EXTRA MONEY!

“The thing about ethnic cleansing is that you never expect it to happen to you.” I said to Paulette, while I tried to sort out my hair. I had so much wax in it from the night before I was going to have to wash it out. It has become rigid!

He laughed slipping off his high heels, and sitting down with his legs spread too far apart.
“Baby Girl! “ I exclaimed shocked by the inappropriateness of the action. “We’ve told you – It’s not enough to dress the part, you got to be the thing, you gotta be female!”

Well the operations had cost: more than his salary for ages. We’d been lucky found a nice Doctor out in the sticks in a bungalow with neighbours who slept nights and wanted to help. Now over a year later he’d finally become she. We were to be married next month. I didn’t want Paulette to sit like that though!

“What sort of ethnic cleansing?” Paulette asked flicking her eyelids at me. I think sometimes she found me boring. I’d have to watch that.“Oh the people down the road think we’re scum,” I confided, “Really horrible they were. Said you have to be part of the tribe to live here!” Oh God I was wailing already! They had really got to me.“Look,” she said, “You know I’m only waiting on my allowance to come through, and then we can go home. You know what kind of tribe there in anyway, it’s the knock and run gang!”

“Yes, when is it coming?” It would be useful, because all the bills were due again. I mean we both worked hard, me at home on the computer and her in an office all day long. “I think it will be in the Parish Councils hands within the week,” she said smiling, “About time too.”She had to pick it up every time. Funnily enough she’d managed somehow to have it signed over in a lovely female name. Paulette.

“I’ll ring the clerk to the council now,” I offered, “Just to see if we can pick it up.” I grabbed the phone and rang the number. “Hi Rosemary,” I gabbled full speed, “Its Daphne here, Paulette’s fiancé.”There was a short pause, and then Rosemary said coldly, “I need to speak directly to Paulette, please.”
I handed the phone over and made a face at her. She laughed, “Hi Rosemary, it’s just the usual…
Rosemary didn’t seem pleased about something. Paulette put the phone down. “We need to talk,” she said slowly, “We’ll have to cancel the wedding.”
“Why?” I squawked, “We’ve been through so much…” I really needed that wedding.

“The police are coming,” she said, “That money wasn’t really for me, it was for my ex-wife!” I had to sit down. “We’ve been stealing?” I asked. “Yes,” she said, not looking at me, “I couldn’t tell you… the truth, she wasn’t ever told she had any money. She never collected any, and after I joined the Parish Council I found out, I saw her name on the list. I’m fed up of being poor – so I took it.”

I didn’t know what to say. I’d wanted to marry Paulette, both the man I met and the woman he wanted to be. I thought he was kind, loving, and beautiful both ways round. I thought he had enough money, we had enough money. It had never occurred to me that it was all a lie. My whole world had fallen apart. She put her arms around me and started to cry too. “I need to go,” I said, and ran away upstairs. I had to find just a minute alone.

I heard the Police come in a few minutes later, by the time I had my composure she was gone. I went down to the Police Station as soon as the shaking stopped.
“My fiancé Paulette Revens was taken in,” I said, they nodded, and turned away.
One turned round, “You, Alicia Marten?”
My turn to nod.

“Come in for a minute, I’d like to talk to you.”
I followed him into a sideroom, “Is she okay? Will she be able to come home?”
“No,” he said, “Not yet, there’s more to talk of yet.”
“Exactly what has Paulette done?” I asked. This was terrible. Was I an accomplice?
“Tell me what you think she did to end up in here?”

I hesitated thinking, I’d have to be truthful, “He told me just before you came that he’d stolen money meant for someone else from a list at the Parish Council.” The words came out fast.
“Whose money?” he asked. The room was so quiet.
“Ex-wife!” I sobbed it out. “She was horrible to him. He told me.”
“I see, did he tell you about all the years he took the money?”
“No, he only said just now.” All the romance had gone. All the love. What if everything he said to me had been a lie. What if he’d done it on purpose and she’d been in a mental institution because of him. My head swam. He’d been a mental health nurse himself, what if he knew how to put people away. He boasted he did. Only took two relatives and an uncertain Doctor, or two Doctors – he’d laugh. Nothing much the silly biatch can do! What if he turned on me?

“How many years?” I asked. He’d only been a Parish Councilor for a few years.
“Just enough to see how many years they’d missed out on,” said the Policeman, “And ask for it back! Give us your details, and if we need you – we’ll talk to you again.”
He ushered me out into the sunlit street. It was icy cold. The diamond on my finger burnt like fire.