Catering with Benefits (1) - 42. I DON’T GIVE A DAMN

Thomas was waiting for a suitable time to call Jared. He was going to wait until he was sure Jared would be home, but was thrilled when his phone rang and Jared’s nickname ‘Flex’ appeared on the screen.

“Hi Flex, how was your day?”

“It was fine, but who’s Flex?”

“Oh I thought calling you muscles was a bit obvious so I’ve given you the pet name of Flex. Do you like it?”

“I suppose so; does that mean I have to give you a pet name?”

“Only if you want to.”

“I’ll think about it: now tell me about your day.”

“It’s been absolutely fabulous.”

“Oh maybe I should call you Patsy.”

“Don’t you dare, that would mean you would not get any more muscles massages.”

“Fair enough, now elaborate on why your day was so Ab Fab?”

“I’ve not told you this before, but, since we met, I have been thinking about moving out of this house and getting my own apartment. I’ve lived here too long and it’s a bit restrictive with regard to privacy and freedom. Sure Mrs P is very generous with everything but it’s not the same as having your own place.”

“I know exactly what you mean. That’s why I changed my working arrangements with the army so I could live like a normal person.”

“Yes, it will be a new experience for me. I moved out of home directly to this place.”

“Have you told Mrs Price?”

“Yes, we had lunch today and we discussed it at length. She said she fully understands why and wishes me well. She really is such a sweet person when you get past the stern exterior that she likes to display to the outside world.”

“So did you tell her about us, and what did she say?”

“That was the best part, when I told her about you she said, and I’m going to quote her directly, ‘That is wonderful, I am so thrilled for you and in some ways I envy you young people who can find true love’.”

“She sounds like a great old lady.”

“Yes, but I now feel a bit sorry for her. I just realised that her statement about young love was an admission that she never experienced true love. That’s really sad. You know she said she sees me as the son she didn’t have.”

“Are you in the will?”

“Don’t talk like that, especially when you meet her.”

“Why, am I likely to meet her, I don’t exactly mix in her circle of friends.”

“If we are together you are bound to meet her someday.”

“So did anything else happen on your fabulous day?”

“Yes, I checked out the availability of apartments in the Chatswood area.”

“Why Chatswood, why not closer to here?”

“That’s the other good news I have to tell you. Remember Andy that you met at the staff dinner and the time you went to talk to the barman so we could talk in private.”

“Yes”

“What we talked about was him leaving Mr Price. He wants to move out of the Potts Point apartment and to stop having sex with Price. This morning I convinced him to talk to Price tonight and when he leaves him, we will flat together. It’s all been perfect timing.”

“Wow, you have been a busy boy today, but why Chatswood?”

“It’s about half way between here and the city, so we can both get to work easily. I guess I can find my way over the bridge to see you. Speaking of which, when am I going to see you?”

“How about Friday night, come over here and we can have the weekend together.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“What time do you think you will be over, I don’t usually get home until about 6.30?”

“I can leave it until then.”

“No, I have a better idea. I‘ll leave a key out for you. Go down the side passage and onto the deck where the weights are. I will leave a key under a 10kg weight. Do you think you can lift that?”

“Oh very funny, Flex.”

“Right, it’s a date. I’m starving so I will go now and grill myself a thick juicy steak. I suppose you will get some servant to cook your dinner.”

“Why not, I’ll continue to enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Bye Fingers” and Jared hung up without giving Thomas the chance to comment further.

***

Thomas was dying to know if Andy had gone ahead with his promise to talk to Mr Price about leaving. However, he kept his promise to himself, not to put any more pressure on Andy tonight.

He had dinner with the house staff and they all chatted about the day and their lives in general. He did not tell them he was planning to leave the house, as he believed that was Mrs Price’s responsibility. After dinner, Thomas encouraged them all to help clear the dishes and clean up, even though it was not necessarily their job. That way they could keep chatting and generally enjoy each other’s company. It finally hit Thomas that leaving this house would be like leaving your family home to venture out on your own and he would miss the atmosphere of camaraderie. After a few more drinks he retired to his own room and settled in front of the TV to watch the late news, but soon fell asleep.

***

He was suddenly awakened by the sound and the vibration of his phone in his shirt pocket. He saw on the screen that it was Andy calling and he became anxious to hear the news.

“Hi Andy, how did it go?”

“Not so well.” Andy replied in a breathless voice.

“What’s the matter you sound stressed?”

“I don’t want to talk about it now. Can I come over to stay with you?”

“Of course, do you want me to pick you up?”

“No need for you to come all this way, I’ll get a cab.”

“That’s expensive, how about you get the train to Parramatta and I’ll pick you up there. Ring me when your train arrives, I’ll be parked somewhere nearby.”

“OK, thanks Thomas, you’re such a reliable friend.”

“No problem, see you soon.”

Thomas calculated he would have about 30 minutes before he needed to leave for Parramatta so he prepared for Andy’s arrival. He made sure there was a guest room available, although he was sure Andy would want to stay in his room so they could talk and it sounded like Andy would need some comforting tonight. He raided the kitchen for snacks and a bottle of Andy’s favourite Scotch. He found a half bottle of white wine in the fridge and decided to take that also. He then set off to Parramatta station. He arrived about ten minutes before Andy and waited near the station till he called, then gave him directions to his car. Andy approached with a small bag and a backpack, presumably filled with his clothes and personal items. Thomas felt this did not look good and assumed Price had thrown him out.

Thomas got out of the car to greet Andy and the two hugged for a minute or two. Thomas could feel Andy’s body shaking. It was not cold so Thomas thought it must be shock and stress. Thomas took the bags and put them in the car without speaking. When they were both buckled up Thomas put the gear in drive then put his left hand on Andy’s as he drove off. They drove to the house in silence and by the time they arrived Andy had stopped shaking and carried his own bags into the house and up to Thomas’s room while Thomas parked the car.

By the time Thomas reached his room, Andy had already found the Scotch and was pouring himself a large serve. Andy sat on the bed and as Thomas sat down beside him, and took his hand, he asked “Are you ready to talk now?”

“Just let me get this into me first then I’ll tell you what happened.”

“In your own time.” said Thomas as he rose and went to pour a glass of white wine. He pulled a chair over towards the bed and sat down facing Andy. As Andy finished his drink he said “Ahh, I really needed that.”

“Tell me, how did Price get you into such a state?”

“As I promised you, I sat down with Price to talk to him, over a drink, but in his usual manner he tried to change the subject when he realised what I wanted to talk about. But, I stuck to me guns and insisted. Then he tried to talk over me, so I told him this was important to me and I would not be dissuaded from continuing. You would have been proud of me Thomas. I kept hearing your voice in my head telling me to do it. Then he asked me exactly what I wanted. I told him I wanted to move out and that I would not be available for sex anymore. He said I owed him so much for rent, a job at the studio and other benefits and that I was being a selfish prick. When I reminded him that I had always given good service both personally and professionally, but it was now time for me to lead my own life on my terms, he got really angry. He said that if I left him that would be the end of everything, including my job. I told him he couldn’t do that as he had no reason to fault my work or loyalty to the company. This made him even angrier and he started pacing around the room seemingly trying to think what he could say next to keep me there. After a few minutes he seemed to calm down, sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him, in a manner that meant, sit next to me. I sat down next to him thinking he might apologise or at least say he understood what I wanted. Instead he grabbed me by the balls and told me he owned them and my arse and if he could not have me, no one else could either. I told him he could not do anything about it if I left, and he let go of my balls. I was relieved and thought finally he gets it. But he only let go of my balls so he could put both hands around my throat. But because he was so drunk, as he had been drinking long before I got home and joined him, I managed to get away from him easily”.

“And that’s when you left?”

“Not exactly, he then started chasing me around the room and when he could not catch me he started throwing things at me...” Andy paused there and started to laugh.

A concerned Thomas asked “What’s wrong, this is no laughing matter.”

“I just realised how funny it would have seemed to anyone who was watching, what happened next.”

“What happened?”

“Every time he threw something at me I managed to duck or dodge, and he was so drunk he couldn’t aim properly anyway. When he threw a heavy glass ashtray at me it hit an antique Greek urn and smashed it to pieces. Then he threw an expensive bottle of red wine and it smashed over an even more expensive Tom Roberts painting. I thought he would stop then, but he didn’t even seem to notice he was destroying his own apartment. He just carried on throwing things till there was hardly a piece of art left untouched by his anger. I didn’t care too much about his stuff; I just wanted to get out of there. He even started using Lladro pieces as missiles, when I got near the door. Finally, he picked up his Barcelona chair. I don’t know how he found the strength to lift it in his condition. Then in an attempt to throw it at me, he tripped over a coffee table, fell into the sofa and just lie there seemingly unconscious. At first I thought he may have hit his head, but he only fell onto the sofa, which had no hard surfaces. But I was scared so I took his pulse and checked his breathing, it all seemed normal. I think the alcohol and the exertion finally took its toll and he blacked out. I took the opportunity to throw some of my things into a bag so I could leave while he was unconscious. But just as I was opening the front door he came around long enough to yell at me to never come back into his home and to never ever speak to him at the studio or speak to anyone there about this incident. I then felt safe enough to leave, knowing he was not seriously injured. Then as a final gesture, as I opened the door, he threw a crystal vase at me and as I stepped outside, it flew past me and smashed in the lift lobby.”

“I can’t believe he did all that to you. I didn’t think he was like that.”

“He might not have been so violent if he wasn’t so drunk.”

“I wonder how he is going to feel in the morning with a huge hangover and a room full of now valueless art pieces.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn.”

“Well you’re safe and free, that’s what’s important. You can stay here for now, but I will have to speak to Mrs P, in the morning. The staff will wonder, and I owe it to her to keep her informed. She was so sweet today when I told her I wanted to leave the house.”

“You told her today also?”

“Yes, but we’ll talk about that tomorrow.”

“Oh, tomorrow, what will happen when I go into work?”

“I think you should take few days off, for both of you to calm down and then we’ll talk about you going back to the studio”.

“Thanks Thomas, I feel safe here with you. And despite what happened, I’m glad I took your advice and finally left him.”

“Now we had both better get some sleep, because, I feel another quote coming on, ‘tomorrow is another day’.”