Her head pops up and her interest is piqued.
‘I don’t suppose Bella will still be there, Mum, will she?’ I can follow her thinking.
‘No, darling. She’ll be back home in York by then, I’m afraid.’
‘It’s boring at the airports, isn’t it? Will Daniel still be there?’
Her back is now towards me as she lays out the table mats and the coasters for the drinks.
‘Yes, I’m annoyed I couldn’t get direct flights and Thanos has confirmed that Daniel is still there. He isn’t returning home until after the school holidays have begun.’
‘I bet Bella will be getting excited.’
‘Grandma and Granddad said something about a trip to the beach, what do you think about that? And they wondered if you might like Callie to go, too? I could talk to Naomi and check whether she’s free.’
Rosie spins around, her eyes bright.
‘Ooh, that would be great, Mum. You’re the best.’
I’m just relieved she doesn’t feel I’m leaving her out; once again, Mum and Dad have come to the rescue.
‘Later this evening I have an important phone call to take so I thought we’d eat, sit and watch something on TV together and then I’ll settle you down about seven-thirty. If we start watching a film down here and don’t finish it, then you can watch the end of it in bed, maybe.’
‘Okay. Sounds good. Mum, why don’t you go out on dates?’
I freeze, looking at her innocent little face asking what she obviously feels is a reasonable enough question. The seconds begin to tick by.
‘Well … because life is rather busy and I don’t really have the time.’
She seems to be mulling that over.
‘You’re always busy, Mum. What if there’s never time? And what if Dad never comes back?’
I had no idea she even thought that was a possibility. But then we rarely talk about it and when we had the first conversation she was very young indeed.
‘Sometimes people aren’t right for each other, Rosie, and they grow apart. Meeting a special someone is something that just happens and you don’t always have to go out on a date for that to happen. A bit like when you make new friends. Your paths just happen to cross. Maybe one day, who knows? As for Dad, well, he’ll get in touch when he’s ready but we need to be prepared for the fact that it might not happen, darling.’
She’s still too young to face the facts and it’s hard talking about it whilst trying not to say anything that will colour her judgement. Either giving her false hope, or worse – communicating my anger and what amounts to disgust at the situation Antonio left us in.
‘I was wondering, that’s all. Someone’s mum has just got remarried and she has a new surname now. That must be really weird.’
I jumped to conclusions there and I am a little relieved to hear what triggered this line of questioning. I’m not looking forward to that phone call with Ollie, but I need to know where I stand before I respond to Zita.
~
When I press the answer icon on my laptop the face looking back at me is very personable. Not instantly attractive, like Harrison’s, but friendly and the sort of person you feel you can trust. Ollie is sitting in a study; behind him is a glass-fronted case filled with books.
‘Before we begin, and on a very personal note, thank you for being so supportive to Harrison. There aren’t many people he can confide in and if I was the jealous type I’d be concerned as he mentions your name daily.’
I let out a little chuckle.
‘I hope you’ve read our texts as that should reassure you. He’s like the big brother I always longed to have, but don’t tell him I said that.’
It’s Ollie’s turn to laugh and his voice is deep, and warm.
‘This weekend will be a landmark and I can’t wait until it’s over. Anyway, let me tell you a little about my background. I’m a divorce solicitor specialising in assisting families to work through the issues which follow on as a natural consequence. I am a member of a family law organisation which is committed to the constructive resolution of divorce. This means taking a non-confrontational approach, which I believe is the only way to get through a very difficult time. How many years have you been separated?’
‘Seven. There has been no contact at all between us. Rosie was almost two years old when Antonio disappeared.’
Ollie’s head bends slightly and it’s obvious he’s taking notes.
‘It would help me considerably if you could talk me through what happened in detail. When Harrison gave me your contact details he did mention that your husband had recently contacted his parents. They sent you a letter, I believe – could you let me have a copy of that? Once I have the full picture we can look at what sort of outcome you are looking for and what steps need to be taken.
‘It’s unfortunate that you didn’t start divorce proceedings while you still had no idea of his whereabouts. Harrison mentioned he lives in Florida now and that could slow down proceedings. Much depends upon you both agreeing on the best possible resolution when it comes down to taking care of Rosie. Also, whether or not he is looking for access or shared custody and the arrangements for financial support throughout her childhood.’
I know this is all matter of fact stuff to a solicitor but I’m horrified.
‘I want nothing from Antonio. I’m hoping he expects nothing from us in return. He hasn’t seen his daughter for nearly seven years and I doubt he would even be able to recognise her. She certainly wouldn’t know him. I don’t want to rob Rosie of anything but my fear is that he’ll come back into her life and then let her down again. I couldn’t bear that, Ollie.’
He looks up at me from the screen and nods his head in acknowledgement.
‘Let’s begin by gathering the facts together. I’ll be better placed, then, to talk you through the process and the options open to your husband so you have a better understanding of how it all works.’
My heart sinks a little when I hear his words. Naively I had assumed Antonio would have no rights to Rosie at all.
It’s a long call and Ollie obviously knows exactly what to ask to elicit the information he requires. I’m sure he hears similar stories all the time. However, it’s still hard for me to talk about it, so soon after having to relive it all by telling Jackie Kimberley my complete history.
Afterwards, Ollie says he’d be surprised if Antonio intended to make any financial claims against me. My draw drops at that point, as I hadn’t even considered that possibility, but I let him continue. I had explained that the equity of the house was eaten up by the arrears on the mortgage payments. The fact that I then had to pay off, out of my own pocket, the money owing on the credit cards and other debts, he felt was significant enough bargaining power. He asks me to think about whether I really didn’t want to make a claim against Antonio, even for child support. My head is aching with it all but I tell him straight that I don’t intend on taking a penny from Antonio out of principle, even if it was offered.
Ollie goes on to explain that the big unknown is whether Antonio was going to make any demands regarding access, or custody of Rosie in the future. My blood runs cold at the thought, even though common sense tells me I might have no choice. I ask him what happens when two parties can’t agree and he says simply that a judge would make the ultimate decision, but only after a series of steps had been taken.
‘If you were both in the UK it would be easier as you could sit down, with or without the help of a dispute-resolution service, and agree a parenting plan. If you failed to reach an agreement then there is a service known as CAFCASS who get involved. It stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services. Social workers assess the home environment and most certainly a child of Rosie’s age would be interviewed to find out what she would like the outcome to be. The judge would make his decision based upon those reports.
‘You will need to obtain his address and if you like I can draft you a suitable reply to his parents’ letter. As he has chosen to have no direc
t contact with you at this stage, the less you say, the better. He’s only enquiring after Rosie’s wellbeing, for the moment. Although it seems that his parents are asking for your views on what they should do next, my advice is that you do not get involved in any way at all.’
I’m feeling overwhelmed and fearful. Ollie can see my distress as it’s not something I can hide.
‘Leah, nothing is going to happen overnight. Rosie is settled and has been for the last seven years; no judge would undermine the way you have cared and provided for her. All of that bodes well. Let’s concentrate on getting that address so we can begin the process. You can rest assured that I’ll do my very best to keep costs to a minimum, especially given your circumstances. The aim is to make this as smooth and painless as possible on all fronts. He would have to be a very unreasonable man to start making demands after such a long period of total silence. Let’s not preempt a worst-case scenario, but hope for a satisfactory outcome for you and Rosie.’
We disconnect and I reach for my phone to text Harrison.
Just finished Skyping with Ollie. He’s one lovely guy. If anyone can help me, it’s him. I’m afraid but I won’t dwell on it because at least I don’t feel I’m alone in this battle. Ollie says I should hope for the best. Life, eh?
When I climb into bed it’s hard not to keep replaying some of the things Ollie said over and over in my mind. However, experience has now taught me that worry solves nothing, so I must focus on the things I can control, instead. Simply because I have no other option.
My phone pings and it’s a reply from Harrison.
My other useful contact is a martial arts expert; let me know if you need his services. James Bond eat your heart out … this guy is a lethal weapon.
It’s enough to put a little smile on my face as I lay my head down on the pillow. What would I do without Harrison’s friendship? At the moment he’s keeping me sane.
Working All Hours
By the time Saturday comes around I need a break from work. I’m back to doing all the hours I can and it is good news in one respect, because my bank balance is growing fast. Loving Life were very enthusiastic when they read the first article I submitted and things are looking great on that front. My website hits grow daily and the changes I made accommodate a lot more general advertising. But with unknown solicitor’s fees looming on the horizon I have no choice but to take on every advertiser who comes my way.
Rosie has another practice session this morning at the gym and, as usual, I drop her off then head to the café to meet Sally.
‘You look tired,’ she says, hugging me. ‘Sorry, that was tactless of me. Of course you’re tired, you never stand still for a moment.’
I see her cup is empty and I flag down a passing waitress to order two cappuccinos.
‘I’m drained more than tired. Still, no point moaning about it. I’m just getting as much done as I can before I leave for Athens again next Friday.’
Sally gives me an excited grin. ‘Footloose for three days, eh? I hope there will be something more than just those stunning views for you to admire.’
I wonder if I should tell her about Daniel, but my phone pings and it’s an email from Harrison.
‘Sorry, I’ve been waiting for this and I will need to do a quick response.’ I forage around for my purse, then hand Sally a twenty-pound note. ‘I think we deserve cake, as well, don’t you?’
She smiles, humouring me and makes her way to the counter.
Hi Leah
Well, it’s done. I feel like a deflated balloon, sinking to the ground and with nothing to hold me up. It’s going to take me a while to recover, after living on my nerves for weeks on end, now. The upside is that the reaction from my folks wasn’t quite the one I was expecting. I sat them down and began pacing, then I thought of you and I just blurted it out. I said that I’d found my life partner and his name is Oliver.
Mum immediately burst into tears and threw herself on Dad. I stood there looking at them both, frozen to the spot. Then Dad looked up and said, ‘Thank God. We were convinced you had some awful illness you’d been hiding from us this last couple of months. That’s good news, son. All we want is for you to be happy and for a long time we feared you’d never find that.’
I asked them how they felt about it being common knowledge at some point and they didn’t seem bothered at all. Mum was more concerned about when they would get to meet Ollie and asked whether his parents knew. I explained that he’d come out a couple of years ago but hadn’t been in a long-term relationship until now.
I’m on my way over to see Ollie and we’re going to visit his parents, next. My parents have invited us both around for dinner next Saturday. And that’s it. The sky didn’t cave in and the ground is still beneath my feet. You were right. It’s never quite as bad as we fear, is it? Our own imaginations can conjure up greater demons than often exist in real life.
I couldn’t have done it without your support, Leah, so know that I’m here for you always.
H
I type a quick response.
Your future starts here. Enjoy it and give Ollie my best regards. Lx
When I look up Sally is back with two huge slices of Victoria sandwich.
‘I do hope that’s a man you’re emailing.’
‘It’s Harrison, you know, the great guy I told you about. He’s just told his parents about Ollie and it was a big deal for him. No more hiding from now on. Ironically, they were convinced the secret he was hiding was some sort of serious illness. His mother burst into tears of relief!’
‘Honesty is always the best policy. You have to be really clever to live a lie.’
I nod, shovelling in a fork full of cake, aware of the irony in her statement and trying not to let it turn the mouthful of delicious sponge in my mouth to ashes.
‘Speaking of liars, Harrison put me in touch with Ollie, who is a divorce solicitor dealing mainly with family issues. He drafted a reply for me to send to Zita. It didn’t say much, mainly explaining that while I did require Antonio’s address because I was going to be serving him divorce papers, I couldn’t advise them on how to respond to him. After seven years of being apart I hoped they would understand why it was necessary for me to move on. He said it was best not to be drawn into a conversation and to keep it simple.’
Sally gives me a sympathetic look.
‘You must surely be coming to the end of the misery all this has created in your life. Hang in there a while longer, Leah. How’s your dad doing?’
‘Better. He’s lost a little weight on the new diet he’s on and his blood pressure and sugar levels are now back within the normal range. Mum has no intention of letting him become diabetic and they, too, now do two walks a day. Ironically, I’ve missed a few lately.’
‘Well, you’re busy and all these things suck up time. Five days and you’ll be flying off again, though.’
Daniel’s face pops into my mind and it’s hard not to groan about the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Sally is looking at me curiously, no doubt wondering what I’m thinking, so it’s definitely time to change the subject.
‘Anyway, how’s life in your household? Are they all behaving themselves?’ She has three dogs and a husband, all of whom seem to test her patience to the limit at times but she loves them all to death nonetheless.
She sniggers. ‘Do they ever? Tyler has decided to lay some new flooring in the sitting room. He spends more time swearing at the boards because they won’t click together, than he does laying them. It’s going to take him forever. Gruffalo has a poorly paw and isn’t sleeping well, so that means no one in our house is getting an undisturbed night’s sleep. He had me up three times last night with his whining. I tried my best to console him so we didn’t all have to lose the entire night’s sleep. The vet thinks it will take another four or five days for the infection to clear and the cut to heal.’
‘Ah, poor little thing. I don’t envy you the disturbed nights, though, it’s like having a baby all over again.’
The moment I finish speaking I look up to see that she’s gone bright red in the face.
‘Um … that’s another little bit of news. Seems I can get pregnant, after all!’
I throw down my fork with a clatter and jump up, leaning across to throw my arms around her.
‘That’s brilliant! How long have you known? I had no idea!’
I slide back into my seat and we’re both beaming from ear to ear.
‘I saw my doctor yesterday after work. He did the test and says I’m six weeks along, so early days. We aren’t going to tell anyone, well, just you until I’m past the three-month stage.’ She leans closer, lowering her voice. ‘To be honest I thought I had a water infection.’
‘Ha! Ha! I love it. Congratulations, Sally, I’m thrilled for you both.’
I think back to when I first found out I was expecting Rosie. Life looked so wonderful then, stretching out ahead of me with nothing but good things on the horizon. But look at how far I’ve come. Sally is right, I simply need to hang in there for a little while longer. Good things are coming my way, something deep down inside of me is telling me that loud and clear. How exactly everything is going to fall miraculously into place, I don’t know, but I don’t think that gut instincts can lie or mislead.
I’m trying not to fret over the fact that I’ve heard nothing at all from Daniel. Contrary to Harrison’s advice I decided I’m going to spring this visit on him and I hinted to Thanos that I thought it would be a nice surprise for Daniel to have some unexpected company. I sensed a little amusement in his voice so I hope Daniel’s reaction is a positive one, because if it isn’t it’s going to be a hellish few days. Maybe all I need to do is start believing and stop fearing the worst. But it wouldn’t be the first time in my life I misjudged something quite badly and ended up getting burnt, would it?
When I collect Rosie after class she’s quiet, and I make several attempts at conversation on the drive home. Silence reigns until I open the front door. Discarding her gym bag and coat in a heap on the floor she lets out a sigh.
A Greek Affair Page 19