T.A.D.A.V.D.A.O.S.S.A.D.O.T

Monday: Frank is in the garden; it's a very, very long and wide
garden. Frank is at the very far end away from the house, as far as he
can possibly be whilst remaining within the confines of the property,
he has spent all summer working hard in the garden along with nature to
reclaim its beauty. For sometime now neglect and the elements had
worked together to remove its former lustre. But now Lush segments of
new turf lain recently are now settled in their placement, the hedges
are manicured to perfection and a weaving stone path tastefully threads
past an ornate Koi Carp pond along the whole length of the green. Frank
wants his garden to outwardly convey an image of beautiful serenity,
respectability and normality?it's former state may have indicated to
nosey neighbours that all was not well.

Frank walks back toward the house and sees that Marjorie his wife has
placed a cup of coffee on top of the small garden table that sits just
outside the entrance to the kitchen, the coffee is cold and if Marjorie
called to him he didn't hear her.

Casper next doors white cat appears and approaches the pond; Frank
takes the coffee and with a casting, skimming motion sprays the cold
contents of the cup across the green, Casper like all cats afraid,
reacts and hunches and then springs to safety evading every drop. Frank
is furious.

Meanwhile Marjorie is standing in the shadow of an upstairs bedroom
window; she has been waiting for sometime now, waiting for Frank to
notice the cup that never contained hot coffee. She has observed all of
this and now she is smiling contentedly.

***************************************************************

Tuesday: Frank is reading the evening newspaper in the lounge when
Marjorie walks in, now if she were to ask him now to relay an item from
the paper to her he wouldn't be able to, you see Frank spends his days
now going through the motions, an automaton outwardly conveying the
appearance of a normal everyday husband, but inside Frank's head
however perpetual images and thoughts from the past are blocking
anything coming in. He needs his garden for release, but you don't
garden at night.

"Hello my darling, my lovely little darling," gushes Marjorie.

Frank looks up from his paper taken aback; the word darling has not
been uttered in this house for sometime, and for one very fleeting
moment there?

"Aren't so you very beautiful my gorgeous?" Marjorie is cooing her
expression to Frank is one of doting bliss yet also one of madness, she
has a cat box on the sideboard, and in her hands much to Frank's horror
sits a little black and white kitten.

"Marjorie you know I can't abide cats." He says almost flinching back
in his chair.

"Nonsense Frank. This is our new little baby, we're going to call her
Kat, Kat with a K Aren't we darling?" She continues to coo and blow
small delicate kisses to her new centre of attention.

"Kat!!! You are joking, please Marjorie say you're joking, you can't
possibly be serious, you can't call that thing Kat."

"Oh but yes I can Frank, Kat is a very good name for a cat after all?I
mean for one thing Kat is a name that neither of us is going to forget
in a hurry? now is it Frank?"

Frank says nothing just fixes his hatful glare on Marjorie for a
moment; she isn't looking at him her attention is fully devoted to
their new baby. He returns to his paper.

"Call her Frank, go on call her name, Kat?Kat? Kat, I know you want to
call her name, call to your Kat softly, go on Frank, call her name
softly and see if she will come to you now." She giggles maybe ever so
slightly insanely.

Frank stares at his paper, an article on a drunken thug ironically
urinating in a pet shop lays unread and the page turns, Marjorie's
voice unheard, just images replay, replay and replay rebounding in his
head.

"And we need to get her spayed Frank, I mean we can't have dirty old
Casper having his wicked way can we?" She looks at the kitten." Yes my
darling little Kat, dirty old tomcats shouldn't be allowed to have
their wicked way with lovely young things such as the like of you, no,
no they shouldn't my little darling."

Replay, replay and replay the images are rebounding in his head.

***************************************************************

Wednesday: Frank comes in from one of his six to two stints at the
factory with the gimmicky name. Today it has rained steadily, the
garden will be out of bounds, and only crazy men garden in the rain,
and Frank is not crazy. Marjorie is not home which is not only a relief
but a surprise as Marjorie very rarely leaves the house without him.
Frank is sitting on the sofa lost for what to do.

Kat the cat appears and starts to play with Frank's shoelaces; the
temptation to lift his foot and bring the heel of his work shoe down on
the kitten's head is overwhelming. But instead he picks up the kitten
and looks intensely into its beautiful inquisitive green and black
orbs, she playfully paw swipes at his nose. He laughs nervously; he
remembers this is a thing called affection.

"Kat will you love me, will you love me, you will love me won't you?"
Frank whispers and then softly and uncontrollably breaks down and
cries. Kat now pads into his chest purring, rolling demanding his
attention.

Across the road Marjorie stands in the living room at the window of her
former friend, confidant and advisor Roberta, the fact that she no
longer fulfils these roles is unknown to Roberta. Her advice has been
poor plus she has not kept the confidences that were implored on her by
Marjorie, therefore she cannot be considered a friend. However she or
her house rather is today an important aid in the game that Marjorie is
playing. Roberta is concerned at this subterfuge and wants to avoid any
involvement; Roberta likes direct no nonsense type action, so you see
she simply doesn't understand the subtle nuances of Marjorie's delicate
plan.

"Why don't you just leave him Maj?" As usual her advice is worthless,
Marjorie smiles sweetly but her mind is saying 'for fuck sake Berti
keep up with the fucking current game in play.'

Marjorie will wait here until 6pm without protest from Roberta, just to
see if Frank will break her new rules and leave the house, which he
will not of course, then she will return home and explain nothing to
him about her unusual absence today.

***************************************************************

Thursday: Kat shits behind the Television. Frank and Marjorie visit the
garden centre; this is Frank's special treat day.

***************************************************************

Friday: Today is shopping day at Morrisons, on the drive over there
however Marjorie announces that she would like a change.

"Lets go to Asda instead Frank." She says chirpily.

Frank barely stops the car veering off the road, almost pushing his
foot through break pedal.

"Asda?" Franks asks in disbelief. "Why would we want to shop at
Asda?"

Marjorie gives a look of mocked puzzlement.

"It will be different Frank that's why, different things, yes different
a nice change? yes that's it a nice change."

"Marjorie?"

Marjorie stares him down. "I want to go to Asda Frank? now is that
really going to be a problem?" The tension in her voice is for real
this time.

Frank does not reply just obeys, and restarts the car. And soon they
arrive.

Whispers and looks, whispers and looks. Frank feels as if the whole of
the supermarket is looking at him, his head is down pushing the
trolley, he must not look up, and it must not appear that he is looking
for her. Marjorie is smiling at his discomfort.

"Frank what is the matter with you? For heavens sake you look like
you're trying to avoid someone."

"Why are we here Marjorie, why are you doing this to me?"

"Doing what Frank?"

"Torturing me, why must you torture me?"

"Torturing you Frank? Whatever do you mean? We're here to do the weekly
shopping."

"I want to go Marjorie?can we go? Please!" Frank is begging
almost.

"Well no I want to stay Frank?and what I say goes?so can we now get on
with our weekly shopping or do I make a?"

"No Marjorie please don't!!!"

" FUCKING SCENE FRANK? DO I MAKE A FUCKING SCENE FRANK? YOU FUCKWITTED
DIRTY LITTLE SHIT?" And she turns on the burners.

Husbands and wives and other assorted partners turn and witness this
so-called non-scene. Testicles wither and the hair on the arms of the
males here singe, tingles their skin as they empathise with brother
Frank. The women however sman and then they smile and they empathise
also. Frank anxious now takes hold of Marjorie's arm gently to lead her
away.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME?DO NOT?FUCKING? TOUCH ME." She screams and
tries to pull her arm away.

For several eternal minutes they push and pull, Frank whispers softly
pleading almost crying, Marjorie snaps and swipes wailing like a senile
old aunt.

Then a tall smartly tailored woman appears, she is thin and beautiful,
her face and skin have that severe sanitised cleansed look, her
brunette hair moulds perfectly to her scalp, and she is everything that
Marjorie is not. Instinctively Frank's eyes are drawn to her and hers
to his. She blushes her face fused with anger and surprise, Frank
releases Marjorie's arm and gapes at Katherine Stevens, her lapel holds
her name and the title, store manager.

Marjorie was snarling but this almost dissipates immediately when she
sees this woman, a giggle then a howling dirty cackle quakes the store
as she recognises who has come. She wanders off hooting down the wine
aisle.

" OH Look your Kat has come Frank?I told you, call to your Kat softly
and she would come, but will she still want you Frank, now that is the
question I want to know the answer to, and will she let you stay this
time? HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!"

Frank looks at Katherine Stevens and she looks at him, his eyes are
desolate red dry, dying of tired tears. She is wavering, emotional but
her eyes steely blue resolute.

"KKKK?at." Frank calls to her softly, desperately.

"Sir, I'm afraid regretfully that I'm going to have to ask you and your
wife to leave the store immediately, your failure to do so will mean I
will have to call security to forcibly eject both you and your
wife."

Frank mouths her name silently once more, his throat dry choking with
destroyed emotions. And Katherine Steven turns and walks away.

***************************************************************

Saturday: Frank does leave the house mid morning without Marjorie; he
knows this is a rule that should not have been broken. At 23:45pm he
returns home drunk, this is another rule that should never have been
broken.

He sits in the living room swigging the remnants of a bottle of
whiskey, Kat is rubbing against his legs anxious for attention. Frank
is shouting his wife's name repeatedly; ten hours of continuous alcohol
abuse have fuelled him with courage and a rage at his wife's unfair
treatment of him.

When he wails, 'Marjorie why,' for about the thirty-fifth time, she
appears at the door in a dressing gown, her long greying dry hair
undone dying on her shoulders. She smiles manically at Frank. He looks
up at her drunkenly and points the empty bottle at her like a
pistol.

"BANG!! BANG!! You're dead Marjorie," he then blows over the top of the
bottle opening, the reverberating whistling sound makes him
giggle.

Down upon him with the Devil's eyes she looks.

"Well you did try Frank ?to leave me for dead, but there is a life in
this old bird yet." She smiles coldly.

His schoolboy smaning suddenly changes to a sullen drunken frown and
defeated he asks.

"Why Marjorie? Why take me back if you have no intention in letting
either of us move on, if you don't give this what we have a chance it's
pointless. Why won't you give it a chance Marjorie? I left her even
though I loved her and came back didn't I?"

"No you didn't Frank, you left because you weren't wanted, you're here
because she threw you Frank, you're excrement to her a waste of space.
I didn't see longing in her face yesterday Frank, I saw revulsion, I
saw loathing, and I saw her own disgust at the realisation of what
she'd done."

Frank Sighs. "Ok whatever?for an easy life believe whatever you wish
but here I am now back and I am totally committed to us Marjorie, just
tell me what do I have to do to get us back to the way we were."

Her smile broadens. "What can you do Frank!!! HO! HO! Well now let me
see what can Frank do?"

She undoes her dressing gown and lets it fall to the floor. The sight
of his wife's ageing naked body stuns Frank; he is repulsed and
although he is motionless his eyes recoil disgusted at the sight of
flabby folds of flesh and her sagging deflated breasts, she is not the
woman in body or mind that she was five years ago when they last
copulated.

" Oh Frank why look so appalled? after all this is your creation?this
is your doing?this is your baby. Think of me having to live inside it,
a lost spirit inside a wretched woman's body playing host to me "

"Marjorie please put your gown back on," pleads Frank weakly, she
ignores him though and instead takes a picture from the mantelpiece,
and the scene is Frank and Marjorie standing full view smiling outside
a favourite restaurant of theirs seemingly blissfully happy.

"Look Frank, you and I five years ago when we were content, you haven't
changed a bit apart from a grey hair here and there? a couple of pounds
maybe? But look Frank!!! look what time and you two have done to me, I
wonder if you were seeing her then? that fresh dangerous young
thing."

"No I swear Marjorie, I wasn't seeing her then?Kat was just a fling, I
was?am stupid. I was an experiment to her nothing more a dalliance with
an older man you know, I loved her yes?but she was cruel to me, I've
been hurt too you know?"

"Frank you don't even sound convinced by your own lies, so how on earth
are you going to get a way with that with me? you silly, silly little
insignificant man?why on earth did I let you and her do all this to
me?"

"Marjorie please, tell me what have to do?I will do anything that's
humanly possible to get us back on the right track."

Marjorie places the picture back on the mantelpiece giving it one last
wistful look.

"Humanly possible eh? I imagine that won't include sweeping the last
five years away, so taking us back five years in time will it
Frank?"

He looks up at her bemused and eventually shakes his head slowly.

"No I didn't think it would, well Frank there is nothing you can do
that's humanly possible to get us back on the right track, you see
while you and Miss Stevens were on the fast track I was on a dirty back
road to hell. If you can't sweep the last five years away then you're
useless to me. I want everything back Frank, I want my soul, I want my
dignity, I want my body, my hair, I want joy and I want my mind
back."

"But we've got to move on Maj, we can't go on vegetating like this,"
Frank is trying to be encouraging.

"Really?do you think I want you and me to move on Frank, oh dear no
Frankie boy if you stay you will rot with me, you can go if you wish
but I doubt you will, so stay Frank and I will slowly peel away your
rotten skin. I want you to suffer all things that I did, and I want you
to suffer them slowly and painfully like I did."

Frank shakes his head. "Look I know I did you wrong, but you're just
exaggerating to be malicious."

"You think that do you Frank, you think I'm exaggerating do you?ok we
shall see, we shall see."

"Why don't I open a new bottle Marjorie, let's have a drink together
and bury the hatchet?erm?why not eh?" Frank is very drunk.

Marjorie shakes her head. She picks up her gown.

"Are you coming to bed dear, I suggest you do because we're getting up
very early tomorrow. I thought we might take a drive to that lovely
restaurant at the bottom of those lovely hills, take lunch and then
have a walk up in those beautiful woods and maybe we can reminisce. So
don't stay up to late will you."

Marjorie then leaves the room with her gown over her arm.

Franks in muddled stupor thinks of the day ahead, the long silent
drive, the long silent meal, the long silent walk into the woods, and
Frank has almost decided that one of them isn't coming back alive but
at this moment he is weighing up the scales because he can't decide
which or indeed if he can.

Kat the cat follows Marjorie up the stairs; Marjorie is smiling as she
lays on her bed, ponders on her next move a move from a rare and
forgotten game of skill.

Kat pads and purrs as her owner hatches the next deft part of this plan
from this devious art.

The ancient, delicate and very dangerous art of slowly skinning a dirty
old tomcat

T.A.D.A.V.D.A.O.S.S.A.D.O.T