Page 8 of Loving Netta Wilde

‘Surely not, love,’ said Arthur. ‘I can’t see Colin getting into a fight.’

Geraldine rolled her eyes. ‘I didn’t say he’d been in a fight, Arthur.’

For some reason, everyone looked at Frank. Did they think…? Ah come on. Surely not. ‘Nothing to do with me. I haven’t touched the man.’

Everyone assured him that nobody was thinking such a thing, a bit too emphatically for Frank’s liking.

It was left to Geraldine to dispel his theory that he was getting a label pinned on him that was completely unwarranted. She put her hand on his shoulder. ‘Of course you haven’t, Frank. Don’t be silly. It probably is just the flu.’

‘I’m sure that’s all it is,’ he said, even though he didn’t believe it for a minute. He’d received a few batterings in his life. Mostly from his da as a kid, but there had been one time when a so-called friend had set about him with a baseball bat. It took weeks for him to heal, weeks before he stopped hobbling along like a man more than twice his age. So he knew a thing or two about batterings. The way Colin was holding himself, it looked like he did too. Unless he was genuinely ill. But not with the flu. You didn’t get that kind of weight loss with the flu. Geraldine caught his eye, and Frank knew she was thinking exactly the same thing.

Everyone had gone home and Frank and Netta were in the garden. Netta was reading the Sunday papers. He was prepping for tomorrow’s classes. It was almost the end of term which meant it was almost the end of his teaching career. A few months ago, he’d handed in his notice. He was leaving when his collegeclosed for summer. The end of an era and the beginning of a new one. He was about to become a full-time artist. It was a scary but exciting prospect, and he couldn’t wait. But in the meantime, he had lessons and pupils to think about.

Liza came out to see them. ‘I’m going to a campaign meeting. I’ve checked up on Dad. He’s asleep again. Do you think it is the flu?’

Netta’s smile was the reassuring sort. ‘I expect so. It can be quite horrible sometimes. We’ll look in on him again later. You go to your meeting. And please don’t get arrested. I don’t want to have to visit you in prison.’

Liza giggled. ‘Don’t worry, it’s just a meeting about reducing our carbon footprint. See you later.’

‘I look forward to hearing what the next thing is that we’ve got to give up,’ said Netta, after Liza had gone.

‘Well if it’s coffee, beer or wine, I for one will be totally gutted. Which reminds me. I’ll buy some more coffee tomorrow. We’re getting through it a lot faster now Colin’s here.’

‘What are we going to do with him? I don’t know if there is anything physically wrong with him, but he’s definitely not his normal self.’

Frank looked up from his notes. ‘I guess that’s understandable. His ego’s been bruised.’

‘If that’s all it is, he’d be even more superior than he normally is. It’s more than that. He seems to have given up. He’s hardly been out of bed since yesterday morning. When he arrived here on Friday he was embarrassed and a bit quiet, but nothing like this. And why won’t he confront Arianne? She has no claim on that house. Why won’t he talk to the police or something? If it was me, I’d be doing something.’

‘If it was you now, you would. But what about the you before you came to live here? Would she have been so keen to fight?’

‘What are you saying?’

He put down his pen. ‘I guess I’m just saying things may not be as straightforward as we think they are.’

‘You think what Arianne was saying about domestic abuse was the truth? That could be why he’s so reluctant to go to the police.’

‘I don’t know what I think. All I know is he looks worn out and pitiful.’

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took him in. Then, she picked up her paper again. ‘Don’t let him fool you. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling sorry for him and then we’ll all be in trouble.’

He watched her for a few minutes hoping her face would soften, or perhaps she’d throw him a smile to signal that all was okay. But she kept her eyes on the newspaper and her mouth firmly set. He gave up and went back to his notes. She was upset. He’d upset her. It had never happened before, and he didn’t like it. Frank looked up at Will’s bedroom window. It was shut. The curtains were closed. Behind them lurked an unwelcome presence. He needed to find a way to get rid of it because the sooner Colin Grey was out of here, the better.

7

ALL A MAN NEEDS

Netta chewed on her wholesome granola. She preferred jam on toast for breakfast really, her own jam, naturally, but she was trying to support Frank’s new healthy lifestyle. Apparently, oats were very good for you, for all sorts of reasons that she couldn’t remember. Frank was over in his house this morning, presumably eating his own healthy breakfast. It was Thursday. Colin had been here almost a week, most of which he’d spent in bed. She’d hardly seen him and it no longer seemed necessary for Frank to be here all the time. Although she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, Netta was glad of the breather. She’d been a bit tetchy with him on Sunday afternoon and he’d been tiptoeing around her ever since. It was a tad irritating.

Above her head, the sound of Liza venting her anger leaked through the floorboards and into every empty space in the otherwise quiet house. Aside from an occasional low grunt, it appeared to be a one-sided conversation. A door slammed. Probably the one to Will’s bedroom. There was a definite stomp in the footsteps thundering down the stairs and along the hall. Liza stopped at the kitchen table and plonked herself on a chair.

Netta poured a of cup of tea and pushed it over to her. ‘Everything all right?’

‘Not really. He’s just lying up there doing nothing. I don’t know when he last washed. He’s just useless. Totally useless. And he stinks. He seriously needs to take a shower and stop bumming around.’ She threw her arms in the air. ‘I just don’t know what to do with him. I’m terrified of leaving him.’

Netta moved over to sit next to her. ‘I don’t think you have anything to fear. Your dad’s not the sort to do anything silly. He’s more of a brooder. And he wouldn’t want you bunking off on his account. Getting your degree’s important to him. Didn’t you say how happy he was that you were taking art? He regretted not doing it himself. He hated accountancy.’

‘I just, I just…’ Liza’s eyes started to brim.

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