CHAPTER 48 - REGRETS...YOU HAVE AND THEY’RE GONNA MAKE YOU

MICHAEL’S HOUSE - FOUR HOURS LATER

LOUNGE

I wipe my eyes and sit up. They knew! They used me as a fucking scapegoat to get rid of him!! I replay the conversation with Jezza, as Una called him. Surely there is some way I can screw them over without dropping myself in the shit...not that I'm not drowning in the stuff already!

I spot my phone flashing and ignore it. I am, not in the mood to talk to anybody. I need to get myself out of the shit that Rodney and Jerry’s rejection of me has caused! On thinking his name, his face comes sharply into view…

Start of flashback

THE INN AT HONEY RUN HOTEL - 4 YEARS AGO

RODNEY & VIC’S ROOM

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?! AND WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?!”

I jump as Rodney comes back in the bedroom and almost spill the glass of wine I have been holding since he went to get the flowers.

“Michael, put your clothes on!” He bellows over his shoulder. “Where’s your Uncle?!”

“You don’t want me…”

“No! Of course I fucking don't!” He stalks to the bathroom and slams the door.

“I was going to say...you don’t want me to do that!” I gripe and then head to the bathroom and press my ear to the door, he’s on the phone and I can hear him saying Uncle Vic’s name! I now wish I hadn’t gotten undressed in there in the hopes that we would rinse off in the shower after!

The door is wrenched open and my clothes thrown in my face. “You, dressed and out! How long have you been planning this?!” He yells.

“I have made a mistake, I can see…”

“No! A mistake is you lunging for a kiss when drunk! This was planned! If not, why is Vic in another hotel on the other side of the fucking city?! And why is the bill settled?!”

“I…”

“GET FUCKING DRESSED!!”

I scramble into my clothes, my whole body a mass of humiliation. I am about to leave when I realise something else: my phone, keys and wallet are also in the bathroom.

“Rodney!” I yell, and the door is opened and I am now pissed and embarrassed that he looks relieved that I have clothes on! “I need to get the rest of my…”

“Why?”

“I can’t get into the…”

“Don’t be fucking obtuse, you are obviously not fucking stupid! Why would you want to hurt your Uncle like that in the unlikely event of us happening?!”

“I find you attractive, and…”

“To hell with what I thought and the feelings of your Uncle?!”

“He would get over it and understand! He would want me...us, to be happy!”

“But I don’t find you attractive! I don’t like you…”

“Rod….”

“LET ME FINISH!” He pushes pass me and grabs his case then the rest of his things. “I don’t like you, Michael, not like that. In fact, not at all!”

“You don’t?”

“No…”

“But the times we talked, the things you helped me with and…”

“Did I once ever ask anything about you apart from how are you?” He pulls on his jacket and glares at me. “And as for the things I helped you with, it was just that, helping, because it is the kind thing to do! But no more, you do things on your own! Now I am going to give you two more kinds of help...go and see someone about this nasty streak you have. I thought I had imagined it or read you wrong, but this proves that you are nasty and selfish. I don’t like nasty and selfish, let alone fuck them! I love your Uncle very much, this is why I did this for him! I thought you loved him too, but now I know what those snide looks were for! And speaking of your Uncle, because I love him so much, I won’t tell him about this...don’t speak or thank me, like I said doing it for him!”

He looks around the room and then pushes pass me again to go in the bathroom. “Where are you going?”

“Where do you think?!” He looks incredulous.

“You’re going to tell Ma!” I gasp.

“Jesus, will you listen to yourself?! Of course not! I am going to see your Uncle and try to enjoy the rest of my weekend, although I might need counselling after this!” He takes one more look around the room before opening the door. “Enjoy your weekend...and keep the flowers as your memory of it!”

I jolt as he slams the door before making my way to the full length mirror. “How could he turn down all of this?” I look down at myself and see a well dressed man. I open up my shirt and look at my abs and chest. “You want that scrawny old man instead...and they say you have to be smart to be a cop!”

End of flashback

“Well, Rodney, at least you died with one regret, I was the best thing you never had!” I rage at the floor. “I hope you are burning in hell!”

SCHENLEY PARK - MID-MORNING

CHYNA

“Is that the best you can run?!” I yell over my shoulder as I jog in front of them. I decided since it was a gorgeous day to take them outside to the park to exercise. We’ve got a dress rehearsal coming up, and this is a treat for them...but that depends if they like water or not! “I can run faster than you lot in my heels!” I tease them as I run backwards.

“Are you challenging us?!” Campbell calls out as he runs alongside the love of his life, Milo.

“Are you accepting?!” I call back, facing the front again.

“Yes!” Drew yells, so I stop and wait for them to catch up. “Where to?”

“Pond in Panther Hollow....” They start to sprint off. “...come back here, idiots!” I laugh and wait for them to return. “Go via the bridge though and be encouraging to your team mate or life partner, because everyone has to finish before me…”

“What’s the wager?” Ted asks, exchanging worried looks with Blake, bless the pair of them they aren’t the best at running.

“No wager, just bragging rights.” They all eyeball me. “Okay, if you all beat me then you get next weekend off.” There is happy murmuring. “But if I beat any of you, then you have to do a tire class on Saturday and wall ball on Sunday.”

“What’s wall ball?” Justin frowns. “And why is Milo looking like that?”

“It’s hell, that’s what it is!” Milo replies shuddering. “You have to take a medicine ball, weight of her choosing I might add, get into a squat, stand back up again really quickly and throw the ball against the wall and then catch it...if you are lucky this will be with your hands and not your face.”

“Which is why it is always a soft ball for beginners.” I give a cherubic smile, which none of them return. “So, no bet, you’re pussying out…”

“We are not pussying anything, and never use that word again!” David cringes. “However, to make this a little fairer, as...no disrespect to them but she will beat you...Ted and Blake are exempt.”

“Fair enough.” Looks of relief abound, especially on their faces, time to change that. “But they still have to do the classes when I beat you guys.” The happy expressions clatter to the ground...now that’s more like it, nobody should smile in my exercise class! “Right, get in line. On your marks! Get set...go!” I yell and we all take off, they fly past me with Blake and Ted doing their very best to keep up. I stop running and smile. “I really don’t understand what the fucking problem is with wall ball, I love it!” I murmur to myself as I watch them start to fade in to the distance. “Okay me old Chyna, let’s kick ass!”

POND - 40 MINUTES LATER

“Do not take your foot out of the water, Blake.” David orders as he wrings out Alexi’s shirt to use it as a form of bandage. “And you stop beating yourself up for heaven sake! It was an accident, Chyna.”

“I know, but it’s still…”

“Not your fault!” Blake berates me. “I should’ve been looking where I was going instead of admiring Ted’s a...looking where I was going.” He blusters and blushes.

“Okay, now hold as still as you can.” David orders and gently lifts his foot. “Sorry…” He says at Blake’s hiss of pain. “...shit, that looks...yeah, we need an ambulance for this. Pushkin, can you call one for me, please?” He pauses as he realises what he has just said. “I mean…”

“Brat.” Brian suddenly says and we all look at him.

“Who are you calling a Brat?” David frowns.

“No, he calls me Brat and I call him Twerp.” Justin explains and looks around the rest of us.

“Quarterback...obviously.” Drew smirks.

“Tight end...because it’s true.” Emmett chuckles.

“Petal and he’s Teddy Blossom.” Blake winces again.

“Chunky and Flunky.” Milo points to himself and then Campbell. “I wasn’t all this muscle when I met him...and he still fell in love with me. As for Flunky...he failed his driving test six times now…”

“If I needed to drive then chauffeurs would be out of a job.”

“No, they would not. Because if you ever pass your test, we will still have a chauffeur…”

“Why?”

“Because the instructor that passes you must be blind, high, hammered or all three! You are too vain to drive! What did you fail on before you even got out of the lot?”

“Teeth check.” He scratches the back of his head and we wait for him to continue. “He said check the mirrors, so I did and adjusted one...when he asked why I had adjusted a perfectly placed mirror, I said it was because I wanted to see how good I looked. He just wrenched the keys out and walked off!”

“Ouch! Don’t make me laugh!” Blake groans. “Trying to keep foot still here!”

“Cloud and Flaxen.” Daph laughs and then sighs. “Because of our hair, mine is like a cloud if I don’t straighten it, and Cyn’s is because of the colour.” I am so pleased that Cyn has partnered up with Daph for this show...not as pleased as Campbell though who has persuaded Milo to join too. “So that just leaves you, David, and Chyna to fess up.”

“Dorogoy.” Alexi steadies Blake’s leg. “It means darling, and the ambulance will be another 20 minutes at least. It might be quicker for one of us to run back and get the car.”

“No, let me call Flame…” I pull out my phone and scrunch up my nose. “...hair colour too and she calls me Doll.”

“I expected something a touch more exotic than that.” Daph looks disappointed.

“Short for China-Doll, because only she gets to see how truly breakable I am. Don’t get moist…” I warn as Campbell looks sweetly at me. “...hey, can you get to Schenley in less than 20? Blake’s done his ankle, and the ambulance...the wheel...yeah, good idea! It’s in the cupboard under the stairs, see you in 10.”

“Wheel?” David prompts.

“Have a wheelchair from the last time I did my knee. She’s bringing it with her.”

“Great! I’ll go back to the car and wait with her there. Oh no...not sensible, what if…”

“Ted, you go. We can go and wait for her at the footbridge?” Brian suggests. “Not sure she will be able to drive down, the rest of you can help carry Blake?”

“Maybe we can make some kind of sling thing to carry him and not jar his ankle?” Daph suggests and within minutes shirts are being removed and I start to feel less guilty.

Definitely no classes next weekend!

FOOTBRIDGE - 15 MINUTES LATER

MICHAEL

I am so glad I got up and came for this walk. I feel clearer headed now. I look across Schenley Park and can’t think why I haven’t been here before. It really is very scenic, and the scene has just got a whole lot better! I can see Brian, leaning over the bridge, and he’s alone! I quickly check myself and jog up to him.

“Hey, Brian!”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Yeah it’s me. How you do…” I stop to take in some air.

“You jogged less than 20 meters and you’re out of breath? Bet you’re regretting being kicked out of class now, although when you are trying to spronk your way onto the stage, at least you will be easy to catch…”

“Once they stop laughing of course.” I grimace at the tick’s sarcastic tone and my face twists further when he shares the ice lolly with Brian. “Now don't try and bitch back, because like most men when they are around you, I won’t rise.”

“I will ignore that pathetic and untrue jibe and continue my conversation with Brian.”

“No you won’t…” He strides past me. “...Isla! Leave it there, go back to the car and wait!”

“Why are you still standing here?”

“Why shouldn't I be? It’s a free country, and…”

“Jesus, what the fuck happened to you in such a short space of time?!” Emmett calls out and I don’t like the way he is speaking to me!

“What is that supposed to mean, and why are you speaking to me like that after not speaking to me for so long?!”

“I mean you look like a beached manatee! We really should roll you back into the water!” He replies then presses his hand to his mouth and looks me up and down. “Look, world, this is what happens when your mouth runs you to seed...if you had kept quiet and been nice, you’d look as hot as we do. But at least your ugliness is on the outside too, saves people wasting their time discovering what you are really like!”

I am reeling at the vindictiveness of his tone and am about to retaliate in kind when he puts up a hand. “Do not, I mean it, or you will find out how hard this flamer can throw!”

“Emmett, don’t give him ammo, you never know how he will use it. I mean, he might have you arrested for threatening behaviour, and…” The tick stops talking, thank fuck, and stares hard at something in the distance. “Isn’t that Debs and Detective Horvath?”

“Yes! I think that’s the fourth date they’ve been on, and their third started last night!” Chyna smirks. “If they keep going like this, you could have a new Daddy, Michael, which neither of you will be happy with but at least he would get Debs. Always admired her.”

“What happened to him?” I ask as Blake is carried past me.

“None of your business. He wouldn’t want your concern. Nothing about you is genuine, apart from your vindictiveness!” Emmett spits as he follows them.

I grab his arm and pull him to a halt. “What the fuck is your problem?!”

“Take your filthy paw off my man!” Drew is in my face in seconds and I quickly let go. “As for his problem, it's you. You are his problem. Now make decent for a change and get the fuck back under that rock in the pond like the bottom feeder that you are!”

“Boys! Let’s all go and leave him here to wonder what went wrong in his life…”

“I could be like my ex manager and end it, but that would be too cowardly!” I bitch, and immediately regret it as Chyna gives me such a look of hatred that I feel it in the pit of my stomach. “That was…”

“Quiet.” She hisses. “And leave. Because if I move, you are in…”

“What’s going on?” Detective Flatfoot is all I fucking need! “Chyna, you okay?”

“Be grateful. Be very fucking grateful!” She rants before inhaling deeply. “I will be, Carl. I will be. Morning, Debs!”

“Hey, honey!” She calls out, and I turn around to find her looking at Blake’s foot and then at me. “What are you doing here, Michael?”

“Being a nasty ass troll.” Drew retorts.

“Go where you’re wanted, Michael, which is not here!”

“Why the hell is everyone picking on me today?!” I choke out and brush away the tears.

“Because for once you’re the carrion and we’re the vultures…” Chyna begins spitefully but allows herself to be pulled back by Ma. “...and we’ve only just begun to circle!”

“Should you be this close anyway?” Flatfoot points in Brian’s direction.

“It’s okay, Carl!” Brian shouts back as he and the tick start to walk towards the park entrance and the rest start to follow. “We’re going. We’ve got much better ways to spend our time together. See you guys later!”

“What time should we get there, Brian, and do we need to bring anything?! Ma calls out.

“About eight and no. We’ve got it covered!”

“Dinner at Britin! I can’t wait! Carl...I am going with Blake, don’t waste too much time here. Chyna, you are coming with me, you’re too pretty and vicious for jail!”

“I am not vicious, I am preciletto.”

“That is not a word!” Emmett declares.

“It’s an amalgamation. Of precise and stiletto...not the shoe but the dagger. And I never miss!”

“Right, we are leaving now!” Ma orders, and pushes Chyna ahead of her.

Soon I am alone and my day is complete when I look heavenwards and a bird craps right in my eye!

INTEGRITY FINANCIAL SERVICES - MID-MORNING, NEXT DAY

TED’S OFFICE

MARILYN

“Ted, I would’ve been a character witness!” I am barely controlling my temper, having heard what Michael said. “That...that absolute cockroach!”

“So we’re going to ask for the trial to be heard sooner rather than later, which we think his attorney will be amenable to.” I nod and then smile softly as he gets up to adjust the cushion under Blake’s ankle and then checks his watch. “You can have a pain pill now, do you want one?”

“Not yet, Bloss...Ted.” He sits forward so cushions can be plumped behind him.

“So what brought that on?” I ask. “He just randomly said such a shit ugly thing?”

“No, Emmett and Chyna double barrelled him. And speaking of Emmett, I need you to listen to something.”

Fifteen minutes later, I am pacing and wracking my brains. “Give me a few seconds, I will get it, I know there is...yes, got it! It was about a year before Jerry died…

Start of flashback

MARILYN AND JERRY’S RESIDENCE - FOUR YEARS PRIOR

LOUNGE

“How was your da...oh dear me! Right, first let Dylan say goodnight, and then we talk!” I try not to wince at the harangued look on his face but it softens at the mention of Dylan. He is up the stairs in seconds, and by the time he comes down half an hour later, the wine is poured and the door is softly closed behind him.

“Doesn’t matter how much I try, he always knows when I am reading ahead. One day I will catch him off guard.”

“You won’t. He’s you, so you won’t. So what’s happened today?” I gesture to the sofa and hand him a glass of wine once he gets comfortable.

“It was promotion day.” He takes a healthy glug and licks his lips. “Meet the new Area Manager!”

“Oh, Jerry, I am so happy for you! You so deserve it!” I give him a hug and a big sloppy kiss.

“Well, some folks don’t think so! They think I glad handed to get ahead amongst other things!”

“Glad...what are you talking about?” I fume, having a horrible feeling from past conversations where this is going.

“He didn’t get the promotion and he says it’s my fault!”

“Who did...Novotny? Michael said that him being a lazy bum is your fault?! He was lucky that he gave a passable blow job to whosoever or he wouldn't have been assistant manager!”

“Marilyn!” He snorts into his glass. “Hush! I told you that in the strictest of drunken confidences.”

“The walls don’t have ears. So who got it then? Surely they didn’t give it to Andrew?”

“No. They brought someone else in. Her name is Tracey, but she doesn’t start for a year…”

“A year? Why not?”

“She’s got another store to bring into line. Between you and me there is a huge thing happening, but I don’t know what, so in the interim, Andrew is going to take charge.”

“Andrew? Aimless Andrew?! You are kidding me?! He would find something good about a murder, such is his positivity! And you said he is inept!”

“Yes, but with training he could come on.”

“Hmmm. So Michael, he didn’t…”

“Christ no! I am way too much of a man for him. You’re too much of a man for him! No, I was on the panel with Bob and Tracey, she came into interview obviously because she had to be, but the only person who said yes was Bob…”

End of flashback

“Um, was this Bob guy sick at all?” Blake queries.

“Not sure, but his wife left him soon after Michael’s accident. Cheated on her one too many times and left her with something to remember it by!”

“What exactly?” Blake looks at me keenly. “Blossom, give me those papers! Marilyn, what was it?!”

“Herpes.” I shake my head sadly. “Poor woman, such a nasty…”

“And that’s why his claim was never investigated!” Ted yells before tilting Blake’s head up and kissing him soundly and waiting.

“Guys?” I begin before Blake whoops and pulls out a piece of paper. “What?”

“Four years ago, Michael had oral herpes…” Blake reads excitedly. “...what’s the betting if the courts pulled big ole Bob’s records he had the same.”

“So Michael gave it to him?” Ted reads over his shoulder.

“No!” I exclaim. “Other way around! And that’s why he let Jerry take the blame!”

We sit in silence for a moment. “So now what?”

“I go and speak to Michael!” Ted growls. “And he is going to fucking answer my questions honestly, even if I have to pull his dick through his nostrils to make him!”