Unexpected

by Jenny Frame

  “Did you have any brothers or sisters?” Becca said.

  “Aye, one sister, Nora, but she was much older than me. She was out of the house and married when I was about twelve. She moved to Aberdeen with her husband, and we only saw her once a year if we were lucky. Da died when I was sixteen, and that just left me and my ma.”

  Dale felt the bed move and Becca move to sit beside her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Yeah, well, we managed okay. I went to college to be a mechanic, and Ma was a cleaner at a local doctor’s surgery.”

  “Were you really close?” Becca asked.

  Dale laughed softly. “You could say that. My wee ma was the best ma in the world to me. Then…”

  Becca slipped her hand onto Dale’s knee. “What happened?”

  Dale gulped hard trying to keep her emotions in check. “She had a stroke and died when I wasn’t quite eighteen. It came right out of the blue, and it hit me so hard. I was in a daze and I just couldn’t take anything in. Luckily my sister came back and handled everything. The funeral, lawyers, papers, all that kind of stuff. In fact she was really insistent that she be the one to handle everything, despite the fact that we didn’t see her much. I just didn’t know why then.”

  Reliving it and saying it were so much harder than she anticipated. Dale clasped her hands together when she felt them start to tremor.

  “Dale,” Becca said, “I know how hard this is. You don’t have to do it just to prove yourself to me.”

  Dale knew then she would just have to find the extra strength to be honest. “Yes, I do, because you don’t trust me, so I have to show that I trust you.”

  She took a breath and continued, “The night after the funeral, I was looking through my ma’s things, looking for her Bible. She was very faithful to the church, and it was her most precious item. I found it eventually and then everything, my whole world, just fell apart.”

  “What did you find?” Becca asked.

  Dale couldn’t believe she was actually going to say this. “Tucked away at the back of the Bible in an envelope was an adoption certificate for me, and a picture of my sister Nora, in a hospital bed, holding a baby, just like the picture of you and Jake.”

  Becca gasped. “Oh my God, you mean…”

  “I mean my ma was my granny, and Nora was my mother.”

  Becca slipped her arm around Dale’s shoulders. Dale closed her eyes and experienced a warmth and comfort that she hadn’t felt for a long, long time.

  Becca’s fingers somehow found their way to Dale’s nape, and she gently stroked the soft, short hairs there.

  “Did you talk to your mum about it?”

  “Nora,” Dale corrected her. “She was not my ma. I did, a few days later, after I’d been on a bit of a bender. I felt like my whole life was a lie, but at the same time everything started to make sense. Nora and I were never close as sisters, and anytime I tried to show her affection, she pushed me away.”

  “She was trying to keep her distance and not bond with you?”

  “Aye.”

  “What did she say to you when you confronted her?” Becca said.

  “I went to her house, and she was shocked that I had found out. That’s why she had taken care of all the funeral paperwork, so that I wouldn’t find out. Even after my ma had died, and I had no one else in the world to care for me, she didn’t want me to know I did still have a mother.”

  Dale started to tell her story and get lost herself in her thoughts.

  Nora stood with her back to Dale, gazing out of the living room window. Dale got up from the sofa, tears rolling down her face.

  “You watched me breaking my heart at Ma’s funeral, and you never said anything. You left the funeral without a word of when I would see you again. Knowing I had no one left in the world but you. No clue how I would pay the bills or rent on my own. A sister would never do that, but you did, and worse, because you were my mother and had been lying to me my whole fucking life!” Dale screamed.

  Nora turned around said calmly, “Don’t shout or swear, Dale. My children are asleep, and I don’t want them to hear you.”

  “You don’t want your children to be disturbed? Well one of your children is standing in front of you, and I’m fucking disturbed. Why did you do this? Why did you do this? Why didn’t you want me?”

  “I was fourteen years old and in no position to have a baby. The mother that you thought was so wonderful made me feel ashamed.”

  Dale was more hurt by the almost disinterested way in which Nora was reacting to her fury.

  “Why are you so cold, Nora? You had choices. Everyone has a choice—you could have kept me if you wanted to.”

  Finally Nora snapped. “You were a mistake, okay? Is that what you want to hear? You were a drunken mistake I made at a party. I had to drop out of school, I messed up my exams and nearly my whole future because of it, and I didn’t want to be reminded of it or held back any more. Mum offered to take you, and it was the best thing for all of us.”

  Dale felt like her heart had been ripped out and thrown on the floor between them.

  “I was a drunken mistake? Who says that to their child? You are a fucking cold-hearted bitch.”

  “Get out, now,” Nora said.

  “Don’t worry. I will. I hope your children never feel the pain I’m feeling now.”

  Becca felt the tears roll down her cheeks. It was heartbreaking to hear a mother rejecting a child like that.

  Dale wiped her eyes on her sleeve, and Becca rubbed her back. It was obvious now why Dale was so determined to help her and Jake.

  “I’m so sorry she hurt you, Dale.”

  “Yeah, well. I wasn’t good enough apparently, unlike her other children. I have a brother and sister that I’ve never met and I never will. I promised myself when I left that house that if I was lucky enough to ever have a family, I would never turn my back on them, no matter how hard it was. When I met Val, she convinced me to write Nora a letter, give her one last chance. She wrote back and told me never to contact her again. She wanted nothing to do with me.”

  Finally, Becca lost that part of herself that had doubted Dale.

  “I believe you, Dale. I understand why you want to help us. Thank you for coming back, even though I’ve distrusted you. And I’m here for you too. I would never have Jake or the wee yin on my own.”

  Dale turned around and cupped Becca’s face tenderly. “You are their mother, the mother I would have chosen to have my children with, if I’d known you.”

  The intensity of the moment made it difficult for Becca to breathe. Her lips parted slightly, anticipating that Dale would kiss her.

  Dale moved slowly towards her lips and breathed, “I’ll always be here for you if you let me. If you tell me your story, I’ll do nothing but help you.”

  It was so tempting. The last woman to say that to her had proved to be the worst mistake of her life. But Dale was different, wasn’t she?

  Dale got closer to her lips and her heart started to pound. Becca hadn’t been kissed in such a long time, but still she knew that this felt special and different. At the last moment Dale rested her forehead against Becca’s instead of kissing her and whispered, “I know who you are, Victoria Carter. But I don’t know your story, only the media’s.”

  Becca gasped. “You know? How?”

  “Val saw the pictures and recognized you from somewhere, and then it finally came to her. Sammy told me last night to Google your name.”

  Becca started to speak but Dale put a finger to her lips.

  “Don’t say anything. I’ll go and get your prescription, and you can have a think, but the truth will set you free.”

  Becca was utterly stunned and shocked. Dale got up and picked up her jacket.

  “I won’t be long. Relax and we can talk when I get back.”

  * * *

  Becca heard doors open and close downstairs, and then Jake come running up to her room.

  “Mummy, Trent is here to see you. She
’s in the kitchen.” Jake’s face showed how much he wanted her there.

  “Okay, sweetie, I’ll come down.” Becca had called Trent earlier to get her advice about the debt.

  Jake’s scowl did not dissipate quickly. “I told her Dale would be back soon to look after us, but she still wanted to come in.”

  Jake didn’t like Trent and he never would, it seemed. Trent didn’t talk to him like she was interested, and Jake picked that up. Dale was very different—she was very different in every aspect.

  “Why don’t you go and tell Trent I need a few minutes to freshen up, and then you go work on your computer?”

  “Okay, Mummy. Tell me when Dale gets back. I want her to come and see my computer project.”

  “I will, Pooh Bear.”

  After freshening up Becca went downstairs and found Trent in the kitchen with a huge bunch of designer flowers. Trent always was flash.

  Trent rose and immediately came to her. “Darling, are you all right? You must have had a terrible shock.” Trent guided her to her seat and sat down beside her.

  “I’m all right. I didn’t feel so good a few hours ago, but the doctor’s been to see me and prescribed me some different blood pressure medicine, and the baby is fine.”

  “The main thing is that you are all right, Becca,” Trent said pointedly.

  Yes, you would think that wouldn’t you?

  Trent lifted the flowers and said, “Oh, I brought you these.”

  Becca took the large bunch and gave them a sniff. “Thank you. That’s very kind. You didn’t have to come all the way out here. I just wanted to let you know what had happened.”

  “I think now you’ll understand why you have to declare bankruptcy. You need to pay Eugene Hardy as soon as possible. If you dispense with your father’s mortgage debt, we can use the remainder from the offshore account to pay the Hardy brothers.”

  Trent put her briefcase on the kitchen table and clicked it open. “I took the liberty of preparing the documents. All you have to do is sign.”

  Trent placed the document in front of her and handed her the gold fountain pen from her top pocket.

  Becca couldn’t believe how controlling Trent was being. It was infuriating. She thought she had left this behind her years ago. “No.”

  “What do you mean, no?”

  Becca pushed the papers back to her and said, “Who do you think you are, coming here and telling me what to do? I told you I will not declare bankruptcy and ruin my credit. I always pay my debts.”

  “But you have no money, Becca. You have to get serious. Eugene Hardy doesn’t care that you’re a woman, or that you’re a pregnant woman. All he sees is someone who owes him money.”

  “I can handle it. I’m going to re-mortgage the vicarage.”

  Trent looked around her and shook her head. “They’ll laugh you out of the bank if you try to use this place as security. There’s a reason why you got it so cheaply.”

  Becca’s anger was starting to turn to hurt. “You don’t have to be hurtful, just because I won’t follow your advice. I’ve already applied and I’m waiting on an answer.”

  “The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I apologize.” Trent took her hand. “Please forgive me? You know I’ll always love you, don’t you?”

  * * *

  Dale whistled as she emptied her bags from the back of the van. Who would have known that doing such mundane tasks for people you cared about would be so much fun? While she was getting Becca’s prescription, Dale popped into the supermarket nearby and got some food and drinks for Becca and Jake.

  She closed up the van and started to walk to the back door, laden with bags like a packhorse. A bunch of supermarket flowers, her most precious purchase, was safely tucked under her arm. The supermarket called them an autumnal mix. They weren’t from a florist or anything fancy, but she hoped Becca would appreciate the thought.

  There was one more reason why Dale had a spring on her step. She had told Becca her truth, and Becca hadn’t laughed or judged her. Deep inside herself, Dale had always harboured the worry that there was something wrong with her, and that was the reason her mother didn’t want her, but loved her other children.

  Becca hadn’t seen it that way. She had comforted her the way no other person had, not even Val or Sammy. When Dale had looked into Becca’s eyes and seen want, she was certain this was the woman for her. Regardless of the children they shared, Dale wanted Becca, and whether Becca knew yet or not, Dale was determined to win her heart.

  She got to the back door and didn’t bother knocking since Becca was up in bed. It was tricky turning the handle with all the bags, but she managed it eventually and gave the door a soft kick open with her foot.

  When the door opened, she saw the last thing she expected, Becca being held intimately in another woman’s arms. Her stomach clenched in anger and jealously.

  Becca’s eyes snapped open and she let go of the woman immediately.

  “Dale? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. Trent came around to give me some legal advice.”

  “Clearly,” Dale said with irritation in her voice.

  “Dale?” Trent said. “Becca is this the Dale McGuire you were telling me about?”

  Becca nodded. “Yes, she’s been—”

  But Becca didn’t get chance to finish her question before Trent stood and confronted Dale.

  “Who do you think you are, bursting into Ms. Harper’s home?”

  Dale ignored her and went to place her bags on the countertop.

  “She’s been helping me, Trent,” Becca said, trying to defuse the situation. But to make things worse Jake came running downstairs and into the kitchen when he heard the noise.

  Trent. The ex. That’s just what I need when Becca and I are getting closer, Dale thought.

  Trent looked at Becca in disbelief. “You let her talk you into allowing her into your life? Are you insane, Becca? You know what you have to lose.”

  “No, I’m not insane. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder and hiding. I want to learn to trust. Dale doesn’t want to take my children—she wants to help us.”

  Trent rounded on Dale. “I don’t know what you’ve said to convince her, but you should know Becca is not unprotected. She has me to rely on when she needs anything.”

  Dale had enough of this pompous idiot. “Aye, you’re helping her so much that she’s living alone in a cold, broken-down house, with no one to care for her.”

  “That’s not my fault, it’s hers. She had a dream life before she decided she had to have a child.”

  “His name is Jake,” Dale said through gritted teeth.

  Jake had run to her side and cuddled into her hip. Becca got up and stood between Dale and Trent.

  “Dale, take Jake to the garage and let me talk to Trent.”

  “Fine.” Dale took her bunch of flowers and dropped them on the table next to Trent’s huge bunch.

  “I thought you might like these, Becca, but supermarket flowers obviously can’t compete with those. Come on, Jake.”

  * * *

  Dale was fitting the tyres back onto Becca’s car while Jake watched her.

  “Trent doesn’t like me, Dale.”

  “I wouldn’t take it personally, wee man. She doesn’t like me very much either. Pass me the wrench, would you?”

  He opened Dale’s toolbox and saw an array of different wrenches. “Which one?”

  “The big long one,” Dale said.

  Jake held up the longest one he could see. “This one?”

  “That’s the one.” Dale tightened up the wheel nuts and then moved onto the next.

  “What if Trent makes Mummy send you away?”

  That’s what Dale was afraid of, but she tried not to show Jake she was worried. “I doubt your mummy would be influenced like that. She’s a very independent woman, but if she did change her mind about me coming around, I’d try my best to make sure we could still see each other. Remember, I always keep my promises.”

  D
ale and Jake both heard the crunch of gravel on the driveway. They walked to the garage door and saw an angry looking Trent walking towards her car.

  When Trent spotted her, she stormed over. “You really have done a number on her, haven’t you?”

  “I’ve done nothing but help her. She’s a woman all alone in the world, and it took some heavies coming and stirring up trouble to get you from behind your desk in London.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve kept Becca safe in all sorts of ways you will never understand, McGuire. I know your reputation, and if you think you can use Becca like the usual women you fuck about with for an hour or two, then you have another think coming. Becca has more class than that.”

  “Don’t talk that way in front of Jake. He doesn’t need to hear that,” Dale warned.

  “I will always love Becca, McGuire. And I will not sit and watch anything happen to her. She is in a lot of trouble, as you probably know. She doesn’t have time for someone like you messing her around.”

  Dale put her arm around Jake’s shoulders and decided to make her position clear. “If Becca doesn’t want me around, then I’ll go, but until she tells me that, go back to your office and leave me to my family.”

  Trent walked off and slammed her car door, and screeched out of the driveway.

  “Jake, why don’t you go and see if your mummy’s okay, and I’ll finish the car.”

  “Okay, but don’t run away.”

  Dale kissed his head and gave him a squeeze. “I promise I’ll never run from you, wee man.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Becca pushed herself up from the seat slowly. The stressful exchange with Trent had left her exhausted. She picked up Dale’s supermarket flowers and inhaled their fresh, sweet scent.

  A smile spread across her face and the baby kicked softly inside her. She rubbed her hand across her bump and said, “I hear you, little one. Sometimes the more modest package is the best.”