Page 45 of The Second Chance Supper Club

‘Hello, son. Lovely to see you.’

‘You too, Mum. How’ve you been?’

‘Fine, fine. Settling in at my cottage.’

And they were off, chatting about his travels, the places he’d seen, people he’d met, all those new experiences and adventures, all the way back along the by-pass and down the A1. The massive bag and her son very much filling the space in her vehicle … and her heart.

The first evening together after such a long time was lovely. They sat in the kitchen, chatting as they ate. The chicken curry seemed to be going down well, anyhow.

‘Hey, you’d have loved some of the Thai and Vietnamese food I’ve had. Amazing. All those hot and spicy flavours. And so cheap, lunch with a beer for like £2. Beachside or roadside, in great little wooden huts.’

‘Ooh, wonderful. So, what was your favourite dish of the trip?’

‘Had the most amazing Thai prawn curry served in half a scooped-out pineapple. The prawns were huge … and the sauce, hot and zingy, red Thai style, but so much more flavour than those pastes and mixes at home.’

‘And what did you miss?’

‘Foodwise, or people, do you mean?’

‘Food, I meant.’

‘Ah, definitely roast dinner and Yorkshire puddings … oh, and your homemade leek-topped cottage pie. Nothing like that in the whole of Asia.’

Cath had to smile. Well, that was tomorrow’s menu sorted. ‘And you, of course … and Dad.’ He went a bit quiet then.

‘But it’s all a bit different now, isn’t it. I’m like okay with that, with you splitting … overall, you know. But it just takes a bit of getting used to. You both being in different places … living different lives.’

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. ‘It’s taken me a bit of getting used to, as well, son. But … I’m getting there.’

‘Well, that’s good. So, how’s life in Tilldale? Seems pretty quiet around here? What do you get up to?’

‘Well, I’ve been making a few friends, and we’ve formed a kind of informal supper club. It’s good fun, and they’re nice people. Two of the lads run the village shop, in fact.’

‘That sounds cool. I’ve been a bit worried about you,’ he admitted, his eyes searching hers. ‘All that shit going on with Dad.’

‘Well, it happened. And I suppose we all have to deal with it.’ ‘Doesn’t mean it’s easy, though. I’m still bloody cross with him. Typical middle-aged crisis. The silly twat.’

‘Adam, don’t talk about your father like that.’ Why the hell was she sticking up for him? Instinct probably, and hanging on to the last shreds of decency, to keep the family from folding altogether. ‘It wasn’t all bad … only the last couple of years. We had some lovely times when you were younger.’ She tried hard to keep her comments positive.

There was so much to talk about, and yes, so much had changed for them both, yet she just wanted them to enjoy their first evening together, to chat and eat, and savour each other’s company. There’d be time enough to talk more deeply over the coming days.

She hadn’t played any music other than the radio for a while, and suggested putting on her Bluetooth speaker, letting Adam choose a ‘chilled’ mix he liked. He’d always been into his music. Over a cup of proper English tea served with cold milk, he’d said it didn’t sound cool but confessed that he’d missed it, they sat chatting some more. She was enjoying listening to the tales of his recent adventures, but as he began to relax, his words began to slow as bone-tiredness took over him.

Adam had crashed soon after dinner, jet lag hitting home. And after their talk of family life, memories were whirling in her mind, as she lay in bed later.

Just a few years ago, they’d been a steady married couple: Cath, the maths teacher, and Trevor, the company accountant. And now, separate houses, separate lives. Adam now evidently feeling at a loss in the no-man’s land in between them. That made her feel so very sad.

Having Adam back, their son, had stirred up a wasp’s nest of memories and feelings. All those ups and downs of her life, all the way from those early uni days with Trevor, the excitement of discovering a new love … to the bitter recent end, and the hurt. And here she was on this new track. In her new home.

Second chances – that’s how she had to think of it. Keep thinking positively. She had new friends. And like Lily, she could still look forward to lots of new opportunities. She was fine. It was all going to work out in the end. In fact, she had felt the roots already forming here, it was beginning to work out already. But all the change that had been launched upon her, it sometimes felt overwhelming. How life had altered in the past two years. It was no wonder Adam had wanted to go off travelling and get away from it all. Just because your children were adults, it didn’t mean the changes didn’t affect them too – of course, they did. But they couldn’t have stuck together, after all that pain, for the mere sake of it. They’d have just ended up feeling like a patchwork family, with all the seams running loose.

It might have been easy-ish to take Trevor back, when he’d arrived at her cottage the other day, to try again, perhaps even go back to the old life they both knew. But, somewhere deep inside she knew that wouldn’t have worked either, not in the long run. They had both changed too much. It was staring them in the face.

But they could try and be friends. They needed to be, for their son’s sake. Having Adam here brought that home, all the more. She’d try her best to move forward positively, for Adam and herself. After all, Trevor’s appalling behaviour had given her the chance to look at and live life in a totally new way. As well as a gutful of hurt and loss, it was in fact a brand new chapter and a fresh chance at happiness that her ex had given her.

A few days later, and after sorting out mounds of sweaty, dirty and occasionally mouldy washing, Cath was now on to the mountainous ironing pile.

Her mobile rang.