Judgement Day

This is a little different for me. People complain that I do not often feature the confrontation, This story is all confrontation. It is also short. There is no sex in this story, if that's what you want look elsewhere. No bitches get burned so again if that's your bag look elsewhere. The inspiration came from an old rock starwho came out with something similar when he wanted to get rid of his wife.

Judgement Day

I looked down the street towards the main road. Four estate agents boards graced the immaculate lawns of the houses in The Close. In the other direction, there were two more.

'Oh dear, that's going to hurt the price of property,' I thought. 'It will be worse still when the next two go up for sale.'

My attention was focussed on the house, three doors up on the opposite side of the road. Gary and Jessica Spencer live there. They are probably the youngest couple in close. He's a financial adviser, she is a management consultant. Both what I would call Yuppies' that's Young Upwardly mobile Professional People. Gary works from home but Jess, she's frequently away on business.

I noticed a movement over at the Spencer's. I picked up the binoculars and took a closer look. She was drawing the curtains in the master bedroom. She looked good standing there in her bra and pants. For her age she still had a magnificent body. She picked up her clothes and I saw him walk across the room to the en-suite bathroom.

'What does she see in him?' I asked myself. He doesn't look that big and his body looked flabby. She stepped into her skirt then picked up her white blouse and threaded her arms into it. She was still buttoning her blouse as she left the room. Gary came out of the bathroom wearing his boxer shorts I watched him buckle up the belt on his jeans he didn't bother with a shirt and I noticed his man boobs wobble as he followed her out of the room.

'What now?' I wondered. 'Would they sit and chat over a glass of wine or maybe a cup of coffee, or maybe he would just get straight down to business. I waited another fifteen minutes before there was any movement. The side gate opened and she stepped out. I couldn't see him but she turned and kissed someone. Walking down the drive she turned and waved before crossing the road. My wife was coming home to me.

The sound of my boots echoed through the house as I came down the stairs and walked out to take my seat in the conservatory. The side gate opened and I listened to the click clacking of her heals as she walked along the concrete path. She was smiling as she opened the door and I tried to place the tune she was humming as she walked through the arch into the dining room.'

'There are a lot of houses for sale in the close. I wonder why that is?'

I saw her jump as I spoke her hand came up to rest on her, not inconsiderable chest. She turned to see me sitting in the Rattan chair.

'Giles, what are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack.'

'Well, it's wonderful to see you too my dear.'

'You know what I mean. I'm pleased to see you, of course I am, but I wasn't expecting you back for another two days. What did you just say.'

'I asked if you knew why there are so many houses for sale in the close. I thought you women were all as thick as thieves, so if anyone would know it would be you.'

'As a matter of fact I don't. It's strange I haven't seen any of the girls since we took Alex up to Durham. I was supposed to meet Sally for Coffee on the Monday morning but you insisted that we stay overnight so I missed it. we haven't managed to get together since.'

'Well I saw Sally and Eric in the pub last Monday. Things seemed a little tense between them. When Eric went to the toilet Sally confided in me. It seems old Eric had an affair four years back and Sally just found out about it. They are trying to work through it, but the other woman lives in the close and Sally wants to get as far away from her as possible.'

I noticed some of the blood drain from her face as she heard my news. You see it a lot in my line of business. The person you are interrogating thinks you know nothing so you drop a hint that you know a hell of a lot more. Suddenly they are no longer on firm ground and their mind races trying to work out how much you do know. She froze for a while before starting to twirl her hair round her fingers.

'Don't you think it strange that Sally should confide in me and not you, her best friend Isobel?'

She started to fidget again. 'Now that you're home I'd better get dinner started, unless you'd rather go out?'

She moved towards the freezer, stopped, then walked backwards to look at me again.

'Giles, what on earth are you wearing?'

I stood up pulled the top part of the one piece leather suit up to my shoulders an thrust my arms into the sleeves I twirled around in front of her with my arms outstretched.

'Do you like it? I thought the colours particularly appropriate. Red white and blue, Queen and Country and all that.'

'It looks ridiculous, a man of your age wearing motorcycle leathers, and as for Queen and Country, it must be twelve years since you left the army and became a....'

She's racking her brain trying to think of what it is that her husband does all day.

'Security consultant, Darling, I became a security consultant. That's how I earn my living and a pretty good living it has been, has it not?'

'I knew, you didn't have to tell me, I couldn't find the words that's all. Yes, I suppose it has been pretty good, I mean we live here, in the close, and we don't want for anything so I suppose you could say that we live quite well.'

'Exceeded the promise I made to your father, wouldn't you say? I promised to keep you in the manner to which you'd become accustomed. I think I've done rather better than that. Still you might have to cut back a bit now that I've retired.'

She dropped the oven dish she'd taken from the cupboard. When a cast iron dish hits a ceramic tiled floor neither one comes off particularly well.

'Isobel. you really must be more careful. The dish is easily replaced but who knows if we can even get another of those tiles.'

'Screw the tiles, you stand there in motorcycle leathers tell me you've retired. What is this some sort of midlife crisis? When were you going to talk to me about this?'

'Well, I wasn't really, I didn't think it was your concern. Just like you obviously thought that you fucking Eric was no concern of mine.'

Now that one really did strike home, she wavered and had to hold onto the island unit for support. Almost there, now for another blow.

'Of course you know that Tom and Helena are divorcing. I must say that took me by surprise, they were like love's young dream when they moved in three years ago.'

It was almost a whisper, I had to ask her to repeat it.

'Do you know why?'

'Sally didn't know for sure. all she could give me was rumour and you know how much I hate spreading rumours.'

She grabbed a stool and sat down. 'What does the rumour say?'

'What, Oh just that Tom had a bit on the side, but I wouldn't worry about it. It's just a rumour.'

Now she was really pale maybe I'll get another one in before she has to visit the bathroom.

'You know it set me thinking, with so many houses going up for sale at the same time, I wonder if there is a common link. We know about two, can you think of anything that links the other two?'

'Excuse me, I need to use the toilet.'

She got up and made a run for the downstairs toilet. It seemed like a good time for a coffee. I set the machine going, enjoying the aroma as it ground the beans then produced the desired black liquid. I was still drinking my coffee when she emerged from the toilet. The make up was all washed off and she was starting to look her age. She was still looking somewhat shaken but had obviously decided that attack was the best form of defence.

'I thought you would have changed out of that ridiculous suit by now.'

'What for I will need it again soon?'

'So there is a bike to go with it?'

'Oh, it's not just a bike, it's a Ducati Panigale capable of more than 160 miles an hour.'

'What do you want something like that for? The national speed limit is seventy. Oh I get it. It's to compensate for your other little problem. I've heard about men buying muscle cars when they can't get it up anymore.'

I couldn't help but laugh.

'As I said I'm retiring I need something to replace the buzz of jumping out of an aeroplane at ten thousand feet.'

'Oh come off it, you're a bloody consultant. Consultants don't jump out of aeroplanes.'

'Well, it's all a matter of semantics really. Some people prefer to call us mercenaries or soldiers of fortune, I think security consultant sounds so much nicer.'

She sat down again her mouth gaping in disbelief.

'Are you telling me that for the last twelve years you've been working as a mercenary, why didn't I know.'

'Because you were never interested. You didn't really want to know. Do you really think that some office waller spends three or four months at a time in African countries. I've told you before that I deal with governments. That means training, redesigning their armies and, yes, fighting. War has been privatised my dear. Whenever a government wants a dirty job done, but don't want any comebacks, they call on people like me. Did you never wonder how come a consultant sustained some of the injuries I had?'

'You said they were accidents.'

'They were, you don't think I tried to get hit?'

'But you broke your leg in Cape Town. you came home on crutches.

So I did, it was definitely broken. It just wasn't a car accident. Shrapnel wounds look much the same as the tear from a compound fracture.'

I watched her trying to absorb all that I had told her. What she thought was a comfortable little life.

'I've been married to a stranger for the last twenty years.'

'Not really, for the first eight years I was exactly who you thought I was. The question is are you the woman I thought you were? It seems you are not.'

'Now hang on there. You can't blame me for finding a little comfort, It's not like I get anything from you. I've never held your problem against you. I never even brought it up. I'm only human Giles I have needs which you haven't met for a long time.'

'Four years, three months and twenty three days. Not since the day I left for the Cape Town job.'

A look of disbelief spread across her face and I knew she was trying to figure things out.

'I can't believe you know it to the day. Oh, I get it, it was one of your injuries that caused it. That was when you were in Cape Town wasn't it?'

'Yes it was, but the news hurt me far more than the physical injury. Do you have any idea what it is like to be recovering from surgery in a far off land, only to be told that your wife is at home screwing the arse off your neighbour.'

'It's not true. Who would say such a thing?'

'That's what made it worse. Our own daughter came home to collect her iPad only to find you and Eric banging away up in the bedroom. Poor kid was devastated, crying down the phone at me begging me not to break up the family. She was staying over with my sister Jenny. who spent the night trying to calm her down. You don't know how lucky you were to be eight thousand miles from me that night. Jenny called me the next day and asked what I was going to do. I said I would do what my little girl wanted. I don't know when exactly but before I left that hospital I knew I'd never again touch you again, not in the way a husband does.'

She stood in silence before me I could almost hear the cogs turning as she tried to put it all together, She realised there was a piece of the puzzle missing, a piece that she had to have.

'Why now, Giles? Why are you telling me this now?'

'As I said I'm retiring. Well I'm retiring from the active part. I'm getting a bit slow, you know, holding the younger chaps back. It's time to tie up the loose ends and you my dear are one of them.'

'No, don't Giles, I'll stop. I only went to Eric because I was desperate. I wasn't getting anything from you but we can change. If you retire we'll see much more of each other.'

'So, Gary is just picking up my leftovers. Did that apply to Tom, Greg and James also?'

'Yes, of course it did. They were substitutes I'd much rather have had you but you weren't here, and when you were you weren't interested.'

'And you never thought to ask why?'

'I thought you had a problem, I didn't want to embarrass you by making you talk about it.'

'How considerate of you, my dear. I shall miss that.'

'What do you mean you'll miss it? We can work this out. We'll get counselling.'

'I don't see how we are going to do that with you here and me in the South of France.'

'You can't divorce me, Giles. It would ruin you.'

'Oh I don't think so, but you are right, I can't divorce you. Tell me what do you remember about our wedding?'

She looked into my eyes trying to read what was behind them.

'We got married on the beach in Bali. That strange little man babbling away in whatever language they speak there. The local people put Garlands of flowers round our necks. It was very romantic.'

'And he gave us that certificate that neither of us could read.'

'He insisted on kissing me and it made me giggle because his beard tickled.'

'You don't remember a civil ceremony when we got home.'

' No, of course not. Why would we get married twice?'

'That's what I said to the man from the pay corps when they refused to add your name to my pension. I'd just returned from Helmand and they asked me to straighten a few things out.'

'Oh for God's sake, Giles, get to the point.'

'The point, my darling, is that we should have had a civil ceremony here. That certificate is not worth the paper it's written on. I must admit my first thought was to talk to you and get it all sorted. Then I heard the rumours about what you and a young subaltern got up to while I was out in that hell hole. I put the whole situation on the back burner and sort of forgot about it. It seems that, in the eyes of the law, we were never married. You are right I can't divorce you.'

'I don't believe you. This is all just a bluff. You can't just walk away.'

'Take it to a solicitor. I'm sure he'll tell you that I can do just that.'

Isobel was distracted by a noise outside and hurried to the window to look.

'There is a man hammering something into our lawn.'

'Ah! That will be for the estate agent's board. I called in on the way here I listed the house for sale. I don't need it anymore.'

'But what about me? What about Alex?'

'I wouldn't worry about Alex. She plans to spend the holidays with her Daddy. I'll do my best to get her to visit you, but you two haven't been close for years have you?'

'No, I'm not going to let you get away with this. I'll get legal advice there must be something I can do. I've given you the best twenty years of my life, I must be entitled to something.'

'Go ahead. You could try for what the Americans call palimony but I'm not sure there is a precedent for that here. You could claim payment for being a nanny and a housekeeper, however, when the court see how much you spend on clothes and jewellery every month they might decide that you owe me.'

She flopped back down in the chair with her head in her hands

'I don't believe it. This is not happening to me. Do you hate me that much?'

'Hate you? Why should I hate you? You are my daughter's mother, I can't hate you. Anyway, it's not like I've been going without.'

That got her attention. Her head came up and she stared into my eyes.

'You mean for the last four years you've been???'

'Of course, a soldier always knows where to get laid, though I must admit lately it's been a bit more than that.'

'You mean you have someone else and you have the nerve to criticise me?'

'Yes, unfair of me isn't it? Especially because it was you that brought us together. Sometimes you really are too good to me.'

I watched her trying to process the events of the day. She had her legs pulled up in front of her with her arms wrapped around them. She rocked a little and occasionally trembled.

'It seems that while your sensitivity stopped you talking to me about my little problem, it didn't stop you talking to your friends about it. Jessica was particularly sympathetic. Offered to put me in touch with all sorts of people she thought might help. I told her I didn't have a problem but, of course, I couldn't expect her to take my word for it. I had to give her a demonstration, and what a demonstration it was, you know she is really quite athletic.'

'You and Jessica? Now I know you're joking. You're almost twice her age. What would a woman like her see in someone like you?'

'I might ask the same about you and Gary but he still seems to find something attractive, at least twice a week.'

Perhaps I ought to apologise for that one it was a little below the belt. She really had no idea that I knew about that one. The hammering outside had stopped the estate agents man had hammered the stake into the ground and was busy attaching the for sale sign to it. The sound of the hammering was replaced by a lower rumbling sound.

'That sounds like my ride,' I said as I picked up my helmet and walked to the front door.

Outside the bike came to a standstill on the drive. It's slim but well contoured rider stepped off swinging a beautifully sculpted leg over the seat. As she lifted her helmet a shock of auburn hair fell down around her shoulders.

'That is one fearsome beast, I can see why she excites you. I think I should be jealous.'

'When it comes to an exciting ride, my dear, nothing comes close to you.'

She smiled and bit gently on her bottom lip.

'We are pretty good together aren't we?'

'We certainly are... Now our work here is almost done time for the finale.'

The man from the estate agent had finished my board and had started hammering a stake into the Spencer's lawn. I hadn't noticed my wife follow me out but Jessica saw her and leaned to one side to see past me.

'Oh hi, Isobel, can you do me a favour? Gary is not too good on his own. You will look after him for me won't you?'

Isobel, it would seem was dumb struck for once so Jessica answered for her.

'Of course you will, why wouldn't you? You've been doing it for so long now I don't suppose you'll notice the difference.'

I put on my helmet and started the engine. Jess hopped on behind me and we rode the short distance to the Spencer's drive. Gary was remonstrating with the guy putting up the board. He was taken by surprise when the bike pulled onto the drive. He was even more surprised when his wife leapt off the back.

'Be a darling Gary and let the man do his job.'

'But I don't understand, what's going on?'

'Perhaps this will help,' she said as she pulled an envelope from inside her leathers.

'This is a letter from my solicitor telling you that I'm suing you for divorce. You don't have to sell the house, you can always buy me out, but I don't think you have the money for that.'

Gary stood looking at her with his mouth open.

'Oh don't worry darling, Isobel has promised to look after you so you'll hardly notice I've gone. Now be a good boy, go back inside and let the man do his job.'

He didn't even open the envelope. He just turned and walked slowly back to the side gate. Jess zipped up her suit put on her helmet and climbed on behind me. We'd just pulled out of the close when a voice came over the helmet intercom.

'How long does it take to get to Portsmouth?'

'About an hour'

'Not sure that my bottom can take this seat for that long.'

'Don't worry if your bum aches I'll massage it all the way to France'

'How long is the crossing?'

'About seven hours.'

'How are we going to occupy ourselves for that long?'