My Magazine Ch. 06

"Boys will be boys," laughed Brigetta, although Jenni thought the laugh was a little forced.

Typically of the proactive way she though, she imagined what was about to happen: The tall aging rally driver would stride into the room, his hair ruffed and a big grin on his still quite handsome face. Rhonda would be all over him and Brigetta, walking to his side would turn and looking at Jenni would say, "Darling, this is Jenni, Rhonda's lovely employer."

The closest to reality that Jenni's spurt of imaginative picture-drawing attained was Brigetta remaining in her chair and saying, "Kevin wipe your feet please."

Kevin returned to outside the doorway of the big recently renovated kitchen where the women were and quickly scuffed his feet on the mat before walking to them.

"Kevin this is Jenni Giles, Rhonda's friend and owner of the business where Ronda works."

"Hello Jenni," he said, limping over to her, holding out his hand in greeting.

Jenni shook his hand, surprised to find Kevin was quite short – his wife was three to four inches taller than he was. He was pale skinned, with a blue jowl and noticeably bald.

"Hullo Poppins," he said, and Rhonda rose from her chair to kiss him with some affection. Taller than her mother, she could have kissed the top of his bald plate with ease.

This is what authors do to accentuate the interest of their readers, thought Jenni. They thwart the lazy reader expecting the expected by providing a jarring twist. A gently aging Romeo – at least in appearance and in manner – Kevin was certainly not. Furthermore, as a conservationist he was rather mundane, asking Jenni: "A good trip up from the city?" to which she replied in similar vein, "Yes, the road was busy but it was a pleasant drive."

Later, when she and Rhonda took the short stroll to the beach she made a gentle probe.

"Your father wasn't quite what I had expected and yet your mother exceeded my expectations."

"Really, how did mummy do that?"

"She appears to have the vitality of a younger woman, has taken great care of herself and virtually everything she says is of substance rather than idle chat. You said I would like her, and how right you were."

"But daddy didn't quite measure up?"

"Well, perhaps I expected too much?"

Rhonda sighed.

"He seems to have aged quickly. I shouldn't say this but earlier this year he had a bit of a fling with a woman living near here. Her husband caught them in bed and really beat up daddy – we had to take him to hospital outpatients for treatment to his facial injuries.

"He and mummy were scarcely talking to each other for almost two months and then they gradually returned to normal. But two weeks ago they began rowing again. He had agreed to go to Europe with her to visit our relatives but then decided she should do that and he would follow the car rally circuit for three weeks. He said they could meet in Paris. You have arrived here with that dispute not yet resolved. Normally daddy is quite chipper."

Driving home late the next morning, with Rhonda being the wheel again, Jenni asked if she could ask Rhonda something personal.

"Fire away – few things in my life are secrets," said Rhonda, with a wide smile.

"Men – I never see you in the company of any male or female for that matter, and you never talk about dates."

"Oh, that. You might not like the answer."

"I'm prepared for the worst."

"Well, I've only ever had one long-term relationship since leaving school. He had the old fashion name of Digby, but there was nothing old-fashion about him – smart clothes, an exotic car and an energetic clubber. He was also fantastic in bed. Although he was almost fifteen years old that me, I gradually hoped he would ask me to marry him."

"Well, it all turned to custard. One lunch time I turned a corner and almost crashed into a pushchair being wheeled by Digby. With him was a nice looking woman holding the hand of an older child.

"I apologised to Digby, saying I was rushing.

"The woman was surprised that we knew each other. Digby said we were members of the same quash club, which was the truth."

"He then introduced her as April, but did not say she was his wife."

"April then staggered me completely. She looked at the infant and said he was their son Michael and the said the girl Sara was almost five and their oldest child John was at school.

"Calmly as you like, Digby said to his April that I appeared to be in a rush so they had better let me go.

"It was only then it occurred to me why Digby had refused to stay with me all night – his excuse was that his landlady always expected him home by midnight and would worry if he failed to show up. When I suggested that he told her he was going out of town for a couple of nights, he claimed that she was nervous and couldn't contemplate being alone in her house all night."

"It just didn't occur to me to question what he was telling me. Usually we were pretty much worn out by 10:00 anyway when he would have a quick bath and leave, usually whistling as he walked out to his car."

"That broke my heart. I'm over that now but still avoid getting into another serious relationship. Whenever I feel like some company I just waggle my hips when I walk and give lingering glances and that usually works on my target at the squash club or a bar – I only go for the clean, tidy looking fellows and always insist that they wear condoms."

"So far it has worked out very well, and some of those ex-one nighters are now friends. You may like to make a double pitch with me on evening?"

"God no I'd die of embarrassment."

"Well Jenni, how do you get your men? I gather Snowy and Ron have made it?"

"No not Ron."

"What! He'd be your oldest and absolutely loyal male friend wouldn't he?"

"Yes but somehow the vibes were not right."

"Gosh had I known he wasn't an ex of yours I would have hit on him."

"Rhonda he's a married man!"

"Oh I suppose he is."

"Did you ever bed David Brooks?

"Jenni you have not replied."

"Once."

"God what was he like? Jenni – he's married."

"Yes but sometimes things just happen and if you must know he'd be in my top five."

Rhonda giggled.

"I agree, sometimes things just happen. I saw you looking at that young architect at our luncheon when we moved into our offices – not once, but two or three times. I guess he'd on the agenda?"

Jenni coloured.

"I think you should pay more attention to the road Rhonda. The traffic is getting heavier as we get closer to the city."

She laughed and told Jenni that she was priceless.

More Coming