The Art of Friendship (20 page)

‘I’m sorry, Patsy. I know this is difficult but I’m just trying to piece together what happened.’ In his smart suit, Keith looked, and sounded, every inch the lawyer.

‘One of the bedrooms upstairs,’ said Martin, the words slipping out, against his will it seemed, from tight, thin lips.

‘I see,’ said Keith and he nodded slowly. ‘And Laura…she’s definitely sure it’s Pete?’

‘Keith!’ gasped Janice, appalled that he was questioning Laura’s story and, worse, suggesting that she had slept with someone else as well as Pete.

‘Of course she’s bloody sure,’ said Martin through gritted teeth, the tendons on the side of his neck standing out. ‘What the hell are you suggesting?’ His hands, resting on his long thighs, clenched into fists.

‘How dare you, Keith,’ whispered Patsy, and she stood up, her face twisted in rage. Her voice rose. ‘
How
dare you.’

‘Okay. I’m sorry,’ said Keith and he raised a palm, like an admission of guilt. ‘I just…have to be sure. Please, Patsy, sit down.’

She glanced at Martin, he nodded and she obeyed. ‘That’s very odd,’ said Keith, looking at Janice. ‘Pete hasn’t said anything to us about Laura, has he?’

Janice shook her head. ‘No.’

‘And the party was the first time?’ said Keith.

‘Yes,’ said Patsy.

‘And did it happen again?’ said Keith.

‘No, certainly not. Apparently, once he got what he wanted, Pete refused to have anything to do with Laura,’ said Patsy. ‘He’s been telling her to stop pestering him.’

Janice put a hand over her mouth, removed it and said, ‘So he doesn’t know about this…this accusation?’

‘It’s not an accusation, as you call it, Janice,’ said Patsy coolly, and she stared hard at Janice. ‘It’s a statement of fact.’

Keith said, ‘Martin, you said that Pete took advantage of Laura. What did you mean by that?’

Martin paused, looked at Patsy and ploughed on. ‘From what we can gather, it seems that Laura might have…well she might have had a drink.’

‘Jesus, Martin,’ said Keith and he glanced at Janice with a horrified expression on his face. ‘Let’s just get this straight.
Are you saying that she was drunk and Pete…Pete raped her?’

‘No,’ said Martin and he shook his head violently. ‘No, not rape.’

‘Then they had consensual sex?’

Patsy, red in the face, said, ‘Laura’s not used to alcohol. Her judgment was…clouded. She didn’t know what she was doing, Keith. And Pete did.’

‘Is that what she said?’ said Keith. Patsy and Martin looked at each other. ‘Is that what she told you?’ persisted Keith.

‘Will you stop splitting hairs over semantics, Keith?’ said Patsy.

‘I’m trying to establish the facts, Patsy. You can’t come in here casting allegations about without being absolutely sure that what you’re accusing my son of is true.’ Keith counted on the fingers of his left hand with his right thumb as he spoke. ‘One – Laura and Pete are both over the age of consent. Two – Laura’s judgment may have been impaired by alcohol. Three – that said, Laura willingly consented. None of this adds up to a crime on my son’s part. He and Laura have both made a terrible and foolish mistake.’

‘That’s easy for you to say,’ said Martin angrily. ‘It’s not your daughter that’s pregnant.’

Keith stood up. ‘I think it’s time we heard Pete’s side of the story.’

‘Yes, let’s,’ said Martin and he inched closer to the edge of the sofa, as though he was about to stand up.

Janice put a hand to her throat. ‘I’ll go and get him.’

She escaped the room and climbed the stairs to the landing. Her legs felt like they were made of lead, her fine clothes suddenly seemed ostentatious and inappropriate. The door to Pete’s room was slightly ajar. She could see his head bent over his desk, the anglepoise lamp shining down on the
opened book in front of him. Had he really done what the Devlins claimed? Had he coerced Laura into having unprotected sex with him? She rapped the door with her knuckles and, when she spoke, found that she was shaking.

‘You’re needed down in the drawing room,’ she said, without crossing the threshold of the room. With its dark blue walls, Black Watch tartan curtains and insufficient lighting – all Pete’s choices – it was like a dungeon. It was her least favourite room in the house, and she found it slightly menacing.

‘Huh?’ he said, looking over his shoulder with a frown to demonstrate his irritation at being interrupted.

‘Now, Pete,’ she said and something in her tone arrested him for he got up without further comment, and followed her out of the room and down the stairs. She entered the drawing room first, head down, and went over to the sofa to sit beside Keith, opposite the Devlins. Behind her, Pete came to a halt in front of the coffee table and put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

He raised his shoulders, sharp beneath a thin white t-shirt, and said, ‘What?’ to the four sombre faces staring at him.

Keith spoke first and to the point. ‘Laura Devlin’s pregnant, Pete. And she says you’re the father.’

A ghost of a smile crossed his face, as if he found this statement mildly amusing. ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’

‘I wish I was,’ said Keith and he sighed heavily. ‘Did you or did you not sleep with Laura at Jason Dobbin’s eighteenth birthday party?’

The corner of Pete’s mouth turned up in what looked like a smirk and then it was gone. ‘I…er…I may have done.’

‘You either did or you didn’t,’ said Janice sharply, incensed by his smart-ass comment. She could feel the tension between
Martin and Patsy from across the room, like a taut elastic band, ready to snap at any moment.

‘Okay, then. I did.’

Keith’s face crumpled and Janice put her hand on his knee. He had really believed in Pete up until this point. He had so much more faith in him than Janice had.

Martin bent his head like a great weight was pressing down on it. Patsy’s eyes filled with tears but, chin up, she kept her composure.

‘Did you use any protection?’ said Janice.

Pete shrugged, and shook his head. ‘That’s her problem, not mine,’ he said, raising a sardonic eyebrow. ‘If she’s gonna lay it out, she should know how to look after herself. Anyway, how come you’re so sure it’s me that got her preggers?’

Janice never even saw Martin leap out of the seat, he moved so fast. Before she realised what was happening he was standing in front of Pete. He pushed him roughly with the flat of his right hand and sent Pete sprawling backwards onto the floor. A cry escaped Janice’s lips. Then Martin stood over Pete, hands formed into fists, choking with anger. A string of expletives, words that Janice had never heard mild-mannered Martin use before, poured forth. He was so pumped up with adrenaline, she was afraid he might set those fists to work on her son. She reckoned he was capable of beating Pete to a pulp. She found she was loath to intervene.

Quickly, Keith got between Martin and Pete, locked his hands on Martin’s biceps and looked into his face. ‘You’ve got to calm down, Martin. This isn’t helping.’

‘Did you hear him? Did you hear what he said?’ shouted Martin, his face puce with rage, straining to look past Keith at Pete. ‘Talking about Laura like that. Like she’s some sort of slut.’

‘I know, Martin. I know,’ said Keith and he looked over his shoulder. He glared angrily at Pete who still lay on his back on the floor, his legs splayed out, his feet bare. Pete looked down at his chest, at the place where Martin had struck him.

Janice went over to him and helped him to his feet.

‘I’m alright,’ he mumbled, and brushed her hand from his arm. ‘Did you see that? That was assault.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake, Pete,’ cried Janice and only just managed to restrain herself from slapping him across the face. ‘Don’t you know when to shut up? You’re lucky he didn’t do a lot worse.’ She paused and examined his face. His chin was tilted up slightly, his eyes narrowed a little. He looked proud, unrepentant. Janice lowered her voice, and looked directly into his eyes. ‘Have you no idea what harm you’ve done, Pete? What this means for Laura? For all of us?’

He stared back at her, challenging her with his arrogant, steady gaze. He did not answer but he didn’t need to. His expression said it all – he refuted any culpability. He accepted no responsibility, displayed no shame or remorse. Janice stepped away from him and took a sharp intake of breath.

Keith managed to manoeuvre Martin back to the sofa and pushed him gently into a sitting position. The fight had gone out of him all of a sudden. Janice returned to her place on the sofa, leaving Pete to stand alone, his weight on one leg, hands shoved into the back pockets of his jeans.

‘Let’s all just calm down a minute,’ said Keith, sitting down. ‘Pete, I want you to apologise to the Devlins for slandering Laura’s character.’

‘Sorry,’ said Pete quickly, without looking up. It was said so ungraciously, Janice closed her eyes in embarrassment and was surprised that it didn’t bring Martin to his feet once more.

Patsy, who had been quiet for some time, spoke suddenly. Her voice was dripping with disgust. ‘Look at what you two have raised,’ she said and shook her head. ‘A heartless monster, who doesn’t give a damn about anybody but himself. Look at him! He doesn’t care about Laura – or the baby.’

Pete made no attempt to defend himself. He redistributed his weight to the other foot and let out a bored-sounding sigh. His blue eyes sparkled with defiance. Janice realised he was actually enjoying this.

‘I’ve always believed that children are a reflection of their upbringing,’ said Patsy. ‘Which says a lot about you two, doesn’t it?’

Keith ran his hands through his thick, greying hair and said quietly, without looking at his son, ‘Go back to your room, Pete.’

When he’d gone, there was a long silence. Keith, for once in his life, was speechless – a measure of his despair. Janice felt his disappointment and shared it. Pete had exceeded even her worst expectations. Janice looked at Patsy’s wretched face and knew that this would drive a wedge between them. Their friendship would never be the same. Pete had destroyed Laura’s life and refused to accept responsibility for his actions. But she would do everything in her power to make amends. To demonstrate that she accepted Pete’s culpability, even if he didn’t.

‘Has Laura decided to keep the baby?’ she asked.

Patsy ignored the question. ‘Well, it’s clear that Pete has absolutely no interest in Laura or the baby. Therefore she can’t count on any sort of support from him whatsoever. Personally, I’m glad, because I wouldn’t want that excuse for a human being involved with my daughter in any way.’ She glared at Janice.

Janice hung her head, letting the blow glance off her. Keith
stared at the empty fireplace. His face was white. He appeared not to be listening.

‘As for the baby,’ Patsy went on. She paused and looked at her hands clasped in her lap so tight the knuckles were white. When she spoke again her voice was a whisper. ‘I think she should get rid of it.’

‘Patsy!’ said Martin.

Patsy looked at him, her eyes full of tears and said, ‘What else can she do? If she has the baby, it’ll ruin her life, Martin. All our hopes and dreams for her…her future, everything…shattered.’

Janice had never before felt so much compassion for another human being. She pressed her hands to her mouth and fought back the tears. Her son had brought this misery right into the heart of Patsy’s family. And he thought he could simply walk away from the wreckage. Pete had disgraced her before, but nothing came close to the shame she felt now.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Janice. ‘We both are.’ She looked at Keith for support and he nodded grimly, quiet now, the stuffing knocked out of him.

‘Well, sorry isn’t a great deal of help to us right now,’ said Martin. ‘Though it might have made us feel better to hear it from Pete. But that’s not going to happen, is it?’

Janice swallowed. Keith spoke up, in a voice that was flat and broken. ‘As Pete’s parents we accept full responsibility for what he’s done. And we want you to know that whatever Laura decides to do we will help in any…’

Patsy snorted, cutting him off. ‘You think we want your money? Is that what you think we came here for?’

Keith shook his head. ‘No, of course not.’

Janice said, ‘Keith’s only saying that we will be there for Laura whatever she decides to do. If she has the baby,
we’ll…we’ll help with whatever it needs. Practically as well as financially.’

‘And you think that we’d accept help from you?’ said Patsy, and she pretended to laugh. ‘Let me tell you something. If – and it’s a big if – Laura decides to have this baby the last people in the world we’d want to come anywhere near her or the child is anyone remotely connected to Pete Kirkpatrick.’ She paused, allowing the words to sink in, and shook her head. ‘I always had my reservations about Pete, Janice.’

Janice’s head snapped up – this was the first she’d heard of it. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I always thought he was a strange child – cold and aloof. I put a lot of it down to shyness but I see now that my instincts were right. He’s arrogant and selfish and entirely lacking in any sense of right or wrong.’

Janice swallowed bravely, trying not to let Patsy’s words hurt so much but they stung like knife cuts. But weirdly, Janice also found solace in the pain – someone else had seen in Pete what she thought only she could see.

‘If you didn’t come here for money, Patsy,’ said Keith, ‘what did you come here for?’

The question seemed to take her by surprise. ‘I honestly don’t know,’ she said sadly and looked at her husband.

‘You needed to know,’ said Martin, addressing Keith. ‘Pete needed to know. And we thought…well, I guess we hoped that Pete would…’ He stopped abruptly, thought for a moment and then said simply, ‘We wanted to hear Pete say he was sorry.’

It wasn’t much to ask, Janice reflected, but based on Pete’s performance tonight it was a wish that was unlikely to be granted. She felt her cheeks redden yet again, mortified by her son’s behaviour.

‘Martin,’ snapped Patsy. ‘We’re finished here.’ She stood
up and started to walk towards the door, then stopped abruptly and turned to face Keith and Janice once more. ‘There is one more thing. I don’t want a word spoken about this. If Laura decides to have the baby, everyone will learn about it soon enough. And if she doesn’t, there’s no need for half of Ballyfergus to know our business. So help me God, if I hear that Pete’s going around blabbing…’