Close to you

The support system

It felt good to be back home in Whitby. The late afternoon sun shone into the living room. Theo hummed happily as he pushed a small red car across the rug. Beth felt calmer again after last week. She sat on the rug with him, watching him play with his toys blocks, a soft lion, and some small footballs.

Beth leaned back against the sofa and took a slow breath. Talking with her parents and brother yesterday had been helpful. They really supported her taking Sarina's job offer. They gently pushed her, saying, "You love football, Beth! Don't let fear stop you. Talk to Sarina, tell her your worries, but take the job." It made her feel better. Their belief in her, knowing how much she loved the game, was the support she really needed.

They were right. She did love football. And this chance… it felt less like a scary idea that couldn't happen now. It felt more like a hard but maybe great chance she needed to think about it seriously. But whenever she thought about it, she pictured Theo. He was the most important person in her world. Could she really move him for this?

She watched him playing, lost in his game. Taking a deep breath, Beth sat beside him. "Hey T-bug," she said softly. He looked up. "Can Mummy chat with you for a second?"
Theo stopped his car and looked at her. Beth gently pulled him onto her lap. "You know how Mummy loves football, and Mama plays football all the time?"

He nodded hard. "Mama football!"

"That's right," Beth smiled. "Well, Mummy might get to do some special football work too, helping Sarina, Mama's coach friend." She kept her voice easy and simple. "But... the place where Mummy might work is near where Mama and Auntie Leah lives, in London."

She took a pause, getting ready to talk about the biggest change. "So... maybe... just maybe... if Mummy does this job, we might move house? To a new house, closer to London?" She watched his face, her heart beating fast. "So... maybe we could see Mama and auntie... maybe even every single day?"

She waited nervously, wondering if he'd be upset. Theo tilted his head, thinking. He looked up at her, his eyes wide. "Mama and auntie?" he asked, his voice full of hope.

Beth nodded slowly, her heart still pounding. "Yeah, baby. A new house much closer to Mama and auntie."

Suddenly, Theo's face lit up with a huge, happy smile. He started bouncing on her lap, clapping his hands together, full of pure joy. "Mama! See Mama!" he squealed, wriggling with excitement.

He turned to face Beth fully, his eyes shining. "Ev'wy day Mama?! Play football ev'wy day wif Mama and auntie?"

Seeing how incredibly happy her son was just hit Beth hard. All the worry she had about him, about moving him, about him being sad leaving Whitby it just disappeared. Gone. It was clear how happy he was just thinking about being with Viv. What mattered most to him wasn't the house or the town; it was Mama. Seeing Viv every day wasn't scary to him; it was the best thing ever.

Tears came into Beth’s eyes, but they were happy tears. A huge relief washed over her, like a heavy weight lifting off her chest. She pulled Theo into a tight hug, hiding her face in his soft hair, laughing while crying a bit against his head.

"Yes, baby," she managed to whisper, her voice thick with feeling. "Maybe. Maybe see Mama every single day."

Theo giggled against her neck, still shaking with excitement, chanting "Mama, Mama, football Mama!" dreaming about playing all the time.
Beth just held him, letting his pure happiness sink in. It made her feel calmer. It didn't solve all the practical problems or answer all her questions about the job, but the biggest worry that moving would make Theo unhappy felt suddenly, wonderfully, much lighter. If this was how he felt, maybe... just maybe... they could figure it out.