CHAPTER 1 - THE EAVESDROP
THE BIG BUTLER FAIR - JUNE 2017
STABLES
MEL
Sighing, I pull out my phone and dial his number, hoping against hope he will at least pick up. My heart sinks as it goes to voicemail. I scratch my scalp whilst trying not to cry. “Hey, it’s Mel. I, look, I really think that you need to...well, quite frankly, forgive yourself! It was an accident! It has been 18 months. He is missing you terribly, and if you could just…”
“Excuse me, um, you should not be back here.” I turn to the voice behind me, which although authoritative, it is gentle.
“I will call you back. We will have this discussion!” I paste a smile on my face. “Sorry about that, had to find a secluded place, and....” I pause as she sticks out her hand. Although surprised, I do take it.
“Daphne, Daphne Chanders. Nice to meet you, Mel.” She grins. Then, without releasing me, pulls me into the office I passed as I sought some privacy. “You want some coffee?” She asks as she presses me to sit down. “Gonna go with black, no sugar?”
“Uh, yes, please.” I reply. Less than two minutes later, there is a cup in front of me and silence. “Um, do you normally do this?”
“Nope. Cookie? Chocolate fudge brownies, in case you were wondering.” She looks over her mug at me, then at the plate of cookies. “Melt in the middle squidginess guaranteed. I should know, I baked them this morning. It is the only thing that keeps him from going from a grump to annoying fucktard, but I love him!”
“So why are you doing this?” I ask, gratefully reaching for a cookie, as I could not face what was laughingly called breakfast this morning!
“Because, when I saw you were upset, I followed you. I am very nosy, and your friends were making faces I didn’t like when you were talking about whoever you were trying to get in touch with.”
“Uh…” I feel the tears prickle again. “...how much did you hear?”
“Shall we get him a colostomy sack and get it over with? It’s not as if he uses them for anything else!”
DAPHNE
It takes a few seconds, but the tears slide down her face. As she sobs, I press the intercom and wait for her to compose herself. “So what happened?” I hand her a tissue.
“He had an accident on...he’s his...well, I hope someday he will be again...his horse, but he’s not been to see him in 18 months, since he recovered from the accident. He hasn’t even told anybody where he is, not even...”
“Can we please have proper names for a call this fucking early?!” I cringe as the annoying fucktard’s voice booms into the room.
“Early?” Mel frowns.
“Yeah, in the pantheon that he lives in…” I check the time. “...are we alone?”
“Hang on…” There is swearing, a door slam, then silence before he clears his throat. “...now we are. So why?”
“Her name is Mel, and the problem is…” I prompt.
“Zeus, the name of the horse is Zeus, but he’s not the problem. It’s his owner, and my best friend, Justin.” She has another bite of cookie. “Oh, so good, he would love these! Sorry. They had an accident 18 months ago. He has never forgiven himself. Zeus was sent to a sanctuary to recover, he has closed the stables at home, and...”
“Never visited him since?” She shakes her head, and my heart races. “How is Justin?”
“Been in bed since it happened.” She sighs. “He’s not...he’s not, disabled physically, but the guilt of it all has crippled him, so he confines himself to bed or to his chair. But then there’s Gus…”
“And he is?” I smile at her, her eyes light up before she looks like she is going to cry again.
“Our son. Mine and my wife’s. You see, we wanted a baby, and he agreed to it, but he was there when the accident happened...they used to horse ride together, and now they don’t do anything…” Mel hiccups and starts to sob. “...every day, every damn day, he goes to his room to beg him, beg him to at least use his chair to come out to the garden, just something to get him out of the room, but he…”
“What horse is he, Zeus I mean?” My best friend asks quietly.
“Friesan. Black, absolutely beautiful.” Mel smiles. “They have something in common, in that they both have a deep affection for strawberries. I mean, Zeus will come to a halt if he passes a field of them, won't move again until he has at least ten...” She sighs. “...but Justin doesn’t eat them anymore, says he doesn’t deserve them.”
“Everyone deserves strawberries, what bullshit is that?!” I smile at the click of the lighter, followed by the pull on his morning blunt. “Okay, I am done with this. Gonna triple S...shower, shit and shave. Chat later.”
MEL
During all of that slightly bizarre call, my phone was buzzing. “Can you excuse me a second, just need to check…” She nods. My heart sinks. I have a slew of messages from the other protagonists in my life: Lindsay and her friend, Michael.
Now this is a friendship I do not understand! But he was with her when we met, and has not let go of her since. If he was straight, I would be wary, but he’s ‘1000% for the dick’, which, to be frank, the women of the world are very thankful for! They met in college, becoming fast friends in rebellion. Her being from the country set, and him from the rougher side of town, but both wanting to piss their mothers off; as neither approved of the other, which has not changed over the years. Despite what I keep saying, to both mothers, that this is what ‘keeps them together’, they remain disapproving.
“Sorry…” I mouth at Daphne, which she waves away. Sighing, I accept the call from Lindsay. “...hey, babe, how’s it going out there? You three having fun?” I clench my fist as she rattles out moan after moan about having tired feet, it being too hot, Gus taking ages over every little horse thing. “Lindsay! He is your son too! For God sake, you and Michael were away for two weeks in Cabo! A day out with his mother and his uncle is...now just a minute!” I grip the table. “Cabo is in Mexico, not Outer Monfuckinggolia! Besides, you tried to swap from your original flight on purpose, hoping to avoid today! Yes, you did, but it backfired as today’s one was full! How do I know that? Because Michael was in Justin’s room, complaining to one of his friends! He thought Justin was asleep. He wasn’t. After Mikey left, Justin told me!” Her silence is telling. As much as she loves Gus, she doesn’t like the responsibility of having a child of 13, who is all his father.
Justin Taylor is one of the most stubborn men I have ever met. Like Lindsay and Michael, we met in our youth, but unlike them, it is a friendship that all approve of. Yes, he’s from the WASP set as well, but he will tell people to ‘fuck off’ if needs be. Well, he used to, now he’s become cowed and just not the Justin we all knew and still absolutely love, well some of us. Not even the ball bustingness that is Debbie Novotny, who rules Liberty Avenue with a loving iron fist, could get him out of bed!
“Want to take them home with you?” Daphne’s voice has me looking up in confusion. “The cookies. He will eat three at most; you said that he would love them…”
“Seriously?” I am already reaching for the plate. She snickers softly, reminding me of Zeus and his love of strawberries. “Thank you, but um…”
“Let me get you a tub.” She gets up and goes into another room. She doesn’t take long. “I will select the choicest ones if you don’t mind.” I lean back in the chair and close my eyes for a second. “All done.”
“Thanks.” I take the tub before, once more, my phone rings. “Hey, Gus, where are you? Okay, will be there in five minutes.” I scratch my scalp in irritation. “They’ve managed to moan the fun out of today, so he wants to go home.”
“Ah, I see. Well, it was lovely to meet you, Mel. Here’s my card, in case you ever are in need of a person to purge at, or that cookie recipe.”
“Thank you, Daphne, for everything. And here's mine, so you can recognise the number when I call, because I know I will. The moment he tastes them, he will want them regularly.” I squeeze her hand and leave before I cry again.
CAR PARK - TEN MINUTES LATER
GUS
I glower at Mom and Uncle Michael as they scan the crowds for Momma.
“Oh, there she is!” Mom cries and starts waving, but Momma doesn’t wave back. “Let me handle this, Mikey!”
“Okay, Lindz.” He hops on the trunk to bask in the sun, like the lizard I think him to be.
“Hi, look…”
“Let’s just get home.” Momma bites out as she unlocks the car. “Gus, you’re up front.”
OFFICE - SAME TIME
DAPHNE
I look up as the door opens. He slides onto the sofa. “Well, Brian, your thoughts?”
“Cookie first.” He demands. Once he lifts his legs so I can sit down, I put the plate on his chest. He chews thoughtfully. “I knew there was something about Zeus. Nobody leaves a horse of that calibre alone and like that without good reason.”
“Uh huh. So now what?” I snag a cookie.
“She gave you her card?” He asks, I nod. “Good, but wait for her to call.”
“Okay.”
BRITIN - TWO HOURS LATER
KITCHEN
MEL
Having had a for shit day since Mikey cooked us breakfast, I never expected things to turn out this way! First, Mikey took the ‘we are angry' hints from Gus and I, and asked to be dropped off at his place first. Secondly, like I said to Daphne, Justin loved the cookies. He shared a couple with a very happy Gus, so I need to call her for the recipe. But the most important thing is him having expressed an interest in what Gus bought at the fair! Digging in my bag, I find her card and smile.
“Well your mood has improved.” Lindsay simpers. “What’s brought on that…”
“My mood with you has not improved. Now, I have a call to make.” I am about to leave, when I turn back and grab the tub. “You aren’t deserving of these!”
STUDY - A MINUTE LATER
I hum as I wait for the call to connect. When it does, I put her on speaker. “Hey, Mel, take it he liked them then?!”
“Immensely, so can you email me the recipe, please?!” I laugh.
“With pleasure. Give me a few seconds. There, you should have it now.”
“Thanks, Daphne! Talk later.”
“No problem. Later.”
I hang up smiling. It falls when Lindsey's shadow falls across the desk. “Who’s Daphne?”
“A new friend I made today. She sent me a cookie recipe.”
“They look so good...” She reaches for the tub, but I move it out of reach. “...Mel, I would like to…”
“They are for me, Justin, and Gus. Now I need to print this out for Nancy, she would do a better job than me!” She stops smirking at my raised eyebrow. Whilst it is true that my cooking skills are not great, she is not in a position to confirm that! “Now, could you check with our son what he wants for dinner, so we can order it and pick it up on the way home?”
“Fine.” She snipes before flouncing out.
I shrug at her victimhood, then open up the email. Daphne’s one has two attachments. I click the recipe first, phew it seems simple enough, I might give it a go. Then I open the picture and freeze, I am brought back out of my stupur by my phone ringing again. I hit speaker “Hello? Um, Daph, why do you…”
“Can you show him and call me back, please?” Again, there is that authorative but gentle tone.
“I will try.” I whisper before hanging up and taking the stairs two at a time.
JUSTIN’S ROOM - FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
JUSTIN
Despite my objections, my very loud objections, Mel finally persuaded me to look at the picture she forwarded to me before turning her cell off. And it’s him, it’s Zeus. “There’s not a mark on him.” I whisper, then think back to the accident. When I last saw him, he was unconscious and covered in blood. “So…” I pause as I hear the floorboards creak. “...go away, Lindsay! You have already upset Gus by ruining his day! Why not go meet Michael and bitch your sorrows away?!”
“I heard shouting!” She calls back. “I wanted to make sure you are okay, and is Mel in there with you?”
“I was having a nightmare, I am fine. No, she’s not!”
“Oh, okay, do you need water or anything?” We watch the handle go down. “Why is your door locked?!”
“Because I didn’t want to be disturbed!” I yell back. “I have taken a pill and will be back to sleep soon enough!”
“Alright...oh, hi, Lamb...Gus, have you seen your Momma?” I can’t hear what Gus is saying, but can definitely hear the angry sighing. “ Justin?!”
“What now?” I am almost crying with laughter at her frustration, as it doesn’t manifest itself very often where I am concerned..
“Mel is, like you, behind a locked door. I am going to take Gus home. Can you let her know that?”
“And you can’t text your wife, because?” I demand. “As I just said, I have taken a sleeping pill, so…”
“Fine, I will text her! Gus, come on, let’s go home!” She snaps.
Ten minutes later, Mel sighs in relief. “She’s gone.” She smiles as I lift the blankets, then quickly gets in. “Can I call her?” She just about keeps the plea out of her tone.
“Yes.”
“Hey, Daphne, okay Daph, I have Justin with me...oh sure, no problem.” She frowns at me. “Says she’s gotta go get someone. Think it might be the guy from earlier.”
“It is the guy from earlier.” A deep voice floats up. “Name’s Kinney, Brian Kinney. And we need to talk about child support.”
“Child support?” We repeat
“Yeah, your boy knocked up my girl. Disgraceful behaviour.” He chuckles in an insanely sexy way. “We’re going to have to meet, so we can talk about who gets custody of the foal.”