Page 22 of A Good Mother
Gina didn’t respond immediately, too lost in a cold and clammy body that was rigid with shock, swiftly turning to rage. ‘I have no idea, but it certainly wasn’t me!’
Violetta moved closer and whispered. ‘Bloody Nora, has she been on a sunbed, or does she live abroad? I’m sure someone said she went to Italy. And that hair… she was never blonde at school, was she? I remember her being mousey and I’d bet my next tattoo that those boobs aren’t real, or those lips. She looks like a trout.’
Gina was struck mute, watching, hidden in the corner as Jimmy did his ‘host with the most’ performance and chatted with Bella and Guy, his old friend from university.
For some tragic reason, he’d left his boyfriend at home and in a warped quirk of fate chose to bring the evil bitch from hell as his plus-one. To Gina’s home. Into her perfect life. And whether it was just memories of their schooldays or an actual portent of doom, she knew there and then that it was bad.
While Violetta nipped to the loo, Gina skulked from the room to avoid detection, scurrying off to the kitchen. There, around ten minutes later, Bella finally pinned her victim down just like the good old days. Gina was fetching cartons of juice for the children, keeping busy and avoiding the ‘evil one’ when a tap on the shoulder and a red painted talon heralded the arrival of Satan.
‘There you are. I thought you might be baking sausage rolls or something tedious like that.’
True to form Bella immediately dispensed with niceties and went straight for the jugular. But Gina was older, a bit wiser and not quite as scared and had no time for pleasantries either, so bit back.
‘No, the caterers and staff will take care of all that, so if you’d like to ask the sommelier for a drink, he’s the guy in the dark suit.’ Gina pointed to a handsome man who was currently beguiling Carmen as he poured her a glass of red.
Bella was clearly going nowhere and instead, glanced around the room, hawk-eyed, taking it all in. The bespoke kitchen, the tasteful fixtures and fittings, Gina dressed in Armani.
Bella didn’t appear impressed, smirking as she delivered her poison laced line. ‘Well, I have to say it certainly looks like you landed on your feet, which reminds me… How’s your mum? Is she here? Jimmy just introduced me to his parents, so where is dear old Debbie?’
Gina watched as Bella swung her head from side to side, searching for someone she knew wasn’t there.
Digging deep, Gina replied. ‘Yes, meandJimmy have done well, but that’s the reward for hard work and study I suppose. That’s why we invested in this place. He redesigned it structurally and I took care of the interior. We make a great team. And mum lives in Leicester with her partner but was too poorly to make it.’
Debbie hadn’t been invited but Bella would never know that. Already sick of the inquisition, Gina changed the subject. ‘And what do you do these days and how come you’re back in these parts? Don’t your parents spend most of their time in Italy.’
‘Yes, that’s right, they followed the sun but I’m staying here at their place for a while. I’m in between homes so it’s the perfect solution while I house hunt – which reminds me, Jimmy said you don’t work. I suppose that makes you a stay-at-home mum… how sweet. Just like Debbie was.’
The sarcastic comparison was all it needed to rile Gina further and as much as she wanted to grab Bella by her blonde extensions and ram her face into the wall, Gina sucked in her rage and teetered on the edge of the moral high ground.
‘What Jimmy meant is that I work from home and write for an interior design magazine. It suits us both for now, but I’ll be back full-time once Mimi starts school so, if you’ll excuse me, I need to circulate. Help yourself to food. There’s a buffet in the conservatory and the waitresses will serve you from the hot-plates. Wouldn’t want you setting yourself on fire, would we?’ With that, Gina turned and walked away, unable to bear Bella’s company a second longer.
If she thought that was the end of it, she was wrong and a fool because for the rest of the evening, each time she saw her husband, Bella was by his side. Standing far too close laughing loudly at his jokes, resting her hands on his arm as she did so.
For Gina the night was ruined the minute Bella stepped through the door, but it went from bad to worse once everyone had left.
‘Why the hell did you let that bitch in? You should have told Guy to take her home…’ Gina knew she was being ridiculous because she wouldn’t have had the balls to turn someone away at the door. But she was raging and the hurt she’d bottled up forever bubbled over.
Jimmy dragged a hand through his hair. ‘For Christ’s sake, Gina. How the hell was I supposed to know who she was… you’re being ridiculous, and you know it.’
Gina didn’t care; she had to take it out on someone, and it was him. ‘And then, to make it worse she was all over you, pawing at you, the bimbo-slag. I saw. You were lapping it up so don’t even try to deny it and, you told her I was a housewife or what was it… Oh yes, “out of work”.’
‘I did notsay that. She’s twisted my words andno, I didn’t like her, as you say, pawing me. And there’s nothing wrong with you being out-of-work, or a full-time mum or whatever you want to call it. It’s nobody’s business so why don’t you stop looking for a fight and ruining the night. You’re being paranoid and acting like a bloody schoolgirl. Just listen to yourself.’
‘I’mruining the evening? And how dare you even say I’m out-of-work? You cheeky–’
‘Mummy, why are you shouting at Daddy?’
Gina froze, her head snapped upwards. At the top of the stairs she saw Max holding on to the banister, eyes wide and tearful.
‘Max, sweetheart, I’m not shouting at Daddy so don’t worry.’ She was already halfway up the stairs, her anger turning to shame then back to anger again as she swooped up her son and carried him back to bed.
As she covered him with the duvet and watched while he nodded off, fury consumed her. There was only one person to blame for all this, ruining her party and upsetting her son, let alone daring to touch her husband. And as God was her witness, Gina swore that Bella wouldn’t spoil a second of her life, ever again.
It took a few days, but Gina and Jimmy made up, like they always did after a row. They made a pact that the B-name would never be mentioned again, and Jimmy promised to speak to Guy and make sure he did the same and knew what a bitch she was.
They got back into the Christmas spirit and then enjoyed New Year at Disneyland Paris, so eventually Gina banished Bella from her mind. Until the day Babs dropped her bombshell and told Gina she’d just driven past Jimmy, up by the Young Farm.
‘Are you sure it was Jimmy?’ Gina’s heart raced and a river of dread swept through her body.
