Chapter Five: 'Portlaw to Manchester'
After Molly Platt's funeral, life for Sean and the rest of the Fannings in Portlaw seemed to go downhill fast. The first major thing to adversely affect Sean, even more than he'd already been affected, was the absence of Sarah Platt, the love of his life.
Three days after Molly Platt's coffin had been lowered into the ground, stormy weather covered the whole of Ireland with torrential rain. It rained non-stop virtually for three days and nights and ruined the entire crop of many a farmer in Ireland. Deidre O'Cann, a visitor who went weekly to place flowers on her husband's grave in the grounds of 'St. Michael's Catholic Church', was the first to witness a phenomenon, which had in fact been as a direct result of the storm, but which, in her superstitious ignorance, she described to the rest of Portlaw as being nothing less than an 'evil omen and the work of the Devil.'
Surging ground water caused by the storm had saturated the ground so much that it had pushed the most recently buried coffin up through its protective covers. As it was covered in soil which had not yet had time to settle properly, Molly Platt's coffin was the natural weak spot in the graveyard for such a phenomenon to occur and was the only coffin to rise up to the surface. As far as the rest of Portlaw was concerned however, those who believed that Molly Platt had committed suicide and ought never to have been buried in hallowed church ground, felt justified in the stance they'd taken and felt that the current omen to have represented nothing less than a confirmation of their view; whereas those of a more superstitious inclination believed that God had cast her out from his fold because of her adultery with a friend's husband.
Three days after Molly Platt's coffin had been lowered into the ground, stormy weather covered the whole of Ireland with torrential rain. It rained non-stop virtually for three days and nights and ruined the entire crop of many a farmer in Ireland. Deidre O'Cann, a visitor who went weekly to place flowers on her husband's grave in the grounds of 'St. Michael's Catholic Church', was the first to witness a phenomenon, which had in fact been as a direct result of the storm, but which, in her superstitious ignorance, she described to the rest of Portlaw as being nothing less than an 'evil omen and the work of the Devil.'
Surging ground water caused by the storm had saturated the ground so much that it had pushed the most recently buried coffin up through its protective covers. As it was covered in soil which had not yet had time to settle properly, Molly Platt's coffin was the natural weak spot in the graveyard for such a phenomenon to occur and was the only coffin to rise up to the surface. As far as the rest of Portlaw was concerned however, those who believed that Molly Platt had committed suicide and ought never to have been buried in hallowed church ground, felt justified in the stance they'd taken and felt that the current omen to have represented nothing less than a confirmation of their view; whereas those of a more superstitious inclination believed that God had cast her out from his fold because of her adultery with a friend's husband.
During the following month after Molly Platt had been buried, there were numerous sightings of reported ghosts and all strange manner of phenomenon in the Church graveyard of 'St. Michael's Catholic Church'. After three weeks of having his parishioners inform him of their latest sighting, Father O'Tool saw one of the apparitions for himself.
Molly Platt's coffin which had risen up, had been reburied. The priest had ordered that a large old church bell, which he had found and blessed, be placed on the lid of the coffin. The bell weighed 56 pounds. Then white grit was placed on the grave surface to assist water drainage and a stone edging surround erected to keep it all contained.
One evening before Benediction Service, Father O'Tool had walked through the graveyard to check the site for the next burial in three days' time, and although being ten meters away from Molly Platt's grave, he looked across to it and saw a small child sitting there alone. He immediately went across to check the child, but in the half minute it took him to complete his journey, the child had vanished! He knew that if he made known the nature of the apparition he'd seen, it would merely keep the minds of Portlaw folk upon thoughts of Molly Platt and her unborn child and no doubt lead to unnecessary gossip as to who the father had been; Thomas Platt or Sean Fanning? Mindful not to feed the already superstitious minds of Portlaw parishioners any more than they'd already been fed, the parish priest kept this vision to himself, and to be on the safe side, he arranged for a Jesuit priest from Connemara to perform an exorcism over the grave plot at the first opportunity.
Molly Platt's coffin which had risen up, had been reburied. The priest had ordered that a large old church bell, which he had found and blessed, be placed on the lid of the coffin. The bell weighed 56 pounds. Then white grit was placed on the grave surface to assist water drainage and a stone edging surround erected to keep it all contained.
One evening before Benediction Service, Father O'Tool had walked through the graveyard to check the site for the next burial in three days' time, and although being ten meters away from Molly Platt's grave, he looked across to it and saw a small child sitting there alone. He immediately went across to check the child, but in the half minute it took him to complete his journey, the child had vanished! He knew that if he made known the nature of the apparition he'd seen, it would merely keep the minds of Portlaw folk upon thoughts of Molly Platt and her unborn child and no doubt lead to unnecessary gossip as to who the father had been; Thomas Platt or Sean Fanning? Mindful not to feed the already superstitious minds of Portlaw parishioners any more than they'd already been fed, the parish priest kept this vision to himself, and to be on the safe side, he arranged for a Jesuit priest from Connemara to perform an exorcism over the grave plot at the first opportunity.
The exorcism seemed to serve its purpose and no further ghost-like apparitions were reported, although occasionally, passing parishioners late at night on their way home from the pub would report having seen the grave yard lit up where Molly Platt rested, despite there being no night lights there!
One month after the funeral of Sarah's mother and after not having heard one word from Sarah, Sean marched up to Platt Farm and boldly knocked on the door. One of Sarah's brothers opened the door. It was 11-year-old Paul. Before either could say a word, Mr Platt yelled out from the kitchen area.
"Who is it, Paul?" he asked his son.
"It's Sarah's.........."
Paul stopped himself mid-sentence from saying, 'Sarah's boyfriend.'
"It's Sean Fanning, Da," Paul yelled back.
A minute later, Thomas Platt appeared armed with a double-barrelled shotgun, which he snapped closed, as if in readiness to fire, if necessary.
"I told you before, young Fanning, that you're not welcome here. Our Sarah wants nothing to do with you ever again," he retorted.
"If you just let me see her for a minute and let her tell me so herself, I swear on my grandparents' grave that you'll never set sight on me again, Mr Platt," Sean pleaded.
"Now, listen carefully, Boyo, because these are the very last words that I will ever speak to any Fanning for as long as I live. Sarah has no desire to set eyes on you again. You cannot see Sarah today, tomorrow or any other day because Sarah does not live here at the farm any more, and never again will! And as for asking me where she currently is, you'd be wasting your breath because only I know and will never tell you. Now, for the very last time I intend to ask, leave my property and don't ever set foot on it again!"
Having heard these words spoken, Sean was marched off the farm with a loaded shotgun in his back.
"Who is it, Paul?" he asked his son.
"It's Sarah's.........."
Paul stopped himself mid-sentence from saying, 'Sarah's boyfriend.'
"It's Sean Fanning, Da," Paul yelled back.
A minute later, Thomas Platt appeared armed with a double-barrelled shotgun, which he snapped closed, as if in readiness to fire, if necessary.
"I told you before, young Fanning, that you're not welcome here. Our Sarah wants nothing to do with you ever again," he retorted.
"If you just let me see her for a minute and let her tell me so herself, I swear on my grandparents' grave that you'll never set sight on me again, Mr Platt," Sean pleaded.
"Now, listen carefully, Boyo, because these are the very last words that I will ever speak to any Fanning for as long as I live. Sarah has no desire to set eyes on you again. You cannot see Sarah today, tomorrow or any other day because Sarah does not live here at the farm any more, and never again will! And as for asking me where she currently is, you'd be wasting your breath because only I know and will never tell you. Now, for the very last time I intend to ask, leave my property and don't ever set foot on it again!"
Having heard these words spoken, Sean was marched off the farm with a loaded shotgun in his back.
When Sean returned home he was furious. It was only then after he'd told his mother what had transpired that she indicated that she already heard that Sarah had been sent away, but being unable to confirm it, thought it best not to tell her son. Sean slammed the door and went into his bedroom to pack.
Although he had just turned sixteen years of age, that was the moment he knew 14, William Street was no longer home to him and never would be so again. He didn't come back out of his bedroom that night and when his family arose the next morning, his mother found his bed empty and a handwritten envelope marked 'Ma', which he'd left propped up on the mantel piece.
The letter was brief and said:
"Sorry but I couldn't stay in Portlaw any longer, Ma. Without Sarah, Portlaw holds nothing for me. Look after yourself and think of me. I'll never forget you Ma. Love Sean. xxx"
Although he had just turned sixteen years of age, that was the moment he knew 14, William Street was no longer home to him and never would be so again. He didn't come back out of his bedroom that night and when his family arose the next morning, his mother found his bed empty and a handwritten envelope marked 'Ma', which he'd left propped up on the mantel piece.
The letter was brief and said:
"Sorry but I couldn't stay in Portlaw any longer, Ma. Without Sarah, Portlaw holds nothing for me. Look after yourself and think of me. I'll never forget you Ma. Love Sean. xxx"
Sean's mother wept bitterly for the next three days and never had another day's happiness until the day she died, a mere six years later at the age of forty four years from cancer of the bowel. At the time of her death, Sean was serving a prison sentence in England.
He was not aware of his mother's early death, as he'd not written to her after he'd been sentenced to prison. The Fanning family had experienced more than enough shame heaped upon it to last a lifetime and he didn't want to add to it. Besides, he'd come to England to advance his prospects, and he was ashamed that he would simply have been seen as walking backwards had anyone in Portlaw learned of his crime and punishment!
He was not aware of his mother's early death, as he'd not written to her after he'd been sentenced to prison. The Fanning family had experienced more than enough shame heaped upon it to last a lifetime and he didn't want to add to it. Besides, he'd come to England to advance his prospects, and he was ashamed that he would simply have been seen as walking backwards had anyone in Portlaw learned of his crime and punishment!
One year following the death of Sean's mother, his father decided that he'd had his fill of Portlaw and wanted out of it. Almost four hundred years of Fanning residency in Portlaw had come to an end by an extra-marital affair between one man and one woman. Even Cromwell and numerous English tyrants over the centuries had been unable to move a Fanning or make the Fannings do their will.
Oh, how the soiled linen sheets of a woman's bed can soften a man's political resolve and undermine his character more than the sword of any tyrant! That which Cromwell's army, the dreaded Black and Tans, and countless others had been unable to achieve by sheer force over the centuries, was in 1976, surrendered through the mere temptation of the flesh and the carnal knowledge of a neighbour's wife. The simple desire of two adults to step outside their marriage vows had led to Molly Platt committing suicide and Sean Fanning Senior dishonouring the family name of Fanning in the town of their birth. By his infidelity, like the British regular snipers hiding behind the barrels in the Quays during the Easter uprising, Sean Fanning Senior had effectively taken a pot shot at his own kind and was now seen as being no better than a traitor is to the Catholic cause.
Oh, how the soiled linen sheets of a woman's bed can soften a man's political resolve and undermine his character more than the sword of any tyrant! That which Cromwell's army, the dreaded Black and Tans, and countless others had been unable to achieve by sheer force over the centuries, was in 1976, surrendered through the mere temptation of the flesh and the carnal knowledge of a neighbour's wife. The simple desire of two adults to step outside their marriage vows had led to Molly Platt committing suicide and Sean Fanning Senior dishonouring the family name of Fanning in the town of their birth. By his infidelity, like the British regular snipers hiding behind the barrels in the Quays during the Easter uprising, Sean Fanning Senior had effectively taken a pot shot at his own kind and was now seen as being no better than a traitor is to the Catholic cause.
In 1985, Sean Fanning Senior and his three youngest children left County Waterford to set sail for Australia. The other three children were now old enough to live independently and two moved to live in Dublin and Sean's sister Teresa went to join the convent of 'St. Paul the Apostle' in County Limerick. Having re-trained himself as a bricklayer, his type of work was in much demand across the big pond.
As an adulterer, whose lover had drowned herself and whose wife had gone to an early grave, Sean Fanning Senior eventually had to conclude that his welcome in Portlaw was now well passed its sell-by-date. Never again would the Fanning name be spoken with pride in Portlaw. Nowadays, Sean Fanning Senior was laughed at behind his back and his already tarnished character besmirched farther at every opportunity by those who'd sided with Thomas Platt.
Sean's father sold the family home and used the money for steerage to Australia, with a bit over to see them through the first year. In 1997, Sean Fanning Senior incurred a massive heart attack while out on a motor boat. He was taken to the nearest hospital, but was booked in as a DOA; 'dead on arrival.'
When young Sean Fanning docked in Liverpool towards the end of 1976, he possessed £36 in cash and the Manchester address of a second cousin called Jamesie Fanning who lived in the Accrington area. Sean's cousin was on his father's side of the family, and he hoped that news of his dad's affair with the late Molly Platt hadn't somehow found its way across the Irish Sea. It was often said that a piece of gossip spoken on a corner in any part of Southern Ireland at breakfast time could often be heard repeated in many a Liverpool pub by the evening of that same day!
As it turned out however, it wouldn't have mattered, because when Sean eventually got to the Accrington address and looked up his cousin's house, he found that he had moved on from there a year earlier, having done a moonlight flit to avoid paying the landlord his rent. It was as though the Fanning name was becoming as unpopular on this side of the Irish Sea as the Pope was in the Orange Lodges of protestant Belfast. The property in question, along with other properties on that street was in a rundown area of the city; many houses of which were now boarded up. If one lived there, it was not unusual for one's next-door neighbour to be a tramp or drug addict who squatted there.
As it turned out however, it wouldn't have mattered, because when Sean eventually got to the Accrington address and looked up his cousin's house, he found that he had moved on from there a year earlier, having done a moonlight flit to avoid paying the landlord his rent. It was as though the Fanning name was becoming as unpopular on this side of the Irish Sea as the Pope was in the Orange Lodges of protestant Belfast. The property in question, along with other properties on that street was in a rundown area of the city; many houses of which were now boarded up. If one lived there, it was not unusual for one's next-door neighbour to be a tramp or drug addict who squatted there.
Sean eventually found digs on the edge of Salford after a three-hour search. The room wasn't too bad, but the bed required a new mattress as a number of its springs had sprung. Sean needed to use £24 of his money as a bond and one week's rent. The bond was stated to be one month's rent (£48), with a weekly rent of £12, but the landlord allowed Sean to have a mere week's bond in order to get his flat back into circulation as it had been empty for seven weeks. It took him another two days to sign on and then get a job, labouring at a building site, where his prime tasks were mixing cement, hod carrying bricks and brewing up tea whenever the brickies demanded it.
During his first year in Salford, Sean kept his head down and his nose clean, and overall he seemed content to establish himself as an industrious and reliable worker. He wanted to learn on the job and in time, naturally progress to that of being a bricklayer. Sean had no intention of always carrying the hod and brewing the teas.
The heavy labour he endured, along with his walking, swimming and running activities was gradually making its own mark on his masculine features, and he was growing markedly more handsome every day. Whenever he had a spare weekend and the opportunity to travel out of Manchester, he would visit the Dales and walk for miles admiring the dry-stone walling. To Sean this part of England represented the nearest to the Emerald Isle he could now see.
By the age of eighteen years, Sean had rapidly developed from the image of boy to that of man. Even his forays to the public house he frequented now regularly attracted the attention of most single women, besides a number of married ones who were out on the pull and on the lookout for a bit of eye candy, which Sean was fast becoming. His work friends often goaded him about his lady-killer looks, as when a good-looking woman passed the building site and saw Sean bare chested, it would be she who gave out the wolf whistle in his direction!
The heavy labour he endured, along with his walking, swimming and running activities was gradually making its own mark on his masculine features, and he was growing markedly more handsome every day. Whenever he had a spare weekend and the opportunity to travel out of Manchester, he would visit the Dales and walk for miles admiring the dry-stone walling. To Sean this part of England represented the nearest to the Emerald Isle he could now see.
By the age of eighteen years, Sean had rapidly developed from the image of boy to that of man. Even his forays to the public house he frequented now regularly attracted the attention of most single women, besides a number of married ones who were out on the pull and on the lookout for a bit of eye candy, which Sean was fast becoming. His work friends often goaded him about his lady-killer looks, as when a good-looking woman passed the building site and saw Sean bare chested, it would be she who gave out the wolf whistle in his direction!
It was over eighteen months after Sean had arrived in Salford that he looked at another female with eyes of sexual desire. The woman in question had been standing against a tree in the park when Sean, who'd been reading a newspaper, saw her. She was young, blonde and fetching in her pose and for the first time in a long while, Sean found himself returning home with a 'stiffy.' It had taken him well over a year to get Sarah out of his system enough, so that he was at last able to sleep uninterrupted at night without thinking of her. He still loved Sarah and knew deep down that he probably always would. However, he could no longer see any sense in living a life of permanent regret for someone he was no longer with and couldn't be with.
That Friday evening when Sean visited the 'Old Brown Cow', his Salford local, he dressed smartly and determined that the time had come for him to live again. He knew that he'd have no difficulty finding an attractive woman who could persuade him to share her bed tonight.
As luck would have it, it was less than half an hour after entering the pub that he'd managed to hook up with a an attractive blonde who turned out to be a married woman who'd recently separated. Despite being almost ten years older than Sean, she satisfied all of his immediate requirements.
Within ten minutes of going back to her place, an expensive flat in a newly built complex on the Salford Quays, she emerged from her dressing-room-cum-bedroom in a flimsy see through dress and the latest fashion in unfastened sexy stockings. Her red lips sent Sean's sexual impulse into overdrive mode.
As luck would have it, it was less than half an hour after entering the pub that he'd managed to hook up with a an attractive blonde who turned out to be a married woman who'd recently separated. Despite being almost ten years older than Sean, she satisfied all of his immediate requirements.
Within ten minutes of going back to her place, an expensive flat in a newly built complex on the Salford Quays, she emerged from her dressing-room-cum-bedroom in a flimsy see through dress and the latest fashion in unfastened sexy stockings. Her red lips sent Sean's sexual impulse into overdrive mode.
That night was one of sheer sexual exploitation by both parties; each of whom needed the intimate touch of another in an explosive sexual entanglement which carried no emotional commitment with it. They didn't even bother exchanging real names. Both used each other and were highly satisfied with the experience. When it was over, each party knew that it was a one-off experience that wouldn't be repeated. Indeed, it could never be repeated as it had been 'too good' and to try to experience such height of pleasure again together would merely have been to invite bitter disappointment!
Two weeks later, Sean was to meet Maxine for the first time. She instantly attracted Sean's attention by being a redhead. Indeed, her hair was much deeper in its tone of red than Sarah's had been, her speech was more refined and all-in-all, it was easy to see that she had been reared in a different cultural background where material provision and monetary considerations had never been a feature of daily concern. The other thing that unknowingly appealed to Sean about Maxine was the element of her 'vulnerability', which enabled him to play the protective role of a knight in shining armour.
Maxine was a nineteen-year-old wheelchair-bound woman whom Sean first met in the park one Sunday morning he'd been walking there. Maxine's wheelchair had become stuck after she'd decided to take the route back home that went through the park after having attended Sunday church service. Upon seeing her predicament, Sean, instinctively helped her out of the rut she was trapped in.
"Thank you, kind sir," Maxine said to Sean with a smile that could have lit up Blackpool tower.
Sean smiled back and then, for reasons quite unknown to him, he carried on with the Victorian politeness that Maxine had first spoken to him in and found himself bowing down to kiss her hand saying, "You are most welcome my sweet lady. Most welcome indeed!"
With this brief introduction and response, the couple of strangers immediately broke out into childlike laughter before formally shaking hands and introducing themselves more formally. She told him that her name was Maxine Cheevers.
Maxine was a nineteen-year-old wheelchair-bound woman whom Sean first met in the park one Sunday morning he'd been walking there. Maxine's wheelchair had become stuck after she'd decided to take the route back home that went through the park after having attended Sunday church service. Upon seeing her predicament, Sean, instinctively helped her out of the rut she was trapped in.
"Thank you, kind sir," Maxine said to Sean with a smile that could have lit up Blackpool tower.
Sean smiled back and then, for reasons quite unknown to him, he carried on with the Victorian politeness that Maxine had first spoken to him in and found himself bowing down to kiss her hand saying, "You are most welcome my sweet lady. Most welcome indeed!"
With this brief introduction and response, the couple of strangers immediately broke out into childlike laughter before formally shaking hands and introducing themselves more formally. She told him that her name was Maxine Cheevers.
Sean and Maxine spent the rest of that morning in the park cafeteria, chatting away quite freely as though they'd known each other for years instead of mere hours. Maxine kept her body well wrapped and had an ermine-style cape draped around her shoulders. Even her arms were partially covered with a pair of white laced gloves. Sean found Maxine charming and so easy to converse with. They seemed to instantly click with each other and by the time that Sean had pushed Maxine back to her house where she and her widowed mother lived, the couple had agreed to meet up again at the same place next Sunday, weather permitting.
Under normal circumstances, Sean's striking up of a friendship with the lovely 19-year-old Maxine would have been as unlikely to happen as was his mother's initial relationship with Molly Platt. Sean and Maxine had been brought up so differently and had been born into different worlds.
They each came from distinctly different cultural and class backgrounds. Maxine was born in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London and had been privately educated in one of the top establishments in the country. Her parents frequented the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden whenever they could and as a child, the great singer Maria Callas was a regular visitor to their house, along with many other famous faces.
They each came from distinctly different cultural and class backgrounds. Maxine was born in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London and had been privately educated in one of the top establishments in the country. Her parents frequented the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden whenever they could and as a child, the great singer Maria Callas was a regular visitor to their house, along with many other famous faces.
Her parents had never planned to have any children and spent their earlier years of their married life living it up with the smart set of Kensington and Chelsea. Maxine's mother, whose father had been knighted in the Honour's List, had even had her year as a debutante during a time when mixing with a couple of English princesses called Elizabeth and Margaret at numerous balls was considered a social necessity and requirement of her class.
Sybil Cheevers was a beauty of her time. She got her looks from her own mother, who had been titled at birth, but whom chose never to use it again after she'd given her support to the Suffragette Movement. Since her marriage to Maxine's father, the main room of their marital residence had two framed photographs side-by-side; one of Sybil's mother in her prime and one of her just before she married Maxine's father.
Sybil Cheevers (Nee Ponsenby), was as much part of the aristocratic establishment that her family name had derived from. Indeed, her only liking of modernity had been the journeys that she and her husband would take across the countryside in his much-loved car, a classic Aston Martin DB3S. Sybil Cheevers, CBE was 42 years of age when she surprisingly fell pregnant with her only child, Maxine.
Maxine incurred a tragic experience at the age of sixteen years, which had left her unable to walk. The only child born to her well-to-do parents, she and her widowed mother now occupied a comfortable and spacious accommodation on the posh side of Salford Quay.
It was a beautiful Victorian semi-detached property located in a highly desirable area. It was spacious and highly presented throughout, with accommodation over four floors and comprising of two reception rooms and wine cellar. In spite of having cost close to £700,000 to buy, and being far too spacious for two females and a part-time nurse to solely occupy, Sybil Cheevers nevertheless wanted the property as soon as she first saw its potential. She had never been the type to come 'down market' in her comforts. Upon purchasing the property, she extracted a promise from Maxine to allow all her old furniture and bed to be placed in her wing of the house, saying, "I don't care how you arrange the rest where I don't live, but please refrain from putting all your modern furnishings in my part!"
It was a beautiful Victorian semi-detached property located in a highly desirable area. It was spacious and highly presented throughout, with accommodation over four floors and comprising of two reception rooms and wine cellar. In spite of having cost close to £700,000 to buy, and being far too spacious for two females and a part-time nurse to solely occupy, Sybil Cheevers nevertheless wanted the property as soon as she first saw its potential. She had never been the type to come 'down market' in her comforts. Upon purchasing the property, she extracted a promise from Maxine to allow all her old furniture and bed to be placed in her wing of the house, saying, "I don't care how you arrange the rest where I don't live, but please refrain from putting all your modern furnishings in my part!"
Her mother's muscular structure had also been greatly impaired some ten years earlier and this condition had now left her on the verge of being bedridden. She was an ill woman of sixty years and her many drugs that she daily took had bloated her face; making her look like an old woman in her 70's. She rarely received any visitors since she had moved from the southern counties up north, but occasionally she would get a phone call from her old friend Maria' Callas or 'La Divina' as she used to call her.
Despite her daughter's mobility now being restricted to the confines of a wheelchair, Maxine's mother remained heavily dependent on her only child, and the only time that Maxine was prepared to venture outside the flat was when her mother's part-time nurse was in attendance. Two nurses had applied for the position and Sybil Cheevers had insisted upon interviewing each from her sick bed. One was an experienced British nurse of over thirty years' experience and the other came from Manila and had only graduated a few years earlier. The older, British nurse with the stiff upper lip was the one that Maxine's mother chose. She knew full well that if her hot-blooded husband had still been alive, it would undoubtedly have been the nurse from Manila he would have set on!
Maxine's father had died four years earlier, when two months after Maxine's tragic incident he incurred a massive heart attack. He left Maxine and her mother comfortably off, enough for the couple to move up north with sufficient funds to see them through. London no longer held any attraction for Maxine or her mother since her father's death, along with her own immobility. Her father had always been a man of debonair features who, when his wife first met him, looked the double of the actor Laurence Olivier in his most handsome of years.
Reginald Cheevers Esquire could charm the ladies simply by being himself. Maxine's mother had always considered her husband as being the most perfect of gentlemen who would never do anything to bring shame upon the family name. She had even said to a friend once after she'd become unable to leave the house with her debilitating condition, that even were her husband to start seeking female company on the side, she would never hold it against him and could be sure that there was simply no way that he would bring his troubles back to the family doorstep, as his breeding and character simply wouldn't allow such a thing to happen!
His death was sudden and came as a great shock to Maxine and her mother. There had been no inkling of ill health in him and it was largely assumed thereafter that it had been the worry over his wife and daughter's medical condition that had undoubtedly advanced his own death. For some years now, he had watched his wife's health rapidly decline. Then, with seeing his only child unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, all this stress had suddenly brought on a heart attack he otherwise may not have had.
Reginald Cheevers Esquire could charm the ladies simply by being himself. Maxine's mother had always considered her husband as being the most perfect of gentlemen who would never do anything to bring shame upon the family name. She had even said to a friend once after she'd become unable to leave the house with her debilitating condition, that even were her husband to start seeking female company on the side, she would never hold it against him and could be sure that there was simply no way that he would bring his troubles back to the family doorstep, as his breeding and character simply wouldn't allow such a thing to happen!
His death was sudden and came as a great shock to Maxine and her mother. There had been no inkling of ill health in him and it was largely assumed thereafter that it had been the worry over his wife and daughter's medical condition that had undoubtedly advanced his own death. For some years now, he had watched his wife's health rapidly decline. Then, with seeing his only child unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, all this stress had suddenly brought on a heart attack he otherwise may not have had.
Over the past three years, the muscular dystrophy, which Maxine's mother had experienced in mild form during her marriage had gradually worsened and was now severely affecting her health. This condition was described by Maxine as one involving a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and impairs movement. These muscle cells die off and the sufferer becomes progressively weaker and more helpless to negotiate any form of meaningful life. The condition is a gradual worsening one as the muscle wastes away. The balance is poor and the condition produces drooping eyelids, atrophy, curvature of the spine, frequent falls, waddling gait, calf deformation, respiratory difficulty and constant muscle spasms.
Maxine told Sean that her mother had now reached the bedridden stage and was totally dependent on her and a part-time nurse who attended each morning and evening. The few occasions that her mother would leave her bed would be to sit in a nursing chair or attend the en-suite bathroom and toilet facilities.
Maxine told Sean that her mother had now reached the bedridden stage and was totally dependent on her and a part-time nurse who attended each morning and evening. The few occasions that her mother would leave her bed would be to sit in a nursing chair or attend the en-suite bathroom and toilet facilities.
Often Maxine would attend her mother and find her praying. Over the past two years, her mother had distinctly found her need for religion once more.
Maxine told Sean that her mother had never been known to be 'religious' in any shape or form and would only enter any church building if it held Cathedral status or if it was to attend a function that was being organised by some other aristocratic family or royal connection. It was concluded therefore, that religion is always prevalent at the beginning of one's life and reappears when the prospect of death looms ever larger.
Maxine told Sean that her mother had never been known to be 'religious' in any shape or form and would only enter any church building if it held Cathedral status or if it was to attend a function that was being organised by some other aristocratic family or royal connection. It was concluded therefore, that religion is always prevalent at the beginning of one's life and reappears when the prospect of death looms ever larger.
Sean had met up with Maxine on four occasions before she told him the full details of the tragic circumstances which had led to her loss of mobility. Having heard her story, he felt that it was ironic that they should ever have met at all. He feared that he'd be overcome with shame and would face instant rejection of Maxine's affections if she ever discovered his long-held political views
Maxine had been a victim in that much publicised 'Guildford Bombing' that occurred on the 5th, October, 1974. On the evening in question, The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), detonated two 6-pound gelignite bombs at two pubs in Guildford. The pubs had been targeted because they were popular with British Army personnel stationed at the barracks at Pirbright. Four soldiers and one civilian were killed whilst a further sixty-five were wounded. One half an hour separated the explosion of both bombs. The bombs represented the first attack in a year-long campaign by the IRA on the British mainland.
Maxine had been a victim in that much publicised 'Guildford Bombing' that occurred on the 5th, October, 1974. On the evening in question, The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), detonated two 6-pound gelignite bombs at two pubs in Guildford. The pubs had been targeted because they were popular with British Army personnel stationed at the barracks at Pirbright. Four soldiers and one civilian were killed whilst a further sixty-five were wounded. One half an hour separated the explosion of both bombs. The bombs represented the first attack in a year-long campaign by the IRA on the British mainland.
The pub in which Maxine and her two friends were drinking had the front of the building destroyed along with partial damage to neighbouring shops. Most of the casualties were the result of the initial bomb, which went off without warning. All pubs and two cinemas in the Surrey town were shut down for fear of further attacks and police and bomb squad sealed off the area.
The most seriously injured were transferred to 'St. Luke's Hospital' in Guildford, which received blood plasma from London hospitals to treat the casualties.
Three Belfast men and an English woman were subsequently committed to prison for the offences (Gerry Conlon, Paul Hill, Paddy Armstrong and Carole Richardson). It would be fifteen years before these four convictions would be quashed and the most notorious miscarriage in British legal history came to light in which the police were reported to have prefabricated confessions.
Despite her immobility caused as a result of this bombing, Maxine retained a most positive attitude to life in general and to her capacity to cope in particular. She never complained about her circumstances or was heard to speak badly about the bombing of mainland Britain and the killing of innocent civilians, apart from calling it 'senseless.' Instead, she merely got on with living as independent a life as she could by whatever means had been left available to her. Indeed, the only occasions that Sean saw her obviously worried concerned her mother's ill-health and never her own immobility.
Sean admired Maxine's tenacity more than he could ever say. Never once since he had first met her had he found himself 'feeling sorry' for her. Sean knew that when it came to expressing any remorse for herself, Maxine didn't do 'sorry.' Self-pity was not in her vocabulary of life and she was as alien to the state of depression as the country of Jamaica is to snow-capped mountains and five-toed frogs!
The most seriously injured were transferred to 'St. Luke's Hospital' in Guildford, which received blood plasma from London hospitals to treat the casualties.
Three Belfast men and an English woman were subsequently committed to prison for the offences (Gerry Conlon, Paul Hill, Paddy Armstrong and Carole Richardson). It would be fifteen years before these four convictions would be quashed and the most notorious miscarriage in British legal history came to light in which the police were reported to have prefabricated confessions.
Despite her immobility caused as a result of this bombing, Maxine retained a most positive attitude to life in general and to her capacity to cope in particular. She never complained about her circumstances or was heard to speak badly about the bombing of mainland Britain and the killing of innocent civilians, apart from calling it 'senseless.' Instead, she merely got on with living as independent a life as she could by whatever means had been left available to her. Indeed, the only occasions that Sean saw her obviously worried concerned her mother's ill-health and never her own immobility.
Sean admired Maxine's tenacity more than he could ever say. Never once since he had first met her had he found himself 'feeling sorry' for her. Sean knew that when it came to expressing any remorse for herself, Maxine didn't do 'sorry.' Self-pity was not in her vocabulary of life and she was as alien to the state of depression as the country of Jamaica is to snow-capped mountains and five-toed frogs!
Six weeks passed by before Maxine invited Sean back to her house to meet her mother. Sean had realised that despite the short time he and Maxine had known each other, he was starting to feel love for her. She also sensed the presence of a relationship growing with Sean and even though she viewed this Irish man as being a rough diamond who had fallen her way, she believed him to be a good egg who was sound at the core. She could sense in him a kind of 'faithfulness' that is unusual to find in most healthy young males, but she also sensed the hurt he carried.
Maxine saw her relationship with Sean as having the potential to develop and become the type in which marriage invariably follows. She often dreamed of her wedding day in the future; seeing herself with hair that glittered in the sun as the newly married couple strolled into view of the other marriage guests as they emerged through the garden portico of a rose hedge. Naturally, Maxine would be standing and walking and there would be no wheelchair in sight. Indeed, why should there be? She was no longer a cripple! However, she knew that while all of her lower limbs worked, there was always hope that one day she might walk again. If she was ever to marry, it would only be when she could literally stand on two feet again.
All of these dreams however would be placed 'on hold' whilst she remained responsible for her mother's overall welfare and wellbeing. She would never commit herself to marrying any man while her mother still lived and was in need of her constant presence.
Upon seeing their up-market home, Sean instantly realised that he would never be able to maintain the kind of lifestyle that Maxine had obviously grown accustomed to since her birth. It was so far removed from the one he'd known back in Portlaw.
Maxine saw her relationship with Sean as having the potential to develop and become the type in which marriage invariably follows. She often dreamed of her wedding day in the future; seeing herself with hair that glittered in the sun as the newly married couple strolled into view of the other marriage guests as they emerged through the garden portico of a rose hedge. Naturally, Maxine would be standing and walking and there would be no wheelchair in sight. Indeed, why should there be? She was no longer a cripple! However, she knew that while all of her lower limbs worked, there was always hope that one day she might walk again. If she was ever to marry, it would only be when she could literally stand on two feet again.
All of these dreams however would be placed 'on hold' whilst she remained responsible for her mother's overall welfare and wellbeing. She would never commit herself to marrying any man while her mother still lived and was in need of her constant presence.
Upon seeing their up-market home, Sean instantly realised that he would never be able to maintain the kind of lifestyle that Maxine had obviously grown accustomed to since her birth. It was so far removed from the one he'd known back in Portlaw.
Maxine waited until her mother had prepared herself to formally meet her daughter's man friend she'd brought back for tea before making the brief introductions.
"When you go through that bedroom door, Sean," Maxine warned him, "you might feel like you are entering a time warp and going back to the Victorian age. Upon buying this house, my mother spent almost £200,000 making her bedroom a replica of Princess Victoria's! My mother has always been somewhat old-fashioned in her tastes and ideas and would never dream of reading any book which was written by a man (except Anthony Trollope of course) or indeed, which was written after the period of Jane Austen. Don't concern yourself, Sean, if mother seems somewhat short in the expression of her words. She isn't meaning to be offensive. It's the high level of pain and the tablets that puts her out."
Maxine held Sean's hand as she led him in to meet her mother who was sitting up in bed.
"Hello, Mrs Cheevers," Sean said as he moved to shake hands with Maxine's mother."
Maxine's mother could sense Sean's apparent unease as he gazed around the room where she now laid most days and nights. The grand furnishings and the vast assortment of books on the shelves filled the walls with the literature of a past century. Other ornaments that filled the room could just as easily have come from the Victorian pages of the books, which were housed here.
"Maxine has spoken very highly of you my boy," Maxine's mother said softly. "Please excuse my state of dress, but I rarely rise these days between morning and night. Enjoy your tea, young man. Enjoy your tea."
"I shall, thank you Mrs. Cheevers," Sean replied before Maxine beckoned him and led him from his audience with her mother. She closed the door on their way out and told her mother to pull the chord if she needed anything.
"When you go through that bedroom door, Sean," Maxine warned him, "you might feel like you are entering a time warp and going back to the Victorian age. Upon buying this house, my mother spent almost £200,000 making her bedroom a replica of Princess Victoria's! My mother has always been somewhat old-fashioned in her tastes and ideas and would never dream of reading any book which was written by a man (except Anthony Trollope of course) or indeed, which was written after the period of Jane Austen. Don't concern yourself, Sean, if mother seems somewhat short in the expression of her words. She isn't meaning to be offensive. It's the high level of pain and the tablets that puts her out."
Maxine held Sean's hand as she led him in to meet her mother who was sitting up in bed.
"Hello, Mrs Cheevers," Sean said as he moved to shake hands with Maxine's mother."
Maxine's mother could sense Sean's apparent unease as he gazed around the room where she now laid most days and nights. The grand furnishings and the vast assortment of books on the shelves filled the walls with the literature of a past century. Other ornaments that filled the room could just as easily have come from the Victorian pages of the books, which were housed here.
"Maxine has spoken very highly of you my boy," Maxine's mother said softly. "Please excuse my state of dress, but I rarely rise these days between morning and night. Enjoy your tea, young man. Enjoy your tea."
"I shall, thank you Mrs. Cheevers," Sean replied before Maxine beckoned him and led him from his audience with her mother. She closed the door on their way out and told her mother to pull the chord if she needed anything.
The couple sat down in another room in which the decor was far more appropriate to the time that they lived in. It was as though whilst mother and daughter lived beneath the same roof, they each spent the greater part of their day and night in widely different houses; one light and modern in furnishings with the other, tasteful, but like an old country house.
Sean had not told Maxine anything about the Fanning's Fenian connections or mentioned his father's affair with Sarah's mother, or indeed his own relationship with Sarah and the manner of its abrupt ending. Maxine was later to indicate that she'd been guilty of the sin of omission also.
Half way through their evening together after Maxine's mother had settled down in her bed for the night, Sean said to Maxine, "I think it's time that we had a serious talk, Maxine. There is so much that you don't know about me and mine and too much that has been left unsaid between us."
"Absolutely," Maxine replied. "It looks like it's time for us both to come clean if we intend to carry on seeing each other, which I hope you do. You first!" Maxine said invitingly.
Sean had not told Maxine anything about the Fanning's Fenian connections or mentioned his father's affair with Sarah's mother, or indeed his own relationship with Sarah and the manner of its abrupt ending. Maxine was later to indicate that she'd been guilty of the sin of omission also.
Half way through their evening together after Maxine's mother had settled down in her bed for the night, Sean said to Maxine, "I think it's time that we had a serious talk, Maxine. There is so much that you don't know about me and mine and too much that has been left unsaid between us."
"Absolutely," Maxine replied. "It looks like it's time for us both to come clean if we intend to carry on seeing each other, which I hope you do. You first!" Maxine said invitingly.
Over the next half hour, Sean told Maxine all he had left unsaid previously, including his professed love for Sarah. While it initially stunned Maxine to learn of his stated Fenian rebel views, it was his professed love of Sarah that probably wounded her sensibilities more than any political philosophy Sean might have once held or still did.
And while she had no photograph to go on apart from a brief description that Sean had provided and could not imagine Sarah's face, she could well imagine her standing proud on two beautiful legs tempting him with the curvature and lines of a perfect body that was completely toned and scar free.
And while she had no photograph to go on apart from a brief description that Sean had provided and could not imagine Sarah's face, she could well imagine her standing proud on two beautiful legs tempting him with the curvature and lines of a perfect body that was completely toned and scar free.
Then it was Maxine's turn to 'come clean.' While Sean watched on, Maxine asked him to lift her from her wheelchair and place her on a nearby wide piano stool. Then, she slowly rearranged her clothing and partially undressed. He had never actually considered the full extent of Maxine's physical injuries apart from the fact that she was now wheelchair-bound. Maxine stripped down to her under garments and it was only then that he saw that she was missing a large section of her right leg. Maxine was wearing a prosthesis where her natural leg was once attached. This artificial leg looked so realistic that it was impossible to tell it was false once it was covered in a feminine stocking to match the real leg. As Maxine removed her prosthesis, leaving just the stump of the remaining part leg jutting out, she looked across at Sean for his response.
Part fearing a rejection she said, "Ignore the bandage strapping as the bandages are covered in a grease-like balm to prevent the skin from falling off!"
"I never knew!" Sean remarked. "If you hadn't shown me, I would never have guessed, Maxine. It's so.......so....."
"I know; ugly is the word, Sean," she said.
"No! I.... I didn't mean the stump, I meant the prosthesis. It's so lifelike when it's attached and beneath black stockings, isn't it? You couldn't tell."
"That's because I'm in a wheelchair. Does it matter.......... I mean.....you know, Sean........the missing leg on a woman. Does it matter.........Is it a deal breaker? I know some men are boobs mad and others go for nice legs on a woman," Maxine asked.
"No!" exclaimed Sean, as he moved across and kissed her passionately saying, "I'm more of a face and smile man and you've got that in spades, lass. I love you, Maxine Cheevers. I love you to bits, lass!"
"We'll have a bit more of the love and less of the lass, lad, if you don't mind," she said in a tone of mischief that disguised the obvious relief that Sean's answers had given her. "I love you also, Sean Fanning."
Then Sean gently lifted Maxine down onto the carpet in front of the fire and after sensing that the time was ripe and Maxine was also up for it, the two of them made love. It wasn't the passionate rolling-and-thrashing-about sort of love making that Sean and Sarah had engaged in, but instead a soft, romantic, gentle form of intercourse that contained a proper degree of respect and personal consideration, as well as the natural desire to have and give all. When it was over, Sean got dressed and bade Maxine good night. He returned to his humble digs feeling on top of the world; knowing that he and Maxine were natural loving soul mates who would make each other happy. Maxine, on the other hand retired to her bed that night having made love with the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. For the first time in ages, she was content in the belief that she did have a future after her mother had no further need of her.
Part fearing a rejection she said, "Ignore the bandage strapping as the bandages are covered in a grease-like balm to prevent the skin from falling off!"
"I never knew!" Sean remarked. "If you hadn't shown me, I would never have guessed, Maxine. It's so.......so....."
"I know; ugly is the word, Sean," she said.
"No! I.... I didn't mean the stump, I meant the prosthesis. It's so lifelike when it's attached and beneath black stockings, isn't it? You couldn't tell."
"That's because I'm in a wheelchair. Does it matter.......... I mean.....you know, Sean........the missing leg on a woman. Does it matter.........Is it a deal breaker? I know some men are boobs mad and others go for nice legs on a woman," Maxine asked.
"No!" exclaimed Sean, as he moved across and kissed her passionately saying, "I'm more of a face and smile man and you've got that in spades, lass. I love you, Maxine Cheevers. I love you to bits, lass!"
"We'll have a bit more of the love and less of the lass, lad, if you don't mind," she said in a tone of mischief that disguised the obvious relief that Sean's answers had given her. "I love you also, Sean Fanning."
Then Sean gently lifted Maxine down onto the carpet in front of the fire and after sensing that the time was ripe and Maxine was also up for it, the two of them made love. It wasn't the passionate rolling-and-thrashing-about sort of love making that Sean and Sarah had engaged in, but instead a soft, romantic, gentle form of intercourse that contained a proper degree of respect and personal consideration, as well as the natural desire to have and give all. When it was over, Sean got dressed and bade Maxine good night. He returned to his humble digs feeling on top of the world; knowing that he and Maxine were natural loving soul mates who would make each other happy. Maxine, on the other hand retired to her bed that night having made love with the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. For the first time in ages, she was content in the belief that she did have a future after her mother had no further need of her.
Maxine had told Sean that she hoped that soon she would be able to get some proper help from Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Since the bomb explosion had resulted in the loss of her left leg on her knee joint, leaving the stump in a heap of mangled bits of bones, her future for ever walking again had been stated as possible, but highly doubtful. She had been told that had she lost it below the knee, she would have been able to wear a prosthesis within months of hospital discharge and have been able to anticipate the probability of walking unaided again. When one is wholly immobile and is uncertain about the quality of their future life, so much hangs upon the medical nuances and distinction between 'possible' and 'probable.'
However, given Maxine's precise condition, and if it was possible for the surgeons to perform the procedure; once the surgeons had been able to reconstruct the stump remaining, it might be possible for her to receive a prosthesis that would be functionally more capable of assisting her to withstand her body weight, instead of the cosmetic prosthesis she presently wore. There was also news of pioneering advancements being made in America of marvellous things that could currently be achieved through bionics, and until then, a prosthesis with a perfectly simulated look of body flesh could be purchased from America for an abortive price, which fortunately Maxine could afford. Maxine knew that there was no guarantee that she would one day walk again, but while there was a chance that she might be able to one day wear a prosthesis that would take her full body weight, she'd move heaven and earth to try and achieve it! When one is wholly wheelchair-bound, being able to stand without the capacity to move still represents significant advancement.
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