Pre-emption

"Thanks Peter, how are the kids doing with the challenge?"

"Well we've got about a hundred candid shots already, how long do you want this game to go on for?"

Buggered if I know Pete, are they aware of every shot that's been taken of them?"

"I doubt it, I told the kids that they needn't hide, but not make it too blatantly obvious."

"I'll have to come by and see what you've got soon."

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"Those students are driving me to distraction, wherever I go there seems to be one or two of them taking pictures and I'm convinced they are singling me out." Trudy said the moment I walked into the house that evening.

"Oh Yeah, I had a word with Peter Phillips this morning. I called him because you were getting all unnecessarily out of shape over it. It seems that they've got several projects going on. There's a photographic tour of the town they are doing for the council tourist department, and another group is doing a study of local characters, I'll bet that must be the group who've snapped your picture."

"I'm not a local character!"

"Sweetheart you're the best looking character in this town, take my word for it."

"Am I being flattered?"

"No, it's the truth and those youngsters have probably spotted it as well."

"Well, I like to look nice."

"Nice, you always look gorgeous my love. Anyway there's another group who are doing some advertising type work, it was possibly them you saw in the White Hart yesterday."

"Oh."

"You see, just coincidence. Peter said that he'll look through them all and send you copies of any that you're in, if you like."

"What! No that wont' be necessary. I was just being stupid Kevin. Please tell Peter not to bother."

"Okay kiddo, I just thought you'd like to see them, that's all."

Yeah well, double bluff or what? Why should Trudy not want to see them, could it be that John Ryan would be in most of them with her and she didn't want me to spot that. Maybe there was something in Mark's original conclusion; perhaps I was too late.

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Just after Friday lunchtime I received a call from Trudy at my office.

"Kevin, I've decided I am going to go to out with Sandra and the girls to celebrate her birthday this evening; do you mind?"

I did, but I couldn't very well tell Trudy that, could I?

"No Kiddo, just don't go overdoing the booze. Do you want me to pick you up later?"

"Well, it would be better than waiting for a cab. But Kevin, if we go on to a club later we might not want to come home until chucking-out time; you wouldn't want to sit up until gone two in the morning."

"What else am I supposed to do babe, go to bed and lie there worrying; it's a dangerous world out there you know!"

"Oh don't be silly there's always plenty of police around outside the club and all the bouncers. There's even a couple of security men at the taxi office at that time of night. I'll be fine, you go to bed and I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, if you insist babe, see you when you get home and don't go doing anything your grandmother wouldn't like you doing."

"You never did get to meet my grandmother, did you Kevin?"

"No, but I hear your mother was quite a girl in her time, you just behave yourself."

"As if I wouldn't! See you later darling."

Yeah well, I weren't happy, but there was sod all I really could do about it. I'd have to rely on Peter's students and their cameras to let me know what happened that night and hopefully their presence would stop things from getting out of hand.

I was sure they'd be around town, that cash prize was too much for them to miss. And in the club, well two of Peter's students moonlighted there every Friday and Saturday night; they wandered around snapping pictures of the clubbers, which could be bought for inordinate prices.

Although that wasn't the real reason they were there or that the club set up the printing room for them. They got far better pictures of the clubbers than the security cameras did, and anyone who got themselves banned from the club would find their picture displayed on the wall beside the doorman.

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It was with some surprise that I heard the front door open at around half ten that evening and shortly Trudy came into the lounge.

"You're early love, nothing wrong I hope?" I asked.

"No I'm fine, I just wasn't enjoying myself, so I decided to come home to my husband and keep him from feeling lonely."

"That's kind of you, but I hope that doesn't mean I have to cut my evenings short when I'm out with the lads?"

"Do I ever curtail your fun?"

"No, but I wouldn't like to think that you cut your evening short on my behalf."

"Well to be honest there was someone there who was getting on my nerves, so I decided to come home early."

"Now we get to the truth of the matter. Who was it; one of the girls you've fell-out with at the office?"

"Oh, no one important, I can handle it. Anyway is Cassie in bed?"

"Yeah, sound asleep."

"How about you and me having an early night then?"

"Sounds like a plan, but I wouldn't exactly call it early."

"Oh give over stupid, come on you know what I'm after."

"Hmm, perhaps you should go drinking with the girls more often?"

That was one long night I can assure you. But I was curious as to what had happened, but I'm afraid Trudy was keeping very tight-lipped about the evening.

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Monday morning I received a call from Mark Willoughby around eleven o'clock.

"Hey Kev, I've just had the satisfying task of suspending John Ryan!"

"You have, why; what's the bugger been up to?"

"Jesus, didn't she tell you? I would have thought Trudy would have told you by now!"

"No, she hasn't said a word."

"Well, would you believe sexual harassment of a fellow employee and because she hasn't told you, I'll only give you only one guess as to who's the complainant."

"Trudy?"

"Yes, she's stitched the bugger up good and proper, got evidence, several witnesses and everything. He ain't going to walk on this one."

"Strange, I wonder why she never told me about it?"

"She didn't?"

"No, Trudy went out with the girls from her office Friday but she came home early and said something about someone getting on her nerves. But she wouldn't enlarge on who."

"Whoa, she didn't tell you about Friday night at the club then?"

"No, why, what happened?"

"Well according to this statement I've got here. Friday night John Ryan invited himself along on a girl's night out, one of the girl's in the office birthday or something. Anyway apparently, as I suspected, he's been giving Trudy the old sob story for some weeks now; she tried to be nice about it but he wouldn't take no for an answer. I think he probably mistook Trudy being polite, as a kind of come on. Anyway Friday night he overstepped the mark and your Trudy laid him out in the Starlight Club."

"You're kidding me?"

"No, got it all on a video tape from the club's security camera right here as well, showing how Ryan got a little too familiar with her on the dance floor."

"What did he do?"

"I'm not too sure, the floor looked pretty crowded, but Trudy and Sandra referred to it as kissing. I think that saved Trudy from saying that the bugger tried to grope her.

"Apparently Trudy took him right out with an uppercut and then she kicked him in the short-an'-curlies. The bouncers had to pull her off the bugger or she might have done him some real permanent damage."

"Oh my, what happens now?"

"Ryan's suspended as of this morning and this lot goes up-stairs after lunch. I should imagine Ryan will be out of a job within the week. Them up-stairs are paranoid about sexual harassment in the work place."

"But if this happened in the nightclub...?"

"Yeah, but Ryan's been trying to chat Trudy up in the office, I've got a whole collection of explicit emails he's sent her. And remember, he's a supervisor in sales, that means that technically he's Trudy's superior; consequently he's guaranteed to get his marching orders."

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This was an interesting turn of events, but for the life of me I couldn't understand why Trudy had said nothing to me about the situation. Surely she should have confided in me. I resolved that sometime very soon I'd have to challenge her on the subject.

I thought that that evening was out because we were having dinner with a group of friends. Cassie came along because they all had children about the same age. It was nothing formal or anything just a meal in one of the local pubs; something we'd got into the habit of doing once every two or three weeks or so.

But well, sometimes life goes it's own sweet way and there's sod-all we can do about it. After eating we'd gone out to drink coffee etc. in the garden and the children went off to play on the swings and things they had out there. We hadn't been seated in the garden for more than a couple of minutes when one of the wives said to Trudy.

"So True, how long have you had boxing as a hobby?" I think everyone turned and looked at the woman, wondering what she was talking about. "Oh, I heard in the office today that Trudy laid some bloke out in the Starlight on Friday evening; took him out with one punch so the story goes. Come-on True spill the beans, what happened?"

The question was answered by what I believe could be called a pregnant pause. Trudy's mouth was opening and closing as if she wanted to say something, but she was looking around at everyone but me, almost begging someone to say something so that she didn't have to reply.

"So Kevin how'd your round go yesterday; did you get as wet as we did?" One of the fellows suddenly asked me, in a clumsy attempt to change the subject. It was his wife who asked the question and she was suddenly looking as embarrassed as Trudy was.

I can't help it if I'm a gentleman by nature, so as obviously Trudy didn't wish to reply, I fell into conversation with the guy about the previous morning's downpour on the golf course. He used a different course, but we tee'd off around the same time most Sunday mornings.

The short trip home in the car from the pub was made in absolute silence. Cassie soon picked up on the kind of atmosphere that you could cut with a knife that was prevailing in the car; so she remained silent as well and promptly disappeared to her room almost the instant we entered the house.

"So?" I asked, as soon as we were alone.

"So what?" Trudy replied defensively.

"Trudy, what the hell has been going on? I knew something was wrong when you came home early last Friday. First you weren't going, then you were and then your back here before the clubs even had a chance to get going. Now Gloria says you thumped some bloke at the club. Now please explain?"

Trudy led the way into the kitchen and sat at the table. I took this as an invite to take a seat opposite her.

"Kevin, I did some things that were incredibly naive and they came back and bit me." She finally said after staring at the table for some considerable time.

"Oh my god what's she about to confess?" I asked myself. "Oh shit after all the shouting I've done in the past about cheating partners; am I now going to have to put my foot where my mouth has been so many times." Were the thoughts racing through my brain.

You know it's really surprising how fast the brain can work through all the different scenarios. There was I picturing Trudy and I divorced, and me picking up a very unhappy Cassie to take her out. Then just as quickly the picture was reversed, I was at home with Cassie and Trudy and some real flash looking bloke was picking my Trudy up to take her out somewhere. What's more Cassie even looked pleased to see the guy.

To be perfectly honest even after my suspicions I was shitting myself, not really wanting to hear what Trudy was about to say. Her word could well mean that the comfortable happy life I'd got so used to living could well be on it's way down the drain.

"About a year or so ago I started getting, very flattering emails at the office." Suddenly I realised that Trudy was talking again. "They were nothing new, you told me yourself that I was good looking and to be honest a lot of the lads send me slightly suggestive emails and little notes. They're just a little fun and serve to break up the monotony of the job.

"However these specific emails were slightly different to the joke ones from the lads or yourself. For a start I had no idea who they were from, the address was at hotmail so they could have come from anybody, even you. You know, for a while I did think they might have been from you because they were so... I don't know, affectionate!"

"Anyway like a complete idiot, I replied to one of them asking who he was. But he wouldn't say. He just sent more complimenting me on my appearance and dress on any particular day. I just briefly wrote back thanking him for the compliment, actually that's when I thought they were from you; he used the same kind of language you use when you compliment me."

"I've never sent you emails under a fictitious name Trudy, what name did he use?"

"Your greatest admirer in the world!"

"Jesus that's a bleeding mouthful."

"And the same phrase that you used on that great big valentines card you sent to my office last year when you were away. You remember, the one accompanied by all those roses?"

"Oh bugger yeah."

"Well it seems my secret admirer must have seen that card in the office somewhere, but the point was nearly everybody knew about it; the girls were shocked at the extravagance. Eventually I realised that it wasn't you messing about, but then I had this bee in my bonnet about finding out who he was. So I kept replying to his emails figuring that eventually he'd slip-up."

"Why didn't you tell me about these emails?"

"Oh yeah and how would I have done that? Hi darling I've been writing to this bloke who I thought was you messing around and it turns out that it isn't. Especially after what was said in some of them."

I suppose it's only fair at this time for me to admit to the reader, that for years I had been in the habit of sending Trudy suggestive emails at work; especially when I was away on company business. And I suppose I'd better add that when I say suggestive I mean really suggestive, spelling out in detail what was going to happen when I returned, 'nough said!

"Oh, what was that?"

"Please don't ask, just remember that I thought it was you messing around again."

"Oh, that bad?"

"And the rest! Until I realised that it wasn't you that is; I can promise you I've been very chaste since I realised that. I just wanted to know who he was."

"Do you know now?"

"Yeah, I practiced my left hook on him Friday night."

"I thought they said you gave him an uppercut."

"Is there a difference, look I just punched the bugger as hard as I could... hey hang on a minute, what the hell do you know about Friday night?"

"Mark Willoughby and I went to school together Trudy. He called me this morning."

"Ah, so you know it all anyway."

"No, I don't know what the connection is between those emails and what happened on Friday night. Except that you're getting John Ryan fired."

"Well as I said the emails have been going on for a year. He did get pretty suggestive on occasions, but I tried to ignore those bits after I worked out that you weren't sending them. I really wanted to know who the sender was and how he knew so much about me, and us really; it was his knowledge of our private time together etc. that made me believe that it was you in the first place. But then I did something even more stupid."

Oh no what was Trudy going to admit to now, I thought. Well to be honest some rather suggestive emails circulated in my own office on occasions, I'd have to be a complete hypocrite not to over look the ones Trudy had admitted she sent. I also thought that I could understand her curiosity about who had sent them; I'd seen the same scenario before. But I know that it was usually the company wolves that played that little game.

"I really didn't draw any comparison between those emails when John Ryan started to stick his nose into our office every couple of days. He gave us some bull about the infamous animosity that existed between Sales and Purchasing. And he claimed that he wanted to pour oil on troubled waters. Actually he did calm things down a hell of lot. You know, Sales were always complaining that we were buying too expensively, not that us girls could do much about that; that's nearly always down to the negotiators.

"Anyway he started popping in almost every day and it took a long time before I realised that he spent rather a lot of time at my desk talking to me. One of the other girls noticed actually and then they all said that John.... Well they said that he had the hot's for me."

"I see, so what did you do about that? You never mentioned it to me."

"Kevin, I know it was a long time ago, but do you remember what happened the last time I told you that someone was trying to chat me up?"

"Oh well come on, we were young then and we hadn't been married all that long."

"And we had to traipse the streets of Benidorm at eleven o'clock at night looking for another hotel."

"Oh well, I never meant to hit him that hard!"

"But he turned out to be the hotel owner's son, didn't he? So we got our marching orders."

"Yeah well Trudy, but a man's got to do what a man's got to do. Damn, who said that, was it John Wayne?" I said trying to make light of the incident.

"I don't know and I don't care, but I had no intention of seeing my husband in court and possibly losing my job just because John Ryan fancied his chances. I knew I could handle him anyway."

"Yeah so I gather from what happened on Friday night."

"I'll come to that later, the silly sod let the cat out of the bag on the dance floor and I just overreacted."

"What did he say?"

"In a minute Kevin, let's take this all in order, if I may. Once I realise that John was trying the old come on. Well I was polite and told him no, in no uncertain terms. But his reaction was to come-on heavier and then one of the other girls told me that she thought he'd pressured a girl in Advertising into going to bed with him."

"Well I thought, right mate, you're the sort to play dirty then I'll beat you at your own game. But I needed the sod to proposition me in the office and I needed evidence that he had."

"So what did you do?"

"Well, you remember that little voice recorder of yours that you thought you'd lost?"

"Yeah, I bought a new one."

"Well you didn't loose it, I borrowed it; but I couldn't tell you what for, for obvious reasons. You left it in the desk draw, I thought it was just a toy and you hardly used it. But you spotted it was missing after just a couple of days."

"Ah well, I like to play with my toys."

"Yeah anyway, I'd been trying to catch the sod out and get a recording of him making me some kind of an indecent proposal for weeks, but then... Hold up a minute; you said Mark was an old friend of yours, and Peter Philips and you play golf together sometimes. Those bloody students with the cameras were all down to you, weren't they?"

"I was just watching that some more of my property didn't get stolen." I was forced to admit.

"I should brain you, but it's nice to know you cared. You realise that John Ryan thought his wife was behind them don't you. Brought a complete halt to any chance I had of catching him out in the office, he turned almost paranoid."

"So what happened on Friday night then?"

"Raspberries!"

"Pardon?"

"Well, do you remember a certain trip a couple of years ago when you were away for a fortnight and I came up to spend the weekend with you."