1969 - Ch. 02

"My god Sir, that is still devilishly unfair."

"Yes, but think Tom, what a way to end his career, as the judge who resurrected a law from this great country's past. You never know, we might get an invite to the wedding from Mr Cox, wouldn't that be fun?" I say with a grin.

Pauline.

The cameras are flashing outside the court, and I still feel a little giddy. Jimmy has got me into a taxi, and I don't know where I want to go. The reporter was talking into the TV camera moments ago. I suspect by now it will be on everyone's telly.

The taxi pulls up outside my house, and for a moment I just savour the calm before the storm. I walk down the path and open the door. There they are my husband and my stepsister. They are sat in front of the telly, it's switched off, but it couldn't be more obvious that they have watched the reporter tell everyone of my pregnancy. For once my stepsister has nothing to say, she just stares at me. Barry is staring at the floor.

"Is it true, are you having a baby?"

Silent tears have been streaming down my face. I can't answer my husband, and I guess I don't need to. He knows it is pointless asking if it's his, we haven't had sex for 5 months. His legs were in plaster, and although I was gentle he couldn't manage it. Sex since then has been reduced to hand jobs.

Her hand is holding his, more of comforting gesture than anything else. They have a history, not sexual, but flirting. When we went to the beach last summer I watched from the deck chair, as he threw her up into the sea. They larked about, and there was this chemistry between them. My husband is...was fit. My little sister had eyes for him, but I only questioned him once about it. I said he shouldn't encourage her as she was young and impressionable. Barry told me there was nothing in it, and they were just having a laugh. I've seen him looking at her, and again, I ignore it.

"We'll split the money, and then I want you to leave."

"Gloria can you give us a little space please?" I ask.

She walks out of the room giving me a mean sideways glance.

"Do you really want that?"

For the first time he looks up at me. His eyes look cruel, I don't recognise that look.

"It's his isn't it, Cox's brat? Why the hell didn't you make him pull out?"

"I did, but after a while he wouldn't."

"For fucks sake Pauline, couldn't you have washed it out?"

"I did, I was careful, but there is no way of knowing it isn't too late."

"You should have gone back on the pill. Anyway, that's my decision, we split the money and you find somewhere else to live."

"I might not get the money, then what, and then what do we do?"

He doesn't answer; he just goes back to staring at the floor.