The Diamond Dad

'I beg your pardon!' Faye said in frosty outrage.

'He doesn't always understand things the way we women do. Men aren't sentimental, are they? I promise you, Garth would be devastated to think-'

'How dare you?' Faye interrupted her fiercely. 'How dare you presume to explain my husband to me?'

'I assure you, I'm only-'

'You know nothing about him. Nothing!'

The lift had stopped. Faye stormed out and immediately pressed the button to make the doors close again. Her last view was of Lysandra gaping with astonishment.

Her fury sustained her all the way home but once there it began to seep away, to be replaced with weariness. The expensive silk clothes felt like an actor's costume for a role that was all wrong for her and she hurried to change them for dark green trousers and a pale yellow shirt. It was a lovely day and, with a linen jacket about her shoulders and flat shoes on her feet, she was ready for a stroll in the grounds.

'Come on,' she said to Barker. 'You're missing the children, aren't you?'

He padded amiably after her as she wandered into the trees. Faye threw the ball and was cheered to see him bound after it, obviously not in pain. But neither did he move with the vitality of a young dog and it brought home to her again how old he was. It was another reason for being angry with Garth.

'We're the same, you and me,' she said, sitting by the stream and fishing in her coat pocket for a biscuit. 'He's making use of us both to get what he wants. Underneath all his clever talk, that's the bottom line.' She stroked his ears. 'How's that for a mixed metaphor? What am I talking about? You wouldn't know a mixed metaphor if it jumped on you, not unless it was offering titbits.'

As if by a signal Barker began to sniff her coat. 'All right, here's a biscuit. Leave my fingers behind! What an idiot I was to make an issue of it! What else did I expect? We made a business deal and that's the only reason I'm here. Who cares what list he chose? It's all over between us, anyway.'

She settled herself more comfortably on the grass and stroked the furry head that was resting on her leg.

'You know who I was really mad at, don't you?' she mused. 'That woman. She acted as though she owned him. And she actually dared to explain him to me. To me't To his wife. I know him better than anyone. Oh, what does it matter? I'm not really his wife any more.'

She gave a sudden chuckle. 'But you should have heard me getting on my high horse with Lysandra. I've never done that before. Didn't know I could. That showed her. If you ask me, she sees herself as the next

Mrs Clayton.' Barker woofed agreement and eyed her coat significantly.

'OK, one more! But don't you dare suggest I'm jealous! She's welcome to him. It was just her being so rude that bothered me. Hey, I said one!'

They lingered together, enjoying the beautiful afternoon, until the sun began to set.

'Time to go in,' she said reluctantly. 'I'll bet he'll be home early tonight, and he'll have plenty to say to me.'

She was right. Garth arrived half an hour later and came looking for her. 'Can we talk?' he asked in an edgy voice.

'Yes. I'm sorry. It shouldn't have happened.'

'Whatever got into you to leave me with egg on my face like that? Everyone was expecting my wife to be there. I had to say you'd been taken ill. Are you going to do that on the big night?'

'No, of course not. The whole thing took me by surprise. I'd never heard of this other list. Why didn't you warn me?'

'I left everything to Lysandra. Besides, what difference does it make which list we use?'

She shrugged. 'None at all, I suppose.'

'You made a fool of me and I can't stand that. We had a bargain and you're not keeping it.'

'Garth, I'm sorry. What I did was-unprofessional, and I regret it.'

'Why, for heaven's sake? Why?'

'I told you, I was caught on the wrong foot. And that new list is horrible. You're only dragging me in because you think you'll sell more houses if you can make people feel warm and good. But there's nothing warm about washing machines. It's all so cynical.'

'I think I know best about marketing my own product.'

'You don't know much about families and these are supposed to be family homes-sorry, "product", since you have a problem with the idea of homes. You want to sell them to couples with children, people who love each other. Well, most wives and mothers would rather have a piece of tin given with love than all the diamonds in the world in this calculating way.'

'Tin! For Pete's sake!'

'I can remember when you didn't despise tin.'

'I can't.'

'Then it's your loss. When we were first married we ate off tin plates that we bought at a second-hand camping store. In fact, we didn't even buy them. You mended that man's boiler for free, and he gave us some things for the flat.'

'Oh, yes, and I felt ashamed because I'd started our marriage by failing you. I wanted to give you the moon and we ended up with stuff that nobody else wanted.'

'But I didn't care,' she said wildly. If only she could make him understand, even now. 'I was happy just to be with you. I thought you felt the same.'

'I was never happy until I could give you the nice things you deserved. I worked like a Trojan until I had enough for my own little builder's yard, and then a big yard. And then the sky was the limit. I did it for you and all you can do is hark back to the days when I had nothing to give you, because I was nobody.'

'You were somebody to me,' she cried. 'And to the children. But that wasn't enough for you. You've turned into such a different man.'

'Thank goodness!' he said abruptly.

'I'll never say that. I'll never stop mourning the man

I lost. He was all the world to me, but he went away and never came back.' She could see by his face that hi didn't understand. They were strangers shouting in the dark, and a sudden burst of anguish made her cry, 'Oh, Garth, don't you remember?'

He was silent awhile before answering. 'Maybe my memories are different to yours,' he said at last, seeming to speak with difficulty. 'We obviously didn't find the same things important.'

'We thought we were together,' she said with a sigh. 'And we were travelling separate paths all along. And now here we are, in sight of the end.'

'Don't,' he said sombrely. 'Don't look back, Faye. We both know that's a mistake. We've each chosen our lives.'

There was a sadness in his face that she hadn't seen before. Suddenly she leaned over and kissed him. It was an impulse. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to come of it, except perhaps to evoke the old Garth, even if only fleetingly.

For a moment she thought it was happening. After a brief surprise he kissed her back, with a kind of yearning ache. She could feel him trembling, though whether with passion or emotion she wasn't sure. She tightened her arms, seeking to reach the part of him that lived behind the proud barrier. Her strong resolutions vanished. If only she could still touch his heart…

'Garth,' she whispered in a pleading voice, 'try to remember…' He lifted his head to search her face. She could see his eyes and read their trouble and confusion. Then he tensed and broke free from her.

'This isn't a good idea, Faye. You were right all along about it being over.'

'Yes,' she stammered. 'Yes I was…' 'There's nothing for us now but to see this through to the end and say goodbye.' A shudder went through him. 'So, for pity's sake, let's get it over with quickly.'

CHAPTER EIGHT

With a clash of cymbals the orchestra brought the symphony to an end. The conductor turned to receive the well-earned applause. Faye came out of her happy trance. The music had been magnificent and she was reluctant to return to reality with all its problems and confusions.

It was late in the evening, but while the children were at camp she needn't rush home. For their sakes Garth had often managed to return early, but during their absence he'd reverted to staying late at the office. It was as though he and Faye were holding their breaths in this delicate situation.