You dont love him, but we were happy togethershall we give it another try?
We divorced three years ago, without drama or harsh words. In our statement, we simply said, “We grew apart.” At first, our daughter thought it was just a row, that her dad had gone away for a bit.
On weekends, shed have a wonderful time with her father; when they returned in the evening, wed share a family dinner, then Robert would set off home and Emily would cling to him, lingering at the window, watching her dad leave.
Last week, my daughter turned six. Over the past year, she and Robert havent seen much of each other. There were two reasons for this. Robert had met someone new and couldnt commit to spending every weekend with his child, and I was seeing someone else. I met Adam during a nature walk at Richmond Park. Emily and I had fallen behind the group, and Adam, too, had strayed. Eventually, we caught up with the guide, struck up a conversation, swapped phone numbers, and carried on with the walk.
Adam is different from Robertfar more reserved, but somehow you can rely on him. He never makes promises he cant keep, and throughout our friendship, he has never forgotten a thing or been late. If Adam says hell do something, he absolutely will. With Robert, everything was rather haphazard, and after all our misunderstandings we eventually split upmost likely because he simply wasnt committed.
Both Robert and Adam agreed to come to Emilys birthday party. I worried about how theyd get on and behave around others. Emily was, of course, eager to see her dad, though she and Adam got along fine.
All the guests arrived on time except my ex, who was late. Emily pleaded with me to wait for him, and I filled the unexpected gap with stories and idle chitchat.
Finally, her dad showed upa huge, beautifully wrapped present for Emily, and for me, an extravagant bouquet. I felt a little awkward. Adam politely introduced himself, while Robert, as though no time had passed, slipped right into the role of host: seating guests, sorting drinks, and acting just like he did in the old days.
Emily shadowed Robert, seldom leaving his side, and Adam, seeing this, seemed uneasy no matter how much I tried to make him feel included.
After a while, Adam excused himself, claiming he had urgent work to finish at home, and said his goodbyes.
With Adam gone, Robert relaxed even more. When we stepped into the kitchen to fetch the cake, I asked him to calm down and behave. Suddenly, he said, “You dont love him, but we were happy together. Why dont we give it another chance?”
I was caught off guard, but managed
“No, love, I dont want to. You and I just arent right. The only bond between us is Emily, and lets leave it at that. I appreciate how good a dad you are to her, that she looks up to you, but Im not waiting for youespecially not after you started seeing someone else.”
“Thats different,” he said, “just a fling, nothing real. Im not going to spend my life with her”
“Well, all the more reason to find someone you do want to build a future withnot just”
The party ended and guests made their way home. Robert was last to leave, helping me tidy up in the kitchen, tucking Emily into bed, all the while hoping Id invite him to stay over. When he realised that invite wouldnt come, he didnt ruin the evening. He simply thanked me for the chat, kissed my cheek, and left.
I phoned Adam and asked if he fancied a picnic with us the next day. Adam sounded thrilled, said hed rearrange anything he needed to, and offered to pick me and Emily up at nine sharp.
Just as promised, Adam rang the bell at nine. Emily squealed, “Yay! The birthday isnt over yet!” The three of us spent a brilliant day outdoors.
When we got home, I asked Emily, “Emily, would you mind if Adam moved in with us?”
She looked up at me very seriously and replied, “You always wait for him but if he lives here, youll see him every day!”
