The World Made Yonder Pt. 05

'You mean, after I went home ... you and her...?'

'Celia, that was the arrangement. And, believe me, the women like Jackie who rent out the big boats in summer can be just as generous.'

'So ... you're a kind of prostitute?'

'I don't like that word. I prefer "gigolo".'

Celia stared into space, frozen in time. She didn't speak, didn't move, didn't breathe.

'Celia?' said the voice on the phone. 'Are you still there?'

***************************

At the Women's Aid Centre where she worked, Jackie sat at her desk and cradled her stomach. There had been a small celebration at the office the previous evening and she was now suffering indigestion. It had been mild that morning, but was now getting bad enough to distract her from her work. She shared her discomfort with her colleagues.

'Camomile tea,' said Dee, a pale woman who wore black lipstick. 'Settles the stomach like you wouldn't believe.'

'My mum swears by Coke,' said Shireen, a black girl with huge earrings. 'But it has to be the original Coca Cola, not Pepsi or some other shit.'

'Shit being the operative word,' said Dee. 'Do you know how much sugar they put in it?'

'A bit of sugar's better than a dicky tummy.'

'Yeah, if you don't mind diabetes...'

Jackie got up and went to the kitchen. It was a narrow, closed space at the back of the office, and it was still cluttered with the detritus of the celebration. An empty Cava bottle stood on the kitchen counter, along with wine boxes, takeout food cartons, plastic plates, cutlery and lots of champagne and drinking glasses. The intern usually had cleaning duties, but she was only in three days a week and nobody else had volunteered.

Jackie opened the fridge to check the Coca Cola situation. There was a litre-bottle with maybe enough cola for a glass and a half, and it looked as fizzy as cold coffee. So, camomile tea it was. Jackie filled up the electric kettle and switched it on, then had a glass of water while she waited.

The kettle had boiled and Jackie was just pouring hot water into a mug with a tea bag, when she heard Shireen's voice behind her.

'Hey, Jacks! Here's someone to take your mind off your tummy ache!'

Jackie turned. Standing next to her cheerful black colleague was a pale-looking Celia. Her hair hung over her face, her beige trench coat was creased, and the strap of her shoulder bag was tight across her chest.

'Celia!' said Jackie.

She stepped forwards and embraced the other woman. Celia stood limp in her arms. My goodness, thought Jackie, the poor woman is traumatised. Over Celia's shoulder, Shireen was pointing and silently mouthing, 'Is this the Celia?' and Jackie nodded without letting go. Shireen lifted her two hands in acknowledgement and made a discreet exit.

Jackie stepped back from Celia and rubbed her arms affectionately.

'You look like you've been in the wars,' she said.

'You could say that,' said Celia in a hushed voice.

'What happened?'

'Joey left me last night. He's moved in with Jeremy.'

'His business partner?'

'Yes.'

'Those two should marry each other,' said Jackie. 'Joey always put that business before you.'

Jackie went to take the tea bag out of her mug. She dropped it into the sink with a plop and looked at Celia.

'Do you want some tea?' said Jackie. 'The kettle's just boiled.'

'No, thank you.'

'Shall we adjourn to another room?'

'No, this is fine,' said Celia looking around at all the clutter and mess. 'This is ... appropriate.'

Jackie frowned and took a sip of tea.

'Did you use the material I emailed you?' she said.

'Yes,' said Celia.

'And?'

'Joey agreed to pay full child support.'

'Hah!'

Jackie put down her mug and went to give Celia another hug. Celia stepped quickly aside, her elbow almost knocking over the Cava bottle, and started digging into her bag.

'There was a glitch,' she said.

Celia took a folded sheet of paper from the bag and held it out. Jackie took it and opened it.

'Report of Paternity?' she said.

Celia watched Jackie's face. She saw the eyes widen in comprehension and surprise, then the entire expression collapsed into a kind of disgust.

'Oh, Celia ... I'm so sorry,' she said. 'What a blow.' Her eyes hardened. 'So that's why Joey agreed to full child support! He had no choice! God, what is it with men? They always win!'

Celia cleared her throat.

'So, are you saying there's something wrong with Stephen?'

'No!' said Jackie. 'No, of course not!'

'But your reaction suggests that if Bjorn had been the father, Stephen would be "better" in some way?'

'No, that's not what I mean!'

Jackie tossed the paper onto the counter and went up to the other woman. She took both her hands and looked into her eyes.

'Celia! It's me!' she said. 'It's Jackie, your closest friend! Do you know what that means? It means I'll always be there for you!'

'Always?'

'Yes! Always!'

'Even when you fuck Bjorn?'

Celia watched with a kind of masochistic satisfaction as the colour slowly disappeared from Jackie's face. Her pudgy fingers turned cold in Celia's hands before they fell out of her grasp. Jackie clutched her stomach and her throat seemed to quiver under the skin.

'Celia ... I ... I ...'

Jackie was backing away, her face going through a hundred emotions, as if not knowing which one to wear. Celia, by contrast, had only one—cold rage. Jackie forced herself to straighten up and look the other woman in the face.

'Who told you this?' she said.

'Bjorn did,' said Celia. 'I googled his name, found the company he worked for and got his phone number. We had a very interesting talk this morning.'

Jackie looked ill, her hand buried in the stomach area. She cleared her throat and said:

'Look, Celia ... you broke up with Bjorn over a decade ago.'

'That's hardly the point, is it?'

'Well, I knew how you'd feel and I didn't want to hurt you.'

'Oh, how noble of you!'

'Look! I have a right to a private life!'

'So do I!'

Celia stepped forwards, eyes blazing.

'I have a right to marry the man I want and have the child I want and live the life I want, without you fucking interfering!'

'I didn't interfere—'

'You invited Bjorn to that party knowing damn well how I felt about him! And you told him Joey was cheating on me just in case he had a conscience! You set me up, you bitch! You set me up!'

'Celia, I didn't force you to—'

Shireen and Dee suddenly appeared behind Jackie. Both of them stared at Celia, their expressions concerned. Dee spoke in a low voice to Jackie.

'Do you want me to call security?'

'No, no...' said Jackie. 'We're just having a ... a difference of opinion.'

Celia turned away with a contemptuous snort. Jackie took advantage of that moment to lean toward her colleagues and whisper, 'Husband's an abuser.' Both women gave her looks of understanding.

But Celia overheard, something snapped, and she reached for the nearest object. As Jackie straightened up and prepared to turn, the Cava bottle crashed into the back of her skull. The bottle didn't break, but there was a nasty 'crack!' and Jackie slumped to the ground without so much as a groan.

Celia stood, bottle in hand, staring at the body on the floor. Shireen was screaming and Dee had run out of the room.

***************************

Joey and Kayla got back to the J&J office in the middle of lunch hour. They joined the general gathering with the news that the presentation had gone well and the project was moving forward. Lunch overran by half an hour and everyone went back to their desks with renewed energy. Joey set up his laptop in the main work area so he could oversee the next steps and the afternoon was proving to be highly productive.

Then his phone rang. He was sat in discussion with Kayla and two others, and he merely glanced with the intention of ignoring it. The small screen showed the word SCHOOL.

'Sorry, I have to take this,' said Joey.

He put the phone to his ear and spoke:

'Hello?'

'This is Ms Olsen, Stephen's teacher,' said a woman's voice. 'Your son was due to be picked up twenty minutes ago.'

'Celia isn't there?'

'Well, obviously not or I wouldn't be calling.'

'Have you tried her mobile?'

'Mr Gardner, would I be calling you if I'd reached her?'

'All right, all right ... I'll pick him up as soon as I can.'

'How long will that be?'

'Twenty, twenty-five minutes, depending on traffic.'

There was a huff of disapproval.

'Fine,' said the voice and hung up.

Joey got to his feet, telling the group why he had to go.

'My God...' said Kayla. 'I hope nothing's happened to her.'

'Yeah, me too,' said Joey.

As he collected his stuff to leave, Joey made two quick calls. The first was to Celia's phone, which went straight to voicemail. The second was to her workplace. They told him Celia had called in sick and they assumed she was at home. Joey no longer had a home telephone, so he promised Jeremy to call him with an update, slung his computer bag over his shoulder and left the first-floor office.

As Joey went down the creaking oak stairs of the refurbished Regency building, he saw a scene at the reception desk which froze his blood. Two police officers—one man, one woman—were asking the receptionist something. The receptionist, Sheila, pointed up the staircase, saw Joey and said, 'Oh, that's him coming down now!' The policeman and policewoman turned to look, both wearing expressions of deadly seriousness.

Joey had to concentrate on his feet so as not to fall the rest of the way down. As he stepped on the black-and-white tiles of the entrance hall, the two officers went up to him.

'Are you Mr Joe Gardner?' said the policeman.

'Yes,' said Joey.

'May we have a word in private?'

'Has something happened to Celia? My wife?'

The two officers exchanged a glance. Joey fought the urge to cry out, his heart thumping, his stomach crunched. He felt tears prick his eyes as he allowed himself to be led to the side of the staircase. The policeman leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.

'Mr Gardner,' he said. 'We are here to inform you that your wife has been arrested.'

'What?'

'She's been arrested. She's currently being held at—'

'She's not dead?'

'No!' cut in the policewoman. 'Why would you think that?'

'Because I got a call from the school saying that Celia didn't pick up our son. That has never happened! Never in all the years I've known her! And then you two show up...'

Joey couldn't speak. He turned away, covering his face with a hand as the tears fell, but unable to stop a couple of choking sobs. Both officers looked abashed and uncomfortable.

'Mr Gardner,' said the male officer. 'I apologise if we scared you. That was not our intention.'

'Absolutely not!' chimed in the female officer.

'But it is standard procedure to—'

'Look, just give me a minute, would you?!' said Joey.

He gave them a fierce look and both of them backed off. He realised that although the uniforms made them look official, they were both younger than him, in their late twenties perhaps. Joey allowed himself a few deep breaths, composed himself, then turned to face them.

'All right,' he said. 'What happened?'

***************************

Joey got the story in pieces over a period of hours and even then it was not complete. The two police officers gave him the first piece, then Joey had to leave to pick up Stephen. While driving to the school, he called the home of Celia's parents, but got the answering machine. Celia's father didn't have a mobile, but her mother did—an old Nokia—and she picked up. It turned out that Celia had used her right to one phone call to call her parents and they were both in Graham's Jaguar on their way to the police station. Patricia began telling Joey what she knew, but he heard Graham interrupt in the background with, 'Why are you wasting your breath on him? They're divorcing!' Patricia apologised for her husband, which started an argument, and she rang off. Joey arrived at Stephen's school feeling like he'd been kicked in the stomach.

Joey apologised to Ms Olsen, but did not offer any details on Celia's absence. He took Stephen to the supermarket to buy something for dinner and afterwards stopped off at a recreation park to take their mind off things. As Stephen clambered over a playground castle, Joey called Jeremy and told him what he knew.

Celia had gone to Jackie Warren's place of work and—during an altercation—hit her over the head with a heavy glass bottle. The police and an ambulance were called, and Celia was taken to the police station while Jackie was taken to hospital. She had not yet regained consciousness and her condition was described as critical. If she died, Celia might be facing a charge of manslaughter and would almost certainly go to prison. Joey found himself in the unique situation of genuinely hoping for Jackie Warren to be okay.

Joey and Stephen were having dinner at home when Patricia called with another update. Joey got up and left the room, having the phone conversation in a low voice in the hall on the other side of the dining room door. Celia's parents had secured a lawyer for their daughter and she was going to be released from the police station after signing a statement. At the hospital, Jackie had recovered consciousness and was off the critical list. However, she had a fractured skull and was suffering head trauma, so she would not be leaving anytime soon.

'There is one more thing,' said Joey's mother-in-law. 'Celia wants to go home and see Stephen. But I understand that you and Celia have separated and that you have moved out?'

'Yes, that's right,' said Joey.

'Well ... I don't think Celia should be alone with Stephen. Not tonight.'

'You and Graham are more than welcome to stay.'

'Graham refuses to do that. I'm sorry to say that he blames you for what happened. Totally unfairly, in my opinion.'

'What?'

'You see, he wants us to take Celia back home to our house. But I wanted to talk to you first to see if you would—temporarily—stay in the house yourself to make sure she's okay.'

Joey frowned. He opened the door a crack to check on Stephen. The boy was still eating. Joey quietly closed the door again.

'Listen, Patricia,' he said. 'I appreciate your faith in me, but Celia and I have quite some issues with each other and I think this is a bit soon.'

'Joey, I do understand,' said Patricia, her voice also quiet, as though not wanting to be overheard herself. 'But ... how can I put this? Celia needs you.'

'I agree she needs support.'

'No, she needs you.'

Joey opened his mouth to protest, but his mother-in-law was too quick.

'Joey, I love my daughter,' she said. 'I would put my hand in the fire for her. But I'm also not blind to the fact that she can be a spoiled brat ... and that has more to do with her father than he would like to admit.'

Joey was silent. He agreed with every word, but he did not expect this from someone he assumed would be on the opposing team.

'Listen, I'm not asking you to take her back,' said Patricia. 'But, as you said, she's going to need support and I believe she will be better off with you.'

'Why?'

'Because Graham will try and tell her what to do, whereas you are trying to get her to listen to her own conscience. And that's what she needs.'

'You could do that.'

'She doesn't listen to me.'

'Patricia, she doesn't exactly listen to me either.'

'Oh, yes, she does. The whole reason she confronted that dreadful Jackie rather than seek solace with her was because of what you said. Did you know that Jackie was sleeping with Bjorn without Celia's knowledge?'

Joey let out a gasp of astonishment. He leaned against the door jamb, phone to his ear.

'So that's why...' he said.

'No, don't misunderstand,' said Patricia. 'It was part of the reason for the confrontation, yes. But the reason for the violence—and this was corroborated by witness statements—was that Jackie told her colleagues that you were an abuser. That's when Celia grabbed the bottle and tried to bash that woman's brains in.'

***************************

It was dark outside. Joey sat with Stephen on the living room couch watching Hercules. Stephen was in his pyjamas, having washed and brushed his teeth, but although it was past his bedtime, Joey had promised he could stay up so his mother could put him to bed.

Joey heard the growl of car engines outside. Patricia had told him that Celia was in no fit state to drive, so her father was driving her home in the Jag while Patricia drove her daughter's Nissan behind them. The engines died and Joey heard car doors slam, followed by the sound of familiar voices. He cursed under his breath. The big fight scene between Hercules and the Hydra was just about to start. He saw Stephen looking up at him and realised they were thinking the same thing—that if Granddad and Grandma could keep talking for five more minutes, they could watch the fight scene and have Mummy put Stephen to bed.

It was not to be.

Joey paused the film as the front door was unlocked, then closed and three grown-ups trooped into the living room. Both Graham and Patricia were smartly dressed, the man in a polo neck and blazer, the woman in an elegant dress and coat. Standing next to them, Celia looked like a student in second-hand clothes. Joey got to his feet and Stephen went barefoot across the carpet to his mother.

Celia bent down to hold her son and she looked at Joey with almost pathetic gratitude. She looked crushed and defeated, her spirit broken. Joey had fantasized about seeing this many times, but now that the moment was here, he did not feel an atom of pleasure. He realised with surprise that he actually preferred the Wicked Queen to Snow White.

'Shouldn't that boy be in bed?' said Graham bluntly.

'Yes, of course,' said Celia. 'Stephen, say goodnight to everyone.'

'I'll come upstairs with you,' said Patricia.

Joey groaned inwardly, but he said goodnight to Stephen and watched as the women took him out of the room. He was alone with his father-in-law.

'Can I offer you a drink?' said Joey.

'I'm driving.'

'Glass of water, perhaps?'

'No, thank you.'

The two men stood in silence. Joey had a view of the flatscreen, frozen on the image of Hercules wielding a sword. The classic warrior, albeit the Disney version. What would Joey do if he were a warrior?

'Graham, can I ask you something?' said Joey.

'Shoot.'

'Why do you blame me for what happened?'

'Did Pat tell you that?'

'Yes.'

Graham stood, feet planted, hands behind his back. His dark eyebrows lowered over his eyes as he considered.

'Given what Celia did,' he said, 'you have every right to divorce her. But the way you're dragging this whole thing out is helping no one. Especially not your son.'

'You've noticed some change in him?'

'Well ... no.'

'So why do you say that?'

Graham gave a sarcastic laugh and looked at the younger man. One hand came out from behind his back to gesticulate and point.

'This is the thing with you young people!' he said. 'You're very good at pointing out the little things, and then completely missing the big things.'

'Implying that I am somehow harming my son is not "a little thing".'

'I didn't say that! My main point was that you are dragging out this divorce—which you are! And, while you have the right to divorce my daughter, you do not have the right to torture her this way!'

'You think I'm torturing her?'

'Oh, you're doing more than that!'

'What do you mean?'

Graham marched up to Joey, who had to force himself not to step backwards. Both men were tall and Joey could see the blood vessels in the corners of Graham's cold blue eyes.