Im not planning on letting the backstabbers return,
Wheres Victor? I cant see him anywhere! Where has he vanished a puzzled murmur drifted through the crowd of relatives jammed on the steps of StMarys maternity ward.
If Victor had been a proper Victor, the father of the newborn, the bewilderment would have been far less. In this case Vic is a nickname for Victoria, the mother, and thats why the whole thing looked so odd.
The fact that Victoria simply disappeared, instead of clutching a tiny envelope with her baby girl, was downright bizarre.
Shes bolted! That wicked woman! shrieked Vickys mother as she handed her soninlaw, James, the paperwork and the final letter from the runaway wife.
The letter was a textbook example of the notes men leave in such predicaments: Im not ready for this, dont look for me, I wont abandon my daughter, Ill pay child support, thats all. No return address, no explanation why a respectable lady who, half a year ago, was dreaming of motherhood, would suddenly up and leave.
James, dont worry. Shell come to her senses, shell realise the error of her ways, and shell be back, tried to comfort James Victorias mother.
Her elder daughter, Emily, never echoed that sentiment. A quiet voice inside told her: she wasnt coming back. Emily knew her mothers habits wellwhen she decided to quit something, she quit for good.
Youre talking nonsense, dear, snapped the mother when Emily gently suggested that Victoria might never return. Shell be back. Give it a month or two and her motherly instincts will kick in.
Divorce papers arrived three months later. Victoria never set foot in the courtroom, refused custody, so little Molly stayed with her father. Emily started dropping in on James more often to help with the baby and, frankly, to keep James company.
After all, Emily had her own set of woes. A year after her brotherinlaws birth, her fiancé had walked out just as she was about to tie the knot. Theyd planned to marry when the child turned three and Emily finished maternity leave. Yet Maxwell, Markditched her, leaving her kneedeep in problems. At least the court confirmed his paternity, and Emily managed to scrape together a few pounds of child support.
She kept scouring Jamess behaviour for any warning signs, though she never voiced her concerns to her sister or mother. In the end she realised shed been looking at the wrong person. Turns out, her sister wasnt the monster she imagined.
It wasnt as if Emily had been forced to have a child; shed wanted it. James, on the other hand, kept suggesting they wait five years to save enough for a proper threebedroom flat, but Vic nudged him impatiently, Lets move on now.
And the result? She dropped Mollytiny, defenseless, in need of a mumright in Jamess lap.
Perhaps it was because Emily had already become a mother herself, or perhaps because Molly was, after all, her own blood, but she soon started treating the little girl as her own daughter.
James, on a couple of occasions, tried to pass Molly to Emily, saying, Take her to mum for a cuddle. He even suggested she move in with him, his son, and Molly, promising there was space, that she could rent out rooms and use the rent to pay the mortgage instead of begging her own mother for help.
When the mother found out Emily had moved in with James, she launched a fullblown lecture. Having a look at your sisters husband is scandalous, she declared, only to be brushed aside by James, who told the former motherinlaw, Its none of your business.
Eventually, slightly tipsy, James confessed hed be happy to marry Emily and even adopt her son as his own.
Well be straight about it, Emily. Youre raising my child as yours, Ill treat yours as mine. I wont force you into any bedroom, you decide that, but otherwise were better off together. Its simpler for both of us. I can earn a decent wage, but I have no clue how to handle nappies, doctor visits, and mushy peas. Youve got a knack for kids, even if you wont be making a fortune at your daycare job.
Emily had been a nursery teacher before maternity leave, earning modestly at a private preschool, so Jamess proposal was pragmatic, almost mercenary. After a brief pause, Emily realised the fairytale romance shed chased hadnt delivered any lasting happiness, apart from the love for her son.
Maybe it was time for a pragmatic approach? James was decentno drinking, no smoking, always chipping in for the kids, and Molly had grown attached to him over two years, calling him Mum by habit.
Perhaps everything happens for the best.
Of course, the mother didnt turn up at the weddingshe wasnt exactly awaited. The couple signed the papers, clinked a shot of whisky with close friends, absorbed the wellmeaning wishes, and shuffled back to Jamess flat, where the four of them already lived.
Life changed hardly at all, except now the children shared one bedroom while the adults took the other. After all, Emily and James were still people, entitled to a slice of personal happiness.
Victorias sudden reappearance was like a thunderclap on a clear day. Emily was inside, so James opened the door. He hadnt even looked up, waiting for a delivery, when his exwife barreled in, arms flailing.
Darling, Im back! she announced. When James brushed her away sharply, forcing her a step back, she fluttered her lashes and, as if nothing had happened, asked, You not happy to see me?
Should I be? James replied with a sneer.
He later confessed to Emily that hed rehearsed countless responses for this moment, but when it finally arrived he could only manage a single, What do you even want?
I want to see my daughter. And maybe we could sort out our relationship.
I know my actions werent great, but cant we try to be a proper family?
No. Ive already got my family, and Im not letting traitors back in.
You mean Emily? You never really had anything with her. How could you swap me for her? Emily, Emily!
Emily had just stepped out of the shower and the first thing she noticed was the ajar nursery door, a thin slice of the room that gave the children a glimpse of the drama.
Victoria spotted the kids too, slipped past James, and lunged for the little girl.
Molly, my dear, youve grown up!
She snatched the toddler, a highpitched screech escaped her as she tried to yank Victorias hair.
Let go of my sister, you witch! baby Harry, the older brother, bit Victorias leg.
Victoria, only in tights and a short skirt, let out a yelp, dropped Molly onto the floor, and clutched at the spot where shed been bitten.
Harry darted to his brother, and the children ducked behind Emilys legs. Victoria glared at the little tableau, hissed softly,
You serpent youve turned my daughter against me I wont let this go, understand?
The whole motheroftheyear plan fell apart. Victoria had once refused custody, so Molly had never really known her, and her sudden reappearance didnt spark any desire for a relationship. All attempts to win the child back failed.
Even the mothers meddlingtrying to persuade James to do a reverse movedidnt help.
In the end James and Emily cut ties with Victorias mother completely, then moved to a different city, never leaving an address.
Now they live happily elsewhere, raising three kids. Only their closest friends know that Molly sometimes tells them shes actually the daughter of a real witch, while her mum Emily is a kind fairy who rescued her.
Harry backs up the tale, claiming his dad must be an evil sorcerer too, for he abandoned the good fairy and fled.
Thankfully, a kindly dad found them, and now theres a happy family of mum, dad, a little sister and a brother. After all, every fairytale needs a cheerful ending.
