if that would ever heal.
‘Are you all right, darling?’ Simon asked, sensing her mood. ‘Are you worried about your mum? Don’t be. She’ll be fine. And she’ll have Alan.’
‘I’m not worried,’ she said, finding a smile for Simon. ‘Alan has a good job there and other family living nearby so she won’t be lonely. And you know my mum, she will soon make friends. Yes, I’m happy for her. I have to be happy for her.’
‘You don’t sound it.’
‘I’m just being selfish,’ she told him as it dawned. ‘I’m thinking of myself, of how I’ll miss her.’
‘She might regret it when we have children. It won’t be quite so easy to nip round to see them if she’s in Australia.’
‘It’s not the end of the world.’
‘It’s exactly that.’ He sensed her sadness, squeezing her hand. ‘Come on. We can visit. Just think of it as a day away. When’s the wedding?’
‘A couple of weeks. They’re getting married in secret so don’t tell anybody, not even your mum and dad. Afterwards, she’s having a little do at the club for a few close friends. Fish and chips and karaoke.’
‘Oh. Are we invited?’
‘You bet.’ Becky put down her fork and pushed the plate away, suddenly not hungry. ‘I’m happy for her but I’m going to miss her, Simon. I feel like she’s leaving me and I don’t want her to. I want her to stay. Isn’t that terrible of me?’
‘Hey … you’ve got me now, sweetheart. Have you considered that she was maybe waiting for you to be settled first before she did this? Maybeshe’s been keeping this guy hanging around for all this time and now she can finally say yes to him.’
Maybe.
Becky knew the truth. Her mum was doing the decent thing as she saw it. This was her mum’s way of removing all temptation, of putting a distance between herself and Johnny, but she wouldn’t dream of telling Simon that. There was no need to tell him that now. That possibility had never occurred to him and why should it? This way, with temptation removed, there would be no problems on that score. Damn Johnny. She didn’t think the father/son relationship was a particularly close one but she didn’t want to be the one responsible for causing a rift between them.
However, she just hoped her mum was marrying Alan for the right reason because it smacked a little of desperation.
The wedding was at the register office.
Becky had persuaded her mum into wearing a smart cream suit, the skirt knee-length, with pink accessories and a feathery fascinator on top of her head. Alan, a big broad chap with an Australian tan, looked uncomfortable in a dark suit but he was as cheerful a character as Becky remembered, delighted to see her again.
‘If it isn’t little Becky,’ he said, eyeing her up and down. ‘All grown up and married. Congratulations, by the way.’
‘Congratulations to you too, Alan,’ she said, coming perilously close to calling him Uncle Alan and glad she had not.
‘She played bloody hard to get, that mother of yours,’ he told Becky happily. ‘If I’ve asked her once I’ve asked her twenty times. You could have knocked me down with a feather when she said yes.’
Afterwards, at the club, the fish and chips were superb, the company excellent.
And Shelley, resplendent in a brand new blue sequinned dress, make-up on full power, hair newly coloured, finally got to sing her ‘Big Spender’ before she disappeared with her new husband to Australia and a new life.
The following month, Becky found she was pregnant.
She was clutching Simon’s hand so hard that she was probably leaving an imprint on it but he made no move to release her.
The nurse had popped her head round the door, her expression giving nothing away, saying that the operation was over and Mr Jenkins was on his way to see them.
Becky leapt to her feet, knocking over her cup on the little table as she did so. The remains of the tea splashed on to her legs and she rubbed at her trousers in dismay,
‘Are you all right, darling?’ Simon asked, sensing her mood. ‘Are you worried about your mum? Don’t be. She’ll be fine. And she’ll have Alan.’
‘I’m not worried,’ she said, finding a smile for Simon. ‘Alan has a good job there and other family living nearby so she won’t be lonely. And you know my mum, she will soon make friends. Yes, I’m happy for her. I have to be happy for her.’
‘You don’t sound it.’
‘I’m just being selfish,’ she told him as it dawned. ‘I’m thinking of myself, of how I’ll miss her.’
‘She might regret it when we have children. It won’t be quite so easy to nip round to see them if she’s in Australia.’
‘It’s not the end of the world.’
‘It’s exactly that.’ He sensed her sadness, squeezing her hand. ‘Come on. We can visit. Just think of it as a day away. When’s the wedding?’
‘A couple of weeks. They’re getting married in secret so don’t tell anybody, not even your mum and dad. Afterwards, she’s having a little do at the club for a few close friends. Fish and chips and karaoke.’
‘Oh. Are we invited?’
‘You bet.’ Becky put down her fork and pushed the plate away, suddenly not hungry. ‘I’m happy for her but I’m going to miss her, Simon. I feel like she’s leaving me and I don’t want her to. I want her to stay. Isn’t that terrible of me?’
‘Hey … you’ve got me now, sweetheart. Have you considered that she was maybe waiting for you to be settled first before she did this? Maybeshe’s been keeping this guy hanging around for all this time and now she can finally say yes to him.’
Maybe.
Becky knew the truth. Her mum was doing the decent thing as she saw it. This was her mum’s way of removing all temptation, of putting a distance between herself and Johnny, but she wouldn’t dream of telling Simon that. There was no need to tell him that now. That possibility had never occurred to him and why should it? This way, with temptation removed, there would be no problems on that score. Damn Johnny. She didn’t think the father/son relationship was a particularly close one but she didn’t want to be the one responsible for causing a rift between them.
However, she just hoped her mum was marrying Alan for the right reason because it smacked a little of desperation.
The wedding was at the register office.
Becky had persuaded her mum into wearing a smart cream suit, the skirt knee-length, with pink accessories and a feathery fascinator on top of her head. Alan, a big broad chap with an Australian tan, looked uncomfortable in a dark suit but he was as cheerful a character as Becky remembered, delighted to see her again.
‘If it isn’t little Becky,’ he said, eyeing her up and down. ‘All grown up and married. Congratulations, by the way.’
‘Congratulations to you too, Alan,’ she said, coming perilously close to calling him Uncle Alan and glad she had not.
‘She played bloody hard to get, that mother of yours,’ he told Becky happily. ‘If I’ve asked her once I’ve asked her twenty times. You could have knocked me down with a feather when she said yes.’
Afterwards, at the club, the fish and chips were superb, the company excellent.
And Shelley, resplendent in a brand new blue sequinned dress, make-up on full power, hair newly coloured, finally got to sing her ‘Big Spender’ before she disappeared with her new husband to Australia and a new life.
The following month, Becky found she was pregnant.
She was clutching Simon’s hand so hard that she was probably leaving an imprint on it but he made no move to release her.
The nurse had popped her head round the door, her expression giving nothing away, saying that the operation was over and Mr Jenkins was on his way to see them.
Becky leapt to her feet, knocking over her cup on the little table as she did so. The remains of the tea splashed on to her legs and she rubbed at her trousers in dismay,
Similar Books
