Ellen's Tale Pt. 05

It was only then that Anna had a closer look at the blouse the woman in the red skirt was wearing. It was a double-breasted style with the right hand row hidden beneath a placket, the space between the two rows was decorated with cream lace in the shape of spirals and then she noticed the blouses on the couch, which were cut in the same style.

"Hiya," Julie rose to greet her, "this is my friend, Anna from work and this is Robyn Smith, the woman who taught me almost everything I know about dressmaking," she nodded at the woman in the red skirt.

"And her partner, Penny Jones, divorce lawyer extraordinaire."

Penny rose to greet her first and Anna noted the lightness of her touch and as she extended her hand the wedding and engagement rings on her finger.

"Pleased to meet you, but I'm not that extraordinary," she shook her hand and then released it as Anna also rose, "my partner, Robyn."

Robyn shook her hand and then gestured at the seat next to her, which placed her between Julie and herself.

"Please, sit down."

"Do you want a coffee or something else?" Ilona nodded at the plate on top of a nest of tables, "we saved a croissant," she smiled crookedly.

"I haven't even had breakfast yet," she confessed.

"Oh," Ilona glanced at the single croissant, "would you like something more substantial?"

"Um," she hesitated and Julie rolled her eyes.

"Eggs or toast?" Julie stood up.

"If it's no trouble, I um... eggs?"

"Scrambled, fried, boiled or poached," she took a few steps forward."

"Poached?" Anna's eyes widened.

"No worries, orange juice, orange and mango, blackcurrant or some weird tropical cordial?

"Orange," she replied.

"Okay," she turned to look at Penny, "Penny knows about Andrew and Helen, I had no idea Shobi was involved at all until I said Andrew's name out loud over the phone, but I'll let her tell you in her own words," and with that she was turning on her heel and walking away.

Anna shifted in her seat and stretched her legs out.

"I take it you haven't met either Andrew or Helen?" Penny turned around to face her.

"Nope, just Shobi," she glanced quickly at Ilona, "she's one of our colleagues but she only works part time. She just mentioned about a swinger's party up in Warbie and some guy, Andrew Fisher and his wife, Helen."

"I know more about Helen than Andrew but only because I employed her as a legal secretary for five years, I sacked her in mid 2000 for unethical conduct," and when Anna raised an eyebrow she continued, "she was fucking our clients while they were still our clients. She knew she was doing the wrong thing because it was in the terms and conditions of her employment contract."

"Okay, so she's been sacked."

"She's also not straight," she continued, "Helen and Andrew are as gay as the day is long, but both of them were in a similar bind back in 2005. They'd virtually driven themselves out of the suburbs by virtue of their addiction to one night stands. Helen specialised in seducing women, particularly straight or curious straight women. The gay women she slept with were just one nights stands, a kind of hors d'oeuvre, and according to those women she was actually quite a good root but none of them considered her anything more than a passing fancy," she leaned over to pick up her coffee and raised the cup to her lips.

"Helen's speciality was research, it's why I employed her in the first place. She could ferret all the little details about our clients and their ex partners, I own several family law practices," she took a sip of coffee.

"Andrew on the other hand was a spoiled only child from a rich family. His father and mine were joint owners of a racehorse back in the late eighties until dad and mum split up, Andrew dabbled in real estate and had moderate success but his personal life was a fucking disaster. My dad's law firm took his case when he was busted in a drug operation and he was let off with a non custodial but it wasn't long before he was back in the dock again, this time on a sexual assault charge. Andrew had bought into a gay night club out in Prahran and there was an incident between him and a barman, it was settled out of court but Andrew had to sell his share, the partner wanted nothing to do with him and so he moved out to his parents' holiday home in Warburton," she paused as Julie came into the room with some orange cordial.

"These two met sometime during 2004 and I remember reading an announcement in December 2004 for the wedding of Andrew Fisher and Helen McInnes. Like most people who knew either of them I was suspicious and so I asked Robyn to make her own inquiries, her father was head cop out at Warburton and we soon discovered that the newly-weds had developed a small social circle of swingers. Further investigations over the next few months revealed that they hosted parties every month but because it's a private house you can't intervene," she waited for Anna to take a sip from her cordial.

"Nevertheless, people have been talking since because Andrew and Helen employ catering staff for these parties and they've noticed that these catering staff are always young, attractive and single, which is highly suspicious but so far no one has broken their silence."

"Until now," Anna looked past her, "she's in a nice rental, she has a really substantial wardrobe and the furniture looks like it cost a bit although I'm not going to judge her on that. She does thirty hours a week at H and R Block, but the way she was with me last night was unusual."

"In what way?"

Anna hesitated and put her back against the couch again.

"What did happen last night?" Ilona looked at her.

Anna glanced over and smiled weakly.

"It wasn't just last night. The night before last I was with Kym and then all this shit came up with that ex cop, Roy McNally and Gitti was worried that he'd come around to the house when Ellen wasn't there and that's where Shobi just stepped in."

"And?" Ilona raised an eyebrow.

Anna let it all out then, the night she'd had with Kym, the vague agreement to talk about what came next, the following night with Shobi and she even included the fact that she'd felt somewhat out of sync when Shobi just assumed she hadn't had sex with a woman before.

"I mean I was going to tell her and then I just thought, fuck it," she stared at the coffee table that Penny had just pulled out for a plate of poached eggs and toast.

"I've never done things like that before, I don't do spontaneity," she went on, "I'm a meticulous planner, I never fuck on first dates, I may kiss on a first date but that's it."

"You and me both," Penny glanced at Robyn, "I spent a few years on my own up the top of Mount Dandenong because I had to cross all the tees and pull it apart every which way but loose and then forget how to put it all back together again. It was Robyn, who was apparently straight at the time who took the first step and breached my castle walls."

"You did open the door," Robyn smiled crookedly, "but yeah, it was a bit difficult at first I nearly wound up with Helen."

"So, what do I do now?" Anna frowned some time later as she finished her late breakfast.

"How do you feel about Kym?" Julie asked her.

"I feel like it's moving too fast, but as a potential partner I can't fault her. The only thing that bothers me is the fact she's got kids, bizarrely enough."

"Why is that a problem?" Ilona asked. "It might even work in your favour, you can't spend that much time with her because she's got kids. There's no chance you'd move in together so you've got no worries there either and if it's the age difference you're worried about I know people with just as many years between them as you and Kym."

Anna didn't reply for a minute or so as she finished her cordial.

"So, you're suggesting I consider spending more time with Kym?"

"Or Shobi, but considering what you've just learned I wouldn't advise it," Julie broke in.

"I do feel for her though," Anna frowned, "but not in the way she might think. This offer seemed to come out at the last minute just before I had a shower. It's like she was reading from a script."

"Maybe she was," Penny crossed her legs, "if she's one of the help," she tweaked her fingers in the air, "then maybe there's a finder's fee or a discount on her admission fee. If I know Helen she's got one eye on her and the other on any women she might bring to the parties."

Anna frowned as she considered her options.

"You're a divorce lawyer," Anna turned to Penny, "what do you think my chances are of taking seventy five percent equity if my ex husband is up on firearms and drug charges."

"Pretty damn good I'd say. What's this got to do with Shobi?"

"Everything," she sipped her coffee, "but first there's something I have to deal with."

***

Gitti looked up as Anna stepped into the kitchen. She was still wearing the clothes she'd had on when she left for work the previous day and a crooked smile nudged her lips as she put her coffee cup down.

"Someone had a good night last night."

"Yeah, you could say that," she put her handbag on the breakfast bar, "where's Ellen?"

"She ducked out with Tab to get a few things for this afternoon's class."

"Okay," she looked past her for a few moments, "I might not be there this afternoon, I've got to go out to the house and do a few things."

"Okay, I can pass on the message," she propped on her palm, "they arrested Roy last night, he was apparently only too eager to hand himself in as long as he was put into the protection wing. There are some seriously dangerous people out there afraid he'll talk, the kind of people who carry a shotgun in the car along with a spade and a bag of lime."

"That doesn't sound too healthy," she mused, "tell me something. How long can I stay here?"

"As long as you like," Gitti replied, "there's no time limit, we've talked about this before, you've got that house in Coldstream that you may or may not sell once the settlement is agreed on but the room is yours for as long as you want."

She dropped her hand and leaned on her elbows.

"Why? What are you thinking?"

"Of an alternative arrangement for the house, it helps me pay the mortgage for the next few years at least and it might help someone else escape a lifestyle that's ultimately destructive. I've just had a conversation with a lawyer I met out at Julie's joint, she reckons that under the circumstances I can walk away with the house if he's convicted."

"It's hard to predict a conviction, so much can and does go wrong but the evidence is pretty much set in stone. If he cooperates he gets a lighter sentence but the minimum he can expect is a custodial one, he won't be getting off with a slap on the wrist and a fine and once he does get out, if he does cooperate he can apply for witness protection. Either way, he's not going to be bothering you."

"Good," she picked up her bag, "I'll stay here then, now I've got to get changed."

She called Kym while she was getting changed and the older woman answered with a breezy, "hello good lookin' what's cookin'?"

"Would you be okay if I come to your place earlier? Like about two or three?"

"Come for lunch," she replied, "I only gave you those two times because I wanted to leave time for the housework and other things but I'm flexible."

"All right," she glanced at her watch, "what time's lunch?"

"Whenever you get here, how ready are you?"

"Standing in my jeans and bra," she replied, "give me about half an hour, forty five minutes."

"I'll see you then," she replied.

Some five minutes later she sent a text to Shobi.

Anna: What are you doing this afternoon?

Shobi: Nothing concrete planned, why?

Anna: Fancy a drive in the country?

Shobi: Sure... I do have to be at Andrew and Helen's place tonight though, any chance of this drive in the country ending up in Warburton?

Anna: That's a possibility, I'll pick you up at four.

She stared at herself in the mirror a few minutes later. She was wearing a pair of jeans, white top and a denim jacket, along with a pair of sneakers.

What if this doesn't work? Her mouth twitched slightly.

I have to at least try to do something.

***

Anna had seen Kym's backyard from the kitchen window the other night but this afternoon she was led out to the back patio by Kym's youngest daughter, Debbie who had just come back from a footy clinic. Kym looked askance at her daughter as she heard the metal studs on her boots clattering on the paving stones. The teenager patted a Red Heeler that came to greet them.

"This is Red," she introduced him, "he was Jonathan's dog but he loves me more," she ran her hand through his coat as Red sniffed Anna's sneakers.

As they made their way towards the dark brown outdoor table, Red turned around and around in front of them. Kym was sitting at the table with a glass of Coke and a laptop, their eyes met and Red stood up and put his front paws on the seat beside her.

"Are you going to take those boots off, missy?" Kym rubbed his back slowly, "before you wind up on your arse."

"I was just about to do it, mum," she protested, "but then the doorbell rang."

"Okay, this is my friend, Anna and this ragamuffin is my daughter, Debbie."

Debbie smiled and nodded before retreating inside to take off her football boots, Red tried to follow her but apparently he wasn't allowed inside and so he returned to the table to sniff around for food scraps.

"How are you? I hope you brought an appetite."

"Kind of," she moved to the outdoor table and bench seats under the patio roof, "I had food at Julie's place but it was a late breakfast."

"Whatever, pull up a pew," she nodded at the seat opposite her.

Anna sat down and rubbed her hands over her legs. Kym was wearing a patterned blouse with a denim mini skirt and flat shoes.

"You fancy a Coke, or something stronger?"

"Um, just a Coke, thanks."

Kym went back inside and came back out a few minutes later with a glass of Coke and a plate of fruitcake.

"So, what's on your mind?" Kym asked her a minute or so later.

"The future, broadly speaking. I've come to a decision about the house but that's not why I'm here," she took a mouthful of Coke, "I want to know if there's any kind of future for us or was it just a one night stand?"

"I thought it might have been," Kym replied, "I had doubts the next day and so I hired an escort girl last night to settle things in my own mind."

"An escort girl?" Anna's eyes shifted.

"Yes, we hadn't made any commitment and I felt wary of taking things any further until I'd done it again, it made sense logically speaking, it's what they do for a living. If you're not that way inclined then you'll know soon enough."

"Of course," her eyes shifted as Debbie came out onto the patio, "I did the same thing last night but it was with a colleague, but it kind of confirmed things with me as well," she paused as Debbie drew closer.

Kym looked straight ahead and then turned to her daughter.

"What do you fancy for lunch, sweetie?"

"Party pies," she sat down at the end of the table, "and Sprite."

"Excuse me for a few minutes," she straightened up and then rose, "come on then, missy, you can help me put them in the oven."

Anna swivelled around to stare out over the backyard and then looked down as Red dropped a tennis ball at her feet and then backed away as he wagged his tail and yipped.

"You want to play," she picked the ball up and walked over to the low brick wall the separated the patio from the backyard. Red ran around it and onto the grass as he wagged his tail furiously, his yips became more urgent and she tossed the ball as far as she could. He took off after the ball and she propped her palms on the wall. The yard was longer than the average yard and when she looked at the yard next door she saw that the owner had built two units in the backyard. It was the same on the other side as well.

Red had retrieved the ball and was running back towards the house. Anna walked over to the wide archway between the two walls and Red dropped the ball and whimpered. She threw the ball again and the dog took off after it. To her right was a double garage and at the rear of it was another shed, off to her left was a greenhouse and sprinkled all the way down the back lawn were sculptured garden beds. She had just thrown the ball for the fourth time when Kym stepped out onto the patio and she smiled crookedly as Red took off after the ball.

"That's a fatal mistake, you've made a friend for life now. The mad bastard will run himself ragged all day, he's my son's dog but Jonathan is always at his girlfriend's place on the weekends and every night after school. I ban him from staying over on week nights though, his grades are bad enough without giving him an excuse for skipping his homework," she bent down to pick up the ball Red had just dropped in front of them.

"So he's in love then."

"Oh he's in love with Tien but he's also in love with her family's pool," she tossed the ball.

"The Trang family live about a kay away, I've known them since Tien was in primary school, they lived closer to the school I'm at but in her last year they moved to this area. The grand irony is, he used to pull her hair in Year Seven and now they spend all weekend together. She's a spirited girl," she picked up the ball and threw it.

"The other month he came home and wanted to know how to use the washing machine so I suspect she's dropped a hint that perhaps he might like to become acquainted with my washing machine."

"Ritchie didn't know how to use the washing machine," she replied.

"Oh don't worry there, I love my boys but there's no way I'm making a rod for some woman's back in the future, he was going to be taught but Tien beat me to it," she stepped onto the back path.

"Let's get some privacy so little ears can't listen in."

"I was going to wait until later to have this conversation."

"Me too but I'm glad you decided to come around earlier, it gives you a chance to meet one of my kids at least and let you see that I don't have the time for a full time relationship, but that doesn't mean I'm not open to other arrangements."

"Such as?"

"I'd start with weekend visits, I'm home most weekends. During the week I'm keeping my kids in order along with house in general but weekends are free and have been that way ever since Michael and I were an item," she threw the ball again.

"The mistake Michael made was giving into peer group pressure and thinking that he and I could move in together and to add to the drama, his wife died of cancer in that house and the poor man's still grieving three years down the track. I can compete with an ex girlfriend although I don't see why I should, but you'll never win with some widowers. Michael's dead wife stays the same age in his head and he replays the same memories over and over in his head. I know he was thinking about her while he was pumping me but because I'm the forgiving, patient kind I let it slide."

"So how are things between you?"

Kym bent down and picked up the ball again.

"We still see each other now and then, to his credit he wanted to stay friends, and his best mate is going out with my best friend, Janine so there's a relationship I want to maintain and he is quite handy when it comes to general handyman work. He built that patio for me, about the time we got together as a couple," she threw the ball again.

"But if I'm going to switch sides I don't want to be explaining my relationships with girlfriends, I value my girlfriends. I need my girlfriends but I'm not going to fuck my girlfriends. I've known Janine for years but if she put a hand between my legs I'd push her away."

She stepped over to an oval-shaped garden bed.

"But that doesn't mean there isn't room for compromise, if you can find a way to make time for me then I can do the same for you. I'm not going to fall into your arms at the drop of a hat," she knelt down to pluck some weeds.