‘It was this morning. I’ve just come from there, although the party was still going strong when I left.’
‘And you didn’t stay?’
‘I was saved by the vicar.’ A grin twitched at the side of his mouth and he gulped wine. ‘In a way.’
Callie looked at him curiously. ‘Was it that bad?’ The blackbird pecked at the crisp fragment, gave her a beady stare and flew off.
‘My family en masse are overpowering. I love my parents, am close to my oldest sister and I love Jess to bits. The trio of aunts just about finished me off. Well, you know what families can be like…’ He let the sentence hang.
‘I don’t, not really. It’s been just me and Frida, that’s my daughter, since forever.’
Johnny twisted in surprise. ‘I’m sorry.’ Taking off his sunglasses, he pushed them into the neck of his shirt.
She shrugged, feeling the wine go to her head. His sympathy was sincere and it made her want to talk. It made a change to chat to a real person and not Frida’s disembodied voice in her head, or the art critic Vernon. ‘I’m not. I met Frida’s father when I was at teacher training college. I got pregnant, he disappeared. My parents paid me off.’
Johnny choked on his wine. ‘They did what?’
‘Here.’ Callie handed him her glass of water. She watched as his throat worked as he drank. He looked very fit with the lean sort of muscle that comes from being naturally active rather than gym workouts. It came to her in a flash that she liked him. Liked his easy charm, was intrigued by the underlying tension. ‘Frida’s dad has Indian heritage. My mother is nothing if not racist. When I made it clear I was having my baby, she gave me a large sum of money. Said it was my inheritance, and I may as well have it. The subtext beingGo away. So I did. They seem perfectly happy with my brother and his wife and their children. I got myself through teacher training and put down a deposit on a tiny Victorian terrace. And that’s the way it’s been.’
‘Have you seen them since?’
She shook her head. ‘No. At least not on purpose. I saw them shopping in the middle of town once but didn’t feel I had anything to say to them. Haven’t wanted to keep contact.’ Staring into her wine and enjoying the way the sun refracted through the glass, she remembered coming across her parents in The Shambles in Worcester.
She’d turned a corner pushing Frida in her buggy in front and had stopped abruptly as she’d nearly bumped into a middle-aged couple. Her mum and dad. Her mother had recoiled in horror, glanced down at the toddler, had tugged on her husband’s arm and yanked him over the road. It had cemented in Callie that she’d done the right thing. ‘I don’t think Frida has missed out on anything by not having them in her life. However,they’ve missed out seeing a beautiful, clever, kind girl grow up into a delightful young woman.’
Johnny remained silent. He passed back the water and grabbed a handful of crisps. Eating them slowly he said, ‘That was an incredibly brave decision.’
‘Thank you. Quite often strangers tell me I made a huge mistake and one which I’ll regret but I haven’t. Frida and I have a good found family around us and, as I say, she’s grown into someone I’m very proud of. I’d rather that than expose her to my mother’s very peculiar brand of morals.’
‘What does she do?’
‘Frida?’ Callie sipped wine before answering. ‘Office admin at the moment. She hasn’t really found her thing yet. Mine was teaching and I slipped into it easily. Frida’s still discovering who she is.’
‘Plenty of time yet. She can’t be very old.’
‘Twenty-three. I wasn’t all that much older when I’d progressed to head of department.’ Callie took another reflective sip, watching a seagull land and go on the hunt for whatever the blackbird had left. ‘But I suppose I was different.’
‘You had to grow up quickly. It must have been hard.’
‘Yeah well,’ Callie said dismissively. ‘You never know what you can do until it’s asked of you.’
Johnny blew out a great sigh. ‘Very true.’
He remained silent for a while and Callie sensed he was thinking of something profound in his own life, but his next words belied her guess. ‘I can’t imagine my mother doing something so heartless to her children and grandchildren. I mean, she’s a terrific snob, likes everything done just so, has the highest of expectations, but family is at the core of everything she does. Hence the party for the christening.’
‘So why did you leave early?’
Giving her a speculative glance from his vivid grey eyes he said, ‘It pales into insignificance compared to what you’ve gone through.’
‘I’d still like to hear.’
‘Really? You would?’
She settled more comfortably into the deck chair and stole a crisp. The sun had slid over into the west now and the garden was in shade. It was still warm though. ‘I’m feeling incredibly lazy and have no inclination to move. Besides, always enjoy the pastoral role I have with my pupils. I’m a good listener.’
‘You are.’ He gave her a warm smile which did something severely clinical to her insides. ‘I warn you, though, even I think I come out of this sounding pretentious and self-indulgent.’
Callie laughed. ‘Go ahead. Think I’ll cope.’
