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Back A Change of Circumstance
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. Four
  6. Five
  7. Six
  8. Seven
  9. Eight
  10. Nine
  11. Ten
  12. Eleven
  13. Twelve
  14. Thirteen
  15. Fourteen
  16. Fifteen
  17. Sixteen
  18. Seventeen
  19. Eighteen
  20. Nineteen
  21. Twenty
  22. Twenty-One
  23. Twenty-Two
  24. Twenty-Three
  25. Twenty-Four
  26. Twenty-Five
  27. Twenty-Six
  28. Twenty-Seven
  29. Twenty-Eight
  30. Twenty-Nine
  31. Thirty
  32. Thirty-One
  33. Thirty-Two
  34. Thirty-Three
  35. Thirty-Four
  36. Thirty-Five
  37. Thirty-Six
  38. Thirty-Seven
  39. Thirty-Eight
  40. Thirty-Nine
  41. Forty
  42. Forty-One
  43. Forty-Two
  44. Forty-Three
  45. Forty-Four
  46. Forty-Five
  47. Forty-Six
  48. Forty-Seven
  49. Forty-Eight
  50. Forty-Nine
  51. Fifty
  52. Fifty-One
  53. Fifty-Two
  54. Fifty-Three
  55. Fifty-Four
  56. Fifty-Five
  57. Fifty-Six
  58. Fifty-Seven
  59. Fifty-Eight
  60. Fifty-Nine
  61. Sixty
  62. Sixty-One
  63. Sixty-Two
  64. Sixty-Three
  65. Sixty-Four
  66. Sixty-Five
  67. Sixty-Six

‘No. This isn’t about guilt or anything else to do with our marriage and your walking out of it. That’s done. You have a new life and if you walk out of that, if you leave a very young woman and two babies because you feel guilty, you’ve decided you’re not happy with them after all, you can’t cope with their crying, you don’t like the mess and the untidiness . . . then I despise you even more than I did. Look at you. You’re a wreck and it’s not all because of our daughter. Whatever the reason she did it, don’t flatter yourself it was anything to do with you. I’ve made tea, the supper is heating up and you’re welcome to some and then you take your carrier bags full of shirts or whatever they are and go back home. Home, Jeff. This isn’t your home any more.’

When he looked at her again, Greta saw defeat and misery, grief and despair.

‘If she didn’t do it because of me – and maybe you’re right – then what was it? Why did she do it, Greta? What happened to her?’

Fifty-Two

‘I just don’t want to go. Not tonight, not any night.’

‘Do I have to talk to you as if you were five and say that sometimes we just have to do things we don’t want to?’

‘OK, OK.’

‘Si, I understand, you know that, but you have to go. Dad’s old, he’s on his own –’

‘He’s his own worst enemy.’

‘It won’t be as bad as you think.’

‘No, it’ll be worse.’

‘Just bite on the bullet.’

‘Any other platitudes? I rang you for sympathy.’

‘Well, you’re not getting it. For heaven’s sake, it’s one evening of your life and it’s now five to seven . . . Talk later.’