by June Tate
‘You what?’ She could scarcely believe what she’d heard.
He ignored her outburst. ‘As you know, Kay and I have parted, and now I have a flat in the Polygon area. It will be so much easier for us to be together. It will be our little love nest … and nobody need know.’
Connie was appalled. ‘You must be joking!’
The smile disappeared. ‘I have never been more serious in my life! If you want your boyfriend kept in the dark about us, you’ll do as I ask.’
‘That’s blackmail!’
‘I’m afraid it is, darling, but think how good we were together, how much you ached for me to touch you – to love you. Remember? Because I do.’ He grabbed her wrist. ‘Now we can enjoy it all again, and your boyfriend need never know, it’ll be our little secret.’
She looked at him and wondered however she could have found this man so attractive, because now all she felt for him was hatred. The sophistication, the charm had all been stripped away, and she saw a conniving, lecherous creep, a man who would stoop to anything to get his way.
Connie stood up; flushed with anger, she cast a look of utter disdain at him. ‘What’s the matter, John? No woman to pleasure your bed? That’s not like you, you usually have somebody lined up ready for when you got bored. At least that was what I heard when first I joined the staff.’
She saw the anger in his face. ‘Oh yes, your reputation is well-known at the store, yet I fell for your charm just that same. You took advantage of a young girl.’
‘I made you a woman!’ he retorted.
She grinned at him. ‘Yes, you did, and you were a good lover – but then you’d had so much practice, hadn’t you?’
‘Your boyfriend will be very disappointed when I tell him what you are really like, not the little innocent he believes you to be.’
Connie stood tall and stared at him. ‘Don’t threaten me, John, because if you continue to do so, I’ll go to the managing director at Tyrell’s and tell him you keep bothering me for sex! Not the kind of thing they want to hear about a floor manager. You could lose your job!’
‘If you did, it would be your word against mine.’
‘True, but they must be aware of your reputation, after all it’s hardly a secret, and they would have to take my accusation seriously. Your job would certainly be in jeopardy. So you’d better think about that!’ She turned on her heel and left him, her legs shaking beneath her, praying they would at least carry her safely out of his sight before they gave way.
Connie made it to a nearby cafe, sank gratefully into a chair and ordered a pot of tea to give her time to recover. She poured the tea when it was served and picked up the cup with both hands, to stop the tremble in them, and sipped the comforting brew, praying her bluff had done the trick – that John would be scared off. Sam was important to her, and she couldn’t bear the fact that their new relationship could be marred by such man.
Kay found it easier than she thought to be without her husband. After so many years of wondering if he was with another woman, she no longer cared, and it had given her a sense of freedom. Indeed her routine was very different. She had only Susan to consider now, which was no hardship; her washing and ironing load had halved, as John had been most fastidious about his clothing; and she had more time on her hands. She decided this was a fresh start and set about making changes. She started with herself first.
At the hairdressers she had her hair cut into a new style after reading about the new whizz kid hairdresser, Vidal Sassoon, who was all the rage at the moment, and she had blonde streaks put in her chestnut hair. The girl at the beauty counter helped her choose different make-up and sat her in front of a mirror and made up her face, showing her how to use the rouge and eyeshadow to highlight her good points. She then went to a gown shop and bought two dresses and, afterwards, a pair of shoes.
That evening, when Susan was in bed, she had a bath and tried on her new finery, turning back and forth in front of a full-length mirror. She was tall with a trim figure and both dresses showed her curves and the court shoes her shapely legs. Patting her new hairstyle in place, she was delighted at the reflection.
‘You don’t know what you’re missing, John,’ she said and laughed. She was still a young woman. There was still time for her to enjoy another man. But she doubted she’d marry again. With a young child that wouldn’t be easy, but a lover … now that would be interesting. Perhaps she’d see just what it was about it that had seemed to thrill her husband so much. But where to meet such a person? Obviously, she couldn’t go dancing unless she had a babysitter, and who would she go with? All her old friends were married. Perhaps she’d get a part-time job to fit in with Susan’s school hours. At least that would get her out of the house, mixing with people. She’d buy the local paper and look in the situations vacant to see what was on offer.
At that moment her front doorbell rang. Still in her finery, she went downstairs to open the door. To her surprise her neighbour Rob was standing there.
He looked her up and down, appreciating the attractive woman before him.
‘Hello, Rob, what can I do for you?’
‘Barbara’s out with her friends and I forgot to bring some milk home. Don’t suppose you have any to spare, do you?’
‘Come along in,’ she said, ‘as it happens I do have a spare pint you can have.’
He followed her into the kitchen. ‘I must say, Kay, you’re looking very fetching this evening. New outfit?’
Opening the fridge door she said, ‘As a matter of fact, it is. I bought it today.’
‘Very nice. Really shows off your figure. Look, I don’t mean to be personal, but I heard about you and John splitting up, and I’m sorry.’
‘Yes, well, you know, these things happen.’ She was a little embarrassed. She’d only told a few people, and it still made her uncomfortable if it was mentioned.
‘The man’s crazy! Look at you, good heavens, couldn’t he see what he was losing?’
‘I’d rather not talk about it, Rob, if you don’t mind.’
He took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Softly he said, ‘If you ever feel that you want the comfort of a man, just let me know. I’d be only too happy to oblige.’
She looked at him with astonishment and anger. ‘How dare you! You have a perfectly lovely wife at home, and whatever makes you think I’d even consider such a thing?’ She didn’t give him chance to answer. ‘You are no better than the man I’ve just got rid of. Get out of my house … now!’
‘Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you, Kay.’
‘Out! And don’t ever come round here on some pretence again. In fact just don’t come round!’ She walked to the front door and opened it.
Looking somewhat crestfallen he walked past her and turned, about to say something, but the glare Kay gave him stopped him – and he left.
She walked back into her kitchen fuming. Men! They were all the bloody same, couldn’t keep their brains above their trouser belts. Then she started to laugh. At least she was still attractive to men – even if they were undesirable. Poor Barbara, she’d be so upset if she knew her husband had just propositioned her. Of course, she’d never tell her. She didn’t want to be the one to spoil another marriage, and once you lost trust in your husband life was never the same, she knew that well enough.
For his part, her neighbour Rob was smarting from the rejection. He’d never been unfaithful to his wife but he’d always had a hankering for the lovely Kay and indeed had been envious of John having such an attractive woman to share his bed. Not that there was anything wrong with Barbara, his own wife. She was pretty enough, but Kay had something about her – a sexual aura – and he’d fantasized about the two of them together. Today had been the first opportunity to perhaps make it a reality. He shrugged. Perhaps it was too soon to make himself available to her. Maybe after some time had passed she’d feel lonely, and then he would make sure he was around. But as he made a pot of tea he realized he still didn’t h
ave any milk and cursed.
The following weekend Sam took Connie to see ‘the big boys’ at Silverstone, as promised. He pointed out the renowned drivers, Stirling Moss, Juan Fangio, and others. People she’d only ever seen on newsreels in the cinema and in the newspapers. It was all very exciting. But as she watched the race, she was greatly relieved that Sam was in touring cars. The speeds that these cars reached made her hair stand on end! She wondered just why men were so in love with racing cars; it was fraught with danger.
The race was eventually won by Fangio, driving an Alfa Romeo, with Moss in second place. When it was over, Connie’s body was stiff with tension, and when they stopped for a bite to eat, she voiced her concerns to Sam.
‘I thought touring car racing was hazardous, but today was crazy! Doesn’t anyone get killed at these speeds?’
‘Sadly they do,’ he told her.
Her eyes widened with horror! ‘Then what on earth are you doing in such a dangerous sport?’
He gave a wry smile. ‘You might ask the same of a mountaineer or a test pilot. There’s something in the blood that drives you on.’ He tried to lessen her concerns. ‘I’m not saying there is no danger in touring cars, of course there is. Anything to do with speed has its dangers, but as you saw today, these car engines are much bigger and so they are capable of higher speeds. I have no ambition to be a Formula One driver, Connie. I’m happy where I am.’
She gazed at him as he tried to reassure her and realized this young man meant a great deal to her. She didn’t want to lose him either because of his motor sport or because he might find out about her and John Baker. The first, an honourable thing, the second, a more tawdry reason.
‘You just make sure you keep safe then!’ she said and squeezed his hand.
Laughing he said, ‘You won’t get rid of me that easily!’
Under the table she crossed her fingers and silently prayed that he was right.
Ten
Jake Barton was finding life more than difficult. No longer able to race and now minus his two good mechanics, he’d had to change course in business. He hired another man and was now running his garage, repairing cars. He bought one at an auction for a small amount of cash and was rebuilding it ready to respray and sell on. He wasn’t a bad mechanic when he set his mind to it, and now he needed to make money to keep him afloat. But, all the time, he still blamed Sam for his misfortune. The fact that his rival had won a couple more races didn’t sit well with him, but he had to get on with his way of life until he came up with another way to make money.
Jake had no friends. He was a difficult man and others kept away from him and his volatile temper. Because of this, Jake had moved to another area in the docks to do his drinking. He’d had no choice really, having been barred from his usual pub. The only thing he was exceptionally good at was playing darts, which he did at his new local. This at least allowed him to be sociable with other men, without animosity, and it was whilst he was playing with another customer that the opportunity to make money came his way.
Gerry Cooper, a small-time crook, enjoyed a game of darts during his leisure hours and, being bloody minded himself, felt a certain camaraderie with Barton. They both spoke the same kind of language. Gerry knew about Jake losing his racing licence and had taken the trouble to look into his business, realizing that things were not going well. After a game of darts, the two men sat down to enjoy a glass of beer paid for by Gerry, the loser, as was the custom.
‘I expect things are a bit quiet for you these days,’ Gerry ventured.
Jake’s expression darkened. ‘What’s it to you?’
Ignoring the outburst, Gerry said, ‘Well, I might be able to put something your way which would make you a bit of dosh … as long as you can keep your mouth shut!’
A look of interest dispelled the one of anger and Jake asked, ‘Really? And what might that be?’
Gerry leaned forward and spoke quietly. ‘Well, it’s like this …’
Christmas was approaching. Tyrell and Greens was beautifully decorated throughout the store and business was brisk. Connie’s threat to John Baker, it seemed, had worked, as he kept his distance these days, which was a great relief to her. It solved her problem of keeping their relationship a secret from Sam.
Her family now accepted Sam as her boyfriend, and he and her father became firm friends when Sam invited him to accompany Connie to a race meeting one weekend. George Morgan was very impressed with what he saw and was cheering Sam loudly during the final laps of the race as he finally drove over the finishing line, the winner. The older man was full of admiration for the young man, which thrilled Connie, of course.
The final race of the year was over, and now Sam and Connie were able to spend more time together. Sam had a small one bedroom flat in Henstead Court where Connie spent many an evening and occasionally a weekend. She had been quite open about this with her mother, Dorothy, who at first had tried to talk about the dangers to a young girl in this situation.
‘What happens if you get pregnant?’
‘I won’t, I promise. We are very careful to take precautions, Mum.’
Dorothy was embarrassed to be given so much information. ‘You are my baby,’ she retorted, ‘I don’t find it easy to think of you in bed with a man you’re not married to!’
‘Mum, I’m twenty now, I’m not a child!’
Dorothy reached out and placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. ‘I know, but even when you are middle aged, you’ll still be my child. When you have a family of you are own, you’ll understand.’ She hesitated. ‘Has Sam ever mentioned marriage?’
Connie blushed. ‘We’ve skirted around the subject. I know Sam loves me, he’s told me so, and I know from the way he talks that he sees our future together. He’s always talking about what we’ll be doing next year … and I love him, Mum.’
Her mother put her arms around her. ‘Just take care. I don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.’
Dorothy had broached the subject when in bed with George, but he wasn’t worried.
‘At least she’s honest about it instead of lying to us. Sam Knight is a regular bloke. I like him; he has principles. I know he loves our girl; it’s obvious when you see them together. He’ll take good care of her, don’t you fret, and I’m sure one day I’ll be giving her away to him as a bride.’
Madge, Connie’s grandmother, had different ideas, which she voiced loudly one afternoon as she watched Dorothy work her way through a pile of ironing, much of which belonged to Madge herself.
‘I suppose Connie will be away this weekend again!’
Dorothy just looked at her and carried on.
‘Not surprised you don’t want to talk about it, her staying with that man and not being even engaged! Well, I’m at a loss for words, the way you let her behave!’
Folding a petticoat of Madge’s, Dorothy raised her eyebrows. ‘You, at a loss for words? Well, that would be a first!’
‘There’s no need to be rude. My daughter wasn’t allowed to behave in such a manner, I can tell you!’
‘No, you’re right. You tried to tie her down so much she left home, as I recall!’
‘She found a job in a different town, that’s why,’ Madge retorted.
Dorothy put down her iron and glared at her mother-in-law. ‘That’s what you tell yourself, but you know she did that to get away from you because you were such a bitch to her!’
Madge’s mouth fell open with surprise.
‘You know, sometimes I feel really sorry for you. You must be a desperately unhappy woman to behave the way you do. You never have a good word to say about anyone. You have no idea the amount of pleasure you’ve missed in life because of it.’ She picked up the iron. ‘Now if you want me to finish ironing all your clothes, you could get up and make us a pot of tea for once!’
Madge was so shaken by this sudden verbal attack from her daughter-in-law, she rose from the chair without another word.
Dorothy watched her walk into the
kitchen and smiled mischievously. It gave her a perverse pleasure to take a rise out of the old woman sometimes. It certainly helped her to cope with the feelings of resentment that were always smouldering just below the surface. They say everyone has a cross to bear in life, and Madge was hers.
On Saturday, at the close of business, Sam was waiting outside the staff entrance for Connie, seated in his Riley, when a stranger walked around the car, inspecting it with interest. He then walked to the driver’s side and, as Sam wound down the window, he spoke.
‘Nice car. I saw you race this earlier this year at Silverstone. It was the day of the accident on the track. I was sure the race was yours until that happened.’
Sam climbed out of the car. ‘Nice of you to say so, and I thought the race was mine too, but there you go. Nothing is certain in this life, is it?’
The man laughed. ‘You couldn’t have said a truer word.’
At that moment Connie walked out of the door, saw the car and froze. Sam was in deep conversation with John Baker. For one moment she felt faint and clasped at the nearby wall, watching them. They seemed to be having a cheerful conversation as they both were smiling. Taking a deep breath she walked towards them.
Sam saw her first. ‘Hello, sweetheart, this gentleman was telling me he’d seen me race at Silverstone. We’ve been discussing cars.’
‘Hello, Connie,’ said Baker.
‘Oh, you two know each other then?’
‘This is Mr Baker, my floor manager,’ Connie informed him coldly. ‘Are you ready to go?’
‘I won’t keep you any longer, Mr Knight,’ said John with a smile. ‘It was nice talking to you.’ He looked at Connie, his eyes glittering, his smile betraying his true feelings. ‘Have a nice weekend.’
Connie climbed hastily into the passenger seat.
‘Seems a decent chap,’ Sam remarked as he started the engine.
‘When he wants to be,’ she answered somewhat tartly.
As they drove past her ex-lover he just stared at her, his face set in grim lines. There was no smile now.
