Wednesday 31 March 2010

Mystic Detective2

[Creative writing with a bit lifted from ‘It started with an email’]

Paul’s mobile rang. It was Frankie.
- Hi Mys-tic (The way Frankie empathised the second syllable of his greeting always made Paul feel like he was taking part in a TV talent show)
- Hi Frankie
- Can we lunch?
- Today?
- Yeah
- Sure
- Christies?
- Hey that sounds serious
- Sure is I need to bend your ear
- As long as it’s only my ear (They both chuckled)
- Get you
- See you at one.

Christies was a quiet elegant restaurant buried in the heart of the University. It was sited in an old converted library that gave it a dusty calm slow atmosphere in which people spoke in quiet voices and took slow teas, coffees and cakes lounging on comfortable sofas. To maintain the illusion of being a library there were still plenty of old books on shelves all around the restaurant. No-one ever looked at any of these books or at the portraits of the vice chancellors pinned on the walls. Paul emerged from the sea through glass lift which contrasted strongly with the restaurant’s ambiance. His friend was sitting down starring straight ahead. There was something just a bit dishevelled about Frankie who was a usually such a snappy dresser and who was nicked named the ‘cool’ professor by his students.
- Hi Frankie
- Hi Paul
The briefly embraced which was Frankie’s way if not Paul’s. Paul sensed Frankie’s unease, there was a hint of a shudder that paused through his body. They quickly made their drink and food orders and then Paul cast a questioning look towards his friend
- Well?
- Well (sigh) It started with an email.
Frankie passed over a sheet of paper.

Dear Francis Gregson,

I am Claudia MacDonald a relative of your ex wife Samantha. I will be visiting Manchester next week and I would like to meet with you.

Sincerely,

Claudia
- Ahh
- Yes, Like a lot of gay men even in the 1980s I got married. I thought I could ‘go straight’ I really wanted to but….
- Hmm must have been tough
- It was and I hated what it did to Samantha but I was honest as I could with her. But anyway I had no problems with agreeing to meet Claudia
Again he passed over an email

Dear Claudia,

What an intriguing email. I hope there is nothing wrong with Sam? I don’t remember a relative of hers called Claudia but I am happy to meet with you for coffee on next Tuesday afternoon.

Regards,

Francis

- We met in Starbucks last week
- Starbucks?
- Yes well it was convenient and as it happens anonymous
- Oh
- Yes Claudia reckons I’m her dad or rather biological father
- Ah
- But Samantha and I never had any children. We never planned to have any straight away and towards the end of our marriage we hardly ever had sex…
- So?
- She says she was born March 22nd 1985…. And that means she was conceived around the end of June 1984….Now that’s all but impossible…..But we were kind of still together until the end of June… So could I possibly be her father? Paul nodded) I dunno… I don’t remember having any sex with Sam during our last month together. I am sure of that cos we had stopped sleeping together…But there was one might I went out and got totally plastered – it was Steve’s leaving do and I had little memory the following morning and I did wake up in bed with Sam. Oh God…. But…But if I am Claudia’s father then Sam has got a lot to answer for… And do you know something else
- What?
- Claudia has got those same deep blue grey eyes that Sam has… but there was also something else a quality of the proud way my Welsh granny had held her head
- So
- Well she just could be my daughter, I don’t know it’s doing my head in. How can I find out the truth.
- Ask Sam
- No way
- Listen
- Yes?
- Listen can’t we check the DNA
- We
- Well I know you have done this kind of thing before
- You could ask her
- Claudia?
- Yes
- No.. It would do her head in. I would like to do it in secret
- Does it matter for you to know
- Of course it does
- I have done this stuff before and you know people don’t always get he result they want
- I just need to know. I would be relieved to know that it wasn’t true, if maybe a little bit disappointed. But to find out it was true would be a real humdinger.
- If you really want to do it I can arrange it for you but you will need to get some hair or a trace of her saliva…
- Please
Paul could see his friend was desperate. To lighten the mood he said
- It will cost you
- Whatever it takes
- Ok… Ok but when you get the result you need to talk to someone
- Sure... you?
- I meant a professional
Frankie frowned
- You know a counsellor or some such
- Maybe… I rather just talk to you
- Let’s see you might need help…