Happy Birthday: Part Thirty-Four

~ beetleypete

This is the thirty-fourth part of a fiction serial, in 772 words.

That Monday morning when he was told the story of the conversation with Edward, George could hardly contain his delight.

“Does that mean you are free to move in with me until I go to Berlin? Does Edward know about me? Should I ask to delay my transfer to Germany?” Hettie had been worried that he might not have been so excited at the prospect of her impending freedom, and now had to calm him down by holding a hand over his mouth.

She then quietly told him that Edward had no idea, that she didn’t think it appropriate to move in to his government flat, and that there was no need to delay his transfer unless he no longer wanted to go. But she did agree to stay overnight in his rooms a couple of times before his departure. The divorce proceedings were going to take some time, and were usually reported in the newspapers, so it was actually better for him to be out of the way in Germany.

Feeling deflated for a moment, George suddenly flashed a smile. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you apply to go to Berlin? You could do your job just as well if not better over there, and you won’t have to worry about your husband wondering why you have requested the move”. Hettie said she would consider that once the divorce agreement had been finalised, and she was a free woman once again. George was straight to the point.

“Well hopefully you won’t be a free woman for too long, as I am going to ask you to marry me at the first opportunity.”

Hettie didn’t know what to say. She had hoped that might happen some time in the future, but was overwhelmed that George had mentioned it so soon. She teased him by saying he would have to wait and see what her answer might be at the time.

The next couple of weeks could have been splendid indeed, but were overshadowed by the countdown to his departure. They had nights of incredible closeness, followed by her worrying that he would find someone younger and more attractive in the hurly-burly of post-war Berlin. Although he gave her no indication of anything other than he loved her with all of his heart, and would wait for her until Hell froze over.

As it turned out he left without being able to tell her, and she only found out when she arrived at work one day to be told by Miss Taylor. “Sergeant-Major Bowes had to leave England last night. You can add him to your list of contacts for regular checks and updates. At least you won’t have to teach him any longer, so you have your workroom back to yourself”. That remark interested Hettie a great deal, as it suggested nobody had any idea about her and George being lovers.

For the next few weeks, Hettie’s private life was consumed with legal matters. As the supposedly injured party, she had to employ a solicitor to sue Edward for divorce on the grounds of his adultery with Deidre. Edward gave her the money for the legal fees and court fees, then offered no defence against the charge, essentially pleading guilty. Meanwhile, his own solicitor drew up financial agreements for her to consider and sign if she agreed.

Edward’s genuine guilt came across in a very generous financial settlement. Not only would he give her enough money to buy a small flat, he would also allow her extra money based on the value of joint belongings, including his car. This pricked her own conscience, as after all, she had been the first one to be unfaithful. So against the advice of her solicitor, she accepted the lump sum settlement with no additonal income support or share of possessions.

Truth be told she had substantial personal savings, as Edward had paid almost all of the bills and housekeeping costs ever since they were first married. Not only would she be able to buy a modest flat, she could be very comfortable in retirement, especially when she included her substantial government pension. But that was all still a long way off in her mind.

In the meantime, she had to decide whether or not to apply for transfer to Berlin once the divorce was granted. The other thing to consider was being up front with Miss Taylor before any news from the courts or newspapers came to notice. She made an appointment to see the Section Chief before the end of the working day on Friday.

Best to kill two birds with one stone.

29 thoughts on “Happy Birthday: Part Thirty-Four”

    1. Going to Berlin at that time would make most people nervous. It was a hotbed of spying, black market dealing, and racketeering. Glad you enjoyed the episode, dear Jennie.

      Best wishes , Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. I’m glad that Hettie finally has a chance at true happiness! Hopefully, her boss won’t be too upset about the divorce news. Back then, such things were considered more scandalous.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. (1) Bad citation: “Hettie had been worried that George might not have been so excited at the prospect of her impending freedom, and now had to calm him down by putting a ball gag in his mouth, restraining his movements with a straitjacket, and shooting him with a tranquilizer gun.”
    (2) George was feeling deflated before going straight to the point. Which is the opposite of a balloon: it doesn’t feel deflated until after the point has gone straight to it.
    (3) Hettie teased George by saying he would have to wait and see what her answer to his marriage proposal might be. It might be “Yes, I will marry you!” Or it might be, ”Ja, ich werde dich heiraten!” (Or the answer might be spoken in the language of Love, which is hard to put into words. )
    (4) George promised to wait for Hettie until Hell froze over. Upon hearing that, Hettie became worried. She immediately checked on the weather forecast for Hell, California…Hell, Michigan…and Hell, Norway.
    (5) Bowes and Eros, or when British reality meets Greek mythology.
    (6) Edward’s generous financial settlement pricked Hettie’s conscience. As a result, her conscience began to leak, and that led to a loss in her moral sense of right and wrong.
    (7) It’s best to kill two birds with one stone. On the other hand, Robert Mulligan was able to bring a finch to life and to kill a mockingbird in a single film.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

All comments welcome

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.