The Education of Sebastian & the Education of Caroline (43 page)

“No, David, I’m not.”

He took a deep breath and it seemed as if he believed me.

“This is about that silly accident the other night, isn’t it? For fuck’s sake, Caroline, it was just an accident!”

He sat back, his arms folded across his chest, a supercilious expression on his face. I could tell what he was thinking—the storm was blowing over. If anything, this was the eye of the storm.

“I know it was an accident. But the fact remains: I’m leaving you and I want a divorce.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You can’t leave me!” He stared at me then added, “You haven’t got anywhere to go—your mother certainly won’t take you back.”

God, he was arrogant.

I was beginning to get angry: angry was good.

“I’ve already moved my things out: I guess you haven’t noticed yet. I’ve rented a room downtown until … until we get everything sorted legally. Then I’m going back East.”

He stared at me, utterly speechless.

“I won’t make it difficult,” I continued, “I don’t want anything from you.”

He looked liked I’d punched him; he was deflating in front of me, all bombast gone.

“You’re leaving me?”

“Yes, David. It’s for the best.”

His head sank to his chest and I felt an unfamiliar pang of pity for him.

And then there was a loud and insistent banging on the door. I tried to ignore the knocking, but it was relentless.

Who the hell was this? What absolutely appalling timing.

With the habit born of a decade of domestic drudgery, I was the one who walked to the front door and pulled it open.

“There you are, you little bitch!”

Estelle pushed past me into the main room and Donald followed close behind. I could smell alcohol on his breath as he leered at me. The door hung open as I fell back weakly against the wall.

There could be only one reason for them coming here; only one reason for Estelle to speak to me like that…

They knew.

“What’s going on?” shouted David, his temper fraying with this new incursion.

He stood up and glared at Donald and Estelle.

“Estelle, this isn’t the time or place. Donald, what’s going on?”

“Your little whore of a wife has been fucking my son!” spat Estelle. “My
underage
son!”

David recoiled and stared at her as if she’d grown two heads.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Have you been drinking again, Estelle, because from the look of you…”

“Ask her!” she taunted him. “See if she denies it!”

David’s disbelief turned to shock: one look at my face was evidence enough.

“Caroline, is this … is this true?”

My knees gave way and I sank onto the couch.

David stared at me, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

“You’re such a limp dick fucking pencil pusher, Wilson,” snorted Donald. “If you’d been servicing your wife properly she wouldn’t have come sniffing around my son.”

David was helpless to reply, adrift in a scenario he didn’t understand.

“Caroline?”

David’s voice pleaded with me to deny what Donald was saying—but I couldn’t.

“Caroline?” he stuttered again.

“Come on, Wilson,” sneered Donald. “Be a man for once in your life—if you can remember how.”

“I just wanted to see you deny it,” Estelle hissed at me. “I knew I was right about you, pretending you’re so prim and proper. People like you make me sick. Who are you to judge
me
when you go around getting your kicks with
children
? Sneaking around behind your husband’s back—or did he know?”

“It’s got nothing to do with David,” I said, tiredly. “He and I are getting a divorce.”

“Oh, so that’s the plan, is it?” sneered Estelle. “Trying to blame my son! My
seventeen-year-old
son! Do you think I’d let you implicate him in your divorce? Do you think for one moment we’d let even a hint of a scandal like that sully our reputation? Or maybe you think you can
blackmail
your way out of this? Over my dead body, you stuck up little slut. I suppose you’ll say that he attacked you now? Is that it? Blame someone else? Pretending you’re so much better than everyone when you’ve really been putting it out for all the boys; no doubt you’ve fucked half the Base by now. Well, no, missy! You’re not ruining
our
name.”

“Shut up, Stell,” said Donald coolly. “I’m running this show, not you.”

Estelle fell silent, her eyes narrowing at me, her expression vicious.

Where did so much hatred come from?
I felt myself drowning in their ugly accusations. I didn’t have the strength to think about that: all I could do was try to protect myself. I had to go—now.

“I’m leaving anyway,” I said, quietly, leaning forward in a weak effort to get up off the couch even though I was afraid I was going to be sick. “I won’t bother you. You’ll never see me again.”

David’s head jerked up. I saw hurt and pain in his expression along with something else. Was it fear?

I needed to get away—I’d done enough damage already.

I could go straight to New York; Sebastian could catch up with me later. It was only three months—only three months.

I was vaguely aware of the sound of car doors slamming outside and angry voices.

“Oh, that’s much too easy!” snapped Estelle.

She marched over and slapped my face hard. My head rocked back and tears sprang to my eyes. She raised her hand again. I didn’t try to stop her.

“Mom! Leave her alone!”

Suddenly Sebastian was standing in the room, placing his body between me and his mother who still had her hand raised to hit me. I didn’t understand where he’d come from. I felt sick and confused and so dizzy I was afraid I might faint.

At first I thought Estelle was going to hit Sebastian instead, but she backed away when she saw the appalled faces of Ches, his parents and Donna standing at the entrance of the room watching the ghastly drama unfold in front of them.

Sebastian sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m here now.”

I leaned against him, a half-sob escaping from my chest. It felt good to be held: it felt safe, protected.

“How … how did you know…?”

“My
mom
,” he sneered, “she called Shirley to tell her good news.”

“And how did she…?”

His head dropped.

“Brenda told her. She saw us … last night at the restaurant. She followed us.”

The blonde at the window.

“Yes, apparently you were very cozy going into a hotel last night,” Estelle added, triumphantly. “And he was missing for two nights without a word. And you,” she said, pointing to Shirley, “you hypocritical bitch—you lied to my face to cover it up! I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew about it all along.”

Shirley gasped and Mitch looked angry.

“Not to mention the box of condoms I found in his room,” continued Estelle, enjoying her moment in the limelight. “And a woman’s bra—yours, I presume. In my son’s bedroom! Slut!”

Sebastian stared at her, his face curiously blank.

Silence crept across the room like ice. I started to shiver and seemed unable to stop.

David’s face was frozen in a mask of shock.

“This boy?” he whispered. “You’re leaving me for this
boy?
”

Sebastian shot him a look of pure hatred, while Donna held her hand over her mouth as if trying to push back words that sprang to her lips. Mitch shook his head and Shirley took a step forward
seeming to reach out toward us. Ches looked as if he wished he could be anywhere but here—I understood that emotion very well. I was watching my life implode in slow motion.

“It’s okay, Caro,” Sebastian crooned, kissing my hair over and over. “It’s okay now. I love you, baby.”

It was Donald who broke the spell.

“It isn’t fucking okay,” he said in a low voice, full of loathing. “It really isn’t fucking okay. She’s been screwing half the Base and now she’s got her claws into you. You’re so fucking naïve you can’t even see it. Christ! Why did I have to have a son with shit for brains?”

Sebastian was on his feet in seconds.

“Don’t you dare talk about her like that! You’re so fucking wrong! You think everyone is like you, but they’re not! You think it’s a secret that you’ve been fucking that little nurse all those nights you’ve been working late,
Dad
? You’re just a fucking joke and you don’t even see it!”

Donald hit him so hard that Sebastian flailed across the room and crashed to the floor. He struggled to his feet, blood pouring from his nose and launched himself at his father.

Ches and Mitch ran forward trying to pull him off. Sebastian had got in several good body blows before they peeled him away. He was incoherent with rage, shouting and swearing at his father.

Donald rubbed his ribs, and seemed to grow calmer as Sebastian’s fury increased.

“Sebastian!” I breathed. “Don’t, please.”

He turned and stared at me and his face softened. His body went limp but Mitch and Ches hung onto him.

“Tesoro, please!”

I reached out for him and he stretched his hand toward me. Cautiously, Mitch let him go and nodded at Ches for him to do the same.

Sebastian swept me into his arms and pulled me to his chest.

“Don’t listen to that fucking asshole, Caro,” he mumbled, his bloodied nose making his voice thick. “He’s nothing. Nothing.”

“Is that right?” said Donald, nastily. “I’ve supplied your life with everything you’ve got: the clothes on your back, the roof over your fucking head! I’m the poor sucker who has a half-wit for a son, but that’s the point, isn’t it? You’re still
my son
—and that whore of yours has been fucking an underage boy. All I have to do is call the police and that bitch will be in jail so fast, she won’t have time to say a prayer.”

There was a horrified silence and I closed my eyes, fear and disgust burning through me.

“Hey, come on, man,” said Mitch, quietly. “There’s no need for that.”

“No, indeed,” said Donna, sounding appalled. “There’s no need to involve the police. I’m sure we can sort this out without resorting to anything so … so serious.”

But Donald was too far gone in his anger and hatred to listen. Or maybe he was finally saying what he’d come to say, to find another way to bully and belittle his son, to control him.

“And you know what?” he said, viciously, “She
will
get jail time—I’ll see to that. Corrupting a minor at
her
age: that’s not a misdemeanor, it’s a felony. She’s been plying him with alcohol, too, did you know that? And when she finally gets out of jail, after being finger-fucked by every hairy-assed lesbian in the slammer, she’ll have a reputation as a pedophile. Try getting a job with
that
tag around you, bitch! I’m going to make you fucking pay.”

The whole world came crashing down. All my worst nightmares coming true in one foul-mouthed rant from an evil man who had bullied and beaten up on his son for years.

Sebastian’s face was chalky white under his tan.

“You can’t do that!” he whispered.

“Just watch him!” sneered Estelle, her eyes glittering. “Your little whore of a girlfriend will get what she deserves.”

I hung my head, unable to shake off the weight of her despising words.

“Just because you hate me,” said Sebastian, his voice tight with emotion, “there’s no need to take it out on her.”

He wiped the blood from his face with his jacket sleeve

“Oh, listen to you!” spat Estelle. “Do you think you’re some sort of white knight who can charge in and save the day? You’re so pathetic! You ruined my life from the day you were born, mewling and puking, always hanging around my neck, a pathetic child! You don’t know anything!”

Shirley gasped and Mitch grabbed her arm; Donna was pale with shock and anger, the horror of Estelle’s admission washing over them both.

“I’m not a child!” yelled Sebastian. “I’ve been looking after myself since I was eight years old because
you
were too drunk to look after your own kid. How many times did I have to help you up the stairs because you were too shit-faced to walk,
Mommy
? How many times did strangers drop you at the door because you couldn’t even manage to call a cab? And as for
my
father
, you’re just a fucking joke. Everyone here knows that you’re just a pathetic hole-chaser with an alcoholic slut for a wife.
Caro is the best thing that ever happened to me. We’re going away together and you’ll never see us again.”

Sebastian stared at his parents triumphantly. Estelle looked winded and turned to Donald.

“No, you’re not,” said Sebastian’s father, with chilly finality. “You’re not going anywhere with that whore.”