Yours Unfaithfully (4 page)

As the days came ever closer to July the weather was scorching hot. But while everyone was talking about the heat wave outside, the frost inside was as thick as ever. Tim was holding out for some sign of surrender from Melanie, who was unwilling to forgive him for the way he’d treated her on the night she’d planned her surprise for him.

If he hadn’t been so stupid, she reasoned, their row would be forgotten by now, but he still had no idea of the treat she’d had in store for him that evening. With neither of them prepared to make the first move to end hostilities the gulf between them widened with each passing day. Tim was still confiding in Ben, who continued to proffer advice from what he believed was his vast expanse of knowledge on the subject of relationships. Tim, experiencing the longest dispute of his married life, was unable to gauge the goodness of this advice. He listened intently to Ben’s theories on marriage, sex and life in general, despite Ben’s glaringly obvious failure to excel at any of them. The two took some comfort from each other’s misery, convinced that eventually the women would realise how foolish they’d been. Ben kept reminding Tim that soon Melanie would be begging for forgiveness, while Tim tried to convince Ben that his career would shortly take a giant stride forward, leaving Nina to apologise for the harsh things she’d said. While Tim was talking over his problems in the Globe his wife was on the same topic at home with Nina as they emptied another bottle of Chardonnay. Melanie was indignant that someone of Ben’s ilk could have the audacity to interfere in her marriage.

“Did you know that Ben has been giving Tim marriage guidance advice while they’ve been playing pool?”

“Oh that’s brilliant! Ben couldn’t give good advice on how to cross the road!”

“Well Tim seems to believe Ben has a deep understanding of women. In one of our rare moments of conversation he let on that Ben understands our marriage problems better than me! When I asked him how Ben knew about our problems he said, ‘Do you think women are the only ones who can talk about these things. I bet you and Nina have talked about nothing else for the last two weeks’ I couldn’t really deny that could I, so I said, Well you might do better to talk to Nina than that big oaf who can’t hold a job down for more than two minutes.’ I’m sorry Neen, I know it wasn’t my place to say that but it came out in my anger at the way Tim’s treated me since the other night, you know, when I was ready to end this row.”

“Don’t worry Mel; you couldn’t say anything about Ben that I haven’t already said. Trouble is he’s so thick he doesn’t seem to understand that I mean all the things I say, he doesn’t want to face the fact that he’s a waste of space.”

“How did you come to marry him Neen? You must have loved him once?”

“Yes I suppose so.... we were all hanging around together just after I’d finished my degree, he was a bit of a lad and we had a lot of fun together. He was a big lad with a big personality, which I suppose he still is. His laddish ways impressed me then and because he was always at the centre of things I felt important being with him. He always stood out from the crowd, but now it’s for all the wrong reasons. At that age you don’t think about spending twenty years with someone, and anyway we’ve both changed a lot. I’ve grown up and Ben, well, Ben hasn’t. The thing is now what do I do? We’ve got three kids, he’s not a bad father but I don’t really love him anymore. In fact I’m not even sure if I want to be with him. You can’t just find another relationship though with three kids ... so what’s the choice? Life as a single parent, or carry on the way we are! Great choice isn’t it?”

“I still love Tim, there’s never been any doubt about that, but he’s stubborn and I suppose I am as well. We can’t seem to hit it off at the moment but I couldn’t imagine life without him. No, I suppose sooner or later I’ll have to say sorry to him because he messed up my night of dreams. No one ever said marriage was fair did they?”

“That’s true, but they didn’t say it would drive me to down three bottles of wine every night either. Oh! By the way Mel, I meant to tell you, I’m having a few drinks next Friday round at my place. Just a few of the people from work; most of the partners have done a drinks evening and I don’t want them to think I can’t manage the social side of the business. I’m hoping to get a share of this new work so I need to impress a few people.”

“Leave it to Ben; he’ll impress them all right. Get him to tell them about his career to date ... that should keep them riveted for a couple of hours.”

“Mel, I realise you’re joking but that’s a good point. I can’t have him buggering up my chances of moving a couple of rungs up the ladder. Can you get Tim to take him off somewhere that night, playing snooker or whatever it is they do?”

“Oh sure, Neen! Like Tim’s going to do what I ask him. Aren’t you forgetting that we hardly talk any more. Anyway, they always play on Fridays so if you say nothing they’ll most likely go off out anyway.”

“Yes, but if he knew how important this was he’d probably stay in on purpose, either trying to help, or in a bid to screw up my prospects altogether. He’s bound to see me making preparations, getting the food and drink ready. Seriously Mel you must get them to go out together that night.”

“I’ll try, but short of challenging Tim to a game of pool in the Globe I don’t know how I’m going to do it. Honestly Neen, we don’t communicate with each other at the moment.”

By the following evening nothing had changed. Melanie needed to talk to Tim but she couldn’t bring herself to be civil to him. Sarcasm was the best she could manage.

“Are you going to see your counsellor tonight Tim?”

“Sorry ... what d’you mean?”

“Ben... he is your confident, your counsellor, your mentor isn’t he? I thought you got most of your inspiration for our marital bliss from that guru of tender togetherness, Ben-NoJob!”

“Why do you have to take the piss all the time? Ben’s a good friend, at least he was there, willing to treat me like another human being when all you could do was call me a bastard before slamming the phone down on me.”

“Tim, you have no idea have you? That night I planned to say sorry to you and make up romantically, I’d cooked you fillet steak with all the trimmings. It could have been a wonderful night if you hadn’t chosen Ben’s company instead of mine!”

“How was I supposed to know all this?”

“Well let me think… you could have come home and found out what was for tea instead of heading off to the Globe with the jolly green giant.”

“I didn’t know that ...OK, it looks as if I messed up that night, but what now?”

“You mean you want to talk, you want to end hostilities?”

“Of course I do, and anyway Jim’s pasties are playing hell with my digestion.”

They smiled at each other as the glimmer of a thaw appeared.

“OK Tim, here’s the deal ... you have your pub night with Ben next Friday and then Saturday you get home early and get scrubbed up. I’ll get my Mum to have the kids, or I could ask Neen – she’ll owe me a favour for getting you to keep Ben out on Friday night but it’s about time they spent a night at Mum’s. Oh by the way, don’t take him home before midnight on Friday, Neen’s got some work people coming for drinks and she doesn’t want Ben ballsing it up for her. If you succeed in staying out until gone midnight with him I’ll give you the best Saturday night you’ve had since we moved in here, so make sure you’re ready and fit for action Mr. Fisher, all right?”

“Sounds good to me, and keeping Ben out late on Friday night isn’t exactly difficult. I might have to let him beat me at pool a few times, but with what’s on offer on Saturday I don’t give a damn Mrs. Fisher.”

“Both smiling broadly, they shook hands on the deal and for the first time in weeks Tim brushed his lips loosely across hers.”

On Friday evening Melanie arrived next door early to help get things ready. She needn’t have bothered because Nina had taken the afternoon off. The always tidy house with its abstract paintings and minimalist style was pristine. Little dishes were brimming with tasty snacks of nuts and crisps and wriggly things and Nina was a perfect picture of radiance.

“Neen you are so damned efficient, I find it irritatingly refreshing. Trouble is, it reminds me of the state I’m in.”

“You’re not in a state, I’ve told you. You’re ten years at least away from all of that. You look lovelier than ever and now you’ve sorted things out with Tim it can only get better. I just envy you tomorrow night ... what have I got to look forward to when this lot go home tonight or tomorrow for that matter? The kids are at my Mum’s and my Saturday night will either be spent on my own, or, if I’m really unlucky, I might get to spend it with Ben, which is definitely the less attractive of the two options. You sure you wouldn’t like me to sort Tim out tomorrow night while you stay here and discuss job possibilities with Ben. After all I might be able to teach that husband of yours a few new tricks from my file of fantasies.”

“No thanks, Neen, that’s one department where he doesn’t need any encouragement. I shall wake up Sunday morning with a hangover, dizzy from my sexual adventures with my lovely husband which will most likely last until breakfast. So eat your heart out Neen, I’m going to get high on life this weekend, at last.”

One by one Nina’s colleagues arrived. They weren’t a bit like Melanie had expected. She’d imagined a load of legal eggheads in stuffy shirts and painted dolls pontificating endlessly about justice, but in fact they were quite the opposite. She found herself talking to people who were interested in her and in her work in the bank. Meeting Nina’s friends was turning out to be pure pleasure, the rare enjoyment of stimulating conversation, when she spent most evenings listening to the television. Nina dragged her away from a trio that were fascinating her with stories of some eccentric clients.

“Mel, I want to introduce you to Ratty, remember I told you about him? He’s joined us to work on the Stellar Haufman account. Ratty this is Mel, my neighbour and my best friend. I want you to explain to her the kind of work I really do ... she thinks I get people off parking tickets don’t you Mel? While you’re doing that I’ll go and top you both up.”

Mel’s complexion jumped two shades of pink in as many seconds.

“Sorry Ratty ... is it all right to call you that? I don’t mean to be rude or anything. This is typical of Nina, she throws me into conversation with people I don’t know and then I’m stuck for anything to say ... well anything intelligent that is.”

Mel knew she was uttering gibberish but her foot was firmly stuck in her mouth. Standing in front of this beautiful man she felt humble. Eventually she shut up and waited for Mr. Ratty to mutter his excuses before sliding away to seek more rational company.

“Mel, I would love you to call me Ratty, Rats or even Rat, it’s what most of my friends call me... and I’d like us to be friends. You know, I’ve heard a lot about you already, from Nina? I’m sure you have lots of intelligent things to say. If not, you wouldn’t have done so well in the bank. I’m just like you, believe me – although I stand up in Court and talk for hours, I’m often stuck for the right words when I meet someone I want to impress. Nina’s told me so much about you I almost feel I know you, except until now I had no idea what you looked like. Nina forgot to tell me that you’re beautiful.”

Melanie was melting right in front of Ratty. Had she heard him right? Had he really just said he wanted to be friends? Could he seriously want to impress
her
? She felt her cheeks flush; the strength was disappearing from her legs. She was pretty sure she hadn’t had that much to drink but her hands were shaking. The voice inside her head was screaming at her, ‘Pull yourself together ...this guy handles the contract Nina is desperate to work on, she got rid of Ben so she wouldn’t be embarrassed and now you’re making a complete fool of yourself in his place.’ She hammered at her brain, desperate for something sensible to say.

“Do you enjoy being a lawyer?”

She winced at her choice of words even as she uttered them. She cringed at her crass stupidity. How could she seriously ask Ratty if he enjoyed being successful in his profession? She looked into his face and begged for pity.

“Well, it’s funny you should ask me that,’ he said, intently studying her expression. ‘Everyone assumes that because I’m doing well I must love my work. You’re the only person I’ve admitted this to, and I’d prefer it remained our secret, but sometimes I hate the job. I’d love to do something different, an action job, fly a jet fighter, drive an express train at a hundred and fifty miles an hour or maybe dive for pearls in the tropics. Some days I hang around the Court room, waiting my turn, while outside the sun is baking and I watch some wizened old Judge who hasn’t seen the light of day for years, and I think... is this what the future holds for me?”

“But Ratty, you’re so good at what you do, Nina’s told me that clients pay extra to have you sort their problems. She’s so impressed to have you in the firm; she’s a great fan of yours! And anyway, you make lots of money so you can go abroad with your wife to anywhere you want, hire a boat, fly a plane… do what you want. I know you’ve got an Aston Martin, guess who told me that as well?”

“Nina’s super to work with, she doesn’t know it yet but she’s going to be my assistant on the Stellar Haufman account. It’s a promotion for her, one she deserves because she’s very good at her job, but I will have to tell her, I don’t need a fan club, especially as it only has one member. Mel, I’ve confessed two secrets to you in the last five minutes, please don’t mention anything of what I just told you, will you? I want Nina to hear about this from me, not from her next door neighbour.”

“Of course not, working for the bank I have to keep plenty of secrets, like whose going broke and whose got pots of money. Just imagine, if you banked with us I’d have three secrets of yours.”

“Do you know, when Nina asked me to come here this evening I nearly refused? I was sure it would be another of those boring round of supper parties where you make small talk with people you’ll never meet again while wishing you were back home with your shoes off and listening to your favourite opera. But tonight hasn’t been a bit like that thanks to you, I envy Nina, having you as her best friend.”