Chapter Fifteen: Together in Haste
Rather nervously, Elaine had driven to the hotel. She just couldn't seem to stay away despite how he's treated her. She made her way into the small lobby as she spotted him back in his suit and tie. He seemed to have resorted back to his usual memo since she last saw him. Carrie was still sitting with him by the time she had walked over.
"Elaine. Nice to meet you again. I was just keeping him company until you arrived. He needs a lot of help" Carrie began with a smile.
"Yes. Well we won't disagree on that" Elaine replied with her arms crossed.
"Okay. Well you have my number, Stephen. Get a cheap one or something in the meantime. Here's twenty pounds" Carrie spoke.
Elaine giving a look of envy. She was convinced Stephen and Carrie were an item at some point. They weren't but it was an easy mistake to make as they were acting as if no time had passed. The man took the twenty pounds with a sigh, he supposed he would have to take what he can get. Carrie gave Elaine another polite goodbye as she finally left. Her empty glass left on the side as Elaine took her place in the stool besides him.
"An ex-girlfriend?" Elaine asked him with a scowl.
"What? No! Carrie is an old business friend of mine. I won't lie, I use to fancy her but she never fancied me. She saw right through me. There was nothing there beyond friendship and business, Elaine" Stephen told her (and this was the truth for once).
"Well she's better looking than me. Her, Jenny...Even Gabrielle"
"No. Don't be stupid, Elaine. I would haven't taken any interest in you if I found you unattractive" Stephen said through gritted teeth.
"So it wasn't just my money you liked?"
"I took that money because I thought it was a given. It was stupid I admit. I never would have taken it had I known there was a chance of it failing. I trusted Sarah, she's my niece"
"So now you're blaming Sarah?"
"No. I'm just trying to explain why I did it. It's been years since I was in business alone. As you know, me and Gabrielle both worked together. She mostly did the deals. I had to accept what she told me. So when it came to working on my own again, I was rusty"
"You told me at the house that it was a lie. All that stuff about Gabrielle, I can't believe you anymore"
"I only said that because mom was listening" Stephen lied.
He was secretly proud of himself for coming up with that one. Elaine looked as if a lightbulb went off. That made a bit too much sense to her as to why he had a sudden U-turn. Nobody (as far as she's concerned) knows besides her and Gail.
"Oh. I'm sorry...I didn't even think. I just went shouting my mouth off, didn't I? So Audrey was already mad because of Sarah. Then stupid me comes along, shouting about your wife. I'm an idiot, Stephen" Elaine suddenly spoke as she was the one who began to grovel.
"No, you're not an idiot. I was very convincing...You know how it is though, you get very convincing to protect yourself against your spouse. You get it"
"Yes I do get it. I had to go through so many hoops when I talked to Geoff or even when I spoke about him to other people. So when we had that date, what was really wrong?"
"Gabrielle again. Texting me insults and demanding I give her more money from the divorce. I felt ill because I thought it was over but it's never really over" Stephen continued.
"Is that why you broke your phone?"
"Yeah. I didn't want to listen to her anymore"
"Oh. I should have known, I'm sorry. So you do want to be with me then? You're not just saying that because of the money?"
"No. Never. In fact, I think money is the root of all my problems. So let's just forget about it" Stephen slyly suggested.
"Okay. Well yes, I suppose we can do for a while. I'll be honest, I feel a bit strange. Are we in a relationship or not?"
"Yes. Of course"
Elaine gave a smile for the first time. She wrapped her arms around Stephen on hearing this. Not knowing how much he was hating this deep down.
...
"You don't want to stay here. It's going to be a nightmare at night with the traffic and you don't have a change of clothes" Stephen said later.
As Elaine asked to stay the night in the hotel. He was trying to put her off the scent in a nice way. A couple of twenty-something men were sitting nearby as well with amused smiles which didn't help matters as they were eavesdropping.
"Oh but I wouldn't expect anything. It would just be nice to be in your arms at night and wake up with you. That's all I'm expecting" Elaine replied in a shaky tone of voice.
"You don't have a change of clothes"
"It's okay. I can just pop out now, I need to park my car in a better space anyway. I'll go buy some cheap pajamas. Besides, I don't want to leave you like this. You need support. So is that okay?"
"What about Tim, Sally and Faye? They aren't going to be happy"
"Well it's not up to them. It's my life, isn't it? So I'll go and do that now. Just give me your room number and I'll be back with a fresh set of clothes and a takeaway. How does that sound?"
"Okay. Sounds fine. It's number 45"
Elaine gave him a smile again. He watched as she walked away quickly, keen to get it over and done it so she could back. Stephen was left alone now as he gave a sigh, looking at the empty glass. He ordered a whisky and passed over the money which was suppose to be for a phone.
"You're going to need that mate. Or maybe she is" one of the young men suddenly called out.
"Oh. Grow up" Stephen replied back bluntly with a scowl; taking a swig of the drink.
"If I'm ever your age in a Travelodge drinking cheap whisky. I know I haven't made it in life. We can all see past your cheap suit, mate" the same man responded.
Trying not to rise to it. Stephen grabbed his glass and began walking away from the lobby with it. Ignoring the reminder from the bartender that he can't take glasses away. Stephen ignored all this and went straight to the lift and went up to his hallway. Drinking his whisky as he pressed his keycard against the hotel door and entering. Sitting on the bed and wondering what he was going to do next, he regretted ever telling Audrey.
...
The night went by fairly slowly for him as Elaine returned. She brought back a fresh set of clothes and a curry takeaway (only time Elaine left again was to chuck it in the nearest bin once they were done). She was wittering on and on about how wonderful it was to be with Stephen properly like a lovesick teenager. Even after they had gotten into bed. As she tried to make conversation into the night, holding onto his hands and smothering him slightly. Stephen however couldn't even sleep alone, this was like a form of torture for a mind racing as much as his. He couldn't stop thinking about the night he smothered Geoff with his own coat. He felt sick whenever he recalled those final moments. He kept thinking about his mother and how she knows almost all. How long could she keep quiet?
"So anyway, I told Tim I was with a friend and we had a few glasses of wine so that's why I can't drive back home tonight. And would you believe it, I missed out on my granddaughter's own-"
"Elaine! Please stop talking...I had a bad night last night on the couch. And I'm exhausted" Stephen tried to say.
"Oh. Sorry. I mean I was only saying, that's all. So you don't have to worry about him tonight. I'll let you go to sleep now, is it okay if I cuddle up to you a bit more? Just so I can get comfy"
"What do you mean?"
"Just put my head on your chest kind of thing. It's stupid saying it out loud. Is that okay though?"
"Oh for God's sake. Yes, whatever" Stephen replied with a sigh.
Elaine thus gave a smile to herself as she leaned in closer. Which made him feel more suffocated but he couldn't say no without making her think he was really lying. She put her head on his chest and held back onto his hand, trying to fall asleep at last. Though he couldn't as his mind was racing for reasons unknown to her and her body heat made it unbearable for him. He didn't like this. Stephen kept moving slightly and she tried to ignore it, she tried to smooth him a few times as she caressed his hand but nothing was working.
"I can't sleep like this...I need to go the bathroom" Stephen suddenly said as he removed himself from her entanglement.
He left behind a very concerned Elaine as she heard him get up. He entered the bathroom but didn't turn the light on. He was sat in the dark for goodness knows how long. She could have sworn she heard very faint sobs and mutterings as she waited in the bed. Elaine got out of bed after waiting a good ten minutes or so as she stood outside the bathroom door which wasn't far from the bed. It was a small travelodge bedroom after all, you could barely swing a cat around. She nervously knocked on the bathroom door...
"Stephen. I'm sorry to be a bother. Are you okay?" Elaine asked him.
"Yes! I'm just...I'm thinking about my dad"
"Your dad?"
"Yes. My dad! My biological father...I broke my phone and I don't know to get back in touch. He's going to think I abandoned him"
"Oh. But you know where he lives. I'll drive you there tomorrow and you can explain. You shouldn't beat yourself up over this, it's a simple mistake you made. Gabrielle was hounding you on that phone"
"Yeah"
"So come back to bed. Let's just go to sleep and we can go round in the morning. Explain to him" Elaine suggested.
"Yeah sure. I'll be out in a minute"
Elaine paused for a moment before rolling her eyes. Getting back into bed and waiting again. The door swung open as Stephen got back into bed however he purposefully chose the nearest spot away from Elaine. As she felt him move to the edge away from her. She didn't want to pester him again so she laid there with a sad sigh.
...
"Come on then. Let's go and explain" Elaine said the following day.
As she parked outside that familiar flat. Nothing seemed out of place from the outside. Stephen opened the car door, followed by a concerned Elaine. He pressed the button and half-expected him to answer (despite knowing he was dead). No answer came. Elaine suggested he should try somebody else and before he could protest, she pressed the nearest button.
"Hello. Can you buzz us in? An eighty year old man lives alone up there and we want to check on him. Geoff Masters" Elaine spoke so casually.
"Geoff Masters? Oh. Who is this?" came a croaky voice from the intercom.
"His son. I'm his son...I broke my phone and he doesn't know. So I wanted to tell him" Stephen chimed in finally.
"Oh. You best come up. I'm next door"
The sound of the flat unlocking was heard. Elaine giving a smile as she had no idea what was coming. Stephen however could tell from the sound of the neighbours' voice that his body had been found. Stephen walked towards the lift and it was broken like always. He was followed behind by Elaine as he climbed those steps once again. He almost felt sick again as he remembered exactly what he did and in detail. He reached the flat door (it was back on, must have been fixed for the next tenement). The owner of that croaky voice was standing outside his door with a cigarette in his hand as a man who looked maybe sixty-six stood there. So he was in the generation as Stephen.
"Hi. I was expecting to see you again. Geoff use to tell me about your visits" this man began.
"Use to?" Stephen asked with feigned surprise.
"You best come inside. Mind the mess on your way in" the man spoke as he opened his door wider.
Elaine grabbing onto Stephen's arm. She could tell it was bad news, strangers don't ask you to come in for any other reason. This man lived alone too as these flats seemed to be infested with lonely people. He had a single picture up on his wall, him and what Stephen presumed were friends (having a beer in some pub, still wearing the uniform of the Manchester docks).
"I was friends with your dad. A good guy. I'm sorry mate but he was found dead a few days ago. A burglary gone wrong we think. The coppers were there for a bit, I told them about you actually. As you are his only family" the man carried on.
"What? I...My phone got broken so I never got any calls" Stephen answered.
"That explains it then. I've been trying to get hold of you myself but the bloody cops took his phone for evidence. I had to wait a day or two just to get permission to get your number. Then I got it and you weren't picking up...You're a hard man to find, Stephen"
"He's been under a lot of stress" Elaine chimed in, thinking she was helping.
"Yes but not enough not to be told about this! I just can't believe this. We only recently got reconnected. I was adopted you see and I didn't even know who my real mom was until my twenties" Stephen explained to him.
"Yeah he said. Well that's it really, that's all I've been told but I'm sure you will get more information as you're his son. I've began his funeral arrangements but I'm skint. He's getting a pauper's funeral so if you want to change this, do it now" the man told him firmly.
"But what about his will?"
"His will? He's skint, Stephen. He has twenty pounds in his bank" the man said.
This news made Stephen seize up on the spot. Twenty pounds? He told him he had twenty grand. The truth was that it was all a lie from a lonely old man who could see his son was only seeing him for the money and didn't want him to stop seeing him. Geoff knew that Stephen would stop once he found out he had no real money. So he kept him there through deception.
"No...He told me he had twenty thousand pounds. What else did he lie about? Stephen managed to ask, trying to pretend it was the lie that was the problem.
"Nothing else. I don't know what to tell you, Stephen. But your dad didn't have twenty grand, he wishes he did. He had barely anything, he spent it all on looking for you"
"Because of mom hiding it. Hiding me...I couldn't have been that hard to find. I just-" Stephen paused.
He looked at this man for one last time. Making his way out in shock, Elaine quickly going after him. He felt sick before, even more now he discovered it was all for nothing. His final plan was all for nothing.
...
TBC