people she didn’t like either, she felt like the most stupid person in the world.
For a moment, Magda imagined she was back by the harbour in Worthington Green, feeling the cool spray of the sea on her flushed and burning cheeks. It would be such a blessed, sweet relief.
‘They should be here soon,’ Greg announced as he strode into the kitchen. He was referring to his parents, who had invited themselves round for dinner – a habit of theirs. Magda wouldn’t have minded the visits if Greg’s parents were people she enjoyed spending time with. As it was, she couldn’t stand being around them so the thought of spending the evening sitting around the table with them was one that filled her stomach with a feeling of dread.
The small heels of Greg’s shiny black shoes clicked across the marble tiles with every step he took. ‘You’re not eating dinner dressed like that, are you?’ His eyes travelled down the length of her body.
‘No,’ Magda murmured, ‘of course not. I’ll go and sort myself out now. I was just checking on the vegetables one last time.’
‘What’s that?’ Greg nodded towards the invitation in Magda’s hand.
‘Oh, just something about the car insurance. Nothing important.’ She hastily folded the invitation back into its envelope and hurried out of the kitchen. ‘I’ll just go and get dressed. I shouldn’t be too long.’
After reading the invite a couple more times in the safety of her bedroom, Magda couldn’t shake the memories of Worthington Green away. The place remained at the forefront of her mind throughout the evening, while Greg’s father droned on about business and economics. Greg’s mother, Patricia, sat silently and watched Magda from across the table with her lips tightly pursed. It was no secret that Patricia thought her son could have done better but Magda was past caring. She stared down at the food on her plate, silently willing the evening to hurry up and be over with. She couldn’t stand to be with these people a second longer.
‘I reckon they’ll get married when they’re older.’ Michael nodded through the doorway to where Esther and Harry were sitting side by side on the carpet in the lounge, positioned in front of the television. Michael’s comment reminded Sophia of something she’d once talked about with an old friend of hers, but she batted the memory away and forced herself to focus on the cooking instead.
It was Sunday and Sophia’s home was slightly noisier than usual, with two extra guests. She’d invited her good friend Michael and his son, Harry, round, to join her and Esther for a roast dinner, and it felt nice to have company. Esther had told Harry to sit down beside her and was having fun making him watch all her favourite movies. Sophia had hardly heard a peep from them since.
‘Now wouldn’t that be nice? They’d be true childhood sweethearts, wouldn’t they?’ Sophia’s face was melting from the heat. The kitchen window was steaming up and she swung round to open it. Fresh air rushed inside, bringing with it cool relief.
Michael was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, watching the children through the doorway. He’d made numerous offers to help with the cooking but Sophia had turned each one of them down. There wasn’t much longer to go now, thank God. Any longer and there’d be nothing left of her besides a puddle on the floor.
‘How’s Harry doing?’ asked Sophia. ‘Is he sleeping better now?’
‘Yeah, seems to be.’ Michael ran his hands through his brown hair and shrugged, but Sophia knew it meant more than that to him. ‘No more nightmares, and he hasn’t woken up in the middle of the night for a while either. He stays in his own bed right the way through until morning, which is definitely progress. And he hasn’t had a bed-wetting episode for such a long time. He’s like a different kid these days.’
Sophia smiled. She was pleased for him. For both of them. Michael had had a tough year since splitting up with his ex-girlfriend, Tanya, Harry’s mum. Michael had discovered she was having an affair with one of his best mates who he worked with as a labourer. After everything had blown apart and Tanya had packed up and left, Michael had struggled with suddenly becoming a single father, so he’d turned to Sophia for help and guidance. Not feeling like much of an inspiration in the parenting department, Sophia had tried to help him as best she could.
Over the months following the separation, he’d muddled through, figuring out new ways of doing things with his son without Tanya by his side. Now, father and son seemed to be in a routine that worked perfectly for both. Harry went to bed on time, he allowed Michael to bath him without fuss, and the nightmares that had been plaguing him and causing him to cry out in the night had finally stopped. Alongside this, Michael was still able to work as a labourer, only now part-time rather than full-time. He didn’t mind losing the hours if it meant he could spend more time bonding with and caring for his son. It seemed the worst was over and it showed. Michael was happier, calmer and more at peace with life, himself, and the hand he’d been dealt.
‘Have you heard from her? Tanya?’ Sophia peered across the room at him.
‘Not a peep. I’m not expecting to hear from her, to be honest. The last I heard, she and Tommo were moving abroad together, Spain or somewhere like that. Good riddance, I say.’ He swallowed a mouthful of his drink before meeting Sophia’s gaze. ‘What?’ he asked, when he realised she’d been watching him.
‘Nothing,’ she shrugged, turning back to the pots and pans bubbling away. ‘I’m just happy for you. For both of you. It’s nice to see after how tough it was before. It’s like you’re finally free of it all and it shows.’
‘Thanks, Sophia. I really appreciate it, and all your help. It’s been hard work but I feel like we’re both in a good place now. A better place. I feel more than capable of being Harry’s father and of doing a good job of it.’
‘You do an excellent job.’ She meant every word. Anyone who didn’t know Michael personally would be more than likely to take one look at his appearance and judge him by it. Because of the physical work, he had a bulky and muscly physique. He often towered over people, and it could be intimidating. But inside, beneath all of that, he was kind, hard-working, and totally capable of love, despite not believing so himself. Just after Tanya had left, taking Michael’s heart with her, he’d turned up on Sophia’s doorstep with Harry. She’d hurried them both inside from the cold and, once Harry had joined Esther in the lounge, she’d asked Michael what was wrong. His whisper had been almost inaudible. ‘What if I can’t love him? What if I wasn’t made to be a father? What if I do it all wrong and end up ruining him?’
It had crushed her heart to see him so broken down and with so little faith in himself. But now, radiating confidence and happiness, he was a pure joy to behold. Tanya hadn’t deserved such a man, Sophia had always thought as much, and she didn’t deserve Harry either. He was such a sweet little boy and finally seemed at ease with the adjustments to his life. He also adored Esther, and they were very good friends. Sophia would normally meet Michael and Harry outside the school gates in the morning and the little boy’s face would light up when he spotted Esther running up the path to greet him.
They’d grown to be such good friends in the time they’d known each other, which had been about four years now. Michael and Tanya had been a firm couple when they’d first arrived in the town. Sophia had often seen them dropping Harry off at school together in the mornings. It wasn’t until Tanya stopped showing up at the school drop-offs that Michael had started to speak to her, which had made Sophia wonder if Tanya was the controlling type, not allowing Michael any female friends. He’d sidled up to her one morning
