Sleepwalk (11 page)

‘Its possible I fell out of bed….. I was having this dream…….’

‘Hmmm………. Well it’s the weekend now and you won’t see much of your blue eyes so I insist you come and stay with Mark and I for the next couple of days at least. Ok?’

‘I’m fine Sand, honestly. I’m going to lunch with Mum & Dad on Sunday. I’ll see what David’s up to. He may get some time out from Ollie; but thank you. I may come over Saturday night if that’s ok. I’ll let you know later.’

When David returned he was carrying a bag of shopping in one hand and his tool box in the other. He passed the bag to Felicity at the kitchen door ……… ‘
To replace the food I’ve used from your sparsely stocked cupboards and fridge
’
……… and set to work on the back door lock. By lunch time both the front and back doors had shiny new locks and as an added precaution he had fitted security chains to each door. He passed the keys to her and then said he should be getting back to Ollie.
Sandy
helped him carry his tools to the car and she told him what Mark had said about the cat.

‘You’re worried about her aren’t you?’

‘If you had seen her head yesterday, you would be too. There is no way a fall from bed could do that.
Sandy
, you know flick better than I do. Is there anyone that would want to hurt her?’

‘No. She’s……… she’s lovely David. Everyone loves her. There was this guy from her work who came on to her and she told him where to go, but he lives like a hundred miles away so it can’t be him. But I remember she said he hated cats and it…….. It just made me think, you know.’

‘Hmmm………… Thanks Sandra. It was nice to meet you.’ He shook her hand and waved to Felicity who was watching from the door, curious of their lengthy conversation.

‘He said to tell you he’ll
speak to
you later. He’s lovely Flick. He really likes you, I can tell.’

‘I really like him too.’

‘I know. I think you’re perfect for each other.’
Sandy
hugged her friend and they watched as the silver Audi pulled slowly away and then went back inside. Neither of them took any notice of the little blue Fiesta as it pulled out of the field entrance opposite leaving a cloud of dust in its wake as it set off in the same direction.

As the moon rose over North Barton Court Ellie rose from her bed, pulled on her jeans and trainers and crept quietly from the room gently closing the door behind her. Abi stirred turning over in the bed; aware now of the empty space beside her.

Ellie descended the stairs with the stealth of an alley cat and went straight into the kitchen to Abi’s current key-hiding place; the cupboard under the sink, while Abi watched from the stairs in disbelief. She bent down, put her hand in to the cupboard and felt around at the top right hand corner where the keys hung from a protruding nail left by an absent minded cabinet maker many years before. She moved through the corridor and placed the key expertly into the lock. She did this all in
the darkness.
Ellie didn’t need any lights. Her path was illuminated by the task in hand, which was crystal clear in her mind. She turned the key in the front door and slid back the bolt; turned the handle then took in the cool night air. She stepped toward the car then stopped; her fingers moving rhythmically through the keys one by one; feeling for the right key.

‘Bitch!’ she shouted and then mumbled nonsensically throwing the bunch of keys to the ground. She began to walk; slowly at first and then more briskly, away from the car; away from the apartment and on into the darkness of the night. At the end of the road she turned left and headed for the distant lights of town. She was unaware that her lover was in hot pursuit; if she had known it wouldn’t have made a difference because Ellie was in the third stage of dream sleep. She walked with conviction; like she knew exactly where she was heading. She passed an old man sleeping in a darkened doorway; an empty whiskey bottle at his side and didn’t turn her head. Abi followed her but kept her distance. She was curious to know where Ellie was heading. As she got closer to the centre of town there were one or two people still around; a man at the cash point in the high street; a car waiting beside him with the engine running; and two drunken youths staggering along the side of the road arguing. She saw a man step out from a shop doorway as Ellie approached him and heard his slurred voice,

‘Hey gorgeous! What’re you doing out at this time of night, eh?’ He stepped out quickly blocking her path, and Abi watched as he reached out and grabbed her friends arm. Ellie put her arms on the mans shoulders and for a minute Abi thought she was going to kiss him but then she saw her knee come up toward him and saw him clutching his genitalia and falling backwards into the doorway as he cried out in pain.

‘Bitch! You fucking bitch! You wait!’ But Ellie was already walking on down the High Street away from him. When Abi approached him he had started to recover and was staggering after Ellie. She caught him by the shoulder and pushed him sideways.

‘Leave her alone!’ Abi yelled at him, ‘She’s sick!’

‘Sick? Sick? She wants bloody well locking up; stupid bitch!’

Abi ran to catch her up and as she reached the corner of the high street she looked back to see that the man had given up on his feeble chase and was staggering back to his doorway. When she turned back Ellie was gone. She looked to her right along
Western Drive
but there wasn’t a soul in sight. She turned and looked to her left but there was no sign of Ellie. In her own mind Abi was convinced that she knew where Ellie was heading; for the three-bed semi on
Rose Lane
at the other side of town…….
and for David
. She looked back at the H
igh street in case she had doubled back but there was no sign of Ell
ie.
Ahead of her, opposite the H
igh street was Victory park.

Gingerly she crossed the main road and stood between two stone pillars at the park entrance; her dark shoulder length hair whipping into her eyes and cheeks as she stood in the cross wind. She looked up at the weather beaten lion heads either side of her; guarding the park like sentries; their mouths agape; their teeth bared; their long flowing manes still among the gusty tree tops and her heart began to pound as she moved slowly into the darkness.
Surely she wouldn’t have come in here?
It took a minute for her eyes to adjust and then she saw her. She had climbed the steps into the bandstand and was balancing awkwardly on the railings; her slight body swaying precariously from side to side. She was going to jump.

‘Jesus Christ Ellie do you have a death wish or something?’ Abi shouted at her.

She ran to the steps but even as she climbed them Ellie was falling and landed with a thud on the grass below her. When she got to her side she found her sound asleep on the grass. Abi shook her awake.

‘Where am I? Abi? What’re we doing here?’

‘You’ve been on one of your late night walkabouts love. Come on, can you stand up?’

She helped Ellie to her feet and found that this time, nothing was broken. She had only fallen five or six feet and the only damage seemed to be a graze on her arm; but it could have been worse. They walked back to the high street in silence and Abi hailed a cab. She could never in her wildest dreams have imagined what life would be like with Ellie; but it was late now and there had been enough suspicion and adventure for one night.
She would talk to her tomorrow. She was hard work that was for sure but Abi could face all the problems that life threw their way….. If only she knew that Ellie felt the same .......
because deep down she had her doubts
.

Life was becoming increasingly more difficult for Margaret Breen. There were times when she felt engulfed in self pity and today was one of those times. Joseph had woken her early in the morning and moved over to her side of the bed seeking her affections, obviously feeling a little amorous. Early awakenings like these were none too common these days so she welcomed his attentions with open arms and afterwards had lain with her head upon his chest, her pulse beating in time with his heartbeat.

‘I love you Joe’ she sighed and cuddled into him but he moved her arm aside,

turned over and sat up at the side of the bed.

‘You should go now’ he said as he reached for his shirt and trousers. ‘If my wife catches you here we’ll both be done for’.

Margaret opened her mouth to speak but the words would not come. Her steady heartbeat had now become a pounding thud in her chest and a feeling of nausea was slowly rising up into her throat as she threw back the duvet and stormed off into the en suite bathroom where she slammed the door closed and didn’t come out for two hours. When, finally the door opened and she emerged Joseph was sitting on the side of the bed waiting for her.

‘I did it again didn’t I?’

Margaret walked around him as if he wasn’t there, went to the other side of the room and began to get dressed.

‘I said the wrong thing didn’t I?’

‘It wasn’t just what you said Joseph it was how you said it.’

‘I don’t understand Marg.’

‘You said it like you meant it; like you were actually there.’

‘I was only joking’

‘No Joseph. You were not joking. You meant it. You were remembering something from before like you were there; and you were there Joseph because it happened. At some stage in your life you were unfaithful to me and to our marriage; and that hurts Joseph. It really hurts.’

Margaret went downstairs and made breakfast. She did not lose her temper. She placed their dishes gently on the table in her usual controlled manner and continued her daily routine with a calmness and surety that was unnerving to him. He kept quiet for most of that day and did his best to please her hoping that she would forgive him but as morning began to fade into afternoon he’d forgotten what it was he’d said that had upset her so much and then he became frustrated with her.

‘Tea is on the kitchen table Joseph if you want it and if you don’t…. well then just don’t eat it. I don’t really care either way. I’m going into the garden to read the paper.’

‘Oh for goodness sake stop snapping at me Margaret. What have I done to deserve it?’

His wife glared at him and made her exit carrying her own tea on a tray.

‘Fine! I’ll eat in the kitchen then and talk to myself. At least I’ll be able to talk to someone with a little sense.’

Margaret set down her tray on the patio table. He had planted the seed of doubt in her mind now and try as she might to forget, the seed slowly grew. She sat down and looked at the newspaper but she wasn’t reading it. She was reminiscing; going back through time in her mind over their long happy marriage. Almost fifty years they had spent together…….. half a lifetime and she couldn’t remember a single night they had ever been apart. How could he have ever been with another woman without her knowing? Unless it was in the early years of their marriage; the years of war torn
Britain
when he was serving in
France
and
Malta
. Had Joseph been unfaithful to her when he was in the forces? And if he had, would that have been such a terrible thing for him to have done? Wasn’t it common knowledge that hundreds of British soldiers had some kind of relationship in their time served abroad? Thousands of miles away from their loved ones; not knowing if they would ever see them again……… Had she overreacted? She picked up her tray then and carried it back into the house but even as she did so his words haunted her; cut her like a knife.
If my wife catches you here
….. Had this happened at home? When? Where; in this house? Here, in their family home? She would ask him. She would ask him right out about his infidelity. She breezed into the kitchen, then jumped with shock in the doorway, dropping her tray on the floor. Joseph was lying face down, huddled on the floor.

‘Joe!’ She ran to his side and tried to help him up but found she couldn’t lift him. ‘What happened? Are you in pain?’

‘Damned nuisance Marg. Legs wouldn’t work you see. Feet went in different directions and down I went with a bump; can’t seem to get up. Be alright in a minute or two.’

Margaret tried, once more to lift him but it was impossible. She simply didn’t have the strength.

‘Don’t try to move Joe. I’m going to get some help.’ She rushed from the house, down the drive and into their neighbours’ garden, but Barbara and Keith’s car was not in the drive. She remembered they were away. She went to the next house, and the next but could not raise help anywhere. Panic stricken Margaret returned home and found he was still in the same position but now he was holding his chest. Her fingers trembling, she
dialled 999
. Twenty minutes later at
Exeter
hospital he was put onto an ECG machine to monitor his heart. After a couple of hours the Doctor confirmed Joseph had had quite a severe angina attack possibly bought on by the stress of his fall and the frustration of being unable to manoeuvre himself to his feet. He offered to arrange some respite care for a week or so to give Margaret a break by admitting him temporarily into a care home.

‘Thank you Doctor, but that won’t be necessary. I will look after Joseph myself.’