Her mother had always been good at whistling
in the dark.
As soon as his in-laws returned home Robert reverted to his
old insulting manner, and Claire found herself avoiding him and beginning to
hate him, too. Her suggestion that they talk things through with a marriage
guidance counsellor met with ridicule, and he started calling her ‘fat cow’,
even in front of other people. The constant jibes about her weight hurt – she
was a size twelve now and anyway, had he only married her for her matchstick
figure? It was beginning to look like it. She couldn’t even remember the last
time they’d had sex.
But the most disturbing thing of all was he’d started to
push her around a bit. Oh, nothing you could call violent, but he’d chivvied
her out of the way a couple of times, and recently he’d taken to brushing past
her a shade too closely, forcing her to move aside. Claire knew it was the kind
of thing that people said would only get worse. She couldn’t go on like this;
she’d done her best but the marriage was dead. She should leave. The thing was
– what would she use for money? She had no training, no prospects, and a
three-year-old daughter. Could she swallow her pride enough to ask her parents
for help? That wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly.
Things came to a head one Saturday afternoon a few weeks later.
Claire had an emergency dental appointment – she’d lost a filling and it was
giving her gyp – which meant leaving Nina at home. The Wrights were there too;
George and Robert were up in the attic as usual, along with several bottles of
beer, and loud laughter wafted down at regular intervals. George had taken up
photography; his camera was permanently round his neck and he’d set up a dark
room at home. Whatever photos he took caused a lot of hilarity whenever he and
Robert got together but he never showed them to the women. Claire had to fight
to keep a pleasant expression on her face when George was around, but if she
didn’t the jibes were worse.
Fortunately Jane had come too that afternoon and was doing a
jigsaw with Paul and Nina, glass in hand as usual. Claire hesitated in the
living room doorway; hell, that was Jane’s second G&T, she’d be pie-eyed by
tea time if she went on like that. It might be better to take Nina with her.
But watching her mother have a tooth filled would put Nina off dentists for
life…
‘Hey, leave some for me,’ she said lightly, shifting the gin
bottle back to the sideboard. Jane smiled, and Claire decided to risk it. Nina
adored Paul, anyway, look how she was hanging on the six-year-old’s every word.
Removing her now would only cause a scene, and Claire didn’t have time for
that.
She arrived home late afternoon to find Jane asleep on the
sofa and no sign of the children. Shaking the other woman, Claire saw it wasn’t
as much sleep as a drunken stupor that was afflicting Jane. The men were out,
if the absence of jackets in the hallway was anything to go by. Hell, she
should never have left Nina – and what was Robert thinking, leaving his
daughter with a drunk woman?
‘Nina! Paul!’ she called, running upstairs.
Nina’s bedroom door banged opened and the little girl
stumbled out and ran towards Clare, arms outstretched. There were tear-stains
on the child’s face, and Claire scooped her up and held her tightly, horrified
to feel the little body tremble in her arms. What on earth was going on here?
‘Sweetheart? What’s the matter?’
‘Paul’s crying. Daddy said he was bad,’ said Nina, squeezing
Claire’s arm in a painful grip and pushing her other thumb into her mouth.
Claire stroked damp curls into place and kissed the hot little head.
‘Why? Did Paul hurt you?’
She knew that Paul’s exuberance was sometimes difficult for
Nina to keep up with. Nina shook her head and removed her thumb long enough to
reply. ‘No. Daddy was cross. He was in the attic… he hurted Paul and then he - ’
She sobbed into Claire’s
in the dark.
As soon as his in-laws returned home Robert reverted to his
old insulting manner, and Claire found herself avoiding him and beginning to
hate him, too. Her suggestion that they talk things through with a marriage
guidance counsellor met with ridicule, and he started calling her ‘fat cow’,
even in front of other people. The constant jibes about her weight hurt – she
was a size twelve now and anyway, had he only married her for her matchstick
figure? It was beginning to look like it. She couldn’t even remember the last
time they’d had sex.
But the most disturbing thing of all was he’d started to
push her around a bit. Oh, nothing you could call violent, but he’d chivvied
her out of the way a couple of times, and recently he’d taken to brushing past
her a shade too closely, forcing her to move aside. Claire knew it was the kind
of thing that people said would only get worse. She couldn’t go on like this;
she’d done her best but the marriage was dead. She should leave. The thing was
– what would she use for money? She had no training, no prospects, and a
three-year-old daughter. Could she swallow her pride enough to ask her parents
for help? That wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly.
Things came to a head one Saturday afternoon a few weeks later.
Claire had an emergency dental appointment – she’d lost a filling and it was
giving her gyp – which meant leaving Nina at home. The Wrights were there too;
George and Robert were up in the attic as usual, along with several bottles of
beer, and loud laughter wafted down at regular intervals. George had taken up
photography; his camera was permanently round his neck and he’d set up a dark
room at home. Whatever photos he took caused a lot of hilarity whenever he and
Robert got together but he never showed them to the women. Claire had to fight
to keep a pleasant expression on her face when George was around, but if she
didn’t the jibes were worse.
Fortunately Jane had come too that afternoon and was doing a
jigsaw with Paul and Nina, glass in hand as usual. Claire hesitated in the
living room doorway; hell, that was Jane’s second G&T, she’d be pie-eyed by
tea time if she went on like that. It might be better to take Nina with her.
But watching her mother have a tooth filled would put Nina off dentists for
life…
‘Hey, leave some for me,’ she said lightly, shifting the gin
bottle back to the sideboard. Jane smiled, and Claire decided to risk it. Nina
adored Paul, anyway, look how she was hanging on the six-year-old’s every word.
Removing her now would only cause a scene, and Claire didn’t have time for
that.
She arrived home late afternoon to find Jane asleep on the
sofa and no sign of the children. Shaking the other woman, Claire saw it wasn’t
as much sleep as a drunken stupor that was afflicting Jane. The men were out,
if the absence of jackets in the hallway was anything to go by. Hell, she
should never have left Nina – and what was Robert thinking, leaving his
daughter with a drunk woman?
‘Nina! Paul!’ she called, running upstairs.
Nina’s bedroom door banged opened and the little girl
stumbled out and ran towards Clare, arms outstretched. There were tear-stains
on the child’s face, and Claire scooped her up and held her tightly, horrified
to feel the little body tremble in her arms. What on earth was going on here?
‘Sweetheart? What’s the matter?’
‘Paul’s crying. Daddy said he was bad,’ said Nina, squeezing
Claire’s arm in a painful grip and pushing her other thumb into her mouth.
Claire stroked damp curls into place and kissed the hot little head.
‘Why? Did Paul hurt you?’
She knew that Paul’s exuberance was sometimes difficult for
Nina to keep up with. Nina shook her head and removed her thumb long enough to
reply. ‘No. Daddy was cross. He was in the attic… he hurted Paul and then he - ’
She sobbed into Claire’s
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