Bobby's Girl

by Catrin Collier

  ‘Yes, darling.’

  ‘Please don’t worry, Mam. As Jack keeps reminding me, Andy’s a sensible boy.’

  ‘He is.’ Her mother said it as if she was trying to convince herself. ‘Have a good evening and don’t hurry back. Stay a few days. You’ve been working too hard lately.’

  ‘Perhaps I will stay over if Jack can put up with me. Love you.’

  ‘Love you too, Penny.’

  She rang off and returned to the kitchen. Jack had been to the barn to retrieve the dogs. They were both wet from the hosing down he’d given them before allowing them into the house. He’d also closed the curtains and poured the wine.

  ‘This looks cosy.’ She returned to her chair, curled up in it and picked up the glass of wine.

  ‘This could be us every night after Andy goes to college.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Jack—’

  ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up the subject of us. Not when you have other things to think about.’ He patted one of the dogs who went to him looking for affection. Reassured, the dog stretched out alongside his brother on the rug in front of the range.

  ‘So, did you meet Charlotte Brosna?’ he questioned.

  ‘Yes. But to go back to Bobby and me on the beach, I knew he would only admit that he loved me if he was leaving me.’

  ‘Because he found it difficult to express his feelings?’

  ‘That, and because for the entire summer he’d lived for the moment. He’d never once talked in depth about the future. The past occasionally – but never what he intended to do in the next couple of years other than rather nebulous plans to “make music”.’

  ‘The young live for the moment,’ Jack the philosopher observed.

  ‘They may live for the moment but they also think and talk about the future. The jobs they hope to get once they qualify, the people they’d like to stay in touch with. Sandy talked of visiting Europe and looking up Kate as soon as he was discharged from the army. And most of the friends we made that summer had plans. Two couples, Marion and Joe and Paul and Mary, decided to marry.’

  ‘Did they?’

  ‘Paul and Mary in 1970. Joe and Marion in 1974.’

  ‘You stayed in touch with them?’ He was surprised.

  ‘Obviously. After Vietnam, Joe went to college on a veteran’s scholarship and became a Methodist minister. The one-time bunny girl, Marion, now runs church socials and a kindergarten group. They have five children and live in Atlanta, Georgia. Paul and Mary settled in Canada after he completed his arts degree. He works as a photographer and they have two children. Both couples have a standing invitation to visit me and me them. One day we’ll amaze one another.’

  ‘But Bobby never mentioned the future?’ He steered the conversation back on course.

  ‘Not until that day on the beach when he told me his grandmother had picked out his future wife when he was fourteen. Her name was Victoria Jefferson Hamilton, she was two years younger than him and her family were bankers. The Brosna Empire accounts were with the Jefferson Hamilton firm and his grandmother had decided to announce their engagement at Christmas.’

  ‘Did Bobby or the girl have a say in it?’

  ‘Apparently not. I remember being shocked. I told him arranged marriages were medieval in concept and had no place in civilised society. He said he barely knew Victoria and had only met her a couple of times, but his grandmother was determined their marriage should go ahead as she’d planned. And she’d done that down to the last detail; a two-year engagement followed by a society wedding to which everyone who was anyone in eastern seaboard society would be invited, along with Hollywood actors, writers and European royalty. His grandmother had even planned their honeymoon. Two weeks on a Brosna-owned Caribbean island followed by a six-month tour of Europe. Afterwards he would begin working in one of the Brosna businesses and he and his bride would live in whichever of the Brosna properties they chose.

  ‘The way Bobby talked about his grandmother’s plans for him was bizarre. As if he was talking about Charlotte Brosna’s plans for someone else. But despite his tone I knew he was serious. When he finished I asked if Charlotte was very angry with him for leaving Resonance and taking me with him. He said it was impossible to say as she was an expert at concealing her feelings.

  ‘The question is, were you very angry with Bobby for keeping quiet about his prospective fiancée?’ Jack asked.

  ‘I was shocked more than angry. I asked Bobby why he’d never mentioned Victoria. He said she was nothing to do with us. I pointed out that as we’d lived together all summer I thought he was something to do with me, and as Victoria was going to be his wife he could at least have mentioned her.

  ‘He insisted he had no intention of living with her after they were married. He even said it was common for married couples in their social circle to lead separate lives. I asked if he would have told me about Victoria if his grandmother hadn’t returned. Or if he would have simply allowed me to fly home and never contact me again.’

  ‘What was his reply?’

  ‘That it was time to go and see his grandmother. It was then I lost my temper. I was furious with him for trying to avoid an argument with me by forcing me to meet his grandmother. I should have left then. But I loved Bobby so much; a small optimistic part of me hoped he’d disobey Charlotte and run away from her estate and influence just as he had done in Resonance. We left the beach, brushed the sand from our feet, put on our shoes and walked up to the house. A butler must have been looking out for us because he opened the door as soon as we climbed on to the veranda. We went into the hall. It was enormous and had a vast staircase. I remember thinking all that was needed was a couple of dozen girls in crinolines to re-enact the ball scene in the hall of Twelve Oaks in Gone with the Wind.

  ‘I took my time over wiping my feet before following Bobby up the stairs and along a galleried landing. He knocked at a door at the end. I heard footsteps and a dark-skinned woman opened the door.

  ‘She bobbed a curtsey to Bobby before saying, “Your grandmother is waiting, Mr Bobby.”

  ‘Charlotte Brosna was sitting behind a desk. Bobby had mentioned that she was in her eighties but she looked no older than fifty – slim and frighteningly elegant to a girl dressed in cheap jeans and T-shirt. She was wearing a tailored suit even my inexperienced eye could see was Chanel. Diamonds circled her neck, fingers and wrists and her hair and make-up were immaculate.

  ‘Her voice was clipped, harsh. She didn’t waste a word and it was obvious she was used to being obeyed. She dismissed the woman with a “that will be all, Harriet”.

  ‘Eyes downcast, the housekeeper left the room and closed the door behind her. It was only after she’d left that I realised she was Sandy’s mother.

  ‘Charlotte proceeded to look me up and down as if I was a candidate for a maid’s position. Finally she said, “So you’re the girl Robert spent the summer with.”

  ‘I didn’t answer her because the comment seemed superfluous. Nonplussed by my silence, she continued to study me and added, “Well?”

  ‘I have no idea where I found the courage but I said, “It appears you know as much about the time I’ve spent with Bobby this summer as Bobby and I do, Mrs Brosna.”

  ‘She turned from me to Bobby and said, “So you’ve finally found yourself a girl who can answer back, Robert?” Bobby didn’t say a word. She looked at me again and said, “Robert says he loves you and you love him.”

  ‘I didn’t flinch but met her eye.

  ‘She sat back in her chair and said, “Has he told you that he’s engaged to Victoria Jefferson Hamilton?”

  ‘I replied, “Yes, a few minutes ago.”

  ‘She turned away from me and looked at Robert. “You didn’t tell this girl about Victoria before?”

  ‘Bobby walked to the window, and turned his back on both of us so he could look out at the view. “No, I didn’t.”

  ‘Charlotte turned her attention back to me. “If Robert had told you ab
out Victoria, would the knowledge have dissuaded you from moving into the Beach House with him?” she demanded.

  ‘I remembered Bobby’s assertion that he didn’t love Victoria and answered, “only if I thought he loved her.”

  ‘She glared at me. Her voice was cold, iced with frost, just like my old headmistress, and just like my old headmistress I recognised Charlotte Brosna for what she was. A lonely old interfering bully who’d made it her mission in life to blight the lives of everyone unfortunate enough to find themselves within the boundaries of her control. Pity help me, at that moment I even felt sorry for her.

  ‘“I will allow nothing to interfere with my plans for my grandson’s future. Nothing!” she warned. “And certainly not a small-town doctor’s daughter from Wales.” That was when I realised she’d not only paid people to watch Bobby and me that summer, but also paid someone to research my background. She pushed an envelope across the desk towards me. A large fat envelope and ordered me to take it but I didn’t pick it up.

  ‘She held it out to me. “Inside this is five thousand dollars in cash. It’s yours on condition you never see my grandson again.” She smiled, confident she’d already bought me.

  ‘I stared at her for a moment, then walked to the door. She shouted after me, “Isn’t it enough?”

  ‘When I didn’t answer she called out, “I’ll make it ten thousand dollars.”

  ‘I kept walking. A heavily built man blocked my path. Charlotte shouted from inside the room. “Don’t let the girl leave the house.”

  ‘He said, “Mrs Brosna wants you to return to her drawing room, miss.”

  ‘I answered, “And if I don’t want to go?”

  ‘He stood his ground. There was no way I could pass him so I returned to Charlotte’s room. Bobby was standing in front of the window with his back to Charlotte and me.

  ‘Charlotte had an open chequebook in front of her. “A cheque made out to cash for twenty thousand dollars.” She held a pen poised over the book.

  ‘I told her I couldn’t be bought.

  ‘She countered with, “In my experience, Penelope John, everyone has a price, especially soiled goods.”

  ‘I called to Bobby. He didn’t turn around.

  ‘Charlotte watched me appealing to him and laughed. “Surprised?” she crowed. “My grandson knows where his dollars come from and how easily they can be cut off.” She wrote the cheque and held it out in front of me.

  ‘The room began to spin around me. I looked from Charlotte to the man who was blocking the door.

  ‘I was determined that Charlotte wouldn’t get the better of me. I noticed French doors in the room, moved quickly past Bobby and wrenched them open. George was loading a truck outside one of the guest houses. I screamed down to him. Told him to get the police because Charlotte was imprisoning me.

  ‘Charlotte laughed and said, “George won’t get the police. Not if he wants his money. Everyone always wants money. First they argue and, pretend to take the moral high ground, but in the end everyone has a price.

  ‘It was then I realised just how malevolent Charlotte could be. How she controlled everyone around her with threats, not just against them but their friends. I finally understood why Bobby was so frightened of her. He, like me, couldn’t appeal to anyone for help because he knew Charlotte could hurt them.

  ‘I returned to the room. Charlotte had left her chair. I finally took the cheque from her. The man blocking the door moved away. I walked out, tore the cheque in two and threw the pieces behind me as I charged down the stairs. I heard footsteps but I didn’t look to see if it was Bobby because I was afraid it wouldn’t be.

  ‘I ran down the drive and through the gates. George caught up with me on the road. His truck was loaded with boxes. He stopped alongside me and asked if I was all right. Two women with small children on their laps were sitting in the cab alongside him. I told him I didn’t want to get him into trouble and I’d rather hitch a lift with strangers. He nodded and drove on.

  ‘A couple of soldiers on leave picked me up outside the gates and dropped me in town. I went straight to the restaurant. Sandy and Kate were eating lunch before the shift started. I sat in the staffroom with them and drank coffee. They could see I was upset but they didn’t press me. That shift was the last and longest I worked in Cosmo’s.

  ‘Cosmo knew something was wrong because Bobby didn’t turn up for work. He reluctantly agreed to pay us off that evening and gave each of us a twenty-dollar bonus. He tried to give Sandy Bobby’s wages but Sandy wouldn’t take them. We told Cosmo that Charlotte had returned to the estate and Cosmo said he’d post Bobby a cheque.

  ‘We picked up some beer and walked down to Joe and Marion’s. As usual there was a party in the yard. Sandy started asking around for recommendations for cheap hotels in New York and car rental as we intended to set off early in the morning. The apartment Bobby had mentioned in the Village was out of the question, even if we’d known where it was.’

  She held out her glass and Jack refilled it.

  ‘But the accident … you did see Bobby Brosna again?’ he checked.

  ‘Yes, I saw him again. But I wish with all my heart I hadn’t.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Pontypridd, 1987

  Rain continued to hammer down on the window panes. Jack didn’t prompt her. He simply waited for her to continue while she struggled to find the words to describe what had happened that night.

  ‘Because we were leaving the Cape early the next morning for New York, Sandy, Kate and I decided to forgo Marion’s donation bar and stick to our beer. Sandy had volunteered to drive but Kate and I had both applied for international driving licences and were prepared to take over if Sandy was tired. As usual, there was music and a bonfire in the yard and we joined Marion, Joe and Paul and Mary, who’d also taken a room in the house, and the others.

  ‘Bobby arrived in his car shortly after midnight. I could smell brandy on his breath. I’d never seen him drunk before. None of us had more than two or three glasses of wine or beer after our shifts. And, usually after Bobby had a drink, he started yawning and became mellow. Sandy told me he always knew when Bobby had been drinking because he smiled more. But when Bobby joined us that night he was excited. As wound up as a clockwork toy with a tensed spring.

  ‘He’d abandoned his car a couple of feet from the kerb. Sandy saw a police officer examining it. The officer came into the yard looking for the driver. A crowd gathered around him when he accused Bobby of stealing it and driving erratically.

  ‘There were angry murmurs from Joe about police harassment and brutality. Sandy tried to diffuse the tension. He apologised and told the officer Bobby was celebrating his last day at work before returning to college. He also mentioned Bobby was a Brosna. That was when the officer told him Charlotte Brosna’s butler was the one who’d reported the car stolen.

  ‘Fortunately Sandy knew Bobby kept his licence and ownership documents in the glove compartment. He showed them to the officer and promised to drive the car back to the Brosna Estate so the misunderstanding could be cleared up.

  ‘If there had been fewer people in the yard I think the officer would have arrested Bobby. But Joe was heavily built and all of us were incensed by a police presence at a peaceful gathering. After ordering Sandy to return the car to the Brosna Estate immediately, and sort out the situation with Charlotte Brosna’s butler, the officer cautioned Bobby and warned him not to drive again until he’d sobered up. After the policeman left, Bobby grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the others.

  ‘He said he’d told his grandmother he was leaving the Cape with me and no longer cared whether she disinherited him or not.

  ‘Sandy and Kate overheard him. Sandy tried to calm Bobby; he told him we’d taken rooms in the house and suggested Bobby went to bed while he returned the car. Bobby point-blank refused and insisted the car was his and Charlotte had no right to take it. He took a paper bag from inside his jacket. There was a bottle in it.

&nb
sp; ‘Sandy asked Bobby where he’d got the liquor. Bobby said he’d bought it with the wages he’d picked up from Cosmo.

  ‘Bobby tried to punch Sandy’s arm playfully, missed and hit air but he wasn’t too drunk to outline his plans. He intended to drive to New York with us, sell his car and use the proceeds to buy flight tickets to Europe for him and Sandy so they could travel back with Kate and me. When Sandy pointed out that unlike Bobby he didn’t have a place at Oxford, Bobby announced he had no intention of returning to university.

  ‘It was then Bobby started shouting and swearing. “To hell with Oxford and to hell with my grandmother’s plans. From this moment on I’m living the life I want.”

  ‘When Sandy reminded him that he had to report to the army in a week, Bobby shouted “and you can tell the draft board to go to hell too.”

  ‘Unfortunately Joe had also been drinking and he was looking for the fight the police officer had denied him. He called Bobby “a spoilt rich boy” and “spineless Brosna bastard” among other things, and suggested Bobby join all the other rich draft dodgers in Europe while the real Americans like him and Sandy faced the Commie menace.

  ‘You can imagine the argument?’ Penny looked at Jack.

  ‘The Commie menace and the draft dodgers?’ Jack suggested.

  ‘Exactly. When Bobby pointed out there were no Commies in Hyannisport, Joe retorted that he was looking at one. Bobby lurched forward. Sandy assumed Bobby was about to punch Joe and stepped between them. But Joe wouldn’t let it drop. Joe’s two brothers were fighting in Vietnam, and like Sandy, Joe would be out there as soon as he’d finished his training. He reminded Bobby that while the recruits like him and Sandy were fighting and dying the rich American kids like Bobby would be sitting in Europe living it up.

  ‘The argument escalated. Paul who was a Pacifist joined in and argued that if everyone refused to go to ’Nam, there wouldn’t be a war.

  ‘Joe challenged Paul and asked if he wanted the Commies to take America.