Perfect Wives

by Emma Hannigan

  Jodi’s hair was caught up in a wide-toothed comb with some unruly tendrils falling at either side of her bare face. ‘Hi! You look gorgeous! As usual I’m like a gypsy with no makeup and the house is a tip,’ she said, as she tried to shove the suitcases behind the sofa. ‘We haven’t even unpacked.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that! We’re just delighted to come and see you both,’ Francine said warmly. ‘How was London?’

  ‘Great!’ Saul answered for them both. ‘My daddy was so much fun and we did lots of stuff together, didn’t we, Mum?’

  ‘Sure did, dude.’

  ‘Can Cameron and I go with Sebastian to look at the birds?’ Saul asked Francine.

  ‘Oh, my goodness, I’m not sure about that. Who is Sebastian?’ Francine looked horrified.

  ‘He’s our neighbour and he’s really nice,’ Saul said. ‘He’ll take good care of us. He promised, didn’t he, Mum?’

  ‘He lives up in the manor house. He’s taken Saul before and he honestly seems like a lovely guy,’ Jodi vouched for him.

  ‘Yes, of course. I wasn’t thinking straight for a minute there. I know him of old,’ Francine said. ‘His own son died tragically.’

  ‘He told me,’ Jodi said. ‘I think it means a lot to him to spend time with Saul. If I say they can go for an hour, would you consider it?’

  ‘Well, I’m not sure Cameron would be able to—’

  ‘Please, Mum, please!’ he begged. ‘I promise I’ll be so good. I’ll do what the man says.’

  ‘Could I have a word with Sebastian first?’ Francine asked.

  ‘Sure. And here he is. Come on out and you can meet him,’ Jodi said, slipping into her wellingtons, which lived on the doorstep. ‘Grab your coat and hat, Saul.’

  Francine tottered after them, talking in hushed tones to Cameron.

  ‘Hi, Sebastian, meet Francine Hennessy,’ Jodi introduced.

  ‘We’ve met,’ he said, without looking up.

  ‘Hello, Sebastian. I’m just a bit concerned that Cameron might be a little excitable. It’s in his personality, you see.’

  ‘Once the lad knows I’m in charge, and he’s to stay where I can see him, he’ll do fine. Do you think you can do that, son?’ Sebastian asked Cameron directly.

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘Ready to go, then?’ Sebastian asked.

  ‘Yes!’ they chorused.

  ‘Right! Come on so.’

  ‘Can you wait for five minutes, please? I need Saul to have a quick drink and a piece of toast,’ Jodi asked. ‘Anyone else like some?’ They all declined.

  ‘I don’t need anything either. I’ll be fine,’ Saul argued. Sebastian gave her a nod and Jodi ran back to the kitchen. Sebastian kept the lads chatting until Jodi returned with a glass of juice and a slice of toast.

  ‘Drink this down, and you can take your toast with you. How’s that?’

  ‘Thanks, Mum,’ Saul said, and glugged the drink.

  Jodi accepted the empty glass and waved them on their way. ‘Could you make it just an hour?’ she called after them.

  ‘As you wish,’ Sebastian said, leading the way.

  ‘He’s not over-friendly, is he?’ Francine said, as they walked back to the cottage.

  ‘He’s always sweet with Saul, and with Darius being away so much, it’s great for him to have a man around.’

  ‘Blake, Sebastian’s son, was in Cara’s class at school. A sweet boy, even if he did take after his mother,’ Francine said.

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  Francine turned pale and suddenly couldn’t speak.

  ‘Francine? Are you okay?’ Jodi took her arm.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘All the parents, myself included, used to talk about how badly behaved Blake was. We judged him and labelled him as naughty. Imagine, he was only four, the same age as our two … We all thought it was okay to decide he was bold.’

  ‘I’m sure you meant no harm,’ Jodi said, as they went into the cottage and sat down.

  ‘No, we didn’t, but Blake’s mother was in and out of psychiatric institutions and we thought it was fine to put that little boy in the same box.’

  ‘Don’t beat yourself up over it, Francine,’ Jodi said. ‘How is Sebastian’s wife now?’

  ‘We don’t see or hear of Diane. I think she never got over Blake’s death. She was there the day he fell in the river and drowned … Sebastian cut himself off from all outsiders after that. He’s very protective of Diane, and we gave up trying to contact her after a while.’

  ‘Maybe that was how they coped,’ Jodi mused. ‘Tragedy changes people.’

  Tears rolled down Francine’s cheeks as she flopped into a chair at the kitchen table.

  ‘Francine?’ Jodi rushed to her and put an arm around her back.

  ‘Oh, Jodi, that little boy Blake was ostracised by us, me especially. He was always in trouble at school, he caused a rumpus at every party and he was totally wild.’ Francine looked up, with mascara running down her cheeks. ‘I was one of the first to say it was his parents’ fault and they ought to take a firm hand with him.’

  ‘People say things they don’t mean all the time. You weren’t to know he was going to die,’ Jodi told her.

  ‘No, but I’m so utterly ashamed to say that I almost felt he died as a direct result of his mother not being a proper parent. I almost justified it by thinking she must’ve been in one of her trances and hadn’t been watching him properly,’ Francine sobbed. ‘She used to do that, you see. We’d all be chatting in the car park or outside the classroom door, and Diane never joined in. She appeared to be elsewhere.’

  ‘Poor woman,’ Jodi sympathised.

  ‘Yes. Then it came out she suffered with depression and couldn’t help it.’

  ‘That’s so sad.’

  ‘It’s tragic. Looking back, I think Blake might’ve had ADD.’

  ‘Really?’ Jodi made coffee. ‘Look, I have real stuff this time, so you won’t be poisoned!’

  Smiling wanly, Francine thanked her and stared into space. ‘Cameron has ADD too. We’ve just been to a specialist.’

  ‘Really?’ Jodi said, keeping her face as neutral as possible. Thankful for the years of acting, she pulled out a chair and sat next to Francine. ‘Tell me all about it,’ she said evenly.

  Francine stared at Jodi momentarily. ‘You don’t seem that bothered. Aren’t you going to look aghast or treat me like it’s my fault?’

  ‘Why would I do that?’

  ‘Because that’s what most other people, myself included, would do.’

  ‘Well, I’m not just anybody, now, am I? Don’t you know who I am?’ Jodi raised one eyebrow and allowed herself to smirk.

  ‘You certainly aren’t just anybody, Jodi.’

  Over the best part of the next hour Francine poured her heart out, finishing up by telling Jodi about the awful situation the day before.

  ‘You must have felt so hurt,’ Jodi said, munching cake. ‘This is delicious by the way.’

  ‘I baked it in the middle of the night,’ Francine said, sighing. ‘I do that all the time now. I can’t sleep so I crawl out of bed and create things dressed like a fleece Dalmatian.’

  ‘Well, any time you need to offload your wares, I’m here!’ Jodi said.

  ‘Thank you, Jodi.’

  ‘For what? All I’ve done is eat your cake for breakfast.’

  ‘You haven’t dropped your head to the side and told me you knew Cameron was a problem. You haven’t judged me or looked at me like I’m a lunatic. You’ve just listened.’

  ‘Girlfriend, I spent my entire childhood being stared at and made feel like I didn’t belong. For reasons I won’t go into right now, I was always an outsider,’ Jodi admitted. ‘So there’s no judge and jury in my house. I’ll help you in any way I can.’

  The boys arrived back shortly afterwards.

  ‘Where’s Sebastian?’ Jodi asked.

  ‘He had stuff to do,’ Cameron answered.

  ‘I’m starving, Mum,’ Saul s
aid, with his tongue hanging out.

  ‘I’m not surprised – you’ve only had a piece of toast this morning! Sit up at the table and I’ll make you boys a drink and you can have some of Francine’s cake. It’s to die for!’

  ‘How was it, Cameron?’ Francine asked.

  ‘We saw some lovely birds. Me and Saul had to sit as quiet as mice with some pretend leaves on us like a disguise so we didn’t frighten them away. Sebastian lifted us up into a tree and we could see the whole world.’

  ‘Yes, and we stayed as still as this,’ Saul said, pretending to be a statue.

  ‘Well done, boys,’ Jodi said. ‘Would you go bird watching again?’

  ‘Yes,’ Cameron said. ‘I wasn’t a bit naughty either, Mum. I did ezackly what Sebastian said. He told me if I had a feeling in my tummy or my head that I wanted to shout or jump I was to waggle my leg and he’d let me down and we could bounce up and down like Tigger to get it all out!’

  ‘That was a clever idea,’ Francine said, smiling.

  ‘But I didn’t need to be Tigger,’ Cameron said proudly.

  The two women looked at each other and smiled. The boys devoured cake and hot chocolate, swinging their legs happily as they chatted.

  ‘Want to bounce on my bed?’ Saul asked. ‘That was the best proper breakfast ever,’ he said to Francine, as they ran towards the bedroom.

  ‘Five minutes, Cameron,’ she called.

  ‘Sebastian sounds like he had it all sussed,’ Jodi said.

  ‘God bless him. After the way he handled Cameron today, I’d bet my life on it that Blake had a behavioural disorder too,’ Francine said.

  ‘I know all my peers thought I was the spawn of a devil woman and therefore must be bad too. I was never given a chance and I’m sure most of the people in my class think of me with disdain even now that I’m successful. Those who even remember I was there, that is.’

  ‘Why?’ Francine asked.

  ‘My mum was an addict and a drunk,’ she stated simply.

  ‘But you’re happy now, aren’t you?’ Francine asked.

  ‘Most of the time,’ Jodi said honestly. ‘But that’s for another day!’ Smiling, she began to put the plates into the dishwasher, indicating she wasn’t prepared to delve any deeper for now.

  The Francine who had existed a couple of months ago would’ve taken that small snippet of Jodi’s soul and tried to probe further. Now she could understand that people might want to keep things to themselves. If Jodi wanted to tell her about her past, she would do so in her own good time. Also, Jodi was a movie star, whom Francine had assumed hadn’t a problem in the world purely because she was rich and famous. Now she could accept that nobody’s life was plain sailing.

  Francine was certain of one thing: good friends were hard to come by. Friendship needed to be based on trust. The people she’d thought were her friends had let her down. If she wanted a new friend, she’d prefer to find one she could rely on. Trust was a two-way thing and she wasn’t going to betray that with Jodi.

  ‘Thank you for having us over. I appreciate the kind, listening ear this morning,’ she said.

  ‘Any time,’ Jodi said, hugging her.

  ‘Jodi, you’ve no idea how much this means to me,’ Francine said. ‘And it’s not because you’re famous. For the record, it’s because you’re one of the most genuinely lovely people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.’

  ‘Wow, thank you,’ Jodi said, looking stunned. ‘When I first met you, I envied you so much. You represented everything I’ve never been. You’re confident, capable and socially accepted. Most of all, you’re a pillar of community life.’

  ‘Ha!’ Francine scoffed sadly. ‘The tables have turned. I’m now a social outcast with a child nobody wants to associate with, someone to be avoided and shunned.’

  ‘I think you’re being a little harsh on yourself,’ Jodi said gently. ‘People don’t understand what’s going on with Cameron. Perhaps if you explain what’s happening they might prove their friendship.’

  ‘I don’t know …’ Francine sighed. ‘I’m not sure I want anything to do with people who took against him so quickly. They’ve never stopped to wonder if there might be a genuine issue.’

  ‘Didn’t you say you’d done the same thing with Diane and Blake?’ Jodi raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Mmm …’ Francine looked at the floor.

  ‘It’s not going to be easy working things out for Cameron over the next few years. You shouldn’t try and do it alone. If you let people in, you might be surprised at how much support you’d get …’

  Francine kissed Jodi’s cheek and called her son. If she wanted to give her friends a chance to help her, she’d have to admit that things weren’t peachy and perfect in the Hennessy household. The very idea was terrifying she’d be leaving herself open to even more gossip and criticism. Francine wasn’t sure that she was ready to reveal all her cards to the folk of Bakers Valley.

  ‘Cameron, come on, please. Don’t make me call you again,’ she warned.

  ‘No!’ Cameron’s face screwed up. ‘I’m staying here.’

  As Francine felt the familiar panic set in, Jodi stood between her and her son. ‘Cameron,’ she knelt down in front of him, ‘if you go as Mummy is asking, I’ll cut you a deal.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’ll ask Sebastian if you and Saul can go bird watching again. You can come after school one day next week and I’ll have sandwiches and a drink ready. Then you boys can go out with Sebastian. But only if you do what Mum asks now.’

  ‘Deal,’ Cameron said slowly.

  ‘High five,’ Jodi said, holding her hand up.

  Cameron clapped her hand and shot out of the door towards the car, followed by his mother.

  ‘Why does Cameron get so rude like that?’ Saul asked his mother.

  ‘He finds it harder than other boys to do what he’s told sometimes,’ Jodi said simply.

  ‘But if I was like that you or Dad would get cross,’ Saul reasoned.

  ‘I know, and, believe me, it’s not easy to understand, but Cameron doesn’t seem to be able to calm down once he gets angry,’ Jodi explained.

  ‘Is that why he hits and bites people a lot?’

  ‘Yes,’ Jodi said, ‘and he’s having a lonely time as a result. The other kids don’t like him hurting them so they leave him out.’

  ‘Poor Cameron,’ Saul said. ‘He didn’t bite or kick me today.’

  ‘See? He can be a good boy.’

  ‘I’ll try to play with him in school. Maybe when we’re outside in the playground we can pretend we’re going bird watching. We can stand like statues and see who is the stillest.’

  ‘Good plan,’ Jodi said, hugging Saul to her. While the selfish part of her didn’t want Saul in the firing line when Cameron blew up next, she could empathise with any child who was treated as an outsider.

  Chapter 25

  The next day Saul ran happily into school.

  ‘Good morning, folks,’ Mr Matthews said, with a wide grin.

  ‘Hi, there!’ Jodi answered cheerfully. ‘How was your midterm break?’

  ‘Pretty uneventful, really. I was going to go back to London but I decided to wait until Christmas.’

  ‘We were in London with my dad,’ Saul chimed in. ‘It was so much fun! Maybe you could come the next time. Can he, Mum?’

  ‘I don’t think Mr Matthews needs to see us during his time off, dude! He has enough of children at school.’

  ‘It depends on who I’m hooking up with,’ Mr Matthews said easily. ‘If you were there too I’m sure it’d be fun,’ he added, looking at Jodi.

  Feeling her cheeks flush, Jodi bent down to hug and kiss Saul goodbye. ‘Have a good day,’ she said, looking at Mr Matthews.

  A little flustered, Jodi left Cameron babbling to Mr Matthews about his midterm break. As she walked home, breathing in the clear air, she pulled the hood of her Puffa coat snugly around her head. It meant everything to her to see her boy so happy. Mr Matthews was a grea
t guy too. So easy-going and down to earth.

  Her marriage to Darius was better than either of them had ever envisaged. The plan initially had been for Jodi to move away from Darius pretty much as soon as Saul had arrived. They had been all set to announce a separation and allow the relationship to fizzle out. But when she’d taken Saul home from the hospital, Darius had been amazing. He’d been just as smitten as Jodi and, more than that, a fantastic help.

  Like any other new parents, they’d spent hours staring at their baby. Every facial expression he made was a joy. When he burped after a feed the two of them would clap. Darius loved bathing, changing and playing with Saul. As they walked around Hyde Park in London, they were snapped by paparazzi. Darius always had his arm around Jodi’s shoulders and they were seen as Hollywood’s most adoring couple.

  ‘On paper we’re perfect,’ Darius had said, as he flicked through a pile of glossies.

  ‘How does it make you feel?’ Jodi asked, searching his eyes. ‘Do you want the split to go ahead as planned?’

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I love us.’ He motioned at the cover picture of them sitting on a park bench gazing into Saul’s pram.

  ‘I do too, but don’t you want a proper relationship?’ she asked.

  ‘So I can be used and dumped? I’m still doing that from time to time, as you know, but none of them care about me the way you do. What about you? Are you ready to face the world and find your one true love?’

  ‘You’re my one true love. You know me inside out, you’re Saul’s father and you mind me like nobody I’ve ever known. It’s just such a damn pity you’re gay.’

  ‘If I wasn’t, would you fancy me? Do you fancy me?’ Darius turned and posed, pouting.

  Giggling, she swatted him with a baby wipe. ‘No,’ she said. ‘Sorry. I love you deeply, but without the messy sex part.’

  ‘Don’t you crave a bit of messiness every now and again?’ he wondered.

  ‘Not really. I had it with Mac, but the other stuff spoiled it,’ Jodi said. ‘I’m happier by far to know where I stand and not have that pain in my heart.’

  ‘Some day one of us will find the right person, with the right balance between heart, minding and messiness,’ he vowed.