Tell Me On a Sunday

“David?”
“Hmmm?”
“Look at me will you?”
David was sprawled on the floor, with the remains of the Sunday papers around him. He looked up from the perfectly tanned bodies, which in turn were staring up at him from the glossy magazine.
“What is it Jackie?”
“Are you feeling… you know… tired?”
Jackie looked at David with what she hoped were come-to-bed eyes. The last thing on her mind at the moment was sleep, she was hoping that they could engage in what early in their relationship she had euphemistically called ‘horizontal jogging’. But it appeared that this Sunday, like many other Sundays recently she was going to be disappointed.
“Err, I’m not really… tired, no dear. This is a really good article about Mauritius”
Jackie tried not to look too disappointed. “OK love, maybe later” she replied, trying to sound cheerful and upbeat. She continued to rub the emery board over her already perfect nails, preparing for their daily application of nail varnish.
David hadn’t always been this indifferent to afternoon trysts. Whilst their initial courtship had been unorthodox to say the least, once they had actually met there had been no hesitation.
David and Jackie both worked on a support care line for elderly people, with panic alarms connected to the telephone, and in turn to their switchboard. David worked during the week, Jackie weekends, sharing a desk and phone.
Because they never met face to face, they left each other notes to let them know important things… “Mrs Johnson has called twice, both false alarms”, “Mr Pearson’s son is on holiday, so may need extra watching.”
Over time however these notes had become more conversational, then flirty. David started leaving small presents for Jackie, a quarter of pear drops or a book from her favourite author. Jackie found that she was spending most of her working day writing long letters for David, telling her what she had been doing the previous week, and he reciprocated. It became clear to Jackie that they were both single, both looking for someone in their lives.
For many months this courtship by letter continued, until it became necessary for Jackie to leave the care line. Triggered by this, they agreed to meet for a farewell drink. Two months later they were living together, Jackie was happily settled into a comfortable domesticity, whilst David continued working, and even doing extra shifts to support two people on a single income. When he came back late from these shifts he was exhausted, and sometimes went straight to bed, without even saying goodnight to his girlfriend who had been waiting up for him.
Jackie knew that she had been lucky in meeting David, not everyone would have been as sympathetic as he was when the real reason for her leaving the care line emerged, firstly the rumours within the organisation, then the newspaper reports, and finally the police investigation. Jackie had managed to convince them all that it had been a genuine mistake. She thought it had been a hoax call, and that she was not to blame for not calling for the ambulance. Everyone had acknowledged that it had been a difficult time, and she wouldn’t have been able to cope without David. Six months after leaving work however, and everything seemed to be going well for them both.
“David?”
“Hmmm?”
“You don’t have any regrets do you”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, you and me. It’s not exactly been fun and games has it?”
“We’ve done OK.”
“Are you sure dear?”
“Course we are.”
David turned back to the papers, and then looked back up.
“Oh, I’ll be heading out this afternoon, off to help my mate Pete, he’s still got problems with his computer.”
“Hmmm, OK.” Jackie was concentrating on painting her nails. Maybe she should tell him her news, it was only a home kit but they were supposed to be really accurate. No she thought, it would be just like the old days, she would leave him a note on his pillow tonight, she had written it and placed it in her bedside cabinet, ready for the perfect romantic moment.

David went back to pretending to read the paper - stupid bitch he thought to himself, how long until I can get out of here… another couple of hours - could this be the day?
He didn’t know how he managed to get into this position. He enjoyed his job on the care line, felt that he was helping people and in a strange way enjoyed answering the real emergency calls, when he had to call the paramedics, even if these incidents didn’t always have a happy outcome.
The notes to Jackie just started out as a joke, a wind up between his mates on the shift. Testing how far they would be able to push her. When she told him that she would be leaving, and suggested that they meet for a drink, David was all for it, after all she may look alright (the photos of herself that she had enclosed in a couple of the ridiculously long letters that she had written may have been taken in a bad light).
David was still not sure what happened next, but it seemed in quick succession the joke had become more serious, Jackie was talking about moving in with him, and then she had just turned up one night with carrier bags full of clothes. She had been on the doorstep crying, and talking about a police investigation. Ever the soft target for a woman crying, David took her in and she stayed a few days, which became weeks then months. Looking back, he could not see a point when he could have said to her that this was enough. He had heard of the analogy of life being a roller coaster; from his viewpoint he was trapped on the most perilous and nauseating fairground ride, and next to him was the person who had caused all of this to happen.
Fortunately, David had met someone, an old flame who knew about the intolerable situation with Jackie and how miserable this was making him. David ensured that this story was built up over time, his friends at work more than happy to help with the ‘game’ by providing alibis for David. More out of comfort than anything else, the old flame became a new flame, both aware that there could be no commitment from David at the moment. He lied about working extra shifts, coming home after these purely sexual encounters and going straight into the shower and then bed, feigning tiredness.
But no, this had gone on long enough. He had written the letter written days ago, placed in his bedside cabinet. It explained his situation clearly, that he would go and stay at a friends for a few days, and when he came back to his house, he would expect her, and all her things to be gone. Hopefully she would be sensible, and after a few tears (he secretly hoped for a few tears) she would see sense and head back to her stupid family. In time she would forget about him, and maybe even remember the fun times and the way that he had helped her out when she really needed it. He had a bag packed with enough work clothes for a week, and to be honest, he thought to himself, he hoped he wouldn’t be wearing many clothes outside work. He caught himself smiling at this.
“What are you smiling at dear?”
“Oh… Nothing. I’d better get myself sorted and over to Pete’s, fix his machine.”
“OK, Love you dear”
“Love you too”.