‘How’s my favourite little niece?’ Charlie asked, bending down to ruffle Daisy’s hair as she sidled up to say hello. ‘You’re getting so big!’ He laughed, picking her up for a cuddle and spinning her around.
Tasha gave Daisy a kiss. ‘Hi, darling,’ she said. ‘Look at your lovely sparkly hairband!’ Daisy was dressed head to toe in pink, as usual.
‘Hi, Auntie Becca! Hi, Fergus!’ Flora, Max and Bella called as Becca came out to join them. She looked sleep-deprived but beautiful in a floral tea dress, her shoulder-length brown hair tied up in a messy bun. The children raced over to see the baby of the family, currently perched happily in his mother’s arms, gurgling contentedly.
‘Dad, can we show them all my new Wendy house?’ Daisy pleaded, tugging on Andrew’s sleeve.
‘You’ve got a new Wendy house?’ Flora asked.
‘Yes, it’s next to the pool,’ Daisy replied.
‘Cool!’ Max said.
‘Awesome!’ Bella cooed.
‘Great idea, darling,’ Becca added. ‘Here, why don’t you take Fergus too?’ she suggested, passing the baby to Andrew. ‘I’ll go and get us all some drinks.’
Within moments the children were dragging Charlie and Andrew around the side of the house to visit Daisy’s pride and joy.
‘You must be so glad he’s back!’ Tasha said as she helped Becca make a round of squash in the kitchen. ‘I know Charlie is.’
‘It is lovely. Although it always seems to go by so quickly… Daisy is beside herself with excitement to have him home.’
‘I can tell.’
‘She’ll be heartbroken when he sets off again later in the year. She is just such a daddy’s girl.’
‘I really don’t know how you do it,’ Tasha said. ‘You’re so brave.’
‘Sadly I haven’t got much choice.’ Andrew had been selected for the SAS several years ago and was currently running a training programme in Northern Iraq.
‘I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like.’
‘In a strange way, you do just get used to it,’ Becca said. ‘You just have to get on with life, I suppose. And the children keep me so busy I don’t have time to think too much. Which is a good thing, I can tell you!’
‘You are amazing, Becca. Andrew is very lucky to have you. We all are. He must miss you all terribly, poor thing.’
‘I think it is really hard on him. But it’s his choice to stay in the army. I keep telling him that he can leave if he wants to. He could find work in a new industry. Maybe in finance, like Charlie. I’m sure he could pull some strings…’
‘Definitely. Do you think he ever will?’ Tasha asked.
‘I doubt it.’ Becca sighed. ‘He’s army through and through. It’s in his DNA. And it’s important to me that he does what he loves…’
Tasha watched through the window as Andrew flew Fergus through the air above his head, eliciting squeals of delight. Her heart went out to Becca. She was grateful that Charlie was not in harm’s way. She didn’t know how Becca coped as a single parent for such long stretches of time, not to mention the worry of something awful happening. The thought sent shivers down her spine.
After an alfresco lunch the children wasted no time changing into their swimming costumes and jumping into the pool. It was another hot day – it had been one of the hottest Junes on record – and it made a lovely change to escape the sweltering heat of London.
‘Watch out!’ Charlie shouted as he took a running sprint into the pool, tucking himself into a neat little ball and bombing into the water. A tidal wave exploded over the sides, soaking everyone apart from Fergus, who was having a nap inside.
‘Dad!’ squealed Flora, Max and Bella as they splashed him back with all their might.
‘My hair!’ shrieked Flora, making Tasha and Becca chuckle, another sign of the teenager beginning to emerge. Andrew was holding firmly onto Daisy in the shallow end where she was paddling about with her armbands. Tasha and Becca watched from their sunloungers by the side of the pool. Tasha stretched out her legs and sipped her glass of cold rosé.
‘God, I’d just love to live in the countryside,’ she said, looking at the flower beds bursting with colour as fat honeybees danced from one blossom to another, her gaze drifting across the rolling lawn that led down to the fields below.
‘It is pretty hard to beat, isn’t it?’ agreed Becca. ‘Especially on a day like this.’
‘Who’d live in London?’ asked Andrew. ‘Scorching heat, airless, sweaty commutes… not the life for me, thank you very much.’
‘Unfortunately some of us are well and truly bound to the daily grind.’ Charlie sighed. ‘Though coming here always makes me want to sack it all in. Oh, for a quiet, peaceful life. Maybe we should sell up and move down the road?’
‘Funny you should say that,’ Andrew said. ‘The Cunliffes were talking about putting their house on the market the other day. They want to move to Spain when Peter retires.’
‘Oh, yes? Which one’s that, then?’ Charlie asked.
‘Hazeldown. You know, the Tudor house with the topiary hedge a couple of miles down the road? You’ll pass it on the way home.’
‘I know the one,’ Charlie said.
‘Oh, please can we move here?’ begged Flora. ‘That’d be so cool.’
‘Yes, please, Daddy, ple-e-ease!’ chimed Bella and Max.
‘Can we get a pool?’ Flora asked.
‘We have to have a pool!’ squeaked Max in excitement.
‘That’s right, children, keep asking.’ Tasha laughed. ‘Maybe you’ll persuade Daddy!’
‘We’d love it if you moved here,’ said Becca. ‘Do you think we could really tempt you?’
‘Sadly I’m not sure I could survive the commute,’ Charlie said. ‘My hours are antisocial enough as it is.’
‘True,’ said Tasha. ‘You’d find it even harder to get home on time.’
‘You’d have to get a crash pad in the city,’ said Andrew.
‘Ha! Very likely.’ Charlie laughed. ‘With that spare million pounds I’ve got lying around in a Swiss bank account – no problem.’
‘You could always leave?’ Tasha suggested. ‘Get a local job, less pressure, less hours…’
‘Less money,’ Charlie added. ‘Who’d pay the mortgage?’
‘Well, it’s a nice idea,’ Tasha said. ‘Maybe one day…’
‘Can we have a race?’ Max interrupted, clearly bored of the adults’ conversation.
After a series of races and a long and competitive diving competition, Andrew, Charlie and the children played a hilarious game of Marco Polo with some extremely unsubtle cheating from Max. Tasha soaked up the sun and chatted to Becca about the children, about Caroline and Stephen, and Becca and Andrew’s plans for a summer holiday in Majorca.
All in all, it was a lovely afternoon. There was nothing like being away from home to truly relax. Tasha had to be physically removed from the possibility of doing housework to even have the chance of a rest. On the way back to London they drove past Hazeldown, the house Andrew had told them was potentially coming on the market.
‘Slow down,’ Tasha said, spotting the topiary hedge, rather unusually in the shape of a cockerel. ‘Let’s just have a quick look.’ Charlie raised an eyebrow as if to warn her not to get any ideas, before pulling over. There were no cars in the drive, and no lights on in the house.
‘The Cunliffes must be out,’ she said as she got out of the car and peered through the gate. It was a perfect Tudor house, all sprawling whitewashed walls and dark wooden beams. Rambling roses climbed the walls leading up to the thatched roof. Charlie appeared by her side, clearly unable to resist the temptation.
‘It is pretty amazing, isn’t it?’ he said.
‘Gorgeous. And just look at the view!’ The house was on the cusp of a hill, with a view for miles looking out over the rolling countryside.
After a few minutes lost in admiration they got back into the car and set off for home, both of them dreaming of a time in the future wher
e a life in the country might become their reality.
‘It’s so nice to have Andrew back home, isn’t it?’ Charlie said as he drove down the lanes leading back towards the motorway.
‘I was saying to Becca how brave she is coping with him away for so much of the time.’
‘She does cope very well without him.’ Charlie nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. ‘I may not work the most sociable hours, but at least I am around more than Andrew.’
Even Tasha couldn’t disagree with that. ‘True. Do you think he will ever leave the army?’
‘I don’t know. It’s a tricky one. A part of me thinks he might. But it’s his life, and he’s such a natural soldier. It’s just in his blood.’
‘I know what you mean.’
‘Maybe he will leave one day.’
‘I wonder…’ Tasha looked out of the window as the countryside whizzed by. It occurred to her, not for the first time, just how fragile life was. She turned around and looked at the children. They had all dozed off, exhausted from their energetic activity in the pool. They were breathing peacefully in their sleep. Tasha thanked her lucky stars that they were all healthy and happy. She sent up a prayer that it would always be so.
Chapter Eleven
‘Come on, Max!’ Tasha pleaded as she tried to persuade him to eat some more stir-fry. He had managed one mouthful then clamped his lips shut and refused to take another bite. This stand-off had been going on for thirty minutes and counting.
‘Mmmmm!’ he shouted angrily through his tightly sealed lips, shaking his head vigorously.
‘Please, darling! You need to eat.’ Tasha was trying her best to cajole him. She had tried ‘bad cop’, with zero impact, and was now trying ‘good cop’. Unfortunately, neither seemed to be working.
‘I’ve got so much homework to do,’ Flora groaned. Having finished her dinner, she was pulling books out of her school bag and piling them on the table.
‘You poor thing,’ Tasha empathised. ‘The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll be finished!’
‘What do you think I’m doing?’
‘There’s no need for that tone, thank you very much.’
‘I’ve got to practise my recorder, Mum,’ Bella said. ‘Can I get down, please?’ Tasha was grateful that at least one of her children could remember her manners.
‘Of course you can. You have finished your dinner,’ Tasha said pointedly, looking at Max.
At this point Max clearly decided that he had had enough. He bolted down from his chair, wriggling out of her attempt to catch hold of him and pin him to his seat. He darted into the sitting room.
Tasha chased after him.
‘Max! Come back here at once!’ she instructed, trying to sound authoritative.
‘I don’t WANT it!’ He spat the words out with as much venom as he could muster. ‘It’s DISGUSTING!’ He crawled into the tiny gap between the wall and the back of the sofa before putting his fingers in his ears and making a series of loud ‘bla, bla’ noises to drown his mother out.
‘Did you even eat any lunch?’ she asked, desperate to know whether he had had any sustenance at all that day. He had only managed a couple of spoonfuls of cereal that morning. The ‘bla-ing’ got louder. Deciding ignoring him might be her best tactic, she went back into the kitchen to help Bella retrieve her recorder music and encourage Flora with her homework. Minutes later she heard the television being switched on. Her spirits plummeted, knowing that a battle to wrestle the remote off him would ensue. Ignoring the temptation to leave him in peace for an easy life, she marched into the sitting room and switched the television off at the socket. Max screeched his disapproval.
‘I did not say you could watch television. Absolutely not!’ Tasha crossed her arms and attempted to look stern.
‘I hate you!’ Max shouted, his little face puce with outrage.
‘Charming!’ she replied.
He flung himself onto the floor, thrashing around like a fish out of water, pummelling the carpet with his mini fists. ‘UNFAIR!’ he shouted at the top of his lungs. Tasha pulled him up and frogmarched him back into the kitchen.
‘If you don’t eat your dinner then you won’t have your reward time watching television. If you want to watch television, you know what you have to do.’
‘I don’t want to do ANYTHING!’ he yelled. ‘I want to run away from this STUPID FAMILY!’
Tasha ignored him and concentrated on loading the dishwasher. Before long she could hear him begrudgingly pick up his fork and continue to eat his stir-fry.
‘Well done,’ she said. ‘That is a good decision.’ Another battle won, another mini-victory in the never-ending challenge of keeping her children alive and kicking in a semblance of civilisation.
Having simmered down, Max was granted permission to watch television for twenty minutes. His time was up just as Bella finished her recorder practice.
Right. Bath time. Tasha gathered her strength.
‘It’s time for a bath, let’s get you upstairs!’ she called cheerfully, walking back into the sitting room, trying to keep the mood light to prevent any further meltdowns.
‘NO!’ Max shouted. His eyes were still red from crying earlier. He sat curled up in a little ball, a furious expression back on his face.
‘Come on, Max,’ Bella said.
‘I don’t want a stupid bath.’
‘You need to wash! Don’t be silly!’
‘I am not being silly,’ Max retorted. ‘You are.’
Bella rolled her eyes and ignored her brother. Tasha was often amazed at her middle child’s mellow nature. She sometimes showed a maturity way beyond her years.
After another stand-off lasting a good ten minutes and requiring what felt like the patience of a saint, she finally managed to get him upstairs and into the bath.
Flora was still drowning in homework at the kitchen table by the time Tasha had finally persuaded Max to go to bed. She helped Flora finish up before sending her upstairs to join her siblings.
At long last Tasha slumped on the sofa in an exhausted heap. The sitting room looked as if it had been struck by a tornado. She felt frazzled and her head was pounding. All she could see ahead of her were endless days with the same battles to be fought, the same routines, the same house to be tidied and cleaned on infinite repeat. She fought the urge to scream. Instead, she hauled herself out of her chair and blitzed the sitting room like a whirling dervish. Charlie was still at work. She knew she should cook something but she couldn’t muster the energy so she took a frozen meal out of the freezer instead, setting it to defrost in the microwave. She poured herself a huge glass of red wine and took a large gulp. It occurred to her that she was drinking rather more than she should be at the moment as she pressed the speed dial for Rosie.
‘Please can we swap lives?’ she asked as Rosie answered the phone.
‘Uh oh! Difficult day with the little rascals?’
‘You could say that!’ Tasha slouched back into the sofa cushions. ‘Max has embarked on a new regime of evening meltdowns, Flora is stressed and struggling with all her homework. She can be a right madam sometimes. God knows what she’s going to be like when she starts secondary school. Thank God for Bella. She’s such an angel. If she starts too then I don’t know what I’ll do!’
‘Oh, God! You poor thing. Is Charlie home soon at least?’
‘Should be at some point. But in the meantime, I need to talk to someone over the age of ten. Tell me something normal… please!’
‘Well… I took your advice and asked Josh out.’
‘Oh, wow!’ Tasha was impressed. ‘Well done! What did he say?’
‘He turned me down.’
‘No! I can’t believe it!’
‘I love your unwavering faith in my pulling power. It’s not that surprising.’
‘Trust me, it is. What was his reason?’
‘Well, he’s not gay as you had suspected. He actually told me that he would be uncomfortable dating someone who writes a blog
about being single.’
‘I thought that might have something to do with it.’
‘I told him that I wouldn’t write about the date, but he said there wouldn’t be much point in dating someone who was resolutely single.’
‘Well, I can see his point…’
‘I said that just because I had been single up until now didn’t mean that I always would be, but he just laughed and politely declined. I’m actually quite gutted.’
‘I bet!’ Rosie had shown her pictures of Josh online and she could see why. He was gorgeous.
‘I don’t know what I can do to persuade him. I really like him… And the fact that he said “no” just makes me want him even more.’
‘Finally a man seems to have got under your skin! I knew the time would come eventually!’
‘It’s driving me nuts. I can’t stop thinking about him!’
‘You’ll just have to convince him somehow. Do you reckon if it weren’t for the blog then he’d have said “yes”?’
‘He gave me that impression.’
‘Well, you are right, you may not be single forever! Just because you haven’t met the right guy yet doesn’t mean you never will. I think you’ll just have to try a bit harder to persuade him!’
*
As they ate their lunch after Pilates the next day, Tasha filled Flo in on Max’s delightful temper tantrums.
Flo was full of sympathy. ‘Megan went through the exact same thing last year. I reckon it was the usual “end-of-term-itis” combined with nerves about moving into Key Stage Two. And this heat probably isn’t helping either.’
‘God, I certainly hope it’s just a phase. The thought of Max being like this for the entire summer holidays is enough to make me want to end it all!’ Tasha winced, panic welling within her at the thought.
‘I’m signing up for every single holiday camp and club I can find. I can’t believe we haven’t got any holidays planned this summer. What were we thinking? What about you? You’re going away, aren’t you?’
‘We’ve got the usual week in Dorset. The kids are so excited already!’
‘Jeeze, five and a half weeks is a long old time, isn’t it?’
The Distance Between Us Page 6