The Red Dress chapter nineteen

 At half past ten Alan's mobile rang, just as Lisa walked back  into the bedroom from her shower. He looked at her and mouthed the name Eve Brookes, before handing her the phone. She felt her heart pounding, remembering the last time she'd been contacted by the kind policewoman, and she reluctantly said hello. She recognised the soft lilt of Eve's voice immediately.
 
     “Hi, Lisa, how are you doing?” she asked.
 
Lisa could feel her heart hammering inside her chest.
 
    “Fine - My mother hasn't turned up again has she?”
 
     “No Lisa, she hasn't...”
 
Lisa let out a sigh of relief.
 
     “But your brother has.”
 
Lisa wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. She loved her brother, but she couldn't forget the last time she'd turned to him, and the subsequent consequences. She'd never really trusted him in the same way since.  

     “Where is he?” she asked, wondering if she had to go back to the station again. Lisa could hear paper being shuffled in the background before Eve eventually answered. 
         
     “He came in an hour ago, and he's left his mobile number for you to contact him.”
 
      Lisa was relieved. She had racked her brains trying to remember Scott's mobile number since she'd arrived in Chelmsford. Eve read out the number, and asked Lisa if she was all right with the idea of seeing him. She was, albeit with reservations.
 
     “You haven't given him my address have you?” Lisa asked, still uncertain of Scott's loyalty.
 
     “No, Lisa, we wouldn't do that, but I tell you what, I'd have given him mine, if he'd asked.”
 
Lisa laughed. Scott had obviously been using his charm again.
 
     When she got used to the idea, Lisa really wanted to see her brother, and she rang the number Eve had given her on Alan’s mobile. She was nervously delighted when she heard his voice.
 
     “Hi, Scott, it's Lisa - where are you?" she immediately asked.
 
 
He told her that he was in the centre of Chelmsford, and asked her if she fancied meeting him for lunch. Lisa was relieved that he didn't want to come to the flat, just in case he was tempted to divulge her whereabouts to her mother.
 
     “Is it all right if Alan comes along too,” she asked.
 
Lisa knew that her brother might talk her into something if she was on her own. There was silence for a couple of seconds before Scott answered. He obviously didn’t like the idea.
 
     “I was hoping it would just be the two of us,” he answered tersely.
 
Lisa shut her eyes for a moment and summoned up all her courage. Being Scott’s little sister for seventeen years had made her capitulate too easily in the past.
 
     “I’m sorry, Scott, but I’d like Alan to come along. He’ll be driving me into town anyway, so he might as well...” she added.
 
Lisa couldn’t believe it when he begrudgingly agreed, and they arranged to meet at a restaurant Alan suggested in town at one o’clock.
 
     Alan wasn't sure how he felt about the meeting. Lisa had told him about the incident with the police the year before, but she'd convinced him that what Scott had, or hadn't done, had been done with the best intentions. He still felt wary of Scott though, in case he found a way of talking Lisa into going back to Scotland with him. She had told Alan that he could be very persuasive and, more importantly, how close Scott was to their mother. Alan was glad, albeit apprehensive, that he was going to be with her.
 
 
 
 
 
     When Scott arrived at the restaurant a few minutes after them, he came straight over and hugged her. When they separated, he held her at arm's length to look her over.
 
     “Looking good, Sis,” he said, when he noticed that she'd lost weight. Slim was the only way a woman should be in his eyes.
 
Lisa introduced him to Alan, who shook his hand and thought how alike Lisa and Scott were.
 
     The waitress arrived, and after they ordered, Scott chatted with Lisa as though nothing had happened. But after a few minutes of pleasantries, he turned to Lisa and looked serious.
 
     “Mum and Dad asked me to come down here and discuss an idea with you, Lisa,” he said solemnly.
 
Lisa thought it was too good to be true. She should have guessed her mother was behind his visit. She immediately went on the defensive.
 
     “I'm not interested, Scott. I'm only here because I wanted to see you.”
 
Alan began to feel nervous. It was obvious Scott was not there on his own account, and he just hoped that Lisa wasn't going to be conned into anything. Seeing the expression on both their faces, Scott put his hands up in the air.
 
     "Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I'm only passing on the information -  give me a break!”
 
Lisa realised she was jumping to conclusions, but she still felt defensive.
 
    “I can't think of anything you can possibly suggest that’s going to make me leave here, Scott, I'm happier now than I've ever been.”
 
Scott wasn't giving up that easily. He had come a long way to talk to her.
 
     “You might be happy, Lisa, but what are you living on?” he asked.
.
Lisa looked defiant. Scott always managed to make her feel stupid and immature.
 
     “I'm getting a job.” she replied, hoping he wouldn't want any details.
 
Unfortunately he did.
 
     “Doing what?” asked Scott. He knew how naive his sister could be.
 
     “Modelling.”
 
Scott shook his head and laughed sarcastically. There was one born every minute, and his sister was one of them - as far as he was concerned.
 
     “Modelling? Do us a favour! There's only one type of modelling a girl your age, and with your kind of figure gets. I've seen it all before at University. That particular industry is notorious for corrupting girls who need some extra cash.”
 
Lisa started to panic. She had wanted to impress him so much.
 
     “This isn't anything like that. It's a reputable modelling agency that’s offered me fashion shoots - it's all above board.” she lied. Anything had to be better than her brother managing to make her feel small.
 
Scott ignored her, took a sip of water, and turned to Alan.
 
     “And what do you think of this idea, Alan?” he asked condescendingly.
.
Alan tried to sound cool when he realised the question was not as simple as it sounded.
 
     “It was my suggestion actually,” he answered, and immediately regretted it when he saw the expression on Scott's face.
 
Lisa's brother pursed his lips and stared back at him.
 
     “I see -  so you think it's a good idea for my seventeen year old sister to leave her family, not think of going to university, which she's perfectly capable of doing, and cheapen herself by working for a shady modelling agency?”
 
Alan felt cornered, and looked down at his hands. Fortunately the food arrived, so he had a chance to try and think of an answer that would hopefully wipe the supercilious look off Scott's face.
 
     “It's my understanding that your parents thought it was okay for Lisa to forget about going to university when she was going to go over to the Isle of Man and marry some bloke she hardly knew,” Alan retorted more loudly than he meant to.
 
 Several people turned and looked at them when they heard Alan’s raised voice.
 
     “That’s correct,” Scott replied. “But she was getting married to someone who could afford to keep her at the time, as I remember,” he added sarcastically.
 
Alan shook his head and tried to ignore the 'afford to keep her' comment. He understood the underlying reference to his inability to do the same.   
 
     “Well, what's this crap about her going to university now then?”
 
Scott started to eat his food as though he either hadn't heard, or wasn't interested in Alan's question. At last, having swallowed a mouthful, he answered him.
 
     “That was before her results came in. She got three A's and one B. If she's not getting married to Nick, she's perfectly capable of going to university if she wants to.”
 
The fact that Lisa had just found out her exam results under such ridiculous circumstances, didn’t seem to occur to Scott.
 
     “What if she doesn't want to go to university and would rather stay here?” Alan asked, forgetting Lisa’s brother didn't know about their relationship.
 
Scott looked irritated at the suggestion Alan knew what his sister wanted more than he did.
 
     “Whether Lisa wanted to go to university, or college for that matter, she can't. She's missed the boat, so to speak. It's too late for her to apply.”
 
He was telling them something Lisa already knew, and she was fed up with Scott and Alan talking about her as though she wasn't there. The whole conversation was going nowhere.
 
     “Do I not have any say here, Scott? Stop playing games and tell us what you're trying to say. You're going round in circles, and it's really irritating!” She added.
 
Scott was the only one who seemed to be eating anything, and they had to wait for him to finish yet another mouthful.
 
     “What I'm trying to say, Sis,' he replied, as he spiked another forkful of food. “Is that you're not qualified to do anything, you're living hundreds of miles away from your family - God knows who with, and where, and you have no way of supporting yourself. You don't have a clue how to survive on your own because you’ve been far too protected all your life.”
 
Alan immediately remembered the vision of Lisa's mother attacking her with the scissors, and burst out laughing.
 
     “If that’s protected, I hate to think what unprotected is!” Alan muttered loudly, glad that at last Scott had said something he could throw back in his face.
.
     The look that passed between them made Lisa feel nervous. She had really wanted them to get on. Unfazed by Alan's comment, Scott turned back to her, genuine concern on his face.
 
     “I'm sorry, Lisa but you're going to have to face reality and accept some help.”
 
 Lisa was beginning to feel like a twelve-year old, and she didn’t like it at all. Alan just wished he could think of something to get Scott off their backs, as did she. But neither of them could think of something to say that would stop Scott from stating the obvious. Eventually she turned to her brother and tried to sound calm.
 
     “Okay, if you're so smart, Scott---what do you suggest I do?”
 
Scott looked at Lisa as though he had just been waiting for her to ask.
 
     “That's what I've driven three hundred miles to talk to you about.”
 
Lisa suddenly felt guilty. She had been so busy defending herself, she'd forgotten the huge effort he’d made coming down to see her. She tried to be more understanding.
 
     “I'm sorry, Scott, it's just that with everything that's happened with Mum, I don't know whether I'm coming or going. I just can't bear the idea of going back to Scotland.”
 
Scott smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder.
 
     “I know, Dad told me, but it was a one off, Lisa. You can't let it ruin your whole life.”
 
Lisa didn't want to point out that 'it' certainly wasn't a one off. He had no idea how she had suffered for nearly two years at the hands of her mother with her drunken abuse.
 
     “But you don't understand, Scott. I can't live with her anymore...”
 
Scott surprised her by nodding in agreement.
 
     “I know that too, Lisa. That's why I wouldn't suggest it.”  
 
Both Lisa and Alan looked at each other, totally baffled.
 
 Alan spoke first. 
 
     “So what are you suggesting?”
 
Scott reached into his briefcase and pulled out a large brown envelope.
 
     “Have a look at that, and tell me what you think. It's a very upmarket boarding school in Surrey, run by an order of nuns. They've said that they'll take you, based on your exam results. It costs fifteen thousand pounds a year for upper sixth, and you can take ‘A' Levels there. Mum and Dad have agreed that you don't have to come home in the holidays, and you can spend them wherever you like. You don't have to have any contact with Mum, with the exception of meeting her in London to sort out your uniform etc. It's ideal Lisa. You get a chance to choose what you want to do next year, you won't want for anything in the meantime, and you still have the freedom to see whoever you want. From a personal point of view, I get my life back because, believe me, since you left - it hasn't been worth living.”
 
     Scott's little speech rendered them both speechless. Lisa could imagine what Scott had probably had to go through since she'd left, but she wasn't going to let that change her mind. She pushed the brown envelope back across the table.
 
     “I'm sorry, Scott, I'm not interested.”
 
He looked back at her, the disappointment showing clearly on his face. He had to get through to her one way or the other that she didn't really have a choice. He tried again.
 
     “Look, Lisa, don't burn your bridges. We all love you, and Mum knows she was wrong. Give her another chance.”
 
Lisa pushed the envelope closer to him, determined not to give in. Alan wasn't sure what he thought of the idea, and turned to face her.
 
     “Perhaps you should look at it Lisa, it could solve some of our problems…” he suggested.
 
Although Alan was just trying to think rationally about their situation, Lisa looked at him as though he was a traitor. She pointed to her mouth.
 
     “Read my lips, both of you--- I'M NOT INTERESTED!”
 
She was beginning to feel very annoyed. Not wanting to give up, Scott tried one more time, hoping to change her mind and make her see sense. He knew she felt pressured.
 
     “Just take it away and read it, Lisa. We don’t have to let them know for a few days. You’ve got time to think about it.”
 
This time Lisa lost her temper, and giving them both a filthy look, she stood up to leave the table.
 
     “I'm going to the ladies room, and when I get back, I don't want to hear one more word about boarding schools, or so help me, I'll walk right out of here and leave you both to it!”
 
With that, she stomped off, leaving her brother and Alan alone.
 
     At first they sat in silence playing with their food, until Scott spoke.
 
     “You're in love with her, aren’t you Alan?”
 
Alan didn't like his tone. It was as though Scott was accusing him of a crime.
 
     “What if I am?”
 
Scott gave out a low laugh. This guy had fallen for her too, just like Nick. He had to give Lisa credit - she had them queuing up.
 
     “Then I feel really sorry for you. I was speaking to a guy in the Isle of Man yesterday who thought Lisa loved him so much she was going to marry him. What chance have you got?” he asked.
 
Alan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lisa hardly knew Nick - but he knew he couldn't use that as an argument, because she hardly knew him either. They had only been together for just over a week.
 
     “This is different. Lisa loves me, as much as I love her.”
 
Scott stared into his eyes and took on the tone of a long time friend trying to give him good advice.
 
     “I'm sorry to have to tell you this, mate, but you haven't got a hope in hell. Lisa hasn't a clue what she wants - she's made that quite obvious. Anyway, if you did love her, you wouldn't be ruining her life by keeping her here.”
 
Alan was ready to punch him.
 
     “I'm not keeping her here, she wants to stay,” he hissed.
 
Scott looked at him long and hard, making Alan's confidence crumble.
 
     “Yeah, now maybe, but how's she going to feel in a couple of weeks when the novelty has worn off and she's got no money, no family, and no home of her own. How is she going to feel about you then?”
 
 Alan was on the verge of losing it. He wished Scott hadn't started the conversation.
 
     “She's not like that, she loves me!”
 
Scott looked him straight in the eye.
 
     “You must be blind then,” he said. "You’ve seen the kind of lifestyle she's used to - can you give her that?”
 
     “No, but one day I can, after I've qualified next year.”
 
Scott signalled the waitress to bring the bill, and Alan thought he was ignoring what he'd just said. He wasn't.
 
     “Do yourself a favour, Alan, make her go to the school. You know that it's the best thing for her. If she really loves you, and you really love her - then ten months shouldn't make any difference, should it?” He suggested, before tossing two twenty pound notes into the tray with the bill.
 
Lisa was coming towards them, so they both smiled as though they had been having a nice chat. Scott stood up when she got to the table.
 
     “I've got to run, Sis. I've got to get back to Glasgow tonight, and it's a long way to go.”
 
Lisa was disappointed. He'd been there barely an hour, and all they had done was argue.
 
     “I thought you might be staying for a day or so," she said, feeling that she was driving him away by being so stubborn.
 
 Scott smiled sadly and shook his head.
 
     “Sorry, Lisa. No can do.”
 
He gave her a hug and started searching in his pocket.
 
     “Sorry, I nearly forgot- Dad asked me to give you this.”
 
Scott handed her a white envelope with ‘Lisa’ written on the front in her father's handwriting.
 
     “What is it?” she asked.
 
Scott shrugged his shoulders.
 
     “I don't know. I keep telling you, I'm just the messenger.”
 
She looked back at the table and saw the brown envelope still sitting there, so she picked it up and handed it to him. She didn't want him to give her parents the impression that she was remotely interested.
 
     “Here Scott, you forgot something - I won't be needing it.”
 
Looking disappointed, he reluctantly took the envelope, put it back in his briefcase, then kissed her on both cheeks. He had failed to convince her, so he might as well go.
 
     “Now don't forget -  if you change your mind, you can phone me on my mobile any time. Do you still have the number?” he asked.
 
Lisa nodded.
 
     “And if I don't change my mind?” she asked hesitantly.
 
 He gave her another hug, then stood back and gave her a sad smile
 
     “Then ring me anyway and tell me how you're getting on.”
 
Scott picked up his briefcase before offering his hand to Alan to shake.  
 
     “Nice meeting you Alan,” he said with a nod of his head, “Bye Sis - be good...”
 
 After giving her one more meaningful look, he made for the door.
  
      As they watched him go, Alan sighed with relief. He was just glad the meeting was over. Lisa felt totally confused. What her brother had offered her was a perfect solution, if she hadn’t been in love with Alan. She hated the way Scott always made her feel as though she was being unreasonable if she didn’t agree with him. The look on his face before he left had said it all. He obviously thought she was being stubborn, just for the sake of it.
 
     Alan tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away. She was still cross with him for asking her to look in the envelope. At first she wasn't sure why, but she knew now. Lisa knew that if she had opened it, she would have seen pictures of the world she was familiar with, and she might have been tempted. At first she was annoyed with Alan for even making the suggestion, but then she realised she was being unfair. He was only trying to help.
 
He tried to take her hand again, and this time she left it in his.
 
     “Do you want me to go, Alan?” she asked, dreading his answer.
 
He shook his head.
 
     “Of course I don't, Lisa - but at the end of the day, it's got to be your decision.”
 
      In an effort to get off the subject Lisa opened the envelope Scott had given her from her father.
 
     It contained £250, and a short note telling her how much they all loved and missed her. Lisa started crying when she read it, and she handed it to Alan. When he finished reading it, he looked serious and took her hand again.
 
     “I love you too, Lisa but I don't know what to say. I don't want you to go, but your brother's right. It's a great opportunity -  you should consider it.”
 
She wiped her tears away with her napkin, before returning his gaze with pleading eyes.
 
     “If I went, I might lose you...”
 
Alan thought for a minute and remembered her brother's words.
 
     “But it would only be for ten months, Lisa, and we could still see each other at weekends. Surrey is only a couple of hours drive away from here.”
 
Lisa gave him a sad smile.
 
.     “Only ten months?” she repeated quietly.
 
Alan nodded, wondering if she had changed her mind.
 
     “Look what happened to you and Carla in less than six...”
 
She was right. Her brother's suggestion was not an option they could possibly consider…