JENNIE

Lisa hasn't been in this morning. At first, I was worried it might be because of me, but the man who came in her place assured me that she wasn't sick, and that she'd planned this day off weeks in advance. I miss having her around, and in an attempt to stop myself from thinking of her, I've come down to the beach with my camera. Sitting cross-legged on a towel in the shade of the parasol I brought with me, I zoom in on something splashing in the ocean ahead of me. It's a seal. I haven't seen one since I bought my camera and I kick off my sandals and wade in, trying to get closer as I focus on the spot where I saw it disappearing under the surface. My heart skips a beat when it pops its little head up again and looks right at me, and I feel a surge of excitement when I manage to capture it just perfectly. It doesn't seem scared, just curious, and even swims toward me until my phone rings in the pocket of my shorts, scaring him off.

Groaning in frustration, I fish it out, then groan once again when I read the name on the screen. "Hi, Mom," I say, putting on a cheery tone.

"Hello, Jennie. I haven't spoken to you in a while, so I thought I'd give you a ring."

"Yes, it's been a while." I wade back out and lower myself into the sand, allowing gentle waves to wash over my toes. My shorts are getting wet but as long as my camera stays dry I don't care.

"Where are you? It's so noisy."

"I'm at the beach and I was just taking a photograph of a seal." Looking out over the surface, I'm disappointed to see it swim away. "But it's gone now, so never mind."

"Are you back into photography again?" she asks.

"Yes, I bought a new camera and I've been practicing. I'm really having fun with it."

"You were always artistic." My mother coos something silly and incoherent, which means one of her cats has just climbed onto her lap. "So, how are you? How are you and Mark? Is he back home yet?"

Already regretting picking up, I let out a long sigh and shake my head. "We're divorced, Mom. He's not coming back."

"Nonsense. Every marriage has its ups and downs." She clears her throat before continuing the standard speech I've heard too many times to count. "It's never the fairy tale portrayed in movies, but a strong marriage can—"

"Can overcome anything," I say, finishing her sentence. "Yeah well, it's not going to happen and you need to accept that it's over. I've accepted it a long time ago." There's a silence at the end of the line and I'm hoping she'll finally let it go. When I filed for divorce, my mother was the biggest challenge in the emotional process. I had no problem telling the kids and my friends, but I waited three months to tell my mother, putting if off because I knew it would turn into a never-ending discussion and total denial. It seems that even though she has been thousands of miles away for over twenty years, she still manages to dominate my life from across the pond.

"But you could talk to him, make amends. Whatever has happened—"

"What happened was that he had an affair. He's now quite happily living with his new girlfriend." I leave out the part where they're having a baby as my mother would likely be straight on the phone to him and I don't want that. Separation is semi-acceptable, divorce is not, but having a child with someone else falls into a whole different league. "Anyway, even if he wanted to come back, I'm not interested."

"Why not?" she asks incredulously. "Surely for the sake of the kids you'd want to try and repair this."

"The kids are fine and I'm fine. Let it go."

"They're not fine. I saw pictures of James and Maddie on Instagram and they're sleeping in shacks and hammocks. Clearly your separation has taken a toll on him already."

"Divorce, Mom, not separation," I correct her. "And James is thoroughly enjoying himself. He's backpacking and it's by choice, not because he's homeless, he'll always have a home here with me. Now, let's talk about something else or I promise I'll hang up."

"Very well." A dramatic sigh follows, and then she says: "Your Uncle Achmed was here yesterday. I had him and his friend over for dinner. They're a strange pair, those two. Very close friends, even though they couldn't be more different."

That's because they're a couple. "How nice. How were they?"

"Oh, they were just getting ready to attend a summer ball somewhere in Switzerland. He's very cosmopolitan, Achmed. They brought me some very special dates from Dubai, they were delicious. I'll ask him to send you a box." She produces some more squeaky noises, and I can actually hear purring. "My babies are fine too. Ruby is just asking for her lunch and she's had an upset stomach for the past two days so I can't talk for very long."

Then why did you call me? "Okay, Mom. I'll let you go. Is Ruby going to be okay?"

"Yes, I believe so. I had a vet over here yesterday and he told me three days of steamed chicken breast would do the trick. I've been terribly stressed, especially since I've brought a new baby into the household, so there's a bit of tension here while they're all getting used to each other."

"Another one?"

"Yes. Her name is Jennie, I named her after you. She's the prettiest Persian I've ever had. A long, snow-white coat and brown eyes."

Weirdly, this is probably the nicest thing my mother has ever said to me, and I find myself smiling. "That's sweet. Take good care of them and I'll book a flight to come over and see you soon."

"Thank you, honey. And please do bring Mark and the kids over. It's been almost two years since we were all together."