Chapter Two

Lindsay left the spa straight away and headed towards Scarlett's school. Lindsay found Lettie playing with her doll in the main entrance. She jumped up when she saw her mum and leapt into her arms.

"Mummy! I thought you had left me here forever!" Lettie squealed.

"No darling, of course not." Lindsay smiled. She turned and saw an unhappy principle. She put Lettie down and followed her into the office.

"Now, we know it is Scarlett's first day so we understand it is different for you as well as her, but if we want her to settle nicely we want everything to run smoothly, and being collected half an hour too late does not fit in with that." The principle explained.

"I apologise, my husband was supposed to be collecting Scarlett today." Lindsay said.

"I try not to get involved in my pupils personal lives. Please, don't let this happen again."

"It won't, I promise."

Lindsay drove Lettie home, hearing all about her finger painting and her drawing. She produced a large sheet of white paper filled with a blue unicorn, only it was without a horn and with only two legs, but Lettie was adamant it was a unicorn.

"So do you like big kid school baby?" Lindsay asked.

"Well…no." she crossed her arms and frowned.

"Why not?" Lindsay asked, growing slightly worried.

"Because my cookie got taken by a boy." Scarlett stropped. Lindsay sighed in relief that nothing major happened.

"Well, in school there will always be that few who are just plain mean. If this happens again though, I want u to tell me straight away, okay?"

"Yes mummy."

Later that evening Danny strolled in to find Lindsay and Lettie curled up on front of the TV.

"Daddy!" Lettie squealed, jumping up and leaping into his arms. "I painted you a picture."

"Really baby, let me see then." He smiled. Lindsay turned her attention back to the TV. Lettie jumped down and ran to her school bag, pulling out her distorted unicorn. Danny sat opposite and gave Lindsay a weak smile, which she returned with a dagger-sharp look.

"Linds, how long will I be in the dog-house?" he asked.

"Scarlett, why don't you go play with your dolls upstairs?" Lindsay asked.

"Okay mummy, I think Princess Polly needs a dress change for her wedding…" Lettie trailed off as she ascended the stairs.

"You'll remain in the dog house until you know what you did wrong and you're actually sorry." Lindsay spat.

"Yeah, I know. I made you and Scarlett late and didn't see her off at school." Lindsay laughed, shaking her head.

"You'll never see the bigger picture will you?"

"What else now?"

"Why should I give you the satisfaction of knowing? You'll only give me some lame excuse and apology and think everything's fine. Well we're far from happy families Danny!" her voice began to rise.

"Lindsay, if I don't know what I've done how can I change?"

"That's the problem, I don't believe you will." She sat down and sighed, wishing all her anger and tension would release from her.

"Find Linds, ignore me. The problem will just prolong and we'll be in the same place we started, but if being stubborn and moody and bringing our little girl up where most days we say no more than two words to each other is helping you in some way, then be my guest."

"You just don't care do you? You don't care about me, or Scarlett, or anyone other than yourself! You come home everyday, put your feet up and expect the house to sparkle by itself. You watch your sports expecting your dinner to appear in front of you. I do so much around here Danny Messer meanwhile you do nothing! You never lift a finger to help me out, you can't even pick up your own daughter!"

"Shit!" Danny swore.

"Yes, so that's why you're in the dog-house. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers won't cut it this time. I what to see a different man in you." She stormed out slamming the door hard. Lettie crawled down from the stairs and hugged Danny tight, her wet cheeks against him.

"Daddy, why do you fight with Mummy? You make her upset." She sniffed.

"Well, Mummies and Daddies have a way of sorting things out. It's hard and upsetting, but in the end everything works out fine." He tried to smile, but his misery overcame him.

…

Lindsay wondered the streets, the cold, hard rain beating on her. The warm trickles of tears stung her harshly cold face but she wasn't ashamed to be crying. She didn't care what passers-by thought because she knew they had no idea what she'd been through. After a while the crying exhausted her and she realised she had walked a far bit. She leant up against the wall and wiped her face, though the rain only soaked it again. Her phone vibrated in her pocket but she ignored it. She couldn't handle another row with Danny. She thought of returning home, but she knew the tension would be unbearable, so she continued to march down the road. As she squinted, she believed she saw a green neon sign reading Motel. She staggered on, still sobbing, but someone stopped her in her tracks. Someone had other plans, and was she was going to follow them even if she didn't want to.

…