by Sophie Hart
Aimee felt the all-too-familiar pangs of guilt sitting hollowly in the pit of her stomach. How could she explain to her mother that every time she suggested going to visit her parents, Jon came up with some excuse – he had to work, or he was tired, or they would definitely go next week. Or that whenever she and Jon did go round to visit Pauline and Ken, Jon always came away complaining about how small her parents’ house was, or that he was allergic to their cat, Tinkerbell, or that her father’s table manners left something to be desired, as he mopped up his leftover gravy with a slice of thick white bread.
‘It’s just hard,’ Aimee tried. ‘Especially now that Val’s on her own. At least you’ve got Dad, but she doesn’t have anyone now.’ Aimee saw her mother’s face drop, and hastily added, ‘But we haven’t made any decisions yet. I’ll speak to Jon and let you know, okay?’
Pauline nodded stiffly, staring straight ahead, and Aimee could tell she was upset.
Would it always be like this, Aimee wondered? Forever trying to balance the needs of her husband and his demanding mother with trying not to offend her own parents? And what about when she and Jon had children? Then the issue would be ten times worse, with everyone fighting for priority on Christmas, birthdays, family occasions.
Aimee reached over to take her mother’s hand. ‘Don’t worry,’ she told her, with a reassuring squeeze. ‘Of course we’ll see you on Christmas Day. I wouldn’t want it any other way.’
Mother and daughter turned back to the catwalk show, which was now reaching its grand finale. The bride was showcasing an enormous, Princess Diana-style dress, all puffed sleeves and a three-foot train. She was flanked by the little girl, wearing a mini replica of the model’s gown, and the pageboy all dressed up in a dinner jacket with black bow tie. As they posed at the end of the runway, everyone applauded, with a few of the audience getting to their feet immediately and making a beeline for the most popular stalls.
Julia stood up, smoothing down her skirt and looking around at the three women. ‘What do you say we head upstairs for cake and champagne?’
‘Yes, please,’ Aimee nodded eagerly. The way today was going, a drink was exactly what she needed.
9
‘There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage’ – Martin Luther
‘Hey there, Jacky-boy, how are you? Did you have a good time?’
Jack burbled away happily as Julia covered his face with kisses, holding him close as though she hadn’t seen him for days.
‘He’s great,’ Debbie smiled reassuringly. ‘He had lots of fun with us, didn’t you, Jack? We played with the train set, and with the building blocks, and did some potato prints. I’d say he’s just about ready for a nap now.’
‘Thanks so much, Debbie. It sounds ridiculous, but I was so nervous about being away from him, even though it was only for a couple of hours.’
‘No need to explain. I see it all the time, and it’s perfectly understandable. It just means that the next time you bring him, you won’t be quite so worried, and you can leave him a bit longer. It gets easier, honestly.’
Julia had just returned from leaving Jack at Two Trees Nursery for the very first time. She’d had an appointment with Valerie to view the final proofs for the Save the Date cards; they’d been approved, meaning Julia could instruct the designer to go ahead with the production of two hundred copies. From there, they’d be sent to the calligrapher, who would hand-write them in beautiful italic script, before they were posted out to the great and good of Norfolk society.
Julia had considered taking Jack with her to the meeting, but she wasn’t sure Valerie would be particularly sympathetic if she turned up hoisting an eight-month-old on her hip, covering the precious Save the Dates with sticky fingers and drool. So she’d taken the plunge and booked him in for a two-hour trial at the nursery. He certainly looked in fine fettle, Julia thought, relieved, as she brushed his fine, dark hair out of his green eyes, which were closing sleepily.
If the truth be told, Julia had been increasingly anxious about leaving Jack since that night she’d met Debbie at Zumba. She’d returned home to find her baby son still awake and grizzling, with Nick stressed out and bad-tempered. Jack had settled down as soon as he’d seen Julia, which had only increased Nick’s exasperation, and Julia couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of concern over the way father and son were struggling to bond.
‘We should definitely meet up some time too,’ Julia told Debbie brightly, pushing her worries out of her mind and stepping to one side as half a dozen other mothers came in to reclaim their toddlers and the corridor turned into a busy thoroughfare. ‘You know, we can have a chat about your wedding, get to know each other a bit better.’
‘That sounds great. How about this weekend?’
‘Sure.’ Julia moved politely out of the way as a large-busted woman with cropped reddy-purple hair dashed past. ‘I’ll text you.’
‘Yeah, definitely. Anyway I’d better get on. See you soon.’ The space was getting even busier, as Debbie turned to reunite parents with their children, helping the little ones to pull on their coats and scarves.
Julia gave her a final wave, then began to make her way towards the front door.
‘Jules, I just remembered,’ she heard Debbie shout after her. Julia turned around. ‘I wanted to introduce you to Gill. Gill, this is Julia, the wedding planner I was telling you about. Gill’s getting married too,’ Debbie explained, indicating the purple-haired woman Julia had noticed a few moments ago.
‘Well, eventually,’ Gill laughed. ‘If we ever find the time. Everything’s always pretty manic in my house.’
‘That’s why I wanted you to meet Julia,’ Debbie said excitedly. ‘She’s a professional wedding planner. She could do all of that for you.’
‘I should put you on commission,’ Julia joked, before turning to Gill. ‘Congratulations, by the way.’
‘Second time around,’ Gill told her. ‘Been there, done that, so it’s not quite such a big deal this time. Hey, Sammy!’ she exclaimed, as the little boy rushed up to her, eager to show off the snowman he’d made from a plastic cup and a ball of cotton wool. ‘Clever boy, Sam. We’ll put that straight on the mantelpiece when we get home.’
Sam beamed proudly, looking up at the three women.
‘Is it your little boy that was poorly the other week?’ Julia wondered, as she recognised Sam. ‘I came to look round with Jack, and Debbie was taking him to the sick bay for a stomach ache.’
Gill nodded. ‘Yeah, it was just a bug I think. The kids are always picking them up, but he’s fine now, aren’t you Sam?’ She ruffled his hair affectionately, as he leant against her leg. ‘Well, we’d better get going. It was nice to meet you, Julia, I’m sure I’ll bump into you again.’
‘What are you both doing now?’ Debbie cut in, as something occurred to her. ‘Only my shift finishes in about five minutes, once everyone’s out of here, and we could all head for a coffee or something, have some wedding chat. I’m driving Stevie mad trying to get his opinion on flowers and favours, so it’d be nice to talk it over with people who understand.’
‘I’ve got to pick the twins up from school in…’ Gill looked at her phone. ‘About forty minutes.’
‘You’ve got twins as well?’ Julia exclaimed.
‘Yep. Not to mention twelve- and thirteen-year-old girls, who already give me as much attitude as if they were ten years older. They’re not all mine though,’ she explained hastily, as she saw Julia’s jaw drop. ‘Sammy here, and Paige, the twelve-year-old, are my fiancé’s from his previous marriage.’
‘I don’t know how you do it.’ Julia was genuinely in awe. ‘I’ve only got one and I’m constantly shattered. How do you cope with five?’
‘You check your sanity at the door and drink a lot of coffee,’ Gill chuckled.
‘Speaking of which, I’m sure you could squeeze in a quick one now, couldn’t you?’ Debbie pleaded. ‘There’s Mimi’s round the
corner, and they’re very child-friendly. You could have a half-hour pit-stop and still be in time to collect the twins.’
Gill looked torn. ‘Are you coming, Julia?’
Julia made an instant decision. ‘Yeah, why not? Jack can always sleep in his buggy, and my husband won’t be home for another couple of hours.’
‘Go on then, you’ve twisted my arm,’ Gill grinned, as she steered Sam towards the door.
‘I’ll go grab my coat,’ Debbie said eagerly.
* * *
Ten minutes later, the women were sitting at a table in Mimi’s, three coffees and a large chocolate chip cookie in front of them.
‘Do you want some, Debbie?’ Julia asked, as she broke off a piece and popped it in her mouth.
‘No thanks,’ Debbie shook her head. ‘I’m sticking to the diet.’
‘You’ve been doing brilliantly,’ Julia told her admiringly. ‘Honestly, I can really see the difference from that first Zumba class.’
Debbie smiled, pleased and proud. ‘I’ve lost nearly half a stone. I mean, there’s still loads to go obviously.’
‘Half a stone?’ Gill looked impressed, and guiltily put the cookie back down. ‘I haven’t even thought about losing weight for the wedding. I suppose it would be nice to, but it’ll probably be a case of Mike taking me as he finds me. Sam, do you want a piece?’ She held up the cookie, but Sam shook his head. He was happily playing with Maisy, a girl of his age who went to the same nursery, and whose mother was having tea with a friend a couple of tables away. Sammy and Maisy were sitting on the floor in the carpeted area, with paper and coloured pencils provided by the cafe, whilst Jack was sleeping in his pushchair beside Julia.
‘So we think we’ve found our reception venue,’ Debbie said excitedly. ‘Do you know the Tythe Barn, over near South Walsham? It’s a converted barn, and it’s sooo pretty.’
‘I’ve never been there, but I’ve seen it online, and I’ve heard great things about it,’ Julia replied. ‘Eloise, who runs it, is supposed to be lovely. Really nice and super organised.’
‘She is, we met her last week. I was wondering, Julia, if you wouldn’t mind coming with me to see it some time. You can let me know what you think, and I’m sure you’ll have loads of great ideas for how to decorate it and stuff. We’re actually getting married at the parish church in the village – it’s where I grew up – so this will just be for the evening do.’
‘Sure, I’d love to. Plus I’m sure you won’t mind if I bring Jack with me. Not all of my clients are quite so understanding.’
‘Of course not. He’s always so well behaved.’
‘I’m not sure about that,’ Julia said doubtfully. ‘You don’t see him when he’s grizzling in the middle of the night, refusing to go back to sleep without a feed. Anyway, what about you, Gill? Have you picked a venue?’
Gill shook her head, looking stressed. ‘We’ve barely decided on anything. We were supposed to get married last summer, but we’ve been pushing the date back and back. At the moment we’re thinking we’ll have a registry office ceremony, and maybe a hotel for the reception, but it might all change still.’
‘Just book somewhere, then you can’t get out of it,’ Debbie suggested.
‘That might be the way forward. But we can’t even decide on what kind of wedding we want. I mean, Mike and I would love something really simple, but then there’s the kids to consider too, and they all have really different ideas. Then Kelly, my eldest, doesn’t want us to get married at all, and just pours cold water on everything we suggest.’
‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ Julia sympathised. ‘Does she not get along with Mike?’
Gill shook her head. ‘And it’s not for lack of trying on his part. I think he’s great with her – you know, he’s friendly and supportive, but not trying to replace her dad. I think it’s the age she’s at. She’s very defensive, and she argues like crazy with his daughter, Paige, who’s only a few months younger.’
‘And you all live together, all the time?’
Gill nodded. ‘Well, Kelly and the twins go to stay with their dad, Ian, every couple of weeks, which makes the house a little more peaceful. Me and Ian have a fairly civilised relationship now – I won’t be inviting him to the wedding, but I’d never stop him seeing the kids.’
‘What about Mike’s children?’ Julia wondered, nodding towards Sam. ‘Do they see their mum?’
‘No, not really. She lives in Cyprus now. It’s not a great situation. The whole family were on holiday there – this was back when Mike and Tina were still married, and Sammy was about nine months old. They got back from holiday, then a week later Tina announced she was leaving him and moving to Cyprus to live with some bloke. Poor Mike didn’t have a clue she’d even met anyone out there.’
Julia and Debbie were staring at Gill, utterly stunned.
‘She took the kids with her at first,’ Gill continued. ‘Apparently Mike was gutted, as you can imagine. I think he went off the rails a bit – you know, drinking, not going into work. But after a couple of months, Tina called and asked him to fly out and take the children home with him. I think they were getting in the way of her new relationship.’ Gill’s pursed-lipped expression showed exactly what she thought about that.
‘Mike was on his own for a few months before we got together – I met him at the school gates actually, when he was picking up Paige and I was collecting Kelly. So I’ve been with them for about two and a half years now, and I really do feel like they’re my kids too. It can be a struggle at times, especially financially, but we get by.’
There was silence around the small table. Julia was shaking her head in disbelief. ‘I can’t believe a mother could just abandon her children like that,’ she burst out. Looking at Jack, sound asleep and vulnerable, she found it impossible to imagine ever giving him up. She’d found it hard enough leaving him for two hours that afternoon.
‘Me neither,’ Gill agreed, taking a sip of her coffee. ‘Obviously I have to be careful what I say in front of the kids,’ she continued, glancing over at Sammy. ‘But I just don’t get how someone could do that.’
‘Have they seen her since?’ Debbie wondered.
‘Mike took them over to Cyprus the summer before last, but it didn’t go well. Sammy didn’t really understand who Tina was, and while Paige wanted to spend time with her mother, it was a bit half-hearted on Tina’s part. Some days she’d spoil her rotten and they’d have an incredible time. Other days, she never showed up, and Paige naturally got really upset. It’s like birthdays and Christmas – sometimes she makes an effort and sends them beautiful cards and gifts. Other years they don’t hear a thing.’
‘That must be so hard for them,’ Julia sighed.
‘They’re so lucky to have you,’ Debbie added, leaning across to give Gill an affectionate squeeze.
‘Thanks,’ Gill smiled. ‘Anyway, you can see all the issues we’re dealing with. And if it’s like that in everyday life, imagine trying to plan a wedding with all that baggage!’
‘Any tips, Julia?’ Debbie asked, as she finished her cappuccino and made a mental note to be extra strict with her calories when it came to dinner that night.
‘Hmm, well I’ve never come across a situation quite like this before,’ Julia began thoughtfully, turning to Gill. ‘If you and Mike aren’t too bothered about where and how you get married, maybe you should get all the kids involved. You know, let them come up with ideas and help with the planning.’
Gill’s eyes widened. ‘I’d have a wedding day with wizards and magicians, and a One Direction tribute band, where everyone eats pizza and ice cream and I’m dressed like Elsa from Frozen!’
‘Sounds amazing,’ Debbie quipped. ‘In fact, I might do that for mine.’
‘Well maybe don’t let them plan the entire wedding,’ Julia continued. ‘You and Mike can veto anything too extreme – but you could definitely get them involved.’
‘Or maybe you get your small registry office ceremony, but the kids get to o
rganise the reception,’ Debbie chimed in.
‘And I’d be happy to speak to them,’ Julia offered. ‘You know, if they wanted to plan some surprises, or find out more about venues and themes.’
Gill’s forehead was creased in thought. ‘That might be a good idea…’ she said slowly. ‘Everyone’s here this weekend, so I could call a family meeting and get all the kids’ suggestions and input. If we can get everyone on board, this wedding might finally happen!’
‘I think it sounds perfect,’ Debbie breathed, as Gill glanced at her phone and jumped up in alarm.
‘Is that the time? I’m going to be late picking up the twins. Maybe I’m not a candidate for Mother of the Year after all.’ She pulled on her coat and drained her coffee. ‘Come on Sam, time to go now.’ Sam looked up at her and his sweet face crumpled. ‘Say goodbye to Maisy, we can do some more drawing when we get home. Right now, we’ve got to go pick up Freddy and Finlay, so get a wriggle on.’
Sam was crying loudly now, completely uncooperative as Gill zipped up his thick jacket and pulled on his mittens. Not even the remains of the giant cookie could appease him.
‘Thanks for the coffee, ladies, I enjoyed it. I’ll see you both soon.’
‘Bye, Gill.’
‘Nice to meet you.’
‘She’s lovely, isn’t she?’ Debbie grinned, as Gill walked out of the door. ‘I knew you two would get on. I just hope she gets to have a great wedding. She deserves it.’
‘Yeah, definitely,’ Julia nodded. ‘I agree that she needs to have a really special day. Leave it with me. I might have one or two ideas…’
10
‘Marriage is like a besieged castle; those who are on the outside wish to get in; and those who are on the inside wish to get out’ – Arabian proverb