Chapter 4
‘In your own time,’ Calum said sarcastically, drumming his fingers against the overnight bag on his lap.
Tara took a deep breath and bit her tongue. She didn’t want another argument just before dropping him off at his dad’s. She started up the car and tried to stay calm. It was hard as Calum chirped away, saying how he was looking forward to seeing his dad and Melissa. Tara gripped the steering wheel tightly, gritting her teeth.
‘What have you got planned?’ she asked with forced politeness.
‘We’re going bowling.’
‘Oh, right.’ How many times had Richard refused to go out with them? Always complaining about how tired he was. More resentment started to flare up inside her. She took another deep breath.
‘What’s up?’ asked Calum sharply, turning his head to look at her.
‘Nothing. Tired, that’s all.’
‘Huh, what do you expect when you’re at work all the time?’ he retorted.
Unbelievable.
Tara’s patience snapped.
‘And why’s that, Calum?’ she fired back, taking him by surprise. ‘Somebody has to bring home the bacon.’
‘Sor-ry,’ was his reply, dripping in scorn.
The rest of the journey was filled with stony silence – the very last thing she wanted before leaving him at his dad’s. It didn’t help seeing him sit up with excitement whilst pulling into the cul-de-sac of Bowland Rise, a newly built housing estate on theedge of Lancaster that boasted large, detached houses with views of the Bowland Fells.
‘They’ve got a new fifty-inch plasma TV with surround sound. We’re watching the new Bond film tonight,’ he gloated.
‘Lovely.’
‘Right, see ya!’ He shot out of the car to be greeted by Richard and Melissa at the front door. They looked like the perfect couple, then the perfect family when Calum joined them. Richard waved courteously at her. Tara nodded her head back civilly. She cast her eyes over Melissa standing beside him, one arm wrapped round his waist, staking possession. She was welcome to him. There was no backwards glance from Calum. The door slammed shut.
She took a moment to look at the big, executive house. It must have cost a fortune, but there was no accounting for taste, with its white, plastic doors, windows and flat-roofed conservatory plonked clumsily at the end. A far cry from the classy Georgian home they’d once shared. Tara sighed and set off back.
She was spending the weekend moving into her apartment in Samphire Bay. Tara had wanted to share the experience with Calum, but it had been Richard’s turn to have him and he refused any flexibility. All her and Calum’s belongings were stacked ready and waiting for the removal van, which was due to arrive within an hour. This gave Tara one last chance to say farewell to her beloved house. Entering each room, she glanced around for the last time and mentally said goodbye to each one. She didn’t bother with the bedroom she’d shared with Richard. In fact, she was leaving behind the huge sleigh bed she’d shared with him too. Tara had refused point blank to touch the bed once Richard had left. She’d moved bedrooms and bought fresh furniture.
The main thing Tara was going to miss was the garden. She’d loved spending time out there, finding it very therapeutic,digging over the soil and planting fresh bulbs every year. Now she’d have to make do with a few potted plants on the balcony.
Still, the apartment wastheirs.Hers and Calum’s. A sanctuary where no one could come in, take over or abandon them. It was just them. Though, as things stood, she wasn’t looking forward too much to a future with Calum and his mood swings.
Tara longed for the days when they’d been good buddies. She knew it was his hormones that made him the way he was at the moment, but she was convinced that the situation with Richard really wasn’t helping. Calum had been unsettled by having to move from his family home. She also knew he missed his dad, only seeing him every other weekend. It was inevitable that Tara would be the punching bag for his emotions, as she was the one with him most of the time. All this only added to her state of mind – that life was too hard. Working full time really took it out of her, especially given what she did.
Fortunately her solicitor, Claire, was a good friend she had met at university. When Claire had represented her through the divorce, she had been at pains to persuade Tara to settle for a more realistic consent order, especially where maintenance was concerned. In Claire’s opinion, Richard had basically got away scot-free.
‘You’re letting him get away with murder!’ she’d exclaimed, wide-eyed in shock when Tara had calmly told her what she and Richard had agreed. But it was no use. No matter how hard Claire had tried to make Tara see sense, she simply shrugged.
‘I just want rid of him. I can provide for myself,’ she replied, almost in defeat. At the time this was true. Shedidwant rid of Richard, but now she appreciated how she still needed his real input as a father to Calum, and that meant giving proper maintenance for him. It wasn’t just Tara’s responsibility to provide for their son, which up to now, it pretty much had been. Now, in the aftermath, when all the dust had settled fromthe contentious divorce, Tara realised just how much she had sacrificed. And it was about to change. She’d contacted Claire again, this time meaning business.
‘It’s not too late. I’m just glad you’re doing something about it,’ Claire told her firmly. She then promptly applied to the county court for a revised maintenance order, acting swiftly in case Tara changed her mind. It had grieved her watching Tara suffer the way she had, and she felt totally frustrated not being able to fight for a much better financial deal. Claire was used to wringing every last drop out of her clients’ spouses, ensuring them full financial security. In Tara’s case, the rich husband had walked away fully intact. In fact, he was actually going to make a profit from the sale of their beautiful family home. On top of that, he had speedily remarried and bought another big house for his new wife. The injustice of it all went against the grain for Claire. It just wasn’t fair. Richard had taken advantage of Tara’s vulnerability, wearing her down so there’d been no fight left in her.
Most of all, Claire knew that at the core of Tara’s feelings lay humiliation, despite Claire’s reassurance that it wasRichardwho ought to be embarrassed by his behaviour. After a few glasses of wine, Tara had once disclosed just how much her confidence had been knocked. Hearing this had sickened Claire. How could he do this to her beautiful, intelligent, fun-loving friend? Richard had simply sapped the life out of Tara, and she hated him for it. For Claire, fighting him for every penny she could get was not just a professional duty; it was personal. And she was going for the jugular.
So, with all this going on in the background, Tara was finally seeking closure with the house that had been her home for the past fourteen years.
Out of the bedroom window, she saw the removal van pull up. She quickly ran down the stairs and opened the front door.
‘All set, love?’ said a cheery chap dressed in overalls.
‘As much as I’ll ever be,’ replied a subdued Tara.
