Love on the NHS (46 page)

"It is also true, is it not, Mr Jefferson that when you tried to woo Miss May a few years ago that you bought her a rose?"

"Yes."

"So you were not trying to be harmful really. You were being romantic."

"Absolutely. I wanted her to feel special and I was simply expressing what was my love for her at the time."

The prosecution's lawyer jumped up. "Your honour! I request extra questioning time. New details have emerged."

"Very well," said the judge. "Defence, you're dismissed." The defending lawyer sighed and walked back to his seat. The prosecutor stepped back into the fore.

"Mr Jefferson, the police officers have informed me that you told them after being arrested that you would go to her office and kill yourself at the doorstep if she did not reciprocate her feelings for you."

"I was drunk. Very drunk. We all say ridiculous things when we're drunk. I didn't mean it, I was just wound up by the police and being silly."

"Yet the character in your film makes several references to suicide and as we have already gone over is very like yourself, Mr Jefferson. Furthermore, Officer Marzakios informs me that you painted portraits of Miss May from a photograph you found of her on a paragliding club's website. Did it not occur to you painting your professional representative, working on your behalf for the Health Service Ombudsman, was a gross act of indecency?"

"I didn't think about it at the time. I just followed my heart."

"So you will follow your heart and continue to bother her then?"

"No, sir, I have not contacted her in years. In fact, this is the first time we have ever met face to face."

The prosecutor turned to the judge. "Your honour, I request an opportunity to question Officer Marzakios."

"Granted."

The officer approached another dock and stood stolidly.

"Hello officer Marzakios."

"Hello sir," the officer replied.

"Officer Marzakios, would you say from visits you made to Mr Jefferson that he is sound of mind?"

The officer swallowed. "Well, sir, I met Luke a few times. He taught me a lot about Autism and in fact I even started Autism training with the local force after meeting him. Nevertheless, I do feel he never quite understood the boundaries of his relationship with Miss May properly. He overstepped the line and breached professionalism."

"When you visited him, Officer Marzakios, how would Mr Jefferson behave?"

The officer glanced at Jolly, who looked ethereally stunning in her red dress, and said, "He seemed possessed. He would say so many things about her. He showed me some portraits he had made of her and they were wild, they looked like they had been painted in a fury."

"And Officer Marzakios, from what I understand, when Mr Jefferson was arrested due to drunkenness and confessed his love for Miss May he made some vulgar remarks to a female sergeant, did he not?"

"Yes. Several other officers were witness to the scene. They were shocked, gobsmacked."

The prosecutor looked evenly at Officer Marzakios, then turned to the jury and let the last answer sink in. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, before you retire to consider your verdict, just look at this man. Does he look like a man who shows remorse for the stress and fear he caused to Miss May? Do his past actions not prove him to be an opportunistic, immoral individual?" The prosecutor turned back to face Officer Marzakios.

"Yes, sir, I believe they do. I don't believe it's possible to understand the gravity of what he did," here the officer took a pious gulp, "without quoting it word for word. He told her he bet she would like to -"

"Shut up!"

Everyone turned to where the exclamation had been ejaculated from. It was Jolly. She angrily stood up, glaring at the prosecutor. "I've had enough! Enough of you all! Is there nothing sacred anymore? Look at you all!" she yelled, glancing between the judge, the lawyers and the jury. "You're loving this drama, aren't you? Getting off on this little soap opera. What a bunch of hypocrites! Here you are, making Luke look like a sinister criminal just for making sexual comments. We all do it! For God's sake, sex is a part of life. What right do any of us have to know what he said? Who here has never said anything vulgar? And do you know what I just realized? I've only came here today because I'm miserable. I've brought Luke to court because of my own unhappiness!

"For years I've lived in a joyless relationship with a man I cannot stand. Why couldn't I just admit it?," she asked rhetorically. Sobs were overwhelming her. "But instead of admitting it I kept on going, feeling miserable. Then I met Luke and, there he was, a nice man who was really interested in me. A lovely man. And I began to flirt with him. And he loved it and I loved that he loved it." Tears were streaming down her face. "But I got scared. It all went so fast. I didn't know what to do. And I - I- I lashed out. I took it out on you," she said, shyly glancing towards Luke. "I don't even believe what the police told me anymore. The other day when Ed Snowden blew the whistle on what the American government's NSA was doing to spy on people - through our internet connections. It brought it home to me. And the government of this country, that runs this court of law agreed to hand over British people's private information to those American spies. But will they admit it? God no! Lawyers, police officers, you're all the same! Liars! I should know - I've worked for the ombudsman long enough."

Luke could not believe his ears. He was weeping now too; in joy and in sadness. What is happening? he thought. This can not be real. Jolly rounded on her partner. "You have barely slept with me in years. You treat me like a trophy. I'm only here to show off to your friends." She then looked at Luke. "I love you. I love you, Luke! Please forgive me! I dreamed about you. I never wanted to admit it but you made me feel alive again. I'm dropping the charges! Let's start again."

The judge, who had hitherto tolerated Jolly's outburst, for she was after all an incredibly attractive woman, had heard enough. He stood up to shout for the bailiffs. "Seize her! This is contempt of court. Miss May, you have no right to speak at such length without being called. Take her to the cells."

As Jolly was dragged kicking and screaming, she cried out again. "I love you, Luke!"

LXXI

As Luke prepared for his second day in court, he dreaded what was to come. He could not stomach the notion of seeing that judge again. He hated the legal system in the United Kingdom. How could it be that one judge could determine a person's sentence? If Luke was found guilty then if the judge did not like him he could order particularly strict conditions for the anti-social behaviour order. He might even hand out a worse sentence. In Luke's opinion, there should have been a panel of three judges: it would help iron out inaccuracies, biases and errors. If a judge felt sleepy a for a minute he might miss a crucial point about someone or he could lapse into a daydream or feel ill. With three, there would have been more safeguards.

As he stood outside the court entrance and waited to be called in, Luke thought about prison. There was a chance he could end up there. If he did, he did not think he would survive. He had seen reports about how violence was used to control prisoners - some of the inmates formed friendly relations with staff, which could lead to doors being opened by the prison officers to allow for inmates to beat up another. He would probably be around nobody who understood Asperger's syndrome too and the loneliness would be hell. Perhaps he would be one of the unlucky ones to be thrown in solitary isolation which was said by the United Nations to be inhumane to be used for more than 15 days; as with most people who were placed in that situation he would probably develop hallucinations and try to kill himself yet due to his physical and mental sensitivity he would probably not last long. If only the case could be discontinued, he thought; but it was to carry on. The police requested the case should not be dropped and since they had jointly brought it to the court along with Jolly, it was remaining in place. Jolly had been released from custody without charge by now but had been ordered to stay away from the court for the remainder of the case. On his second day in court Luke faced more questioning - from both his own lawyer and the prosecution's.

It did not last much longer than an hour and a half. There was little more to discuss except specific evidence relating to his arrest at the police station and witness statements taken from Health Service Ombudsman staff. Both the police and the ombudsman requested the jury find Luke guilty. They put across the point he had shown no respect for the ombudsman's professional impartiality and had, in the police's words, stuck up two fingers at the rule of law. When the jury retired to consider the verdict Luke hung his head low. His palms and underarms began to sweat sickeningly and he felt an invisible frog lodge in his throat. The jury returned twenty-seven minutes later with their verdict. Luke was found not guilty. The judge ruled that as Jolly had dropped her desire to charge Luke as of now his acceptable behaviour contract would be nulled void and consigned to history. Not knowing how to respond but inside feeling vindicated at last, Luke rushed out of the court to phone his mother with the good news.

Jolly had always dreamed of living in London. She lived for eating out and in her youth in the 1980s had been a part of the new romantic music scene - Adam & The Ants, Spandau Ballet and ABC were her favourite bands to listen to. All the action had been down in London and she had long fantasized about roaming those streets freely. Having now confronted her feelings with Luke and wanting to find some way to get in touch she had searched for him on the internet and found his website. There she read with glee that he was now based in London. To know Luke was living near such places as Camden Town and within reach of the beautiful coastal cities in Dorset and Sussex was enchanting. She had wanted to see him again so impatiently that she had torn her dress on the morning of his last day in court.

She had tried to be there but on arriving the police had sternly dispersed her from the scene with an official warning. Presently, a week later, she was sat in her bedroom. Her partner was in the spare one; after her outburst in the court they had decided to split up. The arrangements were being made for parental custody and the division of possessions and it was a very busy and difficult time. Lying on her bed by her laptop, her fingers tapped at the keys as she hummed to herself. She wrote an e-mail:

Dear Luke,

I'm not sure how to begin this e-mail as I haven't spoken or written to you in so long. Except of course for the trial last week! I don't know how to say what I want to
BUT I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT I AM SORRY!
I'm sorry I overreacted and banished you from my life. I never really knew who you were. After you got Love Without Class made I couldn't believe it. I've never known anyone famous, but my God you deserve it. I watched that film and it was like seeing you through a window. I got to know you better. I realized you really are special.

All I ever knew about could have fitted into a pea it was so little. It was nothing. You wanted to say things to me so many times and I was too busy and shut you out. I just couldn't get past the idea of doing the right thing - and I was so sure I was, that I was being professional and behaving as was becoming of my career. Remember how you told me you loved me? I didn't want to admit it, but I felt something too. I had a partner and family of my own to look after. I had got into a routine. I had my cats to feed and one of them was ill and needed nursing. The skydiving group kept me busy as well and my paraglider rental business. It was all too much. I didn't want to lose my job and I had so much on my plate. I couldn't risk it, I was terrified.

Please forgive me. How could I have kept a roof over my head and everything safe and secure if I let my passions run wild? I had to wait. I had to be sure. It was all too quick. We women may read romantic novels but we're actually very sensible. The news of how you felt for me was like a brick being thrown in a pond. I think you wanted to get to know me better. You just didn't know how to begin. I'm glad I inspired you to create your website and write your film. I've cried so many times. This has been so hard,  I really wish things could have been simpler.

But please, write to me, let me know it's not too late. Can we meet? I want to know if you were right and if we really might have been able to share something together.

Yours truly,

Jolly

LXXII

Luke soon wrote back to Jolly and they agreed to meet in London. From their rendezvous point of Euston station they spent a magical day exploring London's alleys and timeless neighbourhoods. Each minute felt like a second, each hour like a minute. So engaged with each other were they, they barely noticed anyone else, as they wandered breathlessly in their florid flurry of desire.

"Will you accept an invitation to come back to mine?" asked Luke.

Jolly welled; but she would not let herself cry. "I thought you'd never ask."

They cuddled up to each other and both smiled from ear to ear. Then their ears watered and Jolly's reserve crumbled. She began to sob like a tap that had suddenly been turned on and then Luke started.

"But how could you love someone hideous like me?" asked Jolly. "Men have treated me like crap in the past. I'm no Cameron Diaz."

"You are the most beautiful woman who ever lived. Okay, I admit I am biased - but most those celebrity women are no more attractive, they only wear make up all the time as they can afford the best assistance. Magazines and newspapers digitally manipulate their images too to make it look like they don't have spots and blemishes and saggy skin."

As they walked back to his apartment, Luke was carrying with him a flask of salted water. Jolly smiled and grabbed hold of his hand. "Get a thirsty a lot, do you?" she asked.