I’m surprised to see a familiar face and shout, “Hey, Isabel, over here.”
I smile as I see a familiar face and she heads over.
“Hi, Tina. I didn’t know you belonged to this gym?”
“Well, technically I’ve been a member for two years, but I’ve kind of let my attendance slide a little. To be honest, I just had to get out of the house and distract myself for a bit.”
She looks concerned, and I shrug. “It’s ok, nothing too bad. You know what it’s like, life gets a little too much on occasion. Harry told me to grab a change of scene so, here I am. Anyway, how long have you been a member?”
“Not long. To be honest, it’s something Karen suggested when I first arrived. I don’t have much else to occupy my time, so I head here most evenings.”
She looks around in surprise. “Is Karen not with you?”
Shaking my head, I pull a face. “No, she’s having a ‘date night’ with Tom.”
I don’t miss the flicker of envy in Isabel’s eyes and feel bad. “Still no word about your fiancé?”
She shakes her head sadly. “No, I think the trail’s gone cold and there’s nothing more they can do. Maybe I’ll never know.”
I feel bad for her; it must be awful not knowing, so, I say gently, “Maybe you should try to put it in the past. You know, move on. I don’t mean dating or anything but maybe take up a hobby or join a club, you know, meet a few people and find a new passion.”
She raises her eyes and smiles. “I thought I was by coming here.”
Grinning, I say nothing because the teacher calls the fitness class to attention and we begin the gruelling workout.
As I watch Isabel going through her paces, I feel glad she’s here. Despite how weird the situation is, I do kind of like her and want things to go right for her. I wonder if she will ever find out what happened to Eddie. I hope so, for her sake at least.
By the end of the class, I’m totally exhausted and as I wipe the sweat from my face, she comes over and grins. “You’re a little out of practice.”
Groaning, I stretch my aching legs and sigh. “You could say that. The only exercise I’ve been getting lately is when I move from room to room. I think this class is long overdue.”
She smiles and as she gathers up her belongings, I say impulsively, “Do you fancy grabbing a drink in the wine bar next door? I’m not ready to head back to suburbia just yet.”
Her eyes light up and I can tell she’s pleased to be asked.
“That would be great, thank you. To be honest, it’s quite lonely living on your own in a strange town. I would love to.”
As we head next door, it feels good to be with a friend. Mainly any socialising I do is with Harry and that usually involves Tom and Karen as well. I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be out on my own and despite it feeling a little surreal, it also feels exciting.
We make our way through the crowd to the bar and I shout, “A white wine please and…?”
I look at Isabel and she nods. “Make that two.”
The noise levels are loud in here, so we decide to take our drinks outside to the small courtyard at the rear of the bar. I notice the average age here isn’t much younger than mine and relax a little.
We sit in a corner near a wall and Isabel raises her glass. “Cheers, Tina. Thanks for asking me.”
I clink her glass with mine and settle down for a gossip.
For most of the evening, we chat about the school, the other parents and life in general. Safe issues that require no deep discussion. Nothing to cause offence, just polite conversation between acquaintances. The trouble is, one drink turns to two, then three and with that comes a looser tongue, so when she looks at me with sympathy and says, “Is everything ok, Tina? I mean, you seem quite sad.”
I look up sharply, and she flushes. “I’m sorry. Please don’t answer that, it’s none of my business.”
Leaning back in my chair, I sigh heavily as the tears well up in my eyes. “It’s fine. To be honest, things are a little shaky at home at the moment.”
She looks concerned, and I smile ruefully. “The trouble is, I’m desperate to have another baby and the doctors have told me I can’t.”
Her hand flies to her mouth, and she looks at me with horror. “I’m so sorry. Is there any chance they could be wrong?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve been through every possible solution but I’m just not producing any eggs. There’s no operation in the world that can magic those necessary ingredients up, so we’re at a bit of a loss.”
She reaches for my hand and squeezes it with compassion. “I’m sorry, it must be hard.”
Nodding, I take another sip of wine and say gloomily, “It’s causing so many problems between me and Harry. He told me I had to accept it and look at other ways of having children.”
She looks confused. “Like what?”
“Adoption mainly. We aren’t married though, never saw the need and that may count against us.”
Isabel looks thoughtful. “I’m sure that’s not the case anymore. Have you looked into it?”
I smile thinly. “Not really. I suppose I was still hoping for a miracle.”
She smiles sweetly. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, you know, research anything for you or stuff like that just ask. I have quite a lot of time on my hands and could use something to distract me from the usual soap operas I’ve taken to watching.”
I look at her in surprise. “You would really do that… for me?”
She nods. “Of course, after all, what are friends for?”
Suddenly, Isabel looks like an Angel sitting before me. She hasn’t judged and offered trite words of support. She’s just offered friendship and a practical offer that may help.
I smile gratefully. “Thank you. I really mean that. It’s good to have someone to talk to about this. Harry doesn’t want to and Karen’s so wrapped up in her own problems, I don’t want to burden her with mine.”
Isabel looks at me sharply. “Karen’s having problems. What do you mean?”
I say sadly, “Between me and you, things weren’t always so rosy between her and Tom. For a while back there, I thought they were going to split up.”
She leans forward. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s nothing I did, is it?”
Laughing, I take another gulp of wine and say in a whisper, “No, it was before you arrived. Tom was always away on business and Karen was left on her own – a lot. They used to argue, and she told me they weren’t even having sex anymore.”
She looks shocked, and I nod. “I know, terrible isn’t it? Well, he was quite a workaholic and never had time for her or Jack. I think it got to the point where she was going to ask him for a divorce.”
Isabel gasps, “That’s terrible. What changed, I mean, they are such a loving couple now, I sure wish I knew their secret?”
“Well, it changed the night Tom was mugged. He took quite a beating and it must have knocked some sense into him because after the shock wore off, he discovered he actually loved his wife and son and has done everything he can to make it up to them. It’s quite a fairy story, isn’t it?”
She smiles and I don’t miss the interest in her eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her anything, but for some reason, Isabel is proving to be a good listener and I feel as if I can tell her anything.
The wine starts to take effect and I feel my eyes closing and she laughs softly, “Maybe I should get you home.”
Giggling, I stand up and swaying slightly, say gratefully, “It’s fine, I can walk, it’s not far.”
Shaking her head, she grasps my hand firmly and pulls me after her. “No, you need a coffee at least, and then I’m calling you a cab. My flat’s just around the corner, you can sober up a little there before I send you home.”
Feeling like a giggling schoolgirl, I grin and say jokingly, “Yes, miss.”
Rolling her eyes, Isabel laughs and then pulls me purposefully from the bar.