“Sorry about the cold, the heater will get going in a minute,” the cab driver called out to nobody in particular.
Megan studied them from the corner of her eye. Maybe it really was time to move on; make her decision. She was starting to feel more and more claustrophobic and trapped, and those were feelings she didn’t appreciate one little bit.
The cab pulled up outside the buzzing theatre and Alison slid out with Kelly, leaving Megan behind to pay the fare.
“We’re here!” Alison said excitedly, the little girl’s eyes beaming as she saw the queue of children.
“Can you read what it says? The Snowman! Isn’t this just the best surprise?”
Kelly’s eyes lit up and she jumped up and down chanting, “Snowman! Snowman!” excitedly.
Seconds later Megan joined them in the queue.
Alison turned to look at Megan who stood stony-faced beside her. “Is this how’s it’s going to be all day? If it is, I’d rather you just went back to the hotel.”
Megan ignored her, staring straight ahead.
“Megan, did you hear what I said?”
The woman in front with two small children turned and eyed them both. In an instant Megan bent down to Kelly. “Hey sweetheart, how about I get us some sweets for the show?” She glanced up again to see the woman smiling down at her.
Kelly looked at Megan with caution. “Can I have some popcorn?”
“You can have whatever you want,” she said planting a kiss on her braided hair, before standing back up again.
“She’s adorable,” the woman said.
“We think so too,” Megan replied with a wide smile as she playfully nudged Alison.
Alison’s face was fixed in a scowl as the woman glanced from Alison to Megan. Megan gave her a small smile and a this-is-what-I-have-to-put-up-with look then shrugged, happy when she saw the sympathetic look in the stranger’s eyes.
Finally, they negotiated the crowds and arrived in the lobby of the theatre. Kelly grabbed hold of Megan’s hand and pulled her towards the counter. “Look popcorn, Mummy M.”
Megan forced a laugh. “Hold your horses, sweetheart. Let me see if Mummy wants anything.” She released Kelly’s hand, letting her run off by herself. Turning to Alison she said, “Come on, let’s make up. I forgive you.”
Alison’s mouth flew open. “You …”
Megan reached out and held her shoulder. “Look, let’s not make a scene. You don’t want to spoil Kelly’s day, do you?”
No response.
Megan laughed good-naturedly. “Good, let’s go and get some sweets then.”
Megan slipped her arm around Alison’s waist and pulled her close. “Hopefully Kelly will sleep through the whole night if we tire her out enough today,” she said pulling Alison into an embrace and kissing her on the mouth, ignoring the stares of passersby.
“Mummy M, Mummy M, I’m over here,” Kelly called from in front of the counter, waving her little arm, with a bag of popcorn in her hand.
“Come on, let’s go and have some fun,” Megan said, taking Alison by the hand and leading her towards Kelly.
***
The sound of children’s laughter filled the theatre as Brooke and Danni made their way down the aisle to their seats. Brooke was grateful Danni had booked seats in the dress circle which meant they had a perfect view of the stage and no bobbing heads obscuring them.
“I can’t believe I’m actually going to see this show at last,” Brooke said smiling, not even attempting to conceal her child-like excitement as she leant over the balcony to look beneath her. As she scanned the crowd, the intense anticipation soon turned to confusion as she narrowed her eyes, squinting as her vision honed in on a familiar figure. Megan! She would recognise that white fur-hooded jacket anywhere. How could it be? Brooke watched as Megan’s arm casually encircled the woman sat beside her, a small child on her lap. Her mind veered between shock and disbelief. What on earth was she doing here, in London with another woman?
“Hey don’t lean too far over, I’d hate to traumatise all these kids if you fell over,” Danni joked, gently enclosing Brooke’s wrist with her hand and giving it a small tug.
Brooke barely heard her. Her mind was too busy concentrating on the scene playing out beneath her – they looked like a perfect family of three. Reluctantly, Brooke eased back into her seat as the lights dimmed and the stage curtain parted.
She felt Danni’s cheek brush her ear, the sweet scent of perfume assailing her senses. “Are you okay?”
Brooke turned to her and held her gaze. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She was too stunned, too shocked to utter a sound. Instead, she nodded dumbly and slowly looked back to the stage as a little boy in pyjamas appeared, dwarfed by the stage props. She sat paralysed, trying her hardest to concentrate on the figure through blurred vision. Maybe there was a simple explanation for Megan being here, perhaps she had told her but Brooke had forgotten. Yes that was it – what other reason could there be? The alternative was just too painful.
“So is this how you would have imagined it?” Danni whispered into her ear, the warmth of her body emanating through her thin jumper.
“Yes,” she said flatly as she moved to the edge of her seat and gazed downwards again. The little girl was laughing with glee and clapping her little hands as the white blob of the Snowman appeared and the music began. The woman’s head turned to face Megan and Brooke’s heart leapt into her mouth as she beheld the two of them looking at each other in a way that revealed they were more than just friends. She stared in horror as Megan’s face buried itself in the woman’s neck.
Brooke’s hands gripped the rail; trembling, sweaty. She jerked back a little when she felt Danni’s hand cover hers.
Danni stared at her with a puzzled expression. “Brooke, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Danni whispered as the song tempered off.
Brooke inhaled deeply and shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s a lot worse than that.”
***
As they left the theatre hall, Megan pulled Alison to one side. She smiled warmly. “About earlier, I hope we can put it aside and enjoy the rest of the day.”
“Of course we can. It was such a lovely performance, I don’t want to fight anymore.”
Megan lifted her hand to stroke Alison’s face, then half-turned towards Kelly with a smile. Suddenly, she froze, her hand stiffening, before dropping limply to her side. Standing barely six feet away was the last person she expected to see now – Brooke!
Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she saw Brooke’s eyes skipping rapidly over the crowd as if looking for something, something she was desperate to find. Suddenly, she caught sight of Megan.
Brooke stood rigid, her piercing eyes boring into hers. Megan felt the blood rush from her face.
“Megan? Are you okay?” Alison shook her shoulder.
“I …”
Megan watched in slow motion as Brooke straightened her back, tilted her chin up and headed in her direction.
Alison shook her arm. “Megan, I asked if you’re all right?”
“What?” Megan replied, bracing herself as Brooke made a beeline towards them. Megan glanced to the exit. Should she just run? Too late. Brooke was in front of her, her face full of bewilderment and disgust. “Megan! What the hell? Aren’t you meant to be in America?”
“I am. I was.”
“So what are you doing here? Why haven’t you called?” Brooke glanced at Alison. “And who’s your friend?”
“I’m Alison,” she said taking a step forward. “Megan’s partner.”
“Partner?” Brooke flicked a look of revulsion at Megan, her suspicions confirmed with those two small words. “Is she your partner, Megan?” she demanded, raising her voice as she took a step forward.
“Listen Brooke …”
“And who exactly are you?” Alison said, her face a sea of confusion.
Brooke’s eyes widened. “Me? Well, I was Megan’s partner until thirty second
s ago.”
“What the hell is she talking about, Megan?” Alison snapped.
Megan’s hands trembled, the shock of what was happening finally penetrating her brain. The day of reckoning was here. She had been caught. She thought desperately of a way to diffuse the situation. Shaking her head in hopeless resignation she said, “Nothing. Look ladies, there’s been a misunderstanding here.”
Brooke rested her hands on her hips. “Really? A misunderstanding? Well let’s hear it then. Come on, I’m sure Alison would be interested to know how the last time you left our bed, you said you were going to see your mum for two weeks.”
“What. Your mum’s alive? But … but you told me she was dead.”
Megan swung her head towards Alison. “I can explain that. I was talking about my step mum. She’s dead.”
Megan noticed that they were beginning to attract attention. The woman she had met in the line earlier glanced at her, refusing to make eye contact, as if embarrassed by the scene.
“So this is what all the cloak-and-dagger behaviour was about. Another woman,” Brooke said.
Kelly pushed her way past Danni, who had remained silent throughout the encounter, and tugged on Megan’s coat. “Mummy M, the lady wants the money for my ice cream.”
This was all she fucking needed, the brat on top of all of this.
Megan looked down at Kelly, rage boiling inside her. She was trapped, caught like an animal in a snare. Unable to contain the emotion, she snapped at the little girl with utter vitriol, “Just leave me the fuck alone, will you? You little brat.” Almost immediately, Megan clamped her hand to her mouth.
Kelly’s angelic face froze. Within seconds she lowered her chin down to her chest, her bottom lip quivering, her little body racked with sobs, as tears streamed from her eyes.
Alison’s face was thunderous as she spun Megan around by the shoulder, and with one swift movement, struck her cheek with full force, leaving a white handprint. “Don’t you ever talk to my daughter like that. Ever!”
Brooke’s face twisted into a mask of incredulity as she looked down at the crying child. She shook her head in absolute disbelief.
A nervous tick pulled at the corner of Megan’s mouth. “Oh Ali, I’m sorry. Kelly I’m so, so,” Megan said desperately, reaching out for the child.
“Don’t touch her!” Alison said, scooping Kelly into her arms protectively.
Megan was lost. Beaten. “Look, this is all a misunderstanding. I–”
An elderly man with short grey hair and baggy eyes approached the group.
“Excuse me ladies, is there a problem here?”
They all turned to him.
“No,” Brooke said calmly. “There’s no problem. It’s all been sorted. Sorry to have caused a disturbance. Come on, Danni. Let’s go. I think we’ve seen quite enough.”
Megan stood rooted to the spot, watching Brooke’s retreating back. She turned back to Alison, making a last pathetic plea.
“Alison, I’m so sorry about that. I can explain. Brooke was an old girlfriend. She’s got a bit of a problem letting go. Look, let’s forget about it and go back to the hotel. We don’t want to spoil things for Kelly. This is her day, like we planned,” she said, breaking into a nervous smile and putting her hand on Alison’s shoulder.
Alison brushed Megan’s hand away, shaking with rage. She lowered Kelly to the floor, fumbled in her pocket for some money and gave it to her. “Here sweetheart, go and pay for your ice cream, I’ll be there in a minute.” She bent over and lovingly kissed the top of her head.
When Kelly was out of earshot, she turned to face Megan, her eyes blazing, her lips trembling. “You listen to me and listen good. Don’t let me ever see you near me, or my daughter again, do you hear me?”
Megan nodded and bowed her head.
Alison leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I swear to god, you show your face again, you’re gonna live to regret it.”
Megan rubbed her cheek with her hand as she watched Alison spin around and go in search of Kelly.
She was left standing alone, defeated. Bitter.
She attempted to shrug it off, reassuring herself with her usual arrogant banter. They’re no big loss. She was planning on getting rid of them anyway. Let Alison find out the hard way. Women aren’t going to be knocking down her door, not for a single mum with a brat.
Megan turned quickly as if suddenly invigorated by a glimmer of hope. Maybe she still had time to find Brooke. Perhaps all wasn’t lost yet, surely she would be able to talk her round.
On the pavement outside the theatre, she looked from left to right but there was no sign of her. Oh well, she’d wait for her at her flat. Maybe prepare her a nice meal, a candlelit bath. A smile broke out on her face. In spite of everything, she was still sure of her ability to make things right. Such was the depth of her delusion.
Chapter Forty-Two
“Whoa, Brooke! Slow down, I can’t keep up with you,” Danni implored, jogging alongside her visibly shaken friend. She grabbed Brooke’s arm in an effort to halt her progress. Brooke reluctantly stopped, head bowed, and ran her hands through her waves of thick brown hair.
“Hey, listen. Are you ok? Jesus Christ, that was insane.”
“Tell me about it,” Brooke answered abruptly.
“Brooke, I’m so sorry you had to find out that way. God, that poor child. Do you know who they were?” Danni asked.
Brooke shook her head. “Never seen them before in my life. I thought Megan hated kids.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Just goes to show how much I know. Do you know what the worst thing is?” Brooke’s deep blue eyes welled up. “I don’t even care about the cheating. Yes, it hurts but it’s more the fact she’s been lying all this time, making me think it was all in my head – that I was being unreasonable. God, how could I have been so dumb? I knew it. I bloody knew it.”
“Don’t be hard on yourself, Brooke. You were giving her the benefit of the doubt, that’s all. What do you want to do now? Go back to yours, maybe pick up some things?”
“That’s the last place I want to go. If I know Megan, that’s the first place she’ll go to try and talk me round.” The frown on Brooke’s face deepened. “No, I just want to be far away. Some place where I don’t have to face anyone. Some place where I can drink lots of wine and feel bloody sorry for myself. Just for a while.”
“You can come over to mine?”
“Won’t Josh be there? No, I don’t want to be any trouble. I’ll just check myself into a hotel; I can shut out the world and have a good think.”
“Okay. Well, at least let me take you to one, get you checked in. I don’t want to leave you like this, so upset.”
“Thanks Danni. I can’t think straight at the moment so it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. I’m so sorry to put you out. Bloody drama. I wish you hadn’t been dragged into all this.”
Danni stood by the kerb and hailed a cab. Half an hour later, Brooke had checked into a suite, with roll-top bath and garden views in a nearby hotel. Ironically, it was a popular choice as a wedding venue, with its beautiful old world charm and heavy stone walls. She felt a little extravagant, but the thought of being crammed into some pokey hotel room was too much to bear, not after everything that had happened.
Danni took a bottle of chilled white wine from the ice bucket, poured Brooke a large glass and handed it to her where she sat on the bed.
“Aren’t you having one?” Brooke asked, gesturing towards a second glass.
“Oh … yes. I didn’t know whether you wanted to be by yourself.”
Brooke gave a choked, desperate laugh. “No, it’s fine. Besides, I can’t be sitting here drinking alone. That really would be tragic.” She swallowed the despair in her throat, closing her eyes as she sipped the first mouthful. “What a mess,” she said in a low, tormented voice. She was assailed by a terrible sense of bitterness. “How could I have been so stupid?”
A raw and primitive grief overwhelmed Brooke as she stood up, glass in han
d and walked slowly to the window as if under water. Conflicting emotions followed one another in quick succession. Anger, hurt, relief, and more than anything else, shock. Why had she ignored the signs? Was it because she couldn’t bear to face the truth? Was she afraid of losing Megan or was it fear of being alone? Brooke floundered in an agonising maelstrom. For the past few months she had been living like a bird in a cage, and now, even when the door was left wide open, she felt afraid to fly through it. Such was the hurt. But now the difficult decision to move on had been made for her, though it had been done in the cruellest possible way. She bowed her head and wept, deep sobs racking her body as she cried hopeless empty tears.
Well it was all over now. No more guessing games, no more waiting for phone calls that never came, no more … Megan. Feeling the pressure of Danni’s comforting hand on her shoulder, she raised her face with all the dignity she could muster. With her other hand, Danni drew Brooke’s head onto her own shoulder, rubbing her back in a circular motion as she shushed her in a low soothing tone.
“I know there’s nothing I can say to make you feel better, but for what it’s worth I think she’s a bloody idiot,” Danni whispered with quiet emphasis. “If you were my partner, I’d …”
Brooke drew back and looked at her, her eyes shining with tears. “You’d what?”
Danni blinked, remaining silent for a long moment. Hesitation flashed in her eyes as they travelled over Brooke’s face. “I’d never let you go.” A huskiness lingered in her tone.
They stood staring at one another for a few seconds before Brooke smiled and touched Danni’s cheek softly with her hand.
“You’re a good person, Danni. Josh is a lucky man.”
Heavy with melancholy, Brooke leant her head forward so it rested on the base of Danni’s neck.
Brooke let out a long sigh and remained motionless for a while.
“Why don’t you have a lay down?” Danni said, raising her hand to touch Brooke’s head, stroking it softly.
Brooke tried to gather her wits, to say something but only managed a mute nod in response. Danni released Brooke from her embrace and guided her towards the bed.
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