The next day, Dad gathered Fanny, Oliver and myself, and told us he and Sally were divorcing. "She can keep her filthly little love nest," he said, open anger and disgust in his eyes as he glared at his now soon-to-be-ex-wife. Sally met him glare for glare.
"This is all your fault," she said angrily. "If you hadn't been working those long hours, I wouldn't have gotten bored."
Dad tensed, and for a moment, I thought he might hit her. Those had been almost the same thing he'd said to Mum when divorcing her over a year and a half ago, and it clearly hit him hard to have those words thrown back in his face by the very woman he'd cheated on Mum with when he'd "gotten bored". Luckily for Sally and her unborn child, he restrained the urge, barely. "You were a cheap fuck anyway," he said finally, and Sally went sheet white.
Oliver intervened before things got really personal. "So what happens now?" he asked.
"I'm taking Fanny and Charlotte," Sally said shortly, giving Dad a look that would've laid him six feet under had looks the power to kill. "He can find a new floozy to entertain, seeing as how he's of no use to me."
So much for things not getting personal, I thought sourly. Fanny then piped up. "Why are you taking her?" she demanded, giving me a cold look that showed she hadn't forgiven me for putting her in her place the day before. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ws9Mmzh9M
"Because I can," Sally said shortly. "I'm sure Benjamin..."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulsr3D2mHu
"Benjamin?" Dad yelled. "My brother? You've been fucking my brother? No wonder I never got that contract! You whore!"
Oliver put himself between them before things really did turn physical. "Jim, leave," he said. "This is getting out of hand - just pack your shit and go. You can talk to Sally via lawyers - I won't have you two in the same room ever again."
Dad raised a hand as if to hit him, but Fanny, surprisngly, backed her half brother up - with none of the usual simpering she displayed whenever she and Oliver were in the same room. "Just go," she said firmly.
Thankfully, Dad saw sense, but as he turned to leave, he threw one last salvo. "You can take Fanny and the brat," he said coldly, "but you will never take Charlotte. She's my daughter, and if anyone thinks they can take her away from me, I've got a rifle, and I am not afraid to use it." So saying, he left, and the mood was very grim as the Escort took off in a cloud of dust. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiclYxX62o
"Well, that happened," I said at last. "Sally, are you okay? Have you got somewhere safe to stay?"
She nodded, her face white and tense. "Your father is an arsehole," she said. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. I just went along with his ideals because, you know, wedding vows and the like. But I saw his face before he left - that's the face of a man who'll do anything to make sure he keeps what his."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtOQDGbseM
"Then we'd best do something about it before he can make that claim," Fanny said, firming her shoulders. "Charlotte, I'm sorry too. I know it doesn't make up for the way I treated you, but I promise I'll do whatever I can to help you and Oliver get the hell otu of here."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIotBpz2DH
I knew she meant what she said - she wasn't a fair weather friend, and neither was Sally. "I know the school year starts shortly," I said, "but is there any way I can pull out before it starts? I know you paid the fee already, Sally, and I'm sorry to have wasted that money."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hs4T2VluX
She waved it off. "I've got enough saved up to cover that," she told me. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it gets you out of here. You and Oliver better leave tonight; I know he has to go back to Oxford tomorrow, but if we ask him very nicely, I'm sure he'll be happy to drop you in Preston."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwYFUg3SUb
"Already done," Oliver assured us. "Sally, I know you and I have never seen eye to eye, and we probably never well, but I'm glad you're seeing sense."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRrdMyE4C0
Sally managed a thin smile. "Sometimes you need a good, swift kick up the arse to finally see the light," she said. She took a deep breath. "I'll get word to your mum and George. It'll be safer for all of you if you don't go to St Albans for the time being until the dust has settled."
I nodded. "Thanks," I said. "It sounds cliche, but there's never a more dangerous man than when he's backed into a corner with nothing to lose."
"We won't give him that opportunity," Oliver told me, wrapping me in his arms and kissing the top of my head. "In fact, give it an hour, and we can be out of here. Sally, can you get word to the local police? I wouldn't put it past Jim to have Charlie declared as a runaway, and he's spiteful enough to do that."
"I'll do that now," Sally said. "You two go upstairs and start packing. Faith, keep a weather eye out for Jim, and yell if you see anything that looks even vaguely threatening."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0QHooyv6Q
Fanny nodded, and as she went to take up her post, Oliver and I headed upstairs. "Fate has a really funny way of fucking with you," I said, as I grabbed a suitcase and began throwing in the essentials. I didn't plan on taking much with me - all my personal and childhood belongings were locked up in a storage unit, and Dad would never give me the key. But it was a small loss compared to the even bigger loss I'd suffer should Dad succeed in getting me away from family and loved ones.
"Doesn't it ever," Oliver agreed, dropping on my bed with a sigh. "It's really strange how adverse situations bring people together who might not otherwise have found common cause."
"Well, as Sally said, sometimes it takes a swift kick to get them to see the light," I said. "Fuck. I've got a really bad feeling."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFXqZIjvZ9
"Come here," Oliver said, holding out his arms. I abandoned packing and curled up in his lap, holding on tightly. I knew we had to get a move on, but something told me to savour this moment and wring from it all I could, and I decided packing could wait for ten minutes. Dad would likely be consoling himself in the pub down the road anyway, and Fanny would give us a yell if trouble appeared on the horizon.
Even so, it felt like that wouldn't be enough.
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