Charis (11 page)

The invitation went out to all his family. They’d known Charis for
many years, although by the name of Jane. He was somewhat surprised and touched
by their reaction. Without exception they had all loved her as a child and were
eager to meet her again. His mother, father, Jennifer and Amelia were the only
ones who’d seen much of her in recent years, and were now used to calling her
Charis.

That afternoon he was up in the bedroom that had been his for as
long as he could remember, collecting together the remainder of his things he
would need to take back with him to London. He heard her come up the stairs and
knew it was Jennifer. He’d always had a special place in his heart for her, his
baby sister. He’d been almost nine when she’d been born, old enough to
understand a little about his mother's pregnancy. When Amelia was born he was
only six and hadn't noticed much, or cared. He was too busy being a happy and
busy little boy. But when Jennifer arrived he was intrigued with all the
mystery of childbirth, and demanding the answers to all the difficult questions
that went with it. Whether that had influenced him in any way in his choice of career
he didn't know.

When she peeped in the door she knew she would be welcome. He smiled
at her and stopped what he was doing to give her a hug, then returned to
sorting through his medical books.

“You have so many,” she remarked. “Have you read all of them?”

“Most of them,” he answered. “A few are reference books that I
haven't read all the way through. But most of them I’ve read cover to cover,
and some several times.”

“It's a lot of hard work to become a doctor, isn't it?”

“Yes, it certainly is, but worth every minute.”

“You like your work?” she asked.

“I love it,” he smiled. “Especially when the babies are born safe
and sound, strong and healthy. Of course it doesn't always work out like that. Sometimes
babies are born with serious defects and sometimes they die. Then it’s devastating
for the family, especially for the mother who’s carried them for so long.”

“Do the mothers die very often?”

“No, hardly ever in this country these days, but it can happen.”

“Charis' mother and grandmother both died in childbirth.”

“Yes,” replied Ben. “She's told me about it. But it was a long time
ago and medicine has come a long way since then.”

There was a few minutes silence, then she hesitatingly asked, “May I
talk to you about something very personal?”

“Of course you can, Titch.” Titch had been his childhood name for
her. When their mother first came home from the hospital with her as a baby,
Ben had looked at her and said, “She's such a titchy little thing,” and the name
had stuck. Jennifer smiled at the sound of her pet name. He put his books down
and turned to give her his full attention, half leaning, half sitting on the
edge of his desk and said, “Do you have a problem? Something you need help with?
Or advice about?” His expression was serious.

“Good heavens, no!” she responded. “I'm as healthy as a horse!”

“You do know that you can come to me at any time about anything,
don't you, Jen?”

“Yes of course I do, and I will if I ever need help, I promise.” She
paused for a moment and said, “It's about Charis.”

Immediately attentive, he looked at her intently. “Yes?”

“Well, you know we’ve been best friends for many years?”

“Yes, Jen.”

Still she hesitated and still he waited quietly for her to continue.
“Best friends talk about all sorts of things, you know.”

“Yes.”

Again she hesitated and again he waited. Finally she blurted out,
“Charis is afraid of sex.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. She's told me often enough. I think it might have
something to do with her mother and grandmother dying, but she's always been so
shy about her body as well. She would never shower or even undress in front of
any of the girls at school. Some of them even wondered if she was deformed in
some way.”

“Charis is not a child anymore, Jen. Things change when girls grow
up.”

“They don't change in just two weeks you know.”

“Two weeks?” he questioned.

“We were together just two weeks ago. I spent a couple of days at
her house and we were talking about Amelia getting married and she said she
didn't know how any girl could bear the thought of some man doing that to her.”

“Well, Jen, I know you mean well, but I can assure you that Charis
is no longer afraid of sex.”

Jennifer looked at him long and hard and then exclaimed, “You've
already slept with her haven't you?”

Ben was exasperated with her. “Jen that is
not
something you
ever
ask anybody. It is
too
personal and
none
of your business.”

She looked so upset that he relented and said, “I know that you are
only speaking out of concern for your friend. But I love her very much and I
can assure you, she will be fine.”

Jen, looking somewhat chastened, said, “I'm sorry,” and turned to
go.

But Ben couldn't let her leave like that. “No, I'm sorry I snapped
at you. It took a lot of courage for you to come and talk to me about Charis.
But you needn't worry about her.” He paused and then added with a smile, “She
is...she is incredibly beautiful, most definitely not deformed in any way and
she has no blemishes anywhere.”

“Yes, but...” Jennifer stopped.

“What is it?” Ben asked.

“Don't get mad with me,” she pleaded with him.

He smiled to reassure her. “It's okay, Titch. I know you love your
friend and I've as good as told you that we've already slept together.”

After a minute Jennifer asked, “Was she scared?”

“No, I think I can honestly say she wasn't scared,” and as Jennifer
started to look relieved he added, “I think she was terrified. And with good
reason.” 

Jennifer's eyes filled with tears. “Oh, I can hardly bear it for
her.”

“You don't have to Jen. By the end of the night when we finally went
to sleep, everything was fine and she was happy.” He paused for a moment,
smiling at some private memory.

Jennifer threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad,” she said.

“Well, I'm glad that you're glad, but why?” Ben asked.

“Well now she won't spend all her wedding day worrying about the
wedding night!” She had the biggest grin on her face as she left the room.

He hurled the pillow from his bed at her, but she’d already gone.

He chatted with Charis on the phone. She’d visited the markets and
done a bit of shopping but there really wasn't very much for her to do.
Everything for the wedding was organised and she longed to have him there to
talk to, and to make love with. She missed him terribly. He told her what he'd
been doing and how excited his family was with the news and he hoped that at
least his Mum and Dad and Jennifer would be there. It was late in the evening
so Ben told her he'd call again tomorrow when he returned to London. “I love
you, you know that, don't you? Sleep well sweetheart.”

“I love you, too. Say hello to your family for me please. I'm
excited to see them.”

“Next time you see them, they'll be your family too,” he said. And
on that happy note they said goodnight.

*****

Ben was in his room getting ready for bed when there was a knock on
his door. His mother poked her head inside.

“Do you have time?” she asked.

“Of course! For you I always have time,” he answered with a big
smile.

It is well known that mothers don't have favourites among their
children but Emily knew that if she had it would’ve been Ben. He’d been her
reason for going on when her marriage had fallen apart.  Her daughter Elizabeth
was nearly two and a half when Ben was born and needed her mother, too, but she
was a very independent and self-assured child and the unborn baby had given her
even more reason to carry on.

Ben, in his turn, not only loved his mother because she was his
mother, but because he admired her for her courage and for the way she’d been
the force behind the second marriage working so well and becoming such a close
and loving family. There was no difference between the way she treated her own
children or Sir Giles two boys, her stepsons. When he compared this to Charis'
and her mother's experience he realised how lucky they all were to have her. So
he welcomed her with a smile, a kiss and a hug and they sat down to have a
chat.

She wanted to know what he’d been doing while he'd been away; where
he’d been and how he was feeling now he was getting married. She was relieved
that at last he was settling down, and especially with someone they already
knew and loved…almost as part of the family. But also because she wasn't happy
about the lifestyle he’d been living. She was proud of his accomplishments in
his field of medicine and she knew that he’d worked hard and long hours to
achieve them, but she also knew that he'd had many and varied girlfriends over
the years but no one special. She assumed that he’d been sleeping with some, if
not all of them, and she did
not
approve.  She knew that marriage would
be the making of him.

After several minutes had passed, Ben found himself telling his
mother the circumstances surrounding his meeting with Charis again, and how
Henry had offered her for sale and Ravi had actually bought her to use as a
gift of sex for his friends.

She could hardly control her anger. “And what would’ve happened to
her if you hadn’t been the one?” she asked.

“She would’ve killed herself,” he said. “She would have found a
way.”

Ben asked her not to repeat the story to anyone. He knew that Charis
didn't want anyone to know, but he added that if she wanted Giles to know she
could tell him, but please no one else, not even Jennifer. Emily promised.

He got up early next morning and took Rufus, the latest of their
German Shepherds, for a stroll through their garden and down into the woods
where he’d walked with Charis all those years ago, remembering the times she’d
spent with his family when she was a child, and wishing that she was with him
now. When he got back to the house, his mother was waiting for him on the
terrace. He gave her a warm hug.

She came straight to the point. “I was thinking about you all
through the night and I know it’s none of my business really, but I am a little
worried about you and Charis.”

“There’s no need,” he answered her.

She smiled. “Well, I know you are all grown up now and I want you to
know that I love Charis and have done for a long time, but I hope and pray that
you aren’t marrying her out of any sense of guilt or pity. That would only lead
to unhappiness for you both and I couldn't bear that.”

“There’s no need,” he repeated. “I adore Charis and simply can't
imagine my life without her.  She’s always been special…I just didn't realise
how special until now. So you can be content. I promise you that I will love
her forever and she loves me, too. She’s much smarter than I am,” he smiled.
“She’s known we belong together for a long time.”

Emily looked at him intently for a few minutes, then smiled and
said, “Very well, I am content.” She kissed him and added, “Your father told me
last night that I was worrying about nothing.”

“Dad is a very wise man.”

Emily laughed. “Yes,” she said. “I know. I should listen to him more
often.”

With arms around each other, they walked back into the house.

*****

Ben returned to London in the late morning, retracing his route of
the previous day. He backed the car into the garage at the Chelsea house, unloaded
his possessions, emptying the boot. He hung his clothes in the wardrobe and
stacked his boxes of books in the corner of his room.
I'll get a desk and
bookshelf later
, he thought to himself.

He drove to his tailor, picked up his wedding attire and dropped it
off at his new home before returning the car to the hire firm.

He phoned Charis. “Not long to wait now, my love,” he told her.

“It has been the longest week of my life,” came Charis' response.

“Only twenty-four hours and I'll be back with you.”

“I can hardly wait.”

They talked softly and intimately for a few minutes before Ben said,
“Next time we talk, I'll be with you in Cairo,” and then said goodbye.

He hadn't told Charis that she would have wedding guests. He'd had a
message from James to say that he and Helen would be definitely be at the
wedding. Helen's mother had insisted that she and the au pair would be able to
manage the babies and they were to go and have good time, so they'd see him in
Cairo. Ben still didn't know if the Ridley's would make it, but he was pleased
she’d have some guests of her own at their wedding.

After the phone call ended Ben decided that he needed to work on the
wedding vows he would make. They’d decided to write their own and he knew what
he wanted to say but not how to put it into words.