The Husband Thief

by M J Hardy

  Feeling like a giggling schoolgirl, I grin and say jokingly, “Yes, miss.”

  Rolling her eyes, Isabel laughs and then pulls me purposefully from the bar.

  13

  Giggling like schoolgirls, we pile into Isabel’s flat and I look around me with surprise. As flat’s go, it’s quite big but there is hardly anything in here. Just one settee and a small table. No pictures, treasured possessions or anything that usually makes a place home.

  Isabel looks a little embarrassed and says sadly, “Not much of a home is it?”

  Trying to curb my surprise, I smile. “It’s lovely. I like a place with less clutter, it clears the mind.”

  She smiles but I can tell she doesn’t believe me. “Anyway, let’s make some coffee and sober up a little. I’m pretty sure Harry won’t thank me for leading his wife astray on a rare night out without him.”

  Thinking about Harry, the alarm bells start ringing and I rummage in my bag for my phone. “Oh no, he’ll be worried. I forgot to tell him I was going for a drink.”

  Isabel looks horrified and I grin sheepishly as I quickly type a text. I’m not prepared to hear his disapproving voice just yet. I’ll save that particular pleasure for when I get home.

  Sorry babe, I forgot to say I met Isabel, and we went for a drink after class. Just having a coffee won’t be long. Is everything ok? Xx

  Almost immediately he texts back.

  Oh, thanks for the late message. I’ve been frantic and you could have thought to tell me. Yes, Jamie’s fine, thanks for remembering you have a son.

  I check my phone again and see he called me at least 20 times and feel bad.

  Isabel hands me a coffee and says with concern, “Is everything ok?”

  Plastering a smile on my face, I say lightly, “Yes, no problem, although perhaps I should have this and go. I think I may have stayed out a little too long, and it is a school night after all. You’ll be shattered tomorrow.”

  Isabel smiles softly and I stare at her in surprise. She looks so pretty in this light and I never noticed it before. There is an innocence to her, and she’s the sort of person you could tell all your secrets to and know they were in safe hands.

  She smiles sweetly. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being a friend. I don’t have many and I want you to know I enjoyed your company.”

  For some reason, my eyes fill with tears and she looks concerned. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  Shaking my head, I sit on her couch and sniff. “I’m sorry, it’s me. I’m super-emotional at the moment and any kind word or gesture seems to set me off.”

  She comes and sits beside me and then does a strange thing. She takes the mug from my hand and pulls me by her side, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly. I lay my head against her and we just sit for a moment, side by side in silence as the clock ticks loudly nearby.

  After a while, she says softly, “I know a thing or two about being lonely, Tina. It’s not a nice feeling, is it?”

  I say in a whisper, “No, it isn’t.”

  She carries on rubbing and I like it. It feels so comforting, like a mother comforting her child, taking all the worry away and promising that everything will be ok.

  After a while, she says firmly. “I’ll call you a cab. You’re right, it’s late and you should probably be going home.”

  She jumps up and I immediately wish she hadn’t. As she makes the call, I study her. She is calm and in control and has a softness to her that I wish I had myself. I’m pretty sure teaching is the perfect profession for Isabel because she exudes authority and yet is someone you feel could make everything ok.

  She finishes the call and I say impulsively, “You know, I really enjoyed this evening. Would you like to do it again sometime?”

  Her eyes light up. “I’d like that, thanks.”

  “What about Saturday night? If Harry can’t babysit, you could come over to mine. I’ll ask Karen too and we can make a girly night of it.”

  Isabel’s eyes sparkle and I can tell the invitation means a lot.

  “Thank you, I’d like that.”

  As the doorbell rings, I grab my bag and smile. “Great, I’ll text you the details. Thanks for the coffee.”

  She walks with me to the cab and just before I get in, she kisses me lightly on the cheek. “Thanks, Tina. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

  I smile as I get into the cab, pleased that I saw her tonight. I think she will become a good friend and quite frankly I need as many of those as I can get.

  Harry is waiting when I get home and I don’t miss the anger in his eyes.

  As soon as I get inside the door, he rounds on me angrily.

  “So, you’re back then.”

  I shrug and say sarcastically. “No prizes for observation darling.”

  He narrows his eyes and hisses. “You could have called. I thought you were doing a gym class, not drinking with your new best friend until the early hours.”

  I turn away and he pulls me back angrily. “Don’t you ignore me.”

  I push him hard and say in a dull voice. “So, you want to touch me now. It will be the first time in weeks. Do you want to know why I stayed out so long? Well, it’s because I didn’t want to come home. This place is sucking all the life out of me because of you.”

  His eyes flash. “Me?”

  “Yes, you. You make me feel anxious, Harry. I can’t appear to say or do anything right and you look at me as if I disgust you. The fact you sleep in the spare room most nights tells us something is very wrong with our relationship. Is it because I’m no longer a woman in your eyes? Is the fact I can no longer have children turning you off because I wouldn’t blame you?”

  A huge sob works its way from deep inside and I turn away before he can see the devastation in my eyes.

  However, he pulls me back and I gasp as I see the pain in his. He says gruffly, “I don’t know what to do any more, Tina. I’m trying to give you space but it’s just driving a wedge between us. I can see you’re broken but I don’t know how to fix this – you.”

  The tears splash onto my cheeks like a welcome rain shower after a very hot day. The look in his eyes shows me he is as broken as I am and I sob, “I don’t want space from you, I need us to be closer than ever. I need you to love me enough for the both of us because I don’t love myself at the moment. I can’t deal with this and it’s tearing me apart.”

  He pulls me hard against him and buries his face in my shoulder. No words are spoken just something I need more than oxygen at the moment. The man I love in my arms reassuring me that everything will be alright – we will be alright because I wasn’t lying, I can’t do this on my own.

  Tonight, I don’t sleep on my own. Tonight, my partner makes love to me like I’ve wished he would for what feels like forever. In doing so, he chases a few of the demons away and I dare to think that everything may be ok. We have a family already and I’m just being greedy wanting more. I can’t risk losing the one I do have but I will need help to get through. I can’t lose Harry; it would destroy me.

  Long after Harry falls into a deep sleep, I lay in his arms. I watch him and remember the relief I felt when we made love this evening. That closeness, that bond we always thought would make us invincible, frayed a little these last few months. However, now I feel we have made a start on repairing it, and I vow to give up on this whole baby issue and just be thankful for what I already have. As I watch the man I love sleep by my side, at this moment, I have everything.

  14

  Things seem a little better at home. Maybe my night out helped to clear the air because Harry’s been a lot more attentive and I’ve tried my hardest to get things back to normal.

  By the time Saturday comes, I’m feeling much better and text Isabel and Karen to come over to allow Harry a night out with Tom.

  I make sure I dress up though and take considerable care in making us some nice food to nibble on and stock up on Prosecco.


  Briefly, I wonder if Karen will feel uncomfortable around Isabel but I can’t dwell on that. She needs friends and proved a good one to me when I needed it, so it’s the least I can do. I’m not sure why but I’m looking forward to seeing Isabel the most. Maybe it’s because she’s a calming presence in turbulent waters which is why I’m drawn to her.

  The doorbell rings interrupting my thoughts and as I answer I see Karen standing behind an excited Jack and she raises her eyes.

  “Someone’s been looking forward to this evening all day.”

  Jack says quickly, “Where’s Jamie?”

  As if on cue, Jamie bounds down the stairs two at a time and Jack says loudly, “I’ve got Extreme Action, Jamie. Do you want to play?”

  Jamie grins. “Cool. Come upstairs, I’ve got it set up already.”

  As we watch them go, Karen laughs. “I could do with some extreme action myself.”

  Giggling, I head towards the kitchen and reach for the Prosecco. “Maybe if you have enough of this, the extreme action may be on the menu later.”

  “Here’s hoping.”

  As we sip our drinks, I say with interest. “So how, are things with Tom lately? You both seem a different couple from what you were a few months ago. What’s your secret?”

  Karen smiles mysteriously. “Sex. Lots and lots of lovely toe-curling, basic, dirty sex and then the rest follows.”

  I almost spit out my drink.

  “You lucky bitch, how have you gone from tired Tom to sex beast Tom? Tell me at once so I can use it on Harry.”

  She shakes her head and looks thoughtful. “You know, it’s since he was mugged. It took a good few months before he would even touch me again, although that wasn’t unusual. As you know, we were walking a fine line before that night. He was away a lot and always tired and irritable when he was home. However, I think the mugging made him see things differently. Now family comes first, whereas before he never even appeared to want one.”

  I nod sympathetically. I remember the endless evenings spent dissecting their marriage. I was shocked to learn that Tom had never wanted children. Jack was a lovely surprise, to him, anyway. Karen always thought it was her pregnancy that glued them together because Tom was so angry with her when she fell pregnant. However, he was also a man who watched the pennies and the thought of handing half of everything he earned over to her was obviously a less attractive option than staying and going through the motions.

  Karen soon found out it was the worse thing she could have done because Tom wouldn’t touch her after that. The only time they had sex was when Tom decided it was ok. Looking at her now, it’s as if that happened to somebody else because I have never seen her looking so radiant.

  The doorbell rings and she looks up in surprise. “Are you expecting anyone else?”

  Feeling slightly guilty, I say apologetically. “Yes, Isabel.”

  I don’t miss the worry flare in her eyes and feel bad as she says, “Oh, I didn’t know you were that friendly.”

  As I head to answer the door, I say quickly, “We weren’t until the other night. I’ll fill you in later.”

  When I open the door and see Isabel standing there, something stirs within me. She looks so pretty, soft and shy and maybe it’s the mothering instinct in me but I want to wrap her in cotton wool and protect her.

  She smiles sweetly as I step forward and kiss her on the cheek. “Hi, Isabel, you look lovely. What’s that scent you’re wearing, it’s amazing?”

  She laughs softly, “It’s one of those you make yourself. I went to a store with Eddie and we had it made.”

  A shadow passes across her face and she says in a small voice, “We were always doing things like that. You know, little days out that had meaning and made memories to cherish.”

  Feeling bad for her, I pull her close and hug her gently, “I’m sorry. It must be so hard.”

  She nods. “Yes, but evenings like this help, so thanks for inviting me.”

  Grinning, I pull her inside. “Think nothing of it, Karen’s through here and has a glass of Prosecco with your name on it.”

  Karen looks up as we enter the room and smiles brightly. “Hi, how are you?”

  Isabel smiles and sits beside her on the barstool at the kitchen counter.

  “Fine thank you, Karen. I hope you don’t mind me crashing your party.”

  Shaking her head, Karen pushes a drink towards her. “It’s not my party, it’s Tina’s and you’re more than welcome. It should be fun.”

  My heart settles a little as I see they appear comfortable with each other and I say brightly, “Ok, let me feed those two hungry gamers upstairs and then we can get down to the serious business of having a good time.”

  As the evening wears on, I discover just how much fun Isabel really is. After her earlier shyness, the Prosecco does its job and brings her out of her shell. She has Karen and me in fits of laughter with stories of life as a teacher and I suppose as evenings go, this one could be classed as a success. I do a good job of putting my problems behind me until Isabel says innocently, “Hey, did you know that Marsha Bennett’s expecting twins?”

  It’s like a hammer to my heart and I reach for the glass beside me and take a long gulp, before saying brightly, “No, I didn’t.”

  Karen looks at me with concern and says softly, “That’s nice. Oh, Tina, did you see that Take That are in concert next month, do you fancy going?”

  She smiles at Isabel. “Do you like Take That, I could get us all tickets if you’re up for it?”

  Shaking her head, Isabel says gratefully, “I’m not a fan, to be honest. I like classical music and opera but thanks for asking.”

  She looks at me with interest. “Do you like opera Tina? If you do, I have some amazing DVDs I could lend you.”

  Maybe it’s because the only thing I can think of is Marsha Bennett and her babies, it doesn’t strike me as odd that she snubbed Karen so quickly. I don’t even register that Karen seems a little put out as I say sadly, “I wish I was Marsha Bennett.”

  Karen laughs, “Well, I don’t. Two babies will be hard work. Think of it, Tina. It may seem like the dream but I’m guessing it’s one dressed up in a nightmare.”

  I’m not sure why, but the tears start to fall and I say emotionally, “It’s a dream to me.”

  In a flash, Isabel is beside me, taking my hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “I’m so sorry, Tina. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Karen says tightly, “Tina’s quite vulnerable at the moment, especially on this subject.”

  I say through my tears. “I’m sorry guys. I didn’t mean to ruin the evening and maybe it’s the alcohol but it doesn’t take much to set me off these days.”

  Isabel strokes my back and says soothingly, “You know, it doesn’t have to be this way.”

  Karen shakes her head and throws her a hard look. “Isabel, it is this way for Tina. She has to learn to accept this and move on.”

  A hint of steel creeps into Isabel’s voice and she shakes her head. “I disagree, Karen. You see, there are many options available to Tina and Harry. I think you’re forgetting we have more choices than ever now and the fact that Tina isn’t able to produce eggs doesn’t necessarily mean she won’t be a mother again.”

  There’s stunned silence and I look at her in shock. “What do you mean?”

  Turning to face me, she takes my hands and looks at me with such a kind look it takes my breath away and then her words knock me for six, “I can give you a baby, Tina. I’ll be your surrogate.”

  15

  Karen gasps and I feel the room spinning around me. Isabel’s hand is still in mine anchoring me to normality as I whisper, “What did you say?”

  She smiles through her tears. “I’ll be your surrogate. Ever since I offered to research the subject for you, I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve done some digging and these days it’s easy to arrange. We can have a contract drawn up and keep everything legal and above board and all I’ll be is an incubator. I donate
my eggs and Harry’s sperm fertilises them. But it will be your baby, Tina, yours and Harry’s. Surely that’s better than using a total stranger or adoption.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing and prepare to grab the lifeline like a mountaineer about to fall on the rocks below. Karen interrupts and says in a hard voice, “Stop and think about this properly, both of you.”

  Isabel shrugs. “Well, I already have. It’s the best thing all round. Tina will make a fantastic mum, hell, she already is one and Harry’s a good father. It’s unlikely I’m about to have my own children anytime soon, so I want to do something nice for two amazing people.”

  “Nice!”

  Karen jumps up and says angrily. “I can’t believe you’re even putting this out there. This isn’t like offering to help someone babysit or clean their home. It’s a bit more than ‘nice’, it’s life changing and I’m not sure you’ve thought this through properly.”

  As I note the heat in her voice, I rise to Isabel’s defence. “Stop it, Karen. Don’t be so mean to Isabel. I actually think this is the most amazing offer I’ve ever had. She is so generous and kind and I don’t deserve it.”

  Isabel says softly, “You deserve this more than anyone I’ve ever met. Please say you’ll think about it because I’ve thought of nothing else since the other night.”

  “The other night?”

  We look at Karen who is staring at us both with an expression of pure disbelief. I almost want to giggle at the fact she looks so disapproving and squeeze Isabel’s hand, saying lightly, “Yes, the other night Isabel and I had a bit too much to drink after the gym. I kind of unburdened myself to her and well, you know how emotional I get.”

  Karen looks at us with a mixture of anger and worry. “Please think this through. Sleep on it and don’t make any rash decisions. This is serious and will affect so many lives. Don’t enter into anything on a whim.”