Nicola Redux

"It's a bit too cold to let the roof down," she smiled at Nicola. "Never mind. Get in and do your seat belt up!"

Nicola obeyed, and soon they were travelling towards the part of town where Nicola now resided. Miss Bowen looked at her uncertainly.

"I'll need directions, my dear. I don't usually drive around this area."

Nicola blushed, and gave her colleague some directions.

"It's a bit difficult to turn the car in my street," she tried to explain. "It's a cul-de-sac. Why don't you drop me off at the end of my street, and you can pick up the by-pass straight ahead. I can walk from there."

"Nonsense," smiled Miss Bowen. "I said I'd get you home, and get you home I shall!"

She indicated right and turned into Nicola's street. The houses were mainly occupied by students and were extremely shabby and run down. Miss Bowen looked straight ahead, and said nothing.

"It's just here. Number twelve," said Nicola, and almost without thinking, she added, "thank you for the lift. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"Thank you, my dear. That would be lovey," replied Miss Bowen smiling and switching off the engine. They got out of the car and made their way up a cracked and weed infested path, avoiding the black bin liner which had fallen out of the overflowing bin and had split open, strewing its malodorous contents everywhere.

"Please excuse the mess," apologised Nicola, getting her front door key out of her purse. "I'm afraid my fellow tenants don't know the meaning of cleanliness and hygiene!"

She opened the front door and Miss Bowen winced at the smell that assaulted her nostrils. It was a mixture of curry, damp and neglect, with an added hint of marijuana. She smiled grimly at Nicola, who fumbled the key to her room into the lock, opened her door and stepped aside to allow her visitor to enter.

Nicola's room was neat and tidy, but extremely small and very cramped. She moved a pile of freshly laundered clothes off the only chair and indicated to Miss Bowen that she should sit down.

"I won't be a minute," she smiled. "I'll just go to the kitchen and boil the kettle for our tea. Do you take milk and sugar?"

"Just milk, thank you," replied Miss Bowen, sitting down.

Nicola left to make the tea. Miss Bowen looked around, noting that Nicola had made the most of the very limited space available. The room was neat and clean and didn't reflect the state of general neglect and disrepair that the rest of the house exhibited.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shout of "Oh, bloody hell! For the love of Mike!"

Miss Bowen smiled at the sound of the Arch Angel Michael's name being taken in vain, and then she heard Nicola stomping along the corridor and shouting upstairs,

"Andy! Dave! Have you nicked my milk again? There's none left, and I've got a visitor who wants a cup of tea!"

There was the sound of a door opening and a voice replied,

"Hey, chill Nicola, baby. Don't worry about tea. You and your girlfriend come up here and Dave and I will give you both something just as hot, but with added cream!"

"We've got dope too. Come on up and share a spliff with us!"

Nicola came into her room, red faced and embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry," she apologised. "I don't seem to have any milk."

Miss Bowen got up and without a word, pushed past Nicola and went upstairs. There was the sound of a door being flung open, then the rumble of voices, closely followed by an agonised squeal of pain. A minute after she'd left Nicola's room, Miss Bowen was back, only this time she was not alone.

She was holding an almost naked, thin young man by his long, greasy hair, and by the look of agony on his face, she wasn't being too gentle about it.

Nicola jumped to her feet.

"Um, this is Dave," she said weakly, and Miss Bowen shook her victim like a dog shaking a rat. She released him and he stumbled to his knees. Nicola noted with disgust the stains on his filthy underpants, his only vestige of clothing.

To her embarrassment, his flaccid cock slipped out of his pants and hung there pathetically.

"This piece of filth has something to say to you, Mrs Moran," Miss Bowen announced menacingly, and when he hesitated, she cuffed him hard around the ear.

He winced and stuttered, "I apologise for stealing your milk, Nicola, and for my inappropriate suggestions that you and this lady join Andy and me upstairs,"

"I know we shouldn't nick your milk all the time. I was hoping that this will make up for all the times we've done that."

He put out a shaking hand, which contained a crumpled ten pound note and an equally wrinkled five pound note. Nicola shook her head in amazement.

"It is annoying, Dave," she said, "but as stealing goes, it's hardly the crime of the century, is it? If you promise to stop doing it, I don't want your money. Now can you please put that thing away and leave Miss Bowen and me in peace?"

Dave staggered to his feet, tucked his cock back into his underpants and made to leave. He was halted in his tracks by Miss Bowen who, once again, gripped him by the hair. As his hands came up to try and release her vice like grip, she snatched the money out of his clenched fist.

"I'll take that, you worthless piece of shit," she hissed, ignoring Nicola's gasp of shock.

"I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, and if this shithole isn't clean and tidy, and that includes the front garden as well, you'll have me to answer to. And believe me, Sunny Jim, you really don't want to upset me!"

She aimed a kick at Dave's departing bottom, and turned and smiled at Nicola.

"That's settled then," she said in a voice that brooked no argument. She pressed the filthy notes into Nicola's hands.

"You can't stay here. You're coming to mine for the night. We'll have supper and a chat and I'll bring you back here tomorrow to check on how the cleaning is going. You can pack your things and move in with me until we can get you sorted!"

She walked out of Nicola's room, leaving her colleague open mouthed and confused. When she realised that Nicola wasn't behind her, she returned and popped her head round the door.

"Are you coming?" she asked with a wicked grin on her face.

Nicola stumbled after her, like a sleepwalker. They got back to the car and Miss Bowen unlocked it. They got in, and were soon heading for the more salubrious areas of the town.

As they drove, Miss Bowen operated the hands free equipment on the steering wheel of the car and Nicola heard the sound of a phone ringing. It was answered promptly by a rather attractive voice which said,

"Good afternoon Mis..."

"Hi Georgina," interrupted Miss Bowen. "Look, I'm bringing a friend and a colleague home for supper. Is there anything in the freezer?"

"No need, Miss Bowen," came the reply. "I've made a batch of Bolognaise sauce which I was going to let cool and freeze. I can easily warm it up by the time you and your guest arrive, and I'll stay on and cook you the spaghetti if you wish."

"Thanks Georgina, but there's no need for you to stay. We'll be home in twenty minutes, so just put the sauce on the hob on a low heat. I can manage to cook spaghetti. But I'm aware that I owe you, so can you come around tomorrow morning, and I'll give you what you want. Is that OK?"

"Perfect, Miss Bowen," replied Georgina, adding, "have a lovely evening, and I'll see you tomorrow at about ten o'clock?"

"That's fine. Goodnight Georgina, and thanks again."

The little car made good progress through the busy Friday night traffic, and was soon negotiating the one-way system of the town centre.

"I just have to make one stop," Miss Bowen said, uttering an "ah" of pleasure as a car pulled out of the kerbside parking bay in front of her. She pulled in and turned off the engine.

"Shan't be two minutes," she smiled and got out of the car.

Nicola sat there, still in a daze. She shook herself and tried to recall everything that had occurred since she'd found that hateful cartoon. Where the hell was her life going, and how was she going to convince Miss Bowen that there was no way on earth that she was going to continue as a school teacher.

"Still," she thought to herself, "it sounds as if I'm going to get a delicious meal tonight anyhow."

As she looked to see if Miss Bowen was about to re-appear, her eyes settled on a shop, and an idea sprang into her mind. She got out of the car, went into the shop and was back in her passenger seat in no time at all.

Miss Bowen came back, carrying a parcel wrapped in brown paper.

"Sorry about the delay," she apologised. "I needed to get some supplies."

She offered no further explanation, but threw the package carelessly onto the back seat. Nicola beamed at her and held up two bottles of wine.

"Courtesy of Dave!" she giggled. "And seeing as how your friend has prepared spaghetti Bolognaise, I thought that a couple of bottles of Chianti would be the perfect accompaniment."

"Actually, Georgina is my house keeper," said Miss Bowen, as she steered the car out of the parking bay and set off for home.

"I'm very busy in school, and all my spare time is taken up doing things that I love, so I have no time for housework or cooking. Georgina enjoys those sort of domestic duties, so I allow her to do them for me."

Nicola thought that a very strange way of putting things, but she felt it would be impolite to so. She kept her opinion to herself.

Eventually, they arrived at Miss Bowen's home. Nicola gasped in amazement. What had obviously been four tiny fisherman's cottages at one time had been combined to form a long two storey dwelling.

The front overlooked the estuary, and provided a magnificent view. (Later on, Nicola was to discover that there was an equally spectacular view from the rear of the property.)

The cottage was built above the level of the road, standing on a raised platform that had an immaculate lawn and flower garden in front of it. The original stone walls gleamed with whitewash, and the solid looking front door was an eye-wateringly bright shade of yellow.

"Welcome to my humble abode," grinned Miss Bowen, pulling the car onto the parking area at the side of the building.

"Come on, slowcoach! Out you get!"

Nicola got out and stood, open mouthed in amazement.

"It's gorgeous!" she whispered. "I half expect to see Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood coming out of the front door!"

"No, they don't live here!" laughed Miss Bowen. "But you're right. It is gorgeous. I'm very happy here. I have some very good friends who made it possible for me to get this place. I'll introduce you to them. I'm sure they'll get on well with you."

Having made this statement, Miss Bowen didn't elaborate. She opened the front door and stood aside to let Nicola enter.

"Right then. Directions," she said, matter-of-factly.

"The kitchen and utility room are to the left at the far end of the house. From here, there's a dining room immediately to your left. To the right there's a sitting room and my study, and through that door there," she indicated a wooden door behind her, "the conservatory runs the whole length of the right hand side of the building."

"I'll show you your bedroom in a minute. There are stairs at either end of the house, so don't worry about getting lost!"

Nicola followed her hostess into the kitchen, where a wonderful smell pervaded the atmosphere. She put her two bottles of wine down on the worktop and turned to look at Miss Bowen.

"I love your home," she said warmly. "You're so lucky to be able to afford such a wonderful place."

Miss Bowen lifted the lid of the casserole pot, sniffed approvingly and turned to her friend..

"I've just realised that you haven't brought any night clothes," she said, adding, "and I'm afraid I don't use them at all, so you're going to have to sleep naked tonight."

"I'll keep my knickers on so as not to dirty the bed linen," replied Nicola, "but don't worry. I tend to sleep in the nude too."

Miss Bowen smiled back and told Nicola to follow her. They went through the kitchen and into another hallway, where a spiral staircase wound its way upstairs. Nicola followed behind Miss Bowen and was led into a spacious bedroom, full of light from the huge window that overlooked the fields behind the house and onto the mountains beyond. The view took her breath away.

Miss Bowen interrupted her thoughts, telling her that the bathroom was on the other side of the landing, and that Nicola was to feel free to use the bath or the shower.

"I'm afraid this room doesn't have en suite facilities," she apologised, "but the bathroom is not far, and there are plenty of towels on the shelves, and a spare bath robe should be hanging up behind the door. And you'll find a new toothbrush in the cupboard underneath the wash hand basin."

They made their way back downstairs via the other staircase, and Nicola found herself in a huge conservatory, three walls of which were glass, which gave a panoramic view and which again caused her to gasp in delight.

"Go on into the sitting room," suggested Miss Bowen. "It will be cooler in there, and I need about twenty minutes to set the table and cook the spaghetti. Shall I bring you a glass of wine?"

"Oh yes please," answered Nicola gratefully. "After the day I've had, I could do with a very large one!"

Miss Bowen went back to the kitchen, and Nicola wandered into the sitting room. It was airy and spacious, with a huge rough stone fireplace which dominated the room.

Before sitting down on the very comfortable looking settee, Nicola wandered around the room looking at the books on the shelves on either side of the massive fireplace. They seemed to be grouped in themes, and were almost exclusively written by well-known feminist authors. Nicola certainly approved of that!

There also seemed to be a whole shelf devoted to erotica, and Nicola quickly scanned a few titles. She felt that lovely warm glow between her legs as she read the blurb on the back of one particular book that had caught her eye. It was about a submissive lesbian who served a group of dominant women.

Nicola didn't know why she found that subject quite a turn on. She certainly wasn't a lesbian, despite the crush she had had on her biology teacher all those years ago. The itch between her legs was getting stronger, and Nicola replaced the book and went to sit down before the urge got too strong and she felt the need to see to herself with her fingers.

As she sat down, her eyes came to rest on the hearth of the fireplace. She wrinkled her brow in amazement, and stood up again, just to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

No, she was perfectly correct. The objects lying in a neat rack on the side of the hearth were exactly what she'd thought they were. And then the realisation hit her. She put her hand to her mouth, and tried to work out exactly what was going on.

Georgina had prepared supper for two people before she knew that Nicola was going to be invited that evening. Therefore, Miss Bowen must have been expecting a guest. And judging by the half a dozen tobacco pipes that were neatly stacked, waiting to be smoked, that guest was a man.

A man who was a frequent visitor, otherwise why would he leave his pipes here?

"Oh hell," she thought. "It's obvious, isn't it? Friday night is date night! Miss Bowen must have had a date with a gentleman friend, and she's put him off so that I can cry on her shoulder, and tell her what a pathetic, shitty life I've been leading this past year!"

She stalked off into the kitchen, where she found Miss Bowen just finishing pouring two glasses of Chianti.

"Oh, there you are," she smiled. "You must be in need of a drink if you couldn't wait for me to bring these through!"

Nicola smiled sadly at her.

"It's alright," she said, "I'm not staying. I've just realised that you must have put your date off to have me to stay here tonight. Call him back and tell him you don't have to babysit your pathetic colleague any longer. Keep the wine with my compliments. I'll ring and get a taxi home."

There was a deathly silence, and then Miss Bowen took a big swig of her wine. She nodded her head in appreciation, and looked at her colleague.

"Nicola, what the fuck are you on about?" she asked. "A date? I don't date! And as for my having a boyfriend, the very idea is laughable."

Nicola blushed, as much from hearing the F word as from the fact that she was beginning to feel very foolish indeed.

"But... those pipes... I mean I saw some pipes on the hearth in the sitting room. I came to the conclusion that they belonged to a gentleman friend, and that as a meal for two had been prepared, you'd put him off to look after me. Isn't that what happened?"

Miss Bowen handed her a glass of wine and the opened bottle. She picked up her own glass and linked her spare arm through Nicola's.

"Let's go and sit down and I'll explain all about my secret," she grinned. "I bet it'll blow your innocent little mind away!"

When they were sitting next to one another on the large settee, Miss Bowen picked up a dainty long stemmed pipe and handed it to Nicola.

"They're mine," she confessed with a grin. "I began smoking a pipe when I was at University, and I absolutely love it. That's what I stopped to pick up in town earlier, My weekly supply of tobacco! I keep it a secret from all but a handful of good and trusted friends. And seeing as how you know now, that must make you a good and trusted friend!"

Nicola blushed and began to speak.

"I'm so sorry for doubting you, Miss Bowen," she began, but her words were cut off when Miss Bowen put a finger on Nicola's lips.

"Shh!" she whispered. "I have been deceiving you. I've had my eye on you ever since I learned that your bastard husband had kicked you out of your house."

Nicola tried to protest, but a shake of Miss Bowen's head silenced any protest she might have tried to express.

"It was a real stroke of luck when that little bitch decided to draw that cartoon this afternoon," she continued. "My friends and I weren't planning on moving on your case until the end of term. Your threat to resign seems to have forced our hand!"

"Now listen," she continued, sipping her wine, "we're going to have a lovely meal. I'll tell you what I know and you can fill in the gaps. Then you are going to have a bath and an early night. I need to go out for an hour or so, but I'll be back in good time for breakfast and to take you to town tomorrow."

She smiled at Nicola's puzzled look.

"All in good time, my dear," she said. "Now come on, let's go and eat!"

Over supper, Nicola was astonished at what Miss Bowen knew about her. She confessed that Kevin had indeed kicked her out of their house, and that he'd changed the locks too.

He'd been thoughtful enough to send her a copy of the mortgage agreement, which he went to great lengths to explain, she was responsible for paying. (That revelation brought a disgusted tutt of disapproval from Miss Bowen.)

Nicola confessed that she was almost broke, had no hopes of ever getting back with Kevin, and faced the prospect of growing old alone and miserable.

Miss Bowen made some coffee and shook her head when Nicola proposed that she help with the washing up.

"Georgina will see to it in the morning," she assured Nicola. "Let's take our coffee into the sitting room."

They made themselves comfortable again, and Miss Bowen reached for the long stem pipe that she had shown Nicola earlier.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" she asked, and Nicola shook her head.

"It's your house, Miss Bowen," she replied shyly.

"Oh for fuck's sake," replied her companion, smiling to show she wasn't really angry. "This constant 'Miss Bowen' makes me feel ancient. I insist that you call me Myra."

Nicola's eyes widened in delight, and she put her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing.