My Daughter, Audrey [ON HOLD]

Not Over

Peter shook his head and waved a limp hand in Helen’s direction.   He could feel her smile slinking onto her painted face as he shook in the fragile wooden chair, wondering how he would earn sum of horrible money.  Clearing his throat and loosening his collar, Peter managed to lock eyes with Helen.  “How long do I ‘ave?”

               Helen shrugged and examined her newly painted nails.  “Is there a room I can talk to your husband privately?”  Helen eyed Jennie.

               “You can use his room,” Jennie pointed to the rooms behind them.

               “Good, come along, Baker!  Peter, follow me!”  Helen paraded out of the dining room and enetered Peter’s room.   Once the trio were inside, Helen shut the door.   “Now, it doesn’t matter how long; you can be eighty for all I care, I just want the money.”

               “An—and,” Peter paused to clear his throat, causing Helen to roll her eyes in annoyance.  “Sorry, anyway, wot ‘bout Audrey?”

               “Oh, she’ll be with me,” Helen replied with a cock of her eyebrow.  “Don’t worry, you can visit her twice a month.”

               Peter stood up, knocking over the chair.   He felt like strangling her, and he would have if the lawyer hadn’t been present.  “Ya bloody tramp!”

               Helen shot a finger at him.  “Watch your language, you lousy scouser!  Or you’re not getting to see one peep of that little brat!”

               Peter caught himself from spitting back; he couldn’t lose his chance with Audrey.  He sat the turned over chair back on its wobbly feet again and dropped into it.   He could see he was well defeated.

               “Now, you can either give me the child with no labor involved, and you and your skittish lady can live well without her.  It’s your choice.”

               Peter glared at her.  “I’ll git ya the money.  But ‘ere’s your end of the deal:  ya don’t do anything ‘armful to her; ya’ll keep her fed and warm.  And when we visit, we can stay as long as we bloody well please!”

               Helen nodded her head from side to side, wondering if she should alter Peter’s offer or accept it.  She paced back and forth in the room, rubbing her hands together in thought.  She even slipped a nervous nail between her fingers and then jerked it away when she remembered that she had “quit.”  She went over to Peter and knelt beside him.  She placed an unwelcomed hand on his shoulder and began talking softly.  “Peter, darling, I know how much you adore the child—I was hoping you wouldn’t become attached to her—but you have to know that I want to do what’s best for Audrey.”

               “Wot?  Forcing her to smile in front of a camera?  ‘Ave strange men fawn on her?  This isn’t ‘bout Audrey at all, it’s all ‘bout ya!  It’s always been ‘bout ya!”  Peter threw an arm in the air, knocking Helen’s off of his.

               “Now, listen, Audrey is worth a lot, but she’s also my daughter in the first place!”  Helen jabbed Peter repeatedly in the shoulder, each poke being harder than the last.  She gritted her teeth, fighting her tendencies to be angry.  “You get me the money, or you’re never going to see her!”

               Peter stood up and went over to Kurt Baker and breathed anger in his face.  “Is this permanent?   Where’s yer real credentials for all this?”  Peter began manhandling Baker’s pockets and rummaged through his brief case, much to the man’s exasperation.

               Helen interrupted and slinked over behind Peter.  She fondled with the back of his hair and whispered devilishly, “It’s either child or the law.  You do not know what I’m capable of.”

               “I know yer a witch and a hellion!  Yer not getting’ Audrey today or tomorrow!  She’s mine—ya can’t take her back.  Ya said so yerself in the letter!”

               “Oh, forget the letter!  I made the rules, I can change them!  The brat is mine.  You try to pull of any stunts; I’ll get your doe-eyed girl out there involved.  So, watch it, Peter.”

               “Are we finished?”  Peter asked solemnly.

               “We are finished, Mr. Holmes; cannot wait to do business with you.”  Helen pursed her lips in an evil smile and jerked her chin up at Peter, showing her authority. 

               Peter gave her an expressionless glare that caused her to turn away to the documents in her hands.  Peter smirked and left the room to return to Jennie.   Upon seeing her husband, Jennie greeted him with a pink face and tears.  She trotted up to Peter and threw her arms around his neck. 

               “Peter, how did it go?”

               “I’ll explain to ya later.  It’s not ova— Ms. Trapp has made a deal I couldn’t give up.”

               “What do you mean?  A deal?  A backroom deal?  Is anything she’s doing legal?”

               Peter shrug.  “I don’t think so.  All I know is that we can’t let Audrey stay with her for long.”

               Jennie clutched Peter’s shoulders and stared at him with widened eyes; her pupils widened in fright and her lips went parch.  “Audrey?  With her?  Oh, Peter, no!”

               Peter grabbed her shoulders and led her to the corner of the room where they had some privacy.  “We’ve got to work, Jennie.  She’s asking for fifty-thousand dollars in American money.  We don’t ‘ave that!”

               Jennie looked up from her knuckles and her tears stopped.  “Then we’ll work.  We got to.  I’ll go back to work, and—,” Jennie’s courage broke down at the realization of their obstacle.  “Oh Peter, is it possible?”

               “It is, but we won’t be gettin’ Audrey back anytime soon.”