Chapter 16 #2
He got her some fresh tissues, dabbed at her cheeks and pulled strands of tear-soaked hair away from her face as she babbled about Joel being in love with this Annette woman, and about some city centre burger bar, and how Hallie and Ada had been so brave, and about Joel expecting her to leave and being quite put out that she was staying and how stupid and unwanted she’d felt when she’d realised that, and what was she supposed to do when the father of her own children didn’t want to see her after nearly four weeks of living apart?
There was something about green dungarees in there, too, but like a lot of what she was saying, he wasn’t quite certain what she was talking about.
What he was quite clear about, though, was that Joel had told the girls that their parents were separated, without discussing the matter with Jenna or giving her any warning.
He’d also told Jenna he didn’t love her any more. And – God, what a kick in the guts for her – he’d told her he hadn’t loved her since the twins were born.
Sam thought grimly that he would love nothing more than to punch Joel Trent hard in his guts and see how he liked it.
When Jenna finally stopped crying, she looked completely exhausted and highly embarrassed.
‘This is terrible,’ she told him, gazing in dismay at the soaking wet tissues dotted around her mug of cold tea. ‘I’ve held it together so well for ages, and now I’ve shown myself up twice in one day.’
‘You haven’t shown yourself up,’ he assured her.
‘Oh, I have.’ She shook her head. ‘You should have heard me crying to my mum earlier, and now this. I’m so embarrassed.’
‘You shouldn’t be. You have no need to be.
You’ve had a shock. What he did’ – he couldn’t bring himself to say Joel’s name – ‘was appalling. He had no right to just announce your separation to the twins without discussing it with you first. I mean, why am I even surprised? He didn’t even have the decency to discuss the end of your marriage with you first.’
Jenna tilted her head. ‘He didn’t, did he?’
‘No! The only reason you realised he’d left you was because he didn’t come home from work, and then he didn’t even have the courage to collect his things but sent his friend round to get them for him.
And you had to find out about this other woman from the same friend. He’s totally gutless, if you ask me.’
Maybe he shouldn’t have said that, but he couldn’t help it. This Joel creature wasn’t even a man, in his opinion. What sort of man treated his family in that way?
‘I think you’re right,’ she said sadly. ‘It doesn’t say much for him, does it?’
‘I think it says a lot about him, though. So you have no reason to feel ashamed. He’s the one who should be feeling ashamed. I don’t know how he can look at himself in the mirror every day.’
‘Oh,’ she said with a short laugh, ‘he has no trouble with that, believe me.’
‘I do.’ That ‘man’ clearly loved himself more than he loved anyone else.
‘I just don’t understand this Annette person,’ Jenna said, sounding puzzled. ‘It makes no sense, does it?’
‘What doesn’t?’ he asked, glad that she’d at least stopped crying now and was speaking more rationally.
‘Well, she knows he’s married with two children.
She must know that he just walked out of our house to go to work and didn’t come back.
That he didn’t tell me what was happening.
Didn’t confess his affair. That he sent Louis round to get his things for him and it was Louis who told me about them, not Joel.
That he hasn’t seen the twins for weeks and never calls them or wants to talk to them.
She probably knew that he was going to tell them about us today, without even warning me. It doesn’t add up, does it?’
He was confused, not following her train of thought. ‘What doesn’t add up?’
‘Well, how can she love someone who behaves in that manner?’ Tears welled up again as she said brokenly, ‘Sam, how can she possibly love a man who can do that to his wife and children?’
He stared at her, seeing the bewildered expression in her eyes as she tried to make sense of something that was clearly beyond her comprehension. Gently he took her hand.
‘Jenna?’
‘Yes?’ she asked, tucking her straggly hair behind her ears and waiting for him to explain this dilemma to her.
‘It’s not her you should be asking that question of, is it? It’s you.’
She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘How can you love someone who behaves in that manner? How can you possibly love a man who can do that to his wife and children?’
There was a long silence as Jenna stared back at him. He could see a whole range of emotions flickering in her eyes as she followed multiple trains of thought. It was honestly as if she’d never even asked herself that question before, though Sam could hardly believe it was true.
‘I… I don’t know,’ she admitted eventually. Her voice was thick with emotion. ‘I suppose it doesn’t make sense either, does it?’
‘No, it really doesn’t. This Annette woman hardly knows him.
She’s probably completely smitten with him and in those early stages some people are willing to overlook all the red flags.
But you’ve lived with him. You’ve married him, had children with him.
He’s treated you all terribly, yet you’re confused about how she can overlook that behaviour? ’
Jenna didn’t seem to have any words left. She stared into her cold cup of tea, twisting a damp tissue between her fingers and looking wretched.
Sam realised he still had his arm around her, and that it wasn’t very appropriate for a boss to be so familiar with his employee, and that if he sat here much longer with her, she might start to think he was as sleazy as her husband.
Clearing his throat in awkward embarrassment, he moved his arm away and nudged the chair a little further back.
‘Why don’t you take the rest of the night off and come back tomorrow if you’re feeling a bit better?’ he suggested.
She blinked as if she’d only just remembered that she was supposed to be at work. ‘The bar! How are you managing?’
He smiled. ‘Dad’s down there.’
‘Your dad!’ Her mouth fell open in shock. ‘But he never goes in there!’
‘Well, he has now. He thought it more important that I should come and check on you.’
She groaned. ‘He heard me?’
‘He was watching East Riding Round-Up in the next room.’ Sam grinned. ‘Seems your wailing was much louder than the newsreader’s dulcet tones.’
‘I’m so embarrassed,’ she said, shaking her head.
‘Like I said before, don’t be. Just get yourself home, get some rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow evening. But only if you feel up to it. If you don’t, it’s not a problem.’ He winked. ‘I might even persuade Dad to give me a hand for a whole shift. You never know.’
He wondered if it was possible. Would his dad relent, now that he’d taken that first important step of venturing back into the bar? It might be too much to hope for, but there was a part of Sam that just couldn’t help it.
‘I think I will go home after all,’ Jenna said hesitantly.
‘If you’re sure you don’t mind? Mum said she’d wait up for me.
She wants to talk to me. She doesn’t really know what’s been going on all this time and she deserves to.
I hope the twins are okay. She messaged me and said they’re in bed.
They’ve had supper and a bath, and she thinks they’re dealing with it all right. Better than me, anyway.’
‘Children are remarkably resilient,’ he said. It was something people often said, anyway. He had no personal experience of the fact, but he hoped, for all their sakes, that it was true.
‘It’s their birthday a week tomorrow,’ she said dully. ‘We’re having a party for them in the garden at Watersmeet. Weather permitting. We invited Joel but he’s not sure he can make it.’
‘Right,’ Sam said.
‘You must come, anyway,’ she said. ‘If you can get away from the pub. You and your dad. You’d both be very welcome.
Mac and Mum would love to see your dad actually socialising, I know that.
I’ve ordered the twins a cake from a shop in Millensea.
It’s lovely. They’re going to have a brilliant time, aren’t they? ’
‘Of course they are. I’d love to come, thank you. I’ll ask Dad. I’m sure I can juggle the staff rota now Cathy and Briar are back at work.’
He saw Jenna out of the pub, telling her firmly not to worry about coming back tomorrow if she wasn’t up to it, then he went into the bar where his dad was serving a man who’d ordered drinks for everyone at his table.
Sam helped pour the drinks, amazed at how easily his dad seemed to have slipped back into the rhythm of things.
He was waiting, though. Waiting for the moment when his dad announced he’d done enough and was off back upstairs.
When a lull came, he braced himself, but to his surprise his dad beckoned him to the till and murmured to him, ‘Is she all right then?’
‘She’s gone home,’ Sam told him quietly. ‘I had to tell her to leave, Dad. She was too upset to work here tonight.’
His dad nodded. ‘Thought as much. Something going on with that fella of hers? The one you’ve never seen sight nor sound of? Because it seems funny to me that she’s here with them kids all by herself for the entire summer holidays.’
Sam hesitated, but after all, who was his dad going to tell? He never saw anyone.
‘Yeah,’ he said heavily. ‘He’s just announced to their daughters that he and Jenna have separated, without even warning Jenna or discussing it with her at all. I think… I think it’s just finally hit her that, this time, he might never come home.’
‘This time?’ Seb frowned. ‘Like that, is it?’
‘I think she’s had a rough time of it with him,’ Seb said briefly. ‘Other women.’
‘Oh aye.’ His dad nodded. ‘That’ll do it every time. Poor lass. And them poor kiddies, too. Some people, eh?’
‘Yeah. Some people.’
His dad sighed. ‘Aye, well… I might as well stay and finish this shift, hadn’t I? Nothing better to do any road, now I’ve missed East Riding Round-Up.’