The following morning Benny came awake in strange surroundings. It took him a short time to remember that he was in Felicity’s bed which was Queen sized and bedecked with pink silk sheets. He looked across but she was not in the bed.
He needed to pee so he felt on the floor for his pants which he used to belatedly cover his modesty. He then walked through the lounge to the kitchen where he found a note on the breakfast bar, “Gone to the shop. Back soon. F X.”
Benny looked at his watch and he saw that it was about 10.30am so he went to the bathroom and took a shower. He didn’t have to be anywhere until the afternoon and he was very comfortable in his present surroundings.
Frankly it did not bother him one bit whether he played cricket or not. He wasn’t much of a cricketer and he was only going to make the numbers up in the event that the team were short of players. Although he didn’t want to let the side down, he rather feared that he might!
Benny had only one imperative and that was to spend as much time with Felicity as he could. So he made a telephone call to the team Captain to sound him out. It seemed that it wasn’t an issue. The Captain told him that they didn’t actually need him anyway as they had managed to get enough players to make a team.
Benny rubbed his hands together and he returned to the bed and closed his eyes. He cast his mind back, reliving the events of the previous night, and how they had devoured each other. He reflected that there was nothing shy about Felicity as she apparently knew exactly what she wanted. She was her own woman and she did not necessarily hold with the notion that a lady does not have sex on the first date. Anyway, he reasoned, as they had had lunch two weeks ago she had probably comforted herself with the fact that, on any objective assessment, the lunch would have counted as the first date.
Upon rising from her bed Felicity had thrown on the bare minimum of clothing and she had dressed in jeans, T shirt and sandals. She was without bra and knickers and had just put a brush through her hair before leaving the apartment. She intended this to be a flying visit to the village to collect some eggs and bread. Felicity was smitten and she wanted to get back to the flat quickly in order to prepare a breakfast for Ben before he woke up.
On entering the village shop she saw that it was busy and having selected her purchases there was a long line at the till. This was mainly due to an elderly lady at the front of the queue who had wanted to discuss her varicose veins with the lady proprietor. Why do old people always want to turn a trip to the shop or the post office into a social event?
Felicity mentally scolded herself for her lack of empathy but she wanted to get back so that she could ensure that Ben would not escape. She had not finished with him and she intended to keep him captive for as long as she was able.
On her return to the apartment she quickly made Ben a cup of tea and took it to him with the morning paper. She ordered him not to move from the bed as breakfast would be served shortly. Felicity then returned to the kitchen and removed smoked salmon from the fridge which she laid out on two plates. She then took four large eggs which she scrambled and served with the salmon and buttered toast. She then returned to the bed with the food on a large tray.
Benny was grinning from ear to ear.
‘Something tickling you?’ She said.
‘No, just happy,’ said Benny. And he meant it.
They ate their breakfast. Benny had never tasted smoked salmon before and he found that with scrambled egg it made for a delicious combination.
‘You have to play cricket today, don’t you Ben?’
‘No. Not now. I’ve cancelled it. They have enough players so I’m not letting anybody down. To be honest they are probably better off without me.’
‘Have you got any plans today?’ asked Benny.
‘I only have to go over to my father’s house and walk the dog. He’s away at present in Ireland and my sister is normally so wrapped up in herself that she often forgets to exercise him.’
‘Do you want to come with me?’ said Felicity.
‘What breed of dog is he?’ asked Benny, cautiously.
‘Wayne? Oh he’s a springer spaniel.’
‘Wayne? What kind of name is that?’
‘Well he’s an Essex dog. We got him from kennels in Romford. The name seemed appropriate somehow.’
Following their breakfast Ben and Felicity spent some time engaged in mutual grooming after which they shared a shower. An hour later they left the apartment and drove the ten miles or so over to the village of Coggeshall.
Felicity’s father’s house was located on the main approach to the village at the end of a short lane. It was an imposing Georgian Country House, set in about an acre of land and fronted by a high wall with double gates. There was a beige MGB Roadster convertable parked on the gravel drive.
‘Looks like Sis is at home and you’ll have the dubious pleasure of meeting her. A word of warning Ben. She’s a bit potty and she gets herself into some terrible scrapes with unsuitable boyfriends. But she’s got a heart of gold.’
Felicity led the way around to the back of the house and on opening the kitchen door she shouted out,
‘Andrea! It’s me, Flick. Are you in?’
‘I’m upstairs.’ Came the reply.
‘Hope you are decent darling. I’m not alone.’ Felicity was then joined by a leaping hound who suddenly appeared from nowhere and started jumping around her, barking with excitement. This was obviously the dreaded Wayne who was so focussed on Felicity that he barely acknowledged Benny’s presence. ‘Good boy! Good boy.’ Felicity rubbed and stroked him. Wayne continued to spin around in front of Felicity with all of his energy apparently emanating from his tail.
‘He knows why I’m here, don’t you boy?’
They were then joined by a young woman who was dressed in a man’s shirt which was several sizes too big for her. She had nothing on her feet and apart from the fact that her hair was unkempt, she was a very much a junior version of Felicity.
‘Hello,’ she said with a seductive edge to her voice. ‘Who have we here?’
‘This is Ben,’ said Felicity.
‘Oh your policeman. Hello! Ooh you have done well. Lovely to meet you,’ said Andrea. Then with a stage whisper she said, ‘God. He’s a hunk isn’t he? Be gentle with him won’t you darling.’
‘Pay no attention to her Ben. I told you that she’s a bit loopy, didn’t I? Anyway, you little minx, who have you got upstairs?’
‘What makes you think that I’ve got someone upstairs?’ said Andrea.
‘The shirt for one thing darling, unless on top of all your other eccentricities you’ve taken to cross dressing.’ ‘It’s Karl actually. He stayed over last night. And before you ask, yes we are back on.’
‘Does his wife know that?’ said Felicity.
‘He is going to tell her as soon as he gets a chance.’ She said, defensively.
Felicity gave her a withering look. This was obviously the latest line that Karl had spun her. ‘Oh don’t start Flick. Please!’ ‘Nice to meet you Ben,’ she said. And then she was gone.
‘Right young man,’ said Felicity. She took the lead from behind the kitchen door and led Wayne into the garden. Benny followed on as if he was also being taken for “walkies.”
Felicity led the way to the bottom of the garden where she opened a wicket gate that led out onto a dirt track. She then crossed to a wheat field where she let Wayne off of the lead and he scampered off along the path to follow his own agenda.
‘That girl drives me mad. She believes everything that Karl tells her. He won’t leave his wife, you know. He’s just using her. If our father were to find out that she’d let him stay over, he would be bloody furious!’
They walked on in silence for a while with Wayne coming and going now and then to check on their progress. After ten minutes or so Felicity’s mood seemed to lighten.
‘There was one thing that I was meaning to ask you Ben.’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s a bit embarrassing
really. I hope you don’t mind me asking,’ said Felicity nervously.
‘Yes. Well ask away.’
‘Well. You are a very considerate lover and you have a lovely thing. In fact it’s quite the loveliest thing that I’ve ever seen,’ said Felicity. Benny was beginning to catch her drift but he thought that he would have a little fun and play it with innocence.
‘What thing do you mean Felicity?’
‘You know.’
‘No I don’t.’
‘Let me put this another way. You are of Jewish heritage. Am I right?’
‘Yes. Is that a problem?’
‘No. No problem. It’s just that you do not appear to have been circumcised.’
‘Oh that thing! I see what you mean now. Well I was actually circumcised as a baby,’ said Benny.
‘It doesn’t look as though you were.’
‘I know. But they do grow back, you know.’
‘Really?’ She said.
‘Oh yes. It can be very painful so one has to have it done again. I’ve had it done twice already, you know,’ said Benny, with a straight face.
‘Well. I didn’t know that. Are you going to have it done a third time then?’
‘Do you want me to?’
‘Well. It’s your Willy. What do you want to do?’
‘Think I’ll leave it as it is for now, if it’s all the same to you.’ He said.
‘Fair enough,’ said Felicity.
What a great girl, he thought. I suppose I’ll have to tell her the truth one day.
They walked for an hour or so and Wayne was well satisfied. He had managed to chase a few rabbits and flush out the odd pheasant from the undergrowth so, all in all, he was pleased with his morning’s work. After returning the dog to the house they went back to Dedham for lunch. Benny was still wearing the same clothes from the previous evening and he was becoming a bit worried that they might be starting to smell a bit so he took his leave.
But not before making a further visit to Felicity’s bed for a couple of hours.
Chapter 41 – Fat, Bones and Maggots.
It was Monday morning and Benny was alone in the CID office using a Dictaphone to record the details for the typists to type up a prosecution file for him. The task was always tedious in the extreme. There was a technique to it but the basic requirement was the ability to concentrate in peace and quiet with no interruptions. He had had a succession of phone calls most of which were for his colleagues and he was starting to reach the end of his tether.
Then the tannoy boomed out with the voice of Brenda, a young Cadet on attachment to the Division. ‘Control calling Mrs Norma Stizt of Social Services. If you are in the building please call extension 2222 I have a call for you. That’s Norma Stizt, Norma Stitz call extension 2222.’
It took Benny a mere second to twig that this was yet another wind-up being played on the Control room staff.
The tannoy boomed again with a tired sounding male voice, ‘From Control please ignore that last message.’
Benny gave up on the dictation telling himself that he would do it on the late shift the next day when things were bound to be a bit quieter. He sat, thought and chuckled to himself, “Norma Stitz!” That was a good one. Speaking of tits, he thought about Felicity and her breasts which were of medium size and beautifully formed. He had provided her with a thorough examination of that particular part of her anatomy and he was looking forward to conducting a further analysis in the near future.
He had not called her since Saturday but he would do so later in the day. He once again reflected on the fact that he was far from prosperous and that he would have to find an additional source of income in his spare time. The Force were facing cuts and overtime was difficult to come by. Furthermore the Force was not well disposed to “moonlighting.” He would have to speak to his brother David to see if there was anything he could do for him.
David was two years younger than Benny. He was doing well with his own small business for which he had acquired a three ton truck. His business involved the collection of old fat and bones from various Abattoirs and butchers shops in East London and Essex. David would take the loads to a depot near the West India Dock in Silvertown, where they would be emptied out on to the floor of a shed which was the size of an aircraft hangar. The waste would later be used for the manufacture of glue, soap and other products. It was back breaking work since it entailed loading and moving the waste products which had been packed into various old oil drums. Benny had helped David before and he knew what the job entailed and that it was all too easy to lose a finger shifting the drums around in the back of the lorry. However, although the work was physically demanding, it paid good money. Benny could stay with his brother for a couple of days at a time and it was always good craic being out in the lorry with him. The only real drawback was that after a day on the job they both stank to high heaven of rancid meat and the smell was hard to wash away.
It did, though, provide access to another little side line that might make Benny a few Bob. All that Benny would need was an old fridge but to make it work it would be essential for Benny to be in the hangar on a Monday morning.
As for Felicity, probably due to a lack of self-confidence on his part, Benny decided that the overall strategy to adopt would be to avoid seeing too much of her, for the present.
By all means speak on the phone every few days, he thought, but take her out once a week on a proper date to somewhere nice. That way I won’t spoil the relationship and she’ll look forward to seeing me.
Benny would, apart from attending work on duty days, do the round with David and develop a stronger financial basis on which he could fund a successful pursuit of the lady.
He decided that he would call David that very evening. In the meantime Benny went out to make an enquiry in the town centre and while he was at it he would take a tour of the local Fishing shops.
The day was fairly uneventful and he finished work just after 5pm. Before leaving the office Benny was able to use the office phone without being overheard. David answered the phone almost instantly and, after the usual greetings and update about all things “Family,” Benny told him about Felicity and the potential for financial embarrassment. He then asked David whether he could come on the round with him a couple of days a week.
‘Bloody Hell Benny!’ said David, ‘she must be some bird if you are prepared to go to those lengths for her mate.’
‘Yes Dave. She’s stunningly attractive and a cut above anyone else I’ve ever been out with.’
Benny told David about how they had met and the fact that she was Director of Deben Motors.
‘Couldn’t you get her to give you a job washing the cars?’ quipped David.
‘Oh yeah. That’d impress her no end. Very dignified.’
‘Just joking mate, anyway you’re in luck. The lad who normally helps me on the busy days is on holiday next week and he’s due to go to College so I was going to be struggling. But I would need you to be available on a Monday at least because that’s my busiest day.’ David went on to say that as he did not collect from the various butcher’s shops on a Saturday the Monday morning round would be a double load. This was music to Benny’s ears.
Benny considered the commitment that this would entail and he was sure that he could re-arrange his duties on a Monday morning if David was prepared to be flexible on when he wanted him for a second day during the week.
‘Are you still tipping into the same yard as before?’ said Benny.
‘Yeah, down in Silvertown, next to Tate & Lyles,’
‘And is the floor still completely covered with maggots on a Monday morning?’
‘Yeah,’ said David, ‘but the blokes running the yard hose them down before they start work and push them to one side.’
‘Any chance that they would let me collect a few?’
‘I’d think they would be only too happy for you to take as many as you want mate. What do you want them for anyway? You going fishing?’
‘No, but a lot of other people will be,’ said Benny.
He then went on to explain to David his plan for supplying Fishing shops throughout Essex with fresh maggots. He would need his brother’s help to store them in a fridge in his yard and to operate under his company name in the event that the shops were not prepared to deal in cash. He would give David a percentage of the profit. David was definitely up for this. The overheads were minimal and he was happy to help out his brother. It was agreed that Benny would work the following Monday and Tuesday and that he would be paid £6 per day. He could run his maggot business on the side for nothing.
The weekend came and went. Benny had seen Felicity on Saturday and she had volunteered to cook for him so that they could have a “nice cosy night in.” She had acquired “one of those new Video player things,” and she had a couple of tapes she had wanted to watch. Felicity was considering the possibility of installing video cameras to cover the forecourt of Deben Motors to provide extra security. This was an expensive proposition but given the high value of the vehicles held in stock it would be well worth the outlay. Apart from providing an extra deterrent against theft and vandalism it would dissuade the likes of Terry Carter and Taff Davis from attempting a “Con.”
Benny promised that he would carry out some research through the Force Crime Prevention Department and provide her with a Survey on which she could base her decision. He also told her that he would be spending some time helping his brother with his transport business as he was struggling with reliable staff who had let him down by being unable to get out of bed in the morning. He made no mention of fat, bones or maggots. That apart, the night was another passionate event. Felicity had prepared cod loin with Jersey Royal potatoes and peas in parsley sauce. Clearly she had been paying close attention when Benny had told her that this was his favourite meal and she was obviously making an effort to please him. In addition to many qualities Felicity was turning out to be a very good cook.
After the meal they curled up on the sofa and, after checking the instructions and learning the rudiments of the Video player thing, they watched a film called “The Graduate” starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. It was rather raunchy in parts and it set the tone for the rest of the night.
An Oik's Progress Page 18
