A Proper Charlie (32 page)

Charlie made herself a coffee and toast, and then sat at the table to eat and read the article again; her eyes drifting to Ben’s smiling face from time to time.

A chapter in her life had ended, Charlie thought as she stood to clear away her breakfast dishes. She had felt lust and love for the first time in her life, and if this was love, then she didn’t want any of it, for it was far too painful.

She tip-toed into the bedroom to collect her clothes; with them bunched in her hands, she stood and stared down at Andy’s sleeping form. She tried to feel something, but nothing was there. He was still lying on his back, but one arm had risen from the bedclothes to cover half of his face. Charlie could see where he had failed to rub in the fake tan properly. He had missed parts of his neck, and his armpits and underarms were almost a brilliant white. A couple of weeks ago, Charlie would have seen this as sweet and offered to do his tan for him, but now she saw it as fickle and extremely vain.

He was a slim man, but a life of lazy years and junk food had taken its toll and he looked flabby and toneless, and Charlie couldn’t help but compare him to Ben’s muscular body. In comparison, Andy was a pubescent boy.

In the bathroom, Charlie showered and dressed and was at the table on her battered laptop. She reread the previous chapter and wondered if this was the one Ben had read. Sally, her character, had left home after her drunken father lashed out and blackened her eye, and was in London. A place she sought because it promised adventure and opportunity.

Charlie stopped reading, wondering for a moment how much her character was based on herself. Of course, she had no father to beat her but she had come to London to find adventure and opportunity, as well as meeting Melvin again. She had somewhere to go when she first arrived unlike her character who was sleeping rough and would soon meet a ‘friend’ who would become her pimp. She began to type and soon became lost within her story.

The trill of the phone caused her to jump, but before she could rise to answer its call, Andy said, ‘I’ll get it.’

She didn’t even know he was awake. She glanced at the clock on the radio and was astonished to see it had already passed midday.

She clicked save and sat back feeling satisfied with the amount of words she had done.

‘
It’s gay-boy, for you,’ Andy said with a sneer. He went into the kitchen wearing nothing but boxers, and Charlie could hear him banging through her kitchen cupboards looking for something to eat.

‘
There’s only toast or Sugar Puffs,’ Charlie called as she went to answer the phone. She picked the phone up from the side where Andy had left it.

‘
Mel?’

‘
Baby doll,’ Melvin said on a groan. ‘Tell me you’ve not taken Andy Pandy back?’

She giggled, but then sobered. She’d felt guilty about leaving him out of the biggest secret of her life, and wanted to tell him what had been happening to her over the last few weeks. Her pretend life on the streets was over now anyway. ‘Fancy a Sunday lunchtime drink?’ she asked.

‘
Babe, I thought you’d never ask. Dean’s gone to his mum’s for lunch. I haven’t been invited. I think she’s still hoping he’ll “get better” and settle down with a nice girl, who’ll probably work in a library.’

She laughed again. ‘He’s been
ill
now for five years, I don’t think he’ll get any better, do you?’

‘
Bloody hope not, baby doll. Shall I meet you in the
Saddlers
at say, one? Oh, and come alone.’

‘
OK, and I’ll definitely be alone.’

It was easy to leave without Andy to meet Melvin in the
Saddlers Arms
. All she had to say was that Melvin’s gay friends were going to be there, and Andy would flex his muscles and stride around the house pretending to be Bruce Willis in some action film, when in fact the star of
Finding Nemo
was more appropriate. Then, he would lecture her on how homosexuals should all be rounded up and … well, she didn’t stay to hear anymore. She grabbed her jacket, pushed her feet into her trainers and was out of the door while he was still in mid-rant.

Melvin was there already, standing at the bar and chatting to a girl, whose friends stood a short distance away giggling. The girl was flushed and peered up at Melvin through heavily made-up eyes in adoration. When Charlie reached his side, the girl gave her a filthy look and rejoined her friends.

‘
Picking up totty again, Mel?’ she joked.

Melvin handed her her drink, which he had previously ordered. ‘I’m a babe magnet, doll, I can’t help it.’ She could believe it, he was a good-looking bloke. ‘There’s a wedding here,’ he offered.
The Saddlers Arms
was also a hotel. ‘But I doubt those girls will last through to the ceremony let alone the reception! Come on there’s a table over there,’ he said, grabbing up two menus. ‘I’m going to have lunch; I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since before yesterday. Tell me, baby doll, when are you going to give Andy Pandy the heave-o, and can I watch while you do it?’ he added with a wicked grin.

Charlie smiled at him. ‘You are such a bitch,’ she said, and glanced at his T-shirt, which said:
You say I’m a bitch like it’s a bad thing
. She took a sip of her drink, laughing at him over the rim of her glass. He was grinning back.

‘
It isn’t like I’ve just fallen out of love with Andy or finally woken up and seen all his bad qualities –’

‘
Like he had any good ones,’ Melvin interrupted.

‘
It’s just that I’ve fallen in love with someone else,’ she continued, ignoring him.

Melvin patted her hand resting on the table next to her Coke. ‘Babe, I’ve told you repeatedly that I’m gay.’ He took a swig of his Coke.

‘
Muppet,’ she said. Then added, ‘It’s Ben.’

Melvin’s sigh reached gale force. ‘Not this Ben Middleton malarkey? Doll, it’s a crush and in time you’ll see that.’

Charlie took a sip of her drink, and placed it down on the table. She cleared her throat, and said, ‘No, I’m really in love with him.’

‘
Sure, thing babe.’ He opened the menu and proceeded to look through it. ‘Think it’s a Sunday roast for me. What’re you having?’

Charlie pulled the menu off him. ‘What I’m saying is the truth. I’m
in
love with Ben Middleton, a-and it hurts. Mel, I need to –’

‘
Doll, I’m not going to pull any punches with you, but Mr Middleton junior isn’t in your league. He’s a dizzy-blonde-with-big-tits, or intelligent-female-barrister-who-happens-to-be-blonde-and-have-big-tits, kinda man. You don’t fit either bill. It’s a crush, and it’ll pass.’

‘
You have him all wrong,’ she said. ‘He isn’t like that at all. Although, I agree that he isn’t in my league – unfortunately. A top barrister or a scientist would only interest him, you know, someone really, really intelligent. The opposite of me.’

‘
Oh babes, you’re intelligent. Stop putting yourself down.’ He waved a finger. ‘Mind you, that doesn’t mean I’m agreeing that Sir is for you.’

Charlie smiled softy. ‘But there are some things you don’t know,’ she said. She drew a breath. ‘Ben and me have kissed and I knew about his sister Camilla long before the story broke.’

There was silence from Melvin apart from a sudden fierce spontaneous spluttering as he coughed up his drink.

Charlie sat there wondering if she should pat him on the back, and after his face changed from pink to lobster red she decided she should. She thumped him between the shoulder blades and then offered him a serviette.

‘
Aren’t you going to say anything?’ she moaned.

‘
I’ve just choked on an ice cube,’ he said. ‘Let my throat defrost first.’

The waitress came over, took their order, and went away again.

‘
Dish the dirt,’ he said, and Charlie began as Melvin sat in silence regarding her with a slack jaw.

FORTY THREE

D
onald had merely cleared his throat noisily on seeing Camilla, then turned his back and proceeded out to his car with his golf clubs.

Ben circled Camilla’s shoulders. ‘That, I believe, was a happy “humph”. You’re lucky you didn’t get the snort! I always get the snorts, and that isn’t good.’

‘
Just please don’t leave me alone with him. Not yet.’

‘
I’ve already promised, but if it makes you happier, I’ll promise again. Come on; let’s get you up to your room. It’s exactly as you left it.’

Ben glanced towards the French windows as Camilla led the way towards the stairs, and watched as his father headed out to his car. At the Mercedes, Donald stopped, laid his forehead against the shiny roof and seemingly berated himself. The man stood in that same position for a full minute before slinging his golf clubs in the boot, and climbing in to drive away.

His actions said more than any words. Donald loved Camilla.

Donald, over breakfast Sunday morning, had been keen to ‘get the girl home’. He’d never mentioned their heart-to-heart during their drunken session of bourbon in the early hours of last Tuesday. Indeed, Ben wondered if he remembered anything of it. He had gently reminded his father that Camilla was returning home today but the man hadn’t made any comment other than grunt.

Ben had brought Camilla home late Sunday morning after spending the morning discussing the sorry situation in her room at The Grand hotel.

Camilla had wanted to come home, but was terrified of what Donald would say. Oh, she put on this brave and cocky front, but Ben could see through the arrogant façade she showed off to the world. She was really a grieving, troubled young girl, who had the security of knowing who her father was pulled out from beneath her. It took almost the entire morning for Ben to persuade her into coming home.

Ben left Camilla upstairs showering. He stood downstairs in the crayoning room, looking out of the French doors at their immaculate front terrace and its trees and winter flowerbeds. The room still smelt of his mother and had her presence everywhere. It was comforting as it was sad.

Sandy walked in and promptly made for Ben’s legs, where she weaved herself in and out purring loudly. She had been bought for Camilla on her tenth birthday against her father’s wishes. He’d thrown a tantrum, complaining that his allergy would kill him. But this time he didn’t get his way and the cat stayed, and eventually purred her way into the old man’s heart.

Sandy looked up at Ben and blinked her green eyes. Ben was immediately taken aback to when Charlie had gazed up at him in full make up and brazenly tried to make love to him.

He closed his eyes, and not only could he see her clearly as if she was in the room, but he could smell her too. She had bewitched him. Oh, Charlie. Her loneliness, masked by her happy-go-lucky exterior, touched him. She was feisty and tough, yet innocent and vulnerable. She was also raving mad, the thought slipped into his head, and he smiled.

He itched to call her and ask her out to dinner, but a sensible inner voice stopped him. She hadn’t got in touch with him since Monday, or even since he’d written her the letter. He wasn’t her type. She would prefer a man-about-town who she could go clubbing and night long parties with; not a chess champion and an amateur astronomer.

Damn it, what had he to lose? He’d call her. And he’d do it now before he lost his nerve.

He walked over to the phone on the sideboard, and by memory, he dialled her number. It rang several times before it was answered,

‘
Lots, sweetheart, can’t live without me already?’

‘
Er, hello?’ asked Ben, feeling embarrassed. It was that same voice that interrupted them that night, although this time it sounded unnatural, as if the person was overly excited and extremely happy. ‘Is that Charlie’s number?’

‘
T’is mate. Who’s you?’

The speaker had pronounced “mate” as “moit”, but Ben couldn’t quite grasp the accent. ‘It’s Ben.’

‘
Ben, Ben, Ben, nope, I don’t know any Ben.’

‘
Never mind. Just tell her… no, don’t tell her anything. I’ll catch her later.’

‘
You’ll have a job. She’s a busy girl our Lots. She’s out with her
friends,
’ he said, stressing the last word to last several seconds. ‘It pays the rent, I s’pose.’

‘
Pardon?’ Ben paled, the disembodied voice had virtually suggested that Charlie was a prostitute after all.

‘
If she sucks up enough to – hey! You ain’t one of them are you?’ The voice had a downward intonation at the end of each sentence.

‘
One of what?’ Ben was beginning to think that Charlie’s friends were just as crazy as she was.

‘
Oh, forget it, man. I’m talking bollocks. The phone made me jump and I snorted more than I should have. Got the sodding foil attached to my nose!’ He guffawed loudly down the phone.