To Love Thy Neighbour

by S M Mala

  ‘Me?’

  ‘A woman called Mrs Bennylita Grimshaw.’

  ‘Grimshaw?’ she said, surprised by the name.

  ‘Yes, she has made an accusation about you mistreating her child.’ That’s when her mouth dropped open, not believing what she heard. ‘The child, Mali Sachs, mentioned that she had been hit by one of daddy’s friends. Mrs Grimshaw thinks her daughter was trying to tell her, in between the lines, that you mistreated her.’

  ‘That’s an utter lie! Does Leon know?’

  ‘Leon does. He received a letter from his solicitor about a week ago.’

  ‘And how do you know?’

  ‘Because we received a copy of that letter. Mrs Grimshaw thought it was important that Governor Reeves knew what was going on. She was questioning your ability as a mother, caring for his son.’

  ‘That bitch!’ she said furiously. ‘This is all down to the fact she offered Leon another baby and a chance of reconciliation. He refused, and she pulls this stunt.’

  Looking down, her hand was visibly shaking.

  ‘That woman came up to Mali a week or so, grabbed that child’s arm and scared the living daylights out of her.’

  ‘But was there an incident when she was hit?’ he asked, as if waiting for a confession.

  ‘A girlfriend of Leon’s smacked Mali when she didn’t eat her beans and I was here. I rushed round and took the child, telling her what I thought,’ she replied defiantly. ‘Leon was distraught and they went away for a week to recoup. That’s when Bennylita, what’s her face, saw them in Spain.’

  ‘This doesn’t look good, you know. It’s questioning Oscar’s integrity about leaving you to look after his son, and whether he made the right choices.’

  ‘This is about Oscar?’ Of course it is! I looked after our son to the best of my ability. Oscar walked out on me, not the other way around. He didn’t give two shits about our son once he found his woman and got married again.’

  ‘But there was the time when an ex-boyfriend ended up in Alfie’s bed?’

  It was the shock of hearing about that incident from someone outside the close-knit family unit.

  ‘I don’t have to explain myself,’ she said, feeling her heart start to beat hard. ‘I’m not a bad mother. He’s twenty-three years old. Ask him yourself.’

  ‘All these things come out, one way or another.’

  ‘It’s not a skeleton in my cupboard. I trusted a man, and realised he wasn’t what he seemed. What does she want? More to the point, what does Oscar want? Why are you speaking to me?’

  ‘He’s unable to make contact with you for the foreseeable future, given your arrangement over the past decade.’

  She let out a disgruntled sigh, not knowing what to think.

  ‘I take it the current Mrs Reeves isn’t happy?’ she asked, hearing him clear his throat. ‘I don’t blame her, to be honest. I didn’t behave exceptionally well, and he’ll probably say he was forced to do it out of sympathy.’ Esme took a deep breath. ‘What does this Mrs Grimshaw want me to do?’

  ‘It’s quite strange, to be honest,’ Stephen said, breathing in deeply. ‘She wants you to force Leon to get back together with her.’

  ‘Out of the question.’

  There was no point even pretending she would contemplate it.

  ‘You’re not going to think about it?’ he quizzed.

  ‘I love him and he loves me. I have no intention of losing him.’

  ‘You do know she’s threatening to go to the press unless Oscar pays her thirty thousand pounds sterling to do otherwise.’

  ‘You’re kidding me?’ Esme had to hold her breath, to stop from choking on her words. ‘Look, I didn’t hit Mali nor have I been a bad mother to Alfie. Leon doesn’t want a baby with her, or anything else and she can say what she likes, but she’s not getting a penny.’

  ‘And you know how important it is for Oscar to have fewer complications, with his previous family,’ Stephen said, lowering his voice. ‘Oscar thinks you should stop seeing Leon Sachs. He thinks it’s going to cause problems.’

  ‘Then tell his mother to stop seeing Lucia Sachs.’

  ‘He has tried and failed.’

  ‘That man!’ she said under her breath, knowing he would have the gall to do it.

  ‘About an hour ago he called her and got the same response as I’m getting now. This could also damage you if Mrs Grimshaw says all these things. She says she wants equal custody of the child, based on the incapability of her ex to look after the girl.’

  ‘He’s a good father,’ Esme replied, getting angry. ‘His parents helped him and she’s a gorgeous, happy child. Mrs Grimshaw wants money. Even Leon’s mother paid her extra to stay away.’

  ‘If Oscar pays her, sets up an agreement to stop her interfering and going to the press, he wants you to move away and start afresh. He’s willing to financially help you.’

  Not believing her ears, she collapsed onto her sofa, and sat there open mouthed.

  ‘He’s going to pay her all that money and I’m the one that ends up alone, again?’ She laughed out loudly. There was no other response. ‘And if I say ‘no’ then what? This woman exposes everyone, for what? She’ll get money for the story, especially if she goes to the States with it. No-one cares about Oscar over here.’

  ‘You’d be very surprised to know, quite a few people do. And she’ll get money to fight Leon in court and take the child.’

  Her heart was beating very fast, and she didn’t know what to do.

  Then there was a tap on the back door.

  Standing there was Mali, waving at her.

  ‘Esme, it’s me! Can I come in?’ she asked. ‘Nana is making me lunch.’

  ‘Can you hold on?’ she asked Stephen.

  Getting up, she opened the door and gave her a kiss and a hug.

  ‘Mali, I need you to do something for me. Can you get your Nana to come here? I need her to speak to someone.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because it’s very important.’

  ‘But she’s making me fish fingers and chips and peas.’

  ‘It won’t take a moment.’

  ‘Okay!’ she replied and ran down the garden, through the gate. ‘Nana!’ Mali shouted. ‘Nana! Esme needs to see you now!’

  ‘Stephen,’ Esme said, turning her back to the garden and walking into the house. ‘You need to speak to Leon’s mother and tell her what’s going on. She doesn’t approve of me, the age difference and all sorts, but that woman needs to know.’

  ‘I shouldn’t be discussing it with anyone,’ he said, getting agitated.

  ‘Leave out Oscar’s bribery for me, but tell her about Bennylita. We need to know what we’re up against.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘Fuck knows!’

  ‘This is bad.’

  Leon was sitting with Esme in the pub garden that same evening. He could see she was upset but trying to hide it. ‘I didn’t want to upset you; that’s why I didn’t say anything.’

  ‘He told your mother everything, give or take,’ she said, sipping her wine. ‘I think Barbara handled it well. I wanted her to know what was going to happen. I think it has been pretty traumatic for her.’

  ‘I hate this.’ He buried his head in his hands. ‘Just as I’ve turned a corner, and things are going well, she comes back and tries to wreck it all. I won’t let her take my child. There’s no way I’m going to let her get custody.’

  ‘Thing is,’ she said, leaning closer so he could feel her breath on his neck. ‘Melanie is the only one who could tell the truth on this, and she’s not going to because it’ll make her sound bad. It’s my word against hers.’

  ‘Shit!’ was all he could say.

  Leon’s head was spinning, and he felt a panic start to build in his chest.

  ‘She really wants you, doesn’t she?’ Esme whispered and kissed his neck. It left tingles on his skin as he let out a low groan. ‘And if she doesn’t get you, Bennylita is going to play nasty.�
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  He looked up and stared straight at her.

  ‘What do you mean ‘give or take’?’ he asked, seeing she diverted her eyes. ‘What have you been told to do by your ex?’

  ‘Whatever he wants, he’s not going to get,’ she replied, stroking his arm before smiling. ‘We’re the weirdo family, not you.’

  ‘Esme, what did he say?’

  ‘I’m not doing it,’ she shrugged. ‘I don’t have to do as I’m told.’

  ‘Please tell me.’

  ‘He’s offering to help me sell my home and move away, so we don’t see each other anymore.’

  It was a hard thud in the bottom of his gut. He felt sick.

  ‘And Bennylita told me to leave you and all sorts. Seems that people want to run my life for me, tell me what to do, and I’m not having it. I love you, and I hope you love me.’

  ‘I do love you,’ he said, grabbing her hand.

  ‘And I don’t want to lose you, but I don’t want you to lose your child. I’ll find a way around it. I just have to think. Bennylita has to be stopped now, once and for all. This is extortion, you know. Blackmail and I don’t know why Oscar is playing along.’

  ‘Could be he doesn’t want you to be with anyone else?’

  ‘Well, he’s stuffed then, isn’t he?’ She grabbed his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. ‘I might have no choice but to get my adversary on side.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Leon put his arm around her, kissing her forehead.

  ‘I want to be mummy Esme,’ she whispered looking up at him. ‘And I’m not going to let that madam stop me.’

  That was the best thing he had heard in days.

  ‘Coming!’

  There was loud knock on her front door a few days later. She immediately recognised him. Throwing open the door, Esme was met with an angry face.

  ‘Where is he?’ Angus asked aggressively. ‘More to the point, where is she? Where’s my wife?’

  ‘You can’t come banging on people’s doors!’ she said, getting in a huff.

  ‘But he can bang her, can’t he? I saw them, huddled together in the bar, all those weeks ago. They kissed, do you know that? I know what she’s like, and he’s no better!’

  ‘Mr Grimshaw,’ Esme said, instantly stopping the jealous spike coming to her throat. ‘I don’t know where your wife is, but when I do see her, I will wring her bloody neck!’

  He stepped back and looked a little confused, his angry face subsiding.

  ‘She’s causing so much trouble. Making unfounded accusations and-.’ Esme knew it was too public to have the conversation. ‘I’m in the middle of gardening. Do you want to come in so we can discuss this civilly?’

  From his expression, he looked lost for words and walked into her home. Esme went straight into the garden and picked up her secateurs – should the conversation get overheated.

  ‘I don’t mean to be rude,’ he said, looking like he was composing himself. ‘How do you know Leon isn’t with my wife?’

  ‘Because he’s with me.’

  He did a double take and seemed semi relieved.

  ‘You and him?’ he asked, sitting down and taking a hankie out to wipe his perspiring brow. ‘I see.’

  ‘You look like you could do with a stiff drink.’

  ‘I don’t drink.’ He nodded and glanced around the garden, seeing the gate at the end of the fence. ‘You’re on friendly terms I take it?’

  ‘Did you seriously think he’d take her back after all these years?’ Esme asked, sitting down opposite. ‘You know she has extorted money out of his mother.’

  ‘Well, Leon’s mother is no fan of my wife, but if she was stupid enough to pay her, then so be it.’

  Esme sat back and didn’t like the man, based on the response.

  ‘Where’s your son?’ she asked, getting suspicious. ‘You can’t have left him on his own.’

  ‘I have family, so Leo is with them.’ He let out a little groan. ‘Leo, named after Leon. I didn’t know she had another kid until recently. Benny kept that close to her chest.’

  ‘She never said?’

  ‘There’s lots of things she doesn’t say. Could I trouble you for a glass of water?’

  ‘Sure.’

  Getting up, she rushed to the fridge and got a small bottle, then walked back to the table. She wasn’t quite sure about this man. Something didn’t sit right.

  ‘Does she leave you a lot? This Benny,’ Esme asked, handing him the drink and sitting back down. ‘Leon said she gave him a hard time.’

  ‘She’s quite demanding,’ he said, eyeing Esme with suspicion.

  ‘Yes, I’m beginning to see.’ Pondering for a moment, she realised she had nothing to lose. ‘Why did you knock on my door if you didn’t know Leon and I were together?’

  ‘I just thought he’d be here.’

  ‘Why? It’s the middle of the morning, and he works.’ Esme noticed he started to go red. ‘You knew we were together, didn’t you? And you know he’s not at home.’

  ‘I-.’ He hesitated. ‘I wanted to talk to you.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘Don’t you work?’ he asked, looking around. ‘Don’t you need to?’

  ‘I work but I have a team of people who work for me, not that it’s any of your business. Summer’s usually a quiet time for us, as people don’t want us traipsing in when the kids are on school vacation.’

  ‘And there’s a coffee van outside?’

  He had been doing his homework. It then occurred to Esme that maybe both he and Bennylita had done the same background check.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, as he finished off his bottle of water.

  ‘How much is she asking for? I know she’s contacted your husband.’

  ‘My ex-husband,’ Esme said, feeling her cheeks go an angry red. ‘I think you’ve overstepped the line. Both of you. Can you kindly leave my home?’ She got to her feet. ‘I don’t trust you any more than I trust her.’

  ‘She said she’d be in contact,’ he whispered, starting to look upset. ‘Left me with the kid and flew off. I heard from her in the first week then nothing.’

  ‘So she didn’t leave you?’

  ‘Benny said she had unfinished business. That was weeks ago, and she’s not contacted us since. Leo is missing his mum so bad; I don’t know what to do.’

  ‘But you did a bit of research on me, didn’t you? Was that before or after you realised we were together?’

  ‘I figured she was up to something, so I sniffed around.’ He stood up. ‘I don’t want to cause any problems but I need to know where she is.’

  ‘You do realise she wants to get back together with Leon, don’t you?’ Esme noticed he frowned. ‘Her demand is that he goes back to her, or she’ll try and take Mali away. What sort of woman does that?’

  ‘Bennylita is very strong headed,’ he said, clearing his throat. ‘I’ll go now and-.’

  ‘Does she get her kicks out of doing things like this?’

  ‘She’s looking after her family,’ he said, getting agitated.

  ‘Which you think is acceptable, don’t you?’

  ‘I love her very much and I don’t want to lose her. She’s all I’ve got.’

  ‘Did you know she wanted to reconcile with Leon?’

  ‘No but he’s an idiot, always has been from what she said.’

  Wishing she had her secateurs in her hand to cut the man’s tongue out, Esme stepped closer.

  ‘And the baby?’ she asked. ‘How would you have been able to go along with that?’

  ‘What baby?’ He looked confused. ‘Bennylita? She can’t have more children. You must be mistaken and she’s certainly not pregnant,’ he replied, shaking his head. ‘She got sterilised after Leo, saying she didn’t want anymore. Broke my heart but she had a bad pregnancy.’ Then his face darkened as he stared at the ground. ‘Why did you say that?’

  ‘She’s unable to have more children so…’

  Esme’s heart was pounding, reali
sing what the deceitful bitch was up to.

  ‘I think you should leave,’ Esme said, seeing that Bennylita had duped her husband, and was trying to do the same to Leon. ‘It’s not right that you’re here. Speak to your wife.’

  ‘Benny said she could get some cash, and Leon’s parents would only be too willing to give it, just to keep her out of that kid’s life,’ he said, getting angry. ‘But she had other motives, obviously.’

  ‘That kid is her daughter called Mali,’ Esme sharply replied. ‘And she says she loves her.’

  ‘That’s a joke!’ he said, letting out a nervous laugh. ‘She doesn’t even care about her son. How could she care for a child she never wanted? That’s what she told me. She had no choice but to continue with the pregnancy. To be honest, she wasn’t even sure it was his until it was born.’

  ‘Get out of my home and don’t come back!’ Walking towards her front door, she held it open and waited for him to leave. He went past and stood on her doorstep. ‘You and your wife are not wanted here, so don’t come knocking again.’ Then she hesitated. ‘Do you know about my ex-husband? Who he is?’ He looked shamefully away. ‘You’re in on it too, aren’t you?’ Taking a deep breath, she touched her secateurs in the back of her jeans. ‘For your information, she’s asking for thirty thousand from my ex to stop her from going to the press, which means she’s intent on dumping your sorry arse!’

  On that note, she slammed the door shut and collapsed to the ground.

  Esme had to sort it out, once and for all.

  She needed help and picked up the phone, dialling Ralph’s number.

  ‘Try not to worry about it.’

  Stan was sitting with Leon in the family garden. ‘I know you are, I can tell.’

  ‘I’m worried about Esme. She’s getting people coming at her from all angles. I don’t think she’ll want to stick around. It’s too much to ask.’

  ‘Son, she loves you and we’ll sort it out. No-one but no-one is taking Mali, do you hear?’

  He looked at his daughter sitting with her Nana in the garden, pretending to have a picnic with her toys. Every time he looked at his mother, he could see the fear of losing her granddaughter.

  ‘If your mother hadn’t have given her the extra money, I don’t think Bennylita would even be considering her new evil twist.’ His dad tapped Leon’s hand. ‘She realises she made a mistake. But thirty thousand pounds from Esme’s ex is just ludicrous. And you say he’s considering it?’