Chapter 28
28
CRYSTAL
The date for the next of my monthly visits was fast approaching – it was the following weekend, and all I wanted to do was to take my mind off it, to not have to think about it until I really had to. If I did, I’d start getting my hopes up again, as always, even though I knew it was pointless. I should never have got hopeful at all; it was easier to cope when it turned out exactly the same way as always – a disaster.
So I was spending as much time as possible with Gemma and Poppy. Gemma trusted me so completely by now, despite her mother, that I quite often took Poppy out for walks on my own if she was busy working. I loved pushing her around the neighbourhood in her buggy, chatting to her about the things we saw, or holding her little hand while we strolled down to the seafront to watch the waves.
There was just one good thing, though, about the date of this month’s visit. It clashed with Gemma’s dad coming down from Manchester and Gemma had told me he particularly wanted to meet me. I supposed Jane had been talking to him about me. According to Gemma, they still chatted on the phone to each other all the time. I found that odd, to say the least. Why split up if you’re going to keep on chatting to each other? Well, anyway, I was quite relieved that I wouldn’t be around, so I wouldn’t have to be interrogated by Daddy.
The problem was that I’d have to tell Gemma, and I’d been putting it off because I knew she wouldn’t be pleased. I’d have to come up with an excuse.
I didn’t understand why he needed to meet me anyway. It wasn’t as if it was going to make any difference to him who was spending time with his daughter and granddaughter, while he was living up in Manchester. No, it was obviously just a plot by Jane to get me out of Poppy’s life. I don’t know why I let her jealousy bother me. Poppy loved me, and that was all that mattered. Nothing, and nobody, was going to come between us.