Epilogue
LIV
Jay and I stood at the finish line watching the children in Finn’s class line up for the race.
It was sports day in St Fintan’s and the parents were invited to come to cheer on their sons.
The June sun was beating down and I shielded my eyes from the glare.
As the starter horn sounded, the boys took off and began sprinting towards the finish line.
‘Go, Finn, go,’ I cheered but distracted by my voice, he stopped running and waved at us. We both laughed.
‘Go on, son, keep running,’ Jay encouraged.
I spotted Maya and Hugo across the field on the opposite side, clapping on Elliot, who was about to overtake a group of children to move into second place.
We watched the determined set of his face as he pipped the other boy just at the finish line.
Maya and Hugo cheered and hugged one another as Elliot crossed the line in first place.
I knew this must be a hugely proud moment for them after the year that he had had.
Elliot had gone on to make a full recovery and had come home from hospital a week later, much to everyone’s relief.
Maya and Hugo never heard from the Gardaí again and thankfully, they didn’t knock on our door either.
I’m still not sure if Jay and I would have been prepared to lie to cover Hugo’s ass.
Maya and Hugo’s marriage hadn’t fared as well.
No one was less surprised than me to hear that she had finally left him.
She had told me that although they had had a big heart to heart at Elliot’s bedside, it had been too little, too late for her and she couldn’t stay in the marriage any more.
What had happened to Elliot had been the final straw.
Hugo had had a wake-up call since his marriage had ended and ironically, he was now more involved than ever in his son’s life.
He and Maya were co-parenting and everyone seemed to be better off all round.
Looking at them here today, they both looked much happier than they ever had when they were married.
He had moved out of the house in Fairmont Heights and had bought a flat nearby in town.
The real barometer had been in Elliot’s behaviour, which had improved drastically.
He was better behaved in school and was popular with all the other boys.
He often came over to our house to play with Finn and was always well behaved.
It seemed the tension in his home life had been affecting him more than anyone had realised.
Maya too seemed content with how everything had worked out.
She had given up alcohol and had joined a new gym.
She had become passionate about clean eating and had even studied to become a personal trainer.
Just then, Maya spotted me and waved over.
I smiled and waved back at them. I still see her around but we aren’t close any more.
We chit-chat at the school gate but our friendship cooled in the aftermath of what had happened to Elliot.
We’re both busy with our own lives now anyway.
I recently made the decision to return to work.
I found a part-time role in a local GP practice during school hours.
I love the challenge of a busy practice and the fact that no two days are ever the same; whether I’m giving a newborn a vaccination or changing a dressing for an elderly person, I adore the variety of my work.
Then when I’m finished, I run out of the clinic and am at the school just in time to collect Finn.
I take him home, give him a snack and help him do his homework. It feels like the perfect balance.
Jay and I now look back on that period in our lives, thankful we didn’t let Maya and Hugo come between us. Their relationship had been so toxic, it was almost contagious. They came into our peaceful and loving home and turned everything upside down.
I reached for my husband’s hand and slotted my hand inside his, liking how it felt there.
Secure, solid. The whole experience has made us tighter and we are more cautious about who we let into our circle now.
We know we are strong – stronger than the issues that had led us to marriage therapy in the first place.
After all that happened, it made us appreciate our unit even more and we both know that what we have isn’t just enough – it is perfect.
Nothing is missing; our family is exactly the way it is supposed to be.