Page 62 of The Runaway Wives

‘Okay, okay, I’m coming!’ she walked into the hall and opened the door, stepping back in surprise when she saw Molly and Lennon standing on the doorstep together. ‘What are you both doing here? And so early too! You must have left at the crack of dawn.’

‘Hello to you, too, Mum,’ Lennon said. ‘Are you going to let us in?’

‘Yes of course.’ She stepped aside ‘It’s lovely to see you both but, Molly, aren’t you supposed to be in Thailand?’

‘I’ve been given forty-eight hours compassionate leave,’ Molly said as they followed Babs into the kitchen.

‘Compassionate leave?’ Babs spun around, her hand going to her mouth. ‘Why? What’s happened?’

‘My parents are splitting up after thirty-seven years of marriage, because they’re too pig-headed to come to a compromise, that’s what,’ Molly said, pulling out a chair and sitting down on it.

‘So we thought we’d better get together and try to talk some sense into both of you.’ Lennon pulled out another chair and perched on it.

‘Well, much as I appreciate you both caring, and coming all this way to check on me, I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do. Your father and I have made the decision to split and that’s it.’

‘You know that Dad’s got someone interested in buying the house?’ Lennon asked her.

‘Of course I do. That’s what brought things to a head. He’ll give me half of the money and I’ll get myself a little flat.’

‘Where?’ Molly asked.

‘Coffee?’ Babs asked them, stalling for time.

They both nodded. ‘Well, where are you going to live?’ Lennon repeated Molly’s question.

‘I haven’t decided yet.’ She spooned coffee into the cups and added milk.

‘Neither has Dad. You have a buyer for the house but neither you nor Dad have anywhere else to live. You’re both intent on splitting up, yet have no idea what you’re going to do next.’

‘Your dad is going to Spain.’ Babs poured hot water into each cup, gave it a stir and handed one to Molly and one to Lennon. ‘And Dee’s said I can stay with her until I sort myself out.’

‘Dad’s not going to Spain.’

Babs almost dropped her mug. ‘What? Where’s he going then?’

‘He doesn’t know. We went to see him last night. He’s in a right state. He said he’s got to sell the house so he can give you your half of the money and he doesn’t know where he’s going to live.’

‘What do you mean?’ she looked incredulously from one to the other of them. ‘All this is because your dad wants to go and live in Spain and I don’t want to.’

Lennon sighed. ‘That’s just it, Mum. He doesn’t want to live in Spain without you. He actually said… he can’t bear to think of life without you.’

Babs felt anger roaring through her. ‘This is emotional blackmail! He’s only saying that because he’s hoping I’ll feel guilty and agree to go. Well, I won’t!’

Molly looked at Lennon. ‘What if you bought a holiday home there? And a little place over here? Then you both get what you want.’

‘Dee suggested that but it wouldn’t work. Your dad wants to live there permanently and I don’t.’

‘Mum, Dad still loves you. Do you still love him?’

‘Of course I do but that’s got nothing to do with it. We both want different things out of life now. It’s time to go our separate ways.’

‘If we were married and this was one of us, you would tell us to sit down and sort things out,’ Molly told her.

‘We’ve tried that, but there’s no solution to this.’

‘You’d ask us if we’d considered every option,’ Lennon pointed out.

‘What other options are there?’ Babs asked confused.

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