The Weir Legacy (Working title)

39: If It's Friday ... Again

"Do you want to know how, why .... how long?"

What did she mean? Did I want to know? Didn't I know enough already? It was bloody obvious but that didn't matter, did it.

My mood wasn't helping. If it's Friday, it's always bad news.

"How long?"

"A few weeks ago. Before that ruckus in the car park and the storms, I sent Debbie over to Ally's to get some signatures on her mortgage. I've held her mortgage ever since she and Josh wanted to make a go of things. but there have been late payments from Josh. Their relationship has been under some strain for some time. I don't think all has been well with them for a while. Anyway, Josh came back from wherever he'd been before Ally left but in the meantime, Debbie made some sort of connection with Ally. Josh was full of remorse and sent Debbie back here. It was all right for a while but soon his job was taking him away again. From then on Debbie and Ally were in each other's company. 

That Friday when Jo called you, she didn't know about Ally and Debbie. The only fly in the ointment was you staying over on the island and taking her to Derby. I'm pretty sure that Ally and Debbie didn't know there was any sort of deeper connection between them, but ever since you returned from Derby, Debbie has been in turmoil. She spoke to me three days ago from the island. She told me all about Derby, about how you did what you did with horses and the trouble she thought you were in. She feels she can't cope with the other 'you', the one she found out about that weekend. She knew a little about Gillian's family. What she says she didn't understand was the high regard Gillian's family held you in. Debbie feels she cannot compete. She loves you, you know that. She thought you were going to propose that weekend."

I wasn't going to admit that that very thought had crossed my mind at the time. Jenny led me into the kitchen, speaking as she went.

"Adam, you are going to have to talk things through with her. It's going to leave a sad taste in all our mouths if you don't. There are too many divided loyalties here.

"Jenny, can I tell you something?"

"You know you can, what is it?"

It took a long time. In my head, I was back to the point where I couldn't speak about Gillian without welling up. Before Gillian, I was a happy go lucky twenty-something bloke. After Gillian, I was a broken thirty-something widower.

"Ever since my wife passed I've had problems making commitments. Despite what happened that weekend with you, Lori and Jo, it has only been since the weekend on the island with Debbie that the spell of Gillian's passing has been broken. Debbie made me feel whole again, she brought me back to life." Right now I was gutted.

Jenny correctly read my crestfallen face. "You thought you could read the situation. You thought you had a chance of love again and now it's been ripped away."

Jenny came close. "Put it down to experience, Adam. I've been here too many times. It hurts now, but you'll get through it."

I knew she was right. Of course, she was. A week ago I thought I had a chance at a new life with Debbie. It was a chance to be alive, the first new relationship since Gillian's passing, but maybe it was love on the rebound? That first chance had been ripped from my grasp.

Instead of the four of us this weekend, I had anticipated being in the house this evening there would only be two. I already knew that Lori and Sanja would not be with us. Lori was on her way to the Mediterranean relocating another yacht with its absent owner. Meanwhile, Sanja was in Lancashire, spending a week with the Fleetwood Maritime Academy evaluating their courses as part of her MSc.

I'd come back to East Point on a high. That afternoon aboard the PortePlume, we'd completed the acceptance runs, conducted a primitive search of the Hamble site, offloaded the Commander and Subby at Deane House and returned to Oakland under Langstone Road Bridge. It had been intense training as we got to know the craft. My brain was fried but I was immensely pleased with the work effort that Paula Venn and Bex put in. The men from Cox seemed happy too.