We were able to make it into a lovely home but were still living hand to mouth. No matter how much overtime and extra work I did there was always something for that money to be spent on. The car needed replacing, and as you grew, we needed different furniture. You know what it's like as you're living it with Ella at the moment. Eventually, you were old enough to be left with childcare and your mum got a job as a receptionist at the surgery in the village, 3 days a week. For a few years, it was tight but comfortable enough. Then your Mum wanted another child because she always wanted three and Katie came along five years after you. You and Ben started school not long after Katie was born but that brought new challenges and expenses. Uniforms and clothes that lasted a few months before you outgrew them, Clubs you wanted to join like Brownies and Cubs and then there were the school trips and camps that all came with a price. For us to afford those, I was working six days a week so that my kids could do things I never got the chance to do. At the same time, your mum and I were trying to put money away as we had a plan.
It was on our Tenth Wedding Anniversary that those plans came into reality and we secured the land we sitting on today. To celebrate, I surprised your mum with a weekend at the Chesters Hotel in Cirencester." At the name of the hotel, Abby gasped. "That's right, the very same hotel your mum Claire, and Craig Higgins are spending their time right now. Ironic wouldn't you say. That was the start of Gibson's construction and everything blossomed from there. You kids never wanted for anything, your mum never had to return to work and could always be there for each of you and I still had to work 6 days a week to make sure everything went to plan. That is why your mum was always there for you and I missed so many events. This is still a part of the Gibson Holdings portfolio of properties and as it's just a house now I've decided to lease it out." I was starting to feel like we were talked out. Abby was a mess and I was tired.
"Are you going to divorce mum?" Abby croaked out. "Where are you going? Where is Mum going to live? This is such a mess."
"Yes, it's one big mess that should never have happened but hey, it has. I'm not going to divorce your mum but that will be her choice if she wants to divorce me. You never know, she might enjoy her weekend so much that Craig might be her future. Although, I'm not sure what his wife, Hailey and their two daughters will have to say about that. I know, I know, he said he was single but he isn't and that kind of gives you an idea about his character. She thought he was on a stag weekend with an old friend up in Scotland. Don't worry about your Mum, I have made sure she has been looked after financially and there are a couple of options of properties for her to choose from. It's all in that File box on top of the stuff I got out for you with all the instructions and details for her. She will be fine; the only stipulation is that she isn't allowed to cohabitate with anyone otherwise she has to find her own housing."
I stood up indicating to Abby and the sleeping Ella that it was time to wrap up. I walked to the box of memorabilia and Claire's files, lifting them and walked towards the door as Abby followed me. "I said to you earlier what did I deserve, I Deserved your respect and thoughts. Your Loyalty and Love for everything that I built for you. As that didn't happen, I will be going away for a while, not sure exactly how long, could be weeks, months or years. You see yesterday I folded Gibson Construction and retired. Gibson Holdings is still running as we still own 40 properties but I will probably be selling half of those. Today would be fifteen years since Gibson Construction was founded." I watched Abby to see if she took the relevance of what I was saying but she probably had so much going through her mind to make sense of it. "Today is our Twenty-Fifth anniversary Abby. To celebrate I booked us on a month-long cruise, it was supposed to be a surprise. Obviously, with your mum making other plans, she wasn't going to make it but I'm still going. Luckily, I was able to cancel her ticket in time to get a refund. I think this is something I deserve, don't you?"
Abby could only nod through the tears as I helped her get Ella into the car seat after putting the box in her back seat.
"I have cancelled my Mobile as I don't want any work calls but you can still email me. If you can let Ben and Katie know, I would appreciate it."
"Not Mum?" She asked.
"No, not your mother. I need time to reflect and absorb." I kissed her on top of her head. "Take Care, sweetie," I said then walked to my car to drive to the airport without looking back, I didn't want her to see the tears in my eyes.
Epilogue
Just under three years later, I was parked in a car in a way that I had a full view of the church. Today Ben was marrying Fiona, a local Fairford girl that he met in Oxford where he lived. I didn't want to upstage the couple on their big day so I had worked with the vicar the best way to slip in. The reception was due to be in Cirencester and was an expensive event, I know as I was paying.
During my travels, I kept in touch with all my kids by either email or Facetime. The girls had been so remorseful for the part they played before I left and I spent a lot of time assuring them that I was fine and we should be looking forward. Ben on the other hand was so angry when he found out the details. With him, I had to bridge the relationship issues he had with his sisters and force him to forgive his mother and move on. It took a while but he did eventually. Claire emailed me a couple of times to explain her actions but the only response she got was to give me more time. She did explain that she wanted to come home before the first night was over as she realised how badly she had screwed up. In her own words, "It didn't matter how nice Craig was he just wasn't you!" It wouldn't have mattered if she did get home that night as I was already gone. I did make sure that they all got cards and presents for their birthdays and Christmas. I attended Katie's graduation without any of them knowing and was at the hospital when Abby gave birth to my second grandchild. It was a boy they named Tom after me. I left a giant teddy bear when I visited his cot that night after everyone had left, a note saying Granddad loves you and got a nurse to take a picture of me with young Tom.
My travels took me all over the globe, after the initial cruise I drove across America and Canada and went through South America and the Caribbean. Australia was next which I spent a few months in, that was followed by the Far East. I skipped most of the Middle East apart from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. I finished my journey by visiting my folks at their place in France and then went to the family property we had in Lanzarote for the last three weeks. It sounds amazing but to be honest I was lonely most of the time and that made me angry at Claire. I won't say that I was celibate but three ladies I met were nice but I didn't stick around long.
When I saw the bride arrive, I got out of the car and checked that my suit was straight. Having paid for the suits I made sure to order one for myself. I gave the bride a couple of minutes before sliding into the church quietly as the vicar had just asked everyone to stand for the first reading. I knew that Ben had insisted on a space on the pew next to Claire, he had told me in case I could get there but I had given him the impression that I wouldn't.
When I slipped into the pew, I was hardly noticed apart from Claire who had quietly started to sob as I took her hand. The grip she gave me was like a vice. Both my daughters were bridesmaids and it took a while before Katie casually looked and gasped loudly when she saw me. That caused Abby to look around to see what Katie had reacted to, she nearly collapsed upon seeing me but both of them had happy tears. When the service concluded and Ben walked past me the smile on his face looked like it split him in half. Fiona was also beaming a gave me a whispered 'thank you' as she passed.
It was good to be home, I deserved to be here with family even if it took a while to realise.
