CHAPTER TWO

Cate

Things had changed for me. The time on the road had n't changed ; it was always this way except when I started it was for a week or three to four nights at the same locus. Now I was favourable if I got two dark. I did n't bewail my post ; I was still doing the thing I loved, singing. When I was immature and fresh there would be pocket-size presents in my bandaging elbow room with offers to dine or to supply me with something that would relax me. Well you can think what they thought would take place after. It did n't. I was a rock music bird that did n't do the drugs and sex shot. Does n't vocalize possible does it ? It 's rightful though. I saw early on what happened to the fille who went that way, the media trashed them, unlike the guys who, it seemed enhanced their profile with every spliff they smoked and every teenybopper who dropped their bloomers for them, especially when the girls seemed to be under-age. It 's a man 's world and despite the efforts of the cleaning woman 's lib crowd, it still is. I became cautious of any web. Oh, I did get some relationships, but my relationships worked themselves out over a full point of calendar month rather than hours.

When I married, it was to a guy in my backup group. I married for lifetime ; he married for security measure, believing that there would always be a place for him in whatever backing group I used. The problem with him was that he still thought of himself as freelance. He was free with his lance, and he had a Bill Bill Clinton zipper. Getting divorced was not easy. The effectual bit was a spell of patty, but the publicity was horrible. The rag could not believe that he would cheat on the beautiful, shapely girl he married without cause. So the rumor started, there was something amiss with me, I was frigid or perhaps I was a gay woman. He was shamed. Yet I was the one who was tarred.

My director, the little diddly-shit, had guided me all through my career until two days ago. I was new and uninstructed when I signed up. He moulded my appearance, introduced me to the right A and R men, chose what songs I would sing, looked over the contracts and showed me the dotted line where I signed. After xx age in the business sector, I learned a affair or two and asked some pertinent questions of him. I read the medicine papers and was astounded at how much I was presumed to be earning, yet I did n't receive anything like that sort of money in my write up. The answers he gave me were so evasive ; I knew there was something damage. Therefore, I went looking and found an unbiased controller who specialized in investigating money trail. He delved for a couple of month and then laid it all out for me. Money was being siphoned off from all my contracts and was split between my handler and whatever broker was involved in the deal of that time. The issue to the Inland revenue that my manager 's elect accountant filed on my behalf were aught like the economic value of the contracts. The Revenue came sniffing looking to recover tax unpaid from me. It was only after the motor inn caseful that they backed off, understanding that I had been the victim and that I had never received the full amount of my contract. If my handler had revealed where he had stashed the money he stole from me, his prison term would own been hoy, but for ground unknowable he stayed tight-lipped.

After all these bumps in the road, I had made it a ruler that I would never make a flying determination. I would look at things and then believe. Then I would think some more. So becoming Friend with gob so quickly was well out of case for me. Most men would have been incandescent at being cut up like that, but sea dog just sort of shrugged his shoulders and offered me a potable. Usually I would make an self-justification and leave at that degree, but seaman had this air of non-threatening equanimity. Therefore, I sat down. Then when he asked me about 'Sarfend', I relaxed totally. It was great talking about our pasts as if we were old supporter. Later when we moved on to medicine, I was in there battling for my way. He did n't get distressed when I as near as dammit called him an old fogy, he smiled and countered my Word of God. He did n't demolish my debate he just got me to reckon music in a slightly different way. When he talked about what music meant to him I felt ashamed of myself. He was describing how I felt about music when I was in my stripling. Somewhere along the way, I had lost that apotheosis. Could I ever get it back ? As we talked, I got this notion of a actual, self-contained man. A guy who would bear people for what they were and feel interestingness in their idea and dream. He did n't deliver to throw his weight around or brag of his success to impress the great unwashed, in fact I believed that he did n't care if masses thought him successful or not. He was what he was. Others may regard wealth as the measure of a man. Jack did n't. His criteria lay elsewhere.

I was disappointed when I found that diddly-squat was leaving the succeeding morning as I was looking forward to another evening of talking with him. It would be talking, somehow I knew that he would n't be making any moves on me until I gave him the signal that it would be acceptable. He was intuitive, one of the few men who could recognize the signal, one of many gesture that charwoman used to indicate their interestingness in a man. jackstones would not simulate, he would wait for a signal, even then he would n't swoop, instead he would take it gently. Why did I think that ? He came across to me as one who did n't play around, a gentleman's gentleman who would always respect my demarcation. That was why I asked for his number, just because it would be large to utter with him again and for no early reason. When guys asked me for my number I would usually tell them there was little tip as I was so rarely there, so I would ask for their turn and if they would n't reach me a home number it was probably because there was a wife who could answer the phone. It was a simple trial, but effective. Jack had no problem about giving me his home number, my vibes told me he would n't. Strangely, as we said goodnight I had a second of sadness. I wanted to go on talking with this man, something that had rarely happened to me.

mariner

The adjacent few days were very busy for me. I travelled from the South due west, where I had met Cate, to senior high Wycombe and then northwards to Long Eaton. Long Eaton was the glad search background for me as there were more manufacturers of timbre upholstery in that shoes within three or four miles of each other than anywhere else in the United land. If that was n't enough, it was close enough to my plate that I did n't have to suffer the dubious delights of hotel accommodation. I could drive there from my plate in forty minutes.

I wondered if I would ever hear from Cate. There were so many reasons for her not calling. The disparity of our lives for one. We both travelled a lot, in fact, I spent just as much time away from dwelling as actually living there. Cate, from what I knew would rarely be at her nursing home. She was probably more of an itinerant that I. Moreover, she worked mostly in the evenings. I knew enough about the music manufacture to know that her days would be meddlesome as well. There would be forwarding, Guest appearances on TV New World chat shows, rehearsals, phone deterrent, enough to keep anyone busy during the day apart from performing in the evening. There would also be a lot of time spent in the transcription studio apartment, although I can not think, now that I think about it, of her releasing much of late. As the days passed, I began to consider that I would never learn from her.

A week at home beckoned me ten twenty-four hour period later. Not a vacation, although I would get some time to relax. I needed to get my account in order for the annual audited account by my accountant, prior to sending in my income tax retort. This was the clip when panic could set in as I searched for invoice, direction advices, receipts for items claimable and former support the Inland Revenue deemed necessary. I had found most of these and they were arranged in neat muckle on my desk in particular date order when the phone rang. I picked up expecting to get word from one of my client. `` tar Weston. ``

'' hello, seafarer. I 'm storm to determine you at home. I would have thought you were out selling your textile. '' The voice was instantaneously recognisable.

'' Cate ! How nice to hear from you. This is a paperwork day. It 's great outflow dayspring so as soon as I have finished I can go out and revel the air. ``

'' I bet you were thinking that I would never call. ``

I laughed. `` Well something like that had gone through my thinker. I mean you are so meddling. ``

'' So meddling I would forget a ally ? ``

'' Eh. I do n't live. ``

She was giggling. `` fountainhead you should know. I would n't forget the guy who needs to be taught about Rock, would I ? ``

'' If that is the case I need to instruct this famous Rock singer about Swing. ``

'' Oh we do bear a lot to talk about then. '' She became serious.

'' laborer I have got a three night gig at the fabrication way in derby. Is that close to you ? ``

'' Yes. I live about ten international nautical mile from Derby. When is it ? ``

'' Three weeks time. I can get you a comp tag, but more importantly, I really would like to nibble up on our chat before. I will be in Derby for five days. Would you receive dinner with me one of twenty-four hour period I am not singing ? ``

'' I would jazz to. ``

'' Good. I will cry nearer the clock time and we can get matter arranged. I am stuck in my flat in London trying to class out the mess my managing director has left me. It does look like a gracious day, but I doubt that I will get to see anything of it. Oh, by the way, I looked for Hulland Ward on the map ; it 's almost non-existent. You must live way out in the land ? ``

'' Yes it is. I have an un-interrupted panorama of rolling James Jerome Hill dropping gradually down to the valley of the River Dove. ``

'' You 're a sadist, knave. Telling me of your idyllic billet. It does sound nice. The only view I have is of roofs of other edifice and occasional glimpses of the sky. ``

I got up and walked to the window. `` Yes I like it. It was just what I needed after the psychic trauma of the divorce. ''

Without thought, I opened the window. The breeze blew in and carried away those atomic reactor of neatly sorted papers on my desk. `` Bugger ! The winding has just blown away my paperwork. It 's taken me two hr to sort and now I shall have to do it all over again. ``

Cate was laughing. `` It 's comeuppance for you. Teasing me with the description of your home. I have no sympathy for you. A bit of envy, possibly. I shall take in to come up and see it sometime. ``

'' You would be receive. ``

'' must go, manual laborer. The other telephone set is ringing. talk of the town soon. Bye. ``

'' Bye, Cate. '' I wearily picked up those papers and started to sort them again. The call was interesting. I had thought that she would never telephone, or that if she did it would be merely a telephone conversation. The surprise was that first, she wanted me to be at her concert and second that Cate wanted to extend our conversation. The input about her coming up and seeing the cottage was possibly a throwaway remark, or maybe an indication of to a greater extent interest than I had thought. I had never been one for edifice castles in the air, so the throwaway input was the more likely and I thought no more about it.

Two weeks later Cate phoned again. This clip in the evening. This was not the hurried conversation of out endure phone call. I could tell that Cate was relaxed and apart from making our arrangement for the Derby concert, we talked of other thing. music to start up off then our schmooze morphed into other topics. She was quite interested in the cottage. `` You were kidding me when you said that you could see rolling Alfred Hawthorne descending into the river valley, were n't you ? ``

'' Honestly, Cate it 's honest. The cottage was originally a farm labourer 's cottage. I bought it from the Farmer, Harry Gill. I had it modernized and extended. ``

'' So you get water out of a tap, rather than pumping it up by helping hand ? '' There was laughter in her voice.

'' You 've got it. Of row, it 's difficult to fill the tin Bath. I have to churn a lot of kettles to get enough hot water for that. Then there is the little wooden outhouse for personal affair. But apart from that I am quite sophisticated. ``

Cate was giggling nicely as she asked. `` And I suppose you take your bathroom in front of the fire ? ``

'' No. I go outside on the terrace. It 's slow to empty it then, straight onto a flower bed. ``

'' That I would love to see. ``

'' No way ! A man 's got his right to privateness when he 's taking his tub. ``

'' Taking a Bath outside is not exactly private, anyone could see you. ``

'' Not often prospect of that, the nearest place is two miles away. ``

'' Two miles ? ``

'' Yes. I 'm in the dorsum of beyond here. It also means I can play my music as loud as I like. There 's no one to complain. ``

'' That 's fantastic. I really must see this place of yours someday. '' Somehow, I was not averse to that. When you meet soul and are able to talk to him or her easily and without having to watch what you say you know there is something more there. What that was I did n't know, but I was looking forward to exploring.

'' fountainhead give me mass of observation and I 'll scatter and hoover. That 's if I can find the vacuum cleaner. I know it 's around somewhere, I am sure I saw it about six calendar month ago. ``

Cate laughed uninhibitedly. `` That 's cheered me up, labourer, to have intercourse that you are useless at something. You should get a cleaning gentlewoman in. ``

'' I did. But she kept getting lost on the way here, so I gave up in the end. ``

'' Is it that unmanageable to find then ? ``

'' Not really. I make a joke about it. The lanes around here are not named and there are few signposts, so unless you know where you are going it 's quite easy to drop off your way. It suits me as I do n't get those irritating people doing surveys for this that and the other, nor do I get the canvassers for the energy society. ``

'' I do n't get those either, but in my guinea pig it 's because they ca n't get past the O. Henry in the entry lobby. ``

'' Intimidating, is he ? ``

'' I should say so. Six foot four of ex-Royal Marine. He 's lovely really but the canvassers who come through the door get his'I do n't occupy crap from anybody'flavour, turn round and lead quickly. ``

'' The sign at my logic gate usually deters people. ``

'' A sign ? '' Cate asked.

'' Yes. It says 'Beware of the cop'. ``

'' Is the bull life-threatening. She asked through her laughter. `` Or is that some kind of self-advertisement ? ``

'' There is n't a bull. Harry Gill put it up for me. He does have a copper, but it 's never in my airfield. '' I hesitated for a moment but then it was Cate who had brought innuendo into the conversation. `` I do n't advertise. I am very select and selective. ''

I could hear Cate giggling. `` fountainhead that 's a variety. zippo like my ex-husband I am pleased to say. ``

Our Old World chat finished soon after that. We agreed that I would see her for dinner at the Ramada on the Midweek night. Her gig was for Thursday through to Saturday evening. The comp tag she had arranged was for Saturday evening .