Crazy connection

Hum drum

Life goes on, it’s Friday, the end of the week and still nothing from Fred. No calls, no messages, nothing at all. Maybe I should make the first move and call him.

I pick my phone up and open the Home Screen, I tap the contacts icon and scroll down to his name. I hold my thumb over the call icon for a few seconds. All sorts of crazy thoughts running through my head.

Was there really a connection between us? Maybe he just wanted a weekend fling.

I close the call app and click on the blue f for f*******:. I check my friend requests, he hasn’t added me. I tap on the search icon and put his name into the search bar, his profile comes up and I tap on it.

Nothing, still locked up as tight as before, absolutely no information about him and his life.

Maybe he lied, maybe he’s married! Or seeing someone else?

I close all apps and put my phone down on my desk. I keep checking it every few minutes.

Grrr, this annoying!

I take my phone and stuff it under a pile of papers.

Usually I like to take my lunch break at 13:30pm, as close to the end of the day as I can get it. I check the time, 10:48. “Hhhmm” Close enough, I turn to Abby our HR and admin who covers me during my lunch break.

“Abbs, I’m off to lunch.”

Abby, who is totally engrossed in her work, looks up from her computer screen, then checks her watch, “going for an early one today?”

“Yeah, you don’t mind do you?”

She gives a little smile and a shake of the head, no.

I grab my bag and leave my phone under the pile of papers on purpose. I need a break from the constant checking for messages.

As I walk out of the office, the sun is bright and the breeze is fresh. It gives me a little boost and I feel like the break from my phone is liberating. I decide to grab a coffee and head over to the canal.

I find a bench to sit on and from where I’m sitting I can see a couple across on the other side of the canal, they are unloading a large self drive moving van. They are young, I imagine they are moving into their first shared home. Struggling up the side stairs of the building where they are moving the furniture and boxes up to the first floor to a flat above a parade of shops.

I sit and watch them, every time they pass each other they give each other a little peck on the lips and both smile and stare into each other’s eyes.

Young love, you can’t beat that feeling can you?

Before I know it, I check my watch and it’s time to head back to the office. On my way back I stop and grab another coffee, this time I buy two. One for myself and one for Abby.

Once back I head straight over to Abby’s desk, “coffee?”

She looks up at me with a pleading look, “Ah yessss pleeease!”

I put the coffee on her desk and head back to mine. While I’m removing my coat Abby looks up at me and says, “gosh, you’re popular today”

I look back at her with a quizzical look, “huh?”

“Your phone, it’s blowing up, ten minutes after you left it started pinging and hasn’t stopped. Did you know that you left it here?”

I totally ignore the last part to Abby’s question, I scramble through the pile of papers on my desk trying to retrieve my phone.

I stare at it, twenty five messages and four missed calls

Sun 2:25

I know it’s late, but I can’t sleep

I can’t stop thinking of you!

Missing you already.

Call me in the morning

Heart emoji

Mon 12:30

Hey, still waiting for your call.

Drop me a message

Thinking of you!

Heart emoji

Mon 19:06

Missed call Fred

Mon 20:43

Missed call Fred

Mon 20:45

Call me!

Are you okay?

Tried calling but your phone rings off straightaway.

Don’t do this, call me please.

Heart emoji

Mon 22:45

Missed call Fred

Mon 1:55

I can’t sleep

I need to talk to you

It’s fine if you don’t want to be with me but at least tell me straight.

This is cold, how can you do this to me again?

Tue 6:25

Just call me, please

Did I do something wrong?

Tue 13:50

?

?

?

Tue 21:26

Missed call Fred

Wed 5:31

Don’t worry, I get the message loud and clear!

Panic rushing through me now, “I don’t understand, why have these only just come through?”

I immediately call Fred’s number and it goes straight through to voice mail. A bit awkward because I’m in the office and I can tell I’ve caught Abby’s full attention because even though she isn’t looking at me and is instead staring at her computer screen, she isn’t typing ferociously like she was before. I leave a message in a trying to sound totally normal voice, “hey, just returning your calls and messages, I don’t know why but they have all, only just come through to my phone. Give me a call as soon as you get this.”

I couldn’t focus on anything work related, I just sat and twiddled my thumbs and checked my phone every thirty seconds for the rest of the day. Picking the kids up from school after work brought about a bit of relief from the constant phone checking and worrying about Fred, thinking I’ve been ignoring his messages and calls this whole time.

Once home the kids chatter disappears with them to their bedrooms where they both head straight for their devices.

I shout up, “homework first kids! I’m going to check it’s done later on this evening. Don’t forget to pack your tooth brushes this time please.” I know it’s a complete empty threat as I won’t be thinking about wether the kids homework has been done, I know I’m going to be completely preoccupied with thoughts of Fred until I hear back from him. The kids don’t know that though and I just hope the threat of me checking their homework is enough to get them to do it at least.

I always try get them to finish their home work before their dad picks them up on his weekends. If they take it with them to do at their dads, they either don’t do it, or they forget their book bags and or books at his and it’s a mad scramble to fetch them before school on a Monday morning.

Now that it’s quiet, my thoughts turn to Fred again and I check my phone.

Still no reply to my voice mail. I decide to send him a text.

Today 16:30

Hey

Sorry about the weird voice message, I was at work and people in the office were tuning in.

Im sorry I didn’t get hold of you sooner

I was waiting for you to call or text first

I only just got all of your messages through today.

I wasn’t ignoring your messages

I promise

Call me!

I end my garbled texts with an emoji avatar sticker of what’s supposed to be me sending a kiss

I decide I can’t be bothered cooking tonight, I order a takeaway delivery for the kids. For some reason I don’t feel hungry. Once the kids food arrives I pour myself a glass of wine and head upstairs for a nice relaxing bath. I tell Maddi to open the door for her father when he gets here, he usually picks them up once he gets in from work at around 19:45. I remind her that she and her brother have to come up and say goodbye to me before they leave.

While I run my bath, I check my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My completion is sallow and tired looking, I have my favourite pink clay face mask that I keep for times like these. I wash the makeup from my face and use a little brush to paint on a thick layer of the pink clay onto my face before I get into the bath. While I’m in the bath it will have to time to set and harden and I can wash it off before I get out.

“Aahhh” I sigh as I lower myself into the bath. Still thinking about Fred and the stupid messages that have only just come through today. I keep thinking that he must think I’m some sort of awful, horrible person for not replying sooner. I should have tried to call him sooner, I shouldn’t have been stubborn and waited for him to call me first. I decide to try call him again after the kids leave for their dads.

I lay my head back and for the first time this week I feel like I can relax. I close my eyes and try not to think about Fred and the stupid messages, all I can do is hope that he believes me when I say they only came through today.

As I’m about to top the water up with some more hot water, I hear the doorbell ring. I hear Andy doing his usual and crazy excited, dads at the door dance. I check my phone for the time, 19:45, just like clockwork each and every Friday.

I hear the front door open....

It’s all gone quiet. Which is weird for when they see their dad. They are usually squealing with glee when they see him.

“MUMMM.... there’s a man at the doorrrr!”, Maddi shouts up the stairs.

I cant think why there would be a man at the door and I shout back to Maddi, “tell the man to wait outside, I’ll be down in a minute”.

I then shout, “shut the door and don’t let him in”, obviously not knowing who the man is my first concern is that the kids are downstairs on their own.

I hastily get out of the bath, forgetting that I have this pink dried muck all over my face, my hair is dripping wet and full of soap suds left in where I was about to wash the shampoo out when Maddi called up. I grab my robe and slip my wet feet into my slip on open toed fluffy slippers, making the fluff stick to my toes in an irritating disgusting kind of way.

I’m going to regret having put my wet feet into my slippers later, I think to myself as I rush down the stairs to make sure the kids are safe and to see who this man is.

If it’s just a delivery person wanting me to keep a parcel for the neighbours I’m going to be well upset.

On my way down I pass by Maddi, “who is it?” I hiss at the annoyance of my relaxing bath being disturbed. She shrugs, and as I open the door she says, “he said he’s a friend of yours from London.”

Fred!

It’s too late!

I’ve opened the door and there he is standing in the doorway with flowers in his hand and the most embarrassed look on his face talking to, none other then, the kids father, Derick.

They both turn to look at me, what a sight I must be because both men do a double take and I can see the curved edges of the smiles they are both trying in vain to hide.

“Hi” I say, sheepishly.

“Hi”, they both say in unison.

Derick clears his throat, “mhm, I’m just going to get the kids and then we’ll be out of your way.”

He turns to Fred, “nice to meet you mate. Hope to see you around sometime.”

He walks into the house past me giving me the one eyebrow lift as he passes by.

“Kids, come on, let’s go. Your mother has company, let’s get out of her hair.”

“DAD!” They squeal as they come running down the stairs with their over night bags on their backs.

As Derick ushers the kids out of the door, Andy immediately looks me up and down and puts his hand to his mouth as he sniggers and laughs, “pfffft hahaha, mum you look like a weirdo!”

Derick ushers him out with even more haste. Maddi walks past Fred with a disapproving pouted lip. Unable to hide her disgust at him standing there with flowers in hand. Once past him she turns round and looks at me through slitted, angry eyes, sending me a telepathic message of, “you tell me who that is?”

“Bye kids, love you, have a good time,” I call after them. They wave goodbye as they get into their dads car.

I stand in the doorway, I know I look absolutely ridiculous with my wet soapy hair, my cracking clay face mask and my wet, sticking to my toes fluffy slippers in my gown that is also sticking to my wet body. And, I know that it wasn’t the most ideal way for Fred to meet the kids and the Ex, but hell am I happy to see him. I literally can’t get rid of the smile on my face.

He lifts the flowers up and holds them out in front of him and smiles that big old beautiful smile of his, “can I come in?”

I motion for him to come in and as soon as he crosses the threshold I throw my arms around his neck and pull him down into me so that I can give him the biggest and best, lip smacking kiss of his life.

It turns out he had changed mobile phone providers and the change over took longer then expected. So he was sending messages, but they were never reaching me. When his Mobile credit provider called him to tell him what had happened, he immediately bought a ticket to come down and explain it all to me in person.