Audrey and the Mysterious Case of the Unstamped Letters
It was a time after
lockdown started and before the restrictions began to be lifted. Jeff was
getting ready for work. He was putting on his police jacket in his bedroom,
whilst his wife Audrey was watching and thinking about men in uniforms. Other
men in uniforms.
His was an important job at the best of times. The new guidelines reinforced this fact, but as pubs and restaurants were now shut and travel restricted, the night shift didn’t hold the appeal it once did. Getting the hurry-up to break up a brawl in a pub or a car-park; stopping a driver on suspicion of being over the limit; catching a scrote urinating in a public place; these kinds of things got his pulse racing.
Now, though, the town was dead in the evenings. His hopes had been raised when he’d read about lockdown-breakers, but who’d want to do something so stupid in his town? And where would they go to do it? No-one from other places locally would want to visit, so it was the prospect of another boring night travelling around deserted streets to look forward to and catching up with all that outstanding paperwork. At least he’d be warm.
For Audrey the coronavirus crisis had brought different issues for her to deal with. She’d been having an affair with Robbie, a fireman, for three months now. Things were hotting up (pun intended) between them; in part because her husband Jeff worked regular nights and she had a lot of time on her hands. Robbie worked the day shift.
If anyone asked, she’d be ‘visiting her sister’ when out with Robbie, but no-one asked and, in consequence, her guard was beginning to slip a bit. The lockdown was making her think though. She knew she wouldn’t get stopped if she went out, but there was nowhere to go now. Robbie’s marriage had collapsed and he was back at his parents, so going there was a non-starter. She wasn’t up for quickies in the back of the car either, and she was uncertain about letting him come to hers too. The neighbours missed nothing and were friendly with Jeff.
Time passes. Not an awful lot happens, but the relationship remains endangered, although Jeff knows absolutely nothing about it. She thinks she loves Robbie (she really does), and wants to take the relationship to the next level. Robbie says he loves her (he really doesn’t) and is happy for things to continue as they are presently. For what it’s worth, Jeff still loves Audrey, but in a kind of platonic rather than passionate way. He doesn’t tell Audrey any of this of course. It’s not a subject for polite conversation over an evening meal. He wants to eat his food rather than wear it.
Jeff and Audrey have been married for 11 years now. Jeff is grateful the days of leaping off the wardrobe are behind him, not that (according to Audrey) they ever happened at all. A combination of boredom and, latterly, the attention she received when she first met Robbie have persuaded Audrey that a life away from Jeff and hopefully with Robbie will inject some much needed fun into her life. The grit in the oyster is the pandemic. Travel is restricted and both her partners are needed on the front line to provide some kind of defence from the virus for the public.
Jeff volunteers for secondment to Manchester to help out with the creation of the Nightingale hospital at the old G-Mex building. He stays in accommodation in the city until this is completed. There are ulterior motives for him volunteering for the secondment; involving a hope his absence would persuade Audrey to stay with her sister for the period of the pandemic. He works permanent nights and is concerned Audrey is lonely and bored at home in the evenings with very little to do other than watch TV. How wrong he is!
Anyway, the hospital is nearly ready to accept patients. He is amazed how quickly it had proved possible to complete such a task. It was his last day in the city. He’d be going back to his small town later that day, back to a life he currently wasn’t enjoying too much. It didn’t inspire him. He’s phoned Audrey on her mobile to remind her he will be back later. No reply – the answer machine kicked in. She’s obviously in the middle of something important. He doesn’t leave a message. He’ll call again on his way home.
Audrey is indeed in the middle of something important. Robbie is taking her to heaven and back. That is her description anyway. Robbie prefers something a little more direct and earthy. The sex is different this time though. The friend of Jeff’s whom Audrey is convinced spies on her when Jeff is working, making it difficult to bring Robbie back to her place without him finding out, had been admitted to hospital locally with Covid-19 symptoms. The coast is clear. She is on familiar ground so can relax and enjoy it all.
She had made meticulous preparations. Theoretically, she was working from home that day. She’d been up since stupid o’clock making sure all the jobs her employer wanted her to do were indeed done. Being fastidious, this had taken slightly longer than planned, but she knew firstly it was absolutely accurate and secondly there would be no follow-up queries about it. The rest of the day was hers. Robbie was expected at 2pm.
She had her shower late and prepared the spare bedroom. It faced the rear garden so wasn’t overlooked. She closed the curtains and switched on a side light. This threw just the right quantity of light out to look enticing. Audrey was a big reader of romantic fiction. She normally had quite a lot of time on her hands in the evenings.
Then she had dressed slowly. She
selected what she considered her sexiest outfit; something she’d made sure was
clean and properly ironed the previous week. She’d have had it dry cleaned but
for the lockdown. A new pair of stockings (why did sex always seem more exciting
when you wore these?), and moderately high heels. The result, when she
appraised how she looked in the full-length mirror in her bedroom afterwards,
was fantastic, though she thought it herself.
From the house facing the back of Jeff and Audrey’s place, but a fair distance away, a man with a pair of binoculars was also appraising how Audrey looked. He too was impressed. He’d not lived in the house long, and he certainly didn’t know Jeff and Audrey to speak to. He thought he may have seen them driving a car once, but he couldn’t be sure. The house was a rental that had been organised by his work for an initial three-month period. He’d moved in just as the lockdown was announced and was also working from home.
He didn’t know the area well, but he’d jumped at the chance to relocate following the acrimonious split from his wife. The lockdown meant he was unable to do anything other than work and he’d quickly got bored. The binoculars had been found in the garage. He’d cleaned them up and was using them for innocuous reasons before accidentally focusing on Audrey. All his Christmases were coming at once. He was enthralled and highly excited.
Robbie, on the other hand, was a man with some major decisions to make about his life. He too was involved in an acrimonious marital split but his had resulted in him going back to live with his parents, something he wasn’t enjoying at all. His relationship with Audrey had been exciting at first but he was beginning to get the impression she wanted more out of it than a good time. He’d accidentally used the ‘l’ word in a moment of high passion recently and Audrey had seized upon it like a cat with a small bird. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to get seriously involved with anyone. But the sex… well, he had to admit that was spectacular.
In fact, it’s the sex that has persuaded him to take a day’s leave and go to Audrey’s place for the first time. He’s not overly bothered about her marital status. He just knows the husband works regular nights so the possibility of being caught out is minimal at best. He is being led by a part of his body that is neither his head nor his heart.
He’s parked his car around the corner, hopefully inconspicuously. As soon as he knocks on the door it is opened by Audrey, who proceeds to shut and lock it quickly before leaping on him. Robbie is surprised but not unenthusiastic. She’s really made an effort – she looks incredible. Correction – incredible and very sexy. He says as much between kisses. They stagger upstairs, items of clothing falling from their bodies as they do so, before collapsing onto the spare room bed lovingly prepared by Audrey earlier.
It is everything both of them wanted. Audrey feels possessed, whilst Robbie gives it his all. At the end, they separate and lie next to each other. Audrey wants to talk. Robbie wants to sleep. Her mobile starts flashing, illuminating their faces in the dim light. She tells him she’s put it on silent. Someone has obviously phoned. They will phone back or leave a message.
The man with the binoculars was out on his permitted daily walk when he saw Robbie approach Audrey’s front door. Whilst he didn’t recognise Robbie, he was fairly sure he wasn’t the guy he’d seen in the car with Audrey a few days ago. Given what he’d seen earlier, he quickly put two and two together. Well well well, he thought. His excitement level increased.
He was desperate to know what was going on inside Audrey’s house. He wished he owned a dog, so he could accidentally let it off the lead whilst it ran into Audrey’s garden and chase after it, surreptitiously scoping the place out. But he didn’t and, as the weather was sunny, there were other people around so he couldn’t investigate further directly. He decided to return home and check things out with the binoculars.
The next hour was a waste of time for him. There was nothing to see. For Audrey and Robbie, however, this hour proves to be a combination of more sex and some dancing around the houses as far as serious conversation is concerned. Every time Audrey asks about a possible future together, Robbie stonewalls using the collapse of his marriage as the justification for ‘seeing how everything pans out’. He says all of this carefully and romantically; he is still eager to go again. Audrey is disappointed but practical enough to realise there is probably some truth in what he is saying. She is also up for more fun.
By 7pm they are both knackered. The bedroom is a disaster area. Both are getting hungry. Audrey offers to make a drink and a snack. It is still light, but she doesn’t feel the need to put anything on as no-one can see her. Bingo, thinks the man with the binoculars, as she appears in his sights, stark naked. Here we go. She’s taken here phone with her and is scrolling through messages as the kettle boils. She reaches the one left by Jeff and drops the phone.
Picking it up, she races upstairs and explains Jeff will be arriving home in 45 minutes. Robbie needs to be dressed and away from the house pronto. He wants no additional incentive. Within 20 minutes, the house is tidied up and Robbie gone. Audrey watches the clock whilst drinking tea, reminiscing about what she’d been doing earlier. She feels certain Jeff won’t notice anything. The man with the binoculars has worked it all out.
When Jeff hasn’t arrived home in the next hour, Audrey starts to get a bit worried. Jeff isn’t someone who habitually arrives home later than planned. She calls him. It goes immediately to answer machine. All very strange, she thinks. He eventually rocks up an hour and a half later than promised. He is absolutely sober, and a little bit annoyed.
“Sorry I’m late. I would have been back ages ago, but some guy who apparently lives nearby flagged me down saying he had a problem. Being new to the area and because of the coronavirus problem he didn’t know who to contact, and he wondered if I could help him. I’ve been at his place helping him to trace the source of a water leak he’s had. I’d have got in touch, but I misplaced my phone. I only found it when I was leaving.”
Audrey looks on sympathetically.
“It’s funny really,” continues Jeff, “as far as I can tell this guy only lives around the back from here. Small world hey?”
Life got as back to as normal as a pandemic crisis allows. Jeff went to work most nights, whilst Audrey worked from home. Sometimes she ‘visited her sister’, as her liaisons with Robbie were codenamed, and sometimes he visited her in the evenings Jeff was working. The nosey neighbour was still in hospital. The relationship continues, but as to the future? Who knows…
Jeff is in bed. Audrey is working in the downstairs office. She hears a thud as a letter drops from the letterbox onto the carpet. It is marked ‘for the attention of Audrey’. Inside the envelope is a single sheet of paper outlining what she had been doing with Robbie that afternoon. The description includes what she was wearing, what time Robbie arrived and how this person had managed to delay Jeff getting home to allow her to time to get the house clean and tidy, including temporarily stealing his mobile.
The last paragraph said there would need to be a meeting to discuss how best to resolve this matter. The person would be in touch shortly.
Life continues for Jeff in
its normal way and for Audrey in a kind of madness she has become used to
experiencing. The lockdown restrictions are easing now and whilst for Jeff
there’s the opportunity to once again wander round the small town and bang
heads together, for Audrey it brings a degree of difficulty to the role she has
been playing of philanderer.
She’s continuing to work from home. She finds she has more free time than normal because she isn’t gossiping and can start and finish her work whenever she wants. It’s not that she doesn’t like her job – far from it, she loves it! But she loves the freedom the new normal, as she’d heard someone on the TV refer to the watered-down lockdown restrictions as a couple of nights ago, gives her. The opportunity to exercise and get out of the house is something she really looks forward to, especially as the weather is so good. She’s thinking about trying to make this a permanent arrangement once things are sorted out.
They’d talked about how they could make it work when the lockdown details were announced and Audrey’s employer offered her the chance to work from home. To some extent, they were already familiar with the sleeping aspect as Jeff’s shifts sometimes covered weekends (his favourite shifts as lots of stuff usually happened) when Audrey wasn’t working. Jeff had decided separate bedrooms would be best then. Audrey subconsciously identified this decision as the moment she realised her marriage wasn’t likely to go the distance, but she said nothing. The lockdown had resulted in these sleeping arrangements being continued seven days per week. Audrey was seeing Robbie by this time, so was amenable without complaint. The easing of restrictions hadn’t changed anything.
As for the working aspect, they got into a routine. She got up before Jeff returned from work and was at the computer in the downstairs office by the time he arrived home. Pleasantries were exchanged, and then he’d go to bed whilst she continued tapping away. He slept whilst she had lunch. She exercised outdoors with a walk whilst he continued to sleep. They had an early evening meal together before he went off to work. It suited Jeff, and would have frustrated Audrey immensely if Robbie wasn’t in her life. And that was becoming debatable. This wasn’t being married; it was two adults living separate lives in the same three-bedroomed detached property.
The affair with Robbie pre-dates the pandemic. It’s a relationship with a flattening curve though. She remains keen on the possibilities a life with him could bring her, particularly excitement and love, but he is scared of commitment with a recent and acrimonious separation from his wife ongoing. The sex is spectacular and both suspect it’s the only thing that’s been giving oxygen to the flame recently.
The initial restriction on movement messed everything up. Robbie lives with his parents so they’ve nowhere to go. Going to Audrey’s place in the evenings is impractical now Jeff’s mate, a close neighbour, has been released from hospital after recovering from Covid-19, Robbie thinks the chances of him being spotted have increased, and it’s a risk he isn’t prepared to take at the moment. Audrey thinks he’s using it as an excuse, but she’s saying nothing for now. It’s a mark of how frustrated and bored with she is with Jeff that she seems prepared to take risks all of a sudden.
Robbie has mentally decided having an affair with Audrey is unsupportable in so many ways with the mess his life is currently. As far as he’s aware, no-one knows about it apart from the two of them. This is good because if Jeff or, worse, his estranged wife found out about it there would be hell to pay. It wasn’t worth thinking about it. Catastrophe doesn’t come close. Explaining all this to Audrey is a problem he’s finding it difficult to solve. The return of Jeff’s neighbour from hospital is the only good thing that’s happened to him for months, other than sex with Audrey. He’s in a bind.
The afternoon of passion a few weeks ago with Robbie at Audrey’s place is also remembered fondly by her. However, the upset of nearly being caught with Robbie by her husband was as nothing compared to the letter she received a couple of days later. The writer still hasn’t got in touch, which is leaving her dangling on a string in some ways. In her head, she has started to call this person ‘The Viewer’.
With hindsight, it’s obvious it was ‘The Viewer’ who acted as a Good Samaritan to Audrey by preventing Jeff from getting home when he wanted to. Audrey hasn’t told Robbie about it. She certainly hasn’t mentioned it to Jeff. Strangely, she is more intrigued than worried. Probably a chancer, she reasons.
Audrey is once again at home, working. Actually, she’s sat in the downstairs office, thinking. She’s not seen Robbie for a week or so and the last conversation they had, which was four days ago, ended badly. Being married to Jeff has taught her a lot about the abilities of men to duck the important questions. Neither of the men currently in her life seemed capable of telling the truth.
“Robbie, have we got a future together? Do you think when all this is over we can start a proper boyfriend and girlfriend relationship?” Audrey already knows what his answer will be. The length of time it is taking him to reply simply confirms her thoughts.
“I want to,” Robbie replies after an eternity, “but it’s difficult with the separation and everything. I don’t know what the future holds.”
“Do you want to stop seeing me? I understand if you do. You’ve a lot of pressures at the moment. I’ll survive.” Audrey surprises herself by saying this. After all, without Robbie in her life she will be stuck with Jeff and he gives miserable a bad name. But when it comes to the important things in life, Audrey has always been able to put her finger on the cause of any unhappiness she feels. Clearly, she’s identified her present problem and is gently trying to exorcise it from her life, even if doing so will prove painful.
“I think we need a break.” replies Robbie. “Just to take stock. Let’s put it on the back-burner for now until this bloody pandemic is over and I know what’s going to happen with me.”
He’s finally said what he is thinking, admittedly with a bit of prompting. It is perhaps a shame he is only thinking about himself when he says it though. Audrey certainly sees through it straight away.
“Robbie, Robbie. It’s not all about you. I have feelings as well you know. I’m prepared to leave my husband for you, that’s what I feel about us. Then you say this. You don’t deserve the love of anyone, especially me. I’ve never known anyone so selfish. Goodbye.”
The line is disconnected. Robbie feels an elation he hasn’t felt in ages. A great big weight has been lifted from his shoulders. OK, he thinks, I’m a bastard. But people split up all the time and life continues. Audrey will get over it. I will certainly get over it. It’s impossible to do this without hurting someone. Call it a rite of passage if you want. Life is suddenly better!
Curiously, a weight has also been lifted from Audrey’s shoulders. The size is unspecified. She hasn’t realised how depressed she has been feeling, worrying about someone who clearly doesn’t feel the same way about her as she has felt about him until recently. The stress of the clandestine relationship has been an unconscious barrier to her enjoyment of life. Even if that life is mostly shared with Jeff. Anyway, she’s managed to meet someone before so why can’t she do it again?
Audrey starts to plan. There needs to be a full and frank discussion with Jeff to allow her to understand if they have a future together. He will be off at the weekend so she thinks this will be an ideal opportunity to take the bull by the horns. She’s had enough of weak men. It’s time for her to take control of her life. She just needs to think about how to play this.
In dramatic terms, what happened next could only be described as ‘convenient’. Audrey is typing a report when she hears a letter drop on to the mat. Funny, she thinks, I didn’t see the postman. She looks at her watch. The post doesn’t normally arrive for another hour or so anyway. She retrieves an unstamped envelope from the hall. It is a second piece of correspondence from ‘The Viewer’.
‘I refer to my previous letter. By now you will have had time to appreciate firstly that I mean you no harm and, secondly, I know more about you than you think I do. I am not a stalker, in that I don’t want to follow you when you go out (here he listed the times she’d gone out for her daily walk in the last week), but I would like to get to know you better.’
‘I think you are very attractive. From my brief conversation with your husband, I get the impression he doesn’t care so much for you. He must be crazy! I know I can’t force you to speak to me, and I am loathe to tell your husband about what happened that afternoon. You could report me to your husband’s employers, but I don’t think you are that kind of person for some reason.’
‘You are a married woman, currently working from home. I am a stranger in this town who has been restricted by lockdown and unfamiliarity with the area, otherwise I would introduce myself. I know you are unhappy. I know your husband works permanent nights. What have you got to lose? If you want to take this further, place something large and yellow in the rear left bedroom window any day. I will then contact you to arrange to meet.’
It was signed with the initial ’P’ and a kiss. Audrey doesn’t know what to do. She needs to consider her options.
Suddenly, Audrey is galvanised into decisive action. She is definitely going to have it out once and for all with Jeff. He is off all weekend for a change. There won’t be an argument as such; she just needs to know where she stands. It’s all about asking the right questions. She thinks Jeff has morphed into someone diametrically opposite to the man she’d met as a graduate in a bar in town all those years ago. Then, the light had blazed in his eyes. Then, he had big plans. Now, the fight has gone. Now, there is no sparkle anywhere.
Jeff continues to work nights. Whilst he sleeps, oblivious to everything, Audrey cooks and finalises her plan of attack. The deterioration of the marriage is entirely down to Jeff’s lack of desire, passion, interest, enthusiasm and concern for her. It’s a biased view, of course, but she’s been giving it her best shot for ages now without success. The affair with Robbie was the first time she’d strayed. It might not be the last, assuming she stays with Jeff.
Jeff wakes up at around 2pm on Saturday afternoon. He’s slept for about five hours, but that is standard when he’s off for the weekend. He can smell food cooking downstairs. It makes him smile; Audrey is a great cook. He stretches, gets out of bed and then takes a shower before dressing casually and going downstairs to start his weekend properly. Audrey sees him at the bottom of the stairs. His job has allowed him to retain the great physique he had when she first met him. He’s unshaven, but it suits him. He yawns as Audrey puts the kettle on.
“Something smells nice,” he says as he cups Audrey’s shoulder in a possessive rather than loving movement. “To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”
“I thought it would be nice to eat something special this evening. After all, even though the lockdown has eased I’m not really keen to go anywhere, so we might as well try to enjoy ourselves as best we can at home.” Audrey smiles as she says this to him.
Jeff suddenly begins to feel slightly uncomfortable. He’s not entirely sure why, but suspects Audrey may be planning one of her thankfully now-infrequent attempts to seduce him. The hallmarks are there, but it’s the last thing he wants on his weekend off. It’s been a while since he even slept in the same bed as Audrey and he likes it that way. She can be quite demanding sexually, and he’s simply doesn’t enjoy all that thrashing about any more. He’s also discovered a liking for cocoa. Is it a slippery slope, he wonders?
Thinking this is one thing though; saying as much to Audrey is something else entirely. He isn’t sure how best to phrase the words without seriously upsetting her and potentially threatening the continued capability of some parts of his body. Jeff is very good at compartmentalisation. He’s not very good retrieving the stuff he’s compartmentalised, even when he knows he should.
He remembers some of the comments Audrey has made in the past about two lives being lived separately under the same roof. There’s nothing wrong with that, he thinks. He quite enjoys the status quo, but the pressures of being unable to let off steam due to the ongoing pandemic are beginning to tell on Audrey as far as he can gauge. It’s obvious to him that she’s been thinking again. He fears the worst, but manages to keep the expression on his face neutral for now.
“That will be nice” is the best he can manage.
He prepares tea for them both and then retreats into the front room with his cup, and puts the TV on to catch the live football on the sports channel. He’s not really paying attention. It’s just background noise. What the hell am I going to do now is the best he can come up with.
It wasn’t always like this of course. When he met Audrey he was a bit of a rebel with ideals and a decent education to support his views. As time passed his rebelliousness dissipated as responsibility and the erosion of immature belief took hold. Instead of fighting the system he became part of it. A policeman, FFS! Never in his wildest dreams had he considered joining the force a sensible career option, but look where he was now.
He considers where it all started to go wrong with Audrey. In the beginning, the relationship was text-book. Similar interests; similar ideas about the future. A desire to go through life together, facing down whatever shit was thrown at them. Out until all hours most weekends; waking up in bed together in their rented flat in the afternoons and staying there until the evening. They used to laugh a lot he recalls.
Then getting married and buying a house – the same one they still live in. The mortgage was crippling at the time, and even though they’ve both changed jobs and improved salaries money remains fairly tight. It’s one of the reasons he’s never been too interested in becoming a father, even though he knows Audrey is keen on children.
Working permanent nights has turned Jeff into a different, more cynical person. The money is better, but he’s spending his shifts dealing with individuals that sometimes defy description. He doesn’t want to socialise. His job makes him a target at such times, but he’s unwilling to change now he’s got his foot on the promotion ladder. He’s also becoming a more inconsiderate person. Some of the bigger decisions he’s making about his life aren’t discussed with Audrey in advance. He knows he should do more, say more, be more considerate, but he’s somehow lost the ability to communicate. The prospect of a one-to-one with Audrey scares him.
They sit down to eat at 6pm. The food is indeed lovely but Jeff’s appetite is being affected by the worry over what is coming next. Audrey seems to be playing a waiting game as far as Jeff can tell. He was never very good at this kind of game, but he can’t just get up and go out in the circumstances. In his heart of hearts, he knows Audrey is right. He’s not part of a couple; he’s pretending to be and she’s seen through the charade. He suddenly decides to do something unusual. He starts a conversation.
“I think I know what all this is about,” he begins. “Before we go any further, can I lay my cards on the table and apologise. I’ve not treated you very well recently. You deserve better than I’m giving and I’m sorry. I could go on about the job and the hours and, and, all sorts of stuff to try and justify my behaviour, but there’s no point. I’m not being the partner you need, expect or want at the moment.”
Audrey is listening intently as Jeff carries on talking. “We’ve both changed over the last few years. Whether or not we’re prepared to admit it, we are getting older. My attitude towards life has altered considerably. It’s a sign of my self-absorption that I can’t honestly tell if your attitude has changed. I suspect it will have, but I can’t be certain.”
“Do I love you? Yes, in the way two people who’ve been together for as long as we have love each other. Am I in love with you? I don’t really know to tell the truth. I’d like to think so, but I know I take you for granted. I’ve lost interest in everything I used to believe in so passionately when I was younger. My job doesn’t help, particularly the hours. I have no desire to go out any more. Not because it’s you, but I genuinely prefer being at home.”
Jeff now takes a deep breath. This is where things are going to get interesting. “Do I still want to be married to you? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, even though I know you’ve been cheating on me with that fireman.” He looks across at Audrey, who is starting to go red.
“It’s amazing what information crosses my desk overnight concerning the people living in this area. Your car registration number appeared in reports on a couple of occasions, having been spotted by patrols when you were using it in the evenings after the start of lockdown. I asked one of the guys to keep an eye out for it just in case. He told me a few days later where it was parked and, more importantly, who was in it at the time he spotted it. It’s fair to say you weren’t at your sister’s house as you suggested. My colleague also recognised the person you were with.”
Jeff continued in a flat, level tone. “Perhaps I’m ahead of the curve, but the idea of an open marriage appeals to me. I want you to be happy, but I’ve obviously failed. I enjoy our relationship as it is now, but I know you don’t. We’ve not made love for ages. It upsets you more than it upsets me. I’m not a complete idiot, but I keep the important stuff inside rather than talk to you about it, which is wrong.”
The evening was not taking the route Audrey had expected it to take. She wasn’t sure what was upsetting her more at present. Being found out cheating on Jeff or discovering her husband was aware how miserable she felt at the moment but hadn’t said anything about it to her.
“I’ve ended the affair,” was all she said.
“Good,” replied Jeff. “The man is a prick. You deserve better. If you are going to see other men, I would prefer to at least have a small say in the matter.”
Audrey looks at him in amazement.
“Don’t misunderstand me here. I don’t want the full details or anything like that. I would just like to know if your arrangements are likely to conflict with my job at all. In a roundabout way I suppose I’m asking you to avoid getting involved with anyone I know or who has a criminal record that is likely to be of interest to me professionally.”
“There are two other things as well. One, are you happy to stay with me on this basis, because if you are not then you’d better move out. And two, don’t ever bring anyone back here. I know you brought the fireman back and used the bedroom I’m sleeping in at present. I found his underpants under the bed. At least, I think they were his underpants unless you’ve been seeing other people behind my back.” Jeff smiled weakly. It was probably the longest conversation he’d had with Audrey in years, possibly ever.
“I don’t know,” said Audrey. “I need to think about it.”
And think about it she did. The following day she sat down with Jeff and another long conversation ensued. This time though, she did most of the talking.
A few days later, she places a child-like picture of a yellow sun in the window of one of the rear bedrooms. It‘s the best thing she can find at relatively short notice. She has an idea of what to expect next. Two days later, another unstamped letter lands on the carpet floor near the front door. She reflects that even though Jeff has given her tacit approval to do this, she’s grateful he’s not around to see how things proceed. It’s another benefit of working from home.
There’s a mobile phone number on the note inside the envelope, which is again signed ‘P’ with two kisses. She leaves it for a few days before contacting P. She’s formulating a plan to try to ensure whatever develops is unlikely to take place locally and therefore will be away from potentially prying eyes. Although Jeff remains unaware of whom P is, Audrey does provide him with limited information in the event there is a problem.
Thankfully, there are no problems. Everything appears to be proceeding well as far as Audrey is concerned. Jeff is relaxed about everything. He’s asked Audrey not to rub his nose in it by staying out overnight, and she’s happy to oblige. P, real name Peter, isn’t in on the arrangement yet, but Audrey is considering telling him soon. For now, it’s a developing relationship.
Audrey is working at home a few days later when an unstamped letter lands on the carpet. She hasn’t seen the person delivering it, but she knows who it will be from. She’s a little bit mystified why Peter is continuing to do this, given everything, but in a way she finds it quite romantic and pleasantly mysterious. Her name has been typed on the envelope this time. Peter wrote her name on the other missives. She opens it quickly.
The typed letter inside has a photograph of her with Peter, sat in the park of a small town a few miles away, attached. The writer hasn’t signed the letter, but the text states this person knows she’s cheating on her husband and has further proof should it be required. A further communication will follow shortly to discuss what happens next. There is no signature.
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