Chapter 4: Full Circle

My name is John Sibly. I'm five foot eight and live in Surrey not very far from the great City of London. I am a divorced millionaire, with two children: Rebecca, who is seven and Paul, five. My children's nanny, Sheila, is more like a daughter than a nanny, and my housekeeper, Jenny, who was my secretary until she retired, is more like a grandmother to the children than a housekeeper. Both Sheila and Jenny own a share in my company and sit with me on the board of directors.

My ex-wife Angeline suffered with a bad case of postnatal depression after Paul was born. And I don't think she ever really recovered. By the time Paul was eight months old, Angel as I called her, had decided she was no longer happy with staying at home playing mother. She put the children in day care and went out and got herself a job as an estate agent. Within six months she had taken up with her boss and walked out on us. The whole thing had affected me badly. I loved Angel and still do. But neither the children nor I have seen or heard of her since the divorce was final. I have reason to believe she could be living in Israel. But that is only speculation really.

I made my money shortly after my divorce when the company that I was working for collapsed. By a freak coincidence, I learnt about an American company that was looking for an English partner to make and distribute their lines in Europe. With the help of Jenny and Sheila, I managed to buy my old company at a knockdown price and secured the American contract. From there, we haven't looked back. We have updated and reintroduced my old firm's products, and some of these are now made and distributed in the states by my American partners.

I think my company has kept me sane since Angeline left me. Although I don't need to, I tend to go to the factory everyday. I sit in on the sales conferences and seminars. And have been known to ride along with the sales staff and even delivery drivers to see how things are going. But to be honest I am keeping my mind off Angeline. Jenny has said that I should get a private detective to track her down. But I'm sure she is most likely still shacked up with her new man, and finding that she still was would probably kill me.

Being millionaire does have its disadvantages; I seem to be a magnet for gold diggers. Now that can be an advantage if I am in the mood for a little sex. But I am not interested in getting shacked up permanently with another woman. Angeline was my one love.

There is one woman that I do see on a regular basis. She is one of our sales reps.

Funny that! Our salesmen are salesmen. But our saleswomen become sales Representatives.

Anyway, were was I?

Ah yes, Maureen! Well, she took a shine to me soon after she joined the company. Sheila and Jenny noticed well before I did. Maureen is also divorced; when we go out to dinner, I always have a good time. Maureen reminds me of Angel a lot. She has the same outlook on life that Angel used to have when she was younger. But I have made it clear to Maureen (and Jenny and Sheila as it appears that Maureen passed muster and is their preferred candidate) that I have no intention of trying to replace Angeline. I still love her and I think I always will. (You know! I keep saying that!)

However Jenny, Sheila and Maureen appear to have formed a little club together. I believe they think they are acting in my best interests. I'm pretty sure their plan is for Maureen and I to get hitched in the long term. I know that Maureen has been let into the confidences of Sheila's life and she acts like a big sister to her. I'll be honest, I tend to look on Maureen as a sister figure as well; I think she has begun to understand that now.

Maureen has taken to dropping around the house whenever she is passing, (or not passing, going by the amount of times I find her there). She will often pretend she is visiting the girls or the children. But I'm sure she is really hoping I'll have a change of heart. Maureen actually lives in Manchester, when she is visiting our headquarters, or my house whichever takes her fancy; she stays in a hotel near Slough.

One evening Jenny, Sheila and myself had taken the children to a pantomime. I knew Maureen was in town and commented to the girls that I was surprised she hadn't put in an appearance.

Sheila looked at me and said, "No tickets, they were sold out!"

"Some loyalty, you two are trying to get me married off. Aren't you?"

"Look, John, you have got to move on. You can't stay true to a woman who dumped you. You have got to make a new life for yourself and the kids!" Jenny said.

"The kids have got all they need in you two. All I need is your friendship and my memories of Angel. I don't want another woman in my life. So please stop your plotting."

After that, the subject was dropped. We had a great evening and the kids ate enough sweets to make themselves ill. We arrived home around midnight. I noticed the message light flashing on the answer-phone and played the message that was timed in at eleven-thirty.

"John, its Maureen. Don't go to bed. I have got to talk to you urgently. I think you could call this, one of those life and death situations. Tell the girls to get the bloody kettle on; it could be a long night. I'll be there soon."

Jenny came into the lounge and asked whom the message was from, so I played it back again for her to listen to.

"Intriguing. What do you think has got into her knickers?" Jenny said with a smile, "I suppose I had better put the kettle on, then we'll have to wait and see."

Almost half past twelve I watched Maureen's car came up the drive like a bat out of hell on the security cameras. She jumped out and almost ran to the door. Then she stopped before she entered the house; a complete change came over her. I recognised that she was preparing herself, the same way as she would before she went in to make a pitch to a company buyer. She walked in and said that she was sorry but she had been delayed, as she had been stopped for speeding!

"I'm not bloody surprised the way you were going. Did they give you ticket?" I asked.

"No! I just flashed my big blue eyes at them, and said I was sorry. They kept me hanging around and checked my tyres, tax and things. Then they let me go and told me not to be a naughty girl again. I told them some chance; he won't have me!"

I took the dig without comment and asked. "So what is so important that you have to come here in the middle of the night?"

"Patience, boss! I have to speak to Jenny alone a moment."

The pair of them went into the kitchen. I kind of drifted closer the kitchen door just in case I could hear what they were talking about. But they were whispering. Then they both came out of the kitchen and went upstairs. When they came down a short time later, I heard Maureen tell Sheila she had to be in on this as well. All three of them came into the lounge with shit silly grins on their faces.

"Now, what's all this about? I've had a long day and the idea of getting to bed is in the front of my mind."

"Sit down, boss! I've got a story to tell you about a girl that needs help. I know from what Sheila and Jenny have told me, that you're good at helping people. So I'm sure you're just the man she needs."

We all made ourselves comfortable and Jenny poured the tea.

"Now you know most of the guys stay at the Melton Manor Hotel when we're in town. Well! Mike and Tom were telling me today, er, yesterday that there was trouble there on Tuesday morning. Some conference or something was held there on Monday and some of the delegates got totally rat-arsed. Anyway someone smashed a jardinière or something in the corridor on Mike and Tom's floor during the night."

"When they came out of their room in the morning on their way to breakfast, they noticed one of the chambermaids clearing it up. Before they got to the end of the corridor where she was working, two fellas came out of a room further along. They were obviously the worse for drink and when they got to the chambermaid one of them grabbed hold of her. Tom said he looked like he was dry humping her and definitely had his hands on her tits."

"Tom and Mike were just about to make their presence known and put a stop to things, when the woman back elbowed the guy and knocked him off her, she swung round and caught him right in the face with a hand-brush she was holding. The guy went down with what Mike reckoned was a broken nose, and what looked like the beginnings of a lovely shiner."

"The guy's friend started shouting and screaming. Then the fella on the floor recovered enough to join in. Tom and Mike waited to see what was going to happen next. The hotel manager appeared and the guy with the broken nose demanded he call the police as he reckoned the chambermaid had attacked him. The woman said that the man had grabbed her first, but the manager called the police anyway."

Sheila suddenly brought the story to a halt as she said she had to go and check on the children. She was gone some time and Maureen refused to continue until Sheila returned. So we made small talk about the pantomime. We could hear the children moving around upstairs; this surprised me as they had been very tired when we had arrived home and it did register that I hadn't heard them before Sheila had gone to check on them. But I assumed that she was listening out for them. She had proved to be an excellent nanny. When she returned, Maureen continued.

"Tom and Mike decided to go down to breakfast as the manager took everyone involved in the incident to his office. When the police and ambulance arrived, Tom collared one of the police officers and told him what they had witnessed. The officer then went over to Mike who corroborated Tom's story. He then thanked them and said if the girl wishes to make a complaint or the so-called injured party tries to make a complaint against her, he would be back for statements."

"They were in the office for quite a long time, then the ambulance men brought the guy with the broken nose out to take him to hospital. They heard the policeman tell him that he was a lucky man; if the girl had made a complaint, he could well be charged with a sexual assault and there where witnesses that would make it stick."

"The policeman came over to the boys' table and said the two guys had no idea that anyone else had seen what had happened, and had tried to make out that the chambermaid had accused them of breaking the jardinière and taken a swing at them, breaking the man's nose. They had gone very pale when the policemen had told them that there were witnesses that supported the chambermaid's story and they were quite likely to be charged with trying to pervert the course of justice as well as assault. He then asked for Mike and Tom's details in case the girl changed her mind and wanted to pursue matters further."

"After the police had gone Mike noticed the woman come out of the manager's office and go over to the lift. She was crying, so Mike followed her into the lift where he apologised that he and Tom had been too slow to intervene earlier and asked if she was all right. She told him that she had been sacked, but they were making her work until Friday morning before they would give her wages. Mike asked why she had been sacked and said because she had broken the guy's nose. The manager said she had overreacted, the guy was just having a laugh."

"Mike went back to Tom and they both went to the manager and confronted him. They told him that they were going to get all our staff to black the place. But he wouldn't change his mind."

"So that's why they had told me about it. I had already booked in, but I won't be going there again!"

"Well, Maureen, that's an interesting story. But what am I supposed to do about it?"

"I haven't finished yet! Is there anymore tea, Jen?"

Jenny went to make some more tea while Maureen excused herself and went to the loo. I noted that she didn't use the toilet in the hall but went to one of the upstairs bathrooms; I assumed she was going to say good night to the children. Sheila still had the silly shit-arsed grin on her face and I asked her what she found so funny?

"Oh, John! Maureen will kill me if I told you. Please be patient. I think there maybe method in her madness."

'Just what are these girls up to?' I thought. 'Shall I call their bluff and say I'm going to bed or let them have their fun?'

Maureen and Jenny returned. Then Maureen, with a wicked grin on her face said, "Are we all sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. Tonight. No sorry, last night I had planned on joining you at the pantomime, but there were no seats left, so I spent the evening in the hotel bar. It was very quiet and most of the time it was just me and the barmaid. We got chatting and I mentioned the incident on Tuesday. The barmaid said it was her that broke the guy's nose. And I asked her why she was working the bar.

"'They get you to do everything here. They would work you twenty-four hours a day if they thought they could get away with it, ' she said. But she was out of there in the morning, just as soon as she got her money."

"Anyway it was very quiet as I said and the barmaid whose name was Ann, came over and sat with me. We talked about everything under the sun, and then I asked what an intelligent woman like her was doing working as a dog's body in a beat up second rate hotel like that."

"She told me she had been working for some guy and had been his mistress at the same time. Apparently, the guy's wife had got wind of what he was up to and came down on him like a ton of bricks. It turned out that guy's business and all the money was hers. She threw him out, and when Ann had gone back to the flat she lived in, the wife had been there. She told Ann that all the jewellery and gifts he had given Ann he had taken from the wife's jewellery collection. The wife took them back. She told Ann she was fired from her job and then threw her out of the flat!"