I’m not letting those traitors back in, I said, and I could hear the murmur of the crowd behind me as we all crowded around the steps of StMarys Hospital in Manchester.
Wheres Tom? someone whispered. We cant see Tom at all! Where did he disappear to? The question floated through the relatives packed on the landing.
If Tom had been a proper bloke, the dad of the newborn, wed have heard far fewer confused sighs. But in this case Tom is short for Thomasina, a nickname thats actually a twist on the female name Thomasina, and the woman were looking for is actually Thomasina Harper.
The fact that Thomasina had vanished without a single baby in her arms was strange, to say the least.
She ran off! shrieked MrsHarper, Thomasinas mother, as she handed her soninlaw, Ian, and the tiny daughter, Lily, the paperwork and a final note from the runaway wife.
The note was a copypaste of the usual fare you get in these situations: Im not ready for this, dont look for me, Ill still pay child support, but this is the end for me. No return address, no explanation for why a respectable woman who, only six months ago, was dreaming of motherhood, would just bolt like that.
Dont worry, Ian, Thomasinas mother tried to soothe him. Shell come round, her brain will settle, shell realise what shes missing and return. Her older daughter, Claire, didnt buy it. Something in her gut told her Tom wasnt coming back.
Claire knew her mothers kind of mind: when she decided to ditch, she did it properly. If you walk out, you walk out for good.
Shut your gob, Claire, their mum snapped when Claire hinted that Thomasina might never turn up. Shell be back. Give it a month or two, and shell remember her mothers love.
Three months later the divorce papers arrived. Thomasina never showed up for the hearings, refused any custody of Lily, so little Lily stayed with her dad. Claire started dropping by Ians flat more often to help with the baby and to keep an eye on Ian himself.
She had a reason to be there. A year after Lilys birth, Claires own fiancé, Max, had bailed on her just when they were about to tie the knot after their son, Oliver, turned three and she was leaving maternity leave. Max fled, leaving Claire drowning in bills. At least the court confirmed she was Olivers mother, and she was getting some child support, but the fear that her sisters husband might dump her too kept her on edge.
She kept hunting for red flags in Ians behaviour, never saying a word to Thomasina, Claire, or mum about it. It turned out she was looking at the wrong person all along. The bad guy turned out to be someone else entirely.
It wasnt like anyone forced Thomasina to have a child she wanted it. Ian, on the other hand, had suggested waiting five years to save a bit of cash and turn his twobed flat into a threebed one, but Thomasina kept pushing him to hurry.
And then the fallout: she abandoned Lily, a tiny, helpless infant who needed a mum. Maybe the fact that Claire had already become a mother herself, or the fact that Lily was technically her bloodrelative, made Thomasina finally see Lily as her own child.
Ian even tried a few times to hand Lily over to Claire, saying go see mum. He also offered Claire to move in with him and Oliver, saying there was enough space, and she could even take in flatmates to help with the mortgage instead of begging her own mother for money.
When Claire moved in with Ian, their mother launched a fullon lecture about how it was improper to be involved with a sisters husband. Ian brushed off his exmotherinlaw, saying it didnt concern her. Later, a halfdrunk Ian finally admitted hed be willing to marry Claire and even adopt Oliver as his own.
Everything will be fair, he said. Youre raising my daughter like yours, Ill treat my son as mine. I wont pull any strings, you decide what to do, but its easier if we stick together. I can earn a decent wage, but I have no clue how to deal with nappies, doctor visits, or baby food.
Claire, whod been a nursery teacher before maternity, knew she wasnt earning much even at a private preschool. Ians proposal was practical, maybe too practical. She thought about it, realised the fairytale romance shed chased never brought her real happiness apart from her beloved son.
So maybe it was time to be pragmatic. Ian was decent, didnt drink, didnt smoke, always helped with money for the kids, and Lily had started calling Claire Mum after two years.
Perhaps everything happens for the best. Their mother never turned up for the wedding nobody really expected her anyway. The couple signed the papers, had a quick drink with friends, got the usual wellwishes, and moved back into Ians flat where theyd been living with Lily and Oliver.
Life didnt change much, except the kids now shared one bedroom while the adults took the other. Claire and Ian still deserved a bit of personal happiness, after all.
Then, out of the blue, Thomasina reappeared. Claire was in the kitchen, and Ian, waiting for a delivery, didnt notice her until she barreled in, shoulderfirst, right at his neck.
Darling, Im back! she declared. Ian brushed her off, pushing her back gently. Are you happy to see me?
Should I be? Ian replied with a sneer.
Hed thought a lot about what to say when she showed up, but when the moment finally came he could only ask why shed come.
I want to see my daughter. I also thought we could sort out our relationship, she said. I know I wasnt perfect, but maybe we can be a proper family again, right?
No way, Ian snapped. Ive got my own family now, and Im not letting traitors back in.
That about Claire? he added. You never really loved her. How could you swap me for her? Claire, youre a mess!
Claire, just out of the shower, saw the halfopen nursery door a tiny gap that gave the kids a perfect view of the drama. Lily spotted Thomasina too, and in a flash she ran to the little girl.
Lily, youve grown up! Thomasina cooed, scooping her up. At that instant a shrill scream came from Oliver, who lunged and bit Thomasinas leg.
She was only in a thin skirt and tights, so the bite hurt enough for her to yelp, drop Lily, and clutch her wound. Lily darted to Oliver, and together the kids hid behind Claires legs. Thomasina glared at the little scene and hissed, You snake you turned my own daughter against me. I wont let this go, understand?
In the end, Thomasina never got custody. Shed already refused it years ago, and Lily had never known her as a mother. Even the mothers attempt to force a reverse move didnt work.
Ian and Claire cut ties with Thomasinas mother completely, then moved to another city, leaving no address behind. Now theyre settled happily elsewhere, raising three kids. Only Lilys closest friends know the wild story that shes actually the daughter of a real witch, while her mum Claire is a kind fairy who rescued her and never gave her back.
Oliver swears the tale is true, saying his dad must be a wicked sorcerer too, because he abandoned the good fairy and ran off.
At least theyve all found a decent dad now, and the family mum, dad, little sister and brother is living its own happy ending. After all, every good story needs one, doesnt it?
