Page 68 of When We Were Friends
‘In a screwed-up way,’ said Tiff.
‘His life was screwed up,’ said Paige, simply. ‘He was caught up in the abusive world of his father. Felix feared that everything he’d worked for, to please his dad, to keep peace, to try to repair his dysfunctional family, had come crumbling down because of us finding out about him seeing Sophie.’
‘That’s one thing I don’t understand…’ said Mlle Vachon. ‘The Hugo I knew wasn’t a two-timer.’
‘Mlle Vachon, with due respect, he four-timed us!’ said Tiff.
‘But that was part of a plan, non?’ replied Mlle Vachon. ‘He genuinely cared for Amelia. I’d seen the way they were together.’
‘He’s thought about it a lot over the years, had counselling,’ said Paige. ‘Amelia’s dad was a headmaster – upstanding, principled. Sophie’s was a detective, putting wrongs right. Looking back, Felix believes he was searching for a replacement father figure he could look up to.’
Amelia once said to Morgan that it was weird how Hugo would often spend more time talking to her dad, when he went around.
‘I’m sorry about Felix’s dad… and your mum, Emily. The pressure your parents put on you, Tiff. I was very lucky with mine,’ said Morgan.
‘Me too,’ said Paige.
‘Hugo – Felix – told me his dad was ill, like my mum. I assumed he meant physically, but now I can see he meant that his dad had a drink problem and no doubt other mental health issues…’ said Emily and she shook herself. ‘I need a walk, to clear my head. I can’t take this in. I’m actually sorry for the person who treated me like a fool, who stole my first kiss and threw it back in my face.’
They all got to their feet.
‘Go,mes chéries, I am tired now, but Paige, please, you’ll give Felix my contact details?’
Paige gave her a hug. ‘He said he wanted to get in touch with you again. Thank you, Mlle Vachon. Thanks for helping us talk this through like… like adults.’
‘I say it again: what fine adults the four of you have become,’ she said and dabbed her eyes.
‘It doesn’t always feel like it,’ said Tiff, in a small voice.
‘I often think I’m doing the mum thing wrong,’ muttered Morgan.
‘Me too, for a different reason,’ said Paige.
‘My life hasn’t turned out as I expected,’ mumbled Emily.
‘That’s why friends are so important,’ said Mlle Vachon, quietly. ‘Sylvie and I helped each other. Garth was her weakness but in other areas, she was as strong as they came and often talked sense into me on the days I doubted myself and worried I’d let down the school or a pupil.’
The four old friends looked at each other.
‘Having said that…’ Mlle Vachon folded her arms under her chest. ‘Never forget that the most important friendship is the one you have with yourself. A good friend is kind, patient, respectful, and if the voice in your head is not those things then you need to ignore it.’
Morgan shivered as they stood under the crescent moon and waved to Mlle Vachon as she peeked through her lounge blinds. They walked down Greenacre Lane. At the end, a small path led to the right.
‘I haven’t been to Greenacre Park for years,’ said Morgan. ‘I wonder if it’s still got those four swings in a row.’
It did. The women sat down and swung higher and higher, to the point that a little Olly would have shouted he’d touched the sky.
Olly. He was Morgan’s whole universe. However, the last few weeks had shown her that for both their sakes, it was time to open her heart to others. Den had got the closest but, even then, a barrier had always been in place, not letting him fully into the life she and Olly shared, a life she’d always protected.
‘Woo hoo!’ shrieked Tiff.
Paige joined in. Then Emily. Next Morgan.
‘Shut up!’ hollered a voice from a nearby house. ‘My kids are trying to sleep.’
The women looked at each other and started laughing. They got off the swings and dropped onto a bench. Emily announced her plans to become a veterinary nurse. Morgan said she was determined to go to university. Paige talked about how it was time to stop putting off getting fertility tests. With a little encouragement, Tiff opened up about Joe, said they’d kissed, and like in the old days, the others wanted the details.
‘I can’t wait to meet him,’ blurted out Emily, ‘if you want me to, Tiff.’
