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Keeping You A Secret Chapter Two Part Three Draft One

by LMJT 

Posted: 18 May 2008
Word Count: 2469
Summary: This continues from the last piece I uploaded. Daniel and Samantha are talking with Anthony Gray, an old 'friend' from Daniel's school. I'm aware it's dialogue heavy at the moment and am open to all comments. Thanks in advance.


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Content Warning
This piece and/or subsequent comments may contain strong language.


'So how did you two meet?' Anthony asks when Daniel gets back to the table.
Samantha smiles. 'At university. I was working in the library to pay off some of my student loan and I always saw Daniel in there, hunched over his medical books. He shared a room, so he came to the library to study.'
Anthony turns to Daniel, his eyebrows raised.
'You read medicine?' he asks. 'I always thought you were going to study English. Wasn't it your brother who was going to be a doctor?'
Daniel nods once.
'I changed my mind,' he says. 'I studied medicine.'
'For four years,' Samantha adds. 'Which was lucky for me, because it was in my final year that I started noticing him more. You came in at the same time every day in that year, do you remember? Nine in the morning till one, then half an hour for lunch, then back again until the library closed at nine.'
'You always had a lot of self-discipline,' Anthony laughs.
'Even at school?' Samantha asks.
'You wouldn't believe it,' says Anthony. 'I've never seen someone with such a strict routine. He always had his homework in on time, he was never late for anything. His bed was the only one in the dormitory that was made first thing in the morning. Everyone else looked so shabby in comparison.'
'He's the same now,' Samantha says, speaking as if Daniel is not present. 'He makes me feel guilty for all the mess I leave around in the house.'
'I do not,' Daniel says. 'I never say anything.'
Samantha smiles, rests her hand on his knee. 'I know, darling, but sometimes silence speaks volumes.' She turns back to Anthony. 'Anyway, so I started noticing him more and more and I was thinking to myself, 'He's very handsome, must be very intelligent.' She grins. 'I looked at his library account to see what kinds of books he was reading. It was mainly medical stuff, journals and that sort of thing. But there were some of the classics, too, and I love reading, so I knew we had something in common from the beginning.
'You never told me that,' Daniel says.
'You never asked. Besides, I've got to have some secrets, haven't I? Anyway, it wasn't for a while that we started talking. You were always really quiet when you came to the counter, weren't you?'
'It was a library,' says Daniel.
'Oh, you know what I mean,' Samantha shakes her head. 'In the end, it was me that broke the ice, and for ages we just used to talk about the weather, about exams, things like that. That's when I realised he was going to be graduating that year, and so I thought to myself, 'If you don't do something soon, Samantha, he'll be gone,' but I'm a bit old-fashioned in some ways I suppose, and I wanted him to ask me out.'
'And did he?'
Samantha laughs. 'No. I ended up slipping a note into one of the books he borrowed.'
'Romantic.'
'I like to think so. I wrote, 'I think we would get on very well. If you would like to join me for coffee tomorrow, I will be in the cafe at twelve o'clock.'
'So that was the start of a fine romance?'
Samantha looks to Daniel, then back at Anthony and shakes her head.
'He didn't come,' she says. 'I was gutted.'
'I'm sure Anthony doesn't need to hear all of this,' says Daniel.
For every word that Samantha speaks, he feels his privacy being shattered. He doesn't want Anthony to hear this story; he doesn't want him to hear anything about his life now.
'No, no,' Anthony says, leaning forward. 'I'm interested. I always like this kind of thing.'
'So anyway,' Samantha continues. 'I went into the library the next day and there he was. When he left, I asked him, 'Did you get my note?' And he said, 'Yes. Thank you. I'm sorry I couldn't come. I was revising. I've an exam tomorrow.' I asked if he wanted to meet for a coffee after his exam and he said that sounded good, could I meet him outside of the [exam room] at four o'clock? And I did. The rest, as they say, is history. We were married within a year, weren't we? Everyone thought we were rushing things, but when it feels right, you don't want to wait, do you?'
'No,' says Anthony. He looks to Daniel. 'You only get one chance with some things.'
Daniel glances at his watch.
'I really think we should get going now,' he says to Samantha.
'Alright, alright,' she says as she stands up. She turns to Anthony. 'I know it's short notice, but what are you doing tonight?'
Daniel freezes. 'I'm sure he has plans.'
'No, I'm not really doing anything. Saturday night TV, maybe a takeaway.'
'Well, would you like to come over for dinner?' Samantha asks.
'Are you sure?'
'It would be a pleasure,' says Samantha. 'Wouldn't it, Daniel.'
Daniel nods quickly. 'But if you can't make it, we understand. Like Samantha says, it's short notice.'
'I'd love to,' Anthony says. 'Do I need to bring anything?'
'No, no,' Samantha says as she searches in her handbag for a pen to write down their address. 'Just yourself.'

Later, Daniel and Samantha step onto the tube and sit opposite one another in an empty carriage. There are McDonald wrappers and packaging on the floor and someone has scrawled 'Fuck You' over one of the adverts for international call cards.
Samantha folds her cardigan in her lap and crosses her legs.
'Well, Anthony was lovely,' she says. 'I can't believe you hadn't seen each other for so long.'
'And I can't believe you asked him to dinner.'
'What do you mean?'
'You've only just met him.'
'He's an old friend of yours.'
''Old' being the operative word.'
'Well, you weren't about to make an effort, were you?'
'Why would I? Like you said, I haven't seen him for twenty years.'
Samantha shakes her head. 'Honestly, Daniel, sometimes I wonder if there's a sociable bone in your body.'
'I just have nothing to say to him now. I doubt we've got anything in common anymore.'
'How would you know? You didn't ask him one question. You were just giving one word answers, 'Yes, no, maybe.' He was being so friendly to you and you were-, well you were rude if you ask me.'
'He probably didn't notice. You were friendly enough for both of us.'
'So you're jealous?' Samantha says, widening her eyes. 'That's what this is about, is it? Your jealous because I was being friendly?'
The tube slows down, the doors open and a Japanese couple step into the carriage. They sit beside Daniel, all smiles, cameras hanging around their necks.
'Of course I'm not jealous,' Daniel whispers. 'Don't be so ridiculous.'
'So what's the problem? He's going to be living just around the corner. You heard him, he doesn't know anyone in the area. It'll be nice for him to get to know us, to be introduced to Tom and Janine, too.'
'I just wish you'd checked with me first.'
'Since when have I needed your permission to do anything?'
'I'm not saying you needed permission, I'm just-,'
'Then what are you saying, Daniel,' Samantha asks, swinging her foot back and forth. 'What are you saying? That we should have just ignored him?'
'Not ignored him, but-,'
'Just overlooked the fact that he's moved into the area where we live?' Samantha lets out a sigh. 'I don't know what you're so worried about, you know? I'm sure he's not about to spill stories about you in school. And how bad can they be, anyway?'
'I'm not worried.'
'Because, as you said to me earlier, the past is the past. It doesn't matter anymore.'
'I just said, I'm not worried.'
They carry on the journey in silence and, when he's not looking, Samantha tries to read Daniel's expression.
Sliding her wedding ring up and down her finger, she remembers the reunion she went to last year, how she'd come face to face with Katrina Dorney for the first time in eighteen years.
For the week leading up to the reunion, Samantha had recalled various incidents in classrooms and corridors, even heard Katrina's voice in her sleep.
'You think you're too good for the estate,' Katrina would shout in her face in the school corridors, classrooms and playground. 'Keen beanpole bitch. You can get the grades, but you won't get a boyfriend. Adam said you're frigid, that you wouldn't even kiss him. Stupid bitch. You think you're so good, but you're shit. Everyone knows you're shit. You think you're better than everyone else 'cos you read books, but you're the one who lives in a shitty council estate. You're the one whose own dad walked out on you. I've seen your mum. She's a fucking mess, an alcoholic mess. That's in your genes. That's going to be you, you know that don't you? You might get the grades, but you'll turn out just like her.'
At the time, the bullying felt constant, relentless. Everyday she'd come into school and try to stay out of Katrina's way. She'd not drink anything all day to avoid having to go to the girls toilet and be confronted coming out of a cubicle; she'd sit in the library with her head in a book, even in the summer when everyone else was on the field and the ice cream van was parked in the playground. But wherever she was, she would be found and another torrent of abuse would begin.
For a while, her studying suffered, but every evening when she came home to her mother in their two bedroom council flat, she knew that she had to keep going, that she had to pass her exams or this could become her life: a single mother drinking to drown the hate for a man no longer around, wishing she'd done something, everything, differently; resenting the two girls she brought into the world.
When the reunion finally came around and Daniel dropped Samantha at the restaurant, she'd walked to the doors with her heart in her throat. What if it was all going to happen again? She'd asked herself. What if, when she walked to the bar, the shouting, the taunts, the insults were thrown at her once more?
But of course, when she walked in, she was met by women, smiling women, a million miles from the cruel girls of her school years. And she hadn't even recognised Katrina Dorney until she looked down at her name badge.
'Hi Samantha,' Katrina had said, her voice still nasally, her breath still stale with cigarettes. 'Look at you. You look amazing.'
'Thank you,' she'd replied. 'What are you doing nowadays?'
They'd started to talk about how Katrina had gone on to become a speech therapist, Samantha a literary agent, how expensive it was to buy a house nowadays, and how can anyone afford to get onto the property ladder?
'By the way,' Katrina said as conversation ran dry. 'I'm sorry for being such a bitch at school. I really am. I've made a few apologies already this evening, and I know I owe you one.'
This took Samantha by surprise, and she blushed, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
'That's okay,' she said. 'It's a long time ago now, isn't it?'
'It's no excuse, but I had a lot of stuff to deal with at the time.'
'You don't need to explain.'
'Maybe not. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I cringe when I think about what I was like back then.'
'People change, Katrina,' Samantha said. 'Honestly, please, don't worry. It's all in the past. I'm sure everyone's put all that behind them now, myself included.'
Perhaps, Samantha thinks as the tube shudders along, this is what Daniel meant earlier about people not wanting to be remembered for the person they were in the past. It's no surprise someone like Katrina wanted to shake the [memory] of what she was like from her classmates memory. But what is it that Daniel is trying to hide? She wonders. What part of himself does Anthony reminds him of?
Daniel listens to the couple beside him, their foreign words an audible blur that he can't understand. But at least there's sound, at least he isn't left to focus on the silence between he and Samantha. He looks at his wife sitting opposite him. She's turned in her seat, facing the direction in which they're travelling, her arms folded across her chest. She has no idea, he thinks. She has no idea of a whole part of his life. And if she knew, what would she say?
He thinks about meeting Anthony Gray earlier. He'd imagined the situation many times before, of course he had. He'd imagined bumping into him in a bar, a restaurant, here on the tube. He'd imagined passing him on an escalator in a department store, meeting his gaze in a library, bumping into him in a supermarket. He'd imagined 101 different scenarios, but in each, he, Daniel, had always imagined himself alone. He had never once imagined Samantha to be with him.
But what happened with Anthony is all in the past now, and that's where it should stay. Some things are better left forgotten. And this, this is definitely forgotten. Of course it is. He's married, he's happy, and any of those feelings he thought he had have long since died. They haven't surfaced since, have they? No, not once. Never. He's married, his wife is pregnant, and he has everything he wants. He has everything that some men will never have.
When the train comes to a stop, Daniel and Samantha stand up simultaneously and walk towards the doors that slide open.
As they step onto the empty platform, Daniel wraps his hand around Samantha's waist.
'I'm sorry,' he says.
'What for?'
'Everything.'
'I don't understand you sometimes, Daniel. I really don't.'
'I know.'
'What's going on?'
'Nothing.'
'Honestly?'
'I swear.' He looks in her eyes as the train slides past them, leaving them alone in the station. 'I love you, you know that, don't you?'
'I know. And I love you. I just don't understand-,'
'I love you more than anything. More I love myself.'
'Don't say that.'
'But it's true.'
'But don't say it.'
Daniel leans forward, takes Samantha in his arms and kisses her, feels her hair in his fingers, smells the faint trace of her perfume. In his arms he is holding a woman with whom he's spent [however many years] with. All of this is familiar, all of this is known and loved.






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Comments by other Members



Gillian75 at 13:40 on 20 May 2008  Report this post
Hi LMJT - another very good excerpt.
I'm pondering your question as to whether it's dialogue-heavy and my gut feeling is no!
My eyes instead are, however, drawn to the little asides - eg
They carry on the journey in silence and, when he's not looking, Samantha tries to read Daniel's expression.

I felt this was a little clunky and interrupted the 'flow' which I was enjoying!
Maybe - They journey on in silence. Samantha sneaks a glance at Daniel.... (something like that! just so you're not telling the reader.


Also on the same topic -
'He's the same now,' Samantha says, speaking as if Daniel is not present.

To get away from the 'speaking as if Daniel is not present' phrase which I felt was a little clumsy, I'd use 'samantha whispers, hoping Daniel doesn't notice...' Maybe something like that?

A little technical pointer - I think you study medicine and read English! I could be totally wrong though

At the bit where Daniel says it was a library, I'd italicise the was just to give it more emphasis. Again that's a style thing and don't worry if you don't agree!

'Wouldn't it, Daniel.'

? question mark?


Your jealous

you're

girls toilet

girls'

McDonald - I think it's McDonald's wrappers (?)

Japanese couple step into the carriage. They sit beside Daniel, all smiles, cameras hanging around their necks.

Maybe you could have the couple changing a film in a camera?

Overall this is a nice read - smooth and consistent and I'm enjoying the story unfold. I sense the tension too between the characters, as I have done all along and I assume that's how you want the reader to react. Well done

Am I right in believing you're male? If so, it certainly doesn't show from the text. I always imagined you to be female, as women tend to be more 'comfortable' with writing about relationships. Massive congrats to you - you have a great gift of delving into relationships which I (as a girlie!!) wouldn't touch with a bargepole! LOL

LMJT at 20:00 on 20 May 2008  Report this post
Hi Gillian,

Thanks so much for your comments. Very useful and I have already made the amendments you suggested!

Yes, I am male, and it's nice of you to compliment me on my abilities. When I began this piece last year (it's changed a lot) I told a few people about it and they were sceptical about my handling issues such as marriage, miscarriage (an early theme, now not much of one) and repressed homosexuality. I think this was in part to do with my gender and my age (25).

But I don't think you need to experience things directly to be able to write them effectively. I just think it takes more time and feedback from others. Which is fantastic to be getting from all you guys!

Thanks again,

Liam

barjoker at 21:10 on 20 May 2008  Report this post
Hi Liam

I'm with Gillian, I had assumed you were female because the relationships were so finely judged (gender stereotypes? moi?)! I have to say though, I would have twigged you today anyway from one tiny slip, where you say 'having to go to the girls toilets' - I'm pretty sure girls would just say 'the toilets'...

I enjoyed reading this chapter, it gave a good sense of the relationship between the two characters and the dialogue flowed nicely. However, I did notice the POV switching a couple of times which I found somewhat jarring. This might be because of the pre-ponderance of dialogue - perhaps with a little more from each character's internal world it would merge more smoothly.

A few other comments:

He's very handsome, must be very intelligent
I'm sure you mean this tongue in cheek as it doesn't automatically follow! but maybe you could signal the intended irony a bit more strongly.

Speech mark missing after 'from the beginning.'

And he said, 'Yes. Thank you. I'm sorry I couldn't come. I was revising. I've an exam tomorrow.'
It looked a bit odd to have this as dialogue within dialogue, a bit too much - what Samantha said to him was fine, but I think then she would just report what he said more succinctly.

'Alright, alright,' she says as she stands up. She turns to Anthony. 'I know it's short notice, but what are you doing tonight?'
Daniel freezes. 'I'm sure he has plans.'
'No, I'm not really doing anything. Saturday night TV, maybe a takeaway.'
'Well, would you like to come over for dinner?' Samantha asks.
'Are you sure?'
'It would be a pleasure,' says Samantha. 'Wouldn't it, Daniel.'
Bit confused here - I thought she already asked him for dinner in the last chapter - have you changed that bit, or is this the same episode from a different POV? Needs clarifying if so.

she remembers the reunion
this was the first time I realised that the POV had switched from Daniel to Samantha - I think if you are going to do this you need to signal it as early as possible with some kind of internal thought from the new POV.

Katrina would shout in her face
I wonder if this might be more effective if it was toned down a bit - Katrina has a lot to say and shouting it would be difficult to sustain! Perhaps 'sneering' or 'spitting' or 'mocking'?

the ice cream van was parked in the playground
really? I didn't think that was allowed!

drinking to drown the hate for a man no longer around
would be better as 'a man WHO WAS no longer around'; should also be 'the two girls she HAD brought into the world.'

I'm sure everyone's put all that behind them now, myself included.
Maybe I am just an evil pus-filled cow, but my dearest wish at a reunion like that would be that the bully would turn out to be fat, divorced, alcoholic, illiterate etc so I could flaunt my own success and happiness as revenge....I felt irritated with Samantha for being so forgiving!

What part of himself does Anthony reminds him of?
typo - remind.

Daniel listens to the couple behind him
again, an unexpected POV change, jarred me slightly.

But what happened with Anthony is all in the past now, and that's where it should stay.
I thought this needed some grounding in the character, e.g. 'that's where it should stay, thinks Daniel.'

He has everything that some men will never have
a little clunky - maybe 'he has more than some men will ever have?' 'Some men can only dream of having what he has?'

All of this is familiar, all of this is known and loved.
A bit of a damp squib ending for the chapter - could do with more of a 'hook' to keep people reading on?

Hope this is helpful.

Joker

LMJT at 19:22 on 21 May 2008  Report this post
Hi Joker,

Thanks so much for your comments.

Well, I got the ice cream van idea from my secondary school, but perhaps things have changed slightly!

Yes, you're quite right, I had originally had Samantha asking Anthony for dinner in the previous excerpt, but have brought it in later as it seemed more natural for her to invite him after they'd spoken for a little longer.

I completely agree that the POV jumps around a bit. I'm going to get this sorted out or just keep in Daniel's head throughout.

Thanks for the typo corrections too. It's amazing what you miss, isnt it? (Spot the deliberate mistake!?)

Liam

sandpiper at 21:20 on 24 May 2008  Report this post
Hello Liam,

Still enjoying this! Here are my comments below.

In the first scene, I would like to have known more of Daniel's internal response to Anthony, and the non-verbal interaction between them. Daniel is clearly uncomfortable, doesn't want to be there, and certainly doesn't want Anthony to come to dinner, you've very skilfully made his feelings very clear on that. But can Daniel tell how Anthony feels? Equally uncomfortable? Or has he forgotten everything that happened in the past? It struck me that even if he (Daniel) weren't contributing to the conversation in the pub, he probably would have been hyper-aware of Anthony's presence, watching him out of the corner of his eye, aware of his body language and so on. Maybe you haven't gone in to this because you want to keep the details of their past relationship a mystery at this point? If so, fine. However I guess for me, because he is so uncomfortable with Anthony there, I would expect to "hear" more reaction in his head. Maybe a comment on his appearance, or body language. I would expect them to be watching each other carefully, whether directly or indirectly, and I'd like to know what happened when they made eye contact. Was it friendly? Cold? Instantly transported him back 20 years ago?

In the scene in the tube carriage on the way home, I agree with others that the POV switch was a bit of a jolt. But it was very interesting to learn about Samantha's past.

Still in the tube carriage, I found Samantha's pestering Daniel a little hard to believe.... surely if they were happily married and they knew each other well, she would have known that something was wrong and that he didn't want to talk about it? And she would have left him alone?

I won't repeat the line-by-line comments that others have already made, so that's it for now. Overall I am very much enjoying this story, and looking forward to your next upload.

Claire



LMJT at 12:19 on 25 May 2008  Report this post
Hi Claire,

Thanks so much for your comments. I am working on Daniel's instant reaction at the moment vecause of your suggestion, so thanks in particular for that.

I've taken everyone's advice about the POV switch and will work that out.

Thanks again,

Liam

Xena at 12:15 on 26 May 2008  Report this post
Hi Liam,

You know, this is exactly my type of genre, and it's not work but leisure for me to review your pieces.

I like your dialogue and I wouldn't change much there. Too much dialogue can’t be too bad for a novel, if it serves your aims and furthers your plot, which I think is the case here.

I must say I rather liked your switch of POV in this scene. I have no doubt that it will impoverish the scene, if you get rid of Samantha's POV. It seems to me that what makes people stumble here is that the switch happens somewhat unexpectedly. I would start the tube scene with Samantha's POV (instead of 'a Japanese couple step into the carriage. They sit beside Daniel.', 'Samantha sees a Japanese couple...' and then switch to Daniel's POV at 'Daniel listens to the couple beside him'. I think that will be less startling.

Cheers!



<Added>

I didn't put that Smilie there. I don't know how it happed. Must be some combination of apostrophes and brackets.



LMJT at 20:01 on 26 May 2008  Report this post
Hi Xena,

Thanks so much for your comments.

I have in fact made the amendment in POV that you suggested already!

Thanks again.

Liam


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