Chapter 21: In the Coffee Shop

Chapter 21: In the Coffee Shop

In the coffee shop Vernon Demerest ordered tea for Gwen and black coffee for himself. Coffee helped him to think clearly, and he would probably drink ten more cups on his way to Rome.

‘We’re both unusually quiet,’ Gwen said in her gentle English voice. ‘We hardly said a word on our way over here.’ She turned her large eyes towards Vernon’s face.

‘I wasn’t talking because I’ve been thinking,’ he said.

‘Thinking about what? About being a father?’ Gwen said, smiling. ‘Would you rather have a boy or a girl?’

‘Oh Gwen, can’t we be serious about this?’

‘Why should you be worried if I’m not?’ she asked. Then she took his hand and said: ‘I’m sorry. I suppose it really is a bit of a shock - for both of us.’

This was the opportunity Vernon had been waiting for. ‘We don’t have to be parents if we don’t want to be,’ he said. Gwen took her hand away.

‘I wondered how long it would take,’ she said. ‘You almost said it in the car, and then you decided to leave it until later, didn’t you?’

‘Leave what until later?’

‘Oh really, Vernon! Why pretend? You want me to have an abortion, don’t you? You’ve been thinking about it all the time, haven’t you?’

‘Yes,’ he admitted.

‘What’s the matter? Did you think I’d never heard the word before?’

‘I wasn’t sure how you would feel about it.’

Gwen looked serious. ‘I’m not sure how I feel.’

At least she hadn’t said ‘no’ immediately.

‘It would be the most sensible thing to do,’ Vernon said. ‘And it isn’t dangerous at all.’

‘I know. It’s very simple, isn’t it?’

Perhaps this was going to be easier than he had expected.

‘Vernon,’ she continued, ‘have you really thought about this? You want to kill a human being, a person who is part of both of us, a person we have made with our love.’

‘It is not a human being, Gwen,’ he said firmly. ‘It would be later, but it isn’t now.’

‘Do you mean that you wouldn’t kill it later, but you would now?’

‘Don’t twist my words around, Gwen.’

‘I suppose you think I’m being stupid,’ she said sadly, ‘but I do love you, Vernon, I really do.’

‘I know,’ he said. ‘That’s why this is so difficult for both of us.’

Gwen sighed. ‘I suppose in the end I’ll be sensible. I’ll have an abortion. But I must have a little time to think about it first.’

‘Of course. But we must act as quickly as possible.’

‘I promise you I’ll decide before the end of this trip.’

As they got up to leave the coffee shop, Gwen said: ‘I’m really lucky to have you, Vernon. Some men would have walked away and left me.’

‘I won’t leave you.’

But he would leave her. He had just decided to. When the trip to Naples and the abortion were over, he would end the affair as delicately as he could. Gwen knew how to behave, and would not make any difficulties for him. Even if she did make trouble, he could handle the situation. He had ended love affairs before now.

It was true that he cared deeply for Gwen. It would not be easy to leave her, but it was time to finish the affair. He did not intend to leave Sarah or to make any great changes to his lifestyle.

He touched Gwen’s arm. ‘You go on. I’ll follow in a minute.’

He had just seen Mel Bakersfeld and, what was worse, he knew that Mel had seen him.

Mel was talking to Ned Ordway, the man who was chief of police at the airport.

‘I’ve just heard that we’re to have visitors later,’ Ordway told him.

‘We have several thousand already’

‘I don’t mean passengers. I mean the people from Meadowood. They’ve just had a meeting, and now they’re coming to see you.’

‘Oh no!’ Mel said. ‘I’m busy enough tonight without them.’

‘I can’t keep them out unless they break the law,’ Ordway said. ‘I’ve told my men what’s going to happen, and they’ll handle it carefully. We don’t want any violence here.’

Mel had complete confidence in Ned Ordway. He knew he was a good policeman.

‘Any other trouble tonight?’ he asked.

‘More fights than usual. It’s because of all the flight delays. All the bars are full.’ He added: ‘I’ll let you know when the Meadowood crowd get here.’

As Ordway walked away, Mel saw Vernon coming towards him. ‘Good evening, Vernon,’ he said.

‘Hi.’

‘I hear you know all there is to know about snow clearing now.’

‘I don’t need to know much to see that a bad job is being done.’

‘Do you know how much snow there has been?’ Mel asked.

‘I know better than you, I expect. Part of my job is to read weather reports.’

‘We’ve had about 30 centimetres of snow in the last 24 hours.’

‘Then clear it! ’

It was useless to try to discuss this matter with Vernon. Mel knew that his critical report on snow clearing had been written for reasons of personal dislike.

‘I’ll think of you here, stuck in the snow, when I’m enjoying the sun in Naples,’ Vernon said, and walked off laughing.

But he soon stopped laughing when he saw the two girls selling insurance policies. They reminded him of a fight that Mel Bakersfeld had won. He wondered if any Flight Two passengers were buying insurance. He would like to tell them not to waste their money!

As he watched, a thin, nervous-looking man joined the line of people waiting at the desk. He kept looking at the clock, and seemed to be worried because there were so many people in front of him. He should have arrived earlier if he wanted to stand in line for flight insurance, Vernon thought.

As he hurried away, he heard the announcement: ‘Trans America Airlines announce the departure of Flight Two, the Golden Argosy, for Rome-’