Читать книгу The Iceman - Jeff Edwards - Страница 10

Maria Briggs

T

om’s call had been brief and to the point. He was coming home. Early.

Thank God! No more sleepless nights. No more praying that he hadn’t done something stupidly brave and dangerous.

He had given me a flight number, a time and an assurance that he was not hurt. Much to my delight he finished by instructing me to make ‘the usual arrangements’.

However, the fact that he was coming home early disturbed me. When he said that he was not hurt I interpreted it to mean that he had not been physically injured, but I wondered about the real reason for his early departure from Iraq and couldn’t wait to see him.

I was at the observation window with Jason fidgeting restlessly in my arms when Tom appeared in the customs hall below. He was carrying little in the way of luggage other than his trusty old duffle bag and strode confidently to the nearest customs officer where he dropped the bag casually onto the desk and presented his passport. I noticed that he had chosen to wear jeans and a t-shirt instead of his company uniform, but even in civvies he had the definite look of a soldier. His shoulders were squared when he walked and even the small limp that had forced him out of active duty did nothing to dispel the force of his personality. He looked the customs officer square in the face and the man quickly stamped his documents after having given his duffle the most cursory of searches.

I quickly made my way downstairs and threw myself into his arms as he came through the door into the terminal proper.

Jason was crushed between us as Tom dropped his duffle and engulfed the pair of us in his embrace. We kissed deeply and I did not want our first embrace to stop, but Jason had other plans. He thrashed about wildly, vying for his father’s attention, and we had to release one another before a small foot could kick us in the eye.

Tom laughed at his antics and took the boy to him, spinning him over his head and dropping him onto his broad shoulders. He picked up his duffle with one free hand and took my hand in the other. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ he said huskily.

I nodded, smiling at the twinkle of lust in his eyes.

Our way home took us through Aldershot and as I drove past the army barracks I glanced over and saw Tom’s face harden.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Later. I’ll tell you later,’ he replied quietly.

We had been living on the outskirts of Aldershot ever since we were married and it had been convenient at the time as that was where he had been stationed. From the look on Tom’s face I now wondered if the area might now carry too many painful memories for him. For my part I had always been happy here, but apparently the same was no longer true for my husband and I knew that I would have to broach the subject with him.

The excitement of the outing to meet his father had worn Jason out and he now lay slumped in his booster seat in the rear of the car. When we pulled up outside our small semidetached house I was particularly careful to make sure that he didn’t awaken as I unbuckled the seatbelt and carried him inside.

We placed him in his cot still fully clothed and I pulled a blanket over his sleeping form. I kissed his forehead and then stepped back as Tom took my place at the cot side and leaned in to do the same.

I ran my hand up over Tom’s back as he was doing so and felt his muscles contract. He stood up and turned to me while I moved easily into his embrace. Our kissing became more ardent and our hands reached out to touch one another in the most intimate way.

We finally broke free of one another and I took Tom by the hand, leading him from Jason’s room and into our own. ‘I’ve missed you so much,’ I breathed into his ear as he bent me over our bed.

‘I’ll try not to do that to you ever again,’ he replied.

I tried to grasp the meaning of his words, but our passions defeated me and I gave myself over to the pleasure of having the man I love driving himself deep within me.

That evening my mother arrived from Henswytch and I was glad that Tom and I had had the opportunity to sate our passions in private. I didn’t fancy facing my mother’s knowing smirk after overhearing our lovemaking through the house’s thin walls. Her inevitable questions as to when I was going to present her with another grandchild was galling enough without the actual evidence that we may be trying to do just that.

Over supper my mother dominated the conversation as usual as she brought us up to date on the goings-on in the village, everything from the supposed affair of Henswytch’s aging dentist with the recently widowed doctor’s wife to the price the village’s farmers were getting for their vegetables at market. Nothing was too small to be overlooked in my mother’s eyes. Occasionally she would ask a question regarding Jason or myself, but for the most part our lives were inconsequential in the greater scheme of life in Henswytch.

Tom tried manfully to stay alert and I tried to help by rubbing my bare foot up and down his inner thigh as he sat opposite me at the table, but I could see that he was totally disinterested in my mother’s tales and far more interested in the football game that was silently flickering on the TV screen behind my head.

Finally, my mother’s tales became too trivial for even me to feign interest and I called a halt to proceedings, insisting that Tom and I had a long trip ahead of us the next day and that we would need our rest.

Unconvinced, my mother gave me a knowing smile before retiring to the bed we had set up for her in Jason’s small room.

The following morning, a giggling Jason was packed into his doting grandmother’s car along with enough clothes and toys to keep him amused for a month.

‘You’ll be back this time next week?’ she asked.

‘That’s right. We’ll come down and pick him up as soon as we land.’

‘I’ll see you then, and while you’re gone do me a favour. Throw those silly tablets of yours away. I want another grandchild.’

Tom blushed.

My mother smiled broadly at his discomfort. ‘And you must learn to “entertain” one another more quietly. I couldn’t sleep a wink last night with that hullabaloo going on in your bedroom.’

Waving cheerily, she drove off, leaving me with a bemused expression on my face. My footwork on Tom’s thigh the previous evening had produced a result that had pleased us both, but Tom and I thought we had gone to extraordinary lengths the night before to keep our lovemaking quiet. Oh well! I thought to myself, Maybe all that noise had the desired effect and I could finally keep my mother happy by announcing that I was pregnant again.

Whatever the result, we flew out that afternoon for a week of sun, sand and very noisy sex, in Spain.

‘I always love our times out here,’ I sighed as I sipped at a glass of ruby red wine.

On the table between us lay an enormous plate that had contained a pile of seafood but was now nearly empty. My stomach was full and after a long swim, a sunbake and a love-filled siesta I was overflowing with the joys of life. The world couldn’t be better and even Tom seemed to be returning to his normal outgoing self. He still hadn’t unburdened himself to me, but I could tell by the signs that the talk would begin and it would begin sooner rather than later.

In fact it came much sooner than I expected.

We had paid for our meal and were walking hand in hand along the waterfront in the soft light of the early evening when he began to describe what had happened in Iraq. I was shocked at most of the details and surprised that the newspapers and television hadn’t picked up on the story. Tom had snorted when I said this. ‘A few more lives lost out there wouldn’t hold the public’s attention for more than a few seconds, so it probably wasn’t worth reporting.’

‘That’s cruel!’

‘Yes, it is. But it’s a fact. Maybe they would have covered the story if they were told what those bastards did to the lieutenant and the trooper.’

‘What do you mean? They killed them didn’t they?’

‘The lieutenant was lucky. He died quickly. The trooper was less fortunate. We didn’t see it, but our shots took out a few of their people and they took their revenge on him for that.’

‘What did they do?’ I asked, not really wanting to know.

Tom shook his head. ‘Let’s just say he died a long, hard death. When the rangers rescued him he was still alive, but he didn’t survive the trip back to base. I suspect a ranger may have helped him out of his misery.’

‘That’s horrible!’ I exclaimed.

‘It’s the sort of war that’s being waged out there.’

‘And you want to go back?’

Tom stood still and turned to me. ‘That’s what I want to tell you. Some of the men don’t think I did enough to help the trooper. They won’t work with me. I’m not going back and to tell you the truth I couldn’t care less. The whole incident taught me that what I was doing out there was not the same as being in the forces. It’s all about making profits and not about doing a good job and helping the Iraqi people find a better life. That’s not the way I am. If I’m going to risk my life it has to be for a cause that I believe in and not only for money. I wouldn’t go back out there now if they begged me.’

I wrapped my arms around him. ‘Thank heavens. I couldn’t stand seeing you go back after what you’ve told me you’ve already been through.’

We continued to walk and he placed his arm protectively around my shoulders.

‘I don’t know what I am going to do with the rest of my life,’ he continued, ‘but it won’t involve weapons of any sort. That part of my life is behind me. I swear.’

‘Is that why you looked strange when we drove through Aldershot?’

Tom nodded.

‘Then we need to get away from there as well. We need to make a clean start somewhere else.’

‘I couldn’t agree more,’ he nodded. ‘I suspect there’s a lot to be said for a dull life and I mean to find out if that’s true.’

Having unburdened himself, I could see that Tom was feeling much better.

We left the beach and slowly made our way back to our hotel through the maze of narrow alleyways that led down to the waterfront. The area comprised the most ancient part of the city and I peered into the small shop windows as we went, studying the merchandise on offer and hoping to spot a bargain or two.

As we passed a dingy antique shop I spotted an unusual object and pulled Tom into the gloomy interior so that I could study it further.

Resting on a cluttered table was what appeared to be a thin case made of hand tooled leather. I ran my hand over its exterior and felt the warmth of the hide beneath my fingers and traced the intricate geometric shapes embossed on its sides.

‘Very nice,’ said the shop’s owner from behind his counter. ‘Very old. Very nice.’

‘What is it?’ Tom asked.

‘Backgammon,’ smiled the old man. ‘Open it.’

I did so and found that once unlatched the case opened flat, exposing the game board on the inside of each lid. Each end of the case was divided into a slot which contained the gaming pieces as well as two pairs of die which matched the colours of the pieces. A fifth die with numbers on its faces instead of the usual spots confused me while two narrow shaking cups completed the set.

I had heard of the game but never seen it played and the look of the board completely mystified me. How could you possibly play a game on such a strange board? I asked myself.

‘You know backgammon?’ asked the shop’s owner.

I shook my head, ‘No’.

‘I learned to play a little in Iraq,’ said Tom. ‘Would you like me to teach you?’

I was totally intrigued by the strange-looking board and its pieces and curious to find out how it all came together into a game. ‘How much is the set?’ I asked.

When the owner named the price I baulked at the amount, but Tom was unfazed. He took out his wallet and presented his credit card without a qualm.

Outside, with the beautiful case now under my arm I chastised Tom for not trying to bargain for a better price on the set.

He smiled back at me. ‘It was worth the extra to see the smile on your face. Besides, now I won’t have enough left over to buy you that horrible souvenir sombrero that you were looking at earlier.’

Back in our hotel room Tom explained the relatively simple rules of the game and showed me how the pieces were set out for the game to begin.

Then Tom had me throw my pair of die and explained how that throw could best be used, telling me what was likely to occur if I left a piece exposed and the ramifications of having it knocked off the board and being forced to begin its trip from the start again.

After a shaky beginning I began to see that, although it looked nothing like the game of checkers, it did have many similarities to that game and I was able to get into the rhythm of the play. The doubling dice was beyond my novice abilities and we ignored that aspect of the game for the time being.

‘It’s not as though we’ll be playing for millions of pounds,’ Tom laughed.

‘But I don’t see why we can’t play for some sort of a reward,’ I replied with a twinkle in my eye as I threw my die and sent one of his exposed pieces back to the start.

‘Bitch!’ He laughed. ‘I’ll make you pay for that.’

‘Promises, promises.’ I grinned cheekily.

Despite the fact that our futures were now completely up in the air we spent the next few days enjoying the sea, the sun and playing backgammon with breaks for lovemaking in between.

Over the backgammon board and with bottles of wine to keep us lubricated in the heat, we casually considered where our future might lie and threw possible options at one another. It may have been the atmosphere or the holiday surroundings, but many of these plans seem to involve food, drinking and bars. Ultimately we both knew that in the cold, hard light of reality most of these plans were totally unrealistic.

Money was not an immediate problem as we had Tom’s pension from the army as well as his earnings for the Iraq contract. The company had even made good on Tom’s share of the bonus for his ill-fated final mission.

There was certainly enough savings in our accounts to make sure that whatever path we chose would be one we could afford to think long and hard about.

Suntanned and revitalised, we returned home and collected our car before heading to my parents’ farm outside Henswytch.

There we were greeted by a son who had spent the week being indulged by his grandparents and in whose eyes could do no wrong. I knew that I would be in for a long period of tantrums before their spoiling of him could be reversed.

Hand in hand and with Jason planted firmly on his father’s shoulders we were taken on a tour of the farm with Jason pointing excitedly to the animals and attempting to make the sounds to correspond with each. Tom brayed, mooed and clucked along with him and we all had a wonderful time.

Still, for all his mooing and braying Tom was reluctant to actually come in physical contact with these beasts of the field and I knew that my man, coming as he did from the slums of Liverpool, would never wish to take on the mantle of farmer. I mentally crossed that career path off my list of future options.

But there was something else that did occur to me and I believed that now was as good a time as any for me to pursue that option.

‘It’s Tuesday, isn’t it?’

Tom looked at me. ‘Of course it is.’

‘Do you mind if I leave you and Jason here for the moment? I need to go into the village. I won’t be long.’

‘Going to catch up with an old lover, are you?’

‘Something like that,’ I laughed.

‘Okay, but make sure you come back. I don’t like the way that ram over there is eyeing me off.’

I kissed him lightly on the cheek. ‘Don’t fret. I’m not about to run off and leave you at the mercy of my father’s livestock. I’ll be back shortly.’

‘You’re not going to tell me what this is all about?’

‘It’s a surprise.’ I grinned. ‘It may not work out, so I’d prefer not to tell you right now. Trust me.’

Leaving my nonplussed husband to be cross-examined by my mother, I drove out of the farm and headed toward the village, but instead of stopping there I continued on and followed the river bank until I reached the rowing club.

Henswytch Rowing Club’s clubhouse had changed a great deal since its early days. The growing number of visitors and members had meant that the original building had undergone several extensions over the years. Each new part seemed to represent the era in which it had been added, giving the whole building a rambling, ramshackle appearance. The boathouse had doubled in size as well, but in this case the design had remained basically the same and had resulted in a more pleasing building to the eye.

Along the river’s edge I could see signs posted at regular inter-vals. They showed a swimmer inside a crossed red circle and warned the unwary of the dangerous waters.

As I parked my car I smiled at the familiar surroundings and wondered what sort of a reception I was about to receive.