This story has been written to run parallel with 'David's Story' It doesn't matter in which order the stories are read but to see the whole picture you should read both. In any case both of them follow the original part of 'Cathy and Sharon' and this should be read first.
Cathy and Sharon Ch2. - One Year On
I sat at the restaurant table that my son David had booked for us waiting for him to arrive, wondering what had happened to the last year. It had passed so quickly. I started thinking about the night exactly one year and a day before when I found what my whole life had been made for, my darling Sharon and the wonderful night we had spent together.
It wasn't anything new for me to have those thoughts, on the contrary, I had thought about her and that evening almost every day since. The day after, my 38th birthday, I had to leave her in England and come home to Los Angeles. I don't think I had ever been so unhappy in my life before.
We had kept in touch, oh my how we had. We telephoned each other two or three times a week and emails flowed back and forth constantly. Even the fact that she had gone to live in Australia six months after my return didn't stop us. My telephone bill almost did, but it was worth every cent and more. I raised my eyes from the glass of wine that I was passing from hand to hand thinking that I had glimpsed David out of the corner of my eye, but I was mistaken.
It had been a funny day. Firstly David presented me with a new dress for my birthday. This isn't what one would expect from an almost 21 year old boy, and certainly not one quite like this. It was a figure-hugging affair with a hemline about two inches above the knee. A really beautiful dress, somebody must have chosen it for him, I thought. Then he told me that I was to wear it this evening as he had booked us a meal. He then presented me with a nice pair of earrings to go with the dress. I told him that I loved the dress, but it wasn't the sort of garment a mother wore when she went out with her son, it would be more in keeping for a special date, but he insisted I wore it.
Late in the afternoon I heard the doorbell and when I answered I found Keli standing there. Keli is a young girl who works for David in the carpentry business that my father left to him when he died a couple of years ago. She is a nice girl but does come from a family with a rather bad reputation. Her mother and father can only be classed as layabouts, her two brothers are always in trouble with the law and her two sisters are what can only be described as easy. Her eldest sister, Chloe, makes no secret of the fact that she is on the game and the other, Tricia, who is two years older than Keli doesn't charge her men but is on her back just as often.
To be honest my first impressions of Keli drove me to believe that she was just like her sisters. The sluttish way she used to dress and her use of ripe language in almost every sentence fuelled this even more. But David, knowing her all through their school years told me that this was just a front. It was expected of her so she delivered. She had, over the past two years or so mellowed somewhat. She was always hard working and picked the work up easily. David often left her to her own devices and, to the best of my knowledge, she had never let him down.
Today though she seemed upset. She asked me if David was at home and when I replied that I thought that he was at work she told me he wasn't. I asked her what the problem was but she wouldn't tell me. I asked her in and after a little persuasion she stepped into the lounge.
I then coaxed out of her that a boy who she was really fond of, but until now hadn't the courage to tell, was coming out of a shop with another girl when she was driving by on a delivery. She was going to tell him about her feelings when she saw him later that afternoon but now it seemed pointless. He was obviously excited to be in the company of this other girl. They were holding hands and both were laughing. I asked her who the boy was but she wouldn't tell me and then, just after, she left saying that she was going home to have a good cry.
I looked up from my glass just as David walked into the restaurant. He had a big smile on his face, almost a laugh. I could see from his expression that he was having a job containing himself. I also noticed that he hadn't changed his clothes, he was still in the jeans and tee shirt that he went out in earlier that morning. He slid into the seat opposite me, still with that broad grin on his face. I asked him what was so funny and he just replied "Nothing!"
"I thought that you would have changed into something a little smarter for our 'date'" I told him, but he then surprised me by saying that he hadn't had time as he had to go and collect my birthday present.
"But you've already given it to me, my nice new dress and earrings" I told him, and he just laughed.
"They weren't your presents" he said, "Your present is still to come."
I told him about my visit from Keli and he said "Oh, I had better go and see her then."
"But what about our meal, aren't you going to have that first?" I asked.
"I'm not stopping, the meal is for you." He said.
I told him that I didn't want to have the meal on my own and he told me that I wouldn't be doing so, and that my birthday present was standing behind me.
I stood up and turned around, and there she was, her eyes welled trying to hold back her tears, the most beautiful vision that I have ever seen. Sharon threw her arms around me and gave me the biggest hug. I was in shock. I couldn't believe that she was there.