Over The Edge

“You dropped him home?”

“Yes.”

“Good! He’s a trouble causer. Pete is just a trouble causer.”

“He was just drunk. That’s all.”

“Aggressive. I think he started the fight. I can’t believe he hit his wife.”

“Well, how do you except he’d react – when he sees Eliza flouncing in to Carrie’s wedding reception, hanging on to the arm of some other bloke?”

“I think they’re headed for Splits-Ville.”

“Fat chance. He owns part of her estate. If they decide to break up, they’ll have to split that property, and neither wants to give the other even an inch of it.”

“What a mess. Mike, who invited either of them to the wedding? Carrie hates Pete. She can’t have invited him or Eliza.”

“No clue. This is the second time you’ve stood on my foot, my love.”

“A lot of damage my dainty feet would have done. Mike, what’s the deal between Carrie and Pete?”

“What deal?”

“Why does she avoid Pete like the plague?”

“Does she?”

“She does Mike. You know that too.”

“I do?”

“Yes, you do. Come on tell me Mike.”

“Can we just dance?”

“We are dancing. We can also talk while we dance, can’t we?”

“Well…”

“Well, come on.”

“It’s a story that’s better untold, honey.”

“He got her pregnant and then ditched her?”

“Who?”

“Pete…Carrie.”

“Well...not Carrie. Someone else. Donna that’s an old ghost story.”

“Okay, okay, okay. So, he did get someone pregnant and then ditched that someone.”

“Yes.”

“Who? If not Carrie, then her mum?”

“Donna!”

“Okay. That was stupid. Who is she Mike?”

“It’s an old ghost story.”

“I know, you’ve said that already. I like ghost stories, especially when I am dancing with you. And you’re my husband. You can’t keep secrets from me.”

“You don’t wanna know this one darling.”

“Okay Mike, would you tell me when it happened?”

“What?”

“The girl getting pregnant. That’s what.”

“Back then when I was going around with Eliza?”

“Then! That’s years ago!”

“So that’s why, let’s not talk about it honey.”

“Does Alan know?”

“Yes.”

“Betty?”

“No.”

“Diana?”

“No.”

“So, Betty and Diana were not the ones who got pregnant either.”

“My God! Are you a secret cop or something?”

“Obvious isn’t it? If either of your sisters was pregnant, your answer would have been yes.”

“If either of them had been pregnant, do you think I would be here dancing with you at Carrie’s noisy wedding?”

“What do you mean?”

“There would have given me life or hanged me for Pete’s murder.”

“So only Alan, Carrie and you know.”

“I reckon, apart from Pete’s parents.”

“Where’s the girl now?”

“Don’t wanna talk about it.”

“She died at childbirth?”

“This is a great song Donna. C’mon honey, shake it up!”

“No. This has got me thinking Mike. Carrie hates the sight of Pete because he got someone pregnant and then dumped her. He didn’t get her pregnant – Carrie I mean. He didn’t get your sisters pregnant.”

“And he didn’t get you pregnant.”

“Shut up! Stop laughing at me.”

“He got someone pregnant and you don’t want to talk about what happened to her. So, I can only infer that either she left town…or…”

“Or?”

“Or…she’s dead. Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Can we please dance?”

“Yes. The girl’s dead. I’m certain of that. But who? Carrie’s friend...someone close to Carrie.”

“Donna, let’s not dig those bones up. Girl, are you even listening to me?”

“Oh my God Mike! Rathna – who jumped off the Edge and committed suicide! Rathna! She had been pregnant right Mike? Carrie and she were close. It was Rathna right?”

“Yeah, it was Rathna. Let’s not talk about this anymore please.”

“Rathna. There were moments when I’ve thought of her and I’ve not been able to sleep. She was only…sixteen at that time. How long ago was that?”

“Ten…eleven years now.”

“She jumped off the Edge into the river. What kind of loyalty is that Mike? Pete sneaked behind your back and stole your girl and yet you remained silent?”

“He never stole my girl Donna. She’s here with me now.”

“Okay Mike. He stole Eliza. I remember you were so steamed about it; you might have slaughtered Pete. Still, you chose to keep silent about Rathna. Alan and Carrie chose to do the same. Did you think that he’d repent and admit that he was at fault as well?”

“Something like that. Eliza and I were still together when this happened, so I had no reason to beat him up other than for Rathna’s sake. Honestly I reckoned that Pete would man up to it.”

“He married Eliza instead.”

“Yeah, he married Eliza instead. And I went on a three- or four-week binge to only sober up after that and wonder where my eyes had been stuck all that time.”

“You do realise Mike that he is guilty of being in some way responsible for her death.”

“That’s what I love about you Donna. You refuse to be side tracked. Once you get your teeth into something, you must have it all…for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

“Don’t change the subject Mike.”

“I’ve thought of that many, many times Donna. About poor Rathna and her jump off the Edge. And I’ve wondered why I didn’t say or do anything. I reckon it was only because if any of us did, there would have been a blood bath.”

“What do you mean?”

“Landsend is an Anglo-Indian town. We are surrounded by Kolegal, Sategal and Malvali…all native towns. Rathna was a native girl. She took her life because she was pregnant. By a white man. Landsend’s women would have paid the price. All it needed was a spark for a mob to gather from the surrounding towns and we would have been torn apart.”

“Oh God! I remember the mob that came poking around, looking for trouble.”

“So, Alan, Carrie and I chose to shut up. Her parents had no idea it was Pete. They just left town. Now can we change…Oh! Jeez! Why is that woman screaming like that?”

“Is she yelling something like the Edge has fallen in?”

“What a load of rubbish. The Edge falling in? Even an earthquake won’t shake that cliff.”

“Come let’s see what the commotion is all about.”

“Looks like everyone at the wedding party wants to do the same.”

“The Exodus from the marriage party to the Edge.”

“Yeah – Oh! My Gawd! That’s Pete’s truck crashed against the drop!”

“What? I thought you took him home after the fight.”

“I did. He must have returned.”

“And Eliza? Oh! My God. Look at the people crowding the Edge.”

“Where’s Pete? Pete! Pete!”

“Be careful Mike! Don’t get to close to that cliff!”

“Donna! He went down. He went down like the way Rathna did, and took Eliza with him. Pete! Pete! What the hell have you done?”

And he silently added so that no one heard, “Pete, Eliza – I’ve waited for this a long time. I have my vengeance at last.”