S.O.S. (44 page)

‘No no no no
no. No
, Dwight: listen. I've known her for
years
. She's my, you know – '

‘What? The
London
connection?'

‘You could – yes, you could say that. Known her for years.'

‘Well now listen here, Dave – I don't reckon to be no sorta expert on these here matters, but why in hell you bring her on the
boat
?'

‘
Bring
her …? I didn't
bring
her! Christ, she just – oh God:
Came
. And now she's threatening to tell just bloody everything to
Nicole
, see? But here's the ray of hope … well,
you're
the ray of hope, Dwight, if I'm being honest. You see – I've been doing a lot of thinking, right? And what I've decided is, well – I've just outgrown
both
of them. Nicole, Trish – both of them. I just dread the sight of either one of them, to be perfectly frank with you. And now I've got this
new
girl – the really young and
new
one, well … I thought I could maybe – make a brand-new start, yes? New York? Remember one time you said something about … I don't know – helping me out? Fixing me up? And then I can, you know –
be
with this girl, yes … and
cherish
her, and everything. Yes. Think that's it. What do you think? Oh and yeah – something else, Dwight. Something else I forgot. See – I don't want any
unpleasantness
, if you see what I mean. For the kids' sake, more than mine. And what I don't want specifically is some great
scene
 – here or in America. I just want Trish to, well –
vanish
, really … and Nicole and the kids, I'll just say
Look
 – bit of business has been put my way by my good friend Dwight, here, yes? So you all fly back to London when our little break is over, and then I'll follow – few days later. See?'

‘Uh-huh. And?'

‘And? Well I
won't
, of course. I'll stay. New life. New job. New girl. God – it sounds just bloody
great
, actually.'

Dwight drained his drink – looked this way and that for the barman, and couldn't locate neither hide nor hair of the guy.

‘What do we do to get service round here …? OK, Dave – I'm hearing you loud and clear. Kinda envy ya, boy. So sure –
OK: I can setcha up with a job, nul problemo. So what's the big deal?'

‘Oh God
thanks
, Dwight! But yes – right. Well this is the rather, um – embarrassing bit, um – yes. You see – in order for Trish
not
to make a fuss … you know: go round upsetting people … she wants, um – money. Says she doesn't much care about me anymore, but she does still care about money. Money, yes. I don't know if you
know
, or anything, Dwight, but money is among the many things I haven't actually, er –
got
.'

Dwight nodded. ‘I kinda figured. Money, huh? She said that?'

And David nodded too, quite like a maniac. Yes oh
yes
 – she'd bloody well said
that
, all right:

‘
God
, David,' she'd gone. ‘I do feel a bit … don't
you
, at all? I really do feel a bit, urr –
queasy
. Why's it just me? I've taken
pills
, and everything, but they honestly don't seem to be doing anything. Oh by the way – I went back for those shot glasses … and I did get the pink sweatshirt, in the end. And also some really attractive placemats. But don't worry – they didn't cost much.'

‘They didn't cost much. I see. You mean you charged them – ?'

‘To your, yep – account. Well
look
, David – you take care of your bloody
wife
, don't you? So you should bloody well expect to take care of me too. It's only fair, isn't it? And God – it's only a few
pounds
. Now listen, David – when I tell her just
everything
 – '

‘
No
, Trish. No. You really mustn't do that. Look – I'll tell her: I will. I'll say – look, Nicole, I'm – uh …
leaving
you, in fact.'

‘You'll say that. Uh-huh. I don't believe you, David. You won't say that. What you'll do is you'll go on and on and on saying to
me
that you'll say that – just like you've been doing for years. No, David – what we need now is
action
, see? That's why I'm here.'

‘But Trish – I've given you my
word
…!'

Trish just shook her head. ‘
Action
, David,' she said. ‘Unless …'

And of course David leapt at it – just as, he suspected, Trish had known he would.

‘Unless? Unless what? What?
Christ
, Trish – how long have you been working all of this out? You don't love me at
all
, do you, Trish? You keep
saying
you do, but you don't – you can't. You just couldn't be doing all this to me, not if you loved me.
Christ
, Trish – people who love one another just don't go about plotting to fucking
destroy
them!'

‘OK, then, we'll go back to the plan of action.'

‘Oh –
Jeeeeesus
! OK, OK – tell me the ‘unless'. Give me the ‘unless', Trish, you bloody goddam bitch.'

‘Language, David. Now listen – it's all so perfectly simple. I've never actually been to New York before … well, never been
anywhere
, really, have I David? Anyway – what just
might
persuade me to give you a bit of time – keep my mouth shut – is if I were to stay in New York for say, ooh – I don't know – three months, say …?'

And David wasn't sure quite how he should react, here. Three months? Sure. I'm surprised you've actually suggested that we're apart at all – but you want three months? Fine. Take six.
Year
do you?

‘Mmm …' he tried, with caution. ‘And …?'

‘Well by
that
time even a rather pathetic little thing like
you
, David, will have plucked up courage to speak to his bloody wife – and then you can fly out and join me. See? New life. New start. Got it?'

‘Yes …' nodded David – mind now forced screaming into overdrive – ‘yes, yes. I see. Got it.'

Well what I see is this (this is what I've got): New life – new start – sounds good to me. But not with
you
, Trish – no. Because anything in any way, you see, to do with you, it – well, it just
isn't
, is it?
New
. Plus, I get the very strong feeling that what is on the table here is not simply a sweetly put
request for three months' hotel bills and all the other, oh – quite tear-making expenses that a woman such as yourself could just so effortlessly run up in New York City (and whatever you want to say about Nicole – my bloody
wife
, as you will insist on habitually calling her – she can't hold a bloody candle to you on that front, and she's no amateur, believe me) … No – what I think you want, surprise surprise, is cash in hand, pure and simple. Whereupon you could with very little difficulty be persuaded, I think, not to hang around in New York, but take firm hold of your loot and go just
anywhere
, hear me? Anywhere else on earth. Because you will not be
required
in New York, Trish: what you will be is surplus. Why? You'd like to know why? Tell you why, Trish: because
I
shall be there. Yes I shall. Me me me.
My
new life –
my
new start. Oh yes – and did I mention? With my brand-new
girl
(and she won't be the only thing I'll be cherishing, here). So I looked up at Trish and I said to her fair and square:

‘OK, Trish. How much?'

‘It's not
just
a question of money, David. You do understand that? I do want you as well. I want, if I'm honest – not so much to have you … more, really, to take you
away
. But if I'm
really
honest, what I want is … what I want is, yes – I want money. I do.'

‘OK, Trish. How much?'

‘Oh
David
! You're doing this deliberately now, aren't you? You're doing your level bloody best to make all this sound so terribly
sordid
and somehow, I don't know – as if I'm the one in the
wrong
, here! I mean –
you're
the one, David. You're the one, aren't you David? Who got us all
into
this?'

David sighed, now. God, he was – in so many ways – weary of this.

‘OK, Trish. How much?'

And suddenly her eyes were small and hard like gunmetal bearings, one cold white light glinting askance out of each of them.

‘Twenty thousand, I reckon should do it.'

David was shocked and faintly nauseated by not just the amount – not even the suddenness of her having finally come out with it, but the fact that either one of them could really be party to such a conversation as this. Amazing, too, that she actually believes I've
got
that sort of money. I don't have – face it –
any
kind of money. I keep on
telling
people. So why don't they hear me? Still, all this will serve to make this parting – when it comes – sweet, just sweet (and no damned sorrow about it). So, there we are: there we have it. There was just this one little matter, then, to be taken care of. And that means I have to, very soon, have a talk with my good friend Dwight. And pray that that is, in fact, what he turns out to be: a very good friend indeed.

And David, now, was watching the man's eyes, as Dwight turned it over.

‘Plus … !' put in David, as he waited for the verdict to come through, ‘she said pounds. Pounds. Not dollars. Jesus.'

Dwight pulled a grin. ‘She ain't nobody's patsy, our Patty – huh? Kay, David. Sure. I can draft ya, what – forty thousand bucks against your pay check. You pay it off when you've a mind. You easy with that?'

David let go all of his breath in a coughed-out rush – as if he had finally been granted permission to do just that.

‘Oh Christ
thank
you, Dwight – oh God I can't
tell
you what a – oh Dwight, Dwight. What can I say? I have to warn you, though – about this job, whatever it is you've got in mind … I can't actually
do
much.'

Dwight had eased his bulk away and down from the stool, and was ambling now to the hatch in the bar. He ducked under that with quite some difficulty (had fumbled with the catch, but the hell with that) and now he reached for two fresh glasses: jammed them up against the Jack Daniel's optics.

‘They don't wanna come serve me – I'll goddam serve myself. Tell you truth, Dave – all a man can do is pay his dooze. I ain't that hot at nothing, neither. As to what you
say
, Dave: you don't say nothing. What you do is you raise up your glass, you hear me? And we drink a toast: new life, new start, new girl – New
York!
How's about that?'

And David, as he stared down into the drink, was very close to tears. This was just too, too great. For just how long had people been
preaching
to him? Nicole, mainly, but Trish too, God blast her – about all the virtues attached to ambition, drive, and more than that: self-help. Well I've never been good at it. And it's overrated, isn't it, if ever there's the glowing alternative. I'm incapable of helping myself: I want someone to help me
for
me – and now, at last, someone has. And as David looked up to meet Dwight's big and red and smiling face, he found himself even nearer to those tears, and now, oh God damn it – yes, he was there. He wiped at his face with his knuckles, and smirked – and now he laughed and happily clinked his glass with Dwight's.

‘Amen,' was all he said.

*

As soon as they were both inside the door (Jilly had very swiftly locked it again, and with an only quasi-guilty grin of complicity, put the key safely away) – the first thing Rollo did was kiss her, yes … but it was his hands, just lightly fingering her tiny and tight-belted waist at first, before he gave in to their pleading and let them roll away and roundly with the flow of her – Christ, women's
hips
, mmm … yes, oh yes, it was his hands that were creaming off all the goodness, here: his mouth, he really felt, was merely attending to its duty (girls, pretty sure, get more out of this side of things than we do, maybe).

It was when they stood back from one another – it was then, yes, that Rollo watched her (his illicit collaborator)
and Jilly's eyes blazed back at him with a nearly haughty and defiant challenge: Isn't this
exciting
? Isn't it? Isn't it
fun
? Isn't it …? And Rollo let his heavy eyelids do the nodding for him: yes it is, yes it bloody
is
. And then he looked about him.

‘Christ Almighty. It's absolutely
huge
, this place …'

‘Oh God – this isn't
all
of it. There's three other rooms through there – the bathroom looks like something out of a movie – you know, one of those old black-and-white movies. And the
main
bedroom – oh wow. You want to see it?'

A what-do-you-think smirk was Rollo's comeback to that one.

‘And people really do pay … how much did you say? All that money just for this? I mean it's
great
, yeah … but Jesus …'

‘There's a sun deck thing through there and up the stairs. But it's actually, I think, a bit too … even right up here, you can feel the sway, now, can't you? The waves are really quite big, now. Have you seen? But
we
don't care, do we?
I
don't, anyway …'