Quicklinks:
|
Great Writing - Home > Extended > Three accounts of events - part 17(a)
| READING ROOM | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| COMMUNITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| ABOUT GREAT WRITING | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| WORK AWAITING REVIEW |
|---|
|
| GW IS... |
|---|
|
Great Writing creative writing community is designed to prompt ideas
and provide inspiration and motivation within aspiring and amateur
authors. Whatever your topic; from love poetry to Doctor Who or Harry
Potter fan fiction, Great Writing's online writing group is where you
can make new friends and improve your creative writing. |
| WHO'S ONLINE |
|---|
| We have 1893 guests online and 3 members online |
Extended Work
| print friendly version | |
| Three accounts of events - part 17(a) | |
| By teddy | ||||||||||
| 16 July 2007 | ||||||||||
|
A very long part again, I'm sorry. It’s late Friday afternoon and I’m inside London City airport, waiting for Paul’s plane to land. He’s been in Dublin since Tuesday, a few meetings he had to attend, all to do with one of Harold’s new projects. For days before leaving he had pestered me to join him, but I couldn’t. ‘You can’t expect me to just drop everything and follow you around, Paul,’ I’d told him every time he’d mentioned it. ‘I have Vicky to think about and work commitments as well.’ We had words before he left. I always put other things before him and find excuses every time he asks me to go somewhere together, he said. I thought that was unfair. I told him he was being selfish, that the world didn’t revolve around him, you know. He didn’t like that and left on Tuesday morning without even saying good bye - it is true, I was still in bed at the time - let alone kissing me. All day I had waited for his call, and when I finally found myself all on my own in bed on Tuesday night, I couldn’t help it anymore and rang him. But his mobile was switched off. I tried the hotel. He wasn’t in his room I was told when he failed to pick up the phone. Out with the boys, I smiled. He called me on Wednesday morning. He asked about Vicky and if things at home were ok, but not how I was, neither did he say he had missed me. He’s still upset, I thought. I was bursting to tell him how much I was missing him, but the cold tone of his voice put me right off. This morning I rang Tina and asked if she can babysit Vicky tonight. She’d be more than happy, she said. Then I called Martin, he was supposed to pick up Paul from the airport, and told him not to bother. And now I’m here waiting for Paul to arrive, and I feel butterflies waggling in my stomach: has he missed me? Will he be pleased to see me? At home dinner’s waiting for us in the oven and a bottle of wine’s chilling in the fridge. I’ll make it up to you tonight, I promise. God, I’ve missed you so much. It’s been three months now since we got engaged and there are only four left until the wedding. He didn’t want to wait any longer, and I don’t really want much fuss about it either, so I went along with whatever he decided: a simple ceremony at the church in his parent’s village followed by a small reception at their mansion with only family and close friends. That would do me fine. Lorraine and David seemed delighted with the news of us getting married, but a bit disappointed by our plans. They have so many acquaintances they could not possibly leave out of the guests list. But Paul wouldn’t have any of it, and I’m grateful to him for that. Spending my wedding day under hundreds of strangers’ scrutiny, let alone trying to entertain them all, is not exactly my scene. My parents are happy for us as well. I know they still mourn George and can’t understand why we split up. He’s such a lovely fella, my dad keeps saying still. But Paul is Vicky’s father and it’s all for the best they believe. Tina hasn’t said much since I told her. She congratulated us, but I’m not quite sure if she really meant it or was just being polite. I know she wants the best for me, but she doesn’t think that’s Paul. If you asked me how I feel about the whole thing, I wouldn’t really know what to say, mostly thrilled I suppose. There are times though when it seems all too much, and it’s then when I get all flustered and start wondering. Paul’s a rich, powerful man, and I, well, apart from myself and my feelings, I don’t really have much else to offer. Am I what he needs, what he wants? Will I be up to the job? What if one day he decides he has made a mistake, what’s gonna happen then? The funny moods he gets in sometimes don’t help much either. Like the time he found the book George had sent me for my birthday. It was a lovely leather bound rare edition of Dostoevsky’s ‘The Brothers Karamazov’. ‘Many happy returns, honey. Love, George.’ it had written on the very first page. I was overexcited not only with the present itself, but also to know that George still cared. I put it amongst my other books I keep on the bookshelf in the living room. I didn’t think Paul would notice it, he’s not much of a reader. He’d usually stick with his magazines and newspapers. ‘What’s this?’ he asked me one Saturday afternoon as I walked into the room. His hand was holding the book up in the air. ‘A book,’ I shrugged. Perhaps I would’ve tried to bluff it, saying that George gave it to me the year before, hadn’t I known for a fact that it had the date written right under George’s signature. ‘What did I tell you, Adi?’ Paul asked, apparently calm at first. ‘What the fuck did I tell you?’ he blew up a second later. I winced: why does he always have to shout and swear when he gets angry? ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I played the innocent. Well, what was it to feel guilty about anyway? ‘I told you I don’t want you to have anything to do with him anymore.’ ‘I haven’t. He gave it to Tina and she passed it on to me. What would you’ve expected me to do? Throw it away?’ ‘Yes. Or send it back.’ He grabbed my hand and dragged me into the kitchen. His foot hit the pedal of the rubbish bin and held the lid open. Then he handed me the book. ‘Put it in the bin.’ ‘No,’ I refused. He was out of order. ‘This is unfair, Paul.’ I tried to put some sense into him. ‘I don’t care.’ His voice rose again. ‘We have a deal, Adi, remember?’ When I took the book, I could feel tears pilling up at the back of my eyes. I stood there staring at him, hoping he’d realise how ridiculous the whole thing was. ‘Throw the damn thing away or I swear to God he’ll never see Vicky again.’ What was I supposed to do? I didn’t dare recover it later. I was sure he’d check. Worse was yet to come though. Soon after, I was in my studio one evening, trying to finish off a painting Max had kept asking for, when Paul got home. It was quite late and Vicky was already in bed. ‘Hey.’ I turned my head when I heard him walking into the room. He brushed a kiss on my cheek. ‘You ok?’ ‘Uh-huh,’ I nodded. My eyes followed him to the window. He leaned against the window sill and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I saw Anne tonight,’ he said. ‘Oh ok.’ I turned back to the canvas. He had rung earlier to let me know he was staying out for a few drinks. He didn’t mention Anne though. ‘Is she all right?’ I asked. Not that I was really interested. Since I found out she had threatened George to tell Paul about us and Vicky, I kind of loathed her. I don’t think she’s ever liked me much, so there hasn’t been any love loss there. But she’s still Paul’s friend, and that evening I thought I’d be polite. ‘I guess so,’ he said. ‘She’s back with George.’ My hand gripped the brush before dipping it into the colour. A wrong shade of blue I realised when the mild morning sky covering the top half of the canvas darkened to dusk. ‘You seem surprised,’ Paul carried on. ‘A little.’ I tried my best to sound unruffled. ‘So am I. I personally think she’s making a big mistake. Don’t you think so?’ Now I know Paul, and that wasn’t just a simple question, a casual invite to an opinion. I knew I was just about to walk on a heavily mined land, but I couldn’t help it. ‘No, I don’t. I actually think quite the opposite.’ ‘Why’s that?’ he incited me further. ‘She was the one who left him, wasn’t she?’ ‘She had her reasons.’ ‘Like?’ ‘Well, it’s not for me to say. She will get hurt, George’s not to be trusted as you very well know.’ My eyes left the canvas and squinted at him. ‘No, I don’t know, Paul.’ He’s the most considerate person I’ve ever met. Shame you’ve forgotten that. I thought it’d be only cautious if I left that bit out though. ‘George had been nothing but very good to me and Vicky, and I shall never forget that no matter how you feel about him.’ I think it would have been even wiser to keep that for myself as well, but it just slipped out. He left the window and came close to where I was standing. He took hold of my chin and lifted my face up to his. ‘You still love him,’ he muttered. His eyes dipped into mine. ‘You do, don’t you?’ I removed his hand and nervously looked away. ‘Only because I can’t see him it doesn’t mean I've stopped caring. Not the way you think though.’ ‘And how do you care, Adi? Tell me, I’m curious to know.’ The calmness in his voice was worrying, I thought I’d walk away before he’d snap. ‘I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation. I’m going downstairs.’ I headed for the door, but he got there before me, blocking the exit. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me against the wall. ‘I’ve asked you a question,’ he snarled. ‘How do you care?’ He pressed himself harder onto me. ‘Tell me, Adi, do you fantasise about him when I fuck you? When I touch you, do you try to imagine it’s him?’ His hand grasped the hair at the back of my head, forcing me to look at him. ‘Is this how you care?’ I felt tears clogging up my eyes. ‘Please, Paul, let me go.’ I tried to push him away, but he didn’t move. ‘For God’s sake, tell me,’ he tortured me further. ‘I left him for you, didn’t I?’ I whimpered. ‘What more do you want from me?’ ‘You didn’t leave him,’ he hissed. ‘He dumped you, remember?’ ‘Yes, because he knew how I felt about you, that’s why.’ I felt him ease off a little, his hand let go of my hair. He squeezed his eyes shut and leant his forehead against the wall. ‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered. ‘Paul, why are you doing this?’ I swept the tips of my fingers over his hair. ‘I love you, you know I do.’ He shifted and took my face in his hands, his thumbs frantically rubbing my temples. ‘Promise me, Adi,’ he looked into my eyes, ‘promise me there’s no one else in there.’ ‘I promise,’ I whispered. ‘I swear.’ But it’s not only George as I thought at first. He seems to have a problem with every single man that pays me a tad more attention than normal. We went out last month, a night out he organised for his people, something I couldn’t say no to. I knew most of the guys, some seemed pleased to see me again, others looked indifferent. There were few scornful smiles exchanged as well. They didn’t bother me much though, I had seen them quite a few times before. I always knew there were people in Paul’s circle of friends and acquaintances who didn’t quite agree with us being together. Even they congratulated us that evening though, Paul must’ve told everyone we were getting married; I suppose they thought it’d be rather safe to stay on the right side of the boss. I was chatting to Caroline, Paul’s PA, and Leona, one of the secretaries, when Nick turned up. I met Nick two years ago when Paul first took me to one of their dos and we hit it off right from the start. He’s only a couple of years older than me, very bright, and, I must say, quite handsome. But most of all, he’s such a good laugh. I do suspect he’s a bit of a ladies man though, he always used to try to chat me up a little, behind Paul’s back of course. But I’d never really taken him seriously and always laughed him off. ‘Adi! Babes!’ A larger than life smile broadened on his face that evening when he saw me. ‘What a surprise!’ I smiled back. ‘Hey, trouble.’ ‘Come here, gorgeous. Give us a hug.’ I quickly glanced at Paul. He was standing a few meters away and seemed deeply engaged in a conversation with few of the guys, so I thought, what the heck, it’s only a friendly cuddle, before plunging into Nick’s wide open arms. ‘Hey,’ he squeezed me tight, ‘I’ve missed you, you know?’ He then turned to Caroline and Leona. ‘Sorry, ladies, but I must snatch her away from you for a bit. I’m dying to hear all those details about her wedding dress.’ ‘Come on, let’s get you a drink.’ I barely had time to look at the girls and shrug a Sorry! smile, before he took my hand and dragged me to the bar. ‘So, you’re back with the old man then?’ he asked once our drinks had been served. ‘Don’t let Paul hear you calling him that.’ I smiled. ‘Come on, Adi,’ he teased, ‘you must agree he is much older than you… fifteen years, isn’t it?’ ‘Shut up.’ I poked him in the shoulder. ‘Only thirteen.’ ‘Yeah, big difference, eh? You need someone younger, like me.’ I made a face at him. ‘Thanks, but babysitting my boyfriends is not exactly my thing.’ He just laughed. ‘I tried to phone you after you left, you know,’ he said. ‘But you changed your number and seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Shame, if I’d found you, I would’ve been the one smirking now, not Paul.’ He was up to his old tricks again. ‘Bad luck, eh?’ ‘It’s not too late to change your mind though.’ I looked at him, he wasn’t smiling anymore. It was then when I realised how close to each other we were standing, our hands resting on the bar nearly touching. I mocked a laugh, embarrassed. ‘Somehow I don’t think so, Nick.’ I tried to move back a little. Too late though, Paul was already next to us. He didn’t look at all happy. ‘I suggest you keep the fuck away from her, Nick.’ Nick looked at him surprised. ‘Oh, come on, Paul, I haven’t seen Adi in ages. We were just catching up with things, you know.’ ‘You heard me. Don’t make me repeat myself.’ ‘Yeah, whatever,’ Nick muttered before picking up his pint and taking a long sip of his drink. ‘Paul,’ I tried to intervene, but he interrupted me. ‘Come on, Adi.’ He put an arm around my shoulder. ’You had enough fun for one night.’ A similar scene took place only a couple of weeks ago, this time with Max though. Paul had met a few times when I took him to few of Max’s social gatherings. He’s convinced Max has the hots for me. I was appalled when he had first mentioned it. ‘This is ridiculous. He’s older than my father.’ ‘Don’t be so naïve, Adi. Do you really think that would stop him getting you into his bed if you gave him the chance? I’ve seen the way he is with you.’ Well, it is true, Max seems rather fond of me, but he has never made a single inappropriate gesture or indecent allusion. He’s been always very kind, but almost in a paternal kind of way. I thought Paul was insane. However, he didn’t hesitate to get his message across to Max two weeks ago, when we attended an evening art fair at Max’s gallery. The two paintings that Max had entered a few months ago in an art competition didn’t make it in the first ten, but one of them did win an honourable twelfth place, and Max was ever so proud. He decided to organise an evening event with my work on top of the display list. He even managed to secure the involvement of a journalist from the London Art Magazine. I was overexcited and had high hopes for the evening. I was grateful when Paul agreed to accompany me; I know art events and exhibitions aren’t exactly his cup of tea, and he’d usually get bored, but that night was somehow special and I really needed him there. The evening started quite promising. The gallery was rapidly filling up with smartly dressed people, artists, art lovers, friends and acquaintances of Max’s. The guy from the London Art Magazine was already there as well, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, admiring the works displayed around the room and savouring the delicatessens and cocktails freely served at the buffet set up in one of the corners. I kept Paul with me for a while, but Max was very keen to introduce me to everyone, so I had to leave him in the company of Max’s niece, Belinda, who had flown in from the States the day before. At first I was worried, I didn’t want Paul to feel neglected, but he didn’t seem too displeased with the arrangements. Belinda was a beautiful, perfectly shaped twenty-and-something years old blonde, and every time I looked at them they seemed to have quite a lot of fun. I’m not too sure I liked that much, but that particular evening I had other things to worry about: did people really like my work, were the journalist’s favourable comments genuine or was it the drink he kept sipping from the glass in his hand that made him praise my paintings? Max looked very pleased and not only once during the evening he contentedly wrapped his arm around my shoulders. ‘Hey, hun, you’re my most valuable asset, you know that, don’t you? I’m so proud of you.’ Poor Max, how could he have predicted what was about to follow? We were standing next to the buffet talking about how the whole evening had turned out, Max’s hand friendly resting on my back, when we heard Paul’s voice scowling from behind. ‘Max, if you can’t keep your dick in your trousers, that’s fair enough, I can’t blame you, but I’m warning you, leave Adi alone.’ We both turned around in shock. ‘Paul, please,’ Max’s face turned purple, ‘I had never..’ But Paul ignored him. ‘Where is your coat?’ he asked me. ‘We’re going home.’ I stared at him in horror, I couldn’t believe he was doing this to me, but he didn’t seem to take any notice. ‘Max, I’m so sorry,’ I apologised after Paul had left to fetch my coat. ‘Don’t worry, Adi. You’re a young, beautiful woman. And Paul’s a passionate man. Too passionate perhaps.’ Max tried to give me a reassuring smile. ‘I’d be careful if I were you, jealousy could turn nasty sometimes.’ On the way back home, in the car, I couldn’t hold back the frustration anymore and burst out in tears. ‘What’s the matter, Adi?’ Paul glanced at me, unimpressed. ‘You’re disappointed I spoilt your little affair?’ ‘Sod off,’ I cried. ‘You’ve ruined my evening. Now I wish I’d never asked you to come with me. You insulted Max for no reason, how could you be so rude?’ ‘Don’t worry, he’ll soon forget about it. At least he knows where he stands now.’ What else could I have said? If my family and friends knew about all these things, I’m sure they would all urge me to pack my bags and run as far away from him as possible. But there are sides of him that make me forget about all the grief he sometime gives me and keep me longing for his warmth. We had our engagement party a month after he had asked me to marry him. We didn’t want anything fancy, just a small gathering with family and few close friends. The weather had been gentle on us for the last couple of weeks and I suggested a barbeque. Paul thought it was a good idea. He hired a cook and two waiters, and on a Saturday afternoon we were ready to entertain our thirty six guests in the back garden. Paul’s parents were there, mine couldn’t come, but my brother Seb and his girlfriend Mia had flown over from Holland that morning. And Tina and Craig were, of course, present. Paul had invited Anne as well, and I spent the whole morning nervously wondering if she would turn up with George. I don’t know if I was disappointed or relieved when she told us he couldn’t make it. I was in the kitchen, fixing a drink for David when I heard Paul’s name hiking in through the open window. I recognised the voice straight away, it was Anne’s. ‘I can understand Paul feeling responsible for the baby, but why does he need to marry her? He’d only regret it later.’ ‘Oh well, you know Paul, he never does things half way. I tried to warn him, but he wouldn’t listen.’ That was from Richard, the one who, after George and Paul had fallen out, had become Paul’s closest friend. ‘How does George feel about all these?’ I heard Laura, Richard’s wife, asking. ‘I don’t really know,’ Anne said, ‘he refuses to talk about her. I’m sure he is just too embarrassed, and I can’t really blame him. Oh God, I really hope Paul knows what he’s doing. Have you noticed the way she’s dressed? She could’ve made much of an effort, it’s her engagement party for God’s sake.’ Laura laughed. ‘What do you really expect from someone like her?’ I instinctively looked down: what was so wrong with what I was wearing? I had a simple sleeveless cotton dress on, of a light green colour patterned with white flowers, and my feet were tucked in a pair of light sandals, all perfectly suitable for the hot weather outside I thought. It was true, I didn’t have any make up on and my hair was freely curling along my face, but at the end of the day it was only a barbeque in our own garden, not dinner at the Ritz, was it? And they were supposed to be there to celebrate our engagement, not to bloody criticise my tastes in fashion. ‘It is the little girl I feel sorry for,’ said Richard. ‘When she’s grown up, she will always have to explain about the other side of the family…you know what I mean.’ I felt all the blood being drained off my face and my limbs going feeble. You can slag me off as much as you like, but don’t fucking mess with my family. My hands were slightly shaking when I picked up the drink. I startled when I turned around: Paul was standing right in front of me; he must’ve heard it all. ‘Come here,’ he said. He took the glass off my hand and put it on the table. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to him. ‘You’re perfect, sweetheart. Do you hear me?’ He pressed his face against mine. ‘I could’ve never wished for more,’ he whispered, burying his face in my hair. ‘Come on, let’s go.’ He picked up the drink and took my hand. We walked back outside together and I could feel people’s eyes following us. Paul was still holding my hand when he requested everyone’s attention. ‘I’m sorry, a speech hasn’t been planned. You all know why you’re here and yes, you are all invited to the wedding.’ Smiles flowed around the garden. ‘I won’t keep you too long, I promise. I know that any of my friends here today would be more than happy to do me the honour of being my best man at the wedding,’ Paul paused for a moment and everyone looked at Richard, whose face was richly covered in a big contented smile. ‘However, I want to make that day very special for my beautiful wife to be.’ Paul raised my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. ‘I love you, sweetheart.’ I blushed while people cheered around us. ‘It is a shame that Adi’s parents couldn’t be here with us today. They are lovely people. I’m sure all of you would’ve agreed I couldn’t have possibly asked for better parents-in-law. Adi’s brother, Seb, is here though, the big guy over there,’ Paul smiled pointing at Seb who was sitting not far from us. Everyone looked in his direction and Seb waved his hand. ‘Now, there is something I need to ask him,’ Paul carried on. ‘Seb, you would oblige me greatly if you agreed to be my best man.’ Everyone looked at Paul bemused, Richard’s smirk slowly faded off and Anne stared gloomily at us. Seb seemed confused, only for a moment though; he smiled, stood up and walked to where we were standing. ‘Of course, I’d be honoured.’ He shook Paul’s hand. The murmurs around us gave way to a big round of applause. Now, you tell me, how could I possibly not love him? Oh God, I wish that plane would hurry up.
Only registered users can rate and write comments. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
||||||||||
Next item
|
|---|