Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? (21 page)

“Let’s hope so, come on then Charlotte, let’s go and dance
and pull faces at Si and Naomi.”  Charlotte nodded her head and linking arms
with Bets moved towards the dining room, starting to enjoy herself.

The party carried on well into the early hours. Midnight
came and went and just after they’d finished the conga, Ken reduced everyone to
tears with his rendition of “Danny Boy."  Half the party were crying
through the emotion of alcohol and the others because his singing was
abysmal.  This then led to Dave setting up the Karaoke, with Tom arriving
just in time to enjoy his mother’s rendition of “Like A Virgin."

“Hi girls,” he called over the noise.  “Mum’s enjoying
herself then?”  He asked, smiling widely.

Charlotte could tell that Tom was fairly sober, otherwise
she wouldn’t have been able to understand him.  “I know she’s so
embarrassing isn’t she.”

“No,” he gasped.  “She’s great.  Anyway, what’s he
doing here?” he asked, nodding towards Si, who was now asleep with his head on
Naomi’s lap, while she snored away with a tea cosy on hers.

“He was my date,” Bets sighed.  “I think that I’ve lost
him to the lovely Naomi, tragedy.”  Bets quickly turned, and smacked one
of Tom’s friends across the face, as he tried to put his hand up her rather
short skirt.  “Next time I’ll kick you in the bollocks, okay!”  He
shuffled away in mock prayer.

“Never mind him, that’s Banger,” explained Tom.  “He just
tagged along, as usual.”  Tom took a can from the bookshelf and shook it;
it wasn’t empty, so he put it to his lips.

“Why Banger?” Bets asked.

“Because whenever he’s sees a tasty bird he always says
“’I’m gonna bang her'," but he never does.  I think the only woman
that he’s ever had carnal knowledge of is Dirty Betty from the petrol station.”

Charlotte and Bets screwed their noses up in disgust. 
“Where’ve you been anyway?” Bets pulled at Tom’s new Levi’s.  “You’re
really tarted up.”

“Just to town, and don’t touch the merchandise.  They
are new in, not even on sale yet.”  He preened proudly, doing a quick
twirl.

“Hmm very nice, better than the brown cords and green jumper
you used to wear.”  She smirked, remembering Tom as an eight-year-old.

“Thank you Elizabeth, at least I’ve got some style. 
Look at who you brought along for a date.”  He smiled over at Si, while
picking up another can and shaking it.  “Bloody empty, have my parents
drunk the house dry?” he asked glancing across at Ken and Kathleen dancing to
Duran Duran as he went to the kitchen.  After a few minutes, he
returned.  “Did you know that there’s a big fat bloke in there?  He’s
asleep under the table without his trousers, and a cucumber sticking out of his
Y-fronts.

Charlotte and Bets looked at each other and laughed. 
“No, fancy that!”

By 4 a.m., the party was over and everyone was wending their
way home, battling through the heavy snow that had fallen throughout the
night.  Everyone except for Ken and Kathleen, they were snoring away under
the table, covered by a blanket.  Tom, Charlotte and Bets were
precariously walking arm in arm back to Charlotte’s house.

“That was a seriously good night. I really needed it,”
laughed Bets.

“Yeah, pity Kerry missed it, where was she anyway?” Tom
asked, trying to steady Charlotte.

“Hopefully making up with Kelvin,” cried Charlotte.

“I bet that they are in bed now, whispering sweet nothings
to each other.  Oh and by the way, Tom, happy birthday.”

“Oh yes, happy birthday little brother.”  Charlotte
slapped him on the back, as they stumbled home.

It was the second of January, and Charlotte and Bets hadn’t
heard from Kerry since her telephone call during the afternoon of New Year’s
Eve. 

The previous afternoon, on New Year’s Day, Bets had called
Kelvin on his mobile as she couldn’t get hold of Kerry at home.

“I don’t know where she is Bets, I didn’t realise that she
was on her way here last night until you said.  She didn’t even pick Esme
up this morning, Sheila came for her, and she said Kerry was busy.  I
assumed that she was at the sales or something.  Look Bets give me ten
minutes to get back to you; I’ll call Sheila and ask her.”  Kelvin tried
to force some lightness into his voice, but for some reason, he felt uneasy.

“Okay, keep me informed.”  Bets replaced the receiver
and dialled Charlotte’s number.

“Hello,” Charlotte answered, rather brightly for New Year’s
Day.

“Hi, it’s me.  Charlotte, have you heard from
Kerry?  I’ve been trying to contact her all day.  Seemingly, she
wasn’t with Kelvin last night. He didn’t even know that she was on her way
around there.”  Bets was now also feeling uneasy.  Kerry had seemed
to be looking forward to the party, if only anxious about the questions about
her and Kelvin, so why hadn’t she turned up?

Charlotte’s thoughts echoed her own.  “So why didn’t
she turn up at the party then?”

“I don’t know. Kelvin is going to ring Sheila now,
apparently she picked Esme up this morning saying that Kerry was busy, he’s
going to ring me back.”

“Okay, well I’ll let you go in case he’s trying to ring you
back.”

Bets replaced the receiver once more and waited for Kelvin
to call her back with some news.  After ten minutes, the telephone
shrilled out; Bets snatched it up.

“Kelvin”

“Bets, I’ve spoken to Sheila, and apparently she picked Esme
up at about eleven o’clock.  She told her mum that she was going to take
Esme to the park, so maybe she’s still there.”

Bets stared out at the snow filled ground.  “In this
weather, I’m not sure that she should or would have, are you?”

“No and neither was Sheila.  She tried to persuade her
that it was too cold, but she insisted.  Bets I’m really worried, its
three o’clock now, that’s an awful long time to spend in the snow with a
baby.  I’m going to go over to the house and then the park.” Kelvin was
nervously shuffling from foot to foot.

“Good idea,” Bets sighed.  “They may have fallen asleep
and can’t hear the telephone.  God I wish that she would keep that bloody
mobile charged, how can anyone in this day and age manage without one?” 
Bets voice was getting louder, startling Alfred, who had been deep in slumber.

“I’ll keep in touch.”  The line went dead as Kelvin
rushed out to find his wife and baby.

Charlotte joined Bets at her flat, and they spent a restless
afternoon waiting for the telephone to ring.  They had tried Kelvin’s
mobile several times, but each time he answered with a breathless “no, not
yet."  Sheila had also called, wondering whether they had managed to
make contact with her daughter.  Bets had tried to sound light hearted,
not wanting to worry Sheila.  She explained that she vaguely remembered
Kerry saying that she was going to see an old school friend; this seemed to
appease Sheila, who went away fairly happy.

At around six o’clock, Charlotte’s mobile rang out, and she
answered it quickly.

“Hello,” she asked in trepidation as the display read
‘private number’.

“Charlotte, it’s me.”  It was Kerry’s voice on the
other end.  “Don’t say anything I just want to tell you that I’ve gone
away for a while.  I saw Kelvin with another woman at Russell’s house last
night.  I can’t stay around and watch them together, so I’ve taken Esme
away for a while.  Tell Mum that we are okay I’ll be in touch soon. 
Tell Kelvin that I’ll look after Esme.”

Charlotte unable to keep quiet butted in.  “But Kerry,
why don’t you come home and talk to him about it. It may have been nothing.”

“No Charlotte I can’t.  They were all nice and cosy
drinking wine.  Please Charlotte, don’t worry, we’ll be fine. I just need
some peace and quiet to sort things out.  Give my love to Mum and Bets and
I’ll ring you soon.”  The line went dead, leaving Charlotte holding a
humming telephone to her ear.

Bets, who had gathered that Charlotte was speaking to Kerry,
was jumping up and down, desperate for some news.  “Where’s she been, does
she know that we’ve been looking for her?” she asked smiling, glad that they
had found her.

Charlotte shook her head.  “Bets, she’s gone away for a
while, apparently she saw Kelvin with another woman last night; drinking wine
at Russell’s house.”

“The little shit!” Bets stormed.  “Huh, playing the
loving husband, out there in the snow searching for her.  I’ll kill him
when I see him.”

Charlotte ever the peacemaker placed a calming hand on Bets'
shoulder.  “Look, just calm down, it’s not going to help anyone. 
We’ll deal with Kelvin in a calm, controlled manner.”

“But she told you what she saw,” protested Bets.

“I know. We'll talk to Kelvin, and then we’ll punch his
lights out.  Seriously, though, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.  He
may not be seeing her; she could just be a friend.”

“Hmm, I doubt it Charlotte. He's a man.  They are all
ruled by their genitals aren't they?”

Charlotte sighed and ran a hand through her hair.  “Oh
God what a mess. I’m going to ring him, but I’m going to do it from home,” she
said, telling by the look on Bets face that she would not be staying calm.

After sitting in her car for ten minutes trying Kelvin’s
mobile to no avail, she decided to go and try to find him.  First of all, she
called at Kerry and Kelvin’s house, but there was no sign.  Just as she
was pulling away, she recognised Kelvin’s car turning the corner.  As he
pulled up, she jumped out, walking menacingly towards him.  Kelvin, not
realising what he was about to be hit with, held open his arms thinking that
Charlotte was there to give him some support.

“Oh Charlotte, am I glad to see you.  I can’t find her
anywhere.” 

As he reached Charlotte, she turned her face to one side and
placed her hands firmly on her hips.  “That’s because she’s gone away
Kelvin.”

“Away, what do you mean?” he asked looking puzzled.

“She saw you with your fancy bit last night.”  Kelvin
frowned.  “You know last night, at Russell’s drinking wine.”

Kelvin’s face crumpled as realisation dawned.  “Oh
shit.”

“Oh shit indeed.  What on earth were you thinking of
Kelvin?  She wanted to make things right with you, she told me on the
phone after Christmas.  You prat!”  Charlotte lifted an open palm
ready to strike him, but then she saw the fear and disbelief in his face, and
bizarrely she felt sorry for him.

“You’re right I am a prat, but I promise you nothing is
going on between me, and the girl she saw me with.  Come in and I’ll
explain.”  He reached inside his pocket, and fished out his keys. 
Charlotte followed him up the driveway.

Once inside he slumped down onto the sofa, dropping his head
into his hands.  Charlotte sat upon the chair next to him and placed a
hand on his knee.

“Oh Kelvin, you are a silly sod, what happened?”

“I met her at the work’s Christmas party. She's a friend of
Beth’s who I work with. We just got talking and seemed to hit it off.  You
know what it’s like when you’re drunk and angry at your wife because she
doesn’t seem to care about your marriage anymore.”  He shrugged and smiled
sadly.  “She’s going through a divorce, so I invited her out on New Year’s
Eve, to try to cheer us both up really.”

“Have you slept with her?”  Charlotte asked, dreading
the answer.

“No, although I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about
it.  I probably had every intention of, but when Kerry and I started to
talk over Christmas, well I realised that it wasn’t what I wanted.  I
admit that I kissed her at the party, but it was more of a drunken Christmas
snog than anything else.”  Charlotte shuddered with the thought of drunken
Christmas snogs.  “I tried to make contact with her,” Kelvin continued,
“to tell her that it was off, but I only had her mobile number, and it was
always switched off.  Beth and Richard are in Tenerife, so I had no other
way of getting in contact with her.  I swear to you Charlotte, as soon as
she arrived, I told her that there was nothing doing.  She had one glass
of wine and left.”  His eyes glistened with unshed tears at the mess that
he, and Kerry had got themselves into.

“How did she know where to find you? Kerry said that you
only went to Russell’s that day.”  Charlotte believed him, but wanted more
proof.

“I’d arranged to meet her there anyway as I couldn’t really
invite her round to Sheila’s for a quick drink could I?  I knew that the
place would be empty, and I was going to be moving there for a while, so it was
the ideal place.  Plus if I’m honest I did wonder, whether we would
actually make it out.”

“Kelvin, you really are a dick.”  Charlotte said,
gently putting an arm around his hunched shoulders, as he hung his head once
more.

“So where has she gone to?  She must be really hurt and
must hate me beyond belief.  I bet that she thinks I planned it all. She
asked me to go home, and I said no.  Oh Charlotte I just want my wife and
baby back.  Tell me where she is, and I’ll go and get her.”  He stood
up and moved toward the door.  Charlotte held out a hand and stopped him.

“Kelvin you can’t, I don’t know where she is.  The
number was withheld, all she said was she was going away for a while and to
tell you that she would look after Esme.  We’ll just have to wait until
she rings again and when she does I promise that I will explain everything to
her.”  Charlotte forced a smile to her face; she didn’t think that Kerry
would be calling for some time by the tone of her voice.

“I can’t wait for her to ring Charlotte. I need to find
her.  Did she give you no clue, maybe Sheila knows?"  Kelvin
jumped onto his feet and started pacing up and down.

“She won’t know where Kerry is, Kerry gave me a message for
her.  Please Kelvin just wait and see whether she gets in touch over the
next few days.”

“I can’t.  I've got to find her now.  Can you
imagine what she’s thinking?”

Charlotte nodded.  “Yes I can.  Maybe you should
go and see Sheila, perhaps you can work out between you where she may have gone
to.”

Kelvin nodded and moved back towards the door once
more.  “Okay, ring me if she gets in touch.”

Charlotte stood up and followed him out.  As they
reached Kelvin’s car, Charlotte hugged him tightly. 

“Take care, and please don’t go racing around and end up
having an accident.”

He hugged her back.  “I’ll be fine. I just want Kerry
home.”  With more tears in his eyes, Kelvin got inside his car and drove
away in the direction of his mother-in-law’s house.

Charlotte went back to her own car and rested her head
against the steering wheel for a few minutes, thinking about Kerry before
turning over the engine and returning to Bets flat.

The caravan was basic, but it was warm and cosy and big enough
for the two of them.  When Kerry had arrived in Wales, she hadn’t expected
to find anywhere open from this time of year, but she vaguely remembered the
caravan site from when they were children.  There were just ten static
caravans in a small pasture belonging to a farm.  Most of the caravans
were privately owned as weekend getaways, hence the site still being open in
winter.  She didn’t know whether she would be able to find it, but
luckily, she remembered the name of the village so once the 'Sat Nav' had got
her there at least she found the site with very little back tracking. As Kerry
pulled down the narrow country lane, she was relieved to see a sign advertising
caravan for rent.  The farmer’s wife, Mrs Llewellyn, had been really kind,
understanding by the look on Kerry’s face that she shouldn’t ask about Mr
Johnson.  She had led Kerry up to the three rickety steps and showed her
around the caravan.  She told her where the outhouse was that contained a
washing machine and dryer for the caravan residents to use.

“So,” she said, after showing her around, “my son Owen will
be over in a few minutes to connect the gas for you.  I’ll get him to
bring you some eggs and milk over as well, just to tide you over like until you
can get into the store tomorrow.  Can you tell me how long you are staying
then?” she asked, drawing the curtains on the darkness outside.

“Not really, is that a problem, do you need the caravan for
another booking?”

“Oh no dear, just like to have an idea, that’s all. 
Now there’s bedding under the benches, it’s washed and pressed, but you may
want to warm it in front of the fine for a short while,” said the older woman
as she fussed about with the cushions on the bench.

“That’s fine Mrs Llewellyn, I’ve brought duvets and sheets
actually.”  Kerry laid the now heavy Esme on one of the benches in the
living area.

“Whatever dear, now don’t you worry over the money tonight,
just pop it over to the house tomorrow get settled in tonight.”  Mrs
Llewellyn stroked Esme’s head and then made to leave.  “I’ll send Owen
over, see you tomorrow.”  And with that she was gone, quietly closing the
door behind her.

Kerry looked around at her new surroundings it would be okay
for a short period of time, while she made sense of things.  The main
thing was there was no chance of bumping into Kelvin and his fancy piece. 
She sat for a few minutes looking at Esme, wondering when Kelvin had been going
to tell her that he’d met someone else, anyway it didn’t matter now; it was
over.  Suddenly, there was a quiet knocking at the door; she opened it to
find a tall dark-haired man smiling at her.

“Mrs Johnson, I’m Owen. My mam sent me over to turn you on
and give you these.”  He handed over a basket containing, eggs, milk,
bread, a packet of tea and what looked like bacon wrapped in greaseproof paper.