Love and Deceit Parts 4 & 5

[Lane Kent]

PART IV
Written Friday, 13 May 2005

A week or two later Mike was sat in a Private Detective’s office looking very confused.

MIKE: What do you mean there is no trace of her? If it’s more money you want then I’m willing to pay anything.

DETECIVE: Sorry Mike, this has nothing to do with money. There really is no record of a child being born to a Penelope Harris in June 1975, let alone any adoption records. The child just does not exist.

“But, that can’t be right” said Mike, raising his voice with each word.

DETECTIVE: Are you sure of the dates Mike?

MIKE: Of course I am you don’t forget anything like that. I saw her, I held her for gawds sake!

The detective went on to explain that Mike’s daughter should have two birth certificates by law. One containing her birth with her natural mother’s information on it and another with her adoptive parents information. Then there should be an adoption file too. So far the detective had found none of these items.

DETECTIVE: Look Mike, I will continue to carry on looking but I must really ask you, is there a chance that Penny didn’t have a baby and she borrowed someone else’s child to get you to marry her?

MIKE: What no? There again thinking about it, I remember hearing about her sister around that time and she was pregnant. However later Penny said her sister had lost the baby.

However that theory just didn’t make any sense to Mike. If Penny had wanted to marry Mike, he had offered her all that and more and she had turned him down. Penny had loved London and had no desire to go back to Weatherfield. However Penny had returned to Weatherfield to have her baby and never did leave again. So why go through a phantom pregnancy and borrow a baby for nothing? It just made no sense?

DETECTIVE: Look I’ll keep looking, but if you can get in touch with this Penny and ask her what adoption agency she went through, it might help us? Is it possible for you to contact Penny?

MIKE: Oh yes definitely. I’m about to marry her. She’s now a merry widow called Penny King? I have asked her in the past if she knew what happened to our daughter but she said she didn’t. However I didn’t think to ask about adoption agencies.

DETECTIVE: Well that’s good then. Go home and ask. However Mike I need to warn you right now, if I don’t find anything, then I’m afraid you will have to prepare yourself for the fact that something unlawful happened to your daughter.

MIKE: What are you saying? She’s been sold, she was murdered?

DETECTIVE: I just don’t know.


Just as Mike had made it his lifetime ambition to find their daughter, Penny had made it hers to make sure the truth would never come out.

Now a thirty year old woman, Penny and Mike’s daughter was at last escaping a dreadful past and carving out a successful life of her own. Penny knew too many lives would be destroyed with the revelation of who her and Mike’s daughter really was.

Unknown to either Mike Baldwin or his daughter, they already knew each other too well! Had they known the truth years before their lives would have been very different. Penny was certain if Mike and their daughter found out the truth now, they would never forgive her. As a result Penny knew two things, 1) that her daughter should never know that Penny was her real mother and 2) under no circumstances whatsoever should her daughter find out that Mike Baldwin was her real father!

Penny would be able to live with her daughter hating her but not Mike. Penny had waited too long to lose Mike now and she was prepared to do almost anything to keep him.

[Lane Kent]

Part V
Written Friday, 13 May 2005

From the Private Detective’s office Mike had gone back to Underworld and got into a row with Danny. Mike really didn’t like the way Danny was continuingly undermining his decisions. It had seemed a good idea at the time to take Danny on in the factory the previous year. Mike had had to, after the factory fire caused by that Battersby woman, finances had been low. However as time went on, Mike felt he was losing control of the business he had built up. Mike thought about bringing Adam in to be his eyes and ears against Danny. After all if Adam was really adamant about not going back to school he would need to find a job and what better than the family business. However the mere suggestion to Danny that Adam should join the family business had not gone down well. Danny had dared to suggest if Adam came a board, then so should his own sons Jamie and Warren. Mike didn’t want that, he felt Danny’s family were taking over left, right and centre.

From the factory Mike made his way into The Rovers. There propping up the bar was Rita Sullivan and also Norris Cole wittering on in her ear. Mike thought Rita needed saving and approached her?

MIKE: Hello Rita, how are you

RITA: fine, and you? I believe there are congratulations to be offered?

NORRIS: (butting in) Oh yes what a turn up, you marrying again?

MIKE: Pardon?

RITA: You and Penny.

MIKE: Oh that how did you find out?

RITA: Adam complained to Ken about it, but I think Ken told him that it was a good thing and I agree well done I’m sure you will both be very happy?

MIKE: Possibly

RITA: What is it Mike? You look like you have the weight of the world on those shoulders?

MIKE: You were always the intuitive type.

NORRIS: Oh yes can’t put anything past our Rita

RITA: Oh Shurrup Norris and go talk to Emily about the Book Club

NORRIS: Well I….

RITA: Norris (she looked sternly)

NORRIS: but I haven’t finished my drink

With that Rita grabbed his drink and gulped it down.

RITA: See now it’s finished and you have no excuse not to go and talk to Emily

With that Norris reluctantly toddled off.

RITA: Its from years of working behind a counter you know. (she chuckled)

MIKE: (miles away) what

RITA: being intuitive. You see and hear all sorts.

MIKE: Oh right.

RITA: So what is it Mike?

Mike was feeling desperate. He just needed to talk to someone and Rita had always been a good listener to his problems and unlike all the other hypocrites on the Street, she had never judged him particularly in the disaster of his marriage to Linda. She had always been friendly to both him and Linda and never looked down her nose at their odd-ball marriage.

Rita and Mike went and sat in a booth. Mike didn’t confide in her about looking for his daughter, indeed he didn’t even tell her he had a daughter. Mike and Rita did however talk about all sorts and spoke fondly of people who had passed through Coronation Street over the years such as Ray Langton, Annie Walker, Elsie Tanner. They laughed and joked.

A couple of drinks and many jokes later, both Rita and Mike had been surprised to find how much each enjoyed the other’s company. However Mike knew he had to get home and have it out with Penny once and for all.


Mike arrived back at the flat to find Janice Sykes on his sofa again laughing and joking with Penny.

“Oh good you are home, where have you been? Shrieked Penny before going on “That son of yours is just too much, I don’t need to put up with it Mike.”

Janice looked embarrassed as did Mike. “Tell him Jan, Adam’s been really rude!” continued Penny. Janice knew this was one domestic row she did not want to get into. You didn’t ever slate someone’s child to the parent especially if you didn’t know them that well. So Janice made her excuses and left.

MIKE: So what was she doing here again?

PENNY: Never mind that where have you been and what are you going to do about Adam?

To appease Penny, Mike decided to call Adam from his bedroom.

MIKE: Now son, what’s this I’m hearing about you being rude to Penny?

ADAM: Why is it you always take her side? I did nothing wrong?

MIKE: I’m not taking sides, she says you are being rude, so if that is the case then you should apologize. You are my son and she is my fiancée and I love you both very much. I just want us all to get along.

ADAM: (shouting) No way, I’m not apologizing to her and I can’t believe you are even thinking of marrying her.

MIKE: Adam

ADAM: (more calmly but still with raised voice) No Dad, I’ve had it with her she is always picking on me. It was better before when it was just the two of us. Come back Linda all is forgiven.

MIKE: I’ve told you Adam never mention that woman’s name again!

ADAM: Why not? Linda was a much better stepmother than she will ever be, always good to me.

PENNY: Oh please!

ADAM: And what would you know about it?

MIKE: Enough Adam, apologize to Penny at once.

ADAM: Not until she apologizes to me first. Besides you can’t stop me from preferring Linda to her (pointing directly at Penny).

MIKE: I want no more mention of Linda I mean it Adam, she’s been gone years and never coming back. Get over it!

ADAM: I’m not standing for this anymore. I’m going to Granddad’s.

With that Adam stormed out regardless of all Mike’s protests. “Good” said Penny now he has gone let’s go out for a meal.

MIKE: You what? My son has just stormed out and you want to go out for a meal?

PENNY: Oh don’t worry about it Mike, he will be back. There’s no way Ken and Deirdre are going to put up with him for long. So come on Mike lets go to Delphines. I’ve not been there for ages. In fact I don’t think you have ever taken me there?

MIKE: Delphines was Linda’s favourite place, I don’t like to go there unless I have to. Bad memories. Anyway Penny I don’t want to go out as I have something to talk to you about.

Penny looked concerned as Mike led her to the sofa. Was he having second thoughts about the wedding because of that little sod Adam she thought to herself. However nothing could prepare her for what Mike wanted to say.

Adam could be tomorrow’s problem, but now Mike took a deep breath for he knew the time had come. The only way he was going to find out all the answers about his daughter and if he had any hope of finding her, he had to tackle Penny.

[RitaLittlewood]

LOL! You've got Reet and Norris to a tee. ;D

Patsy

[Lane Kent]

ritalittlewood said:

LOL! You've got Reet and Norris to a tee. ;D

Patsy

Writing for them was hard and there's more to come in the middle of the high drama later on.

[eithne]

Wow! Two more brilliant parts. Such a high quality story, with every part being so highly entertaining and not letting anything fade, even a little. The action moves quickly, but not too quickly; the mystery keeps you hooked, but isn't too drawn out and best of all the characterisations are down to a tee as Patsy says. A brilliant story.

So which ladies on the Street are around 30 then? Karen? Tracy? Shelly?

[RitaLittlewood]

The sequel is a tad drawn out. And in the best Corrie tradition it goes round in circles! LOL!

Patsy