Is this what youre looking for? she extended the letter towards him.
Nick turned pale.
Jenny, you dont get the wrong idea Sam Its
What am I not supposed to think, Nick? That my husbands mother is alive and locked up in prison? That you both take me for some clueless daisy?!
Wait, what do you mean a month? Jenny, we agreed youd stay until autumn at least!
My youngest has only just started nursery, I found a job nearby
What happened?
We pay rent on time, we keep quiet
Its not about you, Jenny hesitated. I just need to move back to my flat.
Why? Did you and your husband fall out?
Please, dont ask any more questions.
Exactly one month from today!
Ill readjust the rent, return your deposit.
Sorry…
Jenny hung up and shivered, desperate for all this to just end.
***
Jenny couldnt take her eyes off the envelope lying on the kitchen table.
A plain envelope, one shed fished out from the postbox just minutes ago, mixed in with takeaway menus and the broadband bill.
Sam usually picked up the post himself, but for some reason today she reached in.
The postmark. The senders address. HM Prison Sudbury.
And the name of the sender: Lydia Sullivan.
Jenny had heard that name from her husband his mother, the mother-in-law Jenny had never clapped eyes on.
She never dreamed the woman whod brought Sam into the world was even alive.
Ive got nobody, Jen, Sam had told her on their third date, when they were thawing out in a dingy café after a soaked-through walk. My dad left before I was born, I dont know him at all.
And Mum Mum passed away when I was twenty. Heart attack. So Im sort of a rolling stone, on my own.
Entirely alone? Jenny had nearly burst into tears at the thought. No aunts, no uncles?
Theres some distant relatives in Scotland, but we havent spoken for years.
Its actually easier this way. No family drama, no Sunday dinners you cant get out of, just you and me.
Shed thought then,
Hes so strong, to go through all that and still be so kind
She swaddled him with care, as if trying to make up for every bit of motherly love he never received.
The wedding came next small, just close family.
Her family: parents, a couple of friends. His? Just his mate since childhood: Nick, who was sullen all night, barely looked Jenny in the eyes.
Shed put it down to shyness. Now she realised Nick had simply been terrified of blurting out the truth.
Where was she buried? Jenny had asked about six months after the wedding. Perhaps we could go, tidy the grave? Shes still your mum
Sam flinched. Turned away, fussed with his shirt collar.
Its far away, Jen. Up country, in an old, nearly closed cemetery.
Ill visit sometime myself, you neednt worry. I dont want to bring you. The place has a bad atmosphere.
Lets look after the living, not the dead, hey?
And she believed him. Fool!
***
The front door creaked open. Jenny jumped, hurriedly shoved the envelope into a drawer and buried it under a pile of shop coupons.
Hello, love! Sams voice rang from the hall, as cheery and warm as ever. Hows our little champion? Been well-behaved?
He ambled into the kitchen, tried to kiss Jennys head, but she shied away.
Whats wrong? Tired? his brow creased with concern. Did little Nicky keep you up again?
Look, Ill go change and then take him off your hands for a bit. You get some rest.
Ill sort out dinner tonight.
Dont fuss, Im not hungry. Sam, the post came today
He froze for a split second, but Jenny saw.
Yeah? What was there? More bills?
Bills, some ads. Thats all.
He relaxed Jenny noticed the relief.
Good! Ill just wash my hands and see my boy. Missed him terribly.
Jenny watched his back. The man shed shared years, a flat, her whole life with, standing there and lying to her.
Lying so smoothly it made her feel sick.
Think of me as an orphan, hed said.
And Lydia Sullivan, from Sudbury Prison, was still writing to him.
Why? Was she in for something violent? Theft? Fraud? How long left to serve?
Jenny pictured, clear as daylight, a year or two from now a knock at the door, and on the step, a woman with hard eyes and a criminal past.
Shed say,
Hello, son, hello, daughter-in-law. Wheres my grandson? Ill be living here now!
Jenny didnt fear for herself. She was frightened for Nicky.
How could a child be raised near a grandmother fresh from prison?
How could she let a criminal near her baby?
Jen, do you want a cup of tea? Sam hollered from the other room. There’s an Asda leaflet in the drawer, nappies on offer. Ill grab some tomorrow.
She didnt answer. She was already checking her bank app for her own savings.
Enough to get by at first, hopefully. The new flat was across town that was a blessing.
The tenants move out in a month. She just needed to survive that month, keep her composure.
***
Sam left for work, after showering little Nicky with kisses and promising to come home early.
Jenny watched, her disgust mounting. How could he lie so baldly? Was this even forgivable?
When Sam left, she pulled out the letter. Her hands shook to open it, to read and yet, she was scared.
What if, once she read it, she couldnt leave? What if there was something inside
No, she said to herself, steely. It doesnt matter whats in there. He lied to me for almost two years!
Suddenly the doorbell rang. Jenny startled. Who could it be?
Her parents? They always rang first. A friend? She looked through the spyhole Nick was fidgeting on the landing, glancing at the lift every few seconds.
Jenny opened the door.
Nick? Sams at work.
Yeah, I know, Jen Nick jammed his hands in his jacket, shuffling. I was just passing by. Thought maybe Sam left his garage keys at home?
He said theyd be on the side table.
Keys? She arched an eyebrow. There arent any keys on the side. Nor in the hall. Are you sure?
Thats what he said Um, Jen, Sam also asked if I could grab something from the post. I checked, but the box was empty. Did you pick up the post today?
I did. Why?
Nick swallowed.
Just We’re expecting a delivery, some parts for Sams bike, he asked if the post office delivered a slip.
Jenny walked to the kitchen, picked up the grey envelope, returned to the door.
Is this what youre after? she held out the letter.
Nick blanched.
Jen, you look, dont Sam this
What am I not to think, Nick? That my husbands mother is alive and in prison? That you both take me for a fool?!
That Ive borne a child for a man whose family history is one dark secret?
Jen, he just wanted a normal life! Nick blurted, his voice dropping almost a whisper. He wanted a shot at happiness.
His mum well, shes tough, gave Sam more grief than you can imagine.
He meant no harm, truly. He just cut her out, so you wouldnt worry.
Cut her out? Jenny let out a bitter laugh. Nick, how can you wipe out your own mum from your life, with such dishonesty?
He stole my right to choose! I deserved to know what I was marrying into.
What family?! Nick threw up his hands. Theres no family, Jen. Just her, and her criminal schemes.
Please, give me the letter? You havent read it, have you? Ill hand it to Sam, hell explain everything.
Youd better go, Nick, Jenny said quietly. And no, Im not giving you the letter. Its for Sam Sullivan. He can collect it, from me.
She shut the door, deliberate and firm, the letter still in her grasp.
***
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Jenny fed and changed her son, strolled with him in the courtyard, but her mind kept spinning.
What should she take first? Pram, cot, her documents. The furniture who cared about that?
Her old flat on the edge of town still had a worn-out settee and a wardrobe. That would do.
By six, she felt totally calm.
She set the table, cooked a meal, put her son to bed. And sat down to wait for her husband.
Mmm, smells lovely! Sam, home from work, pretended nothing was wrong. Look what Ive bought. New mobile for Nicky! It plays lullabies.
Jenny stayed silent, the grey envelope on the table before her. Sam peered into the kitchen, dropped the act at once.
Did Nick find it? he muttered.
No, I did. Nick tried to collect it your request but I turned him away.
Sam sank into the chair opposite, his shoulders heavy.
Why, Sam? Why say your mum was dead?
Because she was, to me. She died twelve years ago the day she was first sent down. Got out for six months, then went back in.
Jen, you come from a decent family. Your dads an engineer, your mum teaches at school. Youd never understand my mum. Shes a professional scammer. A con artist.
And you decided that gave you the right to lie to me? For a year? Jennys voice shook. Dont you see youve shattered every ounce of trust I ever had?
I was scared Id lose you! Sam cried, frantic. Youd leave me, wouldnt you? Say, Oh no, his mothers a criminal who knows what hes inherited.
I wanted Nicky to grow up somewhere normal. I really thought an orphaned husband was better than a thiefs son!
Now hell have a divorced father, Jenny replied coolly.
Sam froze.
What? Jenny, you cant mean it! Over a letter? Over what I hid?
Over the fact I dont know who you are, Sam. If you could invent your mothers death, what else are you keeping from me?
Who is your father? Maybe he didnt vanish maybe hes locked up in the cell next door.
Jen, dont talk nonsense
Im not. Ive told the tenants. I move in a month. Im filing for divorce tomorrow.
Sam broke down, on his knees, pleading, insisting it was all for her own good.
But Jenny didnt listen. For her, the matter was settled.
***
The tenants moved out; now Jenny and her son live alone. She and Sam are divorced, but he still clings to hope he can win her back. He doesnt understand where he went wrong; hed only tried to protect his family
He sees his son regularly, provides for him entirely. But Jenny shes never coming back.
