Chapter 10

Over the next few days, I began to wonder what the point of going into college really was. The lectures were now providing grounding for the following year which, in all likelihood, I would not be attending.

Whenever I activated my phone, the inbox filled with pleading texts from Vanessa. I read one or two and then started marking them read without even looking at them. I thought about using one of the phone's features to delete them automatically but couldn't bring myself to be quite so callous. She clearly showed regret but after checking the tracker, I noted that her car had spent the previous two nights parked outside Donald's house.

The office was busy when I arrived for my usual Wednesday morning visit and I stayed until early afternoon before visiting the house. The laptop had insisted Vanessa was at home an hour earlier. I thought I might as well see what she had to say for herself after having had a couple of days to dwell on the matter.

I found the house empty and on rechecking the asset tracker, it confirmed she was now at school. The fridge was almost devoid of food and the milk was on the turn. She clearly hadn't done any shopping since the weekend. I walked upstairs and found her wardrobe doors open. A few clothes were scattered across the bed and the hanging rail seemed a lot emptier than I remembered. I checked under the bed and discovered one of the suitcases was missing, finally explaining the reason for her earlier visit.

The house suddenly seemed chill and lifeless; I idly speculated if this was what it had been like for her the first time I left for university. I binned a piece of mouldering cheese, followed by the remainder of the perishables. I suspected Vanessa had no intention of returning in the short term.

Jenny was absent when I arrived in London; Toby informed me that she'd decided to spend the day with her mum. He looked positively gloomy, something I'd never seen before with him.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Stella's pregnant," he informed me matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I know. She told me the other day."

He looked at me in surprise.

"She was worried what you'd think and that you'd leave her to deal with it alone," I added.

"Why would I do that? I know I can be a bit irresponsible at times but..."

"Have you spoken to her about it?"

"I'm still in shock to be honest. It wasn't what I'd planned."

"Life generally doesn't conform to a plan. I think she's probably looking for a bit of reassurance from you at the moment."

"I know. I know. I'm just not good at that sort of thing," he confessed.

"None of us are, but sometimes you need to make the effort."

"What's going on with your wife?"

"She's left me."

"Shit. Sorry."

"Don't be. It's probably for the best."

"What about Jenny?"

"I made my decision on Sunday to stick with her no matter what happened."

"No wonder she's been walking around on cloud nine these last couple of days."

I laughed.

"There's some mince in the fridge if you want to use it," he told me. "I can't face food."

"I know how you feel. I've just been home and it's like a bloody mausoleum."

The kitchen door opened and the two girls walked in. Stella had just retrieved her car from the workshop, spotted Jenny walking back from the station, and offered her a lift.

"Let's go to your room," I told her, leaving Stella and Toby in private.

"You're eager."

"I think we need to give them a bit of space for a couple of days."

"Problems?"

"You could say that."

"How big a problem?"

"Three month old problem."

Jenny mouth dropped open. "Shit."

I sat down on the edge of the bed. "Vanessa's left me to live with Donald. I went home and some of her clothes were gone."

"I'm sorry."

"Inevitable really."

"You regret it," she stated sadly.

"It's always sad when a long relationship comes to an end but..."

"What are you going to do?"

"I've been thinking about a lot of things. I'm wasting my time here when there's work to do in Newbury ... with my job."

"I see. So you're going back then."

"Yes."

"When?"

"The end of the week. It seems silly to linger here when there's a large house going begging."

Jenny nodded sadly.

"How's your course doing?" I asked.

"I'm just marking time waiting for my results."

"Come and live with me."

"What!" Jenny gasped.

"Come and live with me in Newbury."

"Are you serious?"

"I said I want us to be together, but not here."

Jenny's despondency disappeared and her expression turned to one of careful contemplation.

"Well?" I asked.

"Yes." She grinned ecstatically.

I hugged her. "Great."

She kissed me and we lay back on the bed to snuggle together.

"Are you sure you want me?" she asked.

"Absolutely."

All Thursday was spent packing up her clothes and on Friday morning, we made a trip to her mum's where she kept a number of personal items that she wanted to bring along. I remained in the car, staring up at the towering monstrosity with boarded-up windows and peeling paint. Satellite dishes decorated the outside of the building like a concrete pincushion, delivering the daily diet of sport to those with nothing else to do but while away their lives.

The courtyard was deserted. The wind blew around a proliferation of chip wrappers and polystyrene fast-food cartons, the modern-day equivalent of tumbleweed. I was depressed within minutes and could barely imagine the effects of a lifetime spent in such an environment. It made Jenny's joyful optimism all the more remarkable.

She returned after an hour carrying a bulky holdall that she deposited on the backseat with the remainder of her worldly possessions. We chatted casually during the journey. A sense of nervous anticipation lurked just beneath the surface, and I realised that the next few days would be a test of whether the arrangements were workable. I hadn't planned in advance to make the offer for her to stay with me; it was instead my subconscious mind's way of providing a convenient solution to a number of separate problems: Jenny, the house, my job. All would now be in one place for me to concentrate on.

Jenny gasped when she first saw the relative luxury in which I lived. Twice the size and much better appointed than the house in London, she wandered through each of the bedrooms in turn before returning downstairs and collapsing on the sofa in front of the fifty inch plasma TV.

"This place must be worth a fortune," she exclaimed.

"We've had it a few years now. We bought during the last recession when the prices were depressed, but it's probably appreciated a bit in value since then." I knew that a neighbouring property was on the market for nearly three quarters of a million but I didn't advertise the fact.

After unloading the car, we found enough food in the freezer to make dinner, but a trip to the shops for basics became almost essential. We drove over to Waitrose which, whilst not the cheapest supermarket around, was one that Vanessa and I felt delivered the best quality. Jenny balked at some of the prices but finally allowed me to fill the trolley with groceries. She loved the little barcode scanning gizmo that allowed shoppers to tally their own basket as they walked around and just present the handset at the checkout to settle the bill. The cupboards and fridge were bulging to capacity by the time we unloaded.

"How many are we feeding?" Jenny teased.

"I thought I'd give us a bit of choice. We shouldn't need to go out again until next weekend. If you need any odd bits and pieces, there's a Spar at the end of the road."

I considered the possibility of buying her a small runabout until she informed me that she couldn't drive. She returned to the lounge and surveyed my CD collection. "What are the gaps for?" she asked.

I glanced at the alphabetically ordered collection, noting the spaces formally occupied by Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Robbie Williams, Take That, and Westlife. Small loss, I thought. I rarely used the CD player after I installed a Wi-Fi music player onto which I ripped my entire music library. It allowed any album to be played anywhere in the house via a number of portable players.

Jenny admired the spacious main bathroom and in particular the large sunken tub. I rarely used it over the shower and in London, the bath was virtually unusable due to the inordinate time taken by the small combi-boiler to fill it to a sufficient depth.

"Let's take a bath," Jenny suggested as she started to strip. I was not minded to argue.

We luxuriated in the warmth with her reclining against my body. My hands soaped and played with her breasts as we slowly wound down from what had been a traumatic week. She sighed contentedly as she savoured my touch.

"You know what I'm going to want next," she said.

"A cup of tea?" I replied innocently.

She turned and flicked water in my face which soon escalated into a fierce battle that left the bathroom floor deluged with water. We dried off and proceeded naked into master bedroom where we explored each other for a long time before finally making love.

"I think I'm going to like it here," she sighed.

"I hope so because I'm not going back to London."

"Ever?"

"No."

"What about your course?"

"I've probably failed it but even if not, it's a complete waste of my life."

"What will you do?"

"Explore possibilities," I replied as I snuggled under the duvet beside her and started to drift off to sleep.

On Saturday, we drove into the centre of Newbury and walked around the shops, looking rather than buying. It didn't have all the famous named stores of the capital but it had enough to suffice. What it didn't have was more than provided for by the internet. We drove out to a country pub for lunch and then walked within a nearby country park. Vanessa and I were keen amblers and I made a note to purchase Jenny some comfortable walking boots and a rain jacket.

We strolled hand-in-hand everywhere, occasionally drawing disapproving looks from the older generation on seeing me with a much younger girl on my arm. I didn't care as I was just so happy not be alone.

The phone rang on Sunday afternoon and Jenny passed me the handset after answering it.

"Peter?" Andrea asked quizzically. My eldest sister was calling to remind me that the christening was the following Saturday.

"You've forgotten, haven't you?"

"I'm sure I have it written down somewhere," I lied.

"I'm surprised Vanessa hasn't got you all organised."

I bit my lip and remained quiet.

"Our house is full up so I've booked you in to stay at Mum and Dad's together with Philip and Sarah if that's okay with you."

Philip was my younger brother and Sarah his wife of seven years. They already had two children to complement the four of Andrea's and three each of Jill and Heather, my other sisters.

"Okay."

"We're meeting at the church at two. You know where it is, don't you?"

"Send me the link so I can type it into the satnav, or I'll just end up getting lost."

We kept the conversation to a minimum, leaving things to talk about when we were together.

"What are you doing next Saturday? I asked Jenny.

She shook her head.

"That was Andrea, my sister. There's a big family reunion to celebrate their youngest getting christened. Do you feel up to the challenge?"

It was clear the thought of meeting all my family was daunting to her but she nevertheless agreed to accompany me.

"Might as well get it over with early," I informed her. "They don't bite, at least not usually."

The return to full time work produced some surprise, and then gratitude to have an experienced hand back in the office. I circulated the rumour that the term finished early after the exams and this seemed to quell any suspicions that I'd quit. Sir Paul was not in the office, dealing with what was cited as a family crisis.

Stephen Bull, who was taking charge in his absence, seemed profoundly pleased to have me around and immediately handed me a number of managerial tasks that required urgent attention.

I returned home to the familiar spicy aroma of curry and for an instant, I feared Vanessa was back. In the kitchen, Jenny stirred a pan with one hand whilst holding Vanessa's iPad in the other. Barefoot and barelegged, she wore a tight pair of denim shorts and a loose fitting shirt that bulged pleasantly. Several of the buttons were undone, revealing an ample amount of cleavage.

"She's very organised your wife," she reported. "All her recipes are on this."

I admired her domesticity as I withdrew a bottled beer from the fridge and opened it. Cuddling up behind her, I fondled her breasts through the top and she used my distraction to steal the beer.

"Thanks, I needed that," she gasped as she downed half the contents in one go.

"Hey!" I protested, returning to the fridge for another.

"You mean that wasn't for me?" She looked hurt.

The food was delicious and we washed it down with several more beers. Slightly merry, I responded to the doorbell and stood face to face with Vanessa.

Neither of us spoke for several seconds and then only to exchange a polite greeting. Jenny wandered into the hall to investigate and the two women came eye to eye for the first time.

"It didn't take you long," Vanessa muttered bitterly, staring at Jenny and then at her revealing attire.

"What do you want?" I asked matter-of-factly.

"I've come to pick up some more clothes."

Jenny snuggled up behind me and wrapped her arms around my middle possessively. Vanessa shot her a venomous look and then stormed upstairs. We waited by the door for a few minutes before she returned carrying two bulging plastic bags. Her eyes were damp and she was clearly struggling to retain any degree of control.