The 'Cousins'

Part 102 (Charlie)

A/N: This chapter continues closing out Friday 20th April 2007 for secondary characters Mitt Fawley and his wife and Mayor Harvey Denton and his wife.

Fawley has spent the greater part of the day firing up the rednecks in Harry's bar to support his candidature for Mayor at the next election.

Harvey Denton is seriously worried about Fawley's challenge.  Read on:

Chapter 102(Charlie)

Closing out Friday Night (contd.)

"He loves you, yeah, yeah yeah. He loves you, yeah, yeah yeah."

Elizabeth Fawley chirped away at her version of the first line of the jolly Beatle's lyric, interspersing it with happy comments as she glided around the dining room with a lighted taper.

"I can wear that dress I bought for Annie Horrock's wedding."

'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'

"You know Mitt, this will be the first time we've been away together since you took me to that pigeon shoot in Florida, six, no seven years ago."

After lighting the last of a dozen tea-lights she blew out the taper and stood clasping her hands in the intimate, flickering warmth of their glow.

"It's going to be so wonderful, Mitt. It will be like a new beginning for us. Now you just sit there and finish your cocktail while I bring in dinner. It's your absolute favourite – meatloaf from Ma Tooley's and it's ready right now."

Before leaving, she took a deep breath before lifting the heavy, dead weight of a gallon jar of Gallo Pinot Noir, landing it on the table with a grunt.

"There you are dear, another of your favourites. You can make a start on the wine if you run dry before I get back. I'll not be a minute."

"He loves you yeah, yeah, yeah. He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah."

She sang all the way into the kitchen and back again minutes later, pushing a hostess trolley laden with plates under silver covers.

"Here we are dear, can you not just smell that delicious aroma. I went and plated up to save you having to carve. There you are."

Elizabeth placed a covered plate on the mat in her husband's place and the other in front of her own.

"And we got us a whole quart of Ma's onion gravy that you like so much." She spoke with a hint of triumph in her voice as she placed a steaming gravy boat on the table."

"Oh, you've not started on the wine. Here, let me do it."

Elizabeth deftly opened the wine, but with difficulty, due to its cumbersome weight, she filled the two wine schooners.

"There," she said with a chuckle of pride on landing the heavy wine jar safely back on the table.

Then with a deft swish of her skirt, she sat in her seat and raised her glass.

"Here's to us, dear."

She held the glass aloft, raised high for the toast. In that moment, the brightness of her eyes dulled with tears. The ever-present smile vanished, replaced with the quivering of her upper lip; her shoulders trembled as she repeated the toast.

"Here's to us, it's such a surprise ...you ... you bastard!"

Elizabeth hurled the contents of her wineglass over the rag doll sat in her husband's place across the table. Her left arm pushed aside the food in front of her. Uttering a heart–rending sob, she dropped her head onto the table, covering it with her hands and wept.