Chapter 23 #2
‘Have you seen the way she looks at him?’
‘I’m not disputing that she loves him. But marriage?’
Sofia frowned.
‘Don’t spoil the mood. There’s more.’
Sofia leaned in further, although no one could possibly hear what they were saying over the music.
‘He’s been planning it for a while. There’s going to be a wedding as well. They have to do the formal bit at the town hall first, but he’s fixed it for them to get married on the beach below their house at sunset the day before we leave.’
Charlotte slumped down onto one elbow.
‘Aaaahh. How cute.’
‘Grace hates fuss, so it had to be something simple, just a few friends. They’re off to Australia the day after anyway for an extended trip to see her daughter and grandson, so that will double up as a honeymoon. Her other daughter and her wife are flying there too as a surprise.’
Charlotte was now resting her head on the table and mumbling softly.
‘I always wanted a beach wedding. Mine was terribly formal, in a church… Horrible big meringue of a dress. My parents organised it all. No one asked me what I really wanted.’
Sofia exchanged a worried glance with Maddie, before clapping her hands together.
‘Well, you’ll be part of this wedding now as we’re all invited, and …
I’m going to be the one and only bridesmaid!
Grace promised me that if she ever got married again, I’d be her bridesmaid.
I don’t think she thought it would happen in her wildest dreams, after Phil died, but she can’t change her mind now.
I’ve never been a bridesmaid before.’ Sofia pointed at her friends.
‘And you’re both a little bit to blame for that. ’
Charlotte sat up.
‘I did ask you! We had the dress and everything. It wasn’t my fault your appendix burst the day before the wedding. Not yours either I know…’
‘Oh yes, I think I’d sort of blanked that out… I missed the whole thing didn’t I, stuck in hospital?’
‘You did, and we were all worried sick about you. You were mentioned in the speeches.’
‘Aaah, that’s nice.’
Sofia turned her attention to Maddie, who put her hands up.
‘You know we eloped the day Tony graduated. We didn’t have anyone there, let alone bridesmaids. It was just the two of us.’
Maddie closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the happiness on Tony’s face in the registry office when he’d said I do.
‘I didn’t want my mum to have to worry about the cost of a wedding either.’
Sofia smiled at her friends.
‘Fair enough. You’re both excused.’
‘Thank God for that.’ Maddie leant forward. ‘Since you’re quizzing us, why weren’t you asked to be a bridesmaid at Grace’s first wedding?’
Sofia sighed.
‘Grace’s bossy mother insisted that she only had small children as bridesmaids. No adults allowed. Parents had a lot more say in those days.’
Charlotte nodded.
‘That’s so true. I’m not sure I made any of the decisions about my own wedding. My parents were desperate to get me down the aisle as soon as possible after the engagement was announced in case I let the “oh-so-suitable” Doug escape.’
Sofia patted her friend’s leg. This wasn’t getting them anywhere.
‘I’m sure you made a stunning bride, Char. And I know Grace felt bad about not defying her mother too. Which is why she made the promise. I’m so excited for them … and for me.’
Maddie took another swig of beer.
‘Let’s hope that Grace says yes tomorrow then…’
‘Stop it, grumpy pants.’
‘I am honestly thrilled for Grace if that is what she wants. And for you, Sof, getting the chance to be a bridesmaid after all these years.’
Sofia’s smile was as wide as a Cheshire cat.
Maddie couldn’t stop her mind going back to what Grace had said about strengthening ties after loss.
She’d done the exact opposite and alienated a big chunk of her already tiny family.
She couldn’t keep it to herself any longer.
There wouldn’t be a better opportunity, and she’d drunk enough to be able to say it out loud.
‘But … if we’re talking secrets, I think the time has finally come to tell you mine.’
She could get through this without breaking down, of course she could. Two instantly serious faces stared back at her.
‘I told you that my son was angry with me after Tony’s death, about feeding him the wrong food and all that, and that things had been tricky.’
Maddie took a deep breath.
‘It was actually worse than that, a lot worse. There was one humungous row at their house when we’d all been drinking. I’m not proud of this, but I called his wife a vicious controlling cow and accused her of stopping him from coming to see me since Tony’s death.’
Charlotte’s gasp was easily heard above the music.
‘I know. It was wrong, and I shouldn’t have done it. I felt pushed into a corner… The upshot of all this is that I’ve been banned from their home. I haven’t seen Elsie for three months … and I miss her so much.’
The tears when they came were hard and fast. Both women had rushed to her side and were stroking her back. At least it was out there now. She hadn’t deliberately wanted to keep it from them, but the whole thing was a sorry mess.
Sofia had tears in her eyes too.
‘Oh Mads. We knew something was horribly wrong. That’s so sad.’
‘Sad … and stupid. I’ve been such an idiot.’
Sofia knelt down in front of her and took her hands.
‘Stop that. You’re not an idiot. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were an angry, grieving widow who let her tongue get the better of her.’
‘And it sounds like your son had had a right go at you as well.’ Charlotte attempted a smile. ‘Vicious controlling cow is probably not what you’d want to hear your wife called, but he kicked the whole thing off with his accusations about too many bacon sandwiches.’
‘Full Englishes, if we’re being accurate.’
Maddie’s heart rate returned to something approaching normal, as the relief of finally telling the truth kicked in. It didn’t show her in a good light, but at least she’d been honest.
Sofia pulled her up to a standing position.
‘We’ve all had enough. Let’s grab a taxi and go back for a quiet chat at the hotel.’
Gathered on Sofia’s terrace with cups of herbal tea and the sound of the sea gently lapping at the wall below them, Maddie could still hear the music ringing in her ears.
Sofia reached out and touched her friend’s knee.
‘All right, Mads?’
‘Slightly deaf, but other than that, bearing up.’
‘Now you’ve told us everything, the question is what are we going to do about it?’
Maddie hadn’t thought that far. Just saying it out loud had completely drained her.
‘What can we do about it?’
‘My inkling is that your son is probably as upset about all this as you are.’
‘I’d like to think so. But he’s not going to take my side against his wife.’ Maddie’s laugh was strained. ‘You know what they say, happy wife, happy life.’
Charlotte put up a hand.
‘No, that’s true. If you want my opinion, I think you’re going to have to be the one to apologise first.’
Maddie sighed.
‘Yes, I’d worked that out for myself. And I can’t let it go on any longer. Thanassis more or less told me the same thing.’
‘Thanassis?’ Sofia’s shock showed on her face. ‘He knows?’
‘It all came out that night on the beach. I didn’t intend to tell him. I was just looking for the right time to tell you two. But it’s easier to tell someone you barely know.’
Charlotte elbowed Sofia in the side.
‘Yes, the main thing is working out a solution now. Let’s not get hung up on who knew when.’
Sofia held her side a moment.
‘Of course. Why don’t we try and put together an email, the three of us?’
Maddie shrugged.
‘Well, it can’t possibly make things any worse, so why not?’
‘OK, let’s write it out first. Char, you’ve got the best handwriting. There’s some notepaper in the room and a pen on the side.’
‘Yes, Ma’am.’
After half an hour of crossings out, sighing and even a smattering of laughter, they finally had a draft that Maddie was happy with.
‘Can you read it out one more time, please, Char.’
‘OK, here goes. “To my darling family. Please can we find a way of sorting out our problems and moving forward with our lives. I am missing you all so much, and Elsie must have grown and mastered so many new things since I last saw her. I accept that the whole blow up was my fault, and I am truly sorry. I apologise unreservedly for my rude remarks to Hayley…”’
Maddie did a mock vomit.
‘Do we have to keep that bit in? I know I went over the top, but there was a little bit of truth in it.’
‘Yes’ was the deafening response from both her friends.
‘OK, I get it. Carry on.’
‘Where were we? Ah yes… “apologise unreservedly for my rude remarks to Hayley and hope she can forgive me. I wasn’t in the best place when I said those things. Losing your dad has been the most horrible experience of my life, but I don’t want to make things any worse by losing contact with you all and not being part of Elsie’s life.
I miss him every day, as I’m sure you do.
Your dad would be so sad that things have come to this.
I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, but because you know it’s true.
He never got to meet Elsie, who he would have absolutely adored, so I want, and need, to be there for her, on behalf of both of us.
He’s a part of her too. I really hope that you will let me back into your lives one day, hopefully soon, and we can start all over again. All my love, Mum.”’
‘Do you think that will do the trick?’ Maddie looked up at the others, who both seemed to have something in their eye.
Charlotte wiped her tears with a tissue.
‘If it doesn’t, they’ve got hearts of stone.’
Sofia fetched her iPad from inside the room.
‘So, if we’re all agreed, let’s send it now. It won’t take me a minute to type it out. Do you know your login and password?’
‘Don’t I need to send it from my own computer?’
‘Nope, as long as you’ve got the details.’
In her mind, Maddie was waiting until she got home to send it. Maybe give it another read through. Fiddle about with it a bit.
‘I’m not sure about sending it tonight.’
Sofia fired up the device.
‘There’s no point in waiting. That child will be walking in a minute. Let’s get on with it now. They’re two hours behind in England, so it’s already eleven in the evening there. He probably won’t see it until tomorrow, depending on how regularly he checks his personal emails.’
Maddie looked at Charlotte for reassurance. As the cautious one, she might back her up.
‘I agree with Sof. You’ve got nothing to lose. It can’t make things any worse, and it just might improve the situation.’
‘OK, I accept that I’m outnumbered two to one. Here, I’ll write down the details.’
Sofia typed like a madwoman, pressed send and leapt up out of her seat as her phone buzzed in her bag for the second time.
Maddie indicated down at the bag.
‘Got somewhere to be, have you?’
‘I have, as a matter of fact.’
‘Don’t forget clean pants and a toothbrush.’
‘Ha ha, I actually have things at the hotel and at Adonis’s flat.’
‘Have you now? Very organised.’
‘I can hardly wander around Adonis’s hotel looking like a wild animal.’
The disdainful look on the face of the attractive receptionist sprang into Maddie’s mind. She wouldn’t need much of a reason to disapprove of her friend.
‘Of course not.’
‘Leave her alone, Mads. I think it’s romantic. Grabbing any available minute she can with her man.’
‘Yes, it is sweet. I’m probably a teeny bit jealous.’
Maddie pulled her friends in for a hug.
‘Before you go… Thank you both for helping me with the email. I feel a bit sick at the idea that it’s already gone and it’s winging its way across seas and countries at this very moment…’
Sofia snorted.
‘I don’t think it quite works like that, but carry on.’
‘I don’t know what I’d do without you both. So, thank you, my lovelies.’
Maddie held on to the others for a few seconds more until Sofia wriggled out of the group embrace as yet another message buzzed on her phone.
‘Got to go. Car’s waiting. Let’s do something fun tomorrow. A morning at the pool now we’ve got one. Or check out some of the beaches?’
She was through the door before they’d even had a chance to reply.
Charlotte chuckled.
‘She’s keen, isn’t she? Never seen her like this before. I don’t feel at all sleepy after my night boogying. Fancy another herbal tea?’
‘Yeah, let’s go crazy. Thanks.’
Maddie looked out to sea at the lights of the little boats far in the distance.
Several of them were almost definitely fishing boats.
She didn’t know if Thanassis came this far afield on his travels, but he’d certainly be proud of what she’d done tonight.
Confessed everything to her friends and set about doing something about it.
Whether it would work or not was another matter, but at least she’d tried.