Chapter seven
Hudson Farm
Being unable to go straight home yesterday (we had stopped off at Sherwood to discus what to do next, needless to say we didn't come up with much) I didn't get the chance to ask my parents about what Baxter had said, today being my day off I had plenty of time to think of how best to word the question, I accidentally over heard? No that wouldn't work, anyway as you can imagine Im just a little bit pived because of what that creep Baxter is trying to do to our town, its not right, and all that bull he came out with yesterday about it helping the town and bringing in more money, whatever, the only person who's gunna benefit from this is Baxter himself!
Picking up a wash basket full of wet clothes I opened the back door, it was a warm windy summers day perfect for drying washing, sad I know but it needs doing. A strong gust of wind blew back my hair, the cold breeze cleared my head and calmed me down, I gazed across the fields at the patchwork quilt design of our landscape, how lucky were we to have a view like this from our back garden. Turning on my iPod I flicked through the songs stopping at Duffy, Stepping stone (I was feeling in that kind of a mood). I got to work hanging out the washing and started to sing along.
"I remember way, way back when
I said I never wanna see your face again
Cause you were loving, yes you were someone else
And I knew, yes I knew I couldn't control myself
And now they bring you back into my life again
And so I put on face just like your friends
But I think you know, oh yes you know what's going on
Cause the feelings in me, oh yes in me are burning strong." I sang, thinking how ironic this song was.
"But I will never be your stepping stone,
Take it all or leave me alone,
I will never be your stepping stone,
Im standing upright on my own,"
"Funny, that song reminds me of you too." said the strong over confident voice of someone I had never wanted to see again.
"Adam?" I asked spotting him leaning over my garden fence, my jaw dropped, oh no.
"Yeah, so how you been Robin? I've not seen you in a while." He asked causally, his brown hair blowing in the breeze, his dark eyes watching me intensely.
His easy going words felt like a slap in the face, reacting to this my mind moved into autopilot as I stood there frozen. My subconscious reached deep down into the archives of the memories I swore never to revisit and dug out the most dreaded of them all, all I could do was watch as the whole sorry event played once again before my eyes.
Six months ago
Hudson farm
Six months ago, December 1st to be more specific, I had sat impatiently drumming my fingers on the kitchen table, waiting for my boyfriend Adam Stuart to show his face. He was late, I had angrily thought as I stared at the clock, six o'clock ment six o' clock, so what was he playing at? Now I have never been the controlling type, not now and not then, I had never once stopped Adam going out with his mates (which was more than I could say for him) and I wasn't one of those girlfriends that started a fight just because he was five minuets late coming to visit me. But im still human, and female, so somehow I didn't think that Adam being two hours late for meeting me was acceptable.
I had picked up my phone and dialled the all too familiar number and it had gone straight to the answer phone, I sighed heavily, this ment he was either already on the phone or it had been switched off. I was guessing the latter. It had been that way for over an hour and a half, ever since the fist time I'd called him tonight. I fiddled with the tag on Adam's blue wrapped birthday present, it was only aftershave, but it was all I could afford on a waitresses salary and anyway, it was the thought that counted wasn't it? Saturday December 1st was Adam's sixteenth birthday and we were celebrating, we were supposed to be going out to a cheap but fancy restaurant in town, but by this point I really doubting it was going to happen. I had mindlessly taken a light swing at the present before turning away from it and picking up my phone again, I dialled Danielle's number, but it too was engaged, I groaned and viciously put down my mobile. I needed to talk to her, as my female best friend Danielle was the only person I could turn to when I needed to rant about Adam, which I had been doing a lot lately if im honest. Danielle had to do, because I couldn't possibly talk to Will about it, as my best friend and surrogate big brother Will would be obliged to kick Adam's head in if I told him about what had been going on of late, though I had been beginning to wonder if that would be a bad thing.
My relationship with Adam had been going down hill, he was an ass, a user, a rat, and he treated me like dirt, I had known all of that. But as I sat there that faithful night watching the clock and waiting for the phone to ring (the single most pathetic time of my life) I honestly couldn't see what happened next coming. I swiftly got to my feet, all right that was it, I was tired of waiting for Adam, I was going to call Will and ask him if he wanted to do something, I mean I was already dressed up for going out so why waste it. I grabbed my phone but got no farther than my contacts list as there was a knock on the door. Adam. It was the only conclusion my mind could reach, it had to be Adam, he was here and he was going to uncharacteristically apologise for being late and promise to take me out another night, I would hold strong for a while, make him suffer, about an hour or so should do that and then I would forgive him. I was wrong on more than one account there.
I reached for the door and opened it expecting to see the chocolate brown jelled up hair and matching eyes of my boyfriend, instead my gaze locked on the windswept black hair and anxious green eyes of my best friend.
"Will?" I asked confused but glad to see him none the less. My happiness soon evaporated however as I took in the worried, restrained and upset look on his face, this could not be good.
"Robin," Will said his voice croaky.
"Will are you alright?" I asked concerned for my friend's safety, what had happened to him, he looked awful?
"No Robin," he said his voice softening and his eyes shaking in an attempt to suppress angry tears, his fists were balled by his sides "im not alright."
"What's wrong Will? Come in, we'll sort this, just tell me what's wrong." I said grabbing his arm and trying to drag him inside, he resisted.
"It's not me," he said staying where he was on the door step.
"Will?" I asked again, what could be wrong, I had asked myself. Looking back im actually pretty ashamed of how I was back then, I was so oblivious, so naïve.
"Do you know where Adam is tonight?" Will asked not answering me, his voice changed when he said Adam's name, it was cold and hard "I thought you two were going out tonight."
"We were," I said simply, like I said Will didn't need an excuse to knock Adam's block off; he didn't like him as a rule and would jump at any excuse to hurt him. Suddenly though that had become irrelevant, I stared down in horror at Will's shirt.
"Will is that blood?" I said pointing at the red stain (though it was hard to tell in the black of the winter night what colour it was) on his white shirt. "Are you hurt?"
"It's not mine," he answered turning away from me "it's Adam's."
Was it wrong for me to not be bothered, just a few minuets ago I wanted to hurt Adam myself. No it was definitely wrong, Adam was my boyfriend and through thick and thin we were in this together.
"Will!" I had exclaimed "how could you, what happened?"
"I punched him, nothing serious, he was lucky he had all his mates with him to pull me off him, or else I really would have laid into him. He was lucky Danielle was there as well, I can't hit a lady, ha, if you can call her a lady!" Will ranted as his voice raised.
"Will, you really have lost me. Why did you punch Adam, and what was that about Danielle?" I asked, though slowly I think the answer was starting to dawn on me.
Will didn't answer, his gaze wandered to the left and down the lane onto the farm and stayed there.
"Will, you tell me what's wrong, right now Will, I have a right to know!" I exclaimed, why wouldn't he tell me, what was so wrong?
"Adam's been sleeping with Danielle, Robin; he's been cheating on you!" Will said his voice shaking as he spoke.
"What?" I asked my voice now quiet and barely above a whisper. Will stepped forward and wrapped his arm around me.
"He never really cared about you Robin, im so sorry. I saw them together about an hour ago, he was with his mates and completely pissed, already, and he said he'd forgotten completely about tonight, about you," Will's voice shook again, it was hurting him to tell me this, but he knew I had to know "and she was there, draped over him, saying something about last night and giggling about how she thinks her parents might have heard them…" Will's voice broke off and I started gipping so badly I could barely feel my heart as it broke. How could he do this, how could he? Will started to comfort me, but something inside of me had snapped.
"Let me at him!" I suddenly exclaimed, so this was the thanks I got for being the perfect girlfriend, I took all the shit he dished out and then some, how many other girls would do that?! Not once did I complain or argue when he told me I couldn't see my friends or wouldn't let me do something I wanted to do, and the one thing I deny him, he has to go and get from someone else, my best friend no less! "I'll rip his cheating head off, no I'll do one better, I'll make sure he can't do this again, he wants to try and sleep with someone without the necessary equipment!" I was yelling now.
"Robin," Will exclaimed as he tried to restrain me, ok so he was the only one who got to take a shot at Adam, somehow I don't think that's fair! "Robin your parents are in the living room."
"Let me at him Will," I shouted completely ignoring what he had said, by this point he was really struggling to restrain me.
"No, because you'll kill him and the law takes a dim view on murder, however justified it is." Will said, oh so now he changes his tune, I thought angrily as the living room door swung open.
"Robin?" My dad asked his voice full of concern.
"Can you give me a hand Mr Hudson?" Will asked and I knew then that the fight was over, for now anyway. Two mew pairs of hands held gently onto my arms, trying to calm me down, my dad and Joey probably, reluctantly I allowed myself to be led inside, but I by no means calmed. Oh Adam could just wait until tomorrow morning!
The present
Hudson farm
As I remembered this I felt my hands clench into fists by my side and my jaw set, I was so absorbed in what had happened it took me a little while to answer his question.
"I guess you've forgotten why that is, then." I said coldly, going back to mum's washing. I could be the bigger person; I'd already caught up with him and given him a piece of my mind, along with my fist, after all.
"No I've not forgotten, but I'd like to." He said with a grin.
"You're not the only one." I said snappily.
"What do you say we put the past behind us and try to get things back to how they were?" He asked.
"Not likely." I mumbled but he still heard me.
"Geeze woman! You're not still going on about that are you? It was nothing, I told you." He said opening the gate and inviting himself in.
"Woman? Woman!" I said my voice rising with each word "And it wasn't nothing, you cheated on me!"
"Just once, I was with my mates you know how it is, it was nothing." He repeated.
"Like that's an excuse! And it wasn't just the once, you'd been cheating for months." I said.
"That was after we split up; I'd never do that to you." He said soppyly.
"It was on our one year anniversary the first time Adam!" I shouted. He paused not sure what to say next, he knew I was right.
"Well it was your fault you know." He said childishly.
"My fault! My fault!" I shouted "How was it my fault? Go on tell me."
"Im a guy I have needs, you wouldn't go that step further with me so I had to go to someone else." He said.
"You did all that because I wouldn't sleep with you, that's your excuse? We split up because I wouldn't sleep with you, is that it? Or how about this we split up because you couldnt keep it in your pants! That sound about right?" I yelled he was really winding me up now. Wow, this argument had escalated quickly, usaly it took a little longer than a few snide comments to start us off yelling at each other, only a little longer.
"I know I was wrong..." He started but I interrupted.
"Your damn right you were, still are too!"
"But I've told you she wasn't important to me, you're the one I care about." He finished, crossing the remainder of the garden and cupping my head with his hands.
"She was my best friend!" I shouted throwing the wash basket down on his foot, Adam yelled in pain and hopped around the garden.
"Now get out!" I shouted pointing to the gate.
"No just hear me out alreyat?" He pleaded still hoping.
"No, get out, if you don't I can't be held responsible for my actions." I said looking him straight in the eye.
"Robin" He said his face softening "I knew you still cared."
"Wrong actions" I said picking up the peg bag "Now get!"
"No." He said folding his arms.
With that I knew there was no point talking anymore, I took a peg out of the bag. He laughed at me.
"What your gunna hit me? Ha Robin you couldnt hit me with a five foot pole." He sniggered and that was the final straw. I launched the peg.
***
Hudson Farm, the sign read, well this is the right place then, thought George Baxter as he walked down the peaceful country lane. He looked around and took in the view, and marvelled at how lucky these people were to live somewhere like this, it was much better than his dads mansion, all you could see there for miles around where big grey office buildings, after the rolling green lawns of the Baxter mansion, not like here, it was so beautiful.
He was just thinking this as he heard shouting coming from the farm house, assuming someone was in trouble he ran down the lane only to stop and stare in shock at the scene unfolding behind the house.
***
"Arrgh Robin, stop it that hurts!" Adam shouted running round the side of the house being pelted by pegs.
"That's the point!" I shouted back.
Adam ran round the corner and nearly into some guy, but I didn't care right then all I cared about was getting rid of Adam. My heart swelling with all the hurt this guy had caused me all I wanted to do was hurt him back, my anger masked my pain and that was the way I liked it.
"Now get gone, and don't come back." I yelled throwing more pegs.
"Oh I'll be back alreyat." He shouted back at me, at least smart enough to be heading back up the lane "When you've calmed down."
I through one last peg at him and shouted.
"Just go!" In response Adam blew a kiss, I made a face disgusted.
Remembering I had an audience I turned back round "Sorry about that, can I help you..." I trailed off realising who I was talking too, George Baxter, oh no.
"Yeah" He said "Though im almost too afraid to ask now." we both laughed uncomfortably. What was he doing here?
"My father's sent me out to collect land tax in this area, something about learning the business." He said. Of course.
"Oh" (Jerk)" land tax? Is that a new one?" I asked.
"Kinda new, yeah," He replied.
"Sorry you'll have to tell your dad he's gunna have to wait for the money, we don't have it." I said truthfully, turning my back on him and walking away, back to the garden.
He followed me, not giving up as I'd hoped he would.
"Well im sorry but he won't accept that." He said.
"He's gunna have to, we don't have the money." I said opening the gate.
"I can't leave here until I've got the money." He said following me into the garden.
"Get comfortable then, because your in for a long wait." I said my voice dry and toneless; it was just like being back at Locksdale Upper.
He raised his eyebrow as I picked up one of Alice's top's and went to put it on the washing line.
"Look its not like he's going to miss a few quid, he's got more money than the whole of the Southside put together, so Im sure he'll manage." I said "And if you don't mind can you please leave."
"Or what, are you going to throw pegs at me?" He asked with a smile, I made a face.
"No, but Im sure I can find something much bigger and harmful with which to persuade you to leave." I said, he laughed though not unkindly and studied me.
Not wanting him to remember who I was, or place me as the girl from the meeting yesterday I turned away.
"Wait do I know you?" He asked "Im sure I've...." He grabbed my wrist and trailed of, at his touch I felt like a bolt of lightning had shot up my arm, the mark on my shoulder tingled and my heart started beating wildly. We stood for a moment staring at each other, his blue eyes searching my green ones.
"I know you." He said, letting go of my wrist. His hand moved to the top of his left arm and he rubbed it slowly a few times as if in pain.
"I think you should go." I said softly looking away.
"You went to Locksdale Upper didn't you?" He asked finally placing me. I nodded and he let go of my wrist.
"Robin." He said to show he knew my name and probably remembering why he knew me.
"George Baxter." I said.
"You really better go" I said desperate to get rid of him "What with all the taxes and all my parents might not be best pleased to see you here." Even though im sure they wouldn't mind.
"Ok" He said, finally! He was leaving.
His face full of confusion and concentration he said good bye, the tax forgotten he walked out the gate. Watching him go I touched my wrist where seconds before his hand had been, and then my right shoulder, had he felt it too? Impossible, it had been the bow shaped mark that had tingled; it wasn't like he had one as well. I then shock myself, he's Robert Baxter's son I scolded myself. But what was that all about?