by Fiona Field
‘Sliced bread,’ said Maddy. Jenna zoomed off, weaving her slim body through the press of people. Maddy, standing by the cakes, bunged a packet of chocolate brownies and another of millionaire’s shortbread into the trolley and then followed Jenna’s path. Passing the wines, she also picked up a bottle of white.
‘Good shout,’ said Jenna, also picking up a couple. ‘After all it’s the weekend.’
As they queued for the till, Nathan reached his boredom threshold and began to wail. Maddy rolled her eyes.
‘Give him to me,’ said Jenna.
‘Really?’ Maddy was stunned.
‘Look, I know about kids. I’m the oldest of four. I may not be wild about having any of my own but I know about looking after the little buggers. Come here, you.’ She hauled Nathan out of the trolley seat, grabbed a banana with a cheery, ‘Tesco can probably afford to take the hit,’ and headed for the exit. Maddy instantly felt much calmer. By the time she’d paid and was pushing her trolley out into the car park she was almost Zen-like.
Jenna was sitting on a bench outside the door, feeding Nathan with tiny bits of banana and jiggling him on her lap to make him giggle between mouthfuls.
Maddy almost wept with gratitude.
‘Let’s go,’ she said. ‘I was going to take you out for a coffee but I bought some treats. How about we go back to mine? Nathan’s due his nap and he gets horribly grumpy if he doesn’t get it. I think it’d be tempting providence to stay out any longer.’
‘I dunno, Mads. I’m still not keen on the idea of hanging around the patches.’
‘Honest, Jen, the place is almost deserted. Hardly anyone is about and all you’ve got to do is get out of the car and walk into the house. Go on.’ She smiled winningly at Jenna.
‘Oh all right. The sky didn’t fall in last time I came to yours, did it?’
‘Great.’
Twenty minutes later the pair were in the kitchen. Maddy was waddling around, unpacking the carrier bags, while the kettle had started to boil and Nathan was already asleep in his cot, upstairs.
Maddy scrunched up the last empty bag and slammed one cupboard door shut then opened another one to get out a couple of mugs and a jar of instant. ‘Coffee?’
‘It’s what you promised.’
Maddy spooned the granules into the mugs, and then opened both the shortbread and the brownies and tipped them onto a plate. ‘Take these through, would you. Milk and sugar?’
‘Just milk,’ said Jenna as she went into the sitting room with the loaded plate.
A minute or so later Maddy joined her and lowered herself into an armchair with an audible ‘Oof’. ‘I shall be glad when this is over,’ she said.
‘Not sure about that. My mum always said that kids are easier to look after when they’re on the inside, and she had four,’ said Jenna.
‘Maybe she has a point. And I haven’t got Caro to help any more.’
‘No? That’s a shame, you and her were good mates. What happened to her?’
‘Her husband got sent to a desk job somewhere in London. I miss her.’
‘That’s one of the lousy things about the army – people keep moving and it’s dead easy to lose touch.’
‘One of the lousy things amongst a whole mountain of lousy things.’
‘Tell me about it,’ said Jenna. And as they munched on the cakes and sipped their coffee they compared notes about all the things that had pissed them off. Some of the time their gripes made them both laugh and once or twice it got to the jabby-finger-and-another-thing stage but they both found it hugely cathartic to get it off their chests.
The doorbell rang. ‘I won’t be a mo,’ said Maddy, heaving herself out of the armchair and heading towards the front door.
Having someone in the house had relaxed her so when she opened it and saw who was calling, she physically reeled back.
‘Michelle!’
‘Surprise.’
Maddy tried to push the door shut but Michelle, taller and much stronger, pushed back and managed to squeeze through it and into Maddy’s house, leaving the door open behind her.
‘Get out,’ hissed Maddy. She felt shaky with the shock of the encounter. Or was it fear?
‘Not till we’ve had a chat. You’ve not been very co-operative, have you?’
‘I’ve got nothing to say to you.’ The adrenalin in her fired her bravado.
‘That makes things easier ’cos I’ve got plenty to say to you. For a start, I don’t care what you think about the state of your marriage, but take it from me, it’s over.’
Maddy felt her anger blaze. ‘No, it isn’t,’ she snarled back.
Michelle, unfazed, gave her an insolent stare and nodded. ‘Really? If you want to think that it’s fine by me but you’re deluded. Seb told me himself. He said he was bored to sobs by you and he wanted out. He told me you were a waste of space in bed and that all you could do was whine and moan about how poorly you feel.’
Maddy felt as if the floor had given way under her feet. No! The anger, the shock and the initial rush of fear gave way to a tidal wave of self-pity and doubt and she battled tears. Seb wouldn’t say that. Of course he wouldn’t, no way. But she also knew that she hadn’t been much fun in the bedroom… so… maybe… The doubt assailed her. So, had he? No, he wouldn’t be so cruel, but supposing…
‘No, he didn’t. You’re lying,’ she yelled at Michelle, trying as much to convince herself as her adversary.
‘Really?’
‘Yes, he’d never say anything like that. He loves me, he told me so.’
Michelle guffawed. ‘Just words, Maddy, just words.’
‘You’re wrong – he loves me. He told me so, he gave me this.’ She pulled her locket out from under her blouse.
‘A present to keep you from guessing the real situation. It worked, didn’t it?’
Maddy felt as if she’d been punched. No! ‘No. I’m not listening to you any more. You’re lying. Seb wouldn’t be like that. Never. Get out!’
Maddy sensed a movement at the other end of the hall.
‘You heard Maddy,’ said Jenna, quietly. ‘You’re not welcome.’
Michelle switched her gaze to this new adversary.
‘This is none of your business. Butt out.’
Jenna walked down the hall. ‘Maddy’s my friend and she doesn’t want you here. That makes it very much my business.’ She leaned towards Michelle. ‘So get out… or do I have to make you leave?’
Michelle laughed. ‘Oh, please,’ she sneered
Jenna put her hands on Michelle’s shoulders and gave her a shove. She caught Michelle off guard and off balance. Michelle lurched backwards towards the still-open front door.
‘Oh, so ladylike,’ she said with narrowed eyes.
Jenna snorted. ‘That’s rich, coming from a whore like you.’
Michelle’s eyes widened. ‘How dare you?’
Jenna gave Michelle another shove but this time her adversary was ready and braced and she didn’t budge. Michelle looked smug but the look was wiped off her face when Jenna whipped her hand up, grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked.
‘Ouch,’ squealed Michelle.
Jenna pulled Michelle’s hair more, forcing her to bend to follow it. ‘You’re right, I’m not a lady and I fight dirty. Now either you get out or I start scratching.’ She showed Michelle the acrylic nails on her free hand. Michelle’s eyes widened.
‘You wouldn’t.’
Jenna flexed her hand into a claw. ‘You think? I’m as hard as these nails.’ She pressed her bright red talons hard against Michelle’s cheek. ‘Now fuck off.’
She let go of Michelle’s hair and shoved. This time Michelle did reel backwards, her heel catching on the door sill, causing her to stumble in a very ungainly fashion and she half fell out of the house.
Jenna picked a dozen loose hairs off the palm of her hand and dropped them disdainfully onto the doorstep. ‘And don’t come back,’ she shot at Michelle, before she slammed the door, hard. She turned
back to an ashen Maddy. ‘Good job I was here.’
Maddy sagged against the wall.
‘Hey, you all right?’
Maddy could feel tears trickling down her face. She brushed them away. ‘But what if you hadn’t been?’
‘You’d have coped. Of course you would.’
‘No, I wouldn’t. I can’t bear to think what would have happened if…’
‘If what?’
Maddy shook her head. ‘Supposing…’
‘Suppose, nothing. That bitch is all talk. She came here to scare you.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘’Course. I know her type.’ Jenna laughed. ‘Takes one to know one.’
‘You’re not like that.’
Jenna shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t bank on it.’
Maddy’s face grimaced as a sharp pain lanced into her side.
‘You all right?’ asked Jenna.
‘The baby.’ She gasped as another pain bit.
‘What?’ Jenna looked worried.
‘It’s nothing. The baby is doing somersaults. It’s probably as rattled as I am.’
Jenna took Maddy’s arm and led her back to the sitting room. ‘Right, first off I’m going to make you a cuppa and you’re going to sit down and put your feet up and then I’m going to ring the OC Rear Party and tell him what’s been happening.’
‘No!’
‘No? Why not?’
‘Let’s not involve the army.’
‘Maddy,’ said Jenna, ‘that woman is nuts. I don’t think she’s a real danger but she can’t get away with that. She needs stopping.’
‘I know, but I don’t want to involve outsiders.’
‘Maddy, I really, really don’t want to think that she’s going to go any further than she has. But you can’t take that risk. And even if it stops where it is, she can’t be allowed to get away with what she’s done already. Someone needs to read her the riot act.’
‘Yes, you’re right.’
‘So, you agree… someone needs to have a word with her.’
‘No, I agree that she’s not a danger. She’s gone a bit off the rails because she’s madly in love and can’t have Seb so she wants to lash out. She’s like a kid having a tantrum.’
Jenna snorted. ‘Sorry, Mads, but you’re talking bollocks. She’s not a two-year-old, she’s a grown-up. She knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s bonkers and selfish and nasty to boot and you know it.’ Jenna’s expression softened. ‘Maddy, the authorities need to know. Look, I don’t want to scare you but supposing we’re wrong. Suppose she does go further. This isn’t just about you. There are others you have to think about.’
Maddy sagged. ‘Maybe you’re right. Oh, God, who am I kidding? I just don’t want to face up to any of this situation – it’s just so horrible. I can’t believe it’s really happening.’ She sighed and rubbed her face. ‘I suppose I feel that if I involve other people I’m admitting that Seb really might have had an affair.’ Even as she said it she felt stricken. She felt the back of her nose prickle and knew tears were imminent. She blinked rapidly and swallowed. She’d had enough drama for one day, she couldn’t face ringing up Alan Milward and telling him about what had been going on. She knew she had to do it, Jenna was right, but not now. ‘But let’s leave it till Monday, eh?’
‘I’m not sure…’
‘Jenna, it’ll be fine.’ Maddy was trying to convince herself, as much as Jenna, that her decision was right. ‘I can’t face the palaver right now, not on top of everything else.’
‘I don’t like the thought of you being on your own on a near-deserted patch with a kid to look after and one in the oven as well. What if she comes back?’
‘Tell you what, if that’s what’s worrying you, why don’t you stay? Your old man’s away, so’s mine. You don’t have anything to get back to, I’ve got nothing planned… Go on, what do you say?’
Jenna looked at her. ‘Aren’t there rules about officers’ wives having people like me to stay in their quarters?’
Maddy laughed. ‘Almost certainly! Let’s live dangerously.’ And then she winced again. ‘Sheesh. I wish the little bugger would stop doing that. Now then, let’s see what I can rustle up for lunch while you nip home and grab whatever you need for the weekend.’
‘I won’t be long. And, while I’m gone, don’t open the door without checking who it is. Promise?’
‘Promise.’
25
Sam was in the workshop, organising a recovery vehicle and team of mechanics to schlep out to Archers Post – the camp at the entrance to the Kenyan live-firing ranges – to sort out a couple of Land Rovers, which had already broken down. She was flicking though a sheaf of papers, trying to work out what her resources actually were and thus, what she could spare. Beside her, on the desk, the radio crackled and hissed and she kept half an ear open for her own call sign. It was unlikely that anyone would need to talk to her directly but they’d want her to answer promptly if they did.
‘Am I disturbing you?’
She recognised the voice and looked up. ‘James! When did you get here?’ Goodness, it was so nice to see a friendly face.
James dragged a hand over his face and muffled a yawn. ‘The main party landed at dawn, then we all went up to the British Army Training Unit for a briefing then back on the bus and now here.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I don’t think I’ve slept for thirty-six hours; I’m bushed.’
‘Would coffee help? It’s only the compo sort and condensed milk, though. Not posh Douwe Egberts and cream or anything.’
‘I don’t care, as long as it’s hot and wet and contains caffeine. Frankly it sounds like nectar.’
Sam got up and went over to another trestle table where there was a kettle, a battered coffee container, a tin of milk and some grubby mugs. A couple of minutes later she returned and handed James his drink. ‘I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find the silver salver and the doilies.’ She gave him a welcoming smile.
James grinned back at her. ‘Numpty,’ he said. He gazed at her fondly. As Sam moved around her desk to sit down again she saw Luke staring at them, the epitome of disapproval; his sapphire blue eyes blazing, his mouth compressed into a thin line and his jaw clenched. Disapproving of what? Taking a quick break? Making coffee for a colleague? Angrily, she stared back at him till he dropped his gaze.
‘So, what’s next?’ she asked James.
‘You mean after I finally get some zeds?’
‘Yup.’ She sipped her coffee and grimaced. Yuck, coffee and Carnation milk, horrible.
‘Straight to Samburu, an overnight stop at Archers Post and then onto the ranges.’
‘Aw. I was hoping to have a catch-up.’ She put her mug down on her desk. ‘Not that there’s much time for that – everyone’s flat out – but even a quick chat to an old mucker would be nice.’
‘How’s it going with the ASM?’
‘He’s still tricky, still goes his own sweet way if he thinks he can get away with it, but it’s not as bad as it was. By the time I get posted out again, we might even make a team.’
James laughed. ‘Keep working at it. At least it’s going in the right direction.’ He swigged some more of his coffee, and then yawned. ‘God, I need to get to bed. Maybe drinking coffee isn’t the best idea.’ He took another gulp. ‘On the other hand, I don’t think anything will stop me from sleeping. The way I feel right now I could neck half-a-dozen Red Bulls and still crash out.’
‘Given how shattered you look, I think you’re right.’
James yawned again. ‘Sorry.’
‘Look, go and get your head down and I’ll see you for supper in the cookhouse.’
‘When? Five?’ He handed her his half-finished drink.
‘Make it half-past. It’s crazy here and I never get away before that.’
He leaned forward and gave her a quick, brotherly peck on the cheek. Across the workshop a large piece of metal clanged onto the floor and the sound reverberated through the warm air. Sam spun arou
nd to see what had happened and saw Luke had dropped a drip tray and a pool of oil was spreading outwards on the ground at his feet. He stared at her defiantly before he wandered off to fetch some fuller’s earth to put on the spill. Sam thought about upbraiding him for carelessness but suddenly she couldn’t be bothered. Sod him.
After James had left she returned to the jobs awaiting her attention and blanked out the noise of the workshop as she concentrated on her work. Time flew by as she worked out rosters and allocated resources. Before she knew it, it was almost time for lunch.
‘Ma’am?’ said the ASM, approaching the trestle table.
She looked up. ‘Yes?’
‘We’ve got a problem.’
But she knew from past experience with the ASM that whatever it was it was going to be her problem, not one they were going to share. Sam felt her shoulders slump. Like she didn’t have enough on her plate. ‘Yes?’
‘We’ve got real issues with a genny. The sappers building that bridge broke theirs, they’ve tried to fix it and from the sound of things they’ve made things worse.’
Sam rolled her eyes. Like they had generators to spare. ‘How bad?’
‘Could be terminal.’
Sam threw her pen down on the desk and sighed. ‘I suppose we’d better drag another one up there, in case the team that goes to repair it can’t. They can bring the dud one back here if it’s in clip state and we can see what we can do in the workshop.’
‘That’s what I think too. The trouble is…’
‘Yes?’
‘The trouble is you’re the only electrical engineer we’ve got left who’s probably got the expertise to do it.’
Sam shook her head. ‘You’re joking.’
‘Honest, ma’am. You know how it is and all the other sparks are already deployed and run off their feet. I wouldn’t ask you if there was any other option.’
For once she felt inclined to cut the ASM some slack. ‘OK, fair point. How long do you reckon this is going to take?’
‘Couple of days ma’am – tops. It’s a fair old drive to the site and then you’re going to have to see what can be done…’
Sam sighed again. ‘Then you’ll have to hold the fort while I’m gone.’ She knew he’d love that.
