The Ambo Drivers Wife

I hugged her tightly. "It wasn't your fault angel."

"But I told on you. I made Auntie Becca move away." She started bawling, which got me going.

"No, angel, it wasn't your fault. We should have been honest."

"Were you in love, Mummy?"

"Yes angel, I loved her so much."

"Are ladies allowed to be in love Mummy?"

"Yes, my love. People can love who they want. Not everybody accepts that though. Some people make fun of women who fall in love."

"That's not fair is it, Mummy?"

"No sweetie, it's not."

Jona, of course wanted to get in on the action. He had even more questions. I tried to be honest, the problem was they were just too young to understand.

I kept searching for reasons to visit Becca, but it was too painful.

A month or so after she moved out, I bumped into Rita in town. She looked embarrassed. We hadn't spoken since that day. She stopped me as I tried to walk past her.

"Nola, I'm sorry about you and Rebecca. She seems like a wonderful person."

"What, how did you find out?" I gasped.

"Harly, told me. I'm sorry Nola, I really am. I talked to her at work the other day. She was helping out in A & E. It's the first time I'd met her. When I approached her she was a bit put out, but in the end she opened up."

"You talked to her?"

"Yeah, come on. I went through the same thing. We all go through it. I decided after Harly I needed to be honest. I came out to the whole team. Even went home and told the folks."

"Wow, how did they take it?"

She smiled, reached out and stroked my arm. "I know I'm not your favourite person, but maybe we could go somewhere and have coffee, talk?"

"Yeah, why not? Everybody else knows. You may as well have a laugh, as well."

"I'm not laughing, Nola. I know what you're going through. It's a shock when you realise."

"Yeah, you're not wrong there."

We talked for hours; she told me her story. She asked about Rebecca, and were we in love.

I said I was, but I wasn't sure about Rebecca.

"I think she's feeling just as lost as you, Nola. I sense she really loves you, she's simply lost. She seems like a private person. I think that's why all the gossip hurt her."

Over the next week, Rita and I met and talked several times. She was also talking to Rebecca. Her thought was I had to just go for it with her. Be totally up front.

I had never taken as long to get dressed as I did that evening. I must have pulled every dress, every top out of my wardrobe as I rifled through, searching for the right look.

Mum agreed to look after the kids for me, but she was confused when she saw me walk out dressed as if I was going to a club.

"Where in heavens name are you going? Have you met a nice man?"

"No Mum, I'm going to visit Rebecca. I'm inviting her out on a date."

"Oh for pity's sake, Nola. Why? I thought all that foolishness was over?"

"No Mum. I love her, I miss her and I want her back."

"Why the hell didn't you try this hard for Harly?"

"Because Harly was a cheating pig and he didn't deserve me."

*****

Knocking on Becca's, apartment door was the hardest thing I've ever done. I was putting everything on the line. I had flowers, chocolates, a bottle of wine.

The door opened, and she gasped. "Nola... What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to ask you on a date?"

"A... I'm sorry Nola, I can't. I have Josh."

"He can come with us. Becca, I miss you like crazy. My life is nothing without you."

"Nola... I can't go through all that again."

"Do you love me Becca? Just answer me that one question. If you say no, I'll be gone and I'll never darken your doorstep again."

Her eyes rolled back as she stared at the roof. Her deep intake of breath scared me... Was it going to be no? How could it be...

"Yes, I love you," she said, the words tumbling out in a mumbled response. "Of course I love you."

"Then come home. The kids miss you. I miss you. We need you."

"But..."

"No buts, no anything. Come home where you belong."

She glanced at me. "You've been talking to Rita, haven't you?"

"Yes, guilty as charged. Weirdly, she's been really nice."

"Yes, she has. She told me I was an idiot."

"She told me the same thing. She said If I didn't make you mine, she was going to."

Her body melted against mine. Our mouths crushed together. Luckily, the floors were carpeted because I dropped the wine.

Yeah, we took all the flak, but slowly the gossips ran out of insults. The finger pointers found new targets. Mum and Dad slowly came around. The more time they spent with us, the easier it became. How could they not fall in love with her? She was gorgeous and smart, witty and charming, and best of all, the kids loved her with a vengeance.

Even Harly, the sleazy bastard, came around.

So is there a moral hiding in here somewhere? I suppose there is... Never say never...

The end.