I think I’m in shock. Harry’s left. I can’t quite take it all in, and as soon as they leave for school, I ring Tom.
“Hey, baby. Is everything ok?”
“Not really. Did you know that Harry’s left?”
“What do you mean, left?”
“Packed his bags and left. Jamie’s devastated and Tina, well, I don’t know, really.”
Tom sounds shocked. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“She seemed almost normal and was dressed up smartly looking as if she was going on a night out, rather than devastated that her partner’s just left her.”
“That’s terrible. I’ll give Harry a call to see if he’s ok.”
“Ok, let me know if I can help in any way.”
“Sure, see you later — love you.”
“Love you too.”
Throughout the day, Tina and Harry are all I can think about. I leave work a little early in the hope of grabbing a bit of time with her. She will need me to be a good friend during the coming weeks, not to mention Jamie.
I suppose I should have seen this coming because all the warning signs were there. By their own admission, their sex life wasn’t great. I saw the irritable glances and heard the snide remarks but just put it down to them going through a rough patch because of the baby issue. I’m pretty sure that Isabel’s offer can’t have helped the situation and I worry about my friend.
I feel a little nervous as I knock on the door and am surprised when Tina opens it, looking absolutely terrible. Her eyes are red-rimmed from crying and her face pale and tight. She nods as I follow her in and calls to the boys, “It’s ok, Jack, you can stay for a bit longer. I’ll have a cup of tea with your mum first.”
We hear, “Ok” and as I reach the kitchen, she closes the door and collapses into a sobbing heap at the table.
Rushing over, I put my arm around her shoulders. “It’s ok, let it all out. It’s ok to cry.”
She shakes her head and mumbles. “You don’t understand.”
I sit beside her and say gently. “It’s ok. You don’t have to tell me but I’m a good listener.”
Wiping her eyes, she blows her nose into a tissue and stares at me with a blank look. “I’ve been such a fool.”
I say nothing, and she shakes her head. “I’ve ruined everything.”
“I’m sure it will be ok. Maybe you just need to talk it through, find some common ground and take things slowly.”
Her eyes are filled with pain as she sniffs, “I’m not sure that’s possible.”
I smile reassuringly. “Anything’s possible if you want it badly enough.”
She nods, “I do, I want it more than anything but I’ve ruined everything.”
Standing up, I reach for the kettle and say firmly, “Come on, I’ll make you some tea and you can calm down for a minute. I’ll take Jamie home with us for tea and maybe you can call Harry and talk this all out.”
I’m not sure I hear her right because the water is filling the kettle when she says, “It’s not Harry I’m worried about.”
Plugging in the kettle, I turn and say, “Sorry, what did you say?”
She stares at me as if she’s seeing a ghost and whispers, “It’s Isabel.”
“Isabel?”
I feel the anger rushing through me. Of course, Isabel. I say tightly, “Are you telling me that Isabel’s the reason why you and Harry have split up. I knew she was trouble.”
Tina sniffs. “You don’t understand. It’s not Harry.”
Feeling a little impatient, I say carefully. “Tell me so I can understand.”
She looks a little embarrassed. “I think I love Isabel; in fact, I know I do.”
I stare at her in complete shock. “What do you mean?”
“I think I’ve developed feelings for Isabel and thought she felt the same.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because we became good friends and when you were away, she stayed the night.”
I’m not sure I want to hear the answer but I have to ask, “What do you mean, stayed the night? Like in a sleepover type of way?”
Tina blushes, and I stare at her in shock. “You mean, you and Isabel…”
She nods, and I sit down heavily. “Oh.”
She starts to cry again and then says with pain in her voice. “It was amazing, Karen. I have never felt like that with anyone before. It’s as if everything made sense all of a sudden. I was so happy and when Harry came back, I couldn’t bear the thought of him touching me.”
Feeling a little faint, I say softly, “Does Harry know, is that why he left?”
She shakes her head and sobs. “No, he just thinks we should split because things haven’t been right for a long time. I was so cold with him when he got back and couldn’t wait to see the back of him.”
The shock must show on my face because she nods. “I know, I’m a bitch but I couldn’t see past my need for Isabel.”
I have to know and say tightly, “What about Isabel, what’s the situation there?”
My question brings with it a fresh bout of tears as Tina sniffs. “She doesn’t want me and told me it was a mistake and that what we did… um… disgusts her. She was so cold, Karen and told me to leave her alone.”
Despite everything I’ve heard, I feel so much compassion for Tina. I can see she is devastated and my heart aches for her.
Moving across, I take her in my arms and hug her tightly. “There, there, it’s ok. Things aren’t that bad. I’m sure we can work it out.”
Pulling back, she cries, “I just want her. I just want her to admit she wants me and to come and live with me and Jamie. I want us to be a family and have one of our own. I just want that; does that make me a bad person, Karen?”
I think that last statement shocks me more than anything else I’ve heard. As I look at my friend, I don’t see the woman I’ve known for close to ten years. This woman is a stranger to me, and I stare at her in horror. Not knowing what to do, or say, I take the coward’s way out and just say firmly, “You need to think about this. Let me take Jamie for a sleepover tonight, and you can think it all through. Maybe give Harry a call, I don’t know, watch a film, anything to get some kind of normal back into your life. Maybe Tom will look after the boys and we could sit here and talk about it, maybe grab a pizza and go through it all. What do you say?”
Tina looks as if she has the world on her shoulders as she nods gratefully. “Thanks, Karen. It’s a kind offer and you’re right, maybe Jamie would be better off at yours. I’ll take a rain check on the talk though. I think I’m just going to get an early night instead.”
She stands and heads to the kitchen door and shouts, “Jamie, do you want to stay at Jack’s tonight?”
“Yes, please, mum. Can I take my game?”
Tina looks at me, and I nod. She shouts, “Ok but only play on it for an hour.”
She closes the door and smiles gratefully. “Thanks, Karen. You know, I think I just need to sleep and try to process what’s happened and I really appreciate this.”
As she heads across and makes the tea, I worry about her. She looks lost and broken and by the sounds of it, she’s not going to like the ending of this particular saga. All I can do is to be there for her and be the friend she needs right now. Maybe this will all blow over and be the best thing that ever happened to them. I hope so for all their sakes.
As I think about Isabel, my heart hardens. I always knew that woman was trouble, and I’m betting she had a hidden agenda in all of this. Maybe I should be the one to pay her a visit and find out just what she’s up to.