«Hello, is this where Alex lives?»
«Yes… And whos asking?»
«Are you his mum?»
«Me?! His wife! What do you want, love?»
«Hes in hospital, and they wont tell me anythingonly family gets updates.» The strangers lip trembled. «Can I come in?»
«Fine, come in. But I dont get why youre bothered about my husbands health. Who even are you?» Lucy waved toward the kitchen. «Go on, through there.»
The girl perched on the edge of the kitchen bench, pulled a tissue from her pocket, and wiped sweat from her brow. Lucy bustled by the stove, waiting for her to speak.
«Fancy some water?»
«No… Actually, yes, please.»
«So, you just gonna sit there? Did you come round for a cuppa or what?»
«Alex promised to marry me,» the girl blurted, then added after a pause, «This autumn!»
«Oh, did he now?» Lucy scrubbed a pan. «That changes things, except bigamys still illegal, love.»
«Im not here for jokes.»
«Neither am I. Ive got no sense of humour.»
«You dont understand. Hes marrying me in autumn. He just needs to divorce you first, and then»
«Right. So why turn up now? Come back in autumn. Whats your name?»
«Annie… Anna.»
«Im Lucy. Annie-Anna, why not summer? Cant even see your feet under that bump. His doing?»
«Yes, as you can see, Alex and I are expecting. He said hed file for divorce after your birthday.»
«Ah, now it makes sense. Classic Alex. Leopard doesnt change its spots, does it?»
«What? I dont follow.»
«Oh, I follow just fine. Where you from?»
«A village. Worked at the factory.»
«Come to conquer the city, then. Well, Alex cant stand baby cries. Due soon?»
«Two months.»
«Blimey, so hes dodging itsaving his nerves. When ours were born, he bunked at his parents. Said he couldnt sleep for work, though his jobs cushy enough to nap through.»
«Can you at least tell me how he is?»
«Course I can! Stable but serious. Dont look so scaredhell live.»
«What am I supposed to do?»
«How should I know? Didnt ask my advice before hopping into bed with him, did you?»
«Im in my third year at uni, distance learning. Mums got my little brothers at home. Nowhere to go. Alex said youve been like strangers for ageshe only stays for the kids.»
«Did he now?» Lucy felt her patience wearing thinner than cheap loo roll. «Give me your number and address. Ill ring you.»
«What for?»
«So you can collect him when hes discharged.»
«Collect him where?»
«Your mums. Your brothers.»
«Shes got no space.»
«Well, where you living now?»
«A hostel.»
«Then thats where youre headed. Dont eye up my flat. Its from my nanno claim in a divorce. Why the blinking? Hes got no rights to my place.»
«Youre being cruel. We love each other.»
«Then live in a tent. Now hop it, while Im still civil. Remember the door? Good.» Lucy slammed the half-scrubbed pan into the sink.
Three days Lucy hadnt slept or eaten proper since her Alexs accident. First, the prognosis was grim, but hed pulled through. Exhausted, shed barely coped while he hovered between worlds. Then the callmoved to a ward, wifes duty to tend him.
And now this pregnant chancer, sniffing round her flat. Oh, shed have loved to twist Annies wispy hair round her fist and chuck her down the stairs. But she was spentmentally, physically.
Trudging to the hospital, Lucy debated whether to nurse him or rip him a new one. Right now, shed have him healed in secondsjust to throttle him proper. Hed spared her birthday, the saint.
There sat Annie on the estate bench.
«Aunt Lucy! Aunt Lucy!»
«Persistent, arent you? Didnt I say everything?»
«You visiting Alex?»
«What if I am?»
«Take me with you.»
Lucy said nothing. They walked in silence. On the bus, Annie sat beside her. Lucy stared out the window, pretending not to know her.
At the hospital, Lucy introduced pregnant Annie as a niece.
«Wait here. Ill go first.» Lucy marched in.
Alex lay alone, leg in traction.
He woke to her glare, grinned sleepily. But Lucys heart was leaden.
«Hello, Alex.»
«Lucy! You came. I missed you.»
«Did you now?» She unpacked homemade foodhot mash and burgers, his favourite. Her hands shook.
«Eat before its cold.»
«Lucy, youre all red. You ill?»
«Worse. I waited for you from army postings, Alex. Defied my parents to marry you. Remember living on noodles? The kids, the sleepless nights… Did you forget?»
«Forget? Lucy, whats got into you?»
«Not everythings forgotten, Alex.» Her throat tightened.
«Lucy, please»
«You stabbed me in the back, Alex. Right to the heart.»
«Lucy, Im a fool. It wasnt my faultI drove slow, I swear!»
«How could you, Alex?» She shook her head.
«Lucy, well get another car»
«Ugh! Think I care about the car?» She hurled oranges onto the side table.
«Then what? That I nearly snuffed it? I look that bad?»
«Dont fret your looks. Youll heal by autumnjust in time for the wedding.»
«What wedding?»
«The one with Annie. Didnt catch her surname, sorry.»
«What Annie? What baby? Lucy, you hit your head?»
«Me? You found some teen to knock up, and Im mad?» She finally broke, sobbing.
«Lucy, should I call a doctor? Its the stress» He struggled up.
«My stress? I brought her. Lets fetch your shameless Annie. Shes planning to move into my flat after you divorce me post-birthday.»
Alexs hair stood on end. Gobsmacked.
«Cat got your tongue?» Lucy flung the door open. «Annie! Get in here!»
Annie waddled in, hand on her back. She scanned the room, froze at the sight of Alex.
«Wheres my Alex?»
«Whos this?»
«Aunt Lucy, is this a joke? This bald bloke isnt my Alex!»
Come to find out, Annie had the wrong Alex. Her lover had given a fake address, faked a car crash to ditch her. No divorce plansjust a coward.
Fates a funny thing. Lucy, ever practical, helped Annie secure housing, hauled her from the hospital post-birth, and made sure the real Alex paid child support. The deadbeat dad stays clear but payshe knows Lucys got his number.
Annie calls her «Mum Lucy, my guardian angel.» Years later, Lucy even played matchmaker, landing Annie a decent bloke. At the wedding, Lucy laughed loudest.
So Mum Lucy kept her own joyand spread some extra.
