Dear Robert,
thank you for writing me back. I know it was out of nowhere that I wrote a letter, recently you are in my thoughts a lot. As I told you I married Daniel 22 years ago, but discovered about a year ago that he cheated on me for the last
17years. I don't want you to think, I am only writing you because I am lonely, because I am not. I am just seriously overthinking the choices I made and I am not sure, if I made the good ones. I am very thankful for my three beautiful girls, I can not imagine my life without them in it. I am sorry to read that you have not found the right partner yet, but than again, did I?
My girls suggested I should go on a holiday, and now I was thinking. I could come over to London, I would love to meet up with you. Don't you worry, I am not planning on intruding on your life, I just hope to see you once more. What do you say?
Lots of love and greetings Cora.
Cora didn't read the letter again, she closed the envelop. She knew that if she looked at it again, she would not send it. Was she to blunt, was this to direct? What if Robert didn't want to meet up? What if he just wrote back to be polite? Cora took a deep breath, change into her running clothes and went for a jog, she needed to clear her head.
"There you are!" Victoria stood in the hallway waiting for Cora.
"I went for a jog, you could have called me?" Cora said out of breath.
"You need to take your phone with you, if you want us to reach you."
Cora looked at the phone in Victoria's hand. "I am so sorry. Did I forget something?"
"Kind of, tonight I will present my reasons, why 'Cadwalader' should hire me. You promised to make an early dinner."
"It is just 16.00 o'clock, I can have dinner ready in 45 minutes, that is still an early dinner? And why did you not just start yourself, you are 21, almost 22 and always telling me I have to treat you like an adult. Adults cook!" Cora walked past Victoria and went upstairs to take a shower.
"So, you are not going to cook right now?"
"You got that right, I am going to take a shower and will start after that. Maybe you have an early dinner, maybe not." She left a stunned Victoria behind. She never stood up for herself, but that was going to change. She was going to choose for herself more often. Her girls were grown and totally fine doing some things, like making dinner.
When Cora came back down, she found Olivia in the kitchen. "Where is your sister?" Cora asked surprised.
Olivia turned around, "She asked me to make dinner and went back up stairs."
Cora walked over to her and brushed her hair. "You are to good for this world, darling. What are you making?"
"Pasta aglio e olio."
"Hmmm, that is always good, just pasta with olive oil and garlic, can I help you with something?"
"Yes you can, by sitting down and enjoy a glass of wine." Olivia smiled at her mother.
Cora kissed her cheek and followed the instructions, she sat down at the kitchen table, the table was already set. Cora took a sip of her glass white wine. "Where did you find this one?" Cora asked, enjoying the sweet taste.
"It was in the wine cellar, I randomly picked a bottle."
Tayler entered the kitchen. "Are we celebrating something?" Victoria had followed her sister and sat down.
Cora wanted to answer, but Olivia was faster. "We are indeed celebrating something."
Cora looked up in surprise, so did Victoria.
"We are celebrating, that Mama is a free woman again and can live her life the way she wants."
Victoria huffed, but silenced herself quickly, when she saw Olivia's eyes.
"Mama, you deserve the you time that is coming, and I hope you will enjoy London. Max and I have bought you a open ticket, for two weeks, to London, you can go whenever you want." Max was Olivia's boyfriend for quite some time now. He was a little bit older and was working as a personal trainer in a high end gym.
"Darling." Cora clasped her hands in front of her face. "You don't have to do that."
Olivia sat the pan with pasta on the table and hugged her mother. "We wanted to, you need sometime away from here. Next time we will come with you."
"Next time? Why would there be a next time?"
"We want to see that city too Mama." Tayler said. "And you wanted to go on a holiday with the three of us, so why not to London?"
Cora's eyes filled with tears. "Oh girls, I don't know what I did to deserve you."
"Mum, do you want to come with me tonight?" Victoria asked.
Cora wiped away her tears. "Are you sure? You don't want your Papa there?"
"I hoped to have you both there tonight, Olivia and Tayler are also coming. I wasn't sure if you wanted to come when Papa is there."
"Of course I want to come, I am so proud of what you are doing!"
The evening was very special. Olivia, Tayler and Cora had changed into beautiful dresses, Victoria was standing on the stage in a pantsuit. Cora could burst so proud she was.
Daniel was sitting in the same row, with Michelle next to him. He was wearing his blue suit. Clearly he had found it at the dry cleaner or maybe it was just at Michelle's place, Cora thought. She was surprised how easy it was to see Daniel. She had expected to feel something, but there was nothing. Well, there was something, there was relieve, she was really free now.
Dear Robert
,
I know my last letter was only yesterday, but my youngest daughter gave me a gift today. She and her boyfriend got me tickets for London. I booked a Suite in The Savoy, I will come over next month and will stay in London, for two weeks. When you are free, maybe we can go for dinner to catch up after all these years.
Love Cora.
Cora had booked a river view suite in The Savoy, she decided she wanted this holiday to be the perfect one. In the last years she never really spend money on herself, but it was high time. The money was there, so why not use it. She just sold another painting, for a astrominouse amount. Even when Robert did not want to meet up, she would have an amazing time. A part of her hearth was still in London.
