Page 177 of The Home Grown
My knees wobble.
Oh, God.
“So, what I was saying before Tom rudely interrupted…” Kelly says, bringing me back into the conversation. “Oh yeah, you haven’t told my mam yet?”
I was telling her and Jen about the deal with Greg. The cheque, the wedding certificate, the bonding experience he had with Mike in his office before the excitement of warm-ups took over … oh, and the fact that Mike and I are moving in together.
The focus of the latest part of the conversation, understandably, had been surrounding the legitimacy of the certificate and the fact we’re waiting to hear from the solicitor Mike enrolled to help.
And we should hear back at any moment.
“I think we’ll tell your mam and dad once we know for certain,” I say. “But she called to ask me to remind Mike to pop in and check through the paperwork she got down from the attic before she does it herself. It’s probably for the best that we tell them as soon as we know.”
I meet Kelly’s gaze.
“Yeah, she’d do that—actually, I wouldn’t put it past her if she’s already done it and she knows full well there’s absolutely nothing for Mike to find.”
“Well—”
“You know she’ll be okay with the outcome though right?”
Kelly rests a hand on my shoulder, and I nod, trying not to let my true feelings show.
I’m dreading the answer. Because the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it’s fake—I mean, I was so sure it was real before, but now … it’s all too good to be true. And the truth is, I’ve been feeling … I don’t know, sort of happy to have an extended family unit on my side. Because I feel the warmth and love of Mike’s parents and his sisters from the limited interactions I’ve had with them.
It’s like I fit right in.
“Mam has got over the shock now … and she really likes you. She thinks you’re good for him. Level-headed and whatnot, and you know … whatever the outcome, we’re glad it brought you two together.”
Kelly gently squeezes my forearm as she beams at me but I don’t have chance to reply because Jen is nudging me to get my attention.
“El, did you see this?” she says. “The forum’s blowing up. Shame we are about to shut it down.”
Kelly leans over to look at Jen’s phone, held out for both of us to see.
I’m half-expecting to see more slander… more opinions… more gossip. But it’s the complete opposite.
It’s an apology. An apology from?—
“Oh my God … is that?—?”
“Yeah,” Jen says grimly. “‘ilovetopuck60’. Rochelle. Someone finally linked the account to her by the look of it because she crossed-posted on another forum. Everyone’s piling in now—calling her out properly.”
She scrolls, and my eyes catch on the replies. Line after line of fury, disbelief, and righteous anger.
‘You almost wrecked a man’s life for what? Breakup pity points?’
‘Hope you’re proud, Rochelle. This was psychological abuse.’
‘What were you trying to achieve?’
And my personal favourite…
‘Pathetic.’
Jen whistles low. “Look at thisone—‘You built an entire smear campaign and called it grief … and brought his brother into it? Unforgivable.’”
And to think—people actually believed her at times.
