Chapter Seventeen: Like an Iceberg
Stephen had briefly returned to the hotel to collect his suitcase. Elaine drove him back to Audrey's as he was convinced her hug was her way of saying he could return. The older woman however didn't feel that she gave that impression as was confused by this sound. As she heard Stephen pull his suitcase along the pavement and knocked on the door. Audrey however couldn't throw him out again because he would know she was scared of him then. She breathed in as she opened it, inviting him in.
"Elaine. You can come in too...Come on" Audrey quickly ordered as she didn't want to be alone with him.
Elaine just thought she was being nice so she didn't read too much into it. As the woman got out of her car and followed him inside. Greeting Audrey with a small smile. The bin bag was placed on the ground as he followed his mother into the living room. Removing his coat and his shoes as if he had never been away or told her his darkest secrets.
"I love your house, Audrey. First time I've been inside it" Elaine piped up.
"Well I worked hard for it. Me and Alf brought it back in...Well, it must have been very early '90s. Alf was my husband, I don't suppose Stephen told you about him" Audrey nervously replied.
"No but we got to get to know each other a lot more, haven't we? He's really sorry, aren't you?" Elaine asked as she sat besides him on the couch.
"Yeah. I just lost my way but I'm getting it back" Stephen insisted.
Audrey just giving a small smile in return as she stood standing. Not knowing what to do with herself, she never does when she's on edge. She offered to make them a cup of tea.
"I'd prefer a coffee, mom. I'm a bit parched actually" Stephen requested.
"Okay. Elaine?" Audrey asked.
"Whatever's easier for you. I don't mind" Elaine replied.
The woman just nodded as she quickly made her way out and into the kitchen. Elaine holding onto his hands when she was gone. She thought everything was now dandy again as he's gotten back into his mother's home. Audrey however was trying to think of ways to get Elaine to stay or for him to go without making it look obvious. She hated feeling scared about her own son but she couldn't help it, he's killed people. He killed his own father. Why should she be safe? Audrey came back into the living room after putting the kettle on.
"Why don't you stay the night, Elaine? I don't mind. I would like a bit of female company anyway. You can borrow one of my nighties, what do you say?" Audrey suddenly asked; avoiding Stephen's gaze.
"Erm...Gosh, you're making me feel like a teenage girl, Audrey. Like this is a sleepover" Elaine answered.
Audrey giving a fake laugh in response. Stephen however finally saw through this over-the-top act. She would never have suggested anything like this before the confession, he knows this. She was scared of him now, wasn't she? And this broke his heart really. She was the last person he wanted to feel like that around him, she was suppose to be his normality.
"Stephen doesn't mind, do you?" Audrey questioned.
"Not if it makes my favourite woman happy" Stephen answered, trying to put on his old charm.
"I thought Joyce was your favourite" Audrey responded in between her fake big grin.
"No. Don't be silly...I never said that. It's just that I happen to have had two moms at different parts of my life. Not many people can say that" Stephen spoke up.
The sound of the kettle popping made Audrey retreat back into the kitchen. She didn't know what to do with his attempts at being charming again. Though she supposed she would rather he fake charm than be angry. Elaine however was smitten.
"Is that okay with you too?" Elaine asked Stephen.
"Yeah. I think you and mom will enjoy each other's company a lot" Stephen answered.
His mother returning with his coffee and Elaine's tea. Sitting on the opposite side and placing her feet on her footrest. Trying to be at ease. The silence was very awkward as nobody knew what to say. Audrey was trying to think of a way to make herself more safe. She wished her bedroom door had a lock on it, she didn't know if he would be tempted. She kept looking at him like he was a puzzle that needed solving, would he do anything really?
...
"Tulips here. I'm waiting for them to grow" Audrey remarked an hour or so later as she dragged Elaine into her back garden.
Anything to avoid departing and going to bed. Stephen standing to the side as he watched mother stalling. She had gone into detail about everything in her garden and stories about the well. About how one of her old friends Fred Elliott had fell into a hole.
"How frightful for him" Elaine replied while clearly wanting to get away by this point herself.
"Look. Why don't you sleep in with me? I use to do that sometimes with my friends when I went to hotels to save money" Audrey suggested to her horror.
"Audrey-"
"It's fine with me. Mom likes your company and my bedroom is very small" Stephen piped up.
Elaine turned towards him with a look of deep disappointment. She wanted to sleep in with him. They haven't even done anything beyond a peck and a short cuddle since they got together. Now she's got to stay in with his mother? No, she disliked this idea. Besides, this was an odd suggestion.
"Really? I mean...I'd rather not" Elaine politely but nervously admitted.
"Nonsense. It be fine...Me and Bet use to talk a lot in hotels when we slept in. I know it's old-fashioned but I don't really wish for my son's girlfriend to stay in his room while I'm in the house. Gabrielle never stayed in with him" Audrey insisted (this was a lie however).
"It's true. Gabrielle stayed in another room when mom came round when we were married" Stephen chimed in.
"Really? I mean...I suppose I could but...Okay, if that's what you do. That's fine" Elaine gave in despite not liking this idea at all.
Besides, she doesn't care what Gabrielle did! Though at the same time. She had been married to Geoff Metcalfe and was use to doing things she didn't like. Audrey breathed a sigh of relief as Elaine was her protection. Stephen could see that why she suggested this and he wanted her to be more comfortable around him again. So he went along with anything she wanted.
"Come on then. Let's go in, get dressed and get ready for bed. I got a photograph of Alf anyway in my bedroom" Audrey spoke as she locked arms with her.
Taking her upstairs and going on and on. Elaine not even getting the chance to wish Stephen good night. The man himself remained downstairs a bit longer as he poured himself a glass of whisky. Hoping that his mother somehow gets over his confession, maybe she will block it out like him. He kept thinking about his father's friend at the flat, wondering what he thought about his running out that morning. He would have to return he knows. Have to arrange his father's funeral on the cheap somehow, he has to get money fast once again and he had an idea of where to get it from.
...
The following morning came, Elaine had fell asleep besides Audrey. She almost forgot where she was as she woke up. Sleeping in with boyfriend's mother was never on top of her to do list. That's for sure. She forced herself up, took her clothes into the bathroom and began to get dressed. She washed her face with her hands, brushed her teeth with her finger (not having a toothbrush) and left again. She looked towards Stephen's bedroom and gave it a quick knock. To her surprise, she heard rustling and panicked footsteps. The sound of something being placed down and then the sound of some sort of panel being dropped. The door then opened...
"Stephen. It's 8am...Why are you already up to no good?" Elaine asked in a half-joking, half-serious manner.
"I'm just...I was thinking about dad again and his funeral. I shouldn't have ran away yesterday. God knows what his friend thought" Stephen responded.
"He would understand that you're in shock. The poor man was killed in a burglary gone wrong. That's not something you want to hear. That's sick, poor man should have been able to go peacefully in his bed. You're in shock" Elaine responded as she held onto his hand.
"I don't even have any money. He's going to have a pauper's funeral whether I arrange it or his friend arranges it. I'm scared, Elaine. What if they pin it on me? Saying I have a motive because I got no money" Stephen spoke.
"That's ridiculous. He only had twenty pounds in his will"
"But I thought he had more and now his friend knows I thought he had more. What do I do?" Stephen asked in a sudden panicked tone of voice.
Elaine gently ushered him into the bedroom as not to wake Audrey. Shutting the door behind herself as she watched him pace around. She honestly didn't think he was admitting anything as he seemed generally shocked to her. She brought into his fake emotions at the house.
"I'll tell you what you're going to do. Go back to the flat and take over the funeral arrangements. We can ask George for help for an affordable funeral plan, okay? Nobody is going to blame you, Stephen. Not when I'm here anyway, you got my support" Elaine assured him.
"Okay. George might be able to help...I already buried one father, I didn't expect to bury another one. I wasn't there for my parents, not enough. No wonder Gabrielle didn't want children with me. Gail is right, I am a heartless person" Stephen began to say, letting his mask slip slightly.
"Gabrielle was the heartless one"
"We use to talk about having children but it never came to be. My own fault probably"
"No. It sometimes doesn't happen and you should be grateful. Nobody would have wanted a mother like Gabrielle anyway. Trust me. Listen, we can sort out your father's funeral today"
"Okay. Sure" Stephen responded after calming himself down.
...
Stephen was even more on edge as he sat in 'Shuttleworth's Independent Funeral Services' with Elaine. He was trying to arrange the funeral but he had no idea what his father liked or anything about his life really. Just that he worked on 'Manchester Docks'. It was going to be a simple funeral. George writing down the small details that he did get. This murder was getting to him the most as it was the most personal and the most involved he had gotten. Which is why he was crumbling in front of George (and Todd as he stood in the background).
"Okay, Stephen. Are you okay with a direct cremation? This does mean you will have no service but you can have his ashes afterwards. Arrange your own private event afterwards. We can do it for maybe 850 pounds" George explained.
"850 pounds?!"
"Is that too much? Because there's no way I can go cheaper on this. Because a pauper's funeral is really the only other option. You won't get any input on that at all which is why we like to try and suggest this first. The local council would arrange it and you can go but only if they say. It's very impersonal. You won't even get his ashes" George told him.
"That's fine. I mean...His ashes are just ashes" Stephen answered.
"Stephen. Are you sure? Because I don't mind helping and I'm sure your mum wouldn't mind either. 850 pounds is doable for us if we chip in a bit, you don't have to give that up" Elaine tried to quietly tell him.
"No. I can't take anymore money from you. A pauper's funeral is fine" Stephen insisted.
George felt sorry for him as he didn't know the context. Though Stephen repeated that a pauper's funeral is right and he had to take that answer. Todd raised an eyebrow as he couldn't believe that he wasn't even going to entertain the idea of the 850 pounds.
"That's it then. We will send this to the local council, give them your contact details-"
"It will have to be mine. Stephen's phone broke" Elaine chimed in.
"Okay. No problem. I'll take your contact details and the council will let you know. I do have to make it clear once again, just so you know. Worst case scenario, the council will ring you and say you can't go. Are you willing to take that risk?" George asked firmly.
Stephen just nodded and thus that was it. Elaine giving a sad sigh as she handed over her contact details.
...
"He needed some time alone. So I left him in Victoria gardens. He's been through it for the last couple of days" Elaine told Yasmeen.
As she sat with her and Stuart in the Rovers. She had explained about his father's death and funeral. As she needed a friend to talk to and she forgave Yasmeen for their argument. Yasmeen was listening with interest as she was concerned for her friend.
"That is sad. It's never easy losing a parent, no matter how old you are. A pauper's funeral too. Gosh, he's fallen on hard times. Surely he can get a job, he must have a good CV" Yasmeen assumed.
"I don't even know if he's thinking straight enough to do that. He keeps going on about investments. That's all he knows. I'll tell you something though, last night was very strange indeed. I went round to Audrey's because she's allowed him back in and Audrey asked me to stay in with her. So I did, felt like I was at a sleepover" Elaine admitted quietly.
Stuart and Yasmeen giving smirks.
"You slept in with Audrey? Poor you" Yasmeen managed to speak up.
"I never been asked in all my days to do that. It was so odd but apparently, Audrey didn't let Gabrielle share a room with him either when she visited them. So I guess it's her way" Elaine explained with a shrug.
Though Yasmeen and Stuart gave out a chuckle again. Making Elaine shake her head as they found it hilarious. Poor Elaine, what has she got herself into? Well, that was something for the books. Stuart laughed a bit longer than Yasmeen which resulted in him getting a soft tap in the ankle.
"Well at least you got one night with your dear mother's boy" Yasmeen spoke to her, not hearing the door swing open.
"To tell you the truth, it was like sleeping with an iceberg on that one night" Elaine blurted out just as Stephen was close enough to hear.
She nervously looked up and she knew he heard that. Stephen scoffed as he made his way out. Not daring to look Yasmeen or Stuart in the eye as he could see them cracking up. Elaine regretted saying it as soon as it came out her mouth as she had to follow him out...
"Leave me alone, Elaine. I'm not doing this again!" Stephen yelled.
"Please, I regretted it as soon as it came out of my mouth. I was just saying that Audrey inviting me into her room was funny. And I don't even know why I said that, I enjoyed our night at the hotel" Elaine insisted as she tried to grab his arm.
"I have already lost my reputation and now you're saying what we do in the bedroom? Do you think I want anybody knowing?"
"No-"
"No! That's it! What? Do you get some kick out of it or what? I mean, how do I know your ex-husband was the man you said he was? If that is how you describe the man you claim to love-"
"Stephen. I'm sorry...I would never ever say anything like that usually! I know it was cruel but it was meant to be a quick joke to break the ice-"
"The ice? Stop going on about ice!"
"Okay, okay, sorry! Please, I do love you so much. And I know how jarring it must have sounded to you. I didn't even think but I promise I won't say anything like that again. Never again...I'm bad with words, that's all"
"Gabrielle use to tell her friends stuff about our personal life too"
"Oh God, I know how it feels as well. Please. I only said it to two people and they won't say anything. It's been a long day, please come to mine for a bit. And I can make you a tea, okay?"
"To warm my icy heart?"
"No! Stephen, forget about that. It won't ever happen again" Elaine pleaded.
He paused for a moment and knowing she was his last chance. He gritted his teeth and gave in. Despite wanting to run even faster and sooner now. She let tears fall down as she wrapped her arms around him. Thinking she almost screwed everything up again.
...
TBC