1953 - The Things Men Do (9 page)

Selby. A Selby, George. Selby, Gloria. I repeated her number half aloud, then I got up, went to the door leading to the stairs, opened it a few inches and listened. I could hear Ann moving about in the sitting-room. I listened for several minutes, then closed the door again, and returned to the desk. My heart began to bang against my ribs as I dialled Gloria's number. I sat listening to the burr-burr-burr on the line. Then I heard another sound: footsteps on the stairs, and in a panic, I dropped the receiver back on its cradle.

The office door opened and Ann came in.

"I'll take the ledger upstairs. I can start it while I'm waiting for the potatoes to boil."

"It's over there."

I felt her eyes on me although I didn't look up.

"Is anything the matter, Harry?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, there's no need to shout, darling. I thought you looked . . ."

"I wasn't shouting." I got up. "May as well close for the night."

Still without looking at her, I walked out of the office. I hadn't taken more than four steps when the telephone rang. I turned quickly, then stopped myself from making a mad rush to the desk.

Ann picked up the receiver.

"Harry Collins: can I help you?"

I stood watching her, my mouth suddenly dry. I saw her frown.

"Hello? Hello?" She looked up and met my eyes and shrugged. "Hello?" She waited a few seconds, then replaced the receiver. "Must have been cut off. There's no one there."

Had Gloria tried to get through? Had she hung up when she had heard Ann's voice? Why couldn't Ann keep out of the office? Why the hell had she come in at this moment?

I walked down the garage. She followed me. I didn't look round. As I began to pull the double doors shut, I saw she was looking at the work that had been done during the day.

"They have got on well, haven't they?"

"I suppose they have."

I had shut the doors now, and we stood side by side in, the gloomy barn-like garage, looking at the white, new-timber and the work bench.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. What do you mean?"

She looked at me, smiling uneasily.

"But, darling, there must be something wrong. You've been so strange: not a bit your usual self. I know I annoyed you yesterday: I'm sorry about that. Don't let's go on like this anymore."

"There's nothing wrong. For goodness' sake, don't fuss. Hadn't you better get cracking on that ledger? It's nearly twenty to seven."

"All right." I knew she was looking at me, but I wouldn't meet her eyes. I was still wondering if it had been Gloria who had rung, and if she would ring again. "Harry, darling . . ."

I realized she was close to me, holding her face up to be kissed.

"Come on. Ann, it's getting late."

She put her arms round my neck and pressed her face against mine.

"Harry, please, don't let's go on like this."

Then the telephone began to ring.

I pushed her from me. Maybe in my excitement to get to the phone before she did, I used unnecessary violence for she went staggering back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ann." I reached out to steady her, but she avoided me. "I'll get it."

I ran to the office and lifted the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Harry."

I felt a prickle run up my spine at the sound of that low, husky voice.

"Hello, there."

I looked over my shoulder. Ann was coming towards the office.

"Are you alone?"

"No."

"Shall I ring off?"

"No. Is there anything I can do?"

Ann came into the office. I leaned forward to pick up a pencil so she couldn't see my face. She crossed the office to the rear door.

"If you haven't anything better to do I was wondering if you'd like to drop in."

My heart gave a lurch.

"Why, yes: I could manage that. About what time?"

Ann had gone up the stairs. I heard her shut the door at the head of the stairs.

"It's all right now. She's gone."

Gloria laughed.

"I shouldn't have called you, but I was so damned bored with myself. I wondered if you were bored too and if you'd like to come on over. There's a good movie on at the Plaza or do you have to stay at home?"

"Of course I don't. What time shall I come?"

"Oh, about eight. Sure you don't mind leaving your wife?"

"She's working on the books at the moment. It's all right."

"Then about eight Harry."

"Yes."

The line went dead and I slowly replaced the receiver. I reached out and took a cigarette. As I lit it I saw my hands were shaking.

You can't do this to Ann, I said to myself. You can't leave her like this. But I was scarcely listening to myself. This could be it Gloria was alone. She had asked me to come over. This could be what my mind had been thinking of ever since she had kissed me.

Get it over, I said to myself. Get her out of your system.

Don't let an opportunity like this slip through your fingers.

I looked at my watch.

It was ten minutes to seven. I had plenty of time to change, have a wash and get over to Bond Street by eight.

I went upstairs and into the sitting-room.

Ann was working at the table, entering bills in the ledger.

"I've got to go out after supper, Ann. That was Dix on the phone. He wants me to meet the other directors."

I wasn't full of whisky and confidence this time, and I found it pretty hard to lie to her. I kept moving as I spoke, knowing I couldn't look her in the face.

She didn't say anything, and that made me more uneasy than if she had come into the bedroom and told me she knew I was lying.

"Did you hear, Ann?" I said, raising my voice as I took off my coat and shirt. "I have to go out after supper."

"Yes, I heard."

She spoke quietly and she didn't move from the table. I felt a sudden rush of rage go through me.

I went into the bathroom. After I had shaved and washed I returned to the bedroom. I could hear her moving about in the kitchen, and I was suddenly sorry I hadn't said I had to go out at once. It looked as if supper was going to be a difficult meal.

I had put on my suit again by the time she had dished up the supper.

"Looks good," I said, sitting down at the table. "Sorry I have to leave you, Ann, but Dix wants me over to meet these other two. They only come to Town occasionally."

She didn't say anything, but sat opposite me while I served the bacon pie she had made. I gave her a quick sideways look. Her face was pale and expressionless, and she kept her eyes down.

"For the love of Mike, you're not going to sulk because I have to go out, are you?"

She looked up then, and I was startled to see anger in her eyes.

"I'm not sulking, Harry. I don't want you to go out tonight, but I'm quite sure that won't stop you. I only hope you realize what you are doing."

"This is ridiculous! I stand a chance of making some money, and you're doing your best to make it difficult for me. Just because Dix wears a flashy tie, you dive off the deep end. We're in a mess and we've got to get out of it, and this is the way to do it. So please don't be quite so free with your criticism. This is business, and you must leave it to me."

"Is it business? How can you talk like that, Harry? Don't you realize I can see through you? Do you think I'm an utter fool?"

"What do you, mean? Of course it's business!"

"Is this Selby girl a friend of Dix?"

I felt myself change colour.

"What on earth makes you say that? Why bring her into this?"

"Didn't she introduce you to Dix, Harry?"

"She doesn't come into it. Can't you get her out of your mind?"

She looked at me, her face white and set.

"Are you going to lie to me, Harry? You don't have to. All I want is the truth. If you want this girl, say so. Don't be underhanded about it. She rang you up just now, didn't she? It wasn't Dix."

I looked at her. I felt cold and sick. I suddenly saw the danger and it frightened me.

"Now look, Ann . . ."

"Harry! Will you stop trying to evade the issue? I'm asking you a straightforward question and I want an answer. Did she or did she not phone just now?"

"Yes; she did."

"She wanted you to go to her?"

"Yes."

"All right, Harry, go if you want to, I'm not going to stop you. If she means all that to you, go to her. I don't want you if you feel like that about her."

"For God's sake, Ann . . ."

"Don't look so frightened. It's all right. I want you to be happy. If you think this girl will make you happy . . ."

"Stop it! It's nothing like that. Ann! Don't say such things. I've been a rotten fool. If it comes to a choice between you and her, you must know who I want. I'm sorry. I won't go. You have only to look as you're looking now to bring me to my senses. I wouldn't hurt you or make you unhappy for anything in the world."

"Don't say that, Harry, if I've frightened you. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just want to be sure that you want me. If you don't, say so. I'll go away. I can look after myself. Only I'm not going to share you with anyone."

"She means absolutely nothing to me. You must believe me, Ann. This was a physical thing. I went off balance. It'll never happen again. I promise. Honest, darling, it's never going to happen again."

She sat down suddenly and put her hands over her face.

"Ann, darling, don't cry. Forgive me. It's over now. It won't ever happen again."

I went to her and put my arms round her.

"Harry, you don't know how I hated doing that," she said, clutching hold of me. "But we had to settle it one way or the other, didn't we? Oh, darling, try and fight against it. Don't let her spoil all we've built up together. It's so easy to destroy."

"It's all right, Ann, I swear it's all right. I've been a mad fool. It won't ever happen again." She pressed her face against mine.

"Only you can make that come true, darling. I trust you. Please never lie to me again. If I can do anything to help you, tell me. I love you so, Harry, but I can't share you."

I lifted her and carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed.

"It'll never happen again, Ann. You're the only girl who means anything to me. Oh, Ann, I'm crazy about you."

"But, Harry, your supper's getting cold."

"Damn the supper."

"Here, let me. I'll do it. No, darling, you'll tear it Oh, Harry The clock on the bedside table showed twenty minutes past eight when the telephone bell began to ring.

"You'd better answer it."

Ann stiffened and her fingers gripped my arm.

"Let it ring."

We lay side by side, listening to the steady ringing, our hearts pounding.

"It might be important, Harry."

"Nothing is as important as you."

The telephone bell rang for a long time, but after a while I didn't hear it

chapter eight

T
hinking about it in my office the next morning, I realized what a mad, stupid fool I had been. I had nearly broken up my marriage for a girl I scarcely knew. I had been stupidly confident I had been getting away with it when all the time Ann and Bill had seen through me. I must have been out of my mind.

Well, it was over! I was lucky Ann had handled it the way she had. If she hadn't had the moral courage to bring it out into the open, the chances were our marriage would have been washed up by now.

I lit a cigarette and pushed back my chair. What could Gloria have thought of me when I hadn't shown up? Had she realized that Ann had found out or did she think I had purposely stood her up? I shifted uneasily. What did it matter what she thought? She had no right to 'phone up like that, and she only had herself to blame. All the same I dreaded the thought of her coming to the garage for her car, and hoped when she did come, she would take the car away. I decided if I saw her before she saw me, I'd let Tim handle it, and keep out of her way.

The workmen, under Berry's directions, were hard at it when I went into the garage. The partitioning was finished, and they were now adjusting the door.

"Looks like you'll be finished tonight."

Berry grunted.

"There's a lot to do inside yet."

He moved away. Taking the hint that I wasn't wanted, I went over to the work bench and gave Tim a hand with the tricky job of retiming a magneto.

Later in the day Joe and Louis arrived in the Buick. They carried two heavy leather cases into the partitioned room and shut themselves in.

I kept expecting Gloria to appear, and as the day passed and there was still no sign of her, I became more and more jittery. Every time the telephone bell rang I nearly jumped out of my skin, and yet I had an uneasy feeling of disappointment when I answered it and found it wasn't she who was calling.

Berry came into the office around five o'clock.

"We're going to work late. We shan't be through until ten o'clock."

"That's all right. I'll lock up and when you're ready to go, let me know and I'll let you out. How's it going?"

"All right"

He returned to the partitioned room and shut the door.

At half-past six I shut the garage doors. Then I went over to the partitioned room, turned the door handle, but the door was locked.

"What do you want?" Berry's voice snapped.

"I've closed up. I was wondering how you were getting on. I felt a fool standing outside the locked door.

"It's okay. We're busy."

I turned away and walked back to my office, angry at the snub. All right, I thought as I turned out the light and went upstairs, if they want to be mysterious, let them get on with it.

Ann greeted me with a smile.

"Supper's just coming up."

"I'll have a wash and be with you."

As I washed I began to wonder what was going on in that looked room. I was quite positive none of the three men could possibly be radio experts. I was now regretting having let the space to Dix, and I was pretty certain that the promised agency wouldn't materialize. It had been offered to me as a bait, but why? For some reason Dix had been anxious to get into my garage. The fact that he could have taken over the empty shop at the top of the street at a much cheaper price indicated that he wanted my garage only because of its position. Next door to me was a small jeweller's and on the other side was a tobacconist. Were these four planning a robbery? Were they going to try to break into the jeweller's shop through the dividing wall of my garage? It was unlikely. I had taken my watch to be repaired there, and the shop carried scarcely any stock, and what stock there was could have had no value. The tobacconist? There again the shop was only in a small way, and the owner who I knew had told me he was thinking of closing down.