Chapter 12

“So,” said David’s mother, as they sat in the living room when they had put the children to bed after a tiring day for his parents. “Have you decided when Beth will be Christened?”

“No,” he replied. “Life has been pretty hectic these last few weeks.”

“You’re looking much better,” said his father.

“Thanks to Celia,” David said.

His father looked surprised. “Celia?” he asked.

“I told you Celia had moved in with David,” said David’s mother. “Honestly. James, you don’t listen to a word I say!”

“It was a plot by Alex – you remember Alex – and Cecilia. She applied for the job of nanny and housekeeper.”

James snorted in disbelief. “I thought you’d learned your lesson there.”

“That’s all she is, Dad,” David replied hotly. “She was always close friends with Gwen, and the children knew her well. It seemed the best solution – better than risking a stranger. And she’s bloody good with Bethan: she is always talking to her, playing games with her.”

“Hmm” was the reply. David could not help thinking that something ‘went without saying’ by his father, and indeed was not said!

So David shrugged, and the conversation returned to the subject of the Christening. Evan had been christened in Wales at the family’s chapel, but David thought it would be fitting to have Bethan christened in the Chapel from where Gwen had been buried. He made up his mind to go to Wales and sound out his in-laws about the plan.

As the car drew to a halt on the drive of David’s house on that rainy Sunday afternnon, Celia was standing on the step to welcome the family home. Evan ran to her and hugged her happily, while David brought Bethan to her. Bethan gurgled and smiled broadly as Celia took her from David, carrying her into the house. Evan chattered away to her about his weekend, while Celia cooed and loved the baby. David brought in the cases and stood looking at the scene of domesticity before him. This was home. He felt a surge of warmth and affection, and peaceful happiness.

Then he thought of Gwen and felt surprise that there arose no guilt, no regret. Indeed it was as if he was sharing it with her. It was good that the children were happy, that they had a caring foster mother and a happy father. It was as if the string of bereavement which had always pulled him back into guilt had at last snapped.

He stopped. He could have sworn he felt Gwen near him, and more importantly, felt her approval for what he was doing. Feeling so full of emotion, he suddenly realised that Celia was looking at him with concern.

“David,” she said, “are you all right? You look ... well, I don’t know ... different.”

“Yes,” he said quietly, “It’s good, more than good, brilliant, to be home and see you three happy together.”

Her face shone with happiness and pride at that. It was artless and open, with no hidden agenda. Just at that brief moment, something changed in him; he was aware of it. Then Evan shouted from the living room wanting the TV. Life intruded again and all was business and activity, but with a pervading sense of peace.

A week later, Alex invited him for a drink again, and they arranged for the Thursday. This time Alex was not alone.

There was Ozzy. Where Alex and David were both fit, slim and muscular, Ozzy was a barrel. He was short in stature and had a paunch cultivated over a decade of committed drinking. He fitted the caricature of the fat man, being always of a happy and cheerful disposition. However his social skills were in short supply, and his comments were often misjudged, insensitive and inappropriate. There were iften times when what he had said would have better gone without saying.

David had known Bill from school days, and they had reconnected after university. He was tall, dark and, yes, handsome. He had been a good friend, generous, easy going with a dry sense of humour. Unfortunately his good looks and easy going nature had led him into an affair with a colleague, and his wife had divorced him. He was not quite so cheerful now, but Alex and David had stood by him without judging him. As Alex said, the divorce was punishment enough.

He stood and came to David, “It is so good to see you out and about again, I hope you are going to make a habit of it!”

“Hope to,” said David, shaking him by the hand and giving him a hug.

Sally and Tony had broad smiles on their faces.

“Great to see you again,” said Tony who in turn shook his hand and hugged him. Tony was another friend from university days, and had married Sally soon after they graduated. Sally hugged and kissed him. Looking worriedly into his eyes, before letting him go.

Greg was there with Vanessa his wife, who had brought Sally along for female support. Sally, Vanessa and Susan close friends.

Susan was full of sympathy and compassion. “David darling, how are you? We all miss Gwen so much. It hit you hard being so sudden and all?”

Alex was shooting angry looks at her, willing her to keep off the subject, fearing that bringing it up would turn David off coming out again. David noticed. Such sympathy did not bother him any more, in fact it was consoling, and that surprised him.

“It’s all right, Alex,” David said with a smile, “No more need for kid gloves.”

Then to Susan, “Yes, you’re right, she was my life and I didn’t cope so well, and I’m afraid I rather cut you folk off. I apologise. I can talk about her now.”

“Kids all right?” asked Bill, and David knew why he asked: he had limited visiting rights to his own after the divorce.

“Yes, they’re fine,” he said smiling.

“I hear you’re back with Celia already,” Ozzy said with a laugh. “Quick work!”

There was a frozen horrified silence. David looked and felt embarrassed, uncertain as to how to react. Alex relieved him of the trouble.

“Celia and I conned him into taking her on as a housekeeper and nanny,” he said with a frown and an air of teaching the stupid. “He was reluctant to search for a nanny, but Evan knows Celia, so she managed to persuade him to take her on.”

“I bet she did!” laughed Ozzy, not known for taking hints.

David did react this time.

“Exactly what are you saying Ozzy?” he asked with dark menace; there was no humour any more. There was now acute discomfort in the group.

Ozzy was surprised, then worried. “Well ... I...”

“Come on Ozzy,” growled David, “You just made a very insulting remark about Celia’s character and she’s not here to defend herself, so explain. You seem to know something about her intentions we don’t. How exactly did she ‘persuade’ me, Ozzy? Eh?”

Ozzy’s discomfort was obvious to all, and everyone was waiting for his explanation. What he said came as a complete surprise to David.

“Everyone knows–”

“I don’t,” interjected David.

“OK, everyone but you David knows, that Celia is hot for you. She was always saying how she’d made the biggest mistake of her life in falling for that footballer, and she wished she could turn back the clock, but by then you were engaged to Gwen, you married her and started a family. The girls will tell you she kept well clear of you because it hurt her that she’d lost you. So what I meant was she’d fall over herself to be near you now that...”

Ozzy stopped, afraid to mention Gwen’s death.

The whole group now sat in uncomfortable silence, all except David who was in shock.

Susan broke the silence. “It’s true, David, Celia was always saying how much she still loves you. She does doesn’t she Sally?”

“Yeah,” Sally agreed. “She’s never really moved on. She’s had a few dates, let’s face it she can never go out for an evening without some guy hitting on her, but she’s never settled.”

“Alex,” said David accusingly, “Did you know about these feelings of hers?”

Alex nodded. “It’s true David, I thought you’d have seen it in her by now.”

“So this was some sort of plot, to trick me? To get her with me?” David asked him, his face dark.

“Plot? For God’s sake no!” Alex hastened to reassure him. “Celia really did just want to help. She felt an obligation to Gwen who asked her to be Godmother to the baby – I remember that because they both told me – and Celia had promised to care for you and the family if anything happened to Gwen, ‘cos that’s what Godparents do. They didn’t believe anything would ever happen, but it was said.”

“Yeah,” snarled David, “That’s the story she’s been spinning, but underneath it all she has another agenda hasn’t she? Hasn’t she?” With that he leapt to his feet and strode rapidly from the pub.

“Well done, Ozzy,” sighed Alex, “You’ve just set David back months. You’ve messed everything up for him, for Celia and for the children. One day you’ll learn to think before you open your big gob.”

While chaos reigned in the pub as everyone tried to make sense of what had happened, David was striding home in high dudgeon. He seethed as he walked muttering how deceived he’d been by his so called best friend, and the scheming bitch who had wormed her way into his family. Well she wouldn’t be there much longer, he resolved in his rage.

He burst into the house and into the living room, where Celia was sewing a button on one of his shirts sitting in ‘her’ armchair with a small occasional table by her side.

“You can leave that, pack your stuff and get out of my house,” he raged. “You conniving bitch, thinking you can take Gwen’s place, scheming to get your foot in the door, conning me into thinking of you as a housekeeper. Well, your cover’s blown. Just get out!”

At first she looked unnerved by the sudden outcry, mainly the sudden violence of it, but then to his surprise, she remained where she was, unperturbed, needle in the air. She stared at him, and for a moment or two said nothing.

To his surprise she did not react with any sign of guilt, nor did she did look afraid, nor did she did beg, simply stared at him.

“Did you hear me?” he began to shout. “I said Get Out.”

“Oh, yes, David,” she said quietly. “I heard every word.”

He was confounded. This was unreal, and he did not know what to say.

He found a voice. “You want me to get your things and throw them out the front door? I’m waiting! You really thought you would fool me? Well, your so-called friends at the pub pulled the rug. So kindly pack your things and leave.”

“You won’t throw my things out David and you know it, because you know how you’ll feel about that in the morning. And no, I won’t pack and I won’t go. The last time I did that I was guilty and I did as you demanded, but not this time. And if you have any morals in you at all you’ll stop making stupid threats, you’ll sit down and talk to me about what people have been saying.”