Daniel's Story

by Paul Kelly

  “Did she say that in her letter, Daniel?“

  “Yes and even worse than that. This old geezer that she left me for is a well known womaniser. I know him from one of schools where I teach pupils privately,“

  Alison felt so sorry for Daniel when he said that as she reflected again on Dillon's mother, Rene, whom she thought would have had custody of the little boy.

  "You were fortunate in being able to keep Dillon with you, are you not? Usually the child goes with the mother," she said and looked intently into Daniel's eyes.

  "I teach music at a public school," Daniel went on, "and when Dillon was younger, I was able to get him into nursery at the school and also into the juniors when he got to be a little older. He is there now as a boarder and I see him every weekend, when he comes to stay at my place. It seemed the most sensible thing for him at the time and besides, Rene was always too busy with her art to think of anything else, but she can see Dillon whenever she likes and does actually come to visit us ... even if its not very often. I think the solution suited her and as I have told you, we parted quite amicably."

  " Daniel, I do wish you'd let me help in some way. There are no strings attached. You know that, but I have to tell you now that I think I am in love with you ... in fact I KNOW I am."

  Daniel rose up and closed his eyes.

  "My God, I never wanted this to happen. You can't be in love with me Alison. It is kindness because of the person you are and because of the person I am, with my problems ... It is SYMPATHY and I can understand that, but it is not love. How can you think it is?"

  "You know that I too have been divorced." said Alison, ignoring Daniel's protest. "I told you that, didn't I?"

  "Yes."

  "Well I can assure you that was not a marriage of love, when at first I thought it was. I have learned much since my divorce two years back after a sad, sad two years of marriage. I can tell you now Daniel, I have never been in love until I met you."

  "You mustn't say that," he screamed and Alison looked back at him in surprise. She new it was premature to say such a thing, but she couldn't help herself and she thought if she assured Daniel that she had feelings for him, he might feel better and not worry so much about being so alone. "I don't believe in love," he added, "There is no such word in my dictionary. Now if you don't mind, I think we should call it a day and I have lots to do anyway."

  With that, Daniel got up and walked out of the cafe leaving Alison standing alone with a serviette in her hand. She watched him go as he closed the door behind him, but a tear fell down her cheek and she used the serviette to dry her face,

  "Why?" ... "Why?" she screamed and a cup fell to the floor as she slammed the table hard with her fist. "I love you Daniel Roberts and I don't give a damn what you think," she shouted into the air.

  As she left the cafe and locked the door, Alison wondered what was going to happen to her. It was obvious that this man Roberts wasn't just going to walk out of her life, regardless of what he thought. Alison could feel such a strong love for him that she knew with her female instinct that it would never end as he supposed it would. She could see nothing further down the road of love, but she would never give up and she decided to keep her cool and let nature take its course, knowing that sooner or later, Daniel would accept that she was more to him that just a part time waitress. With luck and a few little prayers, it might be sooner, but as she got into bed that night, she cried herself to sleep, thinking of Daniel; of how sweet and kind he was and cursing the day she ever met Kenneth Royle.

  Chapter Seven

  Two weeks later and with no sign of Daniel, Alison decided that she would take the bull by the horns and telephone him at his home address. It was on a Saturday afternoon and she was just about to hand the keys over to Rosie who was doing the late shift when she spotted an unsightly guest in the corner of the cafe, sitting smugly, cross legged and looking at her as if she was the only woman around.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked and Ken Royle uncrossed his legs and smiled at her.

  "Looking for what one looks for in a cafe," he said, "Any objections?"

  "I'm due to be off duty shortly, so if there is anything you legitimately want, tell me now and then I'll go," she snapped but Ken continued to smile.

  "I was in earlier but you weren't here, so I decided to come back again later. I'm sure you don't mind," said Ken, but Alison moved away from where he was standing, "Now, now then, that's no way to treat your husband," he gloated, but Alison wasn't amused.

  "Ex," she snapped back, "And don't you ever forget it."

  "Come, come now, don't be so uppity. That's not the sweet little Alison I know, is it?"

  Alison ignored his remarks and waited for his order.

  "This is a cafe; not a knocking shop, in case you haven't noticed," she said, emphasising her sarcasm with a firm nod of her head, but Ken Royle dismissed her attitude as he continue to drink his coffee.

  "I was in here the day before yesterday as well ... just to see if all was well with you . .

  Ken stared at her over his cup

  "And is he as handsome as me?" he asked with a sneer.

  Alison froze where she stood. Did Ken know about Daniel and if he did, how did he get that information. Rosie couldn't have told him as she hadn't recognised Daniel when Rosie had spoken to her.

  "Oh! now that would be asking for a miracle, wouldn't it?" she replied, and decided to play at Ken's game, but Ken became annoyed when she said what she did as he clashed his cup into the saucer and his face became hard.

  "No need for that. I just hope he's treating you right, that's all."

  Alison laughed aloud.

  "Well that wouldn't be hard to do after what I went through with you, would it?" she demanded and Ken narrowed his eyes as his lips tightened.

  "Still as bloody cheeky, I see," he said, "No respect as usual."

  Alison sighed and raised her shoulders.

  "Just get out," she barked, "I've no time for wasters here."

  But as Ken rose to leave the cafe, he looked back at Alison as she cleared his table.

  "Be kind to him and he won't treat you like another whore," he said as he closed the door, but not before leaving Alison his business card.

  Alison went to the wash room and threw some cold water over her face, but as she looked in the mirror, she could see that her ex-husband had got under her skin again, as indeed he always did. She grabbed her coat and was about to leave when she noticed the card and stuffed it hurriedly into her pocket just when Rosie came in.

  "Did you see him?" she asked, "That handsome guy who just left the joint,"

  but Alison ignored her comments.

  "I've left the keys in the safe," she said as she walked towards the cafe door.

  There was no way she would consider Ken Royle to be in any way handsome ... not after the way he had treated her, even if she had considered that he might have been good looking at one time, regardless of what he thought of himself and then she stopped for a moment and watched the traffic go by. It was as if her memory sped past her with the cars that raced along the road. Yes, she had to admit, although it pained her to do so ...there was a time when she thought Ken was handsome. Yes, indeed there was and yet when she looked at him that few moments ago in the cafe where she worked, she could see nothing of the man she had married those few long years ago. He was like a total stranger to her now. She saw a face that repulsed her; a face that sneered and derided her as he had always done in the two years they had been married. It was the face of a waster; a man, if you could call him that, who lived for himself in everything he did and thought. It was Kenneth Royle first and last in everything and she knew now that he had never loved her as she did love him after a fashion in the beginning when she was so naive. She had been his 'plaything' as so many others had been and who had come after
her ... or before ... She could never quite fathom it out. Ken was only good for time keeping when the meals were on the table and when he wanted her in bed. Three times a night was nothing to him and he boasted of that to all his so-called friends in the pubs at night. Alison hoped he was happy with his lot now and didn't want him near her, but why was he so interested in her love life all of a sudden? Could he possibly be jealous? or was it rather than he didn't want to lose any of his conquests? ... and it was then she remembered the card her had left at the cafe. She smiled as the looked at it. So Ken was still living at the same address ... what a dump that was, she thought ... Trafford Road ... number 52.

  That same afternoon at her flat she made the telephone call.

  "Is that Mr. Roberts?" she enquired and a sweet little voice, said 'yes'

  I mean is that Mr. Daniel Roberts?" she asked again and the same sweet little voice answered, 'No. You want my dad.'

  "Oh is that Dillon I am speaking to?" Alison asked politely and the little voice came back with a positive answer, asking how she knew his name.

  "Well, I am a good friend of your daddy. Is he at home please?"

  "No. He's gone to do some shopping, but I couldn't go with him as I have a bad cold."

  "Oh! I'm sorry to hear that. I thought you might have had a cold from your voice Dillon. You sound a little hoarse."

  "Yes, daddy's gone to get me some cough syrup or something. He says that should make me feel better."

  "That's good Dillon. Isn't your daddy really kind to do that for you?"

  There was a long pause on the phone and Alison became anxious.

  "Dillon, are you still there?"

  "Yes, I'm here but I had to get a handkerchief to blow my nose. Sorry."

  "Oh! That's alright. I do hope your cold gets better when you have the stuff that daddy's bringing home."

  "Yes, thank you. Daddy always knows what to do when you’re not feeling very well. He is very kind."

  "I can tell from what you say that you love daddy very much, yes?"

  "Oh! yes, he's wonderful and he loves me very much too."

  "That's a good boy Dillon. Now perhaps I'll ring again when daddy gets home, eh?"

  "Yes. Can I tell him who called?"

  Alison hesitated before she spoke again.

  "Well, I want to give him a surprise Dillon, so maybe I'll just phone him again later on today. I hope your cold gets better soon."

  "Yes thank you. I hope you are well yourself."

  Alison held the phone in her hand as she listened to the dialling tone again and she had a proud smile on her face. "If they say 'Like father, like son,' I would have no worries there, if only daddy would listen to me," she said into the phone before she put it back into its cradle and later that day, she phoned again.

  "Is that ... .?"

  "Yes, it is and Dillon told me you had telephoned. He said it was a nice lady with a lovely voice and so I guessed it must have been you."

  "Dillon is a real gentleman ... or gentleboy, if I should call him that, but he sounds so intelligent and you tell me he is only a little boy?"

  "Nine and a half now ... and he's growing fast. Takes a size seven in shoes, he does."

  Alison laughed into the phone. She was delighted to hear Daniel's voice again, but she wasn't sure how he felt about her and she was reluctant to ask. 'Play it by ear,'

  she told herself, but she still wanted to know.

  "How have you been keeping?" she asked sounded very formal indeed and wishing she could have said more and in a very different vein.

  "I'm always fine when Dillon is with me, but there is no other change in the circumstances. Are you well?"

  "As well as can be expected. I bumped into my ex this morning. I don't know if he would want to enquire about me." There was long drawn out silence on the phone when Alison said that. "Are you still there?" she asked and Daniel came back with an apology.

  "Sorry, Dillon just sneezed and I thought he looked strange for a moment. He's alright now. What was that you said?"

  "Oh! Nothing of importance."

  "You said something about your ex. Is that right?"

  "Yes, he was in the cafe this morning when I was on duty. Nothing of importance to tell you. He was concerned about me for some strange reason or another and I don't know why."

  "Perhaps he still loves you."

  "That's a big 'perhaps,' I can assure you. Ken never loved me. He loved what he thought I was but he soon tired of being the faithful husband."

  "You could have retaliated," said Daniel with a cheeky smile on his face, as he chuckled into the phone"You could have taken a lover. Lots of people who are married do that. It's quite common nowadays."

  Alison looked down before she spoke again.

  "For better, for worse; for richer or poorer; in sickness and in health," she said, "I think that covers it all, don't you? Daniel looked at his telephone very solemnly.

  "Some man's gonna get a wonderful wife in you, Alison," he said and Alison hoped he might add more, but he didn't.

  "I believe in the sacrament of marriage," she added, "I don't think you should bother getting married if you don't think it is something sacred. You might as well just live together," she said as she added his own interpretation and said, "It’s quite common nowadays ..."

  "You WERE brought up very strictly, I will agree with you there. Not many people think as you do today Alison. People have sex after having known each other for an hour or so. It's called 'friendship' ... Did you know that?"

  "And the number of divorces are increasing, I believe with this so called 'friendship'," she said and they both laughed together.

  "I don't really care what people do," she went on. Its none of my business and I would never moralize, but I feel sorry for the children who are born of such a fickle relationship."

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders and bent his head to one side, as he changed the telephone from one hand to the other.

  "What a pity your husband ... or rather your ex-husband didn't share your thoughts on marriage. You would have made a perfect couple and would probably have had about twelve children, yes?"

  It was Alison's turn to smile when Daniel said that.

  "I don't know about twelve," she said, "But I do love children and no matter how many we would have had, I would have been happy, but my ex. wasn't even into 'friendship'. He wanted sex and only that and any woman would have satisfied him.

  He could never stay with one woman, but he seems to be happier that way and if the women who go with him want the same, then good luck to them, I say, but they shouldn't ever wreck a marriage."

  Daniel was listening with his mouth wide open. He had never heard such philosophy before and particularly not from a woman ... or was it theology he was hearing. He shook his head and raised his eyebrows.

  "Well, professor and what will your next lecture be," he asked and Alison apologised for seeming to be so precise and correct in her thoughts.

  "I don't suppose I ever should have got married." she said, but Daniel shook his head.

  "Yours is the ideal and perfect world, Alison," he said, "but there are very, very few Alisons around these days."

  Alison looked sorrowful and hoped she hadn't put Daniel off marriage. She regarded him as the 'perfect' type for marriage and the last thing she wanted was for him to imagine that he was a failure in that regard ... not after two trial runs anyway."

  "I am sorry to have gone on," she said,"I should have been a nun perhaps, eh?"

  Daniel bowed.

  "Yes, Sister, or should I say, Reverend Mother?"

  They laughed together again, but as Daniel left Alison on the telephone that day, she was even more convinced that she might as well have become a nun for all the notice Daniel Roberts was going to pay to
her and any ideas of a relationship or 'friendship' went out the window.

  She went back to her flat with her tail between her legs and promised herself she would never ever lecture anyone on the subject of sex or relationships ever again, but the conversation she had with Daniel told her much of what she wanted to know and in particular what his relationship was with both his wives.

  Chapter Eight

  Two weeks after their last meeting, Alison had a telephone call from Daniel and she was relieved to know that she was at home in the flat and not at the cafe, where she possibly could have missed the call. As he spoke into the phone she was delighted, thinking she had made a conquest at last, be it ever so late in coming, but his tone was distant and worried.

  "Alison ... I have bad news," he said and Alison strained to hear what he had to say next. "It's about Dillon. He is in hospital with pneumonia. Rene and I have been there at the hospital with him all morning."

  "Rene? ... oh! yes of course, I had forgotten the name. How is the little boy? Is there anything I can do?" she asked knowing the inadequacy of her suggestion when his mother was with the little boy.

  "No. Thanks all the same. I just wanted to talk to someone about Dillon's condition and Rene is in shock. I can't talk to her. She blames me for Dillon's illness and it's no use me trying to explain. Rene just won't listen. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

  "No, no of course not, but I can't really interfere with Rene there at Dillon's bedside, can I? I mean if there is anything I can do without appearing on the scene, please let me know. I do so hope everything will be alright with Dillon. Is your second wife involved at all?"

  There was a long silence when Alison asked Daniel that question.

  "No, never her. Frieda hates the sight of Dillon. She never wanted children and always maintained that I spent more time with Dillon than I did with her. She was very clever when she tried to poison me against my son, saying that Dillon only wanted to see me when he wanted something ... money or that sort of thing. I almost believed her at one point as I was in love with her and as they say, love is blind, but that's something I have bitterly regretted since we obtained our divorce. Rene was no mother to Dillon either. She was far too busy with her artistic work to be bothered with him, but now that he is ill, it is all my fault that he is in hospital. I don't know where I'm at, at the moment"