Brides of War (6 page)

Ross had found his office space. He’d been incensed by his mother’s interference and had searched fervently for new premises and found space in an office block in the financial district, which was well located near City Hall and the Law Courts. He took Valerie to look at it.

It wasn’t at all what she’d expected. She’d envisaged a floor with small offices set up ready instead of a whole open floor space without furnishings of any kind.

Seeing her dismay, Ross explained. ‘I can set up my own offices to my own specification this way, which means I’ll have control and choice.’

‘Oh, I see, well that makes perfect sense. Have you worked it out?’

‘Indeed I have, here take a look.’ He produced a rolled-up paper and laid it flat. Then he showed her the plans. ‘The reception area here, my office there …’

‘You need potted plants to soften the place,’ she suggested.

‘I’ve already got that in hand,’ he said, ‘and I can move my paintings from my present office and hang them here
too. That will help to dress the place.’ He pointed to a wall. ‘Your painting would be just right over there.’

She looked at him to see if he was serious and was furious when she realised he was.

‘Ross! That is
my
painting, a gift from you!’

He saw he’d made a mistake. ‘I was only joking,’ he said.

‘No, Ross you were not! But let’s get one thing straight, no one moves it anywhere at all, except me!’ But she was disappointed in him. There was a touch of his mother in him after all, determined to get their own way. It could be a good thing sometimes but Valerie found it disconcerting in this instance.

‘How long before this space will be ready for business?’ she asked.

‘About three weeks, then of course I’ll have to move all my papers over.’

‘When are you going to tell your father?’

‘This weekend. I’ll have to give him notice, and my clients, of course, and on Monday there is an annual general meeting, so it will be out in the open for all to know. But it’s only fair that I tell him privately first.’

‘He won’t like it!’ she warned.

‘Probably not, but then he won’t work the business the way I want to, he’s determined about that. It’s the only way really.’

‘Of course, you’re right but please don’t ask me to come along. You need to see him man to man. This won’t be a social meeting.’ Secretly Valerie thought,
I don’t want to be around when the balloon bursts.
She was sure that Gloria would have something to say about it and she didn’t want to be there.’

Her supposition was correct. Ross went along to the penthouse and asked his father to step into his study, as he wanted to talk to him, and when he told Leo of his plans, his father blew his top. Then he went storming into the living room to tell his wife what had taken place. She was livid.

‘You’ve never been the same since you came home,’ she accused. ‘That English wife of yours is behind all this, I know!’

‘This wasn’t Valerie’s idea, Mother, but as it happens, she agrees with me.’

‘Of course, she does. She wants you as far away from your family as possible. That’s what happens when you don’t marry one of your own! Now if you and Laura had married …’ She got no further.

‘Enough!’ Ross was doing his best to hold his temper. ‘When will you get it into your head that a future with Laura was only your idea and not mine? I’m not interested in Laura that way, never was. I’m sorry, Dad but I am stifled working with you. I see a different future for the firm and you won’t be moved, so I have to go my own way. I’m sorry but that’s how it is. I’ll see you at the meeting on Monday.’

When he returned home, he told Valerie what had transpired, not holding anything back.

She just raised her eyebrows and said, ‘Your mother has always made it clear that she didn’t agree with our marriage and she’ll hate me even more so now. But Ross, that doesn’t bother me, you have to do what’s right for you, but I do hope in the future you and your father will be friends again.’

He shrugged. ‘That’ll take some time darling, but hopefully one day …’

Later that evening the phone rang and Valerie answered it. It was Bonny.

‘Hi Valerie. Wow! What an eruption there was at our mother-in-law’s. It was like the A-bomb going off! Leo rang Earl to tell him the news. Well, good for Ross I say. Bet the old bitch didn’t like that?’

‘No, Bonny, but are you surprised? Anyway, Ross can now run his business his way. But I’ll be looking over my shoulder for a while,’ she laughed.

‘So you know how unpopular you are?’

‘I was before but now even more so, but it’s water off a duck’s back, it runs off.’

‘You have the cutest sayings. How about lunch next Monday? Whilst they have their AGM, we can celebrate. What do you say?’

‘Excellent.’ And they made a date.

The air was stormy at the AGM on the following Monday morning. Leo, flushed with anger, made his statement.

‘Before we start our business gentlemen, I have an announcement. Ross will be leaving the company and setting up on his own!’

There was a buzz around the table.

‘He doesn’t agree with the way things work around here, things that have suited the company for many years and successfully, so he’s leaving.’

The few diehards that had worked with Leo for many years looked at Ross, their outrage obvious to see, while the younger members brightened, but kept their opinions quiet.

‘This being the case gentlemen, I have no choice to ask
him to leave the room during our discussions.’ He glared at his son.

Ross gathered his papers and left the room. He returned to his office and dictated letters to his clients, telling them of his plans and asking them what they wanted to do. Stay with the firm or continue with him at his new offices?

When he’d finished his secretary looked up and asked, ‘Have you advertised for a new secretary, Mr Johnson?’

Shaking his head he said, ‘No, Jane, I haven’t. Why do you ask?’

‘Then I’d very much like to come with you, if you have no objection?’

He smiled at her. ‘I have no objection at all, if you’re sure you don’t mind the move.’

‘I think it’s exciting. You are the future Mr Johnson, whereas Mr Leo is the past and I want to be part of the future.’

‘Then you shall be, Jane. You are good at your job and I’d be happy for you to come with me.’ He shook hands with her. ‘But keep this to yourself for the time being. My father is already outraged, we don’t want to give him a heart attack!’

As he left the building that evening, two of the younger lawyers stopped him.

‘Got time for a drink, Ross? We would like to talk to you,’ one said and they went to the nearest cocktail lounge.

It transpired that they too wanted to be part of his new company, which was no surprise to Ross. He told them of his plans and this excited them. They discussed salaries and a starting date, shook hands all round, drank up and left.

Ross drove home a happy man.

While Ross had been dealing with his affairs, Bonny and Valerie had enjoyed a lunch together. Bonny, delighted with the news of Ross starting his own company, insisted they have a glass of champagne to celebrate.

‘Listen, Valerie, had I not been adamant with Earl about stepping back from the family, Gloria would be still running our lives! Thankfully, Earl listened to me. So what are you going to do with your spare time when Ross is working?’

‘I’m still exploring the city,’ Valerie told her.

Bonny searched in her handbag and produced a folder. ‘Here, I wondered if you would be interested in this?’

Valerie looked. It was a programme about a drawing class, opening in the village. Valerie was puzzled.

Bonny looked at her. ‘I heard about you buying a painting and when Ross first came home and told us about you, he mentioned that you liked sketching.’

Valerie remembered that Ross had seen some of her drawings when they’d started seeing each other. She looked at the details – it looked interesting, especially when she saw that it included a class for watercolour.

‘Thanks, Bonny. I’ll look into this. It’s just what I need to keep me busy. Without a green card I can’t work.’

With a broad grin, Bonny said, ‘You don’t have to work! For goodness’ sake, the Johnson family are wealthy,’ she chuckled. ‘We can meet up regularly and you can tell me about England, I’ve never been and would like to take a vacation there in the near future. You can help me choose the places to visit.’

When Valerie arrived home, she put away the programme and started to prepare dinner and when Ross walked
through the door soon after, he was so full of what had happened during the day that she forgot to mention it to him. However, the following morning, she decided, she would go to the Village and find out more about the classes on offer.

The studio was large and light, she discovered. The person in charge was taking bookings and when Valerie told her of her interest in the class for watercolour, she enthused about the tutors.

‘We are so lucky,’ she said, ‘the tutors all give their time voluntarily. They are all professionals, so we are extremely lucky.’ She gave Valerie a list of things she would require and the address of an art shop where she could purchase her canvas and paints.

‘Then you’ll be ready to roll!’ she said.

Valerie thanked her, signed on for the class, paid the fee and, holding the list, found her way to the shop and came away with a huge bag, filled with the necessary items. The first class started the following week.

Gracie Rider was in her element, settling into her new home. She’d scrubbed every room from top to bottom, been to Woolworth’s, or the five-and-dime store as it was known in the States, to purchase bright cushions to liven the furniture, bought pretty ready-made curtains and a bunch of flowers.

She and Jeff had sat down to work out their finances and she insisted on having a weekly housekeeping allowance. Then they put aside rent money and cash to cover the bills. Jeff wasn’t earning a large wage, but it was enough for them to live on and, if they were careful, they could save a little towards their own home. He hadn’t been too happy with the arrangement.

‘My father didn’t do this,’ he complained. ‘My mother asked for money when she needed it.’

But Gracie was adamant. ‘Well I don’t want to keep coming to you for money, I want to know exactly how much we have so eventually we can save to buy our own home and the only way to do that is to budget.’

Seeing the determined look in her eye, Jeff gave in, after muttering, ‘It doesn’t seem manly to me.’

‘That’s the way we do it back home,’ she insisted. ‘In fact my father hands over his pay packet to my mother unopened and she doles out the money.’

That was too much for him. ‘Well that ain’t going to happen in this house!’

She laughed at his outrage. ‘No Jeff, that’s not what I asked for, we will do things our own way.’

‘Your way you mean,’ he muttered as he walked outside and lit a cigarette. He sat on an upturned case. Things hadn’t worked out the way he expected, he mused. He thought they’d stay with his parents, which wouldn’t have cost much and save until they could buy a house, but Gracie had changed all that and now, she was taking over again. It was an alien concept to him. Men had always been in charge and the women had to go along with it. He was finding his new wife’s ideas hard to stomach and his ego was badly dented, but then he gave a smile of satisfaction. It wasn’t all bad. Since they’d moved, his sex life had vastly improved. Without his parents in the next room, Gracie hadn’t felt inhibited in bed, so it had its compensations.

Having cleaned the apartment, Gracie set about painting the walls in the living room. She moved all the furniture into the middle of the room and started. She was pleased to have something to fill her days now that they’d moved into their own place as it stemmed the feelings of homesickness, which sometimes overwhelmed her. She missed familiar surroundings, her friends and family. Things were so different here and it was taking her some time to adjust. Yes, she was happy with her husband and her marriage, but most of all she missed the camaraderie of her friends. Here
she hadn’t any and she wondered how she was going to fill her time when the decorating was done.

Three days later, the living room was finished. Gracie looked around and decided to rearrange the furniture. With much pushing and shoving, she eventually stood back to admire the new look and decided it was a great improvement. She quickly ran a bath and washed the paint out of her hair, then changed into clean clothes and started to prepare the dinner, excitedly wondering what Jeff’s reaction would be when he walked in that evening. But she was disappointed.

Jeff walked in to the apartment, went straight to the fridge, took out a can of beer, opened it, flopped onto the settee, kicked his shoes off and let out a deep sigh.

‘I’m bushed. What’s for dinner?’

Gracie just stood and stared at him, speechless. After working so hard, Jeff’s lack of appreciation was just too much.

‘What?’ he looked puzzled. ‘Why are you looking at me that way?’

She could feel the anger slowly rising within her. ‘Perhaps when you’ve had your fill of beer, you might take a minute to look at your surroundings!’ she snapped.

He did so, but it took several minutes before it registered with him. ‘You’ve moved the furniture round.’

She placed her hands on her hips. ‘And?’

‘For Christ’s sake Gracie, I’m far too tired for twenty questions.’

‘You’re bloody tired! I’ve been painting all day
and
cooked a meal, but obviously I need not have bothered. You wouldn’t care what the place was like as long as there is a meal on the table!’ She stormed off into the kitchen.

Jeff then took a closer look. ‘Looks great,’ he called. She didn’t reply.

He slowly got to his feet.
Women!
He thought. Then he walked into the kitchen and standing behind Gracie put his arms around her, encircling her breast as he did so.

She shook his hold off. ‘You stink of beer! Sit down, it’s time to eat.’

The atmosphere was decidedly cool as they both ate in silence until Jeff spoke up.

‘I’m sorry honey. I know how hard you’ve been working on fixing the place up, but I’ve had a hell of a day and didn’t notice, but the room looks lovely, honestly.’

She wasn’t that easily mollified and didn’t reply and, when the meal was finished, she took the dirty dishes into the kitchen, closed the door and washed up with tears of frustration trickling down her cheeks. Later in bed, when Jeff put his arm round her, she stiffened like a board until he turned away from her.

The following day, she started on the bedroom, and as lunchtime drew nearer she felt really hungry but didn’t feel like preparing something to eat, so she walked down the road to the diner and ordered ham and eggs … sunny side up. She was learning.

As she tucked into her meal, a voice made her look up.

‘Hi there Gracie! All alone?’ Rick settled himself opposite her, grinning broadly.

‘Oh Rick. Hello, I didn’t see you come in.’

‘You were too busy tucking into your food. What are you doing eating here?’

‘I’ve been painting the bedroom and was too tired to cook, so here I am.’

He reached out and touched her hair. ‘You’ve got paint all over you.’

Laughing she said, ‘Well I’ve been painting the ceiling and it isn’t easily done without a few splashes.’

The waitress came over and he ordered a club sandwich.

‘What’s that?’ she asked.

‘A double-decker toasted sandwich with chicken, bacon and salad,’ he explained. When it arrived she was fascinated to see an orange stick keeping the layers together. It looked delicious, she thought, and stored the information away for next time.

Rick was easy to talk to, she found. He was bright, funny and good company. He encouraged her to try the apple pie, saying it was the best in the area. Then they had coffee to follow.

‘So how’s my brother treating you, Gracie, is he looking after you well?’

‘Yes, he’s fine … we’re fine,’ she said, with feeling.

He seemed amused. ‘Take it easy, I only asked. Had you said he wasn’t then I’d have had words with him. He’s a lucky guy, I only hope he appreciates it, that’s all I’m saying.’

She cast a suspicious glance at him.

‘No need to look at me like that, Gracie honey. You’re a member of the family now, so I must make sure you’re happy.’

‘That’s nice of you Nick, but what I do is not really any of your business, you know that.’

He laughed loudly. ‘You’re a smart girl; there’s no fooling you. I just want you to know if things go wrong, I’m always around to pick up the pieces.’

‘Yes I bet,’ she said sarcastically. Getting up, she said, ‘Must get on, I need to pay my bill, then it’s back to work.’

‘I’ll pick up the tab,’ he said. ‘A treat for all your hard work.’

‘There’s no need for that,’ she argued.

‘My pleasure. When it’s all done, do I get an invitation to see the place?’

‘If Jeff invites you, yes.’

With an enigmatic smile he said, ‘We both know that’s not going to happen.’

‘Thanks for the meal,’ she said and left the diner.

Gracie had a bounce in her step as she walked home. It was nice to have company for a change. She knew that there was trouble between the brothers, which was a shame because Rick seemed like a nice person. A little dangerous perhaps, which if she were honest, added to the pleasure of his company. But she wouldn’t mention meeting him to Jeff, especially after their spat last night. It would only enrage him and that she didn’t need.

Rick sat and finished his coffee, musing over his conversation with his new sister-in-law. Cute girl. Smart, he liked that in a woman. Much too good for his brother who wouldn’t appreciate Gracie in the same way that he would. His brother was much too staid. Gracie was a girl who could be great fun and Jeff had never had a sense of humour. As for spontaneity, he wouldn’t understand it. Such a waste for such a girl, she definitely married the wrong brother! Then he chuckled softly. He’d bide his time, but he intended to get to know Gracie better. Much better.

When Jeff came home that evening, Gracie greeted him without rancour, for which he looked relieved. But when he sat down to dinner he looked at his plate and asked, ‘What’s this dish then?’

Gracie had been cooking all the British dishes she was used to, as often as she could and today she’d made another.

‘It’s made with minced beef and mashed potatoes on the top. At home we call it cottage pie.’

He picked some up with his fork and tasted it. He saw the expectancy on her face.

‘It’s nice,’ he said, not wanting to upset her further. ‘Don’t suppose there’s any cornbread to go with it?’

His mother had made and served cornbread with every meal, Gracie remembered. She’d not liked it much.

‘No, but there’s plenty of vegetables and I’ve made an apple pie for desert.’ She glared at him, daring him to complain. He didn’t.

After the meal, Jeff rose from the table and put on his coat, which surprised Gracie.

‘Where are you going?’ she asked.

‘Me and some of the boys are meeting up to play poker,’ he explained. ‘Before you came out here, we used to meet every week and they asked me along tonight to make up the numbers.’

‘But poker is played for money!’ she exclaimed.

Laughing he said, ‘Of course it is.’

‘But Jeff, we’re saving for a house! You can’t afford to go. What happens if you lose?’

The smile left his face. ‘Now you listen to me young lady. I’ve gone along with your money schemes. We could have saved much more had we stayed with my parents, but no,
you had to move out. But you can’t have everything your own way. Tonight’s for the guys and I’m going to enjoy myself!’ He slammed the door as he left.

Gracie sat stunned at this turn of events, then she remembered that today was payday and he’d not given her any money!

It was almost midnight when Gracie heard her husband return. There was much banging and clattering in the living room and she wondered what on earth he was doing, but when he eventually staggered into the bedroom she realised why. Jeff was drunk and legless.

He looked at her with an alcoholic grin. ‘Gracie honey! Did I wake you?’ He made his way unsteadily to his side of the bed and with great difficulty, removed his clothing. Then he crawled in beside her.

He reeked of beer as he turned towards her, ‘Come to Papa.’ His speech was slurred.

She was livid! ‘Get off me,’ she cried. ‘You’re drunk!’

‘Aw, come on honey, I’ve just had a few drinks with the boys, now be a good wife. Come on, do your duty.’

She flung back the covers and got out of bed. ‘Duty? How dare you! Yes I am your wife but I am nobody’s duty! That’s disrespectful. You can damn well sleep on your own!’ She grabbed a blanket off the bed and went into the living room. Within minutes she could hear loud snoring coming from the bedroom.

Gracie made a cup of coffee to give herself something to do, then sat alone on the settee, tears brimming in her eyes. This was not how she had envisaged married life at all.

It was bad enough living with his mother and she’d hoped that on their own it would be better and, in time, they’d have a home of their own and a family, but she now wondered if her dreams of the future were futile. If her husband was a gambler, that was really bad news. She had enough money for the week ahead from what they had saved, but if this happened often … she didn’t dare think about the consequence. She curled up on the settee, covered herself with the blanket and eventually fell asleep.

The following morning when the alarm clock rang, Gracie was already up, preparing breakfast but, not hearing the sound of movement in the bedroom, went in. Jeff was still sound asleep. She shook him violently until he opened his eyes and gave her a bleary look.

‘Get up Jeff! It’s time to get dressed for work!’

‘He winced. ‘Do you have to shout so loudly?’ He reluctantly put his legs over the side of the bed. ‘Oh my head!’

Gracie ignored him, returned to the kitchen and made some strong coffee and when Jeff did appear she made him eat some porridge to line his stomach. He didn’t have the energy to argue. When eventually he put his coat on to leave for work she spoke. ‘Before you go, I’d like my housekeeping money please. We can sort out the rest tonight.’

He paused by the door and took out a few dollars from his pocket and handed them over.

Gracie looked at them. ‘What’s this, it isn’t nearly enough!’

With a sheepish look he said, ‘Sorry Gracie, that’s all there is. I had a bad night last night. I lost the rest.’

She was speechless with rage and he took that moment to make his escape.

‘Got to go I’m late, we’ll talk tonight.’ The door was quickly closed behind him.