“Mum, what’s going on with Dad?” her daughter had sobbed. “You went on the radio and toldeveryoneyou’re splitting up, without telling me first. I heard it from a friend.”
Ginny had sat down heavily on her bed. Her recollection of what she’d done in the studio was hazy, as if it was a strange dream. “We arenotsplitting up, darling,” she’d said firmly, also trying to convince herself. She had to keep thinking positively. “We’re just having a little break from each other, that’s all.”
“I listened to a recording of your show. You said Dad walked out on you, that your marriage is falling apart... Is it true?”
Ginny’s gut had twisted with regret. “I’m truly sorry,” she’d said. “It was a culmination of lots of things, the menopause, stress at work...”And I miss you, she’d wanted to add but didn’t. “I got carried away.”
“Where’s Dad gone? Why are you going on holiday with strangers? It’s weird.”
Ginny had chewed the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t wanted to tell Phoebe about Adrian using a dating site in case it destroyed her faith in marrying Pete. She usually advocated complete openness to her listeners, but in this case, the less her daughter knew, the better. “Your dad’s staying with Dave and Linda for a while, having a little rest. I didn’t want to vacation alone, so I invited four lucky listeners to join me, instead. I’m sure they’ll be perfectly pleasant people.” She’d crossed her fingers.
“So, Dad’ll be back soon?”
“Of course he will. Try not to worry and focus on your wedding. Everything will be just fine.”
Ginny had used more reassuring words and distraction techniques until Phoebe eventually calmed down. When she’d wrapped up the call, her daughter still wasn’t totally happy, but Ginny promised to keep in touch while she was in Italy.
On the lead-up to her holiday, she focused on the trip rather than on Adrian. Ginny selected her outfits and bought toiletries in the supermarket at night, when she was less likely to be accosted by concerned listeners. She ordered too many sarongs and sunglasses on the internet and greeting the postman each day made her feel a little less alone. She emailed property developer Curtis Dunne details about their flight and received a briefcheersback.
One day, she went out for a walk and detected the smell of Adrian’s aftershave in the hallway when she returned to the house. He must have let himself in while she was out. He’d taken some of his clothes and his MacBook, making his request for a divorce seem even more real. She tried phoning and texting him for an explanation, but he didn’t reply.
A statement appeared on the Talk Heart FM website.
Ginny Splinter is currently taking a well-earned break from her show. She’ll be back with more tunes and advice soon! Keep on listening.
Ginny felt lost when she arrived at the airport. Adrian had been at her side for the last three decades and she’d never been overseas without him before. She wandered around the shops buying things she didn’t need, nail varnish, perfume and a new relationship book titledThe Power of Two. She boarded the plane and lifted her chin each time other passengers walked past her down the aisle. Her eyes were drawn to the couples, especially the younger, gorgeous ones who chatted excitedly while trailing their fingers up and down each other’s backs.
As the takeoff time grew closer, she questioned if Curtis was actually going to show up.
Just as Ginny had convinced herself he wasn’t coming, a man dressed all in white strode down the aisle as if he owned the airline. He grinned at the seated people who tutted at his tardiness. He examined his boarding card for his seat number and stopped to stuff his travel bag into an overhead compartment.
“Ginny, right?” he asked, sticking out a hand so large it looked like a bear’s paw. “How’s it going?”
“Great,” she said, trying not to wince as his handshake made her knuckles crack. She didn’t detect a hint of heartache in his smile.
Curtis’s box-fresh white Nike running shoes, cargo shorts cut off at the knee and baseball cap made him look younger than thirty-eight until Ginny saw the crow’s feet spanning from his eyes.
“Awesome to meet you. The traffic sucked.” Curtis thumped down in his seat, taking up much more room than Adrian did. He rustled around in the bag fastened around his waist and produced a big bag of Skittles. “Want some of these? They’ll stop your ears from popping at takeoff. The red ones are the best.”
“I’m fine, thanks,” she said.
“No worries.” He fastened his seat belt. “Can’t beat flying, can you? I don’t usually listen to the radio, but I heard you offering the free trip and I thought, Curtis, you should go for it. Have some fun, meet some new people. There’s five of us, right?”
Ginny nodded. Curtis made it sound like he was purely here for a freebie rather than trying to solve any of his problems. She was about to ask him more about himself, but he’d already put on a pair of headphones and was busy messing around with an iPod. Ginny hadn’t seen one of those things in years.
She’d never been keen on flying and opened the book she’d bought. Authors Ben and Ally Prince were a married couple who’d once been on the verge of divorce when they wroteThe Power of Two. They gazed adoringly at each other in their author photo and Ginny read the blurb.
On the brink of despair, our love reignited. We battled adversity together and so can you. Whether you’re a couple in danger, or alone and trying to stop your world from crumbling around you,The Power of Twowill illuminate the way through the rubble to a fresh landscape ahead.
Ginny nodded and pushed her shoulders back. She and Adrian had made a promise to love each other forever and the book confirmed all was not lost. Helping the four strangers on holiday would prove she was a good person and show Adrian what he was missing.
As the plane careened along the runway, she focused on her book again and read about the seven stages of heartbreak.
Stage One. Shock and denial.
The end of a relationship is akin to bereavement. You may feel numb and be in a state of disbelief. How can someone you love cause you so much pain?
“Yes, how can he?” Ginny muttered, devouring the chapter without looking up. Adrian didn’t like self-help books, but she wished she could show this one to him, so he could understand his confused feelings better.
