Jake and Gill

"Oh."

***

There had been more pressure from Wayne to get back into Gill's good books. He tried his hardest to lift her spirits on Wednesday, bringing her flowers and paying for a takeaway meal that evening so she didn't have to cook. Gill didn't seem so eager to kick him out as she had threatened and, although she was quiet all week it looked like her relationship with this Jake loser was over. Wayne thought he had a chance to mend fences.

Jenny and Clay also wondered why Gill was so quiet and Wayne had been permitted to stay indefinitely. They were so concerned that they even discussed the situation between them, especially after Jake failed to show for their planned dinner on Wednesday.

Gill believed her fledgling relationship with Jake had cooled to the point of being over and was resigned to let Wayne stay on as long as he needed. That coming weekend was scheduled as Gill's family weekend, and she took them up to Derbyshire all day Saturday to visit an old great aunt; stayed in Sunday to do the house cleaning and washing, which included all Wayne's laundry. It didn't look like he was moving out soon, and she was resigned to just leave him be.

The next weekend was Wayne's turn with the kids, only he left them at Gill's house while he departed mid-morning on Saturday to go to a football match.

"What's going on Mum?" Jenny asked, "As this is actually your free weekend I thought you'd be out trekking somewhere with Jake."

"Looks like Jake and me are no more, I'm afraid, Jen. He, well he hasn't called me or answered any of my calls since that Monday when he dropped off the pastries and coffee."

"It's because Dad's staying here isn't it?" piped up Clay, sitting at the kitchen table, "he probably thinks Dad shouldn't be here, the same as we do. We can see it, it's so obvious that the only reason why Dad doesn't stay in a hotel is because he wants to get back with you. He's an arsehole."

"Clay! You can't call your Dad an ... what you called him."

"Yes I can Mum, he's an arse, while Jake's head and shoulders above him in every way."

"He's right, Mum," Jenny said, "Jake's the best man Clay or I know, and he'd make the best dad in the world too. We've only known him properly for a few weeks and we both love him and were hoping he'd be our next dad. Our old Dad is without doubt a complete arsehole."

"Jen!"

"Mum!" Jenny folded her arms and stared at Gill, "You do know the reason why Dad's here and not with Cheryl and the baby, don't you?"

"Yes, he told me they had a row last Sunday about the amount of time he spends with you two kids and he stormed out."

"No, Mum, he lied to you as he always lies to everyone. He's our Dad and you only have the one Dad you're born with, so we have to accept him as he is but unfortunately our Dad is also an arsehole, pure and simple. He cheated on you and now he's been caught cheating on Cheryl, who's been left at home looking after HIS three-month-old baby!"

"No! She can't have caught him...." Gill went pale, thinking Cheryl had found out about Wayne and her Christmas fuck!

"Yes!" Jenny said triumphantly, "She found a hotel credit card slip, which she thought must've been for a meal with a dozen friends, or business associates."

"Your father's always entertaining, Jenny, it's part of the territory, I do the same when we're drumming up business or celebrate when the deal's signed, they're mostly boring rituals that we have to go through."

"Yeah, right, Mum. On his company credit card, yes I could understand, but this slip was in his name and on a different personal card to the ones that she knew about."

"Mmm, that does sound suspicious."

"Right! So she checked through the mail over the next few days, found and opened an envelope that came from that bank and read through the statement. She found the entry she wanted, which confirmed the slip she had found. She also found lots of payments she had no idea about -"

"Yeah," Clay chipped in, "they always argue about money being short as Dad reckons the mortgage was crippling him."

"And this credit card statement was for over eight grand and he settled up the previous month with nearly five grand, paid it all off just like that. Cheryl called the hotel, posing as Dad's secretary, querying why the bill was so high and was told it was for a double room, checked in about three in the afternoon and checked out at quarter to eight that same evening, signed in as Mr and Mrs Jarvis."

"Oh oh! And we know our grandparents never come back from Spain until the summer," laughed Clay.

"Exactly," Jenny continued, "and this was dated the last week of February, when Dad was celebrating being appointed Managing Director of the bank, probably with some high class escort he booked using his card over the phone, so no receipt on his wallet for that one."

"Oh my god!"

"We were there as they had a full-scale stand-up row on the Friday night." Clay added.

"As soon as we pulled up, after Dad collected us from here, we found that all his clothes and shoes and stuff were strewn all over their in and out front drive." Jenny continued.

"In and out front drive?"

"Yeah, their place is a lot bigger'n ours," Clay confirmed, "a drive in and out, a triple garage and Jenny's room has an en suite bathroom."

"Shower room," Jenny added quickly, "OK, it's bigger, a four bedroom house on a gated estate, but not as well finished off as this house. I don't think either of them have the same eye for detail that you have, Mum."

"He lied to me, the ... the ..."

"Arsehole!" the kids chorused.

"You can help me put his stuff into plastic bags and leave them in the hall." Gill was resolved. "I'm not going to wash our dirty linen in public but he's definitely not sleeping here another night. No wonder he brought so much laundry with him, the arsehole!"

The kids grinned, "told you!" they chorused.

There was no confrontation with Wayne, who was not allowed to even enter the house. Clay had kept an eye out for him from the corner of the street and rang his mum when he saw his father coming up the road. That gave his mother and sister time to move the plastic bags out onto the front steps for Wayne to pick up when he arrived at Gill's home. He didn't make a fuss, just put his bags into the boot of his car and drove off.

Chapter 10

Gill was a little apprehensive when Kelly told her she was booked to have lunch with Gertie Albury again on Thursday morning when she arrived at work.

"And she 'told' me, not actually 'asked' me, to ensure the rest of your afternoon was free!" Kelly spluttered in Gill's office, "I told her you had meetings in the afternoon but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Then two minutes later Gerald called and moved your Webster meeting to Monday and told me he would take this afternoon's Amalgamated meeting himself."

Gill had the same sinking feeling she had for their first lunch together but as she approached the table, in a different but similarly old established restaurant as before, she was surprised by Gertie's cheery countenance and warm hug greeting. Gertie didn't chit chat either, following the usual niceties, she launched straight into the object of her meeting.

"My dear goddaughter Belinda Wheatier is going to shadow you over the next month or two to help you get properly integrated into the family."

"But -"

"Just indulge me Gill. Honestly, you have such a head start over me when I started as a chit of a girl from the East End that I really don't think you will need anything like that long to get up to speed."

"When you started as a what?"

"When I first met my future husband John Jacob Winter, I was a hat-check girl at a West End Theatre, living with my dear Mum and Dad at Limehouse. I used to go into work for Matinees, then back home on the bus for tea and go back for the evening shows."

"And your future husband was just a keen theatre goer?" Gill was bewildered, surely Jake was no longer in the picture was he? So why was Gertie was trying to help Gill fit into a family that would never be hers?

"Yes," Gertie laughed, "Johnny seemed a real theatre fan, coming in all the time. He was a sweet man, so much like Jake. He worked his way up to captain during the war, in the Royal Marines, had quite a few close calls. He stayed in the Army after the war, as he wasn't ready to take up his role in the bank yet. He would stutter when nervous, but he was sweet and always nice to me. Some of the young men would try and get fresh and ask you out all the time, but I never did go out with any of them. I was only 17 and was what they'd call at the time a "good girl".

"I'm sure you were, Gertie."

Gertie laughed, "Then one night, one of the drunks tried it on. Some plays had two intervals, during which drinks were served, but sometimes, if they didn't like the play or if they stayed too long, the doors to the stalls would be shut and they wouldn't be able to get back to their seats. So, some would stay in the bar and drink to excess. This particular man did, and tried to corner me in the cloakroom. I had to slap him, but to my complete surprise, he slapped me back, quite hard -"

"No!"

"Not a punch, just a slap but it really knocked me flying. The barman and doorman came to my rescue and they bundled him out the door, probably roughed him up a bit if I know those two!" She chuckled at the memory.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Not really, It was just a slap, which was hard enough to leave a mark, but I simply wasn't expecting it, so it was quite a shock. I cried, more with embarrassment, I think, I used to be so careful not to be compromised. Anyway, the theatre manager and Johnny arrived at the same time and helped me to the manager's office. Johnny held my hand and comforted me while an ice pack was summoned from the kitchen."

"Johnny got there fast!"

"I found out later that he had several members of staff looking out for me. He was quite concerned at what had happened and he held my hand the whole time. He was a handsome man, tall and slim, and always dressed immaculately in evening dress. Once or twice he came in uniform and looked very dashing. Anyway, he offered to drive me home, but I refused. He insisted, and I told him I could still walk and catch the bus. I was quite determined, and he could see that I was, so he changed tack and offered to walk me to the bus stop. I mean it was only five minutes' walk, I accepted, but only when I finished my shift. The third act was still playing and all the hats and coats had to be handed back to the right people. The manager then told me to scoot off now and take the next day off. I protested, I really couldn't afford to lose a day's pay and the tips, but I felt ashamed to admit to such. Johnny, bless him, picked up on that straight away and suggested to the manager that as the fault was not mine that I should be given a couple of days off with full pay and the manager instantly agreed."

"So Johnny walked you to the bus?"

"Ha! He did, and then he got on and sat next to me, paid the fare with a ten shilling note, the chippie was absolutely livid because he took all her change, even though he gave her a five-bob tip! He sat with me all the way home and then walked me through the dark streets to my parents' house. We just talked all the way, he was such a lovely man, but of course it would never work between us, we were from different worlds. It was much more class-conscious in 1950 than now. He was so easy to talk to though, asking me about what I did in my spare time and whether I had brothers and sisters and what they did. At first I was embarrassed because he was in full evening dress, while I was in my little blue uniform with white piping around the edge. To me it was obvious what we looked like, him a toff and me a hat check girl, it made me look like a bad girl, a tart."

"But you weren't."

"No dear, I wasn't and I told him that when he asked if he could call round and see if I was all right in the morning."

"But he didn't take your rejection to heart, if he later became your husband?"

"I didn't know what to make of it, because he smiled and asked me to list my objections. So, while we stood on my doorstep, I told him all the usual objections of class, education, clothing, appearances, and general acceptance of us as a dating couple on both sides of the family. I insisted that I wanted to work and be independent before settling down as a wife and mother. I certainly did not want to be used and wouldn't be. I told him in all seriousness that I thought he was the nicest person I had ever met, and he could be assured I would take special care of his hat and coat in future. He just laughed at my absurdity and shook my hand formally before wishing me a goodnight and that he would see me at the theatre next time and assured me that he would be my best and most polite customer."

"What happened next?" Gill was fascinated, letting her tea grow cold.

"My Dad had already left for work by the time I got up. Mum had heard me talk to Johnny, their bedroom was at the front of the house. She checked out my slapped cheek and got the whole story out of me, which she fitted into the part of our conversation that she had overheard. Mum patted me on the back and said I let the nice young man down very sensibly. Then there was a knock on the door."

"So Johnny didn't take 'no' for an answer?"

"Not exactly. My Mum went to the door. Now, where we lived, if a neighbour called, they would just walk in, only the rent man and the man from the Pru bothered to knock on the door. I was making a fresh pot of tea when Mum came and told me there was a young woman in the front room to see me. Mum was really agitated, told me she had invited in a tall, young woman, smartly dressed with a chauffeured car parked outside. The very thing, she said, white as a ghost, the only vehicle that wasn't lost when it came down our street, was the corporation dustcart!"

"Who was it?"

"Johnny's sister, Eveline, who was sitting primly on one of the hard chairs in the front room, the best room in the house. The sofa was too soft for comfort, I remember. I think I curtsied automatically because she looked so grand, but cool and bright, everything about her, clothing, make-up and hair, was absolutely perfect."

"She had come to warn you off?"

"Quite the reverse, Gill dear. 'I'm Eveline Winter, Johnny's sister,' she said in a voice that you normally only heard on the BBC, 'you can call me Evie. I'm here to get you up to speed.' She pulled out a tiny notebook and fountain pen and started asking questions. She tut-tutted that we had no phone. Then she told me to get dressed, coming up to my little bedroom at the back and sorted out what best to wear and checked what clothes and shoes, coats and hats I had. I got the impression that she would have to start from scratch. Mum brought her up a cup of tea and took another one out for the driver. Then Evie took me shopping."

"And you just went with her?"

"She was a force of nature! We piled into this lovely car and we drove up to Knightsbridge and shopped. We never stopped talking. It was so strange. I mean clothes rationing had only stopped the year before, so nobody from where we lived were used to clothes shopping, we all wore hand-me-downs or make do and mends. At the first store we went in she picked out three or four day-wear outfits which were wonderful and fitted perfectly. When Evie told the girl to pack them and charge them to her account, I protested and dug my heels in. She took me to the tea rooms at the department store then, sat me down and put me straight. Johnny wanted me as his girlfriend, Evie said, that he was 27, a war hero, a respectable man who had just finished his seven-year short commission in the Army, he had a secure future in the family banking business, and he had never had a serious girlfriend before me. I was going to be his respectable girlfriend with a view to leading to a betrothal in the near future."

"So Johnny was serious and determined?"

"Yes, and Evie assured me that Johnny was not a fly by night player, that he seriously wanted to get to know me but, if I was going to be at ease meeting his family and friends, that I would need some help to make me more comfortable in company. He had listened to what I had said and acted on it immediately, he was a military man and used to taking control."

"I think you must follow his example!"

Gertie laughed, "You are right! Evie was a recently married woman with no children yet. She had plenty of time on her hands and would take me under her wing as her project, she said, introduce me to people and places, guide me in what to wear, how to speak. But mainly, she said, we are going to have such a lot of fun! And we did. That first afternoon, after accepting my fate, I came home with a new hairdo and several bags of clothes, shoes, another shopping trip planned for the next day and a dinner date for the following evening with Johnny, Evie, her husband, and my Mum and Dad!"

"Was that a shock for your parents?"

"They had a bigger shock before that! When I was dropped off, the telephone company had fitted a telephone in the front room and gangs of workers were still digging holes in the pavement to put in three telegraph poles to run the wire all the way from the main road!"

"So you were the first ones in the street to get a telephone?"

"Yes. Evie had arranged it while I was trying on the clothes. Apparently she got onto the big white chief and made it happen. I've done the same thing myself dozens of times since."

"I know, my secretary got a bee in her ear from my boss!''

"Gerry, he's such a sweetheart. Anyway, within five minutes of the workmen leaving, Evie rang me to make sure everything worked all right, reminded me she would be round immediately after breakfast and to relax and enjoy the ride. She was like a sister to me, Gill, she taught me so much, I really miss her. You'll love her granddaughter Belinda, she's just like her."

"But, Gertie, Jake and I are not together any more."

"Oh, have you given up on him already, dear?"

"No, of course not, but he hasn't spoken to me once since Monday morning and I can't get him on his phone."

"Mmm, I see. Tell me, Gill, do you love Jake?"

"Yes, yes I do, but -"

"Belinda will be in touch then, and she will show you how to make sure Jake's properly trained how to treat the woman he loves. Johnny and Jake are so similar is so many ways, great organisers but unintentionally thoughtless at times, bless them!"

"What happened to Johnny, Aunt Gertie?" Gill asked softly.

"Korea, he was called up as a reservist in 1953 and died in a burning tank, just like Jake's mother did years later. Johnny never had the chance to see and hold his twins."

...

At the weekend Belinda got in touch and Gill agreed to join her for lunch on Wednesday, even though she explained to her that it was pointless, there was nothing happening between Jake and Gill any more. Belinda insisted, however, pointing out that she owed that much to both Gertie and Jake.

Gill had never had anything but working lunches in years, until Gertie changed things. Gill wondered what would come out of it, when everything looked so hopeless.

Chapter 11

Kelly poked her head around Gill's office door, "Hey, Gill, a little birdie tells me Jake's back in the print room, talking with the new girl Tina."

"So?" Gill asked listlessly, now heartily sick of the Jake affair. It had been a whole week since she had seen him, almost as long since she heard from him, when he seemed to be distracted, only going through the motions.

"So, ... I thought you two might have had a tiff, you've been all business, business, business this week. Look, this is a chance to go clear the air. Give him what for for messing you about and then tell him you're in love with him."