Your nerves are all frayed now, arent they? Nora snapped, the edge in her voice sharp as a winter wind. Do you expect me to sign the papers then?
Thats why I left you, Edward replied, his face set. You never understood me. My nerves are at their limit. Im worried about the childrens future.
The children will be fine, Nora shot back. Besides, my mother will be coming with us.
A coverup, Edward muttered.
Again? Nora exclaimed. Im travelling for work. Im going abroad for a posting. Can you see that?
I can, Edward nodded. And I reckon youll find some foreign fellow there, marry him and settle permanently!
Im not earning a fortune to gallivant overseas and lose sight of the kids!
Yes, I dont intend to stay anywhere, Nora said, tension in her tone.
I dont believe you a single word, Edward raised his voice. Youre taking your mother, and no one else. Youre moving the whole lot away in one go! Dont tell me youd stay if the chance came. I wont be stripped of my children because of your personal life!
Edward, unlike you, I have the children after the divorce. We have three, havent you forgotten?
Its hardly a selling point for a single mother with three kids, Nora said, trying to sound light. Im only travelling for work, but I cant forget the children. While Im away, my mother will take them to amusement parks, beaches and the like.
Your mother can do that here, and you can go wherever you like, Edward said with a strained smile.
Nora, dont be worse than you already are, she pleaded. The kids have their holidays, I have a job abroad and its peak season. Let them have a proper break.
They have nothing to relax from yet, but they can certainly enjoy some time back home, Edward countered. I wont give up my right to be part of their upbringing because of your foreign romance. I already hand over half my salary for their upkeep, so I have a full claim.
If its about money Nora began.
No! Edward shouted. Its not about the money. I dont want to lose my children!
So thats how you put it? Nora asked, her voice tight.
Exactly, and no other way. I will not grant permission for the children to leave the country.
Its a good thing I raised this issue early, Nora sighed. I knew it wouldnt go smoothly, and persuading you seems pointless.
Absolutely, Edward said smugly.
One more thingare you seeing anyone? Nora asked.
What does that have to do with anything? Edward was taken aback.
Im asking as an exwife, answer me.
No, Im single, he said. When half my wages are tied up, you dont exactly have time for a relationship
The salary question well settle, Nora replied. And well even improve your financial standing.
What are you on about? Edward asked warily.
Nothing. Theres a court case looming. Youll file a petition to set the childrens residence with me while Im abroad for work. Consequently, you wont have to pay maintenance and Ill give you half my earnings. Then the children, as you so desperately want, will stay in Englandwith you.
Youre out of your mind, Edward stammered.
Otherwise Ill sue to have your parental rights stripped. Paying maintenance isnt enough; failing to take part in their upbringing is grounds for removal. Since the divorce three years ago youve never visited them!
Edward stood there, as if underwater.
But you could simply sign the papers to let the children travel abroad, Nora said, smiling sweetly enough to make Edwards stomach twist. The children will stay with me, he replied, sounding like a wooden puppet.
Excellent! I have three months before I leave. Thats enough time to settle everything. And, as a favour, I can send my mother to help you.
Everyone could see that Edward and Noras marriage was beyond repair. Their temperaments clashed, their promises were hollow, their grand plans unrealistic. Perhaps youthful optimism still lingered, and when they wed, acquaintances wagered on when the split would come, muttering, How on earth do they live together?
For the couple it was tolerable. Arguments flared now and then, but they always made up. Sometimes Nora yielded, sometimes Edward bent. Their parents clung to hope that they would eventually reconcile, fretting over each quarrel as if the world might collapse.
Noras parents gifted her a house in a leafy suburb of Manchester. It needed renovation, furnishing and endless chores. Passionate as she was about interior design, the repairs crawled at a snails pace because of endless reconciliations. Living amidst scaffolding was amusing yet uncomfortable; the plaster cracked, the paint peeled, and the floorboards creaked underfoot.
When Nora fell pregnant, Edward proved his worth. Unlike her, he was a tradesman, and he finished the renovations two weeks before the babys birth. Nora, ever the perfectionist, would have liked a different finish, but a newborn left little room for debate. Edward could sweep cement, mix mortar and sand, but the idea of doing the laundry was beyond him. Washing the workclothes, hanging them to dryno, that was a job for Nora.
Soon the family grew to five. Their third child arrived, complicating matters further, and the divorce grew ever more acrimonious. Edward packed his belongings, wished them well, and left the house for three years without a word. Their eldest daughter, now eleven, the middle son, seven, and the youngest, three, were left to wonder where their father had vanished.
Only the occasional maintenance payment reminded them that Edward existed. He might have faded from memory entirely if Noras employer hadnt offered a twomonth overseas assignment with splendid terms: a fully furnished flat, travel expenses, and the chance to take all three children plus one chaperone.
Nora hurried to sort the paperwork, only to discover she needed her exhusbands consent. Edward refused, forcing a swift legal battle. If we cant get his permission, perhaps a court order will strip his parental rights, Nora thought. He owes me £30,000, and hes lost twenty kilograms, his eyes ringed like a pandas. Hes nervous, but hes still my exfatherinlaw, Ellen Whitaker, whos now a local council adviser, ready to keep an eye on him.
When Nora finally returned to England, she first phoned Ellen. Hes thinner, his eyes are dark circles, and he still owes me the money, Ellen said. The children are happy, theyve built a little fort in three days, and when he tried to protest, I gave him the law books.
Nora felt a wave of relief. Yet a citywide search had been launched for her. A week before her planned return, Edward paid friends, neighbours, even shopkeepers to report any sighting of Nora, offering a £10,000 bounty. They handed her in as if she were a discarded bottle.
When he burst into the flat the day she arrived, his voice roared, Give them back!
Its not over yet! Nora snapped. Im only here for a week; my contract runs a year!
Youre lying. I saw you at work, they said you wont go anywhere else! Edward insisted.
Nora laughed. You actually visited my office?
Yes, I spoke to the director personally, Edward boasted. So hand over the children, or Ill bring the court orders to your doorstep!
Nora, you dont understand! she chuckled. We went to court, we set the childrens residence, its with you now and I pay the maintenance. If I have to file again, Ill have no time Ill just keep paying the alimony and visit every fortnight, if you wont object.
Edward turned ashen, sweat beading on his brow as if he might faint. Youre the father of the year! You won the case against your exwife, now you must raise the kids! Ill try to be a decent Sundaymorning dad, unlike you who never showed up in three years!
My dear Edward, please take them, Nora pleaded, I have no strength left. Ill visit on weekends, I swear! Edward fell to his knees, his voice trembling, Please, Ill do anything. Im ready to run away into the woods if I have to!
Nora gave a weary nod. Thats how Ive lived. You cant expect help from your former husband.
I swear Ill assist, just spare me the children! Edward begged.
He collapsed, crawling toward her, Please!
The ensuing court drama was a circus, the children sent to the care office, the magistrate declaring, No more juggling the kids! The assessment, however, showed the children treated the whole affair as a strange adventure.
In the end the children regained a fatherflawed, bumbling, but a father nonetheless. Years later, none of them held a single bad memory of Edward. He never won any fatheroftheyear award, but he tried his utmost, and that was enough.
