Shadows in the Dark

Chapter 5

Wendy Clark was tired. She worked two jobs and often twelve hours a day. She wanted to save enough money to go home. Why weren't people nicer to her? It was as if no one trusted her. Was it because she wasn't American?

The children were all nice.  It was just their parents who whispered behind her back. Working at The Landing one morning, she asked Rick after all he knew everything on The Point. If The Point was Oz, Rick would be the wizard.

"The women are just jealous of you."

"Me, why ever?"

Rick looked uncomfortable and turned to his wife, "Alice, help me out."

"Wendy, you're young and beautiful."

"Many of them are too. The woman that I heard is on the telly and the wife of the man on the news."

Rick said, "Don't mind any of them. You're a hard worker and that's enough."

At least Andy, the lobsterman was always friendly when he brought in his catch. She called him Andrew and it made him smile. He wasn't really a part of scuttlebutt, because he worked on the water and then got into his truck to drive home someplace away from the coast.

She wasn't being completely fair, the professor talked to her, but he talked to everyone. The doctor did too. He was a nice man, but his wife who was also a doctor wasn't very nice.

Wendy said to Rick, "I wouldn't want to walk into her surgery."

Rick said, "Don't worry all her patients are dead."

"Dead!" she said in disbelief. It was later she learned from the husband doctor his wife studied tissue only after it was removed from the patient. He called her a pathologist.

Whenever Wendy had a day or an afternoon off she would sit on the beach and look out towards home. She just needed to get through the summer, and she'd go home. Even if she saved enough to leave before the end of summer, she felt obligated to Rick and Todd to stay.

Wendy looked around the small, bleak apartment. The furnishings were worn and unattractive. It was worse than any flat she had seen during her university days and she had seen some real hovels. She had found the place by accident at the moment she needed to get away. It was pure luck her former friend, Mark was a fan of fresh seafood. She had driven down to get him fish and chips and found the apartment and a job to go with it.

Mark lived in the apartment next door to where she had lived with Harry. They were friends and when she left Harry with no place to go, she went to Mark. The problem was she wanted a friend and a sympathetic ear and Mark only argued with her.

"You're wrong Wendy. Harry loves you. I see him look at you. Believe me he's really upset."

"I know what I saw and it wasn't the first time." She refused to listen.

Truthfully, the first time she saw Harry with another woman, it was her. They met at university and he was going with a girl. Wendy was at the gathering with her friends, but throughout the night Harry kept coming over to talk to Wendy. He was really good looking and sure of himself, Wendy was attracted to him immediately, but she kept sending him back to his girl. He pestered her enough she gave him her number. She had hardly arrived home from the party when he rang.

"It's all sorted. I'm available. Have dinner with me tomorrow?"

She should have known then he would move from one girl to another, but she was too busy falling in love to worry. He was smart and gorgeous and came from a wealthy noble family. He was the spare not the heir, but they were completely different from her middle-class family. Even after she said her vows and became his wife, she never felt she belonged in his life. Only when they were alone did it ever feel right.

His mother never hid she was not pleased with their match. She wanted her son to marry into a family equal to their own. She dreaded social events, including the family, but she loved Harry so she plastered on a smile and whispered, "Don't leave me."

He would always reply the same. "Never, darling."

Shuddering, she had been the one to leave him. In his world infidelity was rampant and the women learned to turn a blind eye. She was raised to be faithful and refused to turn a blind eye.

He was wandering before they left England. She had been horribly depressed after suffering several miscarriages. All the platitudes only made her feel worse. If she had a quid for every time someone said "it's for the best," or "it wasn't meant to be," or "next time," she wouldn't be working two jobs now. She dragged herself to work and back again to mope around their flat. Harry tried to be sympathetic and although he was sad when each happened, he bounced back quickly. It wasn't his body failing to do its job. It was all her fault.

One spring day she felt better than she had in months. She left her job at the insurance company and decided to surprise Harry at the bank. She thought they could have a walk in the warm air and maybe grab some dinner. When she approached his office, she saw him leaning over a beautiful woman who was typing at a computer. His eyes were looking down clearly taking in everything her low cut top was not hiding.

Quickly, she turned before he saw her and rushed home. When he came home an hour later, he was smiling. His smile turned to a frown when he saw her curled up on the settee. He sat beside her. "I've got news."

She was certain he'd be ringing the girl with the cleavage in a minute to tell her  it had been all sorted. She felt the tears leak out of the corner of her eyes.

"Darling, don't cry. I think my news might just be what we need. I've been offered a promotion, but the position is in America."

She didn't think she heard him and asked confused, "America?"

"Yes, don't you see. We can get away from everything. My family... and you can find happiness again. No one will be looking at you the way you hate."

"Like I'm broken."

"You are not broken and even if you were it wouldn't change a thing. I love you."

"What about that sexy thing in your office? She's not broken."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you! I wanted to surprise you and I saw you looking at her tits. You were too friendly."

His face looked red, as if he were guilty. "You're right I looked. Bloody hell, they were right there in front of my face. I'm not strong enough not to look. Do you know what I was thinking?" She shook her head. "I was thinking my wife's are ten times better and then I thought maybe when I tell her about the promotion, she will let me play with them until she begs me to satisfy the need I will have stirred within."

Wendy suddenly felt guilty even though she didn't believe him, it was her own fault, because in her depressed state she forgot about his needs.

"If I ever catch you stepping out on me again, I'll leave you. I won't be made a fool."

"Never! I only want you."