Old Walls - Part 3

 

Meanwhile back at the cottage Roz had just let in her Tuesday client, Jenny. They chatted in the kitchen for a bit like old friends.

 

‘Who cuts your hair Roz?’

 

‘Oh I go to Salon Seven in Steeple Yard, Steph cuts it.’

 

‘You’re so lucky to have such thick hair, mine is really thinning out.’

 

Roz touched the back of her head and said, ‘I don’t feel lucky, I feel like Worzel Gummidge, especially when I get up in the morning.’ She picked up the tray of tea and suddenly changed her tone of voice, ‘shall we go through now, Jenny?’

 

Jenny followed her into the dining room, the door was firmly closed and the atmosphere became loaded.

 

‘So, how are you and how has your week been? Has anything changed since the last time we spoke?’

 

Jenny looked down at the patterned rug on the floor and sighed. ‘No, it’s got worse if anything,’ she said, ‘I just wish we could go back in time to when he was still working. It was different then, he had balance in his life, we both did but he stopped working early because he didn’t want to pay any more tax to the government.’

 

‘And now?’

 

‘He doesn’t speak to me unless it’s to tell me about these ghastly videos he spends all day watching. It’s intrusive, these voices booming into our home, it doesn’t feel like a sanctuary anymore and I can’t zone it out. I go out for a few hours and when I get home, he can’t wait to tell me something new about it, some new statistics or theory.’

 

‘And how do you respond to that?’

 

‘Well I tend to keep my responses minimal, just an acknowledgement but if he goes on too much then I’ll interrupt him with a change of subject, then he gets annoyed.’

 

‘What does he do?’

 

‘Nothing…violent or abusive or anything he just says I’m ignorant and I don’t understand what’s happening in the world and how serious it all is. He’s talking about us getting a gun and going to a shooting range and learning to shoot.’

 

‘Oh….that’s new.’

 

‘Yes,’ Jenny looked stern, she clasped her hands together and continued, ‘I don’t want a gun in the house, in fact, I think that might be a deal breaker for me. I only just coped with all the bags of oats under the stairs but guns? No, it’s horrifying.’

 

‘You mean a separation?’

 

‘Yes. I’ve thought about it actually. I’ve got cousins up in York. They would take me in for a bit if push came to shove. I like it up there.’

 

‘Perhaps he’s just trying to shake you up, Jenny. It could be that he’s got no intention of taking shooting lessons but he wants you to respond to his concerns with the same level of consternation that he has.’

 

Jenny shrugged, ‘I just don’t feel it though. Yes I have concerns about the state of the world but they’re not the same as his and I want to enjoy my life, the last few decades of it and not squander it by worrying about things that might not be real.’

 

‘So,’ Roz took a deep breath, ‘do you think that some of your husband’s concerns might be real?’

 

‘I don’t know. The world is going to end I suppose, is it being run by two or three powerful families? Who knows. The UK probably will go bankrupt, there might well be a new pandemic, a supervirus or…super fungi according to my husband.’

 

‘Do his opinions change as he watches more of these reports or whatever they may be or does he tend to stick to the same belief?’

 

‘Mmmm, actually some of them have changed. He used to think humans were bred by aliens to dig for gold but now he thinks women were farmed for their menstrual blood and they shouldn’t be allowed to vote anymore because their oxytocin makes them weak and agreeable to communist regimes and they have a pathological empathy for the other.’

 

Roz shook her head. ‘I suppose it doesn’t really matter what the actual theories are, especially if they keep changing. This is more about the fact that he’s all consumed by this and the effect it’s having on your partnership. If you don’t mind me asking, what was he like as a young man?’

 

‘Oh,’ Jenny smiled and her eyes sparkled, ‘he was amazing, he was so open minded about everything.’

 

‘Oh really?’

 

‘Yes. That’s what attracted me to him because my parents were the exact opposite, they would judge somebody simply for simply having long hair or unpolished shoes or being vegetarian but he was very open. It was me who had to adjust. Some of the things he used to say just blew my mind, in a good way. I never heard him judge people, he spoke openly about sex and his feelings.’ Jenny looked suddenly crestfallen and very concerned.

 

‘The person you marry is rarely the one you retire with. There’s not many of us that last that long so you’ve done very well. And how is his physical health? Does he help you around the house?’

 

‘He has joint problems, his knees mostly and he gets tired quickly…which he attributes to having vaccines. I think that’s when he started to go down this path to be honest, it was the pandemic. But he does help a little, he’ll hang up the washing if I ask and he still mows the lawn. I do most of it but then I’m used to it. I just wish I could sleep better.’

 

‘Me too. I’m never fully awake and never fully asleep these days. Well I’m fully awake now of course while we’re in this session but I’ll be tired afterwards.’

 

Roz wrapped up the session, giving Jenny some breathing exercises and mindfulness tips, she was also asked to keep a diary of her feelings and they agreed to meet again next week.

 

Meanwhile the working party had stopped for a coffee break, gathering around a fallen log. Annabel had brought along cups for everyone and was slicing up her cake. Simon was starving, he wasn’t really used to physical work however the cake was dry and unfathomable in flavour.

 

‘Nice cake Annabel,’ he lied.

 

‘Oh my cleaner made it. She’s very good. It’s nice to have someone you can trust isn’t it.’ Annabel smiled warmly. She had a nurturing energy and a soft voice compared to Mel’s booming tones. They were always together although Annabel never got stuck into any work, she was always dressed up in beautifully ironed, pastel coloured shirts, gold jewellery, dazzling diamonds and full make-up.

 

‘So what made you move to Mellorford, Simon?’ said Shiva through a mouthful of cake.

 

‘It just got too busy, you know, in the city, too much traffic, too many people. We didn’t know who our neighbours were.’

 

‘Same as us. We had to get out of London because of the madness and materialism plus our street was full of strangers, I mean, I’m sure they were lovely but they lived very differently to us.’

 

Shiva continued to rattle on about her reasons for leaving, choosing her words carefully but Simon’s ears were pricked by what the camo guys were saying behind him.

 

‘Well there used to be two dominatrixes in the village, yes, there was that one in Pipers Ride, you know, the modern terraces.’

 

‘I think she’s still there, isn't she, but she only does term time…’

 

‘I suppose there’s not all that much work for people these days, especially around here.’

 

‘Simon, it’s all about the people isn’t it,' Shiva continued, 'People are what make a place.’

 

‘Indeed,’ said Simon, attempting to dissolve the conversation so he could carry on listening to the guys behind him who had now moved on to trout fishing.

 

He cycled home feeling good, he’d had some fresh air and social contact and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

 

‘How was the working party?’

 

‘I got stuck in a group with Shiva and Derrick. We didn’t really achieve much.’

 

Roz laughed. ‘I don’t think those two are results focused. Did you know her real name’s Suzanne?’

 

‘It doesn’t surprise me, she’s one of those who’s desperate to be interesting. Some guys turned up in camo. I think I’ve seen them in the pub before. They had machetes.’

 

‘Gosh, is there anything left of the nature reserve?’

 

‘Annabel brought along refreshments which was very thoughtful.’

 

‘Of course she would., and I bet she was dressed to the nines.’

 

‘She looked smart, yes, she’s a smart woman.’

 

‘And how was Mel?’

 

Simon noticed a slight change in his wife’s demeanor when she mentioned Mel, in fact she mentioned him a lot and always had an unusual curiosity when his name came up. ‘Oh Mel?’ He gave her a sideways look, ‘He was in fine form. You know…’ he cleared his throat, ‘those guys with the machetes said there was a dominatrix in the village.’

 

‘Really?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

Roz cocked her head and frowned with curiosity, ‘I wonder who that is then..’

 

‘Apparently a woman in those tall terraces on Pipers Ride. You learn so much when you join these groups, Roz. It changes your perspective on where you live.’

 

Their chat was suddenly interrupted by a car maneuvering outside with the stereo turned up loud enough that they could hear the beat of the music. 

 

‘Looks like he’s back,’ said Roz, looking out of the kitchen window.

 

‘Early morning, early finish. He must be a tradesman of some description, probably a scaffolder or a roofer.’

 

‘That’s a very impressive beard he’s got there, very manly. You’ve never grown a beard like that.’

 

Simon’s eyes narrowed. ‘A beard like that often hides something, a receding chinline, Phossy Jaw, maybe he’s due to appear in an identity parade.’

 

Roz laughed and shook her head, ‘Phossy Jaw? I haven’t heard anyone mention that since I was a child! We should introduce ourselves, you know, pop over later when we’re walking Timmy, that way he’s not pressured to invite us in, we can confine the chat to the doorway.’