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Great Writing - Home > Extended > Let no man put asunder - chapter 27
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Extended Work
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| Let no man put asunder - chapter 27 | |
| By LynB | ||||||||||||
| 01 January 2007 | ||||||||||||
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Chapter 27 “Well” said Steve, as Donna poured him another glass of wine. “He took it rather well, don’t you think? The best man won!” “There’s no need to gloat, Steve” replied Donna, placing the bottle back on the table. “I hated having to say what I did. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him – he didn’t deserve it.” “Don’t waste your time feeling sorry for him, Donna” he said, his voice cutting. “It’s quite obvious he’s a loser – a washed up mental case, who still believes he’s the next Pavarotti!” “How dare you talk about him like that!” yelled Donna, throwing her glass of wine in his face. “He is not a loser! He’s a good man, and he’s the father of my children! He may have lost his peace of mind, but his voice was one thing he never lost, the one thing that you or anyone else could never take away from him. Don’t forget, Steve, I knew and loved Jon for more years than I care to remember, I still care for him, and I won’t have you rubbishing him like that!” “Yes!” snapped Steve, his eyes blazing. “Loved! Past tense! You’re with me now – not him! Make sure you remember that!” “I know that” replied Donna, her voice calm and even. “just because I’m with you, it doesn’t mean I have to forget that Jon ever existed. I can’t – we have too much history together! So don’t give me ultimatums, Steve. I don’t take kindly to them – make sure you remember that!” With that, she got up and stormed upstairs, leaving him to think over what she had said. He did not know Donna as well as he thought he did – she was definitely no pushover. Still, that was all right, he thought, he liked women with a bit of fire in them, a bit of passion – Donna had plenty of both. If he wanted to keep her, he would have to love her and look after her, but he could not try and hold her back. If he crushed her spirit, he would lose her – it was that simple. It was her fiery beauty that had drawn Jon to her like a moth to a flame, and five years and four children later, the flame was still burning, until fate had stepped in, and cruelly wrenched her away from him. His train of thought was broken when the living room door opened, and Donna came in. She sat down next to him, looking a little shamefaced. “I’m sorry for throwing my wine over you, Steve” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “but you made me see red. Promise me, you won’t bad-mouth Jon again, especially in front of the children. He’s a wonderful dad, and they love him to bits. I’m not asking too much, surely?” “Of course not” he agreed, pulling her close. “I won’t mention him again. I don’t want to lose you.” “Do you think I should see if he’s all right?” she said, thoughtfully. “I think he took the news a little too well. His state of mind is still very fragile, and I’d hate to think I was responsible for pushing him over the edge.” “Of course he’s all right” said Steve, beginning to sound impatient. “He’s got someone to look after him – what’s her name – Eliza? It’s not as if he’s pining away for you, is it? Leave him to it – he’s not part of your life, any more” “He’ll always be part of my life whether you like it or not, Steve. Those children are his as much as mine, and he has a right to see them whenever he wants to. I tried to stop him from seeing them, because of his state of mind, and look what happened! They would never have forgiven me, and I never would have forgiven myself, if he’d….” Her voice trailed off, and she put her hand over her mouth to try and stop her lips from trembling. “Well, he didn’t, did he?” said Steve, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Now, please, just leave it. He has to accept it sooner or later, so just let him go home to Eliza. I’m sure he’ll be fine once he’s had his leg over.” “Do you have to be so crude?” snapped Donna, pushing his arm away. “Oh, look, that’s Jon’s mobile on the table. He’ll be wondering where it is. Still, under the circumstances, I’m not surprised he forgot it, he….” She broke off as the phone began to ring. Steve picked it up and handed it to her. A puzzled look crossed her face, as she read the name on the screen - ‘Eliza calling’. Why on earth was she ringing Jon’s mobile? That only meant one thing… “Hello, Eliza. What can I do for you?” “Sorry to bother you, Donna, but I just wondered if Jon was with you? I was expecting a call from him ages ago!” “No, Eliza. He’s gone – I thought he’d be with you by now.” “Why didn’t he ring me? I said I’d pick him up, so why did he decide to walk?” “It’s a long story, Eliza. He’s a bit upset, and he took it into his head to walk. I’m worried now, especially as he’s not well…” “What’s wrong with him? He seemed fine when I dropped him off! Oh, God, Donna, what’s going on?” “Calm down, Eliza! He’s just got a cold, that’s all - nothing life threatening. It’s just that he was upset when he left, and I hate to think of him out there alone. He’s probably not thinking straight. Leave it to me, I think I know where he might be.” “Where? What’s happening, Donna? Please, why is he upset? Tell me!” “He’ll tell you himself once I find him, and bring him home. If I’m right, I shouldn’t be long. Try not to worry, Eliza.” With that, she hung up, and turned to Steve, who sat there with his arms folded, his face a picture of petulance. “Surely you’re not going after him?” he said, his voice rising in anger and disbelief. “He’s not your problem any more! Let Eliza deal with him! Sit down, for heaven’s sake!” “No, Steve” said Donna, standing her ground. “Under the circumstances, I think this is something I have to do myself. If he’s where I think he is, then as much as she cares for him, Eliza could never know what’s going through his mind at the moment. You stay here with the kids, and I’ll be as quick as I can. I’m sorry, Steve, but I just can’t turn my back on him. You understand, don’t you?” “Of course I do” he said, kissing her. “Take your time, I understand.” As she left, she did not see the expression on his face that said exactly the opposite. Steve had never wanted to share his toys as a child, and as far as he was concerned, Donna was no different. He did not want to share her with anyone. It did not occur to him that he had used a heartbreaking situation to get what he wanted – he had used another man’s pain to his own advantage. Still, if he wanted Donna, he knew he would have to learn to share. Her children’s happiness was paramount, and to deny them the right to see the father they worshipped was, to her, unthinkable. As Donna drove through the moonlit streets, large spots of rain suddenly appeared on the car’s windscreen. As it began to fall faster and faster, she began to realise that if she did not soon find him, he was going to end up with pneumonia. She just hoped that her initial hunch was right, because if it wasn’t, then she really had no idea where to look next. As she approached the cemetery, she pulled into the small car park, and glanced over at the gates. The sight that met her eyes went straight to her heart. She pulled her coat around her, and hurried over to him. At first, he did not appear to even notice she was there. His hands still gripped the gates, and his face was pressed against the bars. As she followed his gaze, her eyes came to rest upon Eileen’s grave. She watched, her heart silently breaking, as he continued to stare towards the grave, shaking from head to foot with quiet, but heart wrenching sobs. She reached out tentatively, but just as she was about to place her hand on his shoulder, he turned and saw her. He did not speak, but just stared at her, his eyes so full of pain she could hardly bear to look at him. “Come on, love” she said, softly, not daring to touch him at first. “Come with me. You can’t stay here all night” “Leave me alone, Donna” he whispered, turning away from her. “I want to be on my own. I just need some time….” “Please, Jon” she begged, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “you’ll get pneumonia!” “Good” he said, the bitterness in his voice shocking her to the core. “little you care! Now will you please go away!” “Please..” She began to cry, as he angrily shook her off. “I can’t leave you here like this! Eliza’s worried sick about you, let me take you home” “No, I don’t want to. I’m with the only person who understands how I feel right now. I feel close to her, I….. oh Donna, I’m so cold….” “Come on” she said, softly. “Let go of the gate, and come with me. It’s all right! Please, love, let go – come on…..” “No…..” Despite his protests, she reached over, and gently tried to prise his fingers away from the bars of the gate. At first, it proved to be almost impossible, then, almost as if he had grown tired of fighting, he suddenly let go and turned to face her. She took his hands in hers, and tried to rub some warmth back into them. As she put her arms around him, he lay his head on her shoulder, crying softly. She did not speak, but just held him close for a few minutes, before leading him back to the car. At first he sat there in silence, then he spoke, quite unable to raise his voice above a whisper. “Why did you come, Donna?” he said, an expression on his face she could not quite fathom. “I thought you didn’t care any more” “Of course I do” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “No matter what happens, I’ll always care for you. You’re the father of my children, and you’ll always have a special place in my heart.” “I’m so confused, Donna. I can’t think straight, I….” “You’re not just confused” she said, gently touching his face. “You’re ill, and I think you’re running a temperature. Getting wet like this can’t have helped. You’re such a bloody masochist, aren’t you?” “Tell me something I don’t already know” As he sat on Eliza’s sofa, wrapped in a blanket, shivering from head to foot, she knew there was no point in asking him what had happened. He was burning up, and kept moaning as if he was in pain. Every so often, a dry hacking cough would render him completely speechless, and she could tell he was fighting sleep. She eventually managed to persuade him to go to bed, where he could be more comfortable. She pulled the duvet over him, and gently kissed his burning forehead. “It hurts, Eliza” he said, beginning to cough uncontrollably, as he began to fight for air. “You’ll be all right” she whispered, offering him a glass of water. “Looks like you’ve got the flu or something. Now, try and rest.” “I need to tell you something….” “No, you don’t, you need to sleep. Don’t worry, talk to me when you’re feeling better. I’ll still be here – you know I’ll always be here for you.” As she gently stroked his forehead, he drifted off to sleep. She sat there, gently rubbing his hand, just watching him. Little did either of them know, that despite her declaration, fickle fate would step in once more, and change their lives beyond all recognition.
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Poor Jon, I do hope that he is not going to become too ill. I look forward to the next enthralling chapter 
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