25
Kelly had arrived at the pub early to make sure she bagged one of the large booths in the corner. There was plenty of space for all the women she’d asked along for the impromptu midweek get-together but she placed her bag on the end to save a space for Beth.
They’d only known each other for a few weeks but despite Beth’s annoying boyfriend, Kelly had struck up a great friendship with her. It was based largely on texts back and forth but that was okay. It was good to have someone to chat to and their girly conversations and hilarious GIF exchanges sometimes lasted well into the night. Beth’s boyfriend sounded like a complete pain-in-the-arse scumbag who, apart from being a self-centred control freak and too handy with his fists, was getting in the way of Kelly having some fun with her new best mate.
She wasn’t really looking forward to Christmas apart from the two days she’d spend with her mum and dad who spoilt her rotten. It was the rest of December and the New Year that resembled a barren wasteland. The works Christmas do had been shite. What made it worse was that while the other girls made the effort during the meal Kelly could tell they didn’t want her tagging along to the club. So she’d left them to it.
Women didn’t like Kelly. They never had and she’d got used to it, telling herself she wasn’t a girl’s girl and they were just jealous. The works do hadn’t been a complete waste of time, though, because after her colleagues had sloped off, she’d spent it with a tasty bloke she’d met on Plenty of Fish. It was how she preferred things these days, no-strings sex with men who were only after the same thing as her. Relationships weren’t worth the hassle. Stan had taught her that.
All was not lost, though, because after Beth had let slip that Davey was going to be away for the night – some jolly over to Dublin with his other scummy mates – Kelly had an idea and was going to put it to Beth when she arrived. Checking her watch she saw it was five past. After scanning the empty car park she felt her heart sink and prepared to be let down.Once a loner, always a loner,she thought. It was nothing new but she’d hoped the women on her Facebook group would fancy a break from their humdrum lives and be up for a laugh and a few cheeky drinks.
She was expecting at least five definites and hopefully a few stragglers. After all, some of them owed her. It had been an awkward moment, the previous week at the drop-in when Beth had stumbled on her and Lynda in the toilets and yes, it must have looked and sounded dodgy so no wonder her face was a picture.
Lynda had been searching through her bag trying to find her purse, apologising as was her way, a trait that had probably been beaten into her. ‘It’s in here somewhere, honestly. Sorry for taking so long, I didn’t mean to make you wait for it but you know how it is.’
Kelly didn’t, but had nodded her head. Her patience was running out and she wished Lynda would get a move on otherwise Beth might get bored and set off without her.
‘Here, found it.’ Lynda pulled out her purse and then with trembling fingers unzipped the top and extracted a roll of twenty-pound notes. ‘Like I said, sorry I made you wait.’
Literally, just as Kelly’s fingers wrapped around the money, Beth burst into the toilets and caught the women red-handed. Their shocked expressions must have told a tale all of their own and it wasn’t surprising that she reacted with suspicion.
Looking from one to the other Beth asked the obvious. ‘Oh yeah, so what’s going on in here then? You two look very dodgy… should I turn round and pretend I didn’t see?’
Although Beth’s tone was jokey, Kelly spotted suspicion in her eyes and Lynda’s propensity for behaving like a timid mouse wasn’t helped by her stuttering and stammering over something really quite straightforward.
Kelly just said it how it was. ‘Nope, nothing dodgy going on here, mate. Just Lynda repaying a little loan, that’s all.’
Lynda nodded her agreement then found her voice as Kelly listened. The words that came tumbling out of Lynda’s mouth were no doubt a result of being used to thinking on her feet to swerve the fist. ‘Our Patrick wanted to go on a school trip but his dad said he couldn’t, so I slipped him the money and told him not to let on but then our Rachel needed some new shoes cos some little bastard pinched hers out of the changing rooms, so when the gas and leccy bill came I was short so Kelly here lent me the money till I got straight. She’s an angel, she is.’ Lynda took a breath then reached out and squeezed Kelly’s arm, a grateful smile accompanying her words of thanks.
‘Honest, Lynda, it’s no trouble and if it happens again, just say. You’ve got enough on your plate without worrying over money, too.’ Kelly gave her a wink and a smile.
Lynda hitched her bag over her shoulder then slipped past Beth who stepped aside to let her pass.
Once she had gone, Kelly raised her eyebrows, laughing as she spoke. ‘What’s with you, Detective Inspector Beth? For a minute I thought you were going to arrest me for crimes against the sisterhood. Since when did you get all suspicious?’
Beth coloured but seemed to take the jibe well. ‘Mate, if you lived with a shady bloke who does most of his business in loos, you’d be suss too, and less of the detective shit, that’s all I need. Now, are you giving me a lift home to paradise or not?’
Kelly had snorted a laugh and pocketed the money before pulling open the door. She had followed Beth towards the exit, waving to the other women as they went. It felt good to be part of a group regardless of the reason they were all there but most of all, it was nice to have a friend again, even the slightly scruffy, pink-haired, tattoo-freak up in front.
Kelly took a sip of her spritzer and tried to ignore the spark of annoyance that her solitary status in the pub ignited. She was starting to feel like a right pillock, sitting in the huge booth and just wished one of her ragtag Facebook group would turn up, especially Beth. Kelly was getting the hump which was ironic and apt, seeing as it was Wednesday.
Little did Beth know that the incident with Lynda wasn’t the first time she’d helped some of her growing army of lost waifs and downtrodden wives, or that lending them money wasn’t a problem. She had a nice little nest egg tucked away and if dipping into it meant she was needed, liked even, then all well and good. Kelly was honest with herself at least, because she was never going to be Mother Theresa and her benevolence was in the most part self-serving. Gaining the trust of women like Lynda, jolly meet-ups like this and getting to hear their stories first-hand was going to be invaluable when Kelly began her new venture. She was sick of her job as a dental nurse, of looking into the mouths of people who didn’t know how to use a toothbrush and working alongside women who shunned her so it was time for a change.
After plenty of research, and now she had the funds, enrolling on a few online courses wouldn’t be a problem. The internet world was her oyster and all being well, in the new year she would be on her way to becoming a relationship counsellor, or whatever dedicated solver of personal problems one required. She’d even been practising her concerned face in the mirror, that doctorly way of nodding your understanding while focusing on the client, as if your scholarly brain is working it all out as they speak.
Along with her credentials, Kelly was banking on the fact that her tragic experience and understanding of police and court proceedings would be an invaluable plus, like a cruel but useful job reference. The tentacles of her ‘situation’ and those in similar circumstances, wrapped around the lives of extended family members and Kelly understood this. She could see herself now, doing the nod, passing the box of tissues. Her survival status would show the victims that there was hope and something good could come out of all this: after all, she had risen from the ashes.
Kelly had it all planned out and kept her eye on social media and the many groups she had joined where she was a popular regular, commenting on issues and lending support from behind her laptop screen.
She was also honing other skills like public speaking because who knew where this could take her but until the opportunity presented itself, she would make do with radio phone-ins. Kelly enjoyed it, giving her side of the story even though she had had to learn to curb her descriptive tendencies rather than upset or offend anyone. This new, sensitive side to her personality was actually borne out of regret because Kelly’s own parents had suffered too, not only when they heard of her ordeal but in the months of investigations and court appearances, those tentacles constantly squeezing joy out of their lives. It was at times like that when she had questioned many things, like her decision to report the attack. The thing was, in the end, Kelly couldn’t alter the past or what her parents had heard in evidence. They’d been advised by the liaison officer to leave when Kelly’s video interview describing the rape was played, but decided to stay so now they had to live with it. After that, all Kelly did was tell her side of the story. That’s what the barrister wanted, and that’s what he got.
* * *
Kelly was getting impatient and furiously texting Beth when she felt a tap on her arm and there she was, with Paula and Nicki in tow, all three looking frozen.
‘Hey, you made it, now sit down and I’ll get the drinks in. My treat.’ Kelly watched as they unravelled scarves and removed hats and coats, placing their orders before shuffling around the booth.
Beth hovered by Kelly’s side. ‘Sorry I’m late. That prat was taking ages to get ready so I had to linger until he was well out of sight. Do you want a lift with the drinks? I’ll just have a diet Coke. I feel a bit rough today. Think it might be a bug.’
