Melinda and Frankie

“Good evening, dear,” Frankie Knowles closed the door behind him as he returned from work. His wife was nowhere in sight, so he just shrugged, placed his coat on the hook and fell down onto the couch with a prolonged sigh.

  Frankie worked as a used car salesman in the outskirts of London, shamelessly selling bad cars to the ignorant, and his wife Melinda spent most of the money that he made on shoes and other such things. Having grown up the spoilt daughter of a rich banker, the combination of habit and greed had turned her into a tireless shopper, and her husband tried fruitlessly to stop her senseless spending as they were falling deeper into what the working class fear the most: debt. But Melinda being what she was, since that was how she had been nurtured, did not stop spending, and Frankie, being what he was, failed to prevent her from her one daily occupation.

  Frankie had not always been so helpless, but Melinda had exerted dominance on him from the very first. And Frankie’s natural disposition, which had been lurking beneath what little courage he had, took control, meaning that Frankie lost all control that he had over his wife and over almost every aspect of his life. This dominance of Melinda’s was evident to all who knew the couple, and even to those who observed them from a distance. You didn’t have to be an intimate friend of theirs to know that Melinda had developed a flair for the dramatic, perhaps a result of the lacklustre parenting done by her parents, and what is commonly deemed the “Youngest Child Syndrome”.

  “Oh Frankie! When did you get here?” Melinda Knowles entered, she was
clutching a box of tissues in one hand and a telephone in the other. “I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”

  “Oh, Melinda, honey, how was your day?” Frankie looked up and jumped when he saw her standing above him.

  “I’ve been sitting around all day, as you can see I’ve been crying,” Melinda announced dramatically, waving the box of tissues in front of her husband’s face.

  “Oh, thank-you, honey, I’ve been sniffling all day. I think I’ve caught that cold that’s been going ‘round,” Frankie plucked one of the tissues from the box and blew his nose in his usual quiet, unassuming manner.

  “I don’t suppose you know why I’ve been sobbing all day?” Melinda collapsed on a chair in her usual melodramatic, theatrical way.

  “The tube was packed and there were horrible delays. Did you see anything about it on the BBC?” Frankie asked his wife as he took off his shoes and socks and placed them neatly on the floor by the couch.

  “I saw you Frankie, this morning, with that other woman,” Melinda uttered, her voice lowering to a whisper. “And I know why you were late coming home today.”

  “I was stuck at Waterloo for nearly half an hour.”

  “I’ve been wondering what you’ve been doing for some time now, coming home late, leaving early for ‘work’…”

  “I’ve been working so hard the past few days, but we got in a few great cars. Not bad mileage. Which is good news, since money has been a little tight these past few months. I’m sorry if I’ve been rather absent lately, but this is really important for my career, and for us. You know, if I get that promotion…”

  “I think it’s important that you know…”

  At that moment, someone knocked on the door and Melinda got up, sent her husband a glare and told him that “this wasn’t over”,  before opening the door.

  “I’m sorry to be calling so late, but I have to talk to you about our brother, it’s really important,” Catherine, Melinda’s sister, gave her sister a quick hug before stepping past her and into the apartment. “Good evening, Frankie.”

  “…then I’ll have a better salary and we can afford too…oh, Catherine, when did you get here?” Frankie paused mid-sentence and gazed at his sister-in-law behind his square glasses.

  “Well, Melinda, I don’t know if you’ve heard but our brother is in jail,” Catherine sat down in a chair beside her sister, her hands were shaking as she spoke. “Apparently, he was caught with some sort of drug, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, aspirin, I don’t know, but he is very deep trouble.”

  “I’m so glad that you are here, Catherine, I have to talk to you about Frankie,” more tears slipped down Melinda’s cheeks.

  “It’s been a long time since you’ve been ’round Catherine, have you seen your brother, Thomas, lately? How is he doing?”

  “Look at this tabletop!” Catherine lost track of what she had been saying and instead focussed her attention on the furniture, which hadn’t been cleaned in several weeks. She swept her finger across the kitchen table and glared accusingly at whatever she had collected. “How can you live in such squalor? You’re lucky you have me around to look after you!” she stood up and pulled a cloth out from a drawer and began to vigorously clean the kitchen table. Catherine had always taken the role of care-taker, since her mother had been incapable of caring for a fish, let alone three children.

  “You see, things haven’t been too great between Frankie and I for the longest time, and I was getting suspicious that something might be going on. He’s been rather cold towards me lately, and I just knew there had to be some reason.”

  “Thomas was always such a nice guy, always liked him a lot, from the moment I met him. Kind of guy that would never do anything wrong,” Frankie said absentmindedly.

  “This is just disgusting, Melinda! Have you ever considered hiring a maid?” Catherine shook her head in revulsion. Catherine was under the impression that her sister and her husband were as well-off as Melinda made it seem.

  “You really do have such a lovely family Melinda, everyone is just so polite. Just basically good people” Frankie continued.

  “Oh Catherine! I just know my husband is cheating on me!” Melinda wailed.

  Catherine halted mid-sweep, and gawked at her sister. “Frankie?”

  “Of course I’m talking about Frankie!” Melinda ripped another tissue from the box and wiped her glassy eyes.

  “So what are we having for dinner tonight, honey?”

  “How do you know?” Catherine moved towards her sister, the cloth hanging limply in her hand.

  “Well I’ve suspected it for sometime, so I followed Frankie this morning after he left, and he didn’t go to work! He stopped somewhere first!”

  “Where?”

  “I’m partial to ham and green beans, myself, but it’s really up to you.”

  “He stopped…” Melinda clutched the box of tissues tighter in her hands, “…at a pharmacy!”

  “Melinda…” Catherine’s face fell and she went back to wiping the tabletop.

  “Don’t walk away from me, Catherine, this is important!” Melinda cried hysterically. “I really need support right now.”

  “Of course, dear,” Catherine said dully, scrubbing so hard that the polished veneer of the table top was beginning to chip.

  “You see, he started speaking to this woman behind the counter and then he handed her something, I’m not sure, but I think it was a love letter and then I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I left.”

  “But, I guess if we just ordered in some food, that would be all right too. I don’t really mind,” Frankie muttered, flicking on the television.

  “You don’t think I’m over-reacting do you, Catherine?” Melinda asked her sister.

  “No, I don’t think you look fat, sweetie,” Catherine replied.

  “I’m glad you’re on my side,” Melinda muttered, ripping up a tissue in her lap. “Because I’m just lost here, I don’t know what to do.”

  There was another knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” Catherine called and bustled over to the door. She opened it to find her brother, Thomas, standing there, glancing up and down the hallway suspiciously.

  “Thomas!”

  “Thomas?”

  “Japanese might be nice, I’m in the mood for yaki udon.”

  “Catherine! Melinda! Can I come in?” Thomas said frantically, and without waiting for an answer, he hurried past Catherine and began to look out all the windows as if making sure he wasn’t being followed. “Oh, hello Frankie.”

  “Hello Thomas.”

  “Thomas, you’re supposed to be in jail!” Catherine exclaimed.

  “What?” Melinda cried, jumping to her feet

  “Thomas, if we ordered some Japanese food, would you like something?” Frankie
asked his brother-in-law pleasantly.

  “Some gyoza would be nice,” Thomas replied before turning his attention back to his sisters.

  “That does sound nice,” Frankie agreed.

  “Just let me explain,” Thomas approached his sisters wearily. “The police must have told you that they caught me with some…illegal substances…but it’s just not true! Well…I guess it is true, but I was framed. It’s my friend, Ed, well, he was my friend…”

  “Actually, on second thought, I’m feeling kind of ill, must be this cold,” Frankie stood up and took another tissue from Melinda’s box and blew his nose. He glanced momentarily at the kitchen table, noticing its poor state for the first time and then fell back down onto the couch, unconsciously recognising that anything he might do to salvage the situation would be criticised by his wife and her siblings.

  “I met him a few months ago, and after a while, he started asking me if I was trustworthy. I said yes, and he said he had a job for me, and that he would pay me really well if I would lend him a hand. I didn’t think that he could be up to anything too sinister so I agreed and he started asking me to deliver things for him. Packages, things like that, and the people I delivered them too always handed me an envelope which I took back to Ed. Then he would pay me fairly well. I’ve been in a bit of a tight spot lately, so I really needed the extra cash,” Thomas explained slowly, pacing up and down the apartment.

  Neither of his sisters asked why he felt he needed the money. Catherine said nothing, because she knew that Thomas was in a state of financial bedlam and was too proud to ask their father for money. Melinda remained silent because she honestly found it difficult to consider anyone else’s situation if it did not directly effect her own.

  “Melinda, do you know where the aspirin is?” Frankie asked his wife as he was rummaging around in one of the kitchen cabinets.

  “In the cabinet above the sink,” Melinda said distractedly.

  “So, one day, he had a really important order that needed to be delivered right away. He warned me to be careful and not to come back to his apartment but to meet him at a pub on the south side of the river later that night. But, right when I arrived, all these policemen came out of nowhere and arrested me. They opened up the package and then they got all angry and…well…next thing I knew I was sitting in jail next to a man named Fred who asked what I’d give him in exchange for a packet of cigarettes,” Thomas finished his story and waited for a response form his sisters.

  “Thomas…” Catherine began.

  “My husband is cheating on me!” Melinda exclaimed.

  “What?” Thomas yelled, his face turning bright red with rage.

  “Found it!” Frankie came out of the bathroom with a bottle of aspirin. He held it up proudly and grinned at everyone.

  Thomas turned to Frankie and in one swift moment, his fist collided with Frankie’s nose and then Frankie was on the floor with blood streaming out of his nostrils. Melinda and Catherine each cried out before rushing over to help. Catherine used the cloth she was holding to try and stop the blood pouring out of Frankie’s nose, and Melinda helped him to sit up. Thomas stood in surprise, not quite sure what he had done.

  “I just wanted some aspirin,” Frankie muttered.

  “His nose might be broken! Call an ambulance, Melinda!” Catherine held Frankie’s back and was pinching his nose together with the cloth.

  “I’m going to call the ambulance, I think his nose might be broken!” Melinda jumped up and headed over to the phone, Frankie fell backwards once he lost her support. He banged his head loudly on the hardwood floor and cried out in pain. Melinda didn’t notice, instead she punched the numbers into the phone and waited for someone to pick up.

  “Why did you do that, Thomas?” Catherine asked her brother reproachfully.

  “I don’t know, I was just really angry,” Thomas muttered bashfully.

  “We need an ambulance now, my husband might be dying!” Melinda yelled into the receiver. “54 James Street flat 1C.”

  The door slammed open and everyone glanced up to see the figure of a man standing in the frame, staring at the scene in front of him.

  “Hurry up.” Melinda put down the receiver and gazed worriedly at the strange man.

  “Thomas here?” grunted the man.

  “Ed?” Thomas turned around and stared at the man with wide eyes.

  “I heard you got out of jail, heard you blabbed about my little…operation…to the police,” Ed didn’t even bother to close the door behind him. “They raided my apartment, luckily I wasn’t there. I was out looking for you.”

  “How did you find me?” Thomas asked.

  “Your friend, Marcus, told me that  your sister lived here, I figured that this was where you might go,” Ed answered, glancing briefly at Melinda.

  “I’m sorry Ed, but I had to tell them,” Thomas shrugged, taking a step back.

  “I thought I could trust you,” Ed tilted his head and moved further into the apartment, like a predator about to pounce.

  “I’m sorry, who are you?” Melinda said with a sheepish smile on her face.

  Just then they heard sirens, both Thomas and Ed jumped and hurried over to the window.

  “The police!”

  “The police!”

  “The ambulance!” Catherine sighed with relief and helped Frankie sit up, still pinching his nose with the cloth. “Thank God.”

  “It’s only an ambulance,” Thomas let out a sustained breath and sank onto the couch.

  Ed stood at the window, inspecting them all. “Why is there an ambulance parked outside?”

  “Because my husband is dying!” Melinda moaned, kneeling beside Frankie and crying once more.

  “That’s too bad,” Ed shook his head sadly.

  The paramedics burst through the open door, took one look at Frankie and raised their brows. “What exactly is wrong?”

  “We think he broke his nose,” Catherine said, relieved that they were here.

  “My husband is dying!”

  “Melinda, hush, these people know what they’re doing,” Catherine chided her sister, before helping the slightly irritated paramedics get Frankie onto a stretcher. 

  “Good thing, we’re on the ground floor,” Frankie said, his voice muffled by the cloth.

  “You’ve always been able to look on the bright side of things, dear!” Melinda rushed after Catherine and the paramedics. “Thomas, you and your friend can stay here as long as you want, just don’t get into any trouble,” Melinda called over her shoulder as the whole group hurried down the hall.

  Thomas got up and shut the door. The apartment was deathly silent for a moment as the pair listened to the sirens of the ambulance fade away.

  “Where were we?” Ed asked.