Olivia grew up an orphan, despite both her parents being very much alive. She only knew her mother from the rare photograph and the odd video call. As for her father, he lived the next street over, but anyone would have thought he was a complete stranger he never even looked her way, probably terrified Olivia might ask him for help with her homework, or heaven forbid, a bit of pocket money.
In her younger days, Olivia used to brood over her mothers absence, imagining that shed abandoned her in pursuit of her own happiness and a taste of freedom. But with time, she began to understand. After all, raising a child at sixteen is no ones picnic, especially when the father is just your schoolmate and the next-door neighbour for added awkwardness.
At least her mum hadnt been scared off completely; shed had Olivia rather than taking some dramatic exit stage left. Even though her mother had left baby Olivia with her own parents, Olivia never forgot that she owed her life to her. Whos to know how things would have turned out if shed grown up under the same roof with a woman who, by all accounts, was missing the maternal gene altogether?
But as luck would have it, Olivia enjoyed a truly charmed childhood. Her grandparents couldnt have adored her more, and she basked in their bottomless affection from day one.
Her granddad and granny doted on her zealously, while her mum sent parcels from London crammed with the latest fashions and gadgets. When Melissa (her mother) married a foreigner Spanish, if you please the stream of parcels and bank transfers only swelled further.
At times, Olivia suspected her mother was trying to buy her forgiveness from afar, compensating with trendy clothes and cheques what she lacked in hugs and stories at bedtime. For her eighteenth, her mum even sent a wad of cash so Olivia’s granddad could buy her a flat in Cambridge. Good job too, since Olivia was uni-bound and the thought of halls with their sticky floors and communal kitchens made her skin crawl.
Thus, ever so tactfully, Melissa tried to show Olivia that everything was for her benefit, even if her presence was scarcer than sunshine at a British festival.
To her grandparents amazement, Olivia didnt harbour much of a grudge. But if she was honest, neither did she feel a wellspring of motherly warmth toward Melissa. When Melissa came to visit (which was about as frequent as leap years), everyone thought the two were sisters. With their sharp cheekbones and the uncanny way Melissa ignored the onslaught of her thirties, no one guessed she was a mum at all.
So, Olivia love, wouldnt you rather come to Madrid with me?
No, Mum, Ive got studying to do.
Oh, you and your books… It’s a family trait, you know. Anyway, here, this is my new number. If you need anything money, baubles, or just a natter you ring me, day or night.
Thanks, Mum. Youve already given me so much, Ill be fine for a long while.
Olivia didnt notice the way her mother flinched at being called Mum. To be fair, Melissa was still out of her depth with motherhood. She hadnt told her Spanish husband about Olivia, instead spinning tales about supporting her elderly parents and a fictional younger sister. The existence of a grown daughter back in England just didnt fit the narrative.
Of course, Melissa loved Olivia in her own way, but it wasnt that fierce mother-daughter stuff more like the fondness reserved for second cousins and agreeable acquaintances.
So, when Melissas Spanish husband traded her in for a woman from his village, the first place she pitched up was Olivias.
Olivia, you wont mind if I stay with you, will you?
Of course not, Mum. Im getting married soon anyway. Ill be moving in with Alex after the wedding.
Married? Isnt that a bit soon? Youve only just turned twenty.
Soon? Hardly…
Olivia stifled the urge to point out that her mum had become a parent at sixteen. She decided it was kinder not to mention it. Besides, she was a grown woman now and perfectly entitled to pick her own wedding date.
Sometimes Olivia compared Alexs parents to her own mother. His folks welcomed her like the daughter theyd always wanted. Her mum? Melissa could barely muster curiosity about who her daughter was marrying.
Ill come to the wedding, darling, but for now I simply must recharge. Im off to Corfu.
MmCorfu. Bet its gorgeous Alex was there last week, actually. Work meetings and all that
With just days to go before the wedding, Olivia was up to her eyes in bunting and seating plans. Alex, typically reliable, got held up with work. Her mum had vanished to Greece and was incommunicado. Olivia didnt know whether to be worried or envious.
One thing she was certain of: Alex would be over the moon when he found out he was going to be a dad!
Olivia hadnt expected to be expecting before the wedding, but, really, at this stage, who would count backwards and scandalise the local parish?
Well, at last! I thought you’d run off with a Greek goddess and left me at the altar.
Honestly, darling, you know Id never do anything so unoriginal.
Which was a slight, glimmering fib, considering that particular unoriginal sin had already occurred.
To Olivia, it felt like a punchline delivered by the universe itself when Alexs work travel turned out to be a little more romantic and a lot less professional. Suddenly, she was not the only woman awaiting wedded bliss.
Im sorry, Olivia! Alex said, looking suitably tragic. It was a mistake!
No, Alex, the mistake was marrying someone whod cheat and lie!
So, Olivia filed for divorce. She couldnt forgive her ex-husband, and as for her mother, they fell out of touch.
Olivia retreated to her childhood village, finding solace in her grandparents cottage, where she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.
She neither heard from her mother nor Alex, and if she was honest, she didnt care to.
Then, a month after her sons birth, the phone rang at the local maternity ward.
Is this Olivia Bennett, daughter of Melissa Fletcher?
Yes, this is she. Is something wrong?
Im afraid your mother passed away giving birth. You have a newborn sister. We wondered if youd like to take her in, or shall we arrange for adoption?
I Ill come. Im coming.
And so Olivia took her sister in. She couldnt imagine doing otherwise.
As for Alex, he stayed blissfully out of sight and mind still blaming Melissa for all his woes, while Olivia saw it for what it was: a muddled mess from all sides. But she always thought children shouldnt be punished for their parents idiocies.
Children are a blessing, she reckoned her blessing and, honestly, theres no such thing as too much happiness.
