Music Man Pt. 04

They kissed briefly and he was on his way. Catherine looked fondly after him.

He's a lucky son of a bitch, she thought, but then so is she!

Ged's flight was uneventful and he managed to sleep. He arrived at the house to find it warm and aired and remembered Karin had been in after he emailed her that he was coming home. He was jet lagged and half awake in spite of the sleep on the plane. He sent an email to Gus and Graham telling them he had arrived but needed a day to recover from the journey. Then he tried to stay awake, but gave in and took an hour's nap in the afternoon.

On Tuesday he was grateful that Gus left it until lunchtime before asking him to call in. There were various artists who wanted his songs, and he needed to go to London again urgently to see the singer Gerard Frobisher as he had before. Gerard had a concert imminently and needed his advice. He set off early next morning.

While away he phoned Graham, who asked him to see him the following week to sign some documents relating to the civil action.

Graham told him that Zak had been arrested and had appeared before magistrates. He had been committed to appear at the Crown Court on charges of theft and fraud. In the meantime he was out on bail, for his offences had not been violent ones. It would be months before his case came to trial. In the meantime Graham was pursuing Zak for compensation and the return of the money he had stolen.

After the call Ged realised his mobile was cluttered with unanswered calls. He worked through them, deleting the numbers that had no name attached. He thought he should do that more often: it took the best part of an hour! Then he switched off his phone as he always did when he was working, and made for Gerard Frobisher's place.

He returned on Friday, arriving at just after five thirty. He noted that Karin had been in again, then heard her in the kitchen. They hugged and kissed and she immediately knew he had changed.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Cassie happened," he said. "She followed me out to Catherine's and now I know why she acted the way she did, though I still don't understand why she married Zak; she didn't need to do that, we lived together for a long time and only got engaged when I was going away on tour."

"So?"

"She was dreadfully betrayed by a boyfriend in the last year of High School. He was callous and heartless. He got her pregnant, told her he would pay for an abortion, which she didn't want, promising that if she did they would get engaged afterwards, and later they would marry, otherwise she was on her own. She had the termination and he dumped her the day after."

Karin sat down heavily. "Good Lord!" she whispered.

"So you see?"

"I see."

She paused. "Have you seen her then?"

"I told you, she came to the States and saw me."

"I mean, have you seen her since you got back?"

"Oh hell!" he exclaimed. "I've been rushed off my feet since I got back. No. I must go and see her tomorrow."

"Why not today?"

"I'm tired. I've been on the go ever since I got back from the States and I need to be rested when I see her, otherwise I'll say something I'll regret. I sympathise with her problem with fidelity, but I'm still not sure it'll work out."

"You're going back with her, aren't you?"

"I don't know. I do know I was so wrapped up in myself, I never realised how much I hurt her when I got back from the tour, but she did hurt me badly as well."

"I'm sure you two are an ideal couple."

"You're not the first to say that, but I'm still not sure. I would be willing to give it a try. You know that means–"

"Yes, I know. No more nookie!" and she laughed. "I'll miss our bedtimes, but it's in a good cause."

"Shall we go out to eat?" he asked. "Sort of say goodbye to all that?"

"Good idea." she answered, "and you can phone her when you get back afterwards."

They went to their favourite restaurant early, at six thirty, and had a long leisurely dinner, chatting about their lives since they parted last. It was quite late when they left.

They did not see Cassie enter the restaurant, stop and stare at them, and then leave hurriedly.

Ged sat at home and took out his phone. Then he realised: she had changed her number and he did not know the new one. Never mind, he thought, he would go to Cheryl and Brian's next day.

----

Chapter Twenty Six

"Well?" said Cheryl to Cassie as they sat in the car in the airport car park after Cheryl had met her off her flight. "You look better, what happened?"

"For the first time in a long time," Cassie told her, "I have hope. I think there's a chance."

Cheryl squealed with pleasure, and hugged her friend.

"I told him about the abortion and he said he didn't hate me." Cassie told her when the hug subsided. "He said he wished I'd told him before he went away on tour, he would have supported me, in fact he said he wouldn't have gone. He said he wants to talk when he gets back in two weeks. He smiled at me, Cheryl, and I'm sure I saw love there in his eyes. I'm so happy!"

Next morning Cassie lay in bed and recalled her friend's happiness at her news and then Brian's smile of satisfaction. She felt peaceful and happy, and realised she had not felt like that since Zak tricked her into thinking Ged had been unfaithful. Even being married to Zak she had felt as if under a cloud.

The blissful feeling was followed by a sudden worry that she had misinterpreted Ged's words: 'we will talk' didn't sound as if he were totally enthusiastic. Then she recalled that seemingly trivial action of his in pushing her hair out of her eyes. He had been gentle with her and it had felt like a caress. No, she felt a strong hope that in the end they would be together. It was almost a conviction, but not quite.

She returned to work the next day and others at work would comment on how much better she looked or how much more cheerful. She noticed that instead of looking uncomfortable in her presence, they would smile more readily when they met or passed her and that in turn lifted her spirits even further. There was a spring in her step, a ready smile on her face and she could be heard humming a tune. Now she longed for Ged's return.

It was like that for the two weeks. As the time for Ged to come home drew near she became nervous.

Then came the week he should have been home. Monday passed and he did not ring. Jet lag, she thought.

Tuesday came and by evening Cassie became distressed.

"He's not rung me," she told Cheryl. "He's had second thoughts."

"Don't jump to conclusions, darling," temporised Cheryl. "He may have had to stay in the States a little longer. Phone Catherine Styles and find out."

She did so and a sleepy Catherine told her that Ged had left on the Sunday evening and would have arrived early Monday morning. She suggested Cassie phone Ged.

"Don't give up kiddo," she said to Cassie. "Go after him. He'll be catching up on work, or getting some extra sleep; I worked him pretty hard in this last two weeks. You know what he's like when he's writing."

Cassie was about to dial Ged's number, but suddenly felt afraid of how Ged might react. She decided to go to the house the next evening after work and see him in person. In reality she was putting off the moment, and she knew it.

The next afternoon she steeled herself and drove to the house, but it was empty. On the doorstep she phoned his land line number, but she could hear the phone ringing, and it did not go to the answer-phone, nor did anyone answer. She wondered where he was, but did not think to ring Gus.

On Thursday she rang him on his mobile, and again there was no answer and it went to voice mail. She was tongue tied and rang off rather than leave a message.

On Friday she detoured on her way to a late start at work to visit the house again. The gate was open and there was a car in the drive near the house. She was about to approach the house when the front door opened and she saw Karin emerge and go to her car and retrieve something from it. She was wearing a short bathrobe, her long legs were bare, and Cassie assumed she was naked under it. Cassie drove away.

She was now totally confused. She knew Karin had been with Ged before he went to the States, but had assumed that was all over. Perhaps Ged was not there and Karin was just staying. Her spirits sank. Perhaps he was there and they were still together.

She worked the day through like a zombie, and because of her late arrival worked some overtime. She phoned Cheryl as she left, her depression obvious even over the phone.

"I think he's decided to stay with Karin. She's at his house; I saw her; she was wearing a bathrobe. What am I to do now?"

"Come home," said the ever practical Cheryl. "Brian will hold the fort and we'll go out for a meal. You can tell me all and it'll make you feel better."

Cassie felt a little better and made her way back to Cheryl's, where she changed and the two made their way to her favourite restaurant. When they arrived, Cassie got out of the car and walked to the door while Cheryl parked the car.

She walked in and was talking to the waiter, when she saw Ged and Karin at a table. They were talking intimately together. Cassie made her apologies and left, meeting Cheryl on her way.

"We're going," she snapped. "I can't go in there. They are there together. Very cosy. I've had enough. I'm going back home for the weekend."

"We could go in and talk to them," suggested Cheryl, but Cassie violently shook her head. "No Cheryl, I've had enough. I just want to get away."

"There may be an explanation–"

"Cheryl, he's been home for the best part of a week and hasn't even phoned. Now he's having a cosy dinner with her. Shows where his priorities lie. I've made up my mind."

Cheryl knew better than to argue and they returned to the house, where Cassie packed a bag and drove away.

On Saturday morning Ged was up early, and after a hurried breakfast he drove to Cheryl's house.

"Oh," Cheryl snarled at him, "So after a whole week, you've at last found time for Cassie have you? Well, you're too late, she's gone back home. She's sick of being messed around by you and your blonde bimbo."

With that she shut the door in his face.

Ged stood for a long while, trying to digest what the harridan at the door had shouted at him. His blonde bimbo? Messing Cassie around? At length he made his way back to his car and sat for a while. Then he made his mind up, and drove back home, where he packed an overnight bag and drove off for the south and for Cassie's family home. It was a misunderstanding; he could clear it up in seconds.

He did not hurry, the day was sunny and the motorways were thankfully more free of trucks than during the week, so he was able to set his cruise control and relax. It was a long journey and he arrived just after seven.

The road where Cassie's family lived was full of parked cars, and he had to park some distance away. He had exited the car and had begun to make his way to the house, when a medium sized car passed him and parked across the family's driveway. Ged stopped and sat on the bonnet of his car. He never worked out why he did that.

A minute later, Cassie came out with the man arm in arm, and they drove away together.

A cold anger gripped Ged. So all her protestations of love and longing to come back to him were shallow and selfish. He wondered about her so called 'confession'. Here she was going out with another man three weeks after 'longing' for him to come home. He got back into his car, turned on the radio and took out a novel he had been meaning to read.

He had been reading for about half an hour when he realised he had not eaten since breakfast and he was ravenously hungry. Confident that her date would not end soon, he went to the fish and chip shop he remembered, and came back with a portion of fish, chips and peas in a polystyrene tray, a plastic fork and a can of fizzy sugary drink.

He finished eating and then settled to his book. It was eleven thirty when the car pulled up and Cassie and the man walked to the house, his arm round her waist. Then it was another three-quarters of an hour before he returned to the car and drove off.

Ged seethed with anger. He drove to the best hotel he knew in the town and booked in. He did not sleep for a long time, as one emotion followed another like waves on the seashore. There was not a lot of room for rational thought. If there had been he might have made a better plan for the next morning, a plan which involved actually finding out what was going on, but his feeling of betrayal, anger, resentfulness and loss overwhelmed him as it had on tour.

It was early morning before he slept, and when he awoke still very tired, all those feelings returned with interest and he boiled within during breakfast and when he checked out.

Soon he was back at Cassie's family home again. It was nine o'clock, very early for a Sunday. He rang the bell.

Cassie's mother arrived after some time wearing a dressing gown.

"Ged! How wonderful to see you..." Then she saw the expression on his face and the words died on her lips.

"I'd like to see Cassie, please," he said.

"Come in," she said, all her happiness at seeing him dissipating. "Come through."

"I'll wait in the hall," he said. "I'll not be staying."

She said nothing, but gave him a puzzled look before going up the stairs. He could hear a muffled conversation in the quiet house, and after a few minutes, Cassie came down the stairs barefoot, in a tee shirt and jeans. She had a face like thunder, which took Ged aback. She stopped half way down.

"I don't know what you think you're doing coming here," she said, her voice cold and brittle, "but I've had about enough of you. So turn your flashy car round and go home to your blonde girlfriend who you've been fucking all this week. I now know exactly where I come in your order of priorities – way down. Not even a phone call – but then you've been too 'busy', haven't you? To think I was taken in by your so called concern at Catherine's. Lies, all lies. Go home Ged. We're finished – not that we've even started!"

She turned and went back the way she had come.

"Cassie!" he began.

"I don't want to hear it!" she shouted, "Go away!"

"You damned hypocrite!" he shouted after her. "Pretending I've done you wrong so you can come back here and fuck your boyfriend. I saw you last night, Cassie. Good riddance, that's what I say! Don't come near me again with any new sob stories!"

With that he turned and strode out, leaving her standing at the head of the stairs with an open mouth.

He returned to the car and sat for a while, to allow his feelings of rage to abate before risking the drive home. After a while the anger left him and it was replaced by abject sadness. She was still the love of his life and she had destroyed all hope of reconciliation. In that depressed frame of mind he undertook the five hour drive back to his empty house.

As he neared his destination he had an idea and swung by Cheryl and Brian's house. He rang the bell, and it was Cheryl who opened the door.

"You!" she growled at him. "You've devastated that poor girl. Go away, you're not welcome here." As before she slammed the door in his face.

He returned to his car and from there, outside Cheryl's house, he phoned her. As soon as she answered he launched his attack.

"Listen to me you stupid cow! I drove all the way down there full of apologies, and got there in time to see your precious innocent little girlfriend going out last night, all night, with a boyfriend; she didn't seem too broken hearted to me then."

He carried on, talking swiftly and preventing her from interrupting.

"I never told her I would come running straight off the plane. I do have an occupation you know. Monday I arrived. I was jet lagged. Tuesday I had a long meeting with Gus and was exhausted after it – still jet lagged. Wednesday to Friday, I was in London working long hours with Gerard Frobisher. So yesterday, the first free day, I came to you. Thanks for your wonderful welcome. Then I showed how I felt about her by driving all the way down there. I don't know why I bothered!

"So I'm finished with her, and with you. You and she jumped to the wrong conclusion once before and this is where it's got us. You're both doing it again. Enough. Good bye."

He disconnected, and drove away.

---

Chapter Thirty Two

After the angst of his meeting with Cassie at her home, he entered his house but realised immediately that he did not want to be there on his own. It was mid afternoon, so he did not unpack his bag, but called a taxi and was soon on a train for London. He turned off his phone after disabling the voice-mail. He did not want to be found, or phoned.

Once in London he got a taxi from Euston to the Ritz, booked a suite and allowed himself to relax. He knew what he wanted to do. He switched his phone on and phoned Gerry Frobisher.

"Your gig tonight," he said after identifying himself. "Can you get me a ticket? I'm at the Ritz for the week, and I'd like to hear our stuff done live as it were."

"Delighted," came the reply. "Are you Alex Murphy or Ged Smith?"

"Alex," he replied.

"One ticket or two?"

"One."

"I sense you are not a happy bunny."

"You're right. Cassie's chucked me – again."

"We'll have to cheer you up. I know just the person."

"Go easy, Gerry," he said, his voice showing his reluctance. "I've come here to be alone and anonymous for a while."

"OK. Collect it at the box office," Gerry told him. "And come backstage after. I'll clear it with the door people."

The concert was a resounding success, and without pointing him out, Gerard thanked Alex Murphy for his songs and for the musical arrangements, telling the audience that he was in the hall. Ged then got a round of applause, in which he felt obliged to join, or he would have been recognised.

After the concert Ged joined Gerry in his dressing room, where he found two women. One, Sophie, he knew as Gerry's wife, and the other woman, Gerry introduced as his sister Robin.

"Short for Roberta," she said. "I hate Roberta!"

Robin was quite tall and very slim, nay, thin as a catwalk model. She had very little up front and a fairly flat behind, but a long swanlike neck and long legs. Her hands were delicate and her fingers long. Her pretty face was thin with prominent cheekbones, large dark eyes, a small nose and a wide generous mouth. Her hair was jet black and luxuriant. Her dress was long and elegant and a deep red.

"Robin is going to cheer you up tonight," said Gerry with a smile. "She's very good at that."

"Ged," Robin said taking his hand, "You are mine tonight. I'll do you good, believe me. I've been very moved by your poetry and your songs. We'll have a good time."

Ged was taken aback. This dark beauty said words which from many other lips would have been very suggestive, but not from her. There was an innocence about her which captivated but also unnerved him.

"I'm afraid I won't be very good company," Ged told her. "You'd be better leaving me before I depress you."

"Nonsense," she replied. "I've decided you need some TLC, and that's what you're going to get."

"I've booked supper at our favourite restaurant," Gerry said, moving to the door. "Let's go and eat."

Robin took his arm and hugged it to her as they left the building. He felt comforted by her affection, even though they had only just met. She was a vivacious young woman, humorous and articulate, and his spirits, which had been lifted by the concert, now lifted a little more. Until they reached the stage door.

Though he had been used to it all through the world tour, Ged was surprised by the crowd of fans awaiting Gerry Frobisher, and by the flash of cameras from the press. He hung back with Robin and Sophie as Gerry signed autographs and talked with the fans.