Page 52 of Amazing Grace

‘I know you’ve been seeing that Vinnie bloke, but really, Grace! He’s not Archie’s dad, I am, and you know our son wants nothing more than to see his mum and dad back in the same house.’

Grace wasn’t sure, but her mind went back to the occasions that Archie had got his parents to join in group hugs, and how his little face had lit up on the rare times they had both made it to sports day.

‘And anyway, I saw that Vannie, or whatever his name is, in the petrol station earlier. I said hello and told him what a wonderful evening we’d had at your awards do. He seemed surprised. Didn’t know a thing about it, but I filled him in on what a fantastic night we’d had,’ he smirked.

Grace was lost for words. It would be just her luck if Mark managed to turn their very innocent night out into something more sordid in Vinnie’s eyes. She tried to pretend that she wasn’t affected by what Mark had done, knowing that she had to tread carefully.

‘You know that deep down you, me and Archie all back together again is what you really want. It’ll be great, just like old times. So what do you say?’

Grace was still reeling, unable to comprehend what damage Mark might have done to her relationship with Vinnie. Mark, for some strange reason, took her silence as acquiescence and, without warning, strode over to her, taking her by complete surprise, and kissed her. Somehow, he got his sleeve caught in her necklace and as he pulled away, the crystal broke into two pieces and dropped on the floor. Distraught, she dropped to her knees to pick them up. He winked at her and walked to the front door, saying over his shoulder, ‘Don’t worry, Grace, I’ll buy you a much nicer one. If you play your cards right, it might even be a diamond!’ As quickly as he had walked into the house, he walked out again, leaving Grace feeling completely dazed.

Despite his apparent desire to get back together and his protestations that he had changed, it was clear he was the same old Mark. But there was just a tiny part of her that wondered whether there was truth in his words.Wasshe being unfair to Archie by not being with his dad? Archie was the centre of her life and she’d always put him first. She couldn’t bear it if she caused him any unhappiness.

* * *

She phoned Vinnie the minute that Mark left but he didn’t pick up, so she left a message on his voicemail.

‘Hey, Vinnie, it’s me. Er, Grace, that is. Can you give me a call when you’re free please? Thanks. Bye.’

He didn’t call back.

She tried to stop the tears forming in her eyes. All this time she’d been worried that he might have something to hide, and now Vinnie would be the one who thought she was lying to him.

That night when Archie had gone to bed, Grace phoned Hannah. They talked about their father’s revelations earlier that day. Hannah was also really pleased that he was starting to enjoy life again.

Grace told her sister about Mark’s proposition. Hannah ranted down the phone: ‘If you are even considering this one tiny bit, you do realise that I’m going to have to jump on a plane to the UK and come and batter you senseless, don’t you? You know that he’s only doing this because you’ve found someone new.

‘Grace, my darling, don’t you dare allow him to mess up what you have with Vinnie. He sounds really special. Even from this far away, I can tell that you really like him. Your voice is different and I can hear that you are smiling when you speak about him. I’ve never heard you speak about Mark like that. Mark is an asshole. He’s just poisoning you because you’ve found someone new and he doesn’t like it.’

Grace smiled to hear some Americanisms creep into her sister’s vocabulary.

‘I know what you are saying but this way, H, I’d get my boy back. I’d get to be with him all the time. You know how much I hate it when he’s not here. I feel like part of me, my heart and my soul, is missing. Perhaps I could put up with Mark and his ways. We loved each other once, very much. We could try to get that back. Perhaps I just need to accept that family is more important than what I really want?’

‘Darling, I understand, but you have to live for yourself. You cannot live your life for Archie. It won’t be long before he’s going off with his mates. He’ll be going to high school soon and he won’t even want you to walk to school with him. I know that you can’t see that now but I can. I’ve been through it and I know how it feels. Don’t throw away what you have with Vinnie now and certainly not for Mark! I know it’s early days but I have a real good feeling about you and Vinnie. Don’t youdarethrow it away for that good-for-nothing jerk!’

‘I haven’t decided anything yet, sis, but I have to consider all the options and think about what is right for Archie. As his mum, that’s my job. And anyway, I know that on the surface Vinnie does seem perfect, but there’s something niggling away at me.’

‘What?’

‘When I saw him on my night out with Monica, his friend said something about Ellie not liking the fact that he was talking to a woman. And then, when I was at his house, I saw a text message from a woman, telling him to ring her. And then when we went to his house, there was a young girl driving away from his house.’

‘So have you asked him about it?’

‘Erm, well, no.’

‘For goodness’ sake, Grace, you have to ask him. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation. Do you not think you are reading too much into it?’

‘Yep, I know that. But I could also find out something that I don’t want to and the whole Vinnie situation could come crashing down around me. And I can’t do that to Archie.’

‘Babe, I know you love Arch and hate it when he’s away, but I beg you to remember how unhappy you were when you were with Mark. You seem to have forgotten all of that. He treated you badly and I can’t believe you would even consider having him back. He’ll never change, you know. Remember all those times when you used to sit at my kitchen table and cry because he’d upset you again?

‘You’re a different person now. Look how far you’ve come in the last few months. You’re back to the old Grace. My little sister, who I adore, who is full of life and just wants everyone around her to be happy. Think about Archie – he must love to have his mum being cheerful around him all the time, instead of how sad you used to be. And think about your future. You would be turning down the opportunity of a new life with Vinnie. He’s a man who loves you for who you are and not who he wants you to be. He accepts you and loves you and you are better for having him in your life. I can see that for myself and I’m all the way over here.

‘Just please think very carefully and talk to me before you make your mind up. You have to promise me that! And maybe you should just ask Vinnie about the other things that are winding you up?’

Grace felt so sad when she put down the phone after speaking with her sister. She was so far away. There was a whole ocean between them. She knew that her sister had chosen a life in the States for her family and she had to respect that, but she also felt that her sister had chosen that life over being close to her.You really just have yourself to rely on, Grace told herself.People have to do whatever it takes to be happy.

Without her mum around to chat to, Grace had never felt so alone. She had a huge decision to make. Perhaps it would be easier all round for everyone if she just gave it another go with Mark.

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