Charles ran round the main street corner faced with a barrage of Saturday shoppers. He tried to run in between people without knocking anybody over, cursing under his breath where all these fucking mothers with prams had suddenly come from, while desperately looking for a sight of her until he ran to the main crossroads on the outskirts of town but there was nothing. She could have gone either of four possible directions. He stood still and shouted her name repeatedly, hoping that somehow she may hear him.
"Lost your girlfriend, mate?" A man was standing outside a local pub, smoking a cigarette watching this small dramatic display and finding it quite amusing.
Charles bent over and put his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath, looking sideways and giving daggers at the person who thought he could take the piss. He thought to himself that luck was dead set against him and Molly with this latest misunderstanding. But it was such an easy misunderstanding to make. He couldn't blame Molly for thinking the worst. It looked very dodgy. Rebecca all of a sudden trying to be an affectionate person and persuading Charles to try again just as Molly appeared.
He thought he was being clever by arranging to meet Rebecca somewhere public to get her to sign the divorce papers and that it wouldn't be at the home they once shared, so that memories wouldn't be dragged up for Rebecca and make it harder for him to get her out of the house. He was right and knew she would persuade him to try again judging by her voice messages but he was going to be emphatic that it was never going to happen and so meeting in the local café kind of assured Charles that a neutral place might make him feel more in control of the situation.
As Charles began to walk dejectedly back to the café, after trying Molly's mobile several times but it was going direct to answerphone, he linked his hands and rested them behind his head. What could his next plan of action be? He needed to get these damned papers sorted and get to Molly's this afternoon. He couldn't stop her going away as this was such a brilliant career opportunity but he couldn't let Molly leave without clearing the air, telling her how much he loved her and wanted to be with her even though it may have seemed otherwise. It should hopefully be okay. Shouldn't it?
***** OG *****
Rebecca sat looking at Charles walk back in the café. She was shocked when he got up and ran out shouting another woman's name. She hoped that he wouldn't find anyone else since their separation. "Was that someone special?" nodding her head towards the door.
"Not anymore if the past couple of days are anything to go by thanks to you" Charles couldn't help the hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Did she listen to my messages to you?"
Charles nodded, playing with the edges of the menu on the table. "Yes, she did and today with you kissing my cheek. I shouldn't have let you do that."
"Then why did you?"
"Hoping that this meeting would end quickly and with civility." Charles hated confrontation and worried in case today raked over the past and re-opened old wounds.
"You can't blame me for trying to get something back we both had and I know I still want?"
"That's just it 'what you want', it's never about what anybody else wants. Sorry Rebecca but I'm moving on. I need to kick start my life again. I'm sick of living in the shadows. I want to be loved truly and completely. I never had that with you for a long time and you know that." Charles looked at her straight in the eye imploring her to understand.
"Look, I know I seem materialistic and selfish but I'm still the same girl underneath that you met all those years ago." Rebecca leaned forward in her chair and tried to hold his gaze as long as she could.
"No, you're not. Picture this, if we had the whole family thing. You're a housewife, looking after the 3 kids, going to parks, playdates and the like, you would feel suffocated especially when you're getting phone calls from your friends inviting you to this do or that do. After a few years you couldn't bear to stay. You'd be out the door like a shot. I want to be a father so badly with someone who wants to be a mother too."
A silence fell on the table that lingered while Rebecca gathered her thoughts. Charles seemed different these days. More self-assured in his personal life, willing to fight for what he seemed to want and what would make him happy. She realised that it would no longer be her. She couldn't deny him happiness. They had happy times together but were definitely two different people by the end. Maybe the miscarriage that they endured a couple of years ago was the beginning of their wake-up call they both needed.
"Maybe you're right. Like I said you deserve to be happy and have children. I don't really think I'm mother material at the moment." She sniffed out a laugh trying to maybe inject a little humour. "You've had these papers drawn up quick." Rebecca pulled out the documents from underneath her napkin.
"I just thought it would be better all round to get it out of the way."
"Here, they're signed." She pushed them across the table in Charles direction. "Do you want my new address and mobile number then? I wrote them down before you ran out."
Charles skimmed his eyes over the document, relieved that the important part was over with.
"I'll take your address but not your mobile number. I think phone calls have caused enough problems recently, don't you? He half smiled, grateful that Rebecca was fair and that he would soon feel fresh cool air outside as the heat inside was so stifling. "Any problems, me or the solicitor will write to you."
"Fair enough. Well, take care, Charles." With an earnest look, she got up and walked out, the smell of Chanel perfume hanging in the air.
He sat back in his metal chair, taking a deep breath and looking towards the ceiling. A tremendous burden was lifted off his shoulders with regards to Rebecca but with papers signed, he could finally close the door on the last 9 years of his life and hopefully Molly would still be willing to spend the rest of hers with him.
***** OG *****
Charles drove the short distance to Molly's house, the later afternoon sun peeking through the leaves on the trees creating thin shafts of light shining down onto the roadside. He loved summer days like this and it reminded him of the beautiful walks him and Molly would take. He would sometimes end up giving Molly a piggyback if she started to have aching feet or most of the time, they would walk arms wrapped around each other. Molly's head nestled deeply into Charles chest listening to his heartbeat, or other simple things such as making daisy chains together before eating ice creams lying in a field. These memories filled Charles' days with a sense of calm and deep love for her.
Molly's garden had plenty of daisies growing, Charles noticed as he stood and rang her doorbell. He hoped they would have a chance to make more soon. He turned his head and studied the white paintwork of her front door wondering after ringing for the fourth attempt why Molly wasn't answering. She would surely have come back here?
He opened the door using the key he had been given and in the space of a couple of hours, he could see just from stepping in the front door that Molly had begun to pack up the belongings and bits of furniture that she wanted to take with her. The house seemed different somehow that Molly was leaving. It seemed cold and unfriendly. Maybe it was his imagination but he felt she was slipping away from him and it scared him.
After a few moments of working out whether to leave Molly a note, he thought it best to leave it overnight and he would try and contact her again tomorrow. As he stepped out of the house, Molly's next door neighbour, Mr Tebbutt was standing with his hands resting on the small fence separating the two gardens looking at Charles with a serious look in his face. He was an old style gentleman and there weren't many of them left Molly would say. He was in his late seventies, he was always smartly dressed, wore a jacket and cravat most days, and would take his Panama hat off to any lady when they walked past him on his way into town. He was a widower and like Molly, took pride in his garden and would spend many an hour tending to it. Molly got on very well with Mr Tebbutt and since Charles came into Molly's life, the three would sit in the warm evening sun and would share a bottle of wine.
"Evening Charles. How are you this day?"
"Evening Sir". Charles became fond of this man in the short space of time that he had known him. He liked to talk to Mr Tebbutt in a way that two gentlemen would talk to each other. "I've been better. Have you seen Molly?"
"Yes, I have. She was very upset when she came home a couple of hours ago."
"Thought she may be. She saw something today that she may have jumped to the wrong conclusions about. It wouldn't be too hard not to though." He sat down on the familiar garden bench and ran his fingers through his hair exhaling a deep breath and he was worrying deeply.
"She hadn't really told me much but Molly doesn't. She can be rather a closed book."
"Yes, she can be.
"Being the bearer of bad news is one of life's most cruel moments, Mr James. But one must do his duty. As her friend I will give this letter to you now without further delay. " With a shaking hand, Charles took the envelope and looked at Molly's writing, running his hand over the indentations on the paper. He knew this letter would hold bad news for him.
Charles
I'm writing this letter to you instead of saying these words to your face as I know you'll come looking for me but I don't want to be found by you. Not ever.
How can you let me down like this? How could you string me along these wonderful months where I was the happiest I could ever be and thought I had found my soulmate, someone who I could finally trust and love completely . That's all I've ever wanted. To be with you in such happiness.
But know I know it was all a lie with you. You could see how much I loved you. Yes, I loved you. And I would've told you that too but now I realise you were just using me as a bit of skirt until you could get Rebecca back. Were you getting bored because we hadn't had sex yet? I was ready to go to that stage with you and you know how much I have to trust someone before I could do that? How could you arrange to see Mrs Perfect where you know I could walk past you? Were you wanting to rub it in my face? You have taken my heart and ripped it to a million pieces but Charles James, I will not let bastards like you ruin my life. It's mine and I'm gonna live it where I know I'll never see you and will never be reminded of the biggest arsehole I've ever met.
Enjoy the rest of your life and know because of you I will never ever let any man close to me again.
Molly.
Charles scrumpled up the letter in his hand , feeling every words written in hatred and held it to his forehead feeling tears pricking the back of his eyes. "It's all a fucking misunderstanding." He looked beside him and saw Mr Tebbutt had joined him on Molly's bench. "She hates me. She can't stand me." Mr Tebbutt put his hand on Charles shoulder.
"In the time short space of time I've known you Charles, I can see that you both love each other deeply. It must be hard making sure your marriage is officially over before progressing things to a higher stage with Molly. That is what I assume what you were doing at the café."
"She told you about that part then. Yes, we were signing the divorce papers. God, if she came round the corner a few minutes later, Rebecca would probably have left the café already and Molly wouldn't have seen her."
"Perhaps if you were to write to her in some months down the line, tell her your version of things and with time she may start to think about what you had together and realise that she has to speak to you again. The problem is she came into this relationship with a lot of insecurities she never knew she had especially with her background. But I refuse to let this blip destroy any future happiness she could have. You know, if I had the chance to spend one more day telling my late wife that I loved her and loved everything about her, I would do it time and again even if it meant I would have to take the horrendous pain of not seeing her after a day."
Charles placed his hand over Mr Tebbutt's that was still placed on Charles shoulder and gave him a half smile. He was very touched by this belief that Mr Tebbutt had in him. And knew that to get Molly back, he would have to be patient and give Molly time to grow and be brilliant especially in her new fantastic job role, then get in touch and explain the truth of what happened and hopefully that would be enough for her to come back to him again. But he was scared in case that didn't happen.
"I'd better give you her key back but I need to do something first." Charles stood up, shaking Mr Tebbutt's hand and walked slowly down Molly's garden path.
***** OG *****
Molly walked up to her front door, dreading the final packing she would have to do. She hated packing at the best of times, but with what happened yesterday, she felt drained of energy. She spent most of last night crying in Joanna's arms. She should be feeling excited at what was ahead for her and not feel like this. Like her world was torn apart. It didn't help that she could still feel Charles fingers on the palm of her hand and the softness of his full lips on hers and the way his eyes would peer deep into her soul as if she was an open vessel.
She opened her door, picking up the post from this morning carrying it through to her painting room to be added to her paperwork to file away before she left. But as she walked in to the room, she couldn't believe the sight that was before her.
Being lit by the wide shafts of morning sun that were streaming through her blinds were all the painting equipment that she knew she could never afford in a lifetime made by the finest arts suppliers based in Vienna. Made of the most expensive wood, were stood new canvas stands, new display cabinets for all her new artwork she would create, new wooden painting stools instead of the old seat she used with constant squeaky wheels, a complete new set of paints, paper, canvases made of the most sublime material. She couldn't believe this was happening as she ran her finger along the textures of both paper and the finest polished wood. This equipment would have cost tens of thousands. Only artists who were millionaires could afford equipment like this, who have their work displayed all over the world.
She knew instantly who would have done this for her. Charles. She saw a small note resting on the ledge of a side table. It read:
Molly
I want you to be brilliant more than anything in the world. These items are just to be used for your first stepping stone into world domination. Do not doubt I love you more than life itself and please continue to believe in your good heart and let it shine.
Charles
A/N: So sorry for the delay in writing this chapter and really hope you like it. RL has been busy plus writing 2 one-shots kept me occupied. It may not seem it at the moment but keep believing that I do love happy endings. Thank you for your comments for my previous chapter and for my one-shots. Please continue reviewing.