Chapter Thirteen

Nelson hangs up the cordless phone and tosses it on the sofa beside him. He feels…he's not sure how he feels. Certainly not good. Perhaps the full brunt of it will hit him later. Christ, maybe he'll even cry over it.

For the fact that he's not doubled over weeping right now must mean that something is very wrong with him. The amount of absolute hatred his daughters directed towards him was worse than he'd ever imagined possible.

Michelle had told Rebecca and Laura that she'd moved out and was staying with their grandmother in Blackpool, and she and their father were getting a divorce. And Rebecca had reacted first. "What did you do!?" she snarled at him.

But Michelle, for what it was worth, did her best to defend him. "It's not anything anyone did," she told the girls. "It was time. We've not been happy in a long time."

"Yes you have!" Laura protested tearfully.

That had surprised Nelson. He's always been closer to Rebecca than Laura, between the two of them. Rebecca had been at least mildly interested in sport as a child. Laura was all princesses and ballerinas and pink sparkles from the moment she was born; Michelle's girl all the way. Rebecca had gotten much girlier and more interested in television and instant messaging when she was about twelve. And now that she's eighteen, she's just as much a girl's girl as her mother and sister. But it is Laura, not Rebecca, who reacts with concern rather than anger.

On and on the conversation went. Laura crying, wondering what was happening to the family. Rebecca yelling, blaming her father for every rotten thing that has ever happened.

"Don't defend him, Mum! It's all his fault!" she'd accused.

Nelson did not have the words to protest. Because perhaps it was all his fault. He was the one who had cheated. He was the one who had fallen in love with someone else. Not Michelle. Michelle had always been perfect. Beautiful and kind and perfect. And what sort of man does it make Nelson that he's more than happy to let her go?

By the time they all hung up, Rebecca had been crying as much as Laura and the both of them had cursed him for ruining all their lives. Rebecca had hung up on them first, followed very quickly by a sobbing Laura.

There was silence on the line. "Harry?" came Michelle's voice.

"Yeah?"

"I'll talk to them," she assured.

"Yeah." And with that, Nelson had hung up too.

And now he's sitting on the sofa, all alone, wondering what in the bloody hell he's done to deserve all this. He glances at his watch and sees that it's barely noon. Twelve hours ago, he had been wrapped around Ruth. Lovely, brilliant, wonderful Ruth. If he closes his eyes, he can almost smell her hair. Strange, that he's never really noticed a thing like that before. Michelle's always had perfect blonde hair, always with a million floral scented products, always looking perfect; she's a hairdresser, so it only makes sense. But Nelson's never missed the smell of her like he misses Ruth now. Maybe it's just because he feels rotten and alone. He's in need of comfort. And after one of the best nights he's ever had after the day with Ruth and Kate and being part of their lives, he feels more keenly what he's missing out on right now.

That thought makes Nelson get up off the sofa. He goes into the kitchen to get a beer from the fridge and takes it upstairs to his study. He puts the football game on the telly and lets it play in the background as he gets on his computer and begins to do a bit of research. Enough is enough.

Ruth, meanwhile, is trying to prepare her tutorial for Wednesday. She knows what she's teaching and she knows what she'd assigned in the syllabus. But summer classes are much more difficult; the students aren't really very interested in working too hard over the summer and aren't as engaged in the material. She's assigned more reading than she really wants to cover in the lecture, so she's got to figure out what salient points to have for discussion.

Kate, on the other hand, is hard at work creating masterful narratives for her Sylvanians. The imagination on that child is simply too much for Ruth sometimes. She remembers being more interested in rules, how things were supposed to go, curious over how the world worked. Ruth was not a fanciful child like Kate is. Kate makes her own rules. She knows just how she wants things and makes them happen. Was Nelson like that as a child? Ruth wonders about him as a young boy, if he was all rough and tumble or if he was sensitive and imaginative, whether he had always been like he is now or if he grew into that gruff personality that she's come to adore.

And speak of the devil, Ruth's phone sounds with a text message notification, and she is embarrassed by how delighted she is that it's Nelson.

I miss you, is what he's written.

Her heart skips a beat, but she forces herself to remain sensible. Such a thing is difficult when dealing with Nelson, but it's made nearly impossible when he right there with her. Surely over text messages Ruth can keep her head. You just saw me, she replies.

A lot's happened since then.

Now Ruth is quite curious. It was just after lunch. What could have happened in just the morning hours? Oh? She writes back.

Michelle and I told the girls.

Her heart skips a beat for a very different reason this time. Did it go alright?

No, is all he says. But then another message comes in quickly. And I'm looking for a lawyer now. Tomorrow I'll call an estate agent and a divorce lawyer.

You sure you're not moving too fast? she asks, still trying to remain sensible.

Michelle left. We told the girls. And all this is going to be a nightmare. I want to get it moving so we can get it over with and all go on with our lives.

Ruth tries not to read too much into that. It'll be good to have a fresh start, she reasons.

I just want to be with you, Ruth. As soon as we can make it work. After last night, I know for sure.

Her whole being freezes at that. How can Nelson know for sure? It was one night! One wonderful, incredible, perfect night. But still just one night. And if he's so sure, why is she not? Let's talk tomorrow night, she suggests. Before bed like we did last week?

Good, he replies.

And with that, Ruth puts her mobile face down on the table. She tries in vain to get back to her lesson plan, but her mind is elsewhere. Her mind is on Nelson. How is he so sure he wants to be with her? And why on earth would he ever want to be? Ruth knows she's plenty smart and useful to Nelson in his police work. And she knows she's not bad in bed. At least, she's never had men be unhappy to have sex with her. Nelson had certainly enjoyed himself in the times they'd been together. But really truly being with someone. Sharing a life together. Ruth honestly could not fathom why anyone, especially Nelson, would want that with. Ruth is not kind and gentle and beautiful and domestic. She is not the kind of woman most men wanted to be with for any length of time. No, Ruth is instead fat and reclusive and independent and opinionated. She is difficult, she knows. Not that she's argumentative; in fact, she is extremely uncomfortable with confrontation. But rather than getting in arguments, Ruth will snap and then retreat into herself and avoid the issue. It isn't healthy and she knows it, and she's quite pleased that Kate does not seem to have inherited that quality from her.

Ruth looks through the kitchen door to where her daughter is playing. She's gotten so big. It's hard to believe she'll be starting school in just over two months. The time has flown by. Far too quickly.

"Kate?" she calls out, interrupting her child at play.

She turns to look at her mother questioningly.

"You're wonderful, you know that?"

Kate beams. "Yes, Mummy."

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you, too, Mummy."

Kate goes right back to her games and Ruth turns back to her work. And she smiles, because no matter what else is wrong with her, being an overweight recluse with few attractive qualities, Ruth has Kate. She's got a daughter she adores, a daughter who is growing up wonderfully, a daughter who is hers no matter what. And really, that's all that matters.