Alison's Visit Pt. 03

I went home, fed Hercules, warmed up a microwave pasta dish and then switched on my phone.

There inevitably were voicemails and texts. Alison and Kathy had called four times each.

I ignored them all.

I called Anisa, and luckily, she answered.

I apologised for the lateness of the hour, and asked if by chance she had any free times to cut my hair that Friday. She confirmed she could manage three o'clock. She was sensitive enough to know something wasn't right, so I told her I would tell her when I saw her. She suggested I came half an hour early so we could have coffee. I thanked her and rang off.

***

I was a little more rational on the Thursday. There had been no calls or texts apart from the ones already there, which was a mercy. I didn't look at them or play the messages, I went to work and told my Manager I needed the Friday off. It was an emergency and personal. After quizzing me about a few issues and satisfied I was up to date he told me to take a day off. Even he, the most self-centred egotist I had ever had the misfortune to work for, knew there was something wrong.

***

I didn't have a plan for what to do on the Friday morning, but I knew hiding myself away forever was not going to help. I looked at the text messages.

Tuesday

Alison - As you haven't called, I know you're really upset. Please please forgive me.

Kathy - Hi Mum, hope you're OK. I called you last night, but you haven't replied. Is everything OK? Had a fab time at the wedding, what did you get up to? K&G

Alison - Jane - can we please talk? I'm in bits for what I've done...Axxx

Kathy - Is everything OK? Just had an odd call from Alison who wanted to talk to you but can't seem to reach you. Apparently, she's got another interview. Did you listen to my VM? Love Kx

Wednesday

Alison - Please call Jane...I'm in purgatory Axxx

Kathy - Mum - I've just had a long call with Alison. She's told me everything. We need to talk, but I can understand now why you're not responding. My deepest love Kxxx

Alison - Kathy knows everything, I had to tell her - forgive me. I'm going to see her on Friday after my interview. Can we please meet whilst I'm in London? A

Kathy - She's really upset Mum, is there anything I can do to try to put things right?

The warm weather of the previous weekend had returned. After feeding Hercules and making tea, I found some paper and a pen and went and sat in the garden. I doodled on the paper for a while and then closed my eyes and tried to let my mind go into freefall. I had a decision to make that day, and the decision had to be the right one.

***

Before setting off for Anisa's I texted Kathy,

Kathy - after the loveliest weekend I can ever remember this has been the worst week I can ever remember. I've been busy at work and have not really had time to think things through - but will do so tonight. Please do two things for me to help.

1/Keep Alison in London till Saturday night.

2/Find somewhere private where she and I can meet for a coffee / drink on Saturday at Noon, let me know where it is and get Alison there safely... Mumx

Walking up to Anisa's front door my phone pinged with a reply.

Mum - will do - whatever you decide my love for you is eternal Kxxx

***

The last thing I expected when Anisa greeted me was that she would pull me into a close embrace.

"Jane I'm so glad you came. I've been worried about you."

"I must admit Anisa, for the last few days I've been worried about me too."

"Come through to the Patio, I'm going to make you some Ginger tea."

We sat for an hour in her lovely garden. I told her everything and showed her the letter. Once or twice I had to find my tissues, and she came and put her arms round me for support.

I found telling someone I barely knew, the dilemma I was in, helped me put my own thoughts in order.

When I'd finished and drunk my tea, she asked me if I minded if she gave me her opinion. With nothing to lose, I agreed.

"Jane, if I may say so, I think your dilemma has a simple solution. I would guess you have been through a whole range of emotions since you read Alison's letter, you have invested time with Alison and I suspect, fallen in love with her. Now, you are told that she also had a relationship with your daughter. The foundations of your relationship with Alison, from which your love for her has grown, had a flaw in them. I don't know you very well, but from what you've said, I can understand why that flaw could be too much for you to bear.

But I don't want to dwell on that. I want for a moment to transport you to the other side of this story, to Alison's situation.

She is a young, sexually adventurous, woman who has had a string of relationships that have failed. She was about to embark on another, when that blew up in her face. She has a fractured relationship with her mother, and a father who is picking up the bits from a broken marriage. She has been starved of any love for a long time.

She was naughty to seduce you. Whether she was attention seeking or just plied with alcohol, it was naughty. You gave her a get out of jail card by saying you wouldn't say anything to her close friend, your daughter.

The key moment though was the second time you had sex. I believe you said you initiated it, but it does not really matter. It was at that point the truth should have been told, but it wasn't...

From there on you both wanted more. An enforced absence builds up the mutual desire.

Possibly at this stage Alison believes that your relationship might still just be a fling, but from the moment you travel to Cornwall, the magnetic attraction between you grows dramatically. Alison falls for you as you have fallen for her. You are as much responsible as she is for that happening, no one is to blame. It is as it should be in life.

But she is carrying this secret still. For the first time in probably many years she is feeling true affection for and from another human being, and yet she is carrying a secret that could destroy this affection immediately.

I feel so sorry for her Jane, I really could sit down now and cry my eyes out.

If I'd been in her shoes, and her age, I would probably have chickened out from saying something, just as she did.

However, the most important thing is, that she ultimately told you the truth. You can criticise the means, the timing and a whole load of other things, but she told you. She was and is very brave..."

I didn't say anything for a while, but then I thanked her for her opinion. The perspective she'd given was valid.

"Now Jane, do you really want me to do your hair, or was it the tea and sympathy you came for?"

"Both Anisa."

"In which case you'd better come downstairs."

***

She tried a couple of time to dissuade me from doing it, saying at one point that 'break up haircuts' rarely worked, but I was determined.

We chose the colours for the highlights first. I wanted browns and golds, but no red tones. I think she probably knew why and was sensitive enough to question me.

She then washed my hair, sat me down and we talked about the style I wanted.

It would be a pixie, with a parting on my left side.

She set to work. I found myself rather disconnected from the process.

I could see the hair falling on to the cape, but it was happening to someone else not me. It took her an awful long time. Cutting, shearing, trimming...it went on and on.

With the rough cut done she applied the foils. I sat and read a magazine whilst they set, and when I was bored with that, I looked around including at the vast clump of my hair that she'd swept up from around me. Eventually after rinsing, she dried it and spent a little time finishing it off.

"There, what do you think Jane? Is it what you wanted?" She walked around me holding up a big mirror so I could see the back and sides.

It was gorgeous, but I didn't feel gorgeous. Gorgeous was for another time. I wanted to look raw and stripped of emotion. That was how I felt...

"I love the colours Anisa," I said, "but as far as the cut's concerned, the tops alright but the rest of it's not short enough."

"Goodness, Jane. I didn't expect you to say that. I thought you'd be delighted. It suits not only your face shape but your head shape so nicely. It's a nice soft cut, very feminine."

"I want it shorter."

"You mean boycut short?

"Yes exactly. A boycut."

"Very well, let me get some clippers."

Half an hour later, another small pile of hair was on the cape. It was finished. The long sweeping fringe was much shorter and the sides and back shaved and faded. It was exactly what I wanted.

"Are you happy now Jane?" Anisa asked with a hint of trepidation holding up the mirror again.

"Yes Anisa. It's perfect."

"Good. I was worried you would say you wanted it shorter still."

"No, it's exactly what I wanted."

She busied herself cleaning all the hair out of my neck.

"You'll need to come and see me every month if you want to keep it this short."

"Book me in for a month today then will you?"

"Of course Jane."

As I was leaving, I suppose her curiosity got the better of me and she asked:-

"Have you cut your hair to punish Alison, or yourself?"

"Neither Anisa. I've done it to make a fresh start."

"Well goodbye then Jane and my best wishes for you and your difficult decision."

"Bye Anisa and thanks for everything, you're a great stylist."

***

I was sitting in front of the mirror gazing at the remains of my shorn hair, rather shocked at how far I'd gone, when the phone rang. It was Kathy.

"Mum. It's me."

"Hello Kathy."

"I'm sure you're busy but I just want to say that we've booked the room for tomorrow. We couldn't get exactly what you wanted but there's an Air Bnb above a fish restaurant in Kensington that's got a vacancy and we've booked and paid for it."

"Thank you. I hope it wasn't expensive."

"Don't think about that Mum. Goran and I want to help."

"Well please thank Goran too then."

"Will do. See you just before 12 then, I'll text you the details."

"Yes, see you then that will be perfect."

"Mum, can we talk please?"

"After tomorrow Kathy, Bye," and I hung up and went back to looking at a woman in the mirror I didn't recognise.

After supper, I sat in the garden and thought about what I wanted to say to Alison. The decision was made, and for the first time for days I was calm. I went to bed hoping for a good nights sleep.

***

I had decided to wear casual clothes. Capri pants, a tee shirt, denim bomber jacket and trainers. All topped off with a baseball cap.

I decided to walk. It was warm again and I needed the exercise. The bathroom scales had shown I was now down half a stone, but I knew most of that was because I'd barely eaten anything for days. Once the meeting was over things could get back to normal.

It took me about thirty minutes. I arrived early deliberately so that I could watch Kathy, Goran and Alison go into the place before me. I was nervous, worried that the control of the situation might be taken away from me.

At ten to, they arrived. They were in Goran's Mercedes. Alison and Kathy went inside whilst Goran went to park. Alison was in her interview suit and carrying a backpack. I'd texted Kathy earlier to tell her to show Alison to the room. I wanted her alone when we met.

I felt no sense of guilt or that I'd overdone it by contriving our meeting this way. I wanted a sort of drama. Two lives were about to be changed and the pain and anguish I had suffered since opening her letter demanded a little justice.

At five to, with Goran and Kathy sitting in the window of the restaurant drinking coffee I went in.

***

"Mum?" She saw me and wasn't sure it was me. She stood up.

I walked towards them and peeled the baseball cap off.

"Mum - it is you. Gosh - what have you done to your hair?"

"I had it cut."

"Well, I can see that. It's...amazing."

"Thank you. Hello Goran, thanks for organising this, I really appreciate it."

"No problem Mrs P. You look great by the way."

"Thank you. Now where is Alison?"

"Upstairs - its straight in front of you on the landing. Green Door.

Mum, we don't want to be nosey, but are you going to tell us what you're going to do?"

"I'm afraid not Kathy. Alison and I need to talk. You'll find out soon enough. I'll text you.."

"She got the job by the way; they offered it to her on the spot."

"That's useful to know."

"Mum, she's in bits, please put her out of her misery quickly."

"That's my intention."

Kathy sat down in a heap, her own choice of words drawing her own conclusion.

I made my way up the stairs and knocked on the door,

***

Eight days previously we had rushed into each other's arms at first sight. The situation now was slightly different,

She was standing by a dining chair, holding on to it with one hand to steady herself. She was holding a tissue, She'd been crying. Her eyes were puffy and her mascara had run. She looked exhausted...

"Jane?"

"Alison?"

"I...you..."

"Yes, I got my hair done."

"Nice..."

"I gather you got the job."

"Yes."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Alison, I'm sorry to drag you over here like this, but I wanted to meet you on neutral ground as it were."

"That's OK."

"You guessed right that the contents of your letter would upset me, and it's taken me quite a time to both come to terms with what you said and think about what to do.."

Tears started rolling down her cheeks. I was not a cruel person, speed was now of the essence.

"If there's one thing you could say to me that would keep us together, could you please say that now?"

She looked up at me, and in that moment I think she knew...

"I...I am so sorry Jane for not telling you before....You see it didn't matter but then it did because I fell in love with you Jane and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you and..." She stood there, her chest heaving, tears falling down her face

"and I just love you......"

"I love you too Alison......I love you to the bottom of my heart. How could I not forgive you......"

She squealed and ran to me. We threw our arms around each other and stood there crying....

***

There was much to say, but she was in such a state that I had to get her to lie down. The bedroom, rather heavy and Victorian in style, was through a pair of sliding doors. I slipped off her jacket, pulled off her pumps and pulled her on to the bed so we were facing one another. She was still in floods of tears, and the tears were rolling down my cheeks too.

When she'd calmed down a little, we kissed....and that started the tears again...

Eventually I got her to go to sleep. I sneaked my phone out of my bag and texted Kathy to say we were reconciled and there was nothing to worry about. Her reply came instantaneously. Three hearts and "Thank God, Love you both."

***

Later we ordered up a bowl of mussels with crusty bread and sat in the lounge.

She told me about her new job and I asked her if she needed somewhere to live.

She smiled and nodded and then burst into tears again...

As night fell I took her to bed and for the first time we made love rather than had sex. Neither of us needed to come, we just needed to be intimate once more.

Afterwards, she asked me why I'd had my hair cut so short.

I told her the truth. I wanted a fresh start and this was my way of purging myself of my doubts about the two of us.

She pleaded with me to let it grow a little longer and I ended up telling her what had happened, that Anisa had only done what she was told.

I also confessed that it was Anisa's wise words that had made me come to my senses.

"When I saw you earlier I was convinced it was over, it was quite a shock..."

"Sorry, it was for me not to shock you, Anyway I thought you liked short hair?"

"I do Jane, I do...."

On Sunday morning we went back to the house, soon to be our house, and things got back to a semblance of normality. Alison went for a run and I went into the garden.

It started raining after lunch and we sat on the sofa and watched it. A few weeks previously we had teased one another there for the first time...

Hercules, never a lap cat, settled between us and purred. Life was good.

In fact, for Alison and Jane, from that moment on, life was always going to be good.

End

Authors note.

For the readers that got to the end of this lengthy story, thank you.

This was the most challenging tale for me to write, and I hope you enjoyed it.

Whilst the plot with its twist in the tail was settled from the outset, the third part became difficult because of the popularity of the first two parts and because I became extremely fond of the two characters I'd created. I wanted to do them justice and not write something trivial.

It was when I realised that it was a love story that it all became a lot easier.

I've tried to play a little on human frailty, insecurity and the swing in relationships from control to subservience and back again. Real life is complicated, so I wanted this story to be a little too. I also wanted a symbolism, fantasy and lots of escapism. Most of all I wanted to create a warm blanket of love.

I will be judged as to whether I achieved that, by you the readers.