Whenever Roger popped over to see Ellie, shed practically turn into a giggling teenager before my eyesall excited and flustered, you know? Shed start faffing about, tidying up the chaos from earlierher clothes flung everywhere as she desperately tried to pick an outfitshoving them under the sofa cushions, pulling rollers out of her hair, and dashing off to the bathroom to do her makeup and brush her hair. Then, and only then, shed come out to greet him, looking utterly dazzling, head to toe.
Well, can you blame her for being that happy? Honestly, just think about it.
Ellies a single mum. Truth is, shes never been properly married. Just had a little thing with her ex, Jonny, for a couple of monthsbut then he upped and left, back to wherever he was originally from (Ellie never got a straight answer, though she reckoned it was somewhere in Kent or maybe Manchester). Hed been working at the local market for a while, but Ellie never quite figured out what exactly he did there.
Anyway, off Jonny went, leaving Ellie just a smidgen pregnantshe was only about a fortnight along and didnt even realise until hed not stayed over for weeks on end. In time, she finally figured it outshe was most definitely not on her own anymore.
When the time came, she had a boyabsolutely gorgeous! Not that it was any surprise. Ellie, in her own right, is stunning, and Jonny was a real heartbreaker, too.
She really lucked out with her little lad. He was an angelslept all the time, never fussed, and when he woke up, hed quietly and carefully have his feed. Thank God, Ellie had more than enough milk for himhonestly, like a dairy cow, she couldve easily fed another baby without breaking a sweat.
And little Charlie hardly suffered any of those typical infant bugs all babies get.
She named him Charlie after her favourite actor, Charlie Chaplin. When she was pregnant, she just happened to catch The Great Dictator on telly, and something about Chaplin in that film reminded her of Jonny. She never considered another name. So, officially, he became Charlie Jonathan Wood. Ellie would repeat it over and over to herself because to her, it sounded like music. Like a favourite tune you never get tired of.
Charlie was an absolute ray of sunshine. When Ellie needed to cook tea or give the flat a clean, shed lay a blanket on the living room floor, set up makeshift barriers with the dining chairs, and plop him in the middlearmed with her old handbag, a set of rollers, and some spare tea towels. Hed play away merrilynever made a fuss or whinged, not even when, one time, she peeked in and realised hed gotten his head stuck between the chairs. He mustve tried crawling out, bless him! Even then he just grunted and quietly tried to wriggle free, without a peep of complaint.
As he grew, he stayed a breeze to look after. Ellie would happily let him out into the communal garden to play, asking only that he run back to the window of their ground floor flat every ten minutes to yell, Mum! Im alright! at her.
Problem was, Charlie had no idea how long ten minutes was. So hed dash over every three minutes and shout until Ellie poked her head out and called, Alright, love! Hed just stand there, not budging, until she asked, Well, what are you waiting for? Go play! And hed reply, You didnt smile at me So shed break into a proper beaming gringenuine, not just because he asked. Hed take off again, happy as anything.
One day, he came running up and did his usual, but this time, when Ellie leaned out, she saw him clutching a tiny kitten to his chest.
Mum, Auntie next door gave him to me. She said his name is Rupert. And she said youd be so happy, and that we should both look after him.
Charlie was so sincerely proud and honest in that moment, Ellie couldnt help but just beam back. Then she said, Well, Rupert must be hungry. Off you go, both of youcome inside, and Ill pour him some milk.
And little Charlie, kitten in tow, dashed insidehappy as Larry. Rupert didnt look all that sure about things yet.
So thats how the three of them lived, muddling along, until Ellie met Roger.
Roger was about Ellies age. Hed never been married eitherquite a solid bloke, sensible but not old. Worked at the local furniture factory and earned a decent living. He started staying over on Saturdays. Not a big talker, good appetite, but never a heavy drinker. Ellie always made a point of having a bottle of gin chilling in the freezer for him, and shed set out her special cut glass shot glasses (he was especially fond of those). Everything went pretty much the same that day as always. Roger arrived, shook Charlies hand at the door, and went to wait in the lounge while Ellie finished her little pre-ritual. Then, all four of them (got to count Rupert, curled up on Charlies lap!) watched a bit of telly before sitting down for lunch.
After, as usual, they all had a napplanning to go for an evening stroll in the park later on.
When Ellie quietly closed Charlies door and snuggled up beside Roger (resting her head on his arm), for the first time, he brought up the subject of marriage.
I reckon well stay at yours for a while first. After, maybe get a bigger place together or rent mine out for the extra money? But you know, Ellie, theres just one thing I dont like cats. Well have to give Rupert away
Its Rupert, she corrected, tensing up a bit, listening carefully.
Yeah, Rupert, right he muttered, pausing thoughtfully, then added in that no-nonsense way of his, as if the matter was already settled, And well send Charlie to my mums in the countryside. Give him some fresh air, and theres a school too. Were still youngcould have a bunch of our own kids yet.
Ellie didnt move a muscleshe just lay there in silence, her head on his shoulder as if shed suddenly turned to stone. After a few minutes, she got upalmost shy all of a sudden, as if hed never seen her in her dressing gown before. She pulled his trousers out from the chair, handed them to him, and said,
Well here are your trousersbest put them on and be off.
Off where?
To your mums in the countryside. For some fresh air. The three of us have all the fresh air we need in our park round the corner.Roger stared, mouth half-open, not quite believing what hed heard. But Ellie just stood there, calm and steady, her chin a little lifted, hands folded bravely in front of her dressing gown. The silence that settled between them was full, but not uncomfortablenot to Ellie, anyway. Roger blinked once, twice, his usual composure unraveling with each second.
There wasnt a fight, and there werent any raised voices; he only nodded slowly, as if hed suddenly understood something vital about the world. He pulled on his trousers and shoes without a word, while Ellie opened the door for himnot in a hurry, but in her own time.
Roger glanced at her, then further down the hallway at Charlies door, and something about the way Ellie stoodthe firm set of her shoulders, or maybe the glimmer of absolute certainty in her eyestold him there was nothing left to say. With one last look, he gave a small, almost apologetic wave, and walked out.
When Ellie closed the door behind him, the flat seemed lighteralmost as if it had exhaled a long-held breath. She padded softly to Charlies room, watching her boy curled up beside Rupert, both of them nestled in a sunbeam on the patchwork duvet. Charlie was quietly humming to his kitten, telling him all about the park and the pigeons and how, if you shut your eyes and listened, you could almost hear the clouds float by. Rupert purred and blinked up at her, content.
Ellie felt her heart fill up, spilling right over with relief and fierce, joyful pride. She tiptoed in, knelt down beside her son, and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, careful not to wake him. Then she crawled under the covers, drew Charlie and Rupert close, and smiledwide and true and for no one but them.
Somewhere outside, the breeze rustled in the lime trees and a dog barked in the distance, and Ellie closed her eyes, knowing that for once, everything she needed was right there: laughter, love, a patch of sunlight, a boy and his catand, of course, a mothers radiant smile.
