Page 41 of The Mother-in-Law

‘And the letter, why was it in a drawer? Wouldn’t she leave it somewhere obvious for someone to find it?’

Ollie’s expression is as puzzled as I feel. ‘I wish I knew,’ he says finally. ‘She was my mother but as it turns out . . . I didn’t really know her at all.’

21

DIANA

The past . . .

The call comes at around 5.00 am. I turn over in bed and look at the red numbers blinking into the darkness.

‘The baby’s coming,’ Ollie says when I pick up the phone. ‘Lucy’s contractions are about ten minutes apart. Can you come now?’

I get out of bed and make myself a strong coffee. I don’t trust myself on the roads until I’ve had my morning coffee—my eyes aren’t what they once were. I shower quickly and get myself dressed, double-checking everything in the overnight bag I’ve packed. These labours can go on for a long time, so who knows how long I’ll be at Ollie and Lucy’s house. I’ve packed my pyjamas, a toothbrush, a novel. I’m even bringing a little gift-wrapped Thomas the Tank Engine train for Archie. I plan to give the train to Archie ‘from the baby’, because apparently that’s what everyone does these days, at least that’s what Jan says, and Jan seems to know these kinds of things. Once I’ve confirmed that I have everything, I get in the car and make the twenty-minute drive to their house, arriving at 5.55 am.

Ollie is on the doorstep and Lucy is half-bent over the front fence, having a contraction.

‘Where have you been?’ Ollie exclaims, just short of a hiss.

I bristle, I’ll admit it. Heaven forbid I take longer than they expect to get there. No one is asking where Tom has been. He’ll wake up sometime around eight, play eighteen holes of golf and then swan into the hospital when the baby is a few minutes old, bearing an extravagant gift and promises of a trust fund, and he will be everyone’s hero.

‘Here’s the taxi,’ Lucy says, ignoring me entirely. She is in labour, and I know the reasonable thing to do is to forgive her for this. But a thankyou, I feel, wouldn’t hurt. Even a hello.

It feels like yesterday I was in her position, doubled over in pain, waiting for my baby to come. But in my case, no one was on their way to help, no husband was there to call a taxi to the hospital. I was left on the steps of the hospital with a bag in my hand. And after that, I was on my own.

I know that I should look at Lucy and see the similarities between us. We are both mothers, we have a mutual love for my son. We’re also both motherless, although my mother stepped away by choice whereas hers was taken from her, kicking and screaming no doubt.

I know all this.

But for some reason, despite our similarities, when I look at her, all I see are our differences.

*

When Tom arrives at Ollie and Lucy’s house later that day, I tell him he has a granddaughter.

‘A granddaughter?’ Of course he is misty-eyed in an instant. ‘It’s like history repeating itself, isn’t it? A son, then a daughter.’

‘Our story is a little different, though,’ I say.

‘A little,’ he agrees.

I laugh as I notice a shiny pool of liquid gathering in the corner of his mouth. ‘You’re drooling.’ I wipe it away with my thumb, the same way I do sometimes to Archie. ‘Ollie wants us to bring Archie in to meet his sister.’

Tom’s eyes canvass the living room. ‘WhereisArchie?’

‘Napping. He only just went down, so I’ll give him another hour or so.’ I take one of Tom’s legs into my lap and begin massaging his calf. His eyes fall shut and he moans appreciatively. ‘Tom, I was wondering. You’re not looking for any engineers at work at the moment, are you?’

He frowns but his eyes remain shut. ‘Engineers?’

‘I might know of someone, that’s all.’

‘An engineer?’

‘Yes. Very qualified. He used to build skyscrapers in Kabul.’ I rub my thumbs from the back of his knee all the way down to his Achilles heel.

‘Are you trying to influence me with a leg rub, Diana?’ Tom smiles and I feel that familiar surge of joy that Tom Goodwin loves me. It is without question the greatest blessing of my life.

‘If you can vouch for him,’ Tom says, ‘consider him hired.’