Wags To Riches (42 page)

   “Don’t be daft” Alex says, “You didn’t know this was going to happen did you?  Nobody has got a crystal ball Gail”.  She takes a drink of wine and looks at me concerned.

   “I know” I concede, “But what am I going to do Alex?  What use are nice clothes and shoes now?”  I take another large gulp of wine.  “I mean – just because a bloke earns a shed load of money and you don’t earn any, does that give him the right to treat you like shit?”

   “No of course it doesn’t” Alex replies soothingly as I drink the rest of my wine and then top up both glasses.  I accept some chocolate from Alex and chew it for a moment.

   “The papers are right” I say angrily, “All footballers are sods.  They’re all the same.  And there was me thinking that he was different to all the rest.”

   “You don’t mean that!” Alex says reproachfully.

   “Don’t I?” I say glowering.  “I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid.  I thought I was doing well.  I don’t belong in that world.  I should never have left my job.  I’ll have to temp that’s all”.

   “Gail – I do think you’re being a bit over dramatic!” Alex says, rolling her eyes and munching chocolate.  “Eat some more chocolate, shut up and listen to me for a minute.  Can I just ask you, who in their right mind, in your situation – living with a gorgeous, wealthy man - wouldn’t have left their job?  Shall we go out and ask the first twenty women we meet what they’d have done?” she says, taking a sip of wine and gesturing towards the window.  “Because I know what most, if not all of them would said!  Especially when you hated the fucking job anyway!”

   “I know but…” I say, tailing off.  “I’ve just been so humiliated.  I’m just a total laughing stock,” I say miserably.

   “No you are not!” Alex replies firmly, “You don’t even know if it’s true and you certainly know all that crap about Brenda is a lie.  She’s never even met Adam has she?”

   “Well I didn’t think so, but she might have for all I know” I reply sulkily.

   “Oh give over Gail!” Alex replies, sounding a little exasperated.  “Do you want some more chocolate?”

   “Yes please” I say in a small voice and Alex snaps off a huge piece of chocolate and gives it to me.

   “I did warn you about this” she says as I munch on the chocolate, “I warned you ages ago – that because of who he is and because, admittedly, he is very nice looking, although not as nice as my Dave” - at this I can’t help but smile - “there will always be girls after him”.

   “I know”.

   “And there will always be girls trying to get famous, trying to make a quick buck by lying about - well - a quick …” Alex tails off, looks at me and grins and I can’t help but laugh.

   “And what has actually happened Gail?” she asks.  “Have you spoken to Adam properly about this?”

   “No I haven’t” I say, “I think the newspaper said it all!”  Alex looks at me sternly.  “Don’t look at me like that!” I say, “Would you like it if you’d have seen a story like that about Dave?”

   “No I wouldn’t” Alex admits, “But this isn’t about me and Dave.  This is about you and Adam.  The question you have to ask yourself Gail – is do you love Adam?”

   “Yes” I reply immediately without hesitation.  God do I love him.  That’s why I can’t bear the thought of him with this other woman.

   “Well, then you owe it to him, to your relationship and to yourself as well, to talk to him about it properly and hear what he’s got to say” Alex says firmly.

   I look at Alex for a second.  “I’ll think about it,” I say, drinking some more wine.

   “Good” Alex replies.  “Brenda looked a right slag in that photo didn’t she?” she says after a moment.  “Proper bloody slapper!”  We look at each other and once we’ve started laughing, it’s hard to stop.

   “What on earth was she thinking?” Alex says, wiping her eyes.

   “I don’t know.  I think the whole world has gone mad!” I reply, smiling in spite of this awful situation and shaking my head.

   “Well, if that’s the case - let’s eat chocolate and open another bottle of wine,” Alex said.

   “I’ll drink to that!” I say and raise my glass.  Hell, I may as well get drunk out of my skull.  Anything to block this pain. 

Early the next morning, I open my eyes and stared at an unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds.  Where the hell am I?  And then it all comes flooding back – the photographs, the newspaper, the plane – everything and I just lie still, curled up in a little ball.  Oh God.  I feel completely lost.  Just then, there’s a knock at the door.  “Come in” I say.  “How are you feeling?” a voice says kindly from the doorway.  Alex is peeping round the living room door.

   “Oh – not too bad, you know,” I say sadly.  Now I’ve got a hangover to add to emotional trauma, I feel just dandy.  Adam is such a wanker.

   “I’ve made you a cup of tea” Alex says, coming into the room.

   “Thanks” I say gratefully as Alex passes me the tea and then sits down on the edge of the sofa.

   “If it makes you feel any better Brenda has been sacked!” Alex says casually, sipping her tea and then grinning at me.

   Shocked, I sit bolt upright.  “How do you know?” I ask.

   “Gill has just phoned me from work.  Apparently Michelle in Personnel told her that her conduct – particularly the photographs - had bought the company into disrepute so they sacked her,” Alex replies.  “Personally, I think Michelle was just pissed off that Brenda didn’t tell her what she was planning to do beforehand”.  She takes another sip of tea.  “Gill said Brenda wasn’t bothered at all.  She told Gill in the car park that she was hoping to have talks with a satellite TV company about presenting a quiz show!”

   “WHAT?” I squeal in complete disbelief.  “Brenda?  She’s as thick as pig shit!”

   “Oh I know” Alex agrees, “It’s all a load of rubbish I reckon – just like the story in the paper.  She only did it for the money.  She saw an opportunity and she took it”.

   “Yes and it didn’t matter who she hurt in the meantime” I say quietly, tears welling up in my eyes.  “I’m sure she’s never met Adam, never mind done half the things she’s supposed to have done with him.  The other girl though – Justine – I’m not so sure about”, I say with a sigh, “I don’t know”.

   “It kind of makes you think doesn’t it?” Alex says, looking at me.  “I mean – think about it Gail.  If one story is a complete load of rubbish – well, there’s a good chance that the other one is as well isn’t there?”

   “I don’t know what to think,” I say miserably.  “It’s just the dates and times and everything – they all fit”.

   “Don’t you think you should at least talk to Adam about it and hear what he’s got to say?” Alex says gently.

   “I don’t know – I just don’t know” I reply quietly.  “I’m going to go for a walk in a bit if that’s all right and try to get my head straight”.

   “Okay – if that’s what you need to do, do it,” Alex says.  “Now what would you like for breakfast?”

After rummaging in my case, I manage to find some clean undies and a fresh pair of jeans.  I pull on my cream slash necked jumper dress and high gold shoes that I travelled back in yesterday as well and decide to get the bus into town from Alex’s house.  “Alex!” I call up the stairs, “I’m going out now – I’m not sure what time I’ll be back, but don’t wait for me for lunch or anything”.

   “Okay” Alex calls and then seconds later her face appears at the top of the stairs.  “Sure you’ll be okay?” she asks.

   “Yeah – I’ll be fine” I say reassuringly.  “I just need to sort my head out.  I’ll be fine” I repeat, in response to Alex’s concerned face.  “I just to need some time alone to sort myself out”.

“Me and Dave are going to be busy painting the hall to day – sure you don’t want to join us?” Alex says grinning.  “I can find you a spare brush”.

I smile faintly.  “Not really” I reply.

   “Okay - well you take care” Alex says.

   “I will.  See you later” I reply and step out of the front door.  I’m going to go for a walk round town and see if that helps.

I get to the outskirts of town and go into the newsagents for some mints.  As I walk up to the till, I can’t help but look at the newspapers that are piled up below the shelves of magazines.  Oh let’s see what else they’re saying about me and Adam and I pick up the Daily Mercury.  I quickly flip through the first few pages and there is no mention of me, Adam or Justine at all.  Oh thank goodness.  I’m so glad they are not talking about me anymore.  The relief is short lived however as I then turn the page and see an
awful
photograph of me at the airport yesterday looking downright miserable.  Oh God.  It’s even more horrifying when I read the headline at the top of the page:

‘Heartbroken Gail returns to the UK alone

...and without her ring’

Great!  I think furiously, that’s all I bloody need – a photograph of me looking whipped in a national newspaper!  Haven’t they done enough?  I put the newspaper down, quickly go to the counter, pay for the mints and then leave the shop.  I wonder into a clothes shop, but my heart isn’t in shopping at all.  I can’t stop thinking about Adam – wondering what he’s doing and whether all the stories in the papers were true or not.  I don’t know what to believe.  Absent mindedly, I pick up a pretty rose coloured blouse and as I hold it up to myself, I notice that I am getting some curious glances from one of the assistants and another customer.  I walk nearer to one of the mirrors so I can listen to their conversation.

   “I’m sure that’s her you know” the customer says to the assistant, “That girl who was in the papers – you know the one who was engaged to Adam Finchley?”

   “Really?” the assistant says and they both look at me.  I immediately put the blouse down and walk towards the door.  I can’t be doing with this.  What am I going to do? I think desperately.  What am I going to do about Adam?  I just don’t know what to believe.  I step out of the shop door, my head down and straight away bump smack into someone.

   “Oh sorry!” I say listlessly, not bothering to look up.

   “That’s okay – I wasn’t looking where I was going anyway” a deep male voice replies.  I look up - straight into the eyes of the lead singer of Itchy Skin and the Weevils!  My eyes widen as I take in his appearance.  He’s changed a
lot
since I last saw him.  The blue eyes are still as piercing as ever, but the mad black hair has become a lot more stylishly unkempt.  The studenty T-shirt and tatty jeans have gone too and in their place are a very well cut black jacket, crisp white shirt, smart dark blue jeans and shiny black shoes.  Wow - he looks
gorgeous
!

“Aren’t you the lead singer of Itchy Skin and the Weevils?” I ask.

   “That’s right,” he says, looking at me intently and there is a sudden flicker of recognition in his eyes.  “Have we – have we met before?  I know you from somewhere,” he says thoughtfully.

   “I came to one of your gigs – before you hit the big time and everything” I explain, “it was at a pub called The Three Feathers way back in January.  You perhaps remember me and my friend – we were both a bit pissed actually – dancing at the front and mucking about?”

   His face breaks into a broad smile, showing a set of perfect white teeth.  “Ah yes!”  He replies, “I thought I knew you!  But I know you from somewhere else as well – I’m just trying to think where”.

   “My name’s Gail Auden – I’m engaged – well – I don’t know if I still am – engaged to Adam Finchley, Grandmere United player” I reply, still marvelling at the change in this guy’s appearance.  Has he been on a makeover show or something?  He looks fantastic!

   “Yes I know who you are now, I’ve seen your photograph in the newspaper a while ago” he says, nodding his head.  “Are you alright?” he asks me, “I notice you said you didn’t know if you were still engaged and you look, if you don’t me saying, really miserable!”

   “Well – oh I don’t know where to start really – it’s just such a mess” I say, and to my intense embarrassment, my eyes start filling with tears.  I will
not
start bawling my eyes out on the street in front of this man.  I won’t.  I won’t.

   “Oh dear!” he replies looking at me sympathetically.  “Look - do you want to go for a drink or something - talk about it?”

   “Sure.  Why not?” I say, wiping my nose on the back of my hand.  Nice.

“What would you like to drink?” he asks, “My shout”.

   “Large glass of white wine please,” I reply, going to sit down on one of the long padded bench seats.

   “Coming up”.  He comes back several minutes later with two glasses and a bottle of wine and sits down next to me.

   “You look very different to when I last saw you!” I say giving him a small smile, “You look great -very smart!”

   He smiles and touches his shirt collar self-consciously.  “Thanks.  I had a meeting with the record company execs this morning - hence the jacket”.

   “Oh -how did it go?” I ask.

   “Very well thanks.  Me and the band were just discussing ideas for the next album.  Anyway,” he continues, “I’m not talking about me, let’s talk about you.  What’s happened?”  He pours two glasses of wine and passes one to me.