The Video Tape Ch. 08

"Kathy was saying that you might be having a nice little flat to sub-let and I was thinking it might be in a nicer part of town than where I live now. And, of course it would be closer to the girls," Pat answered, still grinning at me.

"Kathy could be right there, Pat," I replied.

"Good. Give us your flat keys and we'll go and get you stuff in Dad's truck, It'll save you going," Kathy said holding out her hand.

"But you don't know where it is."

"Flat 12, Victoria Place!" Margo announced. "If Stella hadn't brought you home, we'd have been waiting there for you after work. Now let's have those keys and we'll get going."

+++++++++++++++++++++

Well, they did. They had me moved back into the house in a couple of hours. Stella took Bridget home with her that night and left Emily and me alone together. Like a second honeymoon.

There were a lot of things that Emily and I should have discussed, but we didn't. For the time being at least we'd put everything behind us and looked only to the future. And for the next eight or nine months or so everything did look like it was working out wonderfully for us. Well, I thought so. I know I was as happy as I had been when Emily and I had first married.

It was very strange to get back to regular love making with the woman you love, especially when she'd been so close, but so far away for sometime.

Over the following months Emily was reintroduced to all the members of my family, with a lot of embarrassment on my family's side and a very forgiving and willingness to forget attitude on Emily's behalf; things went quite smoothly. Bridget always made sure she was in attendance and with the help of Kathy and Margo who she always managed to rope in when the occasion required. The girls managed to work in some extremely subtle changes to the subject being discussed sometimes.

Things didn't go anywhere near as smoothly with Emily's family though; there was a strained atmosphere when her own family visited us. They came over quite often to see their grand daughter. It wasn't surprising really; they had taken my side in the divorce all those years ago and had virtually cast Emily out.

I know they hadn't been around when Emily needed them. But then again, neither had I. But I'm pretty sure Emily is never going to forgive their behaviour.

Things at home were going pretty good, although Emily was still seeing Margo's counsellor friend, Darren. I got to know the guy quite well as he and Margo had gotten engaged in the ensuing months.

Everything appeared to be going well but! There always has to be a "but", doesn't there? Then the first of the trials for those guys came up and I very soon began to pick up that Emily was worrying about something again. It was those little furtive looks in my direction that I caught now and again, and she had turned very jumpy. Something about her whole demeanour told me she wasn't happy again.

When I asked Emily what was wrong, she denied there was any problem and said it was down to pressure at work. Bullshit, because I'd enquired of her boss and he'd assured me that there was nothing she could be worrying about at the office.

The next obvious person to talk to was Darren. But you know what his answer was: patient confidentiality. He couldn't discuss Emily's case with me and he went as far as saying he was not going to tell Emily I'd enquired. In saying that, it was obvious to me that he knew what Emily's problem was and that it was something she didn't want me to be aware of. I won't go into how I came about that conclusion, but to me it was obvious.

I did talk things over with Stella, Kathy and Margo, and each of them tried to talk to Emily about it, but she wouldn't open up to them either. Darren stonewalled Margo on the subject as well.

It was Kathy who came up with the idea of me asking Pat to have a chat with Emily, to see whether she'd open up to him. As I said Emily had only tentative contact with her own family. Pat had not only been playing a father figure to Margo and Kathy, but appeared to have taken Emily and myself under his wing as well.

Pat had taken to playing golf with me on most Sunday mornings. Talk about surprise, he'd wiped the floor with me the first few times I'd played a round against him. Certainly made me pull my socks up and look to my game, I can tell you.

So one Sunday after our game I tackled the subject of Emily with him at the nineteenth. I told him that I was sure that something was worrying her and whatever it was I was beginning to worry that it involved me. I told him I didn't want to lose her again.

Pat said he'd try to talk to Emily about it, when the opportunity presented itself. But he went on to tell me that he would respect any confidence that Emily placed on him. I told him that I would expect him to, but he should impress on Emily that I was worried that something could come between us again and I didn't want that to happen.

A strange atmosphere developed in the house over the next few weeks. I'd already cancelled my morning newspaper delivery, and Bridget and I tried to avoid newscasts on the television. I'm not sure that it was a good idea or whether Bridget picked up the idea from me. I was trying to shut out any mention of the big court case going on, in case it upset Emily. I'm pretty sure that Emily knew what we were doing, but she didn't say anything.

One afternoon I was sat in the office when Stella took a call from Pat. The call was short with Stella, after she'd said hello to Pat, saying little more than affirmatives.

"Pat wants us to meet him at his flat right away. Emily is going to collect the children today," she said as she replaced the handset.

I think I just looked at Stella.

"Sounds to me like he met Emily at lunchtime. This could be what you've been waiting for."

"But am I going to like what Pat tells me?"

"Think abut it, Tony, if it was something that you didn't want to hear, would Pat tell you?" Stella suggested.

"If it was anyone else but Pat, I might agree with you. But with Pat I'm not so sure," I replied.

"I'm sure he's got Emily and your best interests at heart."

"Emily's I'm sure of! Mine? Well, let's just say Emily's I'm sure of," I replied as I picked up my jacket.

+++++++++++++++

Fifteen minutes later Stella and I were sitting in the kitchen of, what was now, Pat's flat. Stella was watering down the mug of tea that Pat had made us. I'm damn sure you could spread Pat's tea on bread.

"Okay, Tony, I've spoken to Emily and I know what's been troubling her. But before I tell you I want you to tell me some things," Pat said.

"Whatever you want to know, Pat," I replied.

"Oh, it's not what I want to know. It's what you know or think that counts here. Tell me about Emily."

"Well, what's to tell? You know her pretty well by now."

"No, Tony, I want you to tell me about the Emily you married, not the Emily who's living in your house now. The woman you fell in love with and married."

"Oh, I see. Yeah she's changed a lot, what with everything that's happened!" I replied.

"Well?" Pat said.

I'm not sure why, but I took a quick glance in Stella's direction; maybe I was looking for guidance or moral support, but Stella was poker faced and said nothing. Then I sat back and remembered happier times and the Emily that I'd married.

"Well, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Vivacious, funny and outgoing; always impeccably groomed and dressed in the latest fashions. Everybody liked her. Damn it, she could have had the pick of any man she wanted, but she chose me."

"What do you mean when you say outgoing?"

"Well, you know, she had every guy in the bloody world trying to chat her up and ... well, she played up to them."

"She flirted with them?" Pat asked as if needing clarification.

"Well, yes, to be honest she did. Emily could be a terrible flirt, but it was just how she was, she was never serious about it. Most guys knew she was just playing around."

"Was she promiscuous?"

Pat's question annoyed me.

"No, she bloody wasn't!" I said angrily. "Before we started going steady, Emily would kiss and cuddle the guys, but that was as far as it went. She was a virgin on our wedding night, I'll have you know."

"Oh, I believe you, Tony, make no mistake. I just want to know what you thought of Emily back then."

"I fell head over heels in love with her the first time I met her."

"Did she flirt with you?"

"You're not kidding she did. But she flirted with all the guys. I know that some of the other girls didn't like the way she could wrap the guys around her finger, but that was Emily."

"After you got engaged, did she still flirt?"

"Well, yes, but I don't think quite a badly as she had done. I can't say it didn't annoy me a first but kind of got used to it in the end. I knew she didn't mean anything by it."

"So you never got jealous?"

"Oh, yeah, sometimes I did, but as I said, I got used to it after a while. Emily would apologise and try not to do it on purpose. I don't think she could help herself; it was in her makeup. To tell the truth it was quite funny watching the guys running around after her sometimes. I knew none of them would get lucky."

"That isn't what you thought when that first video turned up though, is it?"

"Well, no, but that was completely different."

"So when she was just flirting with guys, you didn't mind because you thought she was behaving herself. But when that tape turned up, you were convinced she did more than flirt."

"Yeah, well, I suppose so. Look, I wasn't an angel by any means; I used to flirt with all the girls, as well you know. But I didn't... I wouldn't have done anything like that and I couldn't understand why Emily would. That's what upset me so much. I loved her."

"Yeah, well, some folks don't think like you do and that's Emily's problem now," Pat said.

"I don't understand what you are getting at."

"Look, I don't really know how to explain this," Pat said, then he thought for a few moments.

"You know, there's some people who say if a woman wears revealing clothes, like a short skirt or gets drunk, she's asking to get raped."

"Come on, Emily wore the latest fashions, but nothing too revealing," I retorted angrily.

"Let me finish and don't jump to conclusions, Tony. What I'm saying is that people will think all kinds of things. Why do you think those guys thought they could blackmail Emily?"

"I haven't got the faintest idea," I replied.

"Well, do you think it was her behaviour? You know, they saw her flirting all the time and came to the conclusion that she... well, to put it simply, Emily was putting it about a bit," Pat suggested.

"Well, I suppose that they might have assumed that," I replied. "Yeah, I can see that they might have thought she was easy and they thought they could use that against her. But she wasn't easy, was she?"

"Of course she wasn't! But they didn't know that and that's why they probably tried to blackmail her," Pat retorted. "But to make things worse, as far as Emily understands it, most of the women in that office thought she was promiscuous as well. I should imagine most probably through jealousy. Emily comes into the firm and all the guys are running around at her beck and call. You said yourself she was very pretty."

"Yeah, I can imagine," I replied, "she'd have had all the guys in the office running around like lost sheep. She always did have that effect on men," I said smiling to myself now.

I could remember seeing Emily in action. My mind conjured up the picture of a very pompous and hoity-toity maître de at one of the best restaurants in town - after having told me that there weren't any tables available - melting before my eyes when Emily asked him to find us one. I think we finished up with the best table in the place. And then there was the night I was caught by the police, speeding in the car. Emily flashed her eyes at him and, well, I watched the copper tear up the speeding ticket he'd been writing with a smile on his face.

"Well!" Pat said, bringing me back to reality. "There we have Emily's problem! When she first went to the police with her allegations, the police quite naturally questioned everyone who worked in those offices and the story they got from all the women was that Emily was a slut who'd bedded half the men in the place."

"Do bloody what? You must be kidding me," I said in astonishment.

"No, that's what it said in that police report that you burnt. You didn't read it?"

"I didn't have time. I gave it to Emily the moment I walked through the door. She took a quick look at it and then burnt it," I explained to Pat.

"That's understandable, Emily wanting to do that, but it's a damned shame she did. From what she said, the first things she read were interviews with a couple of the women in the office who accused her of trying to lay every guy in the place. Emily got angry and asked you to burn the file. She didn't want you to read lies like that."

"Are you sure they were lies?" Stella asked.

I looked at Stella.

"Don't look at me like that, Tony. I'm playing devil's advocate here," Stella said in her defence.

"Oh, yeah, Stella, I'm sure they are lies alright," Pat replied to Stella. "Look, Tony, I've known Emily for at least seven years now; ever since she first started working in the café. I'll tell you now that if she had been the kind of woman who'd jump into bed with any guy at the drop of a hat, she wouldn't have been working in a dump like that. More than once, she's had us throw guys out who'd propositioned her. There were plenty of them who wanted to set Emily up in a nice flat somewhere as their mistress."

"You're kidding me?"

"On my mothers grave, Tony. Emily is a fine looking woman, no matter how she tried to dress down. And be-Jesus, if that smile of hers doesn't make any man feel like a king. She could have had the pick of the bunch. Just because it was a working-man's café, now don't you go thinking that all those flash guys with money didn't stop by for breakfast on their way to their fine offices. Or on their way home from a night out on the town."

"Oh, my, poor Emily!" Stella suddenly said.

Pat and I both looked at her, waiting for her to explain her sudden comment.

"I think I've worked out what Emily's problem is, Tony. She's afraid, isn't she, Pat?"

"I believe you're right there, Stella," Pat answered.

"Tony, Emily thinks she brought everything that has happened on herself. She thinks that one day you are going to come to the same conclusion and then... well, her world will fall apart again!"

"You've lost me," I said.

"Pat, Emily didn't flirt with anyone in that café, did she?" Stella asked.

"Not even once to my knowledge." Pat replied.

"Tony, you said yourself, Emily was a flirt."

"Well, so was I!"

"Yes, but your flirting didn't lead to some arsehole - excuse my language - trying to blackmail you into being a prostitute and having your whole world collapse around you. Emily is waiting for the other shoe to fall and she's expecting that something is going to be said in one of those court cases that's gong to make you start blaming her again for everything that happened."

"But that's nonsense, I just want the woman I married back. Damn it, if she'd just flirt once with some guy, I'd be as happy as a sandman. It would show me I had the woman I love back."

"Stella's right on that one, Tony. Emily thinks that any day now you are going to hear about what those girls at the office said about her and then you are going to throw her out again," Pat added.

"But that's ridiculous, damn it! I love the woman. How do I convince her?"

"I don't think you can convince her, Tony. Self-blame is a bugger of a thing to live with, I can promise you. I blamed myself for what happened to Kathy's mother and the rest of my family for a long time. All you can do is keep reassuring her," Pat said.

"Does she know that you are meeting me today, Pat?"

"No, it's taken me a long time to get her to talk. But I was careful of what I said to her. I didn't promise her I wouldn't tell you. I think I knew what her problem was because I'd felt the same way as she does now, at one time. I got her to talk to me by telling her my story and she told me hers. I believe she thought she was telling me in confidence, but I purposely didn't promise her anything. I hope your not going to let on that I told you."

"I won't tell her, that I promise you, but that doesn't mean she won't work it out at sometime. Anyway I think I know one thing I can do that might help to put her mind at rest. I should have done it sometime back; I don't know if it will work but I'm going to start the moment I get home. Stella, we need to get back to the office. I've got some typing for you to do. Thanks for your help, Pat. Damn it, man, I'm always thanking you."

+++++++++++++++

Stella and I were late for dinner that night, but nobody commented. After the meal Stella told Bridget that she was going home to her house for the night, as Emily and I had things to talk about. After they had all left I could feel the tension in Emily.

Emily was sitting in one of the armchairs in the lounge; I sat opposite her and placed my briefcase on the table.

"Emily, things can't go on like this much longer," I said to her.

I could almost see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she finally squeaked out.

"Well, you and me living here in sin."

Emily cocked her head to one side and a look of confusion came over her face.

"I think a quiet ceremony without too many guests would be best. What do you think?"

"Are you asking me to marry you again?"

"With a couple of provisos, yes."

The smile that had started to appear on Emily's face disappeared again.

"What kind of conditions are you making?" she asked.

"Oh, just a little prenuptial agreement. They don't mean much in British courts, but it will make it clear how we both feel. Here, I think you'd better read it before you make any decisions."

I took the agreement that Stella had typed up for me out of my briefcase and gave it to Emily. She read it through slowly.

"But this says here that this house will be mine, all your savings are going to be in my name and you are going to relinquish all parental rights over Bridget to me."

"Yeah, that's about it."

"But why?"

"To prove to you that I love you, and I never intend to let you get away from me again. No matter what happens in the future, or what some people might claim to have happened in the past. Emily, I trust you implicitly no matter what anyone says. Now how about letting me put this on you finger?" I said, taking an engagement ring I'd brought out of my pocket.

Emily looked at the new ring and began to cry. Then quite suddenly she appeared to get her emotions under control, she jumped out of the chair, ran from the room and upstairs.

"Bugger!" I thought, "We've been here before."

But then I heard her clumping back down the stairs again, in those high heels she always wears.

"Can't we use this one?" she said as she entered the room. Then she handed me the box that contained our original engagement ring.

"Whatever you wish, Emily. But before I put it on your finger I want to ask you something."

Emily looked just a little worried again.

"Is there any chance we might see the fun loving Emily that we used to know? You know, the girl who had the men chasing after her all the time."

"What are you saying, Tony?"

"It's very simple, Emily. When those bastards tried to blackmail you, they had to use forged evidence. Now one has to ask oneself the question why they needed to do that? There's only one answer, isn't there? They couldn't get the goods on the woman they were trying to blackmail because there were no indiscretions to find. I know for sure that with the facilities they had at their disposal, if there was anything for them to find, they would have found it and I'm damned sure filmed it as well. But there wasn't anything for them to film, was there, Emily? That faked up bit of film is the only proof that I need that you never did anything that you shouldn't have.