In Chapter 1 Georgina Georgina learnt of love and marriage, disappointment and pain. She knew nothing of husband Wayne’s betrayal with her sister Harriet. After a fight, she decided enough was enough – she was leaving.
CHAPTER TWO
As Georgina walked the cases grew heavier. She hadn't enough money for a taxi and her sister's house was over a mile away. By the time she arrived she felt as though her arms were stretched enough for her knuckles to scrape the floor.
Harriet was not in. Georgina went round the back and found the spare key under the brick. She put her cases in the hall and made a cup of tea. She was sure that Harriet wouldn't mind. They had never been particularly close, but they were sisters. She wrote a note to explain the presence of the cases. And suddenly she felt good.
Already things were sorting out. She would stay with Harriet until she found a job and a place of her own. She would find her own friends. And maybe a lover. She pulled the engagement ring and then the wedding ring from her finger and dropped them into her purse. She was no longer married. No longer Wayne's property.
Life was going to be good. Georgina locked the door and replaced the key under the brick. She was going to enjoy her new life. Nothing would stop her. She was going to do exactly what she wanted whenever she wanted. She felt good. She felt strong. She was ready for a real beginning.
The new Georgina sang as she walked along the street. This was quite a change from recent months when she rarely left the house and never sang. Her whole life was transformed. She grinned, clenched her fists and began to whistle. Her whistling technique wasn't very good, but that didn't worry her.
She reached the bank, ignoring the stares that followed her jaunty walk and tuneless whistling. She put the card in the hole in the wall, tapped in the numbers and grinned again. She withdrew all but one pound from the joint account. With two hundred and eighty four pounds in her purse she headed for the shopping centre.
She took her time over shopping, picking out clothes that were completely different from those she normally wore. She tried on everything, searching for inspiration. She felt that she needed a new image of herself for herself. But couldn't find one. Nothing caught her fancy in the first few shops she visited, so she took a break and treated herself to a cup of coffee and a cream doughnut. While she nibbled at the doughnut and sipped at the coffee seated by the window of the cafe, she watched others bustling around the enclosed world of the shopping centre. She felt quite sorry for the harassed mums with their little children and baby buggies. Perhaps things would have been different if she and Wayne had of had children. But Wayne always said he was too young to be a father and that he needed to build the business up first.
With the plate cleared of the last grains of sugar and the tips of her fingers licked clean for the last time, she returned to the task of finding a new image.
In the next shop she was holding a rather skimpy dress against her body when she was spoken to.
"It's Georgina isn't it? Hi, haven't seen you for ages."
Georgina looked round. This was not the friend she would have chosen to meet. Margot Goody. She had rarely seen her since she left school. Margot Goody. The girl that William Bragg two timed her with. But that was the past. This was now. And it was good to have someone to talk to.
"Hello Margot! It's lovely to see you again. How's life?"
"Not so bad. Have a look." She smiled a triumphant smile and held out her hand to show a rather flashy engagement ring.
"Craig popped the question at last. Do you remember Craig Howarth?"
Georgina nodded, vaguely remembering a spotty youth.
"He's an assistant manager with the Midland bank now. How are things with you and Wayne? I've hardly seen you since the wedding."
Georgina remembered. Margot had been going out with one of Wayne's friends. She'd tried to flirt with Wayne at the reception. Georgina grinned. "Brilliant," she said. She held out her hand, to show no ring. "I finished it last night."
"Oh," a look of concern softened Margot's face. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not. Wayne's a bastard and I'm so pleased to be shot of him I could fly."
"Oh!" The idea that someone could be pleased to lose a husband like Wayne was so alien to Margot that she was left speechless for a moment. She caught her breath and searched for a safer topic of conversation. "Are you still working at the fish and chip shop?"
"No, Wayne didn't like me working evenings so he made me jack it in. He still went out drinking of course, but at least I was there when he came home."
"Where are you living now? I mean if.."
"No longer in the flat. I packed my things and took them over to my sister's this morning. I want to get away from everything to do with him."
"What are you going to do about a job? Will you go back to the fish and chip shop?" Margot sounded very concerned and her face radiated feigned distress.
"I'll see what turns up." Georgina did not want Margot's pity. She changed the subject decisively. "What do you think of this dress?"
"I don't think it's quite you," Margot giggled. She lowered her voice to a whisper and accurately expressed Georgina's own thoughts. "It's rather, well, tarty, isn't it."
The expected condemnation was enough to sway Georgina. "I like it," she said. She enjoyed the look of disapproval on Margot's face.
"Where could you wear it?"
"Anywhere, anytime." Georgina said. "In fact I'm going to wear it now."
Margot's surprised expression made her determined to carry her statement through. She went to the counter and paid for the dress. She asked the assistant to cut off the tags so that she could wear it out of the shop.
It cost sixty pounds, but the dress was at a sale price and reduced by a third, so she felt pleased.
She went into a cubicle and put on the dress. Her bra strap was showing. She couldn't have that. With a joyful feeling of reckless abandon so she removed the bra. Then, since it was a hot day, she removed her tights as well. She looked at herself in the mirror and was pleased with the result. She re-joined Margot.
"It's a bit, revealing," Margot said. The dress gave a good view of her cleavage and the light material barely disguised the shape of her nipples.
"You mean tarty," Georgina said.
"Oh no, not tarty, not really, but it is, well, young for you."
"I'm as young as I feel. And I feel good." She looked in the mirror and did a twirl, noticing the skirt was short enough to give a glimpse of knickers from the slightest movement. She was glad she'd removed the tights.
"If you don't go back to the fish and chip shop what will you do? There aren't many jobs around." Margot wanted to change the subject again.
"I don't care."
"What happened to your eye?"
Make up didn't quite cover the discolouration of an old bruise.
"A present from Wayne, almost a week ago."
"Wayne hit you? I didn't know he was like that."
"He's been like that for years. Every few weeks he liked to show me who was boss. It was really nice of him, but I never argued so I didn't understand why he needed to do it."
"Oh, Georgina, I am sorry."
