Jaded

Keeping up appearances

William entered his home with Clare following behind him, Ann was laying down on his leather sofa, her eyes glazing deeply towards the TV. An old British sitcom was playing, which intrigued William, he hadn't thought of her to be the type to enjoy such programmes. She chuckled softly to herself, she was obviously enjoying it. This made William smile, the last time he'd saw her (that very morning) she'd been a nervous wreck. Seeing her like this, completely without fear of her husband, made him inwardly smile.

"Hello." William began.

Ann jolted quickly, she turned her head side wards and stared up to him. Their eyes met momentarily in a fashion that they hadn't before, the trust in them was very immense. Ann opened her lips to reply with a similar greeting when Clare rushed over to her, pulling her in for a hug. Despite the pain that she was in, as Clare had knocked her leg during her spout of excitement, Ann returned the hug with a loving kiss on the top of her head. Clare giggled at this.

"Hi William, how was your day at work?" She questioned him, almost expecting him to begin a rant about his day. Her husband had always been very blunt and sharp in his response to any questions that she'd asked him, his defence had always made her suspious.

"It was absolutely crazy! I'll tell you about after I've got some food for us. Do you mind fish and chips, it's a Wilson family special?"

"Fish and chips?" She questioned for a moment before realising, "Oh, you mean fish and fries. Yes, I'd love to try your family's specialty."

"You know, my grandma taught me how to cook when I was a boy. She wasn't a women of her time, she thought that men should know how make a hearty meal and that women shouldn't have been bound to the kitchen. I agree with her, even though that age has passed, she was an admirable lady." William said as he left the room to prepare the food.

"I agree too, your grandma sounds like a character." She replied.

"She was, but she died a long time ago. She was the reason I moved to America, I couldn't deal with being surrounded by bad memories. I moved to get away from it." William said aside, at a barely hearable level.

"You know you're a deep man William, your much more than the grumpy old man that yelled at the two brawling men yesterday." She agreed with a positive tone.

When the meal was cooked everybody joined Ann, they didn't want her to feel left out or to have to move her painful leg to get the dining table. Having a TV dinner was a rarity for William, he spent most evenings sitting alone at his dining table, even if it was his birthday. Though William didn't have any friends at the time, he continued the childhood tradition of eating around the table.

Everybody laughed and joked and Clare excitedly retold the events of her day to her mother. Who listened to her, occasionally she asked questions but she mostly just nodded with a high degree of interest in her daughter's education. Ann and Clare both had their fist taste of the British mealtime favourite fish and chips, which they both agreed tasted delicious.

At around 7:30pm, Clare fell almost silently into a peaceful sleep, William created a makeshift bed for the night for her out of cushions and a tartan rug. This made him once again smile happily to himself, the mood was infectious as Ann began to gaze down at her little girl, proud of her.

"Thank you for everything, it means so much to me William." Her gaze then focused on him.

William chuckled quietly, "Anytime Mrs Clarke, anytime. I never told you about my crazy day at work, did I?"William recalled, mentally cursing himself for forgetting.

"No, you didn't. I would love to hear this tale if you have the time." Her eyes began to gain ample amounts of curiosity.

William took a deep breath before beginning, "Today I walked into work expecting to see many productive workers working, however what I was greeted by was entirely different. I was greeted with carnage. One of my best workers was on the floor with a nosebleed, his wife crying at the mess and another male was standing next to her. The look in his eye could've killed. I asked what was going on, my favourite worker attempted to explain the story. During this the other male tried to continue fighting, by lunging at him, but I tripped him."

"How brave of you William."Ann added before allowing him resume his story.

"I bent over him and told him to shut up. Then my worker continued his tale, he said that his wife had been cheating him with the over male. The two 'lovebirds' then left, speeding off over the horizon saying that he was paying for the divorce. I was amazed how strong he was today, he stayed at work because we were there to support him." He finished.

"William, I have one question?" Ann asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes..."

"Do you reckon my husband left me for a better model?"

"He's a fool, he doesn't see what a lovely lady you are. If you want me to be entirely honest, I think that he hasn't found anybody else at all, but only time will tell. Only time will tell."