New Beginnings
Three years since meeting Nigel Baker, the man who had changed their lives forever.
The girls stared up at their new home. A white picket fence, a modest square garden with neatly trimmed grass and a small cement footpath leading up to a red brick single storey house with a small patio overlooking the neighbourhood. It was, for all intents and purposes, a very ordinary house. Nonetheless, it was luxury beyond the girls' wildest dreams.
"So, what do you think, girls? Has your mother made the right decision moving in with me?" Nigel asked brightly.
"It's the onlyright decision she's ever made," Ursula piped up. Lily smiled wanly, letting the comment pass without comment. Today was a day too fantastic to let anyone rain on her parade.
She had found her a man: A real man who looked after her and her girls; and a far cry from their biological father. They had a clean beautiful home, financial security and a stepfather they took to. Even Ursula, in all her moodiness, liked Nigel. The girls rarely mentioned their father anymore; it seemed he'd been reduced to a face from the past.
Nigel pushed his key into the doorknob, and Phoebe interrupted him, "Wait! Hang on, not yet!"
"Okay…?" Nigel said slowly.
"Just… wait, we should do a countdown," Phoebe said. Ursula rolled her eyes.
Reginald and Lily broke into a grin. "This certainly is an occasion meriting a countdown – the joining of our two families," Nigel said.
"Okay sweetheart, your call," Lily prompted.
"Five, Four, Three, Two, One!" Phoebe announced grandly.
Nigel turned the key and swung the door open. The girls gasped at the beauty of the house they would now call home. Again, nothing spectacular, a very ordinary living room, bathroom, kitchen. But it was clean, safe and sturdy.
A single country floral print couch, wooden floorboards, a glass dining table, two bedrooms: one with a double bed, the other with a bunk bed. All in all, it was a far cry from the dilapidated rented room they'd left behind.
"It's like a freakin palace!" Phoebe exclaimed, grabbing Ursula by the shoulders.
Normally Ursula doth protest at human contact, but at that moment, she too was lost in a whirlwind of excitement. Holding onto each other, both girls bounced up and down, squealing with excitement.
Nigel pulled Lily into a tight hug. Lily's frame melted into Nigel's. "God, it's so good to see the girls happy for once in their lives. They deserve it… Thanks for looking after us all," she whispered gratefully.
Nigel stroked Lily's hair, "There, there Lil, it's my pleasure. We're family now. And as a widower, believe me, family is all I can possibly dream of."
"Ohhh let's check out our room!" Ursula squealed, dragging Phoebe by the sleeve of her shirt. The two girls raced to their new room, delighted to finally have a room to call their own.
Once out of earshot, Lily confided. "Y'know, to be perfectly honest with you, this is the first time in years I've ever stopped thinking about Frank since we divorced."
"I see," said Nigel, a stiff unreadable expression on his face.
"Does that upset you?" Lily asked gently.
"No, not at all, he is the father of your girls after all. I know you all have a lot of history with him."
"But see, youchanged that! I've met a lot of men since it ended with Frank, but none ever made it past second date… But then, here we are moving in with you! The girls adore you, it's like it's meant to be."
Nigel cupped Lily's face gently, "So you mean it? You never think about him anymore?"
Lily shook her head slightly. "What would you think of when you used to turn your mind to him?" Nigel pried gently.
Lily shrugged, "Oh y'know, the usual… what he's up to, who he's with, where he's at."
"And do you know wherehe is?" Nigel asked.
"Last I heard he's living up at Bouverie street."
"Yeah?" Nigel prompted.
"You know the housing estate up there? That old block of flats on the corner of Bouverie and Downing street."
Nigel nodded slowly, making a mental note of Lily's words. "And which flat is he at?" Nigel asked.
Lily gave him a quizzical look. Reading her confusion, Nigel quickly added, "I'm only asking because I think it might be a good thing for the girls to visit their biological father. It's always important to keep in touch with family, however disappointing they may be."
Lily smiled gratefully, "That's really big of you, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you dropped down from the heavens above."
Nigel shrugged, "I'm not looking to replace their biological father. Besides, having three parents never hurt anybody."
"He's up at Flat 3A on the 5th floor," Lily offered.
"And he lives alone, does he?" Nigel asked. Lily nodded slightly. Nigel bit his lips to keep from smiling. His plan was underway. Well, oh so well, underway.