by Hannah Ellis
An announcement was being made about a game of cricket when Mike sidled up to me. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring enough lemonade so I’m going to go and fetch some more.” He gave me a serious look. “I’d advise you to make yourself scarce while they pick teams. Do not get involved in the cricket game, whatever you do.”
“I was thinking it might be fun.”
“It’s not,” he told me. “It’s the exact opposite of fun. They say it’s a friendly game but it’s not. People get competitive. Save yourself!”
“I might just nip to the toilet…”
“Good plan. I’m just fetching some lemonade,” Mike shouted to the man who was organising the cricket.
As I headed into the community centre, I pretended not to hear Ruth calling for me to come and join in. The game was in full swing when I went back outside. I sat on our picnic blanket to watch from a safe distance. Emily was sitting with a couple of girls from her class, diligently making daisy chains. Hailey was perched on the wall by the road with Zac and Imogen.
A friend of Ruth’s strode towards me and I fought to remember her name. Then it came to me: Mary. I stood and smiled politely when she got near. She drew me in for a hug and asked how I was.
“I saw you visiting Tom a while back,” she said quietly. I’d wondered what her agenda was when she’d marched over to me so purposefully. Thank goodness Adam wasn’t around. I’d never told him about my visits to Tom. It was difficult for me to bring up. Sadly, no one seemed to want to mention Tom, and I worried it would just cause upset if they knew I’d been talking to him.
Mary tilted her head, waiting for me to respond.
I smiled benignly, staying quiet. I didn’t owe her any explanation.
“Life can be so cruel, can’t it?” she said after a moment. “How’s Ruth doing?”
“Up and down,” I said vaguely. “It’s hard for her. But she puts on a brave face.”
“Whenever I try to talk to her, she clams up and says she’s fine.” She tutted. “Of course she’s not fine. How could she be? I can’t even begin to imagine how she feels. I couldn’t cope if I were her.”
“She focuses on the kids,” I said, uncomfortable with the conversation. Thankfully Mike sauntered over, and Mary excused herself to re-join her husband.
“You saved me!” I told Mike, settling myself on the blanket again.
“You’re welcome! I brought you another drink,” he said, sitting beside me and handing me my second alcoholic beverage of the day. “But in return I need your advice on something.”
“Okay. What?”
“Well, don’t laugh … but what do you think of this?” He tapped on his smartphone and then passed it to me. “Remember, you’re not allowed to laugh.”
“Oh,” I said, scanning the page. “Internet dating?”
“Yes. I know it’s ridiculous, but apparently that’s what people do these days. What do you think of my profile?”
“It looks fine.”
“Fine?”
“Good. I meant good. Did you match with anyone yet? Or whatever you do?”
“I found a few possibilities,” he told me, tapping the phone to bring up a woman’s profile. “But I’ve not actually messaged them yet. Do you think she’s got funny hair?”
“You can’t judge her on her hair!”
“So you do think she has funny hair!” he said, grinning.
“How would you like it if she judged you on your looks?” I clicked back to Mike’s profile to scrutinise it properly.
“What’s wrong with my looks?”
“You’ve picked a good photo, actually,” I said. “Do you think that’s a good idea? They might be disappointed when they see you in the flesh…”
“Okay, give me the phone.” He went to take it from me and I held it out of his reach. “I thought you were older than that,” I said, reading through his personal details.
“What?” He snatched the phone back. “Are you serious? How old did you think I was?”
“I don’t know. Older than thirty-eight!”
He stuck his bottom lip out.
“Sorry! Don’t look at me like that. I thought you were … er, thirty-nine, that’s all.”
“Liar!” He smiled. “Remind me not to ask you for advice again.”
“I’m sorry. I was only joking around. I think it’s a good profile.”
“You’ve made me self-conscious about it now!”
“Don’t say that.” I looked at him, feeling bad for not taking it seriously. “I honestly think it’s good. I’d date you.” An awkward silence fell as soon as the words had left my mouth. Mike shifted his gaze to the cricket game.
“I told you they get competitive,” he said after someone yelled at the batsman when he missed the ball.
Then a shadow fell on me, and I looked up – at Adam. “How did you two manage to get out of the big match?” he asked.
“Hi!” I grinned at him and he kissed me before shaking Mike’s hand.
“I meant to warn you not to get involved in the cricket,” Adam said, draping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me to him. “Any idea who’s winning?”
“I’ve not got a clue,” Mike said. “No broken noses yet, though, so it’s going well.”
Adam smiled and I threw him a questioning look.
“Jim took a ball to the nose one year,” he told me. “It was a blood bath.” I looked around, trying to remember which one Jim was.
“It livened things up,” Mike said, standing. “I’d better go and check on the drink situation. I’ll catch you later.”
“I’m hoping we can sneak off soon,” Adam said.
“It’s all right for some,” Mike replied. “Arrive late and leave early. You’ve got the right idea!”
I moved closer to Adam when Mike had left us, happy he was there.
“Sorry I had to work,” he whispered.
“It’s fine. Angela and Ben looked after me. And Mike.”
“That’s good. I thought you’d be going crazy by now.”
“I’m glad you made it,” I told him.
“Me too.”
Then Emily spotted him and ran straight at him. “Uncle Adam!” she called, flinging herself at him. He did a fake fall onto his back and threw her up in the air, zooming her around above him until she squealed for him to put her down.
“Can we get Hailey and go home?” Adam looked at me. “I just want to be with my girls.”
“Yes! Just say hello to your mum first so we don’t get into trouble.”
“Okay. You get Hailey.”
I said a few quick goodbyes and negotiated with Hailey that she could stay a little longer. Adam had Emily on his shoulders as we walked home. I turned and caught Mike’s eye across the field, giving him a quick wave before we set off up the hill.
Chapter 13
I was usually up early – dragged out of sleep by an alarm or a five-year-old – and it felt strange to wake up of my own accord. The smell of bacon lured me downstairs, yawning. Adam kissed me and handed me a bacon sandwich.
“This is nice,” I said, joining Hailey and Emily at the table. “I thought you’d be at work by now.”
“I rang in sick,” he confessed, taking a seat opposite me.
“That’s naughty,” I said, smiling at him.
“Are you sick?” Emily asked.
“No, he’s faking it,” Hailey told her.
“I’d just rather stay home with you today,” Adam explained to Emily.
“Did you tell a lie?” Emily asked, her eyes wide.
Adam looked at me and I took a bite of my sandwich, unable to hide my amusement.
“Sometimes it’s okay to lie,” Hailey said.
“Well, not really,” Adam said, looking lost. “Er … what shall we do today?”
“Gran’s coming over to teach me how to knit,” Emily announced.
I gave Adam a look and caught Hailey rolling her eyes.
“Oh.” Adam stared at me. “But weren’t we goi
ng to go out? I thought we were going to go for a little day trip.”
“Where to?” Emily asked.
“The beach!” Adam told her.
She eyed him suspiciously. “What about Gran?”
“I’ll ring her and tell her we’re going out. Maybe she can knit with you tomorrow?”
“Okay,” Emily agreed.
“Run upstairs and get dressed then if you’ve finished your breakfast,” Adam said to her.
We watched her skip out of the kitchen.
“So how long have we been planning to go to the beach for?” I asked.
Adam raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been thinking about it.”
“You’re such a liar!” Hailey grinned at him.
“Do you want to spend the day knitting and getting into trouble about the state of the house?” he shot back at her.
“I’ll go and get dressed,” she said, smiling. “And find my raincoat!”
“So, we’re going to the beach?” I glanced outside and saw the fine mist of drizzly rain.
“In the rain, apparently,” Adam said. “And quick, before Mum arrives!”
“Poor Ruth.” I sighed, but couldn’t hide my smile as I picked up the plates and took them to the sink.
“Poor Ruth?” Adam laughed. “You’ve changed your tune. You’re always complaining about how much she’s here!”
“I guess we did see her yesterday,” I said. “And we’ll see her tomorrow!”
“Exactly. I don’t feel like listening to her nagging all day.”
“Welcome to my world!” I said. “And you can’t complain; you can do no wrong in her eyes. It must be nice to be so wonderful!”
He grinned at me. “Just shut up and get ready, will you?”
I think we packed as much for a day trip as I’d normally pack for a week away. It was a little under an hour’s drive to the coast – and, surprisingly, the only bickering was between Adam and me while we debated whether or not to believe the sat-nav. I was convinced it was taking us on its own little mystery tour. Finally we crossed into Wales and hit the coastline.
“We used to go to the beach in France,” Hailey said when we pulled into a deserted car park in Rhyl. “But it was always hot and sunny.”
“I like a blustery day at the beach,” Adam said.
“There’s no one else here,” Emily commented when we exited the car and looked up and down the long stretch of sandy beach.
“No one else is as crazy as we are!” Hailey said, shivering as the wind whipped around us. At least the rain had stopped.
“It’s a perfect kite day,” Adam said cheerfully. I made sure the girls were wrapped up warmly, and then put on everything I’d brought, which had looked a lot when I was getting in the car but seemed distinctly insufficient now. The gusts coming off the sea brought the temperature right down, and it was hard to believe that yesterday we’d managed to spend the entire afternoon outside in comfortably mild weather.
I spread out a blanket on the sand and watched Adam help the girls to get their kites airborne. The sound of seagulls squawking hit me intermittently, caught on the breeze as the birds flew low over the water. It was bleak, but there was something exhilarating about the deserted beach and the brisk sea air.
“I’ll give it about half an hour before they’re complaining they’re freezing and want to go home,” I told Adam when he sat down beside me.
“They’re loving it,” he said. “It’s you who’s got no sense of adventure!”
“Maybe just bad circulation,” I told him, rubbing my hands together. He took my hands in his, blowing on them before rubbing them between his hands. I leaned into him and he put an arm around my shoulder.
We watched the kites soar overhead until Emily’s dive-bombed and she burst into tears. Adam jogged over to help her while Hailey shouted sisterly words of encouragement. Her voice was distorted by the wind, but I’m fairly sure she was saying something about Emily being a cry-baby.
Then two girls and a guy arrived in wetsuits and nodded at me as they passed me, heading for the water, surfboards under their arms. It was hypnotic watching them ride the waves so expertly. Emily soon came and cuddled up to me, equally enthralled by them.
After a while, I shuffled Emily off my lap and took her for a walk along the beach, looking for shells and shards of sea glass to fill her bucket with. The temperature was more bearable if I kept moving.
When we returned, Adam had retrieved the picnic from the boot of the car. We wolfed down sandwiches and crisps before giving in to the cold and piling back in to the car, turning up the heating.
After ten minutes, I glanced into the back seat: Emily was fast asleep and Hailey looked content as she gazed out of the window. My lips twitched into a smile and I felt myself relax. It hit me: we’d turned the corner I’d been waiting for. It felt like I’d been telling myself for an eternity that things would get better, and for the first time I felt we were doing okay. Better than that, we were happy. Things really would be okay.
How little I knew.
Chapter 14
“They’re still glued to the TV,” Angela told me when I arrived to pick Hailey up late on Friday afternoon. The older kids had loved the sports club and Angela, Karen and I had shared the driving. After the club, the kids had lunch together and played at one of our houses in the afternoon.
That day they’d all gone back to Angela’s place and I’d had a phone call from Angela after lunch to ask if it was okay for Hailey to watch Star Wars. The question had caught me off guard and made me feel, once again, that I had no idea what I was doing. I wouldn’t even have questioned it had Angela not asked, and then I was left wondering why it wouldn’t be okay. I told Angela if it was okay for the other kids then it was okay for Hailey.
“Tea or coffee?” Angela asked when I followed her into the kitchen.
“Tea, please.”
“Is Emily with Ruth?”
“Yeah, they were busy baking. I can’t believe the holidays are over already.” I took a seat at the table and looked out over the fields. “And I can’t believe how painless it’s been. I was dreading two weeks at home with the kids.”
“I’m the same,” she said. “It’s usually nice to get back to work for a break. The nice weather has helped, though. It’s always easier when I can throw them outside to play.”
“I spoke to Adam about Hailey changing schools,” I told her.
“And?”
“He thinks it’s a good idea. He’s going to talk to Ruth, but I think we’ll try and get her into the local school in September.”
We’d had a good chat the evening after we’d been to the beach, and Adam had agreed it might be good for Hailey to go to school in Havendon and meet more of the local children.
“You won’t have a problem getting a place for her. It’s Ruth who’ll be your obstacle.”
“It’s not her decision. At the end of the day, it’s up to Adam.”
“Yeah, but you know Ruth. She likes to have her say.” Angela put a cup of tea in front of me and took a seat opposite me.
“I think she’ll be okay with it. Especially seeing how much better Hailey’s doing now.”
“Fingers crossed. I was thinking the other day I’d like to get more family photos taken. Do you think Adam would take some more of us?”
“I doubt it. Unfortunately.”
She searched my face, obviously wondering if I was joking. “He won’t make time for an old friend?”
“It’s not time that’s the issue, really – though he doesn’t have much of that. He’s just stopped taking photos. His camera hasn’t seen the light of day for a long time.”
“That’s a shame. Could you ask him for me?”
“I can try.”
Hailey walked in and dropped into the chair next to me. “We watched Star Wars!” she told me. “It’s so cool! Can we stay a bit longer?”
“No. We need to get home,” I said. “Your gran was cooking, and Adam should be home soon. Go and s
ay bye to Zac and Imogen.”
She ambled back out of the kitchen and I thanked Angela for having her over.
Hailey talked non-stop on the way home – and all through dinner. I decided I didn’t need to watch Star Wars, since she’d given me a full, detailed rundown of the plot. We ate with Ruth; Adam ended up coming home late as usual. Ruth had already left when he got home, and Hailey immediately filled him in on her afternoon.
“You watched Star Wars?” He looked at me and then back at Hailey, who nodded enthusiastically.
“It’s so cool,” she told him.
“Who said she could watch Star Wars?”
“I thought it would be okay,” I said. “The other kids were watching it.”
“I can’t believe it.” He looked sternly at Hailey. “You make me watch bloody mermaids, and then you watch Star Wars without me?”
Hailey laughed and leaned into him, her arms around his waist. “You could download it. I’ll watch it again.”
“Good idea,” he said and then looked at me with a cheeky grin. “Are we allowed to stay up late?”
“I was just about to send them up to bed.”
“Please,” Hailey and Adam said in unison.
“Fine, but wait until I’ve got Emily upstairs and out of the way.”
They high-fived, then Adam went to heat up his dinner while I went to persuade Emily up to bed.
*****
It was Sunday night before I knew it. I had a sinking feeling about work the next day, which was unusual. I thought I’d be raring to get back. “I like the school holidays,” I told Adam, sitting beside him on the couch when the girls were tucked up in bed.
“I thought the girls would have driven you mad. Or my mum.”
“It’s been surprisingly easy,” I said. “Though there’ve been a few moments when I’ve wanted to throttle Ruth. But Hailey’s been so much better. I think it’s been good for her, making friends with Zac and Imogen.”
“Really? I thought she was pretty miserable all weekend.”
“Probably because you let her stay up so late on Friday. She always gets grumpy when she has a late night. And I think she’s upset that the school holidays are over too. She got very annoyed when Ruth asked if her school uniform was washed and ironed.”