Just Another News Cast

"Tell me does that look like a husband who cheats on his wife. Annie was a nice woman and lonely as well, her husband died only eight months ago. I'd say she was just about ripe for an arsehole like Sheldon to take advantage of. But I ain't Sheldon. Now if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd pack your shit and get out of this house."

"Ian, you can't mean that. Where would I go?"

"Fucked if I know or care. I stopped caring when I saw the news this morning. Now pack and go before I lose control of myself."

"You can't mean that, Ian. We've been married nearly twenty years."

"Pity you didn't remember that last night, or even the first time you let the bastard fuck you. Perhaps Sheldon's missis will let you shack up with them. Did you think about her whilst he was fucking you."

"Please don't!"

"Hark who's talking. You made your bed, girl; now bloody go and lie in it. Look, I'm going down to the pub for a while. When I get back, please be out of this house."

I heard her call out, "Ian" as I walked out of the house. Locking my computer back into the boot of my car, I walked down to the pub where I tied one on a bit.

It was nigh on eleven o'clock when I returned home. Florette's car was gone; the house looked dark and empty. As I went in the door, I found myself greeted by the insistent ringing of the telephone.

"Mr Cumberland? A voice asked when I lifted the receiver.

"Yes!"

"Mark Thornton, head teacher at the music Academy here. I'm afraid we have a problem, Marinette has absconded."

"What?"

"She wasn't in her room at the ten thirty room check. All students are supposed to be in their dorm blocks by ten at the latest. Marinette was not there."

"Oh, I should imagine she's out with some friends somewhere and just lost track of the time. Kids nowadays have no idea...."

"No, no, Mr Cumberland she was seen getting into a car with a young man at about eight o'clock. We have found recordings of her on the video on that system your company supplied. It's a very good system, you know. It's saved us panicking more than once. Her friends said she'd been in a strange mood all day so they haven't seen much of her. But when we saw her getting in that car, well, we had to call the police and you. This could be very serious."

"What kind of car?"

"A small one, with a boy racer type of paint job. I'm afraid I'm not up to much on car models."

"Flames on the wheel arches and a dragon painted across the bonnet?"

"Yes, I think so. Do you know the vehicle?"

"Tell me, Mr Thornton, do your students watch breakfast television?"

"Well, they can. There are televisions in the dorm lounges. I suppose there's plenty of time for them to watch between breakfast and the first lesson."

"I think you'd better call off the hounds, Professor. We've had a domestic problem here at home and I think we are soon going to find out that Marinette and her brother are on their way home to try and help sort it out. I'd appreciate it if you'd place Marinette on compassionate leave for a few days."

"You're sure it was her brother in the car."

"As sure as I can be. There can't be many cars like that around. What time did you say they left?"

"It says five to eight on the screen."

"They should be here very shortly then, if my son drives as he normally does. He's quite conscientious behind the wheel. I'll let you know when they get here."

"If your sure, Mr Cumberland. I'll call the police off and leave it in your hands."

It was about twenty minutes later when that noisy exhaust pulling into the drive. The children found the front door open for them, on the latch.

"Daddy, where's mummy?" my daughter asked as she came into the kitchen, where I was sitting waiting for them.

"I haven't the faintest idea and I don't give a damn," I replied.

"You saw the news this morning then?" my son, Jack, asked.

"As I assume you two did as well?"

"I didn't. Marinette did and she called me to ask me what we should do. I thought we'd better have a long talk with mother."

"A bit late for long talks with her, I'm afraid. She's gone. I've thrown her out."

"But you can't throw her out just like that. This is her home," Marinette exclaimed.

"Oh, but I can and she knows it. We don't own this house. It's held in a family trust. I can live in it until I die. If your mother was married to me, which she won't be for very much longer, she could live out her life in it. Then either of you who wished to live in it could have it. If you don't want to live here, it will go to my sister or one of her children. You see whatever happens, after the divorce your mother has no claim on this house. She can go and shack up with her boyfriend."

"But Uncle Sheldon's married."

"Please don't call him Uncle Sheldon in my presence, Jack. Once I've divorced your mother and Sheldon's wife has divorced him, then if the two adulterers decide to set up house together and get married, you can call him dad or whatever you like. But in my presence don't call him anything."

"I'm sorry, Dad, but all I'll ever call him is a bastard for what he and mother have done to our family."

It looked to me like Marinette had cried herself out on the long journey home. But I had a job for her to perform.

"Now, young lady, you had better get on that telephone and call Professor Thornton and let him know you've arrived home safely. You've nearly given the poor man a heart attack."

I could see that Marinette wasn't too pleased at my request. So could her brother and it was he who stepped up to the plate.

I'll call him if you like, Marinette. I should have known better than to take you away without his permission," Jack said as he left the room to call from the lounge telephone.

"If you 1471 it, you should be able to use ring-back," I called out to him as he went.

"But where is mother, Dad?" Marinette asked again.

"I told you I don't know and I don't care. Call her on her mobile if you want to know so badly. But don't be surprised if a man answers."

Marinette got out her mobile and I noticed her turn it on.

"The Academy kept calling me, so I turned it off," she explained sheepishly.

"Mother, how could you do this to us?" Marinette suddenly demanded into the phone. Then there were a few moments of silence before she continued.

"I've never been so disgusted in my life."

"Is that supposed to be an excuse? Because it doesn't wash with me."

"No, I'm home with daddy and so is Jack."

"No, he didn't call us. I saw you on the television this morning. I nearly died. It was obvious you were naked under that bathrobe. It was disgusting. Luckily none of my friends at the academy recognised you, though. I'd never be able to look them in the face again."

"No, I don't want to see you or speak to you, for the time being anyway. I just wanted to know where you were and that you were safe. I think Jack and I will stay with Dad for a few days to make sure he's alright."

"You should have thought about that yesterday, Mother. It's all a bit late now, isn't it? And, Mother, just in case you're wondering, Jack and I had plenty of opportunity to talk on the way back home. We both think we'll be staying with Father if he'll have us."

"It's a bit late for crying, Mother. Isn't that what you always told us when we were younger? I'd better go now. I'm not sure how much credit I have on this phone and honestly I could say something I'll regret later."

"You'll have to call Jack and ask him, won't you. Goodbye, Mother." Marinette disconnected the call.

"A little harsh on her, weren't you?" I asked.

"No, Father, nowhere near as harsh as I would have been a few hours ago. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't found out already. Jack and I have been in a complete dilemma about whether we would be able to live with not telling you. I think the only way we could get away with that was never to come home again. Well, we came home so you know what we intended to do and how angry we are with Mother."

"She is your mother, Marinette, no matter what she's done."

"Oh, we still love her, but we don't have to like her or what she's done to you. To our family."

Jack suddenly called for Marinette to join him in the lounge, I think the professor wanted a word with her. She left me alone with my thoughts.

Over the next few days things got a little hectic. There were phone calls from Florette's sister and a couple of friends. Unfortunately I think just about everyone had seen that bloody newscast and there wasn't much they could say.

Florette found herself a solicitor who was pretty quick to try and argue over the house; once Ricky informed him about the conditions of the trust, he went quiet on that one. Florette got half - so she thought - of our net worth. The trust's existence should set you wise to the fact that my family has always been a little cute when it comes to money. There are quite a few foreign investments that the profits from are paid into offshore numbered bank accounts. To be honest, I'm not sure I know how much money there really is stashed away here and there. Still what the taxman doesn't know about, he can't waste on making war, can he?

Before the divorce was final, Sheldon had a nasty accident. Very strange that one was. Jack insisted that I accompanied him that day. I never could understand why he wanted to sit in the magistrates' court all morning. Several times he made comments that the magistrate almost threw him out over. It struck me later that those magistrates and the policemen on duty that day weren't going to forget us in a hurry.

I don't suppose it was just a coincidence that someone chose that morning to kick the shit out of Sheldon and throw down the stairs in the town's multi-storey car park. To be honest, he might have fell down the stairs as he was trying to get away.

The other strange thing was that Sheldon's wife sat in that magistrates court the same morning as well. You know I always did think that some of Jack's friends were a little questionable when he was younger.

Florette lived with Jenny and Joseph for a while and then apparently something happened. I don't know what it was but I do know they don't speak to each other anymore. Joe and Sheldon were very similar characters so I have to wonder. No, that's speculation and not being completely fair on Florette.

She lived in a little flat after that. I never went there but the children said it was a real dump. Florette did try to contact me on several occasions. I know she was hoping for a reconciliation. I suppose there might have been a faint chance, but for the fact she chose the wrong night to go out with some friends from work. She told the children later that it was the first time she'd had the courage to show her face in town.

Unfortunately she drank a little too much -- Florette never could handle her drink very well -- and she bumped into me and the young lady I was on the dance floor with. Florette for some reason was apoplectic that I was dancing with another woman. She accused us of sleeping together. Embarrassing for me, the young lady and her husband who was sitting that dance out at our table. Florette grabbed the nearest guy to her and asked him to take her home and fuck her. Actually he refused, as he was another member of the party I was with. But I have refused to acknowledge her presence or speak to her since.

Almost two years had passed since the divorce. Jack was home from college and still looking for a permanent job. Why are kids so damn choosy nowadays? Marinette was home for the Easter holidays and we'd taken a drive out in the country, looking for a different pub to grab a meal in.

It was Marinette who first noticed Jack, eyeing up the waitress, and she made some comment to him.

"Well, she is pretty. I think I could fall for her, " Jack replied.

My attention drawn to her, I found the waitress's face familiar and I had to think for a moment. Then I realised who she was. I remained silent on the issue until she came to take our order.

"Hello, Michelle, and how's Annie getting along?" I asked.

For a moment Michelle, Jack and Marinette were shocked into silence. My children had no idea how I could possibly know the charming young waitress as I'd told them that I'd never been in this pub before, and Michelle appeared to have no recollection of me either. But Michelle soon recovered and tried to continue the conversation politely.

"My mother's fine, thank you. Have you chosen what you'd like to eat?"

"I think my son, Jack, would like to eat you, actually. May I introduce you?"

"Daddy, don't be so rude!" Marinette exclaimed.

Poor Michelle had no idea what to say.

"Jack, this is Michelle Morris. Michelle I'd like to present Mr Jack Cumberland to you. He's quite well educated and house trained as well."

Michelle and.... Oh damn it, all the children had turned bright red for some reason or another. I sat there with a grin on my face.

"Mr Cumberland!" Michelle finally said. "Of course I remember you now. I'm sorry I didn't recognise you."

"But you remember the name, though."

"Mother has talked about you a lot."

"I'm flattered, but tell me why are you working here, Michelle. I thought you worked in the garage with your mother.

"There isn't much profit in selling petrol nowadays. We manage to keep the filling station open, but without the garage we are struggling. This doesn't pay much, but it helps."

"Let's see. Your brother was planning to re-open the workshop, wasn't he?"

"Well, if we can hang on until he finishes his training, yes, that's want he wants to do."

I turned and looked at Jack. "Well, how'd you fancy working in a country garage, Jack? Oh the bonus could be that you get to see Michelle here everyday. And I think the place would come with an enthusiastic apprentice. What do you think, Michelle? Jack's qualified and he hasn't found a garage he likes working in yet."

"I'm not sure. You'd have to speak to Mother."

"We will do that right after our meal."

We ordered and, during the meal, I told my children about my evening with Annie. Oh, and I offered to let them see the DVD's of that evening as well. Wouldn't like them to get the wrong idea of their father. It was Marinette's turn to surprise me; apparently she come across the DVD's in my computer desk draw and had watched them through time and again trying to understand why I had them.

We were still eating when Marinette said, "Oh, looks like you've got company, Father."

I turned to see where Marinette was looking and there was Annie just coming through the door. I must say she looked good squeezed into those jeans. I was on my feet before she saw me. With a big smile, she walked over to me and gave me a even bigger hug.

"I didn't think you were ever coming back," Annie said. Damn it the woman was crying. Oh, shit, so was I.

"I didn't want you to think I was on the rebound," I said to her.

"Damn it, man, I wouldn't have cared."

"Dad, this is embarrassing. Everybody is looking at you. Will you two love birds sit down please?" Marinette, whom I've had to watch as she hung all over some disgusting little toe-rag so many times over the previous couple of years, had the audacity to say to me.

Okay, where do we go from here? Is there any point in giving you the long story?

Annie and I were married four months later, and live in the bungalow beside the garage. Jack is living in a mobile home at the moment. We're waiting for planning permission to be granted for a second bungalow for him and Michelle to live in once they are married. They got engaged six months after our wedding.

The garage is doing fine now. Some foreign investor put a lot of cash into the place so that it could be modernised and there isn't any overdraft for Annie to worry about any more. Damn guy doesn't seem to be in any hurry for any dividend on his investment either.

Philip and Marinette get all gooey eyed and tongue tied around each other, but as Marinette is away playing with her orchestra most of the time they don't get together very often. They do spend a fortune on phone calls though. Annie and I have high hopes for them. We'll have to wait and see what happens on that one.

Florette? Well, she has bought a little cottage in the village and she works as a cleaner and waitress in the pub. I don't think it pays much but she gets to see Jack quite a lot. I still don't speak to her, but Annie does. Annie tells me that Florette knows what she lost.

Sheldon? Now here's where things really get weird. His wife divorced him and she shacked up with, and then married, a colleague of mine. From what I can understand Sheldon, moved in with his brother and Jenny. But the next thing you know the police are around asking where I was on one particular evening. Oh, they'd been around after Sheldon had his problems in the car park as well.

This time things were a little more serious, Sheldon had been run down by a car. The police thought he would never walk again. I think someone said he was walking on crutches now though. But here's the kick; he's living in Jenny's house and apparently Joseph is on the run from the law - with an attempted murder charge hanging over him.

Have you any idea just how much it costs getting a wanted man out of Europe? Canada is a big country, I'm told.

Life goes on.