Page 63 of Rider Forbidden
I bite my lip - dad hasn't gotten back to me with any info yet, but I can't put it off any longer. I’ll phone dad tonight.
I reply.
Sure, when would be good for you?
I get one back immediately
What about tomorrow lunch?
Sunday, I could do that - Eli could go to my parents for an hour or so. I don't want lunch though, I’ll go around eleven then I can come away for lunch. It will be an excuse to leave, I message him back.
Can I come for around 11?
I get one back immediately.
Sure! That would be great! See you then my address is 552 sycamore avenue, sw8 3wh.
I don't know how this is going to pan out, I really don't, the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but if I get to know him and he seems OK then maybe I’ll introduce them. I can't help but think that after four years of just me and him that the more people that he has in his life the better. Surrounded by people who love him . . . who care about him. But I won't let him in Eli's life if I think for a second that he would let him down. No way.
Jack and Eli make their way over both grinning, it makes me smile. We walk over to a little play area that Eli has been asking to go on and Jack and I take a seat.
I turn to him “You enjoying yourself?”
He nods “I am, I’ve never been to an aquarium before, it's cool. I got to stroke a fucking flatfish, it was awesome!”
Wait, he’s never been to an aquarium?
“You've never been to an aquarium before, are you serious?”
He shakes his head. “I haven't been to a lot of places, growing up, after mum and dad adopted us all we didn't have much money to visit places like this. We usually had days out at parks and things that were free but never been to here, or the zoo, we did go on camping holidays sometimes which was fun.”
I love his mum and dad already - they fostered three children, that they will have been getting quite a lot of money for, then fell for them and adopted them so they'd be theirs permanently, but it meant that their income would stop. They must love them so much.
I grab Jacks hand “Well, you'll have to come with Eli and me.”
He nods and smiles. He glances over to see Jack is busy climbing up a ladder and leans in to give me a quick kiss. “How about you? How do you do it? I know your mum and dad aren't without money - obviously, but you don't seem to accept anything from them.”
Why am I embarrassed to talk about my trust fund? It sounds so rich kid. I hate it. But it has given Eli things that he wouldn't have had otherwise. “I told you I have a trust fund, right? Well I don’t spend it on me, at least not up to now, but if Eli needed anything or wanted a day out and we couldn't afford it, then I spent some of the trust fund on him. Other than that I paid my own way, I just thought it's bad enough that he’s only got me and no one else, I didn't want to deprive him of other things just because I was too stubborn to dip into money from my parents.
“You're an amazing mother, you know that right?”
I sigh, “I do think I'm good at being a mum, but it’s a job that you constantly second guess yourself. I try and go with my gut but I'm always wondering if I'm doing the right thing. I mean, I deprived him of family for four years. Was that fair? I feel like I was selfish.”
He shakes his head “You weren't Robyn. You did what was best for you and what you thought was best for your kid. It's the bravest thing I’ve ever heard - you going off on your own to start your own life. And you did it because your parents, well, I'm guessing your dad, would have taken control and who knows how Eli would have turned out. But look at him - he’s a happy good kid, you're doing an amazing job.”
“Thanks Jack, that means a lot.”
He nudges my shoulder “So I'm dating someone rich, am I?”
I lean back and look at him. “Are we dating?”
He frowns “What did you think we were doing?”
I shrug, “I don't know, I didn't think you'd do that, or want to say that, with your track record.”
“I think we can both agree that my track record is going out of the window with you.”
“I guess.So, I guess I’m dating a Super-biker bad boy then.”
