“Girl Who Never Was”
“Enough with the wailing! People are staring at us from the adjacent tables. Luckily, none of my friends are here, or I’d be mortified!” exclaimed Harry with a haughty tone, laced with irritation.
“Harry, please…” the girl sitting across from him managed to stammer, her sobs intensifying.
“Here we go again! What do you mean, why? What child are you talking about? Did we agree to have a baby together? We’ve only been dating for a couple of months, and that’s it!” Harry shouted the last part so loudly that customers at nearby tables turned their heads in surprise.
“What are you saying? We love each other! You confessed your feelings to me! You said…” Lola couldn’t finish her sentence before Harry cut her off.
“Listen, enough of this! You said… I said… I’m moving to America in a few days with my parents. We’ve even sold our house here, and my dad has liquidated all our assets. So, as they say, cheerio, love!” Harry said this while casting another glance at the weeping girl.
“Harry…” she murmured quietly, attempting to suppress another flood of tears.
“Waiter, could I get the bill, please?! How long do I have to wait?!” Harry raised his hand, signaling the waitstaff near the bar that he needed to settle up quickly.
The waiters hurried over. Harry waved them off, pulled out some folded notes from his wallet, and carelessly tossed them onto the table.
“Right! I’m already late, and I’ve had enough of your hysterics. I didn’t promise you anything, and I never said anything like that! I’m leaving; if you want, you can order yourself something else. There’s plenty here,” he said, gesturing toward the money as he made his way to the exit.
Lola watched him depart, covering her face with her hands and sobbing even more intensely. A moment later, a waiter appeared at their table. He collected the money and began to clear away the empty cups from Lola’s coffee.
“Would you like anything else?” the waiter asked politely.
“No, thank you,” Lola replied quietly, trying to avoid making eye contact with him through her tear-stained lashes.
She slowly stood up, grabbed her handbag from the chair, and headed outside. Harry’s car was already gone; he had left.
Stepping out into the fresh air, Lola found it refreshing. Her tears had dried up, and there was no longer any moisture on her cheeks. The only evidence of her earlier crying was the puffiness around her eyes. Mechanically, she pulled a small mirror and a wet tissue from her bag, cleared away the smudged mascara, and walked away from that unfortunate café.
She didn’t want to go home. Instead, she wandered into a small park, a place she used to enjoy visiting with friends during her school days.
Sitting on a bench, memories of her carefree school years flooded back. “Everything was so simple and clear back then, with all of life ahead of us. The biggest worries were whether the disco would be canceled that Saturday or failing geography. But now! Now my life is spiraling out of control! What will I do? Should I get rid of the baby or keep it, only to become a single mother in a few months, working two jobs just to make ends meet?” Lola thought to herself, and tears once again betrayed her, spilling down her cheeks.
“Miss, is everything alright? Can I help you? Here, take this tissue, please,” a pleasant male voice interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to see a hand extended with a paper tissue.
Lola took the tissue and then raised her head to look at the person offering assistance.
“Oliver! Is that you?!” she exclaimed with joy.
“Lola…,” Oliver said, slightly taken aback, rising from the bench.
He immediately wrapped her in a warm embrace, repeating, “Lola! Lola! I’m so glad to see you! Just this morning, I was asking my mum about you!”
After a moment, he finally let her go.
“What are you doing here, sitting alone and crying?” he asked.
“I was just passing by, came into the park, reminisced about school days, and it hit me…” Lola quickly fabricated this explanation to mask her true emotional turmoil.
“I see. You’re still as sensitive as ever! And even more beautiful—if that’s possible!” Oliver added with a charming smile.
“Lola, why don’t we go to a café? I know one close by where we can sit and chat,” he suggested, pointing in the direction of the very café from which Lola had just exited, tears still fresh on her cheeks. Naturally, returning there was the last thing she wanted to do.
“How about we skip the café? Let’s take a stroll and go to the park instead. We can get ice cream; the weather is lovely,” Lola suggested.
“Alright, let’s do that!” Oliver agreed, beaming.
They walked in the park for a couple of hours, sharing memories from their school days. For that time, Lola even forgot about Harry and her unplanned pregnancy.
“So, you’re still not married?” Oliver asked cautiously.
“Nope. It just didn’t happen,” Lola replied cryptically.
“Same here. It didn’t work out for me either,” Oliver replied, a mix of optimism and resignation in his voice.
Lola and Oliver’s relationship blossomed back in school, where everyone referred to them as “the bride and groom.” Their parents had even begun planning a wedding.
But everything changed when he was called away for a year of military service. Lola waited for six months, but eventually realized she had fallen for someone else.
Aidan was his name; at first, he wooed her marvelously. She thought he’d propose soon, but he didn’t rush. They dated for four years, even tried living together. But something was off. One day, Lola caught Aidan with another girl. He begged for forgiveness, but Lola decided she deserved better.
For months, she lived in despair, attempting to come to terms with the betrayal. Then she met Harry. Strangely, the cycle repeated itself. She genuinely fell for the charming young man. He showered her with affection and expensive gifts. Lola, once again hopeful for true love, was ready to build a life together. But for Harry, what they shared was merely a pastime. As it turned out, he had known about his upcoming move to the U.S. when their relationship began; he just needed someone to spend his time with.
Oliver never bore resentment toward Lola for not waiting for him. He had always been level-headed. When she wrote him a letter to share her decision, he wished her happiness in response. However, he had no intention of returning home after his service but moved to London, where he intended to start anew.
In the five years that followed, Oliver earned a degree, dated someone, and found work. But his personal life faltered when there were layoffs at his company, and he found himself among the last hired. Without much thought, he decided to return home. He never anticipated rekindling a relationship with Lola, as he was convinced she was married by now.
Yet fate had surprising plans for Oliver. His beloved Lola was not only single but also free of any commitments. Understandably, he resolved to seize this unexpected opportunity.
…Two months passed since their meeting in the park. Oliver and Lola began dating. He felt heartfelt joy for all that transpired in his life recently. Lola, too, recognized her lingering feelings for Oliver. However, the reality of carrying another man’s child weighed heavily on her. Every time they prepared for a date, she knew their relationship was doomed.
Once again, Oliver invited her to dinner at a lovely restaurant. After their meal, he pulled out an engagement ring from his jacket pocket and made his proposal.
“So, what do you say? Will you marry me and share our lives together, through thick and thin?” he asked with a smile, confident she would say yes.
“No,” Lola replied, lowering her gaze.
“What do you mean no? Why not? Lola, we love each other! Wait!” she ran towards the exit in tears.
Ten years passed…
“Mum, who’s picking me up from school today? You or Dad?” Lottie asked over breakfast.
“I’m not sure; we’ll see later, darling,” Lola responded while wrapping sandwiches for her husband.
“We’ll both come to pick you up! Then we can dash off to the cinema! It’s Friday!” Oliver, who had just entered the kitchen, said excitedly.
“Yay! Daddy! Yay! To the cinema…” Lottie cheered.
“Eat up, or you’ll be late for school.”
Oliver glanced at his wife, whose face was tense as she typed on her smartphone.
“Is that him again?” he asked Lola.
“Yes. He says he’ll take Lottie from me through the courts and move her to America,” Lola said, tears forming in her eyes.
“This has to stop. Give me his number; I’ll talk to him myself.”
“No, Oliver; I’m worried about you.”
“Everything will be fine. Lottie, are you ready? Let’s go!” Oliver took Lottie’s hand, and they left the house.
“Well, well! So this is where Lola ran off to! The ex-fiancé!” Harry said, standing by the entrance.
“Lottie, get in the car. I need to talk to this man,” Oliver instructed.
The little girl obediently walked to the car and sat in the back.
“So, Lola fooled you, didn’t she? You know you’re raising someone else’s child, right? You were just her backup plan,” Harry sneered. “She loves me!”
“Listen here! Lola and I love each other. I’m raising my child. You, on the other hand, were the biggest mistake she ever made, and she corrected it. Now, leave, and I don’t want to see you again! Or else…” Oliver shoved Harry, who stumbled but managed to keep his footing.
“Dad, are you coming soon? We’ll be late for school!”
“Coming, sweetheart,” Oliver called back.
As he and Lottie drove away, Harry watched the car disappear, realizing he had lost. The question that lingered in his mind was whether he should fight. Fight for love that was never his. And for a daughter he never had. And would never have…
That evening, he flew out and never returned to his hometown. Sometimes, it’s necessary to draw a clear line, even when you yearn for a continuation.
