She Painted Up Her Face Ch. 02

She finished her coffee and walked back to Doctor Blundell's rooms. She saw a dress in a shop window that would look great on her. She resisted the temptation to buy it, it was a luxury that, to her was a waste of more money than she was prepared to spend.

The session hadn't finished so she sat and flicked, without reading, through one of those ghastly rumour mags that seemed to infest waiting rooms, until the door opened and Brian emerged. "I'll see you next week."

"Thank you, and yes I'll be here." Brian said.

"I didn't realise just how messed up I was." He said as they drove home. He was quiet for the rest of the journey.

"Well, what did you talk about?" Julia asked as they pulled into the driveway.

"Oh, she asked me about all sorts of things, like my relationship with my parents, with you, my ex-wife, did I ever feel like resorting to drugs again, you know, that sort of thing."

"I suppose she was looking for what could be a trigger for a relapse."

"She did tell me to contact her if that ever happened."

"I think that's good advice."

"She did tell me that she thought that you were taking on too much helping me. She's right you know, I am putting too much onto you."

"But I want to help you."

"You see it as your duty to help me, there's a difference."

"I would do the same for anyone, because my mother did the same for me. I didn't ask her for help, she offered it, along with her unconditional love, and isn't that what Christians are supposed to do?"

"Yeah, well. All the same I feel that this is an imposition."

"Come on, Mum will have the kettle on." Julia got out of the car and waited for him. He sat for about thirty seconds before opening the door and slowly getting out.

Mum tried to lighten the mood, but Brian sat without speaking for some time. Mum had gathered the cups and plates from the table and was heading for the kitchen when he spoke. "I think I should go home."

"Are you sure about that?" Mum asked him.

"I'm not sure of anything, but I am sure that I should be letting you get on with your life." He said to Julia.

"Was that your idea, or Doctor Blundell's?"

"She did say that I was aware that I was taking advantage of your sense of duty and that I was feeling guilty about that. She's right, I'm feeling remorse over everything that I have put you through and this remorse, she told me, would hinder my recovery."

"If I were you, I'd think twice about going home to your father, your mother won't be a problem, but, if he has any sense of decency, your father is not going to be happy with you there."

"I think that, me being there might force my father to rethink some of his attitudes."

"Good luck with that. Sorry, I shouldn't have allowed my feelings to surface."

"It's alright. I'll just have to muster the strength to face him. Annabelle told me that she would be there to support me if it causes me a problem."

"Oh, so it's Annabelle is it?" Julia thought that her feigned jealousy would lighten the mood, then she realised that it was not feigned. "Did I love him enough to be jealous of her?" She thought.

"She told me to look upon her as a friend rather than a Therapist."

"I won't question the ethics of this, after all it's your life and your treatment."

He left, and a feeling of emptiness overtook her.

Two weeks later, just when she was feeling blah, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Is that Julia?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Gavin Travis."

"Do I know you?"

"Yes, try Sergeant Travis, we spoke some months ago, at the hospital."

"Oh yes, I remember you now. Is something wrong?"

"Why is it that when people get a call from the police it means that something is wrong? No. nothing is wrong. I would like to get together with you, maybe dinner."

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes, it has taken me some time to get up enough courage to call you."

Julia thought about this for a while, what was his motive?

"It's your turn."

"What?"

"Your turn to speak."

"Yes, I'll go to dinner with you."

"Is this evening too soon?"

"No, this evening will be fine."

"Great! I'll call for you at six-thirty."

"So, you know my address?"

"Nah, I was going to drive around until I found you. Yes, I know where you live."

"This was strange and unexpected." Julia thought as she looked at her clothes, figuring out what she would wear. She decided on a matching skirt and jacket over a white blouse.

"I won't be in for dinner." Julia told her mother.

"Are you going with Brian?"

"No, I haven't spoken to him for over a week, he's seemed so distant lately, it's almost as if he no longer want to be with me."

"So who are you going out with?"

"Do you remember me telling you about the policeman that helped me when I found Brian?"

"Yes."

"Well, he just called and invited me on a date."

"I would question his motives, after all he knows of your former life."

"I have asked myself, what he could possibly want with me, I'm sure that it's not sex."

"You be careful."

Promptly at six-thirty the doorbell rang. Julia opened it to reveal a hardly recognisable but handsome man. "I know, I look totally different out of uniform."

"Come in, I'd like you to meet my mother." He followed her into the kitchen. "Mum, this is Gavin Travis."

"I'm pleased to meet you." Gavin held out his hand.

"You take care of my girl, and don't stay out too late. I remember saying that to her when she first started going out with Brian."

"I'll take good care of her and I'll bring her home safely, and at a good time."

They left and Gavin drove her to a restaurant within the CBD. They were seated by a waiter who went off to attend to another group.

"Well, what do your think?" Gavin asked.

"It's nice."

"The food is good but not expensive, so they don't get the trendy crowd here."

"Gavin, I have to ask, why have you asked me for dinner?"

"Two reasons. I have news of that judge that beat you so badly. Several women have given evidence against him for doing what he did to them, the same as he did to you. I would not want to be in his shoes, given the number of guys that he's about to join that are there as a result of the sentences that he handed down."

"Don't expect me to feel sorry for him. Now, what is the other reason?"

"When we spoke at the hospital I hardly recognised you as the same person that had been beaten up by that judge. Back then you were a broken woman desperately searching for a better life that no-one was prepared to help you to achieve. I was tempted, even then, to help you but I was having relationship problems of my own that were taking up my time. Then when I saw you helping your ex-husband, I was moved. You were doing for him what I should have done for you. I was ashamed and decided to lift my game."

"Your relationship problems, have you resolved them?"

"You could say that they have run their course, yes."

"In a roundabout way, you have avoided answering my question, why me?"

"You impressed me back then and I have to admit that I have been keeping tabs on you, not in a creepy way mind you. I like what I see, and this gave me the idea that I would like to get closer to you."

"Your expectations for this evening, what are they?"

"That's putting me on the spot. No more than you allow them to be."

Julia's feelings, during the meal, morphed from wary to cautiously comfortable, to better than she has felt for many years. So much so that, as they left the restaurant and Gavin reached for her hand, she allowed the contact. When they reached his car, he held the door open for her and, as she moved to get in, his hand was on the small of her back, To Julia, the contact felt natural and sent a tingle up her spine. Whenever Brian had sought contact it had felt uncomfortable, as if the memories were still intruding on their relationship.

The lights were still on when they arrived back at the house. Julia reached for Gavin's hand. "Will you walk me to the door?"

"Of course." He got out of the car and walked around to open the door for her. Julia got out and turned to him.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening." She moved close. His arms slid around her body and he gently pulled her closer. They kissed.

"What are you doing on the weekend?" He asked.

"I have nothing planned. Why, what did you have in mind?" She was wondering what masculine endeavour he was about to subject her to.

"There's a concert on at the town hall, I thought you might be interested in coming to it with me."

"What sort of concert?" She expected some sort of amateur variety concert.

"Orchestral, classical, mostly Mozart."

"I've never been to one of those, yes, I'd like that."

"I have to warn you, you'll be sitting on your own in the audience."

"Oh. and why would that be?"

"Because I'm in the orchestra, principal oboist,"

"You surprise me."

"Why? Aren't I allowed to play classical music?"

"You are a surprising man, has anyone ever told you that?"

"I'd better walk you to the door, your mother will be wondering what we're doing standing out here."

They reached the door and Julia turned to Gavin. "Gavin, don't read too much into this." Her arms were around his neck. She kissed him, gently holding her lips to his for several seconds before taking them away. "Call me, to discuss the arrangements for the weekend."

"So, you'll come with me?"

"Yes. Goodnight." She opened the door and was gone.

"Yes!" Gavin said to himself as he walked back to his car.

For the rest of the week Julia was floating through life, Her job had taken on a new meaning, she was so upbeat that her workmates suspected a new person in her life. "It's early days, but I have hopes." Was all that she would say.

It all came crashing down, briefly, when Brian called on Friday evening. "Julia, I'm afraid that I can't see you any more."

"Why?"

"Doctor Randall has said that, while I have contact with you my guilt will never allow me to achieve a full recovery."

"Bullshit, you're shagging her." She was deliberately crude with her reply."

"Well... "

"You're a weak man, you fall for strong women to compensate for your weakness."

"She told me that you'd be angry, and that I could use your anger as part of my recovery process."

"I'm not angry, in fact this has taken a weight off my mind. I will not lose any sleep over this. Good-bye Brian."

Julia had a front row seat along with guests of other orchestra members. "Which one is yours?" The woman seated next to her asked.

"The handsome oboist." Julia replied.

"So, you're Julia, the woman that he's been going on about at rehearsals."

"Yes, I'm Julia. Tell me more about his going on about me?"

"He hasn't stopped since Tuesday. You did go out with him Monday night, didn't you?"

"Yes I did."

"The guy is totally besotted with you, anyone would think that you're already engaged."

"We're not I assure you."

"We shall see what we shall see." She smiled as she turned away. The conductor tapped the rostrum with his baton, the recital was about to begin.

After the recital and the encores had finished, Julia was introduced to the other orchestra members back stage, and from their reactions, she assumed that he had told everyone of his love for her.

"Don't you think that you're jumping the gun telling everyone that we're as good as married?" She asked as they drove home.

"I have never been more sure of myself about anything. I love you."

"Whoa there. I think we should slow down a little." She caught the look on his face. "But not too much. I admit that I have feelings for you, after all, you're the first man that hasn't been motivated by having sex with me."

"I wouldn't go quite that far, I have been having thoughts, dreams, about what that would be like."

"Yeah, well, I admit to having similar thoughts. We need to be sure of ourselves before we take that step. I do not want to hurt you and unsatisfactory sex has a tendency to do that."

"In my dreams the sex is never unsatisfactory."

"Hold that dream for a while longer, okay?"

It took a whole two months before the relationship reached the stage where sex was appropriate, and satisfactory. They were in Gavin's bed, beads of perspiration on their faces, their heavy breathing a testament to their passion. "I guess that this is the right time, Julia, will you marry me?"

"This is the right time to say yes. I love you. There I've said it and, do you know what? It feels great."

Her mind went back to that time. all those years ago, when she was sure that her dreams would be met with Brian. How wrong that was, how much hurt came from that, how low did she fall from those lofty heights before she had climbed to this point in her life. She now had the love of a man who cared more for others than he did for himself, and she cared so much for him, the man, not the dream.