Part One Hundred And Eighty Four
Karen felt at something of a loose end on the Wednesday morning, not wanted in work, and not required to be anywhere else or to be doing anything else. This wasn't a normal state of being for her, and she wasn't sure she liked it. She was sitting out on her balcony, reading the paper and drinking coffee, when the doorbell rang. Grateful for any intrusion, she went to answer it, only to find Yvonne on the doorstep. "Can we talk?" Yvonne asked in lieu of a greeting, because Karen didn't seem to know what to say to her. "Sure," Karen replied, leading the way upstairs, and wondering how Lauren was this morning.
When they re-entered her living room, Yvonne turned Karen to face her, putting her arms round her and holding her as tight as possible. "You stupid, stupid cow," Yvonne said almost desperately into her hair, which made Karen smile in spite of herself. This was the Yvonne she knew, the Yvonne she had once thought she loved. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" "You're starting to sound like Grayling," Karen told her affectionately. "And so I bloody should," Yvonne told her sternly. "I can't believe you did that." "Yvonne, you know why I did what I did," Karen said seriously, gently detaching herself from Yvonne's embrace. "Yeah," Yvonne agreed. "And it's that we need to talk about." Pouring Yvonne a mug of coffee, Karen led the way out onto her balcony, and they both lit up cigarettes.
"How much did Nikki tell you?" Karen asked, after taking a long drag. "She told me what Denny did, and what you did to get her down, but she didn't tell me much of why Denny went up there in the first place, but it doesn't exactly take a genius to work it out." "You're going to have your work cut out over the next few months, between keeping Denny on track and Lauren going through therapy." "Yeah, I know, but that's the point, isn't it. You've done most of it ever since Lauren got sent down, because all I've really been able to do for either of them is visit. But now, it's down to me, to keep Lauren out of trouble, and to convince Denny that I ain't just going to forget about her." "The thing is, Yvonne," Karen told her gently. "If Denny keeps pulling stunts like she did yesterday, any hint of parole is going to be one hell of a long time in coming." "I know," Yvonne said quietly. "So, it looks as though I'll be seeing Bodybag's ugly mug for the foreseeable, doesn't it." "It was Sylvia's keys she got hold of," Karen filled in. "And I've given Nikki carte blanche to deal with her any way she likes." "Jesus," Yvonne said with a broad smile. "I wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall with that one."
They were quiet for a time, until Yvonne eventually said, "Sweetheart, whatever debt you think you owed me, you well and truly paid it yesterday." Karen stared at her, with the look of a deer caught in the headlights. Yvonne couldn't know what she'd done, she just couldn't! "Don't look like that," Yvonne told her softly. "I didn't ever want you to know," Karen said quietly, unable to tear her gaze away from Yvonne's. "Yeah, he said you wouldn't," Yvonne replied, watching as the pieces began to fit together behind Karen's eyes. "So, that's the real reason he didn't want me to know he'd slept with you," Karen said in dawning comprehension. "And I thought it was just because both Jo and George would kill him if they found out." "To give him his due," Yvonne said fairly. "I took complete advantage of his post-orgasmic relaxation, to get my answer to that question." "Oh, dear, poor John," Karen said with a broad smile, in spite of the fact that she felt as though she were treading on very thin ice. "Yeah, he looked like you did just now. He's incredibly loyal to you." "Yvonne, I'm so, so sorry," Karen said, the tears rising to her eyes, feeling a sense of partial relief, that she could finally be honest with Yvonne about this. "I know," Yvonne said gently, delicately wiping away one of Karen's tears with a finger. "But I don't want you to feel guilty for it any more. I'm serious, you mustn't."
When Karen had finished her coffee, Yvonne asked, "What are you going to do for the next couple of weeks?" "I've got absolutely no idea," Karen told her ruefully. "I thought I might go on holiday, but I haven't thought any further than that." "Good job I did then," Yvonne said with a smile, digging a bunch of keys out of her handbag. "The keys to the villa," She said, handing them over. "And because I thought you wouldn't have got around to making any firm decisions, I've booked you on a flight tomorrow morning, and left the return part of the ticket open, so that you can come back whenever you're ready." "Thank you," Karen said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "And you're right, making a vaguely sensible decision, seems to be pretty much beyond me at the moment."
In the middle of Wednesday afternoon, Karen called round to see George. Karen had done an awful lot of thinking in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and she was finally beginning to understand what had happened. She was saddened, more than anything else, to realise why George's affections had strayed elsewhere, because she knew that there was nothing she would be able to do to alter their course. The ultimate destiny of George's feelings wasn't with her, but with another, and Karen knew in her heart of hearts that this had always been somewhat on the cards. When George opened the door, she looked surprised to see her. "How are you?" George asked, as Karen moved into the hall. "Erm, surviving," Karen told her, not entirely how to express what she really felt. "Did John tell you what happened?" "Yes," George said sternly. "And the desire to shake some sense into you, was almost unbearably strong." "I'm sorry, for worrying you," Karen said quietly, wanting to put her arms round George, but uncertain as to whether her embrace would be welcomed. Seeing the uncertainty in Karen's eyes, George made the decision for her. "I just wish you'd be careful," She said, giving Karen a hug, and not moving away immediately afterwards. "I'm going away for a while," Karen said into her hair. "It'll probably do you good," George said sadly, not wanting to in any way be the cause of why Karen was doing this. "Yvonne has lent me the keys to her villa, and there's something I want to ask you. I'm going out there for a couple of weeks, maybe longer, but at some point, I'd quite like you to come out and stay for a couple of days, so we can talk." At these innocuous words, George stiffened. Drawing her face slightly back from Karen's, she looked deep into her eyes, seeing there a level of understanding that almost frightened her. "You know, don't you," She said, seeing the answer before Karen gave it to her. "I think so," Karen told her, also seeing that George didn't want it to be like this. "Darling, I'm sorry," George said, feeling that she couldn't have picked a worse time to do something like this to Karen. "I know," Karen told her, thinking that it seemed to be the day for significant pledges of apology. "Are you sure that you still want me to come and stay?" George asked. "Yes," Karen replied quietly. "Because I want to understand." "Why?" George wanted to know. "I've successfully managed to hurt you, at what must be the worst time possible, but you still want to understand why I'm doing it. That doesn't make sense." "Yes, it does," Karen told her with a soft smile. "George, if something makes you happy, I want to know about it. Whatever happens in your life, I want to know about it. I just want you to do one thing for me, I need you to tell John, because leave it long enough, and he will work it out by himself, and I don't think it would in any way help the situation if he were allowed to do that. Don't make him wait any longer than necessary." When Karen left, and George watched her drive away, they both knew that when they next saw the other, things would have happened, things that would irrevocably change what their future would hold.