Im not planning to let traitors back in.
Wheres Victor? someone whispered among the crowd of relatives packed on the steps of the London Maternity Hospital. We cant see Victorwhere has he vanished to?
If Victor were the father of the newborn, the murmurs would have been far fewer, but in this case Victor is a nickname for his wife, Violet. The fact that Violet had simply disappeared rather than cradling her infant in her arms was extraordinary.
Shes run off! That damned woman! exclaimed Violets mother as she handed her soninlaw, Ian, the babys paperwork and the last letter from the runaway wife. The letter read like a template used in such cases: she claimed she wasnt ready for motherhood, asked not to be searched for, promised child support, and said that was the end of her involvement. There was no return address, no explanation for why a respectable woman who, only six months earlier, had dreamed of becoming a mother, would now abandon everything so abruptly.
Ian, dont worry. Shell come to her senses, realise her mistake, and return, Violets mother tried to console her soninlaw.
Sarah, Violets elder daughter, said none of that. Her inner voice told her Victor would not come back. He was never the type to make a halfhearted decision; whenever he chose to leave, he meant it fully.
Shut your mouth, Sarah, snapped the grandmother when Sarah gently hinted that Violet might never return. Shell be back. A month or two, and shell remember her motherly love.
Divorce papers arrived three months later. Violet never attended the court hearings, refused custody, and the babynow called Lilyended up living with her father. Sarah began visiting Ians house more often to help with the child and to keep company with him.
She had her own heartbreak to bear. A year after her sons birth, her fiancé, Mark, abandoned her just as they were planning to marry when their child turned three and Sarah finished her maternity leave. Mark fled, leaving Sarah swamped with debts, though the court eventually confirmed his paternity of their son, Andrew, and ordered modest maintenance.
Sarah constantly searched Ians behaviour for warning signs, though she never mentioned her fears to Violet or the grandmother. In the end, she realised she had been looking at the wrong person. The only one who truly mattered was the sister she thought she knew.
It wasnt a forced pregnancy; Violet had wanted to have a child. Ian, on the other hand, suggested waiting five years to save enough money to turn his modest twobed flat into a threebed, but Violet hurried him along.
The result? She abandoned Lily, a tiny, defenseless infant who needed a mother. Perhaps the fact that Sarah had already become a mother herself, or perhaps the strange blood tie to Lily, made her soon treat the child as her own.
Ian, a few times, handed Lily over to Sarah, saying, Take her to her mum. He later offered Sarah to move in with him and Lily, promising enough space for everyone and a chance to rent out rooms to cover the mortgage instead of relying on the grandmothers aid.
When the grandmother learned Sarah had moved in with Ian, she tried to shame her: Having a mans family on your side is disgraceful. Ian brushed her off, saying it was none of her business. Later, a few drinks later, he confessed he was ready to marry Sarah and even adopt her son as his own.
Everything will be fair, Sarah. Ill raise your child as my own, and Ill consider Andrew mine too. I wont drag you into any dramadecide what you want, and well stick together. Itll be easier for both of us.
Ian could earn a decent wage, but he confessed he was clueless about nappies, doctors visits, and baby formula. Sarah, who had been a nursery assistant before maternity, didnt earn much either, even though the school was private.
Ians proposal was pragmatic, perhaps too pragmatic. After thinking it over, Sarah realised that the fairytale romance she once chased hadnt brought her any real happiness, apart from her love for her son. Maybe it was time to be practical. Ian was kind, didnt drink or smoke, and consistently helped with money for his own son. Lily had grown accustomed to calling Sarah Mum after two years.
Could it be that everything that happens, even the painful parts, works out for the best?
The grandmother didnt attend the weddingno one expected her there. After the ceremony, the couple raised a toast with their close friends, wished each other happiness, and returned to Ians flat, now home to four of them. Life changed only slightly: the children shared one bedroom, the adults another.
Sarah and Ian were still people with a right to personal happiness.
One rainy afternoon, a delivery person was expected at the door. Ian opened it, only to be met by a sudden thrust of a womans armsViolet, his former wife.
Darling, Im back! she declared. When Ian brushed her away sharply, she blinked and asked, Arent you happy to see me?
Should I be? Ian replied scornfully.
He later told Sarah he had rehearsed what to say to Violet for weeks, but when the moment arrived he could only ask why she had returned.
I came for my daughter. I also hoped we could sort things out between us.
I know my actions werent perfect, but we could fix this as a proper family, couldnt we?
No. Ive already built a new family, and I wont let traitors back in.
Is this about Sarah? You never really had anything with her. How could you swap me for her?
Sarah had just stepped out of the shower and saw the nursery door ajar, the children peeking out like tiny guards. Violet noticed the kids too, slipped past Ian, and rushed to Lily.
Lily, look how youve grown! she cooed, lifting the toddler. Lily screamed, trying to pull at Violets hair.
Let go of my sister, witch! Andrew, Ians son, bit Violets leg.
Violet, dressed only in stockings and a short skirt, yelped in pain, dropped Lily to the floor, and clutched her wound. The children scrambled to Andrew, and together they hid behind Sarahs legs. Violet glared and hissed, You serpent you turned my own child against me. I wont let this stand!
In the end, Violets attempts to regain custody failed; she had never sought guardianship after abandoning Lily, and the court dismissed her claim. Even the grandmothers meddling, urging Ian to make a reverse move, achieved nothing.
Ian and Sarah finally cut ties with Violets mother and later moved to another city, leaving no address behind. They now live happily in a new town, raising three children. Lily occasionally tells her closest friends the secret that she is the daughter of a real witch, while her mother Sarah is a kind fairy who rescued her. Andrew boasts that his father must be an evil sorcerer, too, for he ran away from his own fairy.
In the end, a good father found them, and together they have a joyful family of mum, dad, a little sister and a brother. As all good stories should, theirs ends well, reminding us that sometimes the only way forward is to let go of the past, build anew, and give ourselves the forgiveness we truly deserve.
