Back to Bristol Ch. 16

"Well, obviously the big questions are what was the state of my mind at that time, and what influence did Susan have, and what was it that made Peter acceptable?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Well, apparently she thinks there are tests that I can do, even this long after the event, that will tell us something about how I felt, how I reacted, all those years ago. That assumes that I can remember what I felt and did to the extent of answering questions. Heather's researching it at the moment."

"Oh. Well I guess we'll have to wait."

"And she wants to meet you and talk to you at sometime."

"Oh No she's doesn't. I told you, I don't do talking about my bed wetting at the age of two, or whether you fucking Peter gives me a hard on, or it just reduces me to tears."

"I know the answer to that one, and it didn't do anything for your trouser department."

"Do I hear a tinge of regret? That a threesome was in your dreams."

"Certainly not. I've read and fantasised a lot in the last four years, mainly around you. But the idea of sharing you, or of you sharing me is one of the biggest turn-offs I can think of. In some ways, I think it might have helped if I didn't feel so strongly about that. It really gets to me that I went to bed with the wrong man for four years. I dread to think what it does to you."

"Well, it certainly doesn't give me a hard-on."

But whilst the conversation had taken this sexual turn, I asked, "Just so as I know, there aren't any photo's or video's of you or you and Peter are there? Anything that could turn up on the Internet from an angry Peter?"

"Good Heavens! No. If I wasn't willing to even give him a blow job, even he saw it as pretty unlikely that I'd pose for nude photo's. He never even tried asking."

"Good. I just wondered. If you remember, I took some of you on that very first digital camera I had. I seem to remember you got into it even more than I did."

"I might have." She answered, and I could see she was smiling.

"Whatever happened to those photo's?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

"I destroyed them, or I hope I did. There was a copy on a CD in our bedside draw. I got rid of that. Were there any other copies?"

"No. That was it."

After a pause, I asked, "So, back to what we were talking about. What does Heather want with me?"

"I've asked that when she talks about how she thinks I ended up marrying Peter, if she ever does, then she should tell both of us. That's all."

"Oh. That's OK. I'd like to hear that. Anything to explain that little mystery of life."

After that we continued to meet every Tuesday and Thursday to talk. And those talks were good. We talked about anything and everything. Of course, when we talked about her married life to Peter I hated it, but I saw similar strain on her face when I talked about Helene. If I was honest, I talked about Helene quite a bit and quite lovingly, there was an element of revenge in those discussions. But I suspected Molly knew that, and just accepted it.

No, the real story at this time came from the people around us. Ralph did go and see Susan on the Wednesday, after Molly and I had dined with Mum and Len on the Tuesday. According to Molly, he got nowhere. She was adamant that what she had done was unfortunate but necessary to preserve her family, and that was acceptable in her eyes. Her view of Ralph's holiday to Madeira was that it was an opportunity for him to calm down and see everything in a more reasonable manner, and she was certainly not going to go travelling to foreign places just to talk to a husband who didn't understand her. So, off he went on his holiday, alone.

It was the Friday afternoon of the next week that I got a phone call from Molly, at about four o'clock in the afternoon. I was holding a routine meeting in my office, but was more worried that we had our American partners visiting, and we wanted them to license us for a couple of new products. But, it was so unusual for Molly to phone me, that I excused myself and took her call.

"Hello, Chris?" She sounded as if she was in a panic.

"Yes, Molly, what is it?"

"It's Susan. I went to collect the boys from school, and when we got back she was sitting in her car on the drive."

"Where are you now?"

"In a lay-by just up the road from the house, you know the one?"

"And the boys are with you?"

"Yes."

"OK. You've got a key to my place. Take the boys and give them something to eat, then go to my place. If necessary they can sleep there for the night. And I'll get to you as soon as I can."

I went out to Carole's desk. "Carole, I have a problem. Susan, Molly's mother has turned up and Molly is going to be hiding in my flat with Jamie and Ben. I need to leave as soon as I can."

I heard Carole say, "Shit happens." under her breath, but she looked up and smiled reassuringly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Well, it's not an emergency. Molly can take the boys out for something to eat, and they are all quite safe. But I ought to get there as soon as I reasonably can."

"She shouldn't be scared of her own mother."

"I don't think she is. I think she's scared of what they might say to each other. But, you're right. Molly has to see Susan and tell her exactly what she thinks of her. It'll be better for both of them in the long run." I paused and did some thinking, "OK. This meeting can go on without me, I'll kick them out and into the boardroom, if it's free?"

Carole nodded, so I continued, "Can you go down stairs and see Bill Elswood? The Americans are with him, but I've got to see them before they go, and they're catching a plane back to the States tomorrow. So, tell him to find a convenient point to bring them up to my office, and I'll do my bit, and then he can look after them until they go back to their hotel. I was thinking of inviting them to dinner; if Bill can do that, or John Wheeler, then all well and good, but I'm definitely not."

"OK. Anything I can do for you and Molly. Gouge that bitches eyes out for instance?"

I smiled, "I don't think that would help somehow..."

"I'd just like to give her a piece of my mind. I'm a mother, and it makes me sick to think about what she played at...."

"I agree, but the best person to tell her is Molly, and it's my job to see that she does, or at least has the opportunity to do so."

I went back into my office, and apologised and shifted that meeting into the boardroom without me. Then I sat and waited for the Americans.

That meeting went very well. Of course, Carole was superb; from somewhere she'd managed to find an excellent Dundee cake to go with our cup of tea, I suspect the Americans thought that I always stopped in the middle of the afternoon for tea and cake. And after about three quarters of an hour, she came in to say that both John Wheeler and Bill Elswood would be delighted to take them all to dinner, and she had already booked the restaurant and arranged cars. That broke up their meeting with me, and I could pass them on downstairs.

I got home not long after five thirty, and Molly and the boys had just arrived and were watching television.

Molly looked seriously worried. Apparently Susan had left eight unanswered messages on Molly's phone in the last hour. Eventually I managed to convince her that there was only one real solution and that was for her to talk to Susan, face to face.

Molly had Susan's cell phone number, and I phoned it.

Susan answered with a suspicious, "Hello."

"Hell, Susan. It's Chris..."

You could hear the mixture of anger and disappointment in her voice. "What do you want?"

"I understand you are looking for Molly."

"Yes. She's my daughter, and I want to see my two boys."

"They are not your two boys, they are Molly's and my sons. And I don't want them seeing you."

"They're my grandsons, and I have a right to see them."

"No you don't. I have joint custody of them, and I object very strongly to them being exposed to an immoral person like you. And if I have to, I'll fight you through every Court in the land to ensure that you never see them."

"You can't say that. You wait until I tell Molly. Then she'll see you for the arrogant man you really are."

"Well, you won't have to bother to tell her, she's standing right next to me."

That obviously surprised her, and there was a pause, but then she recovered, "Well, put her on the phone. Or are you banning me from talking to my own daughter?"

"No, certainly not. That's why I phoned, to arrange for you to meet her. I assume you'd like to meet her?"

"That's why I'm here. Put her on."

"No. But have you got a pencil and paper, and I'll give you an address where you can meet."

There was a pause, and then she said Yes. So I gave her my address and told her to be there at seven o'clock. I gave her no options, and I just rang off.

I looked at Molly and smiled, "I don't think she likes me very much."

She smiled weakly, but then she asked, "Can we ..... should we stop her seeing the boys?"

"I only said it to illustrate that we meant business. She has to realise that you and the boys are not at her beck and call. But, it's up to you. If you can mend your fences with her, then I guess we'll have to see her sometimes. She'll enjoy seeing me having to let her see the boys. She's your mother, you have to decide, and I'll support your decision."

We worked out that to be at my flat by seven o'clock, Susan would have to be leaving her house sometime around six thirty, so at that time I put the boys in my car and set out for Susan and Ralph's place, leaving Molly to face her mother.

I'd just finished getting the boys to bed, tidying up the bathroom after the hurricane had hit, and putting their laundry in the basket when Molly was knocking at the front door. That fooled me for a moment until I remembered that I had her key.

She looked better than I expected, but she still fell into my arms for a reassuring hug.

"How did it go?" I asked.

"Horrible. I helped myself to some of your brandy afterwards, but it was whisky. I don't like whisky, but it wasn't too bad."

I smiled to myself, I knew it was good stuff, "It's 21 year old Balvenie. Do you need another, whatever Ralph keeps?"

"No. A coffee would be fine."

We went into the kitchen and she set about making some coffee. I asked, "Did she show any signs of concern that Ralph is on the point of divorcing her?"

Molly shook her head, "None at all. I don't think she's thought for a moment that he will do that. She spoke as if he was a bit upset, but he'd get over it. I think she's got a nasty shock coming, assuming he comes back from Madeira in the same mood as he left."

"But that remains to be seen." I observed.

She finished making the coffee, and we sat down on opposite sides of the kitchen table, "OK, so what did she want, if it wasn't to cry on your shoulder about Ralph?"

Molly took a calming breath, "I think she really came as an ambassador for Peter. She tried all the tricks she used four years ago. He was such a loving and nice man, and I wasn't being fair to him in not giving him a second chance. In fact I was downright cruel to have a solicitor reply to his heartfelt plea for reconciliation." She looked up at me and shrugged.

"I take it that did nothing for you? I hope it didn't."

"No. I told her that I didn't love him, and the best thing for both of us was to get a quick and easy divorce."

"But she wouldn't take no for an answer?"

"Hardly. As pleas on his behalf wouldn't work, she turned on you. You hadn't taken me back and that you never would. You'd deserted me and divorced me four years ago, and she doubted if anything has changed your mind since. When I told her that you'd hardly been given a chance what with her lies and stopping me ever coming to see you, and her trick with the letters, she didn't look guilty, not for a second. She didn't like it, but her response was that when the boys grew up, I would understand. Then she turned it against you. Not only didn't you forgive me, but when she raised the hurdle, all you did was walk away. You were a fair-weather husband. And what was more, her final reason for what a terrible husband you would make was just look at what happened. If I'd remained married to you, you would have dragged me and the boys off to London, and worst still, off to Holland for two years."

"God! What a bastard I am. I look forward to the horse's head on my pillow in the morning."

"Oh! She also wanted to know if you were living here with me. When I said No. She said that if you ever tried it, it was her house, and she'd be in Court faster than you could believe to have you ejected."

"That's just a childish response because I threatened her with Court if she came near the boys. Ignore it."

She smiled, "Well, at about that point, I lost it. I really began to attack her. I guess it was her attacking you that got me really upset. But I threw everything at her, about how she'd tricked and cheated to get me to go with Peter. I accused her of trying to prostitute me. About her lying to Ralph, about her collusion with Peter, I threw everything at her. I told her she was a selfish bitch and a disgrace to motherhood. But it was like water off a duck's back. I ended by saying that I wanted her to go, and that I never wanted to see her again, and that I would never let the boys go anywhere near her."

"How did she take it?"

"I think I shocked her. She left quite stunned at the force of my response, saying: But I'm you're mother." Again she shrugged.

"And how about you."

"Relieved, I think. But the really sad thing is that I meant every word. I hope she comes to realise that. I actually hope that I've seen the last of her, I don't ever want to see her again. I hope that Ralph does divorce her, it would be so much easier."

"Well, let's hope she doesn't hang around and make a nuisance of herself." I said. "Was she off, back to Weymouth?"

Molly looked up, "I didn't ask, but my guess is she's off to report back to Peter, but I don't know."

"And I wonder what he will do, now that he's used up the Susan tactic."

Suddenly, Molly looked at me, with a lot of concern in her eyes. But then just as suddenly, she burst into tears. I guess the enormity of the evening finally got to her. I went round the table and just hugged her.