Just after the wedding! she announced to her fiancé.
I was leaving the gym and saw I had seven missed calls from Mum, Amanda recounted. Then I read the text: Call me back! Even though it was nearly eleven at night, I decided to ring her. Mum can be a bit frantic and stay up all night over the smallest things. She begged me to come over, tears in her eyes, saying something had happened and the wedding might have to be called off.
Amandas younger sister, Laura, is only twentythree. Shes a driven fashion designer whos already making a name for herself. About a year ago she finished her degree and landed a job straight away. Shed been doing a parttime placement while studying, and when she graduated the firm that had taken her on as an intern offered her a permanent role. Lauras love life had also been a pictureperfect exampleuntil today.
For just over a year Laura had been dating Frank. Hes three years older, lives on his own, works hard and is saving for a house. He seemed wellmannered and proper.
Laura and Frank had booked their wedding date at the local register office, and there were only a few weeks left until the big day.
Someone slid into Lauras DMs! Amanda giggled. We dont know each other, but I know you and think you should find out something before you get married The message came from a woman in her forties, so Laura thought, What could be that important?
But the stranger kept pestering her, sending messages from various socialmedia accounts. Eventually they arranged to meet at a café near Lauras studio.
Laura sat at a table waiting when a pregnant woman walked in. At first Laura didnt recognise her, but she was surprised when the woman headed straight for her.
Are you Laura? Im Emma. Ive been seeing Frank for over a year, and in four months were expecting a baby.
Laura thought it was a joke. It couldnt be trueshe and Frank had been together for more than a year and were about to get married! Emma didnt argue; she simply said, Heres my number. Call if you have any questions, and added that she could talk to Frank if needed.
What did Frank say? Amanda asked.
Well, thats when everything went sideways. Laura decided she and Frank would keep things strictly after the weddingthey dated, kissed, cuddled, and that was the extent of it. Laura had no experience.
Frank, on the other hand, was a young man with a bit of a track record. He was impatient, wanted a nostringsattached fling, and made it clear from the start that nothing serious could happen between him and Emma. Emma had recently split from her husband, had a child, received decent childsupport payments, and worked fulltime. The arrangement suited her because she knew there was a big age gap.
Frank told Emma that once the baby arrived hed do a paternity test, and if the child turned out to be his hed help out. He also blamed Laura, saying it was her oldfashioned morals that had caused the mess, while he was a healthy, young bloke.
Now Frank is begging Laura not to leave him, claiming he loves her, while Emma was only a physical convenience. If Laura had been wiser, Emma wouldnt be in the picture at all.
Frank added that if the child were his, hed contribute financially, but he doesnt intend to stay involved. Emma decided to keep the baby, and Frank offered to cover the medical costsshe refused, saying it was her problem now.
So, whos at fault here? Is it Franks overeager masculinity, given the pressure on a young man without intimacy? Or should Laura walk away from a fiancé whos turned intimacy into a betrayal? The lack of intimacy isnt a licence to cheat, after all.
