Francesca, page 47
Jake wanted Tony to go home so that he could look after him, which caused another argument. Elle insisted that he go home with her because she had a bungalow, and that made more sense.
Tony declined both offers for now. He spoke slowly but insisted he had some pride left and wanted to keep his dignity. He had two broken arms and, in his own unique way, said, ‘Who’s going to wipe my arse and hold my dick when I need to go to the loo? I can’t even feed myself. I’m staying here.’
‘’I will,’ I said. ‘Come home to me, Tony, whenever you are ready.’
But he declined my offer as well. He did ask Ralph to get him a bigger bed, though, in case I stayed over again. I had lain with him many nights, sometimes just for a few hours and other times all night, while Elle looked after Bobby for me.
Although it had been an awful time and still was, it was a good time, because, for once, Tony and I had all of the time in the world to get to know each other. There were no business meetings, no club events, no charity nights, and no one butting in when you wanted to talk to him.
We spent time talking, sharing our likes and dislikes. I read to him, and we watched television together. Sometimes, we said nothing at all. We just held each other. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Julie, who, given the circumstances, could never ignore a bit of juicy gossip kept nudging me and whispering when she saw Jake and Sharon together. They seemed deep in conversation these days. And, Julie stated, it was only a matter of time before they got back together. ‘The grass isn’t always greener, Fran. That was what Sharon thought. She should just have had a quick affair and been done with it.’ That was her philosophy!
When I visited Tony one day, he seemed in a more sombre mood than usual. ‘I think it’s time we talked properly, Francesca, don’t you?’
I didn’t know what to expect, but he had been looking a lot better during these couple of months. The swelling had gone down, and his bruises were fading. They looked more of a yellow than black and blue.
Nervously I asked, ‘What do we need to talk about, Tony? Can’t whatever it is wait until you’re feeling better?’ I was afraid he didn’t need me anymore, and I had enjoyed being with him, even under the circumstances. Life was going to carry on as before, and all this would be forgotten.
‘I’m feeling better, Francesca,’ he said. ‘Now I can speak properly, I want to talk to you. There are things I need to say.’ At last, Tony didn’t need to look at me through the slits of his swollen eyes. He had been unconscious when I’d first gone to the hospital, and then he had been in a coma for a week. But he had smelt that familiar perfume and heard my voice. It had made him feel safe. He knew he’d nearly died, and now in the cold light of day, he could see clearly for the first time in his life. Accidents like he had put everything into perspective. Life was too short.
Tony looked at Francesca. Day in and day out, she had visited him, fed him, read to him, and brushed his teeth. She’d treated him almost like she cared for Bobby.
‘Marry me, Francesca. Put me out of my misery and marry me.’ He waited for an answer, but there was a pregnant pause.
I was shocked. It wasn’t what I had expected. ‘No, Tony. We’ve been married, and this is not the time to ask. You’ve been traumatised. Why don’t we shelf it for now, and if you feel the same when you’re up and your old self again, you can ask me again when you’re thinking properly.’ Although, it was what I would have liked, it was the wrong time to ask. He was at a low ebb and needed someone. I wanted him to be sure and not asking me out of gratitude.
He looked disappointed. ‘We have never been married, Francesca, and I will ask you again. I promise you that okay. You have to be sure too.’
Tony felt crushed. He had worn his heart on his sleeve, and Francesca had turned him down. He felt there was no point in arguing about it now; she obviously thought it was like some doctor and nurse syndrome, where people fall in love with their carers. He needed to get back on his feet quickly and show her he meant it.
Julie came to see me at home. ‘Fran, can I ask you something personal?’ she said.
Oh no, I hoped it wasn’t pertaining to another part of my sex life!
‘Would you be my birthing partner?’ Julie was nearly due and was obviously trying to get things in order. ‘I know I should ask Ralph. But he will probably faint, and I need to give him a get-out clause. If I tell him you will do it, it will let him off the hook.’
We both laughed at the thought of Ralph fainting at the sight of blood, but I knew what she meant. Ralph would do it if he had to, but was prepared to stand back if he could find someone else for the job.
‘Of course I will, Julie. I would be honoured to. But are you sure about Ralph not wanting to be there?’
‘You have to be joking, Fran. He’s seen too many movies. He’s going to spend all of his time shouting for towels and hot water, although God knows what for. Anyway, how are you and Tony getting on?’
I told her he’d asked me to marry him, and the grin on her face said it all—until I told her I had turned him down and my reasons for doing so. Bit by bit, I saw the smile disappear from her face.
‘Don’t be silly Fran. He’s not brain-damaged. Crazy maybe, but that’s him. He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it. He has never asked anyone else to marry him.’ She seemed shocked that I had turned him down.
In a way, I felt too—that she was right. But I had to be sure. Once he was back at the club and living his own life again, I didn’t want him to feel like he had made a promise he didn’t want to keep.
Julie left it at that. After her hundredth time of going to the loo, she said she had to go and left, leaving me to think about Tony and his offer—and also about being Julie’s birthing partner.
Julie didn’t go to see Ralph and the building site they called home. Rather, she went to see Tony.
Jake was sitting with Tony, and like old times, they were talking business. Julie sat herself down uninvited and started her sisterly chat. ‘So, Tony, you have asked her to marry you, have you?’ She saw Tony blush, even through his fading bruises.
Jake looked at him in shock. Tony had never mentioned a proposal to him.
Tony nodded at her. ‘I did, Julie, and you know the rest I presume. She turned me down flat.’ He felt a little silly having to admit that to her and in front of Jake, but he felt she knew already.
Julie patted his hand and smiled. ‘I know, Tony. I know everything, don’t I, Jake?’ She looked at Jake and smiled. ‘That is why Aunty Julie is here to the rescue, eh?’
Tony and Jake looked at each other. Pregnancy was seriously having a strange effect on Julie. She was all smiles and beaming, even if she was interfering again!
‘First, Tony, there was something missing from your grand proposal, wasn’t there?’
Again, Tony looked at Jake and shrugged his shoulders. He couldn’t think what. ‘You never told her that you loved her, you idiot. Surely, when offering marriage, you mention that, don’t you? Secondly, she needs commitment. She doesn’t want to be divorced three times while still in her twenties. Are you going to give up your party night with the ladies for just one woman to share your bed, Tony?’ Julie had made her point, and she knew it.
Jake turned to Tony and then looked back at Julie. ‘You asked Fran to marry you and didn’t even tell her you loved her? That is one strange proposal. Even I would have turned you down.’ He laughed. ‘For goodness’ sake, Tony, you were asking for her while unconscious. She’s on your mind constantly. Women need to know these things. Tell her you love her and not in Italian!’
Julie gave Jake the thumbs up. He agreed with her, and they both watched as Tony blushed and shrugged his shoulders.
‘She knows, doesn’t she?’ Tony said in his own defence. ‘I wouldn’t ask otherwise. I have thought about it a long time now, and now I realise how close I came to losing her.’ He felt like a schoolboy admitting all of this.
Julie clapped her hands together and nodded. ‘Now that is more like the Tony we know. Why didn’t you say that to her? Think now. What would she feel would be a strong commitment from you—something you would never do without really meaning it?’
Tony looked around the room. He was thinking, but nothing was coming to him. How could he show Francesca that he meant it? He loved her. He had denied it enough to himself. He liked to be in control, but Francesca made him feel vulnerable. She made him feel jealous and insecure when he saw other men glancing at her. That was why he felt safe with other women. They meant nothing to him. They were like buses. They came, and they went. He didn’t care. Oh, he had liked some of them a lot, but he had always been in control of the situation.
They all knew his reputation and financial status. And they had all thought they could take it away from him—that they could jump on the gravy train and take his empire and spend his money. No way. He had worked very hard for what he had and had taken a lot of risks on the way—he wasn’t about to just hand it over.
That was where Francesca had been different. She hadn’t known who he was and hadn’t cared the first time they’d met. Even when she had found out, she was embarrassed by their meeting and had lied about it. She hadn’t tried using it to further her career. When he had bought her things, she’d seemed humbled and modest and offered them back. She lacked confidence and couldn’t see what a beautiful woman she was. Ralph was right when he’d said, ‘Francesca is like a flame. We moths all flock to her for warmth.’ Tony had felt that was a nice way of describing her.
Francesca never took anything. She never expected anything, but she could have everything he had. He would willingly give it all to her. ‘I don’t know, Julie. Really, I don’t know,’ Tony said. He was at a loss. ‘How do you prove to someone that you’re committed? Maybe you could put in a good word for me eh, Aunty Julie?’ He laughed. He felt embarrassed.
‘Well, Tony, while you’re lying here smiling at the nurses, practising your charm on old matron iron knickers’—she laughed— ‘you think about it. A solid commitment that she would know was real.’ She could see Tony thinking and what she had said and that it was was going to take time.
She was surprised when Jake spoke up. ‘Julie,’ he said, ‘can I ask, when you told me you knew everything, what did you mean? What do you know?’ Jake was curious now.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, boys. Don’t make me laugh. My waters will break. I know everything, Jake, absolutely everything. I know about how you planned and plotted the marriage of Tony and Francesca in order to do business with Ralph. I know the three of you—yes, that includes Sharon—backed Fran into a corner so she would join in your plan. She was a single parent working as a stripper after a marriage of domestic violence to a man who didn’t respect her. And we all know what happened to him.’
Tony and Jake stared at each other. She really did know everything.
‘Her family was in trouble financially, and she stole off you to help them. That bloke of her mam’s had taken everything. They had nowhere to sleep.’ She stopped, waiting for her revelation to sink in.
Tony looked horrified. He hadn’t known that.
‘She would have paid you all of it back, Tony. You know that. But you kept putting the interest up. Then you offered her a house, money, and security. You preyed on her weakness, Bobby, and won. Don’t worry, boys. Ralph doesn’t know any of this. And before you ask, he never will. Does that answer your questions, Jake? As for Sharon, I needed to find out about her boyfriend. Sharon knew a lot about all of us, and I wanted to know who she might be sharing that information with.’
‘So, why go along with it, Julie?” asked Jake.
‘I went along with it, you two, because I knew that you were very good businessmen. And, Tony’—she looked him squarely in the face— ‘as a woman, I could see your plan had backfired. You liked her, Tony, and it wasn’t all a lie. Your face lit up when she entered the room, and you flirted far too much with her for a man who wasn’t interested. You punished her with your other women to get your own back when she rejected you and tried to make her jealous. Her family? Oh yes, that bloke of her mam’s, George, left them all without a penny for food. That was why Fran used the money—not for herself, for her family.’
Tony and Jake listened intently to Julie’s speech.
‘Are you going to tell Ralph, Julie?’ asked Tony. Now was the time for truth. ‘I’m ready to face the consequences.’ Tony knew the game was up, and it was time to face the music.
‘Tell him what, Tony?’ Julie asked. ‘That you lied your head off to everyone, including yourself, to marry a woman you already had feelings for? He loves you both like sons. You’re his family. Hasn’t he proved that by being at your bedside night and day? As the boss, he would have come to the hospital once, paid the bills, and left. And I’m sure he has his suspicions. He’s not stupid, Tony. All in the past now, boys. It’s up to you to sort it out. And you, Jake, have got your surrogate baby at no extra charge.’ Julie had run out of breath. But she felt before they could all continue with their lives, the past had to be sorted out. This was a new clean slate. It was time to move on. She didn’t tell them that of course Ralph knew. They had no secrets between them. Even her infidelities weren’t a secret. That was one thing not to tell them. There was no point.
‘Sharon thinks I’m standing by her out of a sense of duty. There’s no honour or duty, Julie. I love her. I always have.’ He turned to look at Tony and smiled. ‘She knows that because I have told her that I love her. Okay.’
Julie laughed at his joke and these two grand businessmen in front of her. ‘You two need to step up. You’re good businessmen, but you’re rubbish at love.’ She bent down and gave Tony a kiss on the forehead and then kissed Jake on the cheek. Once she’d left the room, Tony and Jake looked at each other. There wasn’t anything really to say. Tony felt sad that Francesca had never told him what the money was for, but she had made no excuses for her behaviour and had been prepared to face the consequences. Anyone else would have found a million excuses and begged forgiveness. But not her. She had taken it all on the chin, even when he’d sacked her.
Jake interrupted his thoughts. ‘Do you really believe that Ralph doesn’t know any of this, Tony?’
‘Of course he does, Jake. Those two do everything together. They’re like two peas in a pod. She moans about him and pretends she doesn’t love him, and he moans about her spending all of his money. And do you know what, Jake? They wouldn’t have it any other way. If those two can make a marriage work, I’m damned sure we can. It’s time we got our women back and marry them. But Julie’s right. Francesca needs to know that I mean it. I have just thought of something that will show her how serious I really am.’ He lay back on his pillow and smiled to himself.
Tony was getting better every day. We even walked around the hospital gardens to have some fresh air, even though it was late autumn and very cold at times. Apart from bruising and an ankle sprain, he could walk about. His plaster cast was taken off his leg, and the physiotherapist said the exercise would be good for him. His ribs were still strapped, and his arms were still in plaster casts.
Tony was getting back to his old self, even now flashing that famous charming smile of his at the nurses, whatever their age and making them giggle and blush as they walked up the corridor. His plaster casts on his arms were soon due to come off. They had been on even longer than normal because of multiple breaks in the bone. The physiotherapist was giving him regular massages and getting him to use his fingers.
Julie being Julie said that he was milking it now for the attention, and Elle more or less agreed with her. They pointed out that he could walk, talk, and breathe for himself. Okay, his arms had only recently come out of plaster, but they both thought Tony liked playing the patient, knowing I would plump his pillows for him and feed him.
I supposed they were right, but to be honest, I enjoyed it too. I liked him needing me. I knew he could do a lot for himself, but we kept up the pretence because it suited us both, and every now and then, he would wince in pain or tell me he was tired so that I would comfort him.
I also knew that he hadn’t stopped working. He was using his hands-free mobile to do business, and Ralph and Jake were taking him in accounts and paperwork to look over. Personally, I thought he hadn’t had a proper holiday for such a long time, without having to be the life and soul of the party. He seemed to be enjoying being away from the public eye for a while. I also knew he would soon get bored and long for his old lifestyle back. I knew he wouldn’t do that without looking his beautiful self, though, no bruising or swelling.
I felt sad when I thought that I would be surplus to requirement. It seemed inevitable that he would soon forget all the things we’d shared and slip easily back into his old way of life, with women to welcome him back into the fold.
One day, I was in bed when the telephone rang. I was half asleep when I answered it and thought it might be Tony. Selfishly, he had gotten into the habit of ringing me late at night to say goodnight or just to chat because he couldn’t sleep. Some days, I walked about like a living zombie after we’d been on the telephone for two or three hours into the early hours of the morning—never minding the fact that he could turn over and sleep all day, whereas I had to get Bobby ready for school and go to work, all on a few hours’ sleep.
‘Fran! Fran! Help me. I’m dying. My body is being ripped apart.’
I recognised the screaming voice down the telephone instantly. It was Julie. And by the sounds of it, she had gone in to labour.
‘I need drugs, Fran, lots of drugs. My waters have broken, and God damn it, I’m in pain. Help me.’ The shouting got louder and louder as she tried telling me that she was making her way to the hospital and asking me to meet her there right away. I heard another scream down the telephone, and then she put it down.
I immediately telephoned Elle, who was on the alert anyway. We had practised what we were going to do when the time came.
