Daniel's Story

by Paul Kelly

  "A big one, " said Alison as she bent down to be nearer the little boy and hoped that Daniel would appreciate her offering. After all, he wouldn't know, but that was her best percolator. The other one at her flat was an old one that she kept in a cupboard as a reserve in the event that her new one might break down. Daniel crossed his legs and tucked his dressing gown under his knee.

  "Thank you Alison," he said, " and do please forgive me for being so rude. I'm just a little on nerve today, but please stay and have coffee with us."

  Alison sat down on a chair near the sofa, hoping she could spread the time out with her coffee to correspond with Frieda's visit, but she didn't have to wait long. Frieda arrived before the coffee was on the tray and Daniel quickly ushered Alison into the bedroom, trying to explain that she couldn't be seen when his visitor arrived and Dillon watched the movements from lounge to bedroom before he answered the door.

  Alison sat on the unmade bed and ruffled the pillows . She was strongly tempted to look around the bedroom to acquaint herself with some of the things that must have been so close to Daniel, but time was limited and after a few seconds later she could hear the raucous female voice in the lounge and she guessed it would be Frieda as she tried to get as near to the door as she could to hear all that was being said. It was difficult, but she managed. Her determination assisted her greatly. Daniel's voice sounded faint in comparison to the screaming of the visitor and within a few seconds the bedroom door opened and shut quickly, after Dillon came in to be beside Alison and away from the row.

  "I'm frightened," the little boy whimpered, "I wish that woman would leave us alone and never come back." he said and Alison hugged him closely to her as he started to cry.

  "Sssh darling," she whispered, "I need to know what's being said if I am to help daddy, don't I?" Dillon dried his tears and nodded.

  "Will you go in and throw her out?" he asked and Alison had to smile.

  "Hardly, darling, but I might be able to gleam some evidence that will help daddy in the not too distant future. Wait and see and listen quietly with me."

  Both figures in the bedroom crouched down together by the door and Alison produced a little notebook and biro pen from her handbag, whilst placing her little tape recorder at the ready.

  "I hope this picks up what we want to hear," she whispered to Dillon, but the little boy cupped his mouth to her ear.

  "Frieda talks very loudly ... Much louder than daddy does," he said and Alison raised her eyebrows in hope.

  "I can't give you any more. You must realize that," came a mumbled voice from the lounge and Alison knew it to be Daniel who was speaking, but the voice that followed, didn't want to accept anything that had been said.

  "You can and you WILL," Frieda barked. "I know you hide behind this bloody MS thing, but I don't care about that. I have my health and that's all that matters to me, so let's get down to business. Where's your bank statements."

  Alison could not believe her ears and young Dillon stuck his fingers in his mouth as he stared up at her from where he was squatting on the floor and the little tape recorder buzzed on.

  "I don't have any bank statements in the flat. You know I always kept them with my accountant, so why are you asking this ridiculous question. I suggest you leave now before I get even more angry.”

  "Oh! That would suit you fine, wouldn't it, if by any chance I should make you angry. Maybe you could hit me then. That would make some exciting evidence in the court, wouldn't it?"

  "I wouldn't hit you and well you know that. I have never struck a woman in my life and I'm hardly likely to start now. Now will you leave please ..."

  "Oh! always the gentleman, eh? Too much of a gentleman for me, Danny Boy. I like my man rough and ready. I don't know why I ever agreed to marry you, but enough said. When we've finished, I'll have what you have in the bank, plus any other little bits you might have stacked away and of course, I'll have this flat too and the house we shared which is still in your name. I hope you're still paying the mortgage as I don't want to be left with anything like that."

  Alison was busy writing in her little notebook the points that she thought might help Daniel as she could hear that Frieda was indeed very demanding and extremely greedy. It seemed she wanted to strip Daniel of everything he had and she wished she could have stepped out of the bedroom and confronted her, but she knew that would be unwise at that moment and that she would do better with her notes ... and of course, Dillon as her witness ... and her little old tape recorder which had seen better days in the far distant past was happily making a purring sound.

  "I have the boy to look after. You know that," came the muffled voice from Daniel and Frieda responded angrily.

  "That brat is no concern of mine. He's yours and that other bitch you had before me," she screamed and Alison could hear Daniel's voice much louder when Frieda spoke as she did.

  "Don't you dare refer to my son in that way. I told you I have never ever struck a woman, but if you go on like this ... I don't know what I might do. Get out of my flat. I don't feel too well at the moment"

  Alison hoped Daniel would contain himself, despite his anger. She hoped he wouldn't lay a finger on Frieda, even if she deserved it, as it would go badly in court if he was known to strike anyone. Her old tape recorder kept turning and she hoped it would pick up all that was necessary and nothing that would incriminate Daniel, but the more she listened to the conversation that was going on in the room next door, the more she realized that Daniel was the man that she wanted to be with, for the rest of her life.

  "daddy won't hit her, will he?" Dillon whispered and Alison stroked his hair.

  "No," she whispered. "For once Frieda was right. Your daddy is a gentleman and gentlemen don't hit ladies ... but another lady would do it, I suppose."

  Dillon chuckled and Alison put her hand gently over his mouth to silence him. "Listen," she said and concentrated on her notes.

  "I have a lot to say before I go," shouted Frieda "and you'll hear me out regardless of how you feel. I'm used to your whinging when ever anything upsets you, but I'm going to make you feel that you had never met me, darling boy. You listen to what I have to say, but before I go on. I noticed there was a strange woman in the flat the last time I came. Abigail, I think her name was or something as common as that." Daniel ignored the name that Frieda mentioned. He was tired and Alison could sense that from the sound of his voice. "Are you seeing another woman?" Frieda barked and Alison was wondering what answer Daniel would give as she stared at the tape recorder. Would he commit himself in any way, she wondered as she tightened her fingers around Dillon's hand, but he did not respond to Frieda's question.

  "I asked you a question Danny Boy " Frieda went on. "Answer me when I talk to you and don't sit there like a bloody dummy."

  At this point Alison could take no more and she opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the lounge. Frieda was surprised as she stared at her.

  "Aha!" she exclaimed, "So not only are you seeing this ... this person, but you're sleeping with her as well, Well now, that's something we must take notice of, mustn't we darling?" she snorted sarcastically and sneered at Alison.

  "The name is Alison, not Abigail," said Alison as Dillon grabbed her hand. "I am not sleeping with Daniel, not that it is any of your concern, but as you can see, Dillon and I were together in the bedroom. I was looking at his toys."

  Frieda stared at Alison and then at Dillon.

  "You're not into children as well, are you dearie?" she snapped and Daniel stood up.

  "Get out. Get out of my flat and don't come back," he said and Frieda shrugged her shoulders.

  "I’ll get out, " she snapped, "but I'll be back to take what's mine for starters ... You'll see"

  With that she left the flat, banging the door behind her and Daniel turned to Alison.

  "I'm sorry you had to se
e that," he said as Dillon ran forward and threw his arms around his daddy, but Alison dismissed the apology as she showed Daniel her little tape recorder. He looked at it in surprise as if he didn't know what it was.

  "I've got notes on everything that was said," Alison stated with an air of authority and Daniel looked even more surprised. It was Dillon who brought him into the picture.

  "Daddy, Alison made some notes in her note book about what Frieda and you were talking about, should you need that information for the court case which is due soon. She also has everything down on tape."

  Daniel frowned for a few moments before his face broke out in a large smile.

  "I should be wild with you for doing this," he croaked with a husky voice, "but I am glad you did. Maybe I'll have a little more going for me now than I had before as I was dreading this court case business as I hate putting anyone down, even if it is Frieda."

  "But she would pull you to bits, Daniel. She's merciless. You must realize that by now."

  Daniel wrinkled his brow and nodded his head in agreement,

  "Yes, you're right, but you are what you are and there's nothing you can do about your nature. Left to myself in court, I would have hung my head and let her get on with it. In the past, when we were together as a married couple, she always wore the trousers and could never be told what to do. She was never wrong, was the incommunicable Frieda. and she’s chosen one of the best lawyers, as far as I can understand. His name is Cohen, Maurice Cohen.”

  “But that must be very expensive I would have thought,” added Alison as she sipped her coffee.

  “Well yes and no. Frieda‘s parents are fairly wealthy I think. Her grandmother is, or rather was ... as she was the one who left us £50,000 as a wedding present in her will and we put that down as a deposit on the house.”

  "Can we finish our coffee now?" asked Alison with a large beaming smile on her face, “We seem to be talking so much about money and that is far out of our reach, I would say. Here’s to better days.”

  Daniel sat down again on the sofa with his hands folded carefully across his knees, hoping to apologise for monopolizing the conversation.

  "I should have dressed before you came, dear lady," he said, as he looked down at his dressing gown, "but this will teach you that you have to make an appointment, won't it?"

  It was only after Alison had left the flat and had walked a fair way down the street outside that she realized she had left her notes and her tape recorder behind. She didn't want to go back and start the issue going again and she realized that the 'evidence' would be safe in the flat, as only she and Dillon knew where the things were and what was in them.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Alison met Rosie at 7.30 that evening in the cafe. It was a quiet evening and there were only a few customers who seemed to have nothing else to do but sit around chatting in the cafe and without any other thought of what to do with their time. "Are you feeling any better now?" asked Alison as she could see, that despite her enthusiastic hopes that Rosie looked anything but happy. Rosie sighed and looked dreadful as she held her hand against her tummy.

  "I should feel better, I suppose, since I told Ken that I didn't think our relationship was working out."

  "And what did he say to that, Rosie?"

  "He didn't seem to show any feelings one way or another. All he said was he would see me regularly whatever I decided to do, but he insisted again that he didn't want to be committed."

  Alison was wild when Rosie said that.

  "He doesn't want to be committed but he'll take all you can give him in the way of sex, alright. That's for sure."

  Rosie could not deny what Alison had told her, but she was very sad, thinking that she had made such a big mistake in her life, especially as she truly believed that Ken Royle really loved her.

  "I told him I'm going to keep the baby, Alison. He didn't seem very pleased but he said it was up to me and that whatever I did, he would always be there for me," she said and Alison threw her arms in the air.

  "Be there for you, whatever you did, Rosie," she screamed, "Does that mean he will marry you when you've had the child?"

  "I don't think he meant he would marry me Alison. I think what he meant was that he would be there if ever I needed him for anything else. He was very kind in saying that, I thought."

  "Oh, Rosie, for God's sake wake up. Ken Royle will be there when HE needs you. That's what he means. He's a womaniser, I tell you and you'll only be one of many, although I'll never know how he does it. He's not a looker, despite what you think and his lovemaking is pathetic."

  Rosie looked sad as she thought of what she imagined life to be like with Ken as her long term partner. It was a like a dream to her; a dream that had turned into a nightmare and Alison could feel her sorrow as she tried to change the subject.

  "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Rosie and you are too good a person for him to spoil your life. Within a very short time, you'll forget about him and have a lovely life with someone new. You wait and see."

  Two days later when Rosie had decided to take Alison's advice, even if she found it hard to do so, as she knew it would be when she was still in love with Ken, Dillon phoned Alison and asked her to come and see him as he had a little trouble that he wanted to discuss and of course, Alison was there without the slightest delay.

  "What's the trouble?" she asked as the little boy opened the front door to her and asked her to come in to the flat quickly so that he could close the door.

  "Its that Frieda again, Alison. She keeps phoning daddy and I answer the telephone if he is having a little nap."

  "And what has she got to say for herself this time, Dillon?"

  Dillon bit his lip and looked very shy which made Alison think it might be something 'naughty' that a little boy wouldn't want to talk about.

  "Is it something that little boys shouldn't talk about? Is it?" she asked, but Dillon still remained silent for a few seconds as if he was holding his breath. "Look, I have a pen here in my handbag, so you can write it down for me if you like," Alison went on, but the little boy shook his head.

  "If I tell you, you won't say anything to daddy, will you?" he asked and Alison stroked her heart and promised she wouldn't breath a word to anyone.

  "She wants to kill him," Dillon said and Alison staggered a little before she sat down on the sofa.

  "She wants to WHAT?"

  Dillon looked away and studied the bedroom door where he knew his daddy was resting.

  "Please don't talk so loud, or you'll wake him," he said and Alison took the little boy on her knee.

  "Dillon, this is a very serious thing to say. You do know that, don't you, darling?"

  "Yes, I know that Alison, but it is what Frieda shouted down the phone, when I think she thought it was daddy who was listening and also the way she said it."

  "Did she sound angry or was she just joking, do you think?"

  Dillon thought for a few moments before he answered Alison.

  "I think she must have been angry, Alison from the words she used. She used the 'f' word. Do you know what that means?"

  Alison grinned and gave Dillon a hug.

  "A word that you and daddy would never use ... Nor would I, unless ..."

  "Unless what Alison?"

  "Unless I was talking to this old witch, Frieda. That's when I'd use it, but I'd have to be heavily provoked.

  At that moment, Daniel appeared from the bedroom, stifling a yawn.

  "Oh Hello Alison. I didn't know you were here. Dillon, did you offer Alison a cup of coffee," he said, nodding towards the coffee percolator that Alison had given them, but Dillon heaved his shoulders , explaining that he had been 'too busy' but that he would do it right then. Daniel invited Alison to sit down as he pulled his dressing gown around him and sat on the sofa.

/>   "I suppose you have a good reason for this visit, Alison. Have you?" he asked and Alison made her excuse that she wanted to see Dillon again and to see if the percolator was working O.K.

  "Dillon's fine, but I rather think he has told you of the telephone call from Frieda, hasn't he?"

  Alison stared at Daniel in surprise. She felt sure that Dillon didn't know that his father has heard the conversation until Daniel satisfied her curiosity.

  "I have an extension in the bedroom," he said "and although I didn't hear all that was being said, I thought it might be Frieda and I checked on the 1471 call to make sure that it was she."

  “And it was?"

  Daniel sighed heavily and raised his eyebrows.

  "Yes, she's going to kill me, I understand, so I gather from that statement that she doesn't like me very much."

  Alison looked down at the carpet, afraid of what she might say next, but ready to suggest anything that might help.

  "Daniel ... do you think she was serious and was it just an idle threat? You know what they say about a woman scorned, don't you?" Daniel nodded and bit his lower lip.

  "I think she would wish me dead," he went on, "but only after she's got what she wants from the divorce. I'd be no use to her dead if she got nothing, would I? and anyway, I don't think even my death would give her any satisfaction without all my worldly goods and shackles, do you?"

  "Daniel, I am serious. Do be careful of that woman. I think, if I may say so ... I think she may be a little unbalanced, What do you think?"

  Daniel smiled when Alison said that.

  "Yes, I think you may be right, but they won't see that in court when she simpers and cries in her very feminine way of doing just that, for the public. She's not such a dragon when she's trying to act like a lady. Why do you think I married her in the first place? I thought she was beautiful and talented and ... Well, I married her after all, didn't I?"

  Alison thought more carefully about what else to say to Daniel as she could see that he was distressed and that there appeared to be nothing he could do about it.