Page 17 of Never Too Late
‘What?’ she squeaked.
I took a breath. ‘Your dad is very much your dad. In every way, including biologically.’
‘OK. OK.’ Sash moved her hands down to her chest and her breathing began to regulate again. ‘Sorry. I mean, I know this is about you but when you said…’
‘It’s fine. I’m sorry I scared you.’
With the ability of the young, she waved it off, already well on the way to recovery. ‘So what is it you need to tell me?’
‘I don’tneedto tell you anything. But I’dliketo tell you about Paris. All of it. If you want.’
‘Really?’ A tentative but wide smile broke on her face.
‘Maybe then you’ll understand.’
She frowned briefly but kept the questions to herself for the moment. I knew that my curious, intelligent daughter would have many for me later and where once that would have filled me with dread and stress, I found that now, after pouring everything out to Ashok after so many years of keeping it all buried inside, it no longer did. Another chapter of my life had recently ended and now perhaps it was time to go back and revisit the previous one that had been cut short so long ago.
‘Shall we order a takeaway?’
Sash was already picking up her phone. ‘What do you fancy?’
‘French.’
* * *
‘And you never heard from him again?’ Sash asked as she poured a glass of the white wine she’d brought with her earlier.
‘Nope. Although, of course, back then there wasn’t all the different methods of communication like there are now. No social media and mobiles were still ridiculously expensive so we didn’t all have one like today. You either had someone’s landline and/or their address but that was pretty much it.’
‘And did he have either of those?’
I shook my head. ‘There hadn’t been any need at the time. He knew I lived on the south coast but that was about it, as far as I can remember. We both thought we had plenty of time for all that. He knew my address and phone number in Paris and that was enough.’
‘So, what happened exactly? Why did you leave?’
I let out a sigh. ‘I met his parents.’
‘Oh! So you got to the “meet the parents” stage?’
‘No, not really. We hadn’t even thought about anything like that. We were just young, enjoying ourselves, thinking we had all the time in the world. But then his parents turned up in Paris unexpectedly. Tomas cancelled the plans we had that day, and to be honest, I didn’t think anything of it.’
Sasha took a sip of the wine and tucked her feet up underneath her, watching me.
‘The next day, he called and said that his parents wanted to meet me and had booked a table for that evening at what I knew was quite a swanky restaurant. Naively, I thought this was all rather exciting. I was a bit nervous, obviously, but it wasn’t until I spoke to Gabby, Tomas’s sister, who was a good friend.’ I paused for a moment as I thought of her, sadness clouding the memory. ‘My best friend, actually. It was talking to her that gave me the inkling that something was up.’
‘Oh? What did she say?’
‘It was more what she didn’t, really. She offered to come round and help me choose what to wear. I was pretty confident in those days but it was still “Meeting the Parents”. When Gabs arrived, she was dressed very soberly, which was unusual for her. Did I tell you we were studying fashion together there?’
Sash shook her head.
‘Right, sorry. That’s how I’d met Tomas. He was a few years older than us but he and Gabby were close so he often came along when we got together. He’d taken a few years off from studying to travel and was now at university too, studying business. Anyway, after flicking through my wardrobe and apparently coming up empty, Gabs pulled out a very conservative, knee-length, black dress from her bag.’ I caught a glance at my daughter. ‘I know what you’re thinking, that sounds exactly like something I’d wear, and you’re right. It is now, but back then, I was far more adventurous. In lots of ways.’
‘Oh, God, too much info, Mum!’ she cried, putting her hands over her ears as she laughed.
‘Not like that.’ I batted her gently. ‘Although…’ I placed my finger on my chin in a thoughtful manner.
‘Mum!’
