Chapter 19

David felt good to be back looking after the children on his own, cooking their evening meal, and feeding Beth. It was fun to watch Beth crawling, and beginning to make sounds approaching the odd word. Evan asked for paper and crayons and spent time drawing or rather scribbling on the paper, telling David what his pictures were about, for which David was grateful.

He bathed both children together, and after drying and dressing Beth in her night clothes and putting her in her cot, did the same for Evan, giving him a picture book to look at while he sang Beth her nursery rhymes until she fell asleep. Evan was happily looking at the pictures, sitting on his bed when David returned, and so he read him the story to go with the pictures.

He had just returned downstairs when the phone rang. It was Siân.

“I phoned yesterday and Celia said you were away on business. I just wanted to thank you for putting up with me while I was being interviewed.”

“You know you are always welcome sweetheart. How are Mam and Dad, Glynn?”

“All well, thanks for asking. Anyway, I’m looking forward to starting work and seeing you again.”

“And I to seeing you.”

There was a pause as if she were psyching herself up for something.

“Dai bach, don’t cut off your friends. You need to get out a bit, have some good times with them. They’re not against you really, no matter what you might think. Promise you’ll meet them if you’re invited?”

“Don’t know about that, Siân. They conspired–”

“You don’t know that, Dai. All you know is that Sally phoned Alex. What I saw was a group of people who were very uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do. They were caught between Alex and you. Yes, Alex probably asked them to keep his relationship with Celia from you, but they could have seen it as saving you from being unhappy, or being worried she might leave you in the lurch.

“Give them a break fy cariad. We all need friends, and they’ve been good to you. Promise you’ll not reject them? Please?”

David gave in. She was so good hearted, and when he thought of it, while they’d been uncomfortable about deceiving him about Alex and Celia, only Sally warned the couple about David’s intentions, and perhaps even she wanted to save him from accidentally meeting Alex with Celia and ruining his own New Year fun.

He realised that Siân was a balanced woman, and he admired her for seeing the good in people.

“All right, Siân. I’ll meet them if they ask. I promise.”

“Good! See you soon!”

Washing up followed that call, and he wondered at what she’d said. What was she getting at? Was there a hidden agenda with Siân? He laughed to himself – what agenda could she possibly have? Was he simply becoming paranoid?

Eventually he gave up trying to fathom what was going on. He sank into his chair in the living room and reluctantly watched a documentary about the financial crisis, and needed the sitcom that followed it, it was so depressing. He treated himself to a whisky, suddenly felt very tired, too tired to think, and went off to bed.

He woke at seven, and heard movement in the house. Celia had returned as usual very early. It reminded him again of how difficult it had always been to rouse her when they were living together. Then he thought how early she would have had to go to bed the night before, which in turn led to a picture of Alex and she in frenzied sexual congress, and that resulted in a feeling of annoyance. At least he thought it was annoyance, and pushed down the idea it might be jealousy.

For once the children were awake late, and when he was washed, shaven and dressed, he was in time to have breakfast with them, and it meant that Celia had to eat with them, since she was feeding Beth.

Nothing was said when he arrived and set about laying the table and making the tea, while Celia prepared the meal of cereal and toast. Evan’s chatter saved the situation from being uncomfortable.

“Late tonight, as usual?” Celia asked, breaking the silence between the adults, though there was no rancour in her tone.

“I should imagine so,” David replied. “I’ve not been in the office all week. When are you taking your time off this weekend?”

“Saturday morning to Sunday evening. Is that all right?”

“Yeah fine,” David said without interest. He was damn sure he was not going to ask anything about her time off.

“Going to your parents?” she asked.

“No.” His reply was short and he did not embellish it.

He left the table, tousling Evan’s hair as he passed, assembled his papers, donned his coat and returned to say good bye to Evan and Beth, hugging and kissing them both.

“Bye,” he said generally to the room.

“Bye Daddy,” said Evan. “Dadda,” said Beth with her now two tooth grin and waving hands. Nothing from Celia until he looked pointedly at her. “Good bye, David,” she said flatly. He did not mind at all, his daughter just called him dadda!

“Bye, Celia. Have a good day,” he said with a smile which mainly came from ‘dadda’. He began to feel frustrated as he drove to work and nursed a sense of grievance yet again. Once again he resolved that it could not go on; her attitude was sapping his spirit, and though the children seemed as yet oblivious to the atmosphere, it would infect them in time.

The realisation came that whereas they used to do some shopping together, and even enjoy outings together, that had not happened for many weeks. He could not remember when they had any sort of joint family outing, no matter how prosaic.

It began to rain as he sat in the inevitable traffic queue. He began to feel more certain that in reality Celia’s time was over. He was more than able to afford a nanny or a child minder for Beth, and Evan would be in nursery school in a few months. What was more, Siân would be local and would fill the gap caused by Celia’s absence. Indeed initially Siân would be living in, and he could see no reason why she could not remain with him if she wanted to.

He decided then to go to Wales the following weekend and talk it through with his in-laws, and especially Siân.

Work was busy but well under control and at lunchtime he phoned the Prices and arranged to visit, at which they were understandably delighted. After all it was only two weeks since they had seen the children.

“Something’s not perfect in your life David,” Marissa said as he disconnected.

“Perceptive as always Mz Halton,” David retorted with a grin.

“Things not going will with Miss Thompson.” It was a statement not a question. “Little Miss Price complicating matters?”

“In times gone by, you would have been arrested as a witch!” He laughed. Then he became serious. “The atmosphere is decidedly uncomfortable, and I can’t see it improving.”

“You ‘had the talk’ with her yet?”

“Not had the chance, what with my trip to the smoke and all this extra financial aggravation.”

“Going to?”

“Miss Halton, I’m beginning to feel persecuted. You’re not the first to badger me about that.”

“Mr Musgrave! As if your lowly PA would ever dream of persecuting you!”

They both laughed and the heart to heart was over. There was another call which Marissa took as was her wont.

“A Mr Threlfall?” she enquired.

He nodded and she forwarded the call.

“Bill!” exclaimed David. “Everything good with you?”

“Everything’s fine,” said Bill. “I’ve been seeing Susan. Neither of us can understand why we didn’t hook up before, what with me being divorced and her breaking up with that abusive bastard she was with. I’ve learned my lesson, having been a bastard myself, and Susan knows it.”

“That’s really good news, Bill.”

“Yes, but I’m phoning because we haven’t seen hide nor hair of you since New Year’s Eve. Can you get out for a pint or two this evening? The usual crew should be there.”

“Alex?” David’s tone was unmistakable.

“No.” The reply was definite and conveyed the information that David was known not to be on speaking terms with Alex.

“Fine, usual pub?”

On Bill’s affirmation, they disconnected.

Contrary to his expectations, he left the office on time and was home in time to eat the evening meal with the children, taking it on himself to feed Bethan. Again there was much talk with Evan about his day among other things, while there was no interaction between Celia and David.

At the end of the meal he played with the children while Celia washed the pots on her insistence. When she finished the washing up, she returned to take Bethan off for her bath.