s friends tried to pull Rita off. Julie looked at the scene desperately, noticing Debby standing beside her, appearing helpless and pathetic with her jaw hanging low. By now it was becoming evident to Julie that attempts by Lindsey’s friends to drag Rita off were half-hearted. They were more intent on inflicting injuries to Rita in vengeance for those she was inflicting on Lindsey.
‘Come on!’ Julie ordered Debby, and without thinking of the consequences she dashed towards the group of girls and began to pull at Rita, at the same time trying to coax her away. She took a few blows to her head and shoulders, but luckily Debby had come to her aid and, because of Debby’s size, she had more luck with prising Rita from Lindsey.
Julie then became aware of a number of things simultaneously and it was difficult to take it all in at once; Rita’s furious expression, the clumps of hair hanging about Rita’s shoulders, Lindsey’s swollen and bloody face, the fact that Lindsey was no longer surrounded by her friends and the sound of male voices. Then Julie noticed the reason that Lindsey’s friends had retreated; a group of men, including the landlord, were approaching them and looking like they meant business.
‘Come on now girls, turn it in!’ bellowed the landlord.
Julie raised her hand towards him and the other men, ‘It’s all right, we’re going,’ she assured them.
‘Well don’t bother coming back; you’re all barred!’
It took all of Julie and Debby’s efforts to extricate Rita from the scene and get her outside the pub. Eventually Rita realised that no matter how much she struggled, there was no way Julie and Debby were going to let her back inside.
‘Jesus Rita, you could have got us all a fuckin’ good hiding,’ Julie cursed. ‘It’s lucky the landlord stepped in to stop them. Let’s get away from here quick before they decide to bleedin’ follow us and finish the job off.’
‘Julie’s right,’ said Debby. ‘Jesus Rita, what the fuckin’ hell got into you?’
Rita refused to calm down, and it took their best efforts to haul her away from the pub while she continued to shout threats at Lindsey Pilkington. ‘You cheeky bitch! I’ll have you, don’t you bleedin’ worry!’
It disturbed Julie to note that Rita had completely lost her composure, and had just displayed the troubled emotions that must have been eating away at her ever since their arrest. The only difference between her and Rita was that Rita had kept her emotions under wraps; until now that is.
‘Jesus!’ Julie exclaimed when they had all calmed down a little. ‘I think I preferred it when I was at bleedin’ work!’
‘What do we do now?’ asked Debby.
‘We’re goin’ to town to have a bleedin’ good time, same as we always do!’ said Rita as she brushed the clumps of hair away from her shoulders and re-arranged her clothing.
Rita spoke forcefully and the other two were not prepared to argue with her, so they went along with her demands. As far as Julie was concerned, however, she would have been happier to go home and try to forget that this night had existed.
Their one consolation when they arrived in the city centre was that very few people knew about their backgrounds and, despite the fracas in the pub, the physical evidence was minimal so they felt accepted as part of the throng.
After having a few drinks in the pubs, they made their way to Saturdays nightclub. Debby, undeterred by the evening’s events, managed to find herself a companion in record time while Julie and Rita decided to have a few more drinks to drown their sorrows. For the rest of the evening they caught occasional glimpses of Debby, which wasn’t unusual as she made a habit of latching onto someone of the opposite sex at the earliest opportunity whenever they went out.
Once Julie and Rita had bought their drinks, they sat down for a chat.
‘I can’t believe that carry on in the Flying Horse,’ Julie said to Rita. ‘What got into you?’
‘I don’t know. I suppose I just got sick of people treating us like a piece of shit. Anyway, don’t worry about it. They’ll soon get over it, especially when we’re proven innocent. They’ll all be up our arses then!’
‘Will we be proven innocent though Rita? What if the police never find out who drugged Amanda?’
‘Something’s bound to come up. Anyway, even if it doesn’t, they’ve got nothing on us! Innocent till proven guilty, don’t forget.’
‘It doesn’t change the way people are towards us though, does it Rita? It’s hell at work at the moment! Jacqueline had a right go at me in the canteen the other day.’
‘Why, what did that cow say?’
‘She accused us all of being murderers, in front of everybody as well.’
‘So what did you say?’
‘Nothing, how could I? A canteen full of people were all watching me.’
‘So what? That’s all the more reason w
hy you should have set the record straight.’
‘You don’t know what it was like Rita; you don’t work there.’
‘I don’t care. I’d have told that Jacqueline what I thought of her and no messing! I knew she was a cow.’
The girls didn’t speak for a few minutes until Rita interrupted their silence by announcing, ‘Look who’s just arrived; it’s Vinny.’
‘Oh yeah,’ said Julie.
‘Well don’t look so overexcited, will you?’
‘What’s the big deal? I’m seeing him tomorrow night! Anyway, the way things are at the moment, I’ve got enough on my mind without thinking about men.’
‘Suit yourself,’ said Rita.
Vinny had already spotted them and was making his way through the crowds. When Julie realised that he was within earshot, she discontinued her conversation with Rita for fear of being overheard. Instead, she turned towards him and smiled.
Before he had a chance to talk to her, however, Rita rose from her seat and stepped in his direction. She adopted a seductive stance with hands on hips, breasts protruding forwards to their best advantage, and head and shoulders cocked back with her body swaying from side to side.
‘Hi Vinny,’ she greeted. ‘What brings you here tonight? We haven’t seen you for a while.’
Without waiting for a response she continued. ‘Mind you, need I ask what brings you here?’ and she nodded her head in Julie’s direction. ‘Well, I just hope she’s up for it, because if she isn’t I know of a few likely candidates who would be glad of the chance,’ she said, fluttering her eyelashes.
Slur: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 1 Page 9
