Road to Gethsemane©
Sara Yvonne Appleton-Adams
Copyright 2014 by Sara Yvonne Appleton-Adams
“Mag, Mag” – the persistent voice crashed in on her inner most thoughts, she focused on the enquiring face, and it was gobby Gabi the latest in a long line of terminal office gossips. “Hello this is earth calling Mag Dolan how was your holiday?”
“Fine, relaxing, just what I needed.” Mag lowering her gaze, tapping at her keyboard hoping it would indicate an end to the polite enquiry. It had no effect; so instead let the intrusive voice fade - occasionally responding to it with a languid smile. Mag knew her life could no longer continue on its present predictable path but the decision she took to remedy this may have been too rash now that she had time to think about her actions especially as the excitement of the moment had gone. Leaving only three options, either the gamble would pay off and she'd be bronzing on a beach in South America toasting absent friends or she was about to dice with death. Her mobile phone bellowed, filling her with dread – she thought about ignoring it but the array of nosey faces made her answer it.
“Bout fucking time” – the annoyance evident in the previously polite voice, “Make sure you’re at the Savoy tonight. A table has been booked for eight, bring `the gift’ wiv ya. Luke ull giv ya a green box wiv a red ribbon, that’s yours. Got it?” even the ensuing silence screamed in-patience.
An autonomous “yes” was all Mark needed.
“A special someone Mag, did you meet him on holiday?” Mag wanted to scowl instead retaining her composure she smiled sweetly fuelling yet another round of office gossip.
The bitter cold snapped at Mag’s heels making her tense and irritable as she bolted up the damp stone cold stairs of Calvary Towers. She read the `lift out of order’ sign opening the graffiti painted double doors onto the eleventh floor greeted by the overpowering stench of urine. What that insufferable, greedy, soon to be ex-husband Matt the Pratt had reduced her to. Once inside, she locked the door on the repetitive base of ghetto-blasters, screaming children and booming volumes of desperation that made up the daily lives of the inhabitants. She drew the curtains shut – though she couldn’t quite shake off the feeling of being watched. Striding towards the answering machine, hoping one of her children may have left a message knowing they hadn’t. They had their own lives now; this at least gave her some comfort. Mag took out the crumpled paper from her bag, unraveling the gems. She was again mesmerized by their flawless beauty, turning them in her palm. They were her ticket to a new life; they would take back the past twenty years of her life. These shiny objects would cure her depression and her growing dependency on sleeping pills. Exhilarated by the uplifting thoughts, she styled her bottle blonde locks and donned a little black number. A sudden knock at the door prompted Mag to hide the gems, a cursory peep through the curtains revealed Gabby.
“Hey Gabby what a lovely surprise, how did you know where I lived?”
“Err the girls in the office mentioned you live here I said what a coincidence because I live not five minutes from here so I thought I’d surprise you.” Mag masked her growing apprehension with a fixed grin.
“What a lovely thought but I’m sorry I have to go out.”
“Oh! That’s a shame, got a date have you? I told the girls in the office that you’d met someone…..” Mag’s interrupted.
“Look I’ll see you on Monday, have a good weekend and sorry again.”
Luke couldn’t quite decide whether it was Matt’s husky laugh or that crooked smile, he disliked the most; or even that he slept his way to the life style he was too lazy to work for but he knew his days of having to rub shoulders with small time crooks were over.
“Can’t stop too long guys I’ve got some seriously hot stuff to shag tonight.” Matt threw an open copy of Playboy magazine the table. “Check out the doubloons on that.”
“You’re a lucky bastard, what the hell do they see in you.” Mark picked up the magazine, looking enviously at Matt.
“Talking of doubloons what time are you meeting Mag the nag?”
Luke glanced fleetingly at his watch, gulped the last of his beer and stood up. “Now.” Without another word to left the two pilferers to ogle at Eden Falls, Matt’s latest squeeze.
En route Luke planned in his head as he always did when he was alone. He knew the gems were enough to get him to Africa, may be get a small pad but he needed a long-term plan. He wondered how much Matt’s ex hated him? He guessed a lot and this is this card he intended to play. After all she did get the gems through customs so she is made of the right stuff.
In the ghostly darkness Mag scrambled to open the boot of her car securing her bag inside. Cautiously she looked around before driving off. Stuck in traffic she began wondering how much she’d get if she kept the gems and fenced them, risking capture and the consequences. Once again, reasoning took over. She owed them; after all, they had paid for her flight, holiday and hotel. She got the gems through customs; delivery was all that remained. Just two hours more and the world would be her oyster, no- one to tell her what to do. Her eyes caught sight of the All Saints Church momentarily before her thoughts faltered. Why dinner? Why not a simple straight forward exchange? An overpowering cold dread washed over her – she was tied in, there were other jobs, after all what else would they talk about over dinner? Rage took hold. No more would she dance to someone else’s tune. She stopped at the lights reading the signs. All she had to do was switch lanes and she could be at the airport in no time. She listened to the ticking of the indicator as the lights changed to amber.
Matt slumped into the leather chesterfield with a glass of bourbon looking around the ornately decorated bedroom. He belonged there it was his reward for being married to that nagging nobody for twenty years. He screwed up the solicitor’s letter and threw it across the room. Any guilt he may have felt for introducing Mark the moron to Mag and nag evaporated the minute she turned his kids against him. So her and her solicitor could go and fuck themselves. He gulped down his bourbon, smiling at the perfectly carved slim lined youthful features lying naked as the day she was born, adorned in silk on the king sized bed. He ran his hands along the smooth long, bronzed legs, caressing her curves. He kissed her tender, swan like neck until he felt his lips being met by her enriched sensuous mouth. They embraced his hands hungrily clutching her heaving enhanced breasts sending his senses into an uncontrollable frenzy. She returned his lust with moans of pleasure, her penance for her materialistic thirst. “I love you Eden” he whispered under the groans of desire as he slid gently into her, moving in time with her body. He drifted into a state of ecstasy where he’d screw her at every available opportunity until he met the next miss right now. Accepting that every now and then it cost him a ring and an insincere I love you - small price to pay for the amount of tail it bought him. Eden grasped his rough hair lined back with her scarlet manicured nails adorned in pink diamonds, as beads of sweat ran freely through the intertwined bodies. The pangs of excitement increased Eden longed for the touch of her absent lover, pining for the gentle caresses of her one true aficionado. She felt Matt’s excitement slither ever faster Eden’s cries for her lover made her heart throb until she reached an orgasmic state, feeling her body finally relax as she lay smiling at the man she had to call her fiancé. A sudden epiphany manifested to Eden as Matt’s mobile vibrated forcing him to answer.
“What the fuck is it? He sprang out of bed. “The fucking bitch I’ll kill her.” He sprinted to the bathroom slamming the door behind him. Eden bolted out of bed grabbing her mobile phone retaining her composure as she hastily text her lover. Watching Matt re-emerge, his insignificant heir painfully apparent it occurred to her that she would
take up taxidermy. As Matt kissed her goodbye, she decided she would start off small and with time her collection would multiply.
Luke waited for over an hour, somehow he knew the courier wouldn't show. He’d warned Matt about using these bitches for the bigger jobs. The wench clearly had the jitters, or she was trying to pull a fast one? He dialed the number on his mobile as he jumped inside his Range Rover.
“She didn’t show……yeah, I’m on my way.”
If it was one thing Mag had learnt it was never to be taken for a fool, not again. She started up her car engine and drove behind the silver four by four this time certain she was being followed, guessing the unknown had to be one of Mark's contacts. She couldn't stop now she was too involved. Knowing she'd be safe while she had the gems, she followed her contact to a rundown hotel the dingy lights just visible in the pitch black. Still shaking Mag finally went inside heading straight for the bar. A shot of whisky began to calm her shattered nerves, as she moved closer to the radiator, letting the heat slowly calm her. Watching Mark talking to the unknown she had just followed. She needed to know who she was dealing with. She had to deliver the gems and collect her reward, but first she needed a bargaining tool. Clutching her bag she stood up, only to, to resume her sitting position with a thud, the blood having drained from her face, motionless, as her eyes filled with fury – watching her nemesis complete the triumvirate of smuggling crooks. It was her ex. Matt he had played her like a fiddle, again. Why? Anger began to enshroud her wishing she’d kept the gun Mark had given to her. How easy it would be, just one squeeze of the trigger and her estranged husband would no longer plague her life. Watching the angered expressions huddled together, she knew their plans included her and not in a good way.
“Another one?” Mag looked up.
“What?”
“Can I get you another drink missus” Clearly, this overweight, scruffy looking dreg served many purposes, concierge, bar man and all round general dog's body.
“Oh! Yes a G and T thanks.” It had become more than just a job; this was now a personal vendetta. She would play the only card left. Mark and Matt were one in the same, their greed drove them and they would stop at nothing. However the unknown or Luke as she just learned had never met her. She downed the G and T in one gulp and slipped outside, the crisp air unscrambled her racing thoughts. Hitting speed dial one as she read her text messages, she needed to speak to her confidante.
“Hi. Okay. I’ll meet you at the Church of All Saints tomorrow…yeah..Where is it? Gethsemane Way. Okay we’ll talk then and for god’s sake be careful.” All at once Mag gained confidence certain that fate would lend a hand. For just a fleeting moment Mag’s thought she saw Gabrielle from the office, but realized her mind was playing tricks on her. She turned her attention to the Mark’s four by four.
Eden stared longingly at her fading aesthetic persona. Her Agent was right her days as a glamour model were coming to an end. Looking around her well appointed apartment, she hadn’t done too badly. She still had her brains and bags of confidence, there wasn’t a reason in the world her new career wouldn’t herald success and she’d already found a new hobby. Donning her silk robe she turned her attention to the passports and paper work on her desk. If it’s one thing her ex-husband had taught her it was how to forge documents in between being his play thing and punch bag. But it wasn’t until her liberating divorce that she became a true player. The litany of lovers from bankers, doctors to lawyers all lusted for her body and in exchange she took their knowledge and empowered herself.