Ah, you with her too! Marion shrieked, arms flailing. Arthur, do you have any conscience left at all?
It doesnt count! Arthur shouted from beneath the duvet. Its fine with an exwife!
Actually it isnt, Marion retorted.
Darling, I love you, Arthur said, trying to sound sincere, but old habits die hard
Your habit is impressive, Marion muttered, halfdazed.
Can I at least get dressed? the habit, in Arthurs voice, asked.
And youve taken my favourite silk nightdress! The details hit Marion one after another.
Lovely set, Clare chimed, admiring the fabric. Ill get one just like it!
Take it, Marion growled, Ill never wear it in my life!
So, what about getting dressed? Clare repeated, eyeing Arthur. Im not shy about him, but you, my dear
And you didnt blush about some strangers? Marion snapped.
Lets keep the shouting down, shall we? Clare shook her head. Its only other if weve only been married twenty years, right?
Arthur, looking like a halfasleep scarecrow, tugged his underwear out from under the sheets, climbed out of bed and, lifting Marion by the elbow, tried to usher her out of the bedroom.
Lets talk somewhere else! he suggested.
I wont move until she clears out of my flat! Marion folded her arms. Off you go, love, before I lose whatever respect I have left for your respectable age!
Girl, dont be cheeky! Im only twelve years older than you! Clare protested.
Youll hear me call you grandma soon enough! Marion warned. Now scram! Or do you need a walking stick, a cane, a pair of crutches? And pray it isnt a baby stroller!
Arthur! Clare shouted. Put your wife out of your mind!
Marion! Arthur beamed, pulling Marion toward the hallway. Better help this old lady vanish, then well talk! Promise!
The scene played out like a lowbudget sitcom. Marion watched her husbands frantic shuffle with his former wife, while Arthur strained his scrawny shoulders to shield Clare from Marions glare. Clare, tangled in the sheets, fumbled with the nightwear.
When Clare finally stopped flaunting her charms, Marion clenched her fists so hard they ached, trying not to give the unexpected guest any more ammunition. The front door slammed shut, and Marion snarled:
Clean up after her, and Ill be waiting for you in the kitchen!
Yes, yes! Right away! Arthur sputtered, racing back to the bedroom to strip off his nightclothes.
Then tidy up! barked a voice from the kitchen.
Of course, of course, Arthur wheezed, catching his breath.
He entered the kitchen to find Marion weeping quietly by the window.
Marion, he said gently.
How could you? she sobbed. How could you be with her? I might have forgiven someone else, but not youand not after everything between you two! How could you forgive her?
I didnt plan it Arthur winced into a crooked smile. She called, said her son was in trouble
Thats no excuse to drag her into our home! Marion snapped. After what she did to you, Id never even meet her again!
She mentioned a son
You told us her debts! How could you
Marion had never fancied men much older than herself. Shed always found peers a bore. A man five or six years her senior was just right. But Arthur was fifteen years older, and his heart, not his age, mattered.
In Marions circle, no one else was Arthurs age. Work introduced her to plenty of men, but that stayed work. Here, not just the social circle but her very heart was involved.
It was pure chance, really. She was driving home after a long day when her cars dashboard flickered out, the steering wheel felt wooden, yet the vehicle coasted on by inertia. Panic lasted a breath, and thank heavens the road was a quiet side street with hardly any traffic.
She managed to pull over, set the handbrake, and step out. Like any decent motorist, she knew the basics: top up oil, washer fluid, antifreeze. Anything beyond that required a garage.
In a flare of emotion, she popped the bonnet and stared at the engine with a bewildered look.
Whats wrong with you? she muttered. We were at the garage yesterday! Why keep quiet?
The car, predictably, stayed mute. A passing bloke laughed, stopped, and asked:
Is it not talking?
Its dead, for the love of! Marion snapped automatically.
Let me have a look, the man offered, nudging her aside.
She stepped back. What else could she do? Block him with a horn? If he could fix it, it might be her last hope before a tow truck.
Do you always go to the same garage? he asked.
Yeah, three hundred metres from home. Super convenientpark, then fetch it in the morning.
The garage needs a change, he said with a grin. They never tightened the battery terminal. It slipped, the car died. Theyd have charged you a fortune! Got a tool?
Theres something in the boot, Marion answered vaguely.
When the terminal was set, the engine chugged to life.
I dont know how to thank you, she said.
Ah, no big deal, he waved. Just a little thing.
Whats got you looking so glum? Marion asked.
He sighed heavily. Im horseless now, he said.
Could you drive me home? Im a bit rattled after that sudden stop. Ill even call a taxi for you later! Marion offered.
Shed even prepared a meal for herself the night beforeshe lived alone, after all.
They ended up sharing dinner, and Marion, curious, asked, Did your car break down?
Why would it? he sighed again. Only the exwife drives it. She took my daughter when we split.
Word for word, Marion learned Arthurs sad tale. Hed been married to Clare for nearly twenty years, plus the years before the weddingso about twenty total. Theyd had the usual ups and downs: quiet times, arguments, a striped life. Theyd raised a son, thought about marriage, grandchildren, the whole nine yards.
Nothing extraordinary: both worked, kept the house, holidayed at the seaside, sometimes helped out at the motherinlaws cottage. A perfectly ordinary family lifeuntil Clare started complaining that something was missing.
What could help her? Marion wondered.
Shed bought flowers, gifts, tried to keep the romance alive. I dont know whats happened to her, Arthur confessed. First she kicked me off the sofa, then ignored me, then filed for divorce because she found another bloke.
Marion nodded, understanding the root of such behaviour. She didnt lecture; Arthur kept going.
The assets needed splittingalmost twenty years of joint property! And then
Their threebed flat had originally been a gift to Clare from her relatives, but it arrived in such a state that they had to strip the concrete and rebuild from a box. While the flat was being renovated, they lived in Arthurs premarriage flat.
Renovations were briefArthur was a jackofalltrades.
Consider it all done by me! he bragged.
When they finally moved, they lent out the old flat for a little extra cashwho cares about a few extra quid?
Arthur hoped the flat would bring some return. The premarriage flat he and Clare had planned to give to their son when things were still rosy. Over the years the rental income required repairs, so Arthur took out a big loan to refurbish a house for his son. He covered that loan because, previously, when they bought a car, Clare had taken out the financing herself.
Then Clare started talking about buying a cottage. Well pay off the car, then get the cottage. Arthur arranged a holiday on his loan to clear the car repayments, leaving just three instalments when Clare filed for divorce.
In short, the court gave the car to Clare because the loan was in her name. My loan wasnt split because Id taken it for my own renovation. Arthur explained. I gave the son a flat after paying the loan and doing the work. The court ruled the car and part of the flat went to Clare, and I got nothing. Who keeps receipts for twenty years?
Marion suggested, Maybe the son could let you back into the flat so youre not out on the street.
Ha! Three times! Clare told him not to let me in! He never thought of giving the flat back!
Now Arthur was left with a £2million loan and no home. He was crashing at friends places, pondering bankruptcy or moving to a council estate. The loan repayments ate up seventy percent of his salary. If wed still been married, wed have settled it together, he sighed.
Marion, ever the compassionate Englishwoman, let Arthur stay the night in another room. In the morning he made breakfast and even washed the dishes and the stove.
Two months later he became the landlords partner. Marion was amazed at how interesting Arthur washe could chat about the news, literature, film, music, and in bed he held his own against younger lads.
She helped him clear his loan in two months. She ran her own business, and when she met Arthur, she was expanding, so she decided to wait a bit.
At least I helped the husband! she thought.
Arthurs gratitude knew no bounds. Marion never regretted the uneven marriage. Money would come and go, but care, protection, tenderness, and love? Those were priceless.
She didnt mind until she found a strangers coat hanging in the hallway and, later, discovered old photos of Clare online. It broke her heart to the point of tears, yet she kept her composure.
Marion, dont be so upset, Arthur said. We had twenty years together; there were good times too. It just slipped.
Youre a traitor! Marion shouted. You betrayed me, yourself, everyone! You threw her away and then forgave her! You never thought of me! When we married you were in debt, and I gave you everything! I bought the car, cleared your loan, was ready to get a flat in your name, and you with the woman who humiliated you!
I understand, but understand me too! Arthur scratched his head. We were tired of the marriage, needed a break. You did right with the assets, and thanks for clearing my debt! Ill be grateful for the rest of my life!
Just dont say it out loud Marion whispered, bewildered.
Marion, Im sorry, but Im going back to her. We spent years together, and you cant compare, Arthur stammered.
Marion stared at the floor, examining the linoleum for a moment.
Keys to the flat, the car, and the credit card on the table! she shouted. And get out of my flat now!
What are you talking about? Arthur asked, stunned.
Nothing! As the bloke who barged in, youll leave the same way, she snapped. Off you go!
Arthur huffed, but he was leaving the marriage with a profitMarion had cleared his debt, after all. He thought, thanks for the family, thanks to Clares side!
Now he could even think about buying a cottage
