Maggie's second chance

Maggie watched the bride and her father posing for photographs by the little gate outside the church yard. The bridesmaids clambered out of their car, holding their long midnight- blue dresses rather ineptly to stop them trailing in the puddles. She smiled at them and wished them luck and then stayed waiting by the gate as they all walked towards the church door ready to march down the aisle.

Still there was no sign of her granddaughter. It was the wedding of Lucy's first boyfriend and she had asked her grandmother to come and give her some support. Maggie sighed with relief as a smart red mini with a black roof swerved into the little close and screeched to a halt by Maggie's feet making her jump.

 'Lucy, where have you been? Look, you go on in and I'll park the car for you'.

In one fluid movement Lucy leapt out of the car, grabbed her hat from the back seat, plonked it on her head and gave her grandmother a resounding kiss.

 'Oh thanks Gran! You're my saviour, as always'.

 Maggie watched her granddaughter sprint down the church path and disappear into the church. Her heart contracted painfully with the immense love she felt for her. This fierce love had taken her by surprise nearly twenty years ago and still she marveled at how intense these feelings were. 

Lucy's dad, Michael, Maggie's only child, had always been a joy for her, but somehow she had expected that. He had been the result of a one-night stand in her first term at Teachers Training college. He had been visiting a friend and had cleared off without trace when she had tearfully told him that she was pregnant. She had only been eighteen, and at first had been terrified of her parents' reaction.
 They had been so proud of her when she got her place at college but they had comforted her and stood by her loyally. 

'It's no use crying over spilt milk' her mum had said, putting her arms round Maggie. 'Everyone makes their own bed and then they have to lie in it.'

Maggie and her mum had collapsed in a heap of giggles then. After that it was just a matter of welcoming baby Michael and bringing him up as best she could with her mum and dad's help. 

They had had Maggie late in life and were both already retired when Maggie was in her teens. They were quite happy to make a warm home for Michael while Maggie carried on with her Teacher's training and then made a career as a teacher. As time went by it was Michael that helped her look after her ageing parents. He repaid all their love and care tenfold. 

Sadly they hadn't been around to meet Elaine, the fiery Scot's lass who had stolen Michael's heart and made him so happy, or witness the birth of Lucy and see her growing up from a beautiful adorable baby to a stunning young woman. 

Maggie shook herself from her reverie, she had to park Lucy's car. She drove off looking for a space and found one just by the new cake shop. She had gone there with Elaine and Lucy and treated them to cappuccino and carrot cake on the opening day.

The owner was a young hard working woman called Ellie who had been really friendly and given them chocolates to celebrate the opening. As Maggie was locking the car she noticed Lucy's mobile phone on the passenger seat, it started ringing so she answered it thinking it might be Michael or Elaine, who were on holiday in Majorca.

'Hello gorgeous, I'll come round this evening, Ellie's going to a spa with her friends'. 

Maggie quickly put the phone down, her hands shaking. Surely Ellie was the owner of the new café, that must have been her husband. What could he want with Lucy and why would he call her gorgeous?

The church was packed and Maggie slunk into the first pew she came to just as the congregation started a rousing chorus of 'Give me love in my heart.' She could see Lucy standing next to David Oakley, the owner of the Cycle shop in the High Street. Lucy was friends with David's son Greg, and  she had told Maggie that on the eve of David's Silver Wedding Anniversary he had discovered that his wife  was leaving him for someone else. He had been planning a surprise trip to New York and  Lucy said that he went anyway with Greg. 

Marriage was a mystery to Maggie, she didn't understand how people could want to hurt someone they had chosen to spend their life with.

The hymn ended and the bridal party came out of the vestry and the triumphant wedding march started up. Everybody filed out after the bride and groom and the bells rang out joyfully. Maggie joined Lucy and they  went to congratulate the happy couple.

Geoff, the groom put out his hand,

'Oh Lucy, I'm so glad you  came, and with your glamorous granny too. I hope you are coming to the reception!'

  He was clutching Caroline his new wife, to him and she smiled at them.
'Yes Lucy do come, you know you were Geoff's first true love, don't you? The first cut is the deepest and all that'.

Lucy kissed them both and pulled Maggie to one side.

'Please come Gran, 'I'll feel a lot better if you're there. I am really over him and everything, it's just that he was my first love and it seems like the end of something, I feel a bit old'.
Maggie glanced at her beautiful granddaughter who just seemed to radiate youth and grace. She laughed and took her hand.
' Come on you old fogey, let's go and drink to the bride and groom.'

'Oh Gran I'll just go and see if I left my phone in the car.' Lucy ran off and soon was walking back with the phone glued to her ear and a brilliant smile on her face. Maggie's heart sank, what was going on?

The reception was in the grounds of a local hotel by the river. The moment Maggie and Lucy arrived waiters appeared offering drinks and they started to mingle among the guests.
'Who were you talking to Lucy? 'Maggie gently probed.
'No-one'. came the curt answer. Maggie felt stung. Her granddaughter had never spoken to her like that before.

Just then David Oakley came up to her and raised his glass. 'You're looking very charming, Maggie, here's to your good health'. Maggie chinked her glass back and smiled at him.
'I expect you've heard about Nicky leaving me,' he continued. 'It was a terrible shock. I suppose that's the danger when you marry a much younger woman. I really feel more sorry for Greg. He's only seventeen and adored his mother. He really resents her now and doesn't even want to see her.'
Fuelled by the champagne, the teacher inside Maggie spoke out. 'You must encourage him to see her.The adult world is confusing to young people but it is very important that he knows his mother loves him and  that you are both there for him. These teenage years are very delicate. If he sees that you have forgiven Nicky and wish her well then he will come through this all the stronger.'

Too late Maggie saw the hurt look on David Oakley's face.
'I'm sorry I spoke out of turn', she hastily apologized. 'Please forgive me. It's just that I have seen so many cases where parents separate and the children take sides. I always tell parents that if they love their children they should keep their relationship as harmonious as possible. I am speaking as a teacher not as a parent and of course I don't know what it feels like to be betrayed like that. It must be awful for you'.

David Oakley's shoulders visibly relaxed and his face cleared. 'You're right and thank you for that advice. You are the first person who has had the courage to tell me that. Everyone else treats me like a victim and feels sorry for me.'

The waiter offered them sausage rolls and mini pizzas and they stood eating them in companionable silence. Just then Lucy rushed past in tears. Maggie glanced at David, he took her glass from her and gave her a nod to follow her granddaughter.

When Maggie caught up with her she took Lucy in her arms and gently sat her down on one of the plush armchairs. Lucy cried on Maggie's shoulder with heart wrenching sobs. As she stroked her granddaughter's soft, shiny hair she breathed in the smell of apple shampoo and thought of the little girl she had once been. Where had the years gone? How had she grown up so quickly?

'Oh Lucy, when you were a little girl I could make you laugh so easily and a hug would always make things right. Whatever 's the matter darling?'.

'Oh Gran, you could never understand' sobbed Lucy.' you don't know what passion is. You just dedicated your life to two old people and my dad'.

Maggie was shocked. Is that how Lucy saw her? What about all the fun they'd had? The happy years of family parties? Passion wasn't just confined to sex surely? Maggie had had a few admirers and her parents had encouraged her to look for someone special, but no man she met had wanted to take on the whole package of two elderly parents and a single mother and Maggie had thrown all her passion into her teaching and her family. Part of her thought she didn't deserve happiness with a man, that romance and exciting relationships were something that happened to other people. She'd become a grandmother when she was just forty five and that had seemed enough for her.

Maggie took a deep breath, ‘Is this anything to do with Ellie the owner of the new café?’ she asked.

Lucy looked up abruptly, ‘How do you know? Who told you? Does Mum know?.. Anyway there's nothing to know now, it's all over before it had even begun.’ She sounded frightened and looked very young.

Maggie stroked her hair, ‘I'm your grandmother, that's enough people to know. Now why would a beautiful young girl like you mess around with a married man?’

‘I haven't done anything wrong, it's him that's married, not me’, Lucy was defiant.

‘That's the easiest way to clear your conscience my treasure, but anything that hurts someone else can't be right can it?’ Maggie hugged her tight.
 A memory came flooding back to her, bitter-sweet, of a time when the new doctor, whose wife was expecting twins, had come to visit her parents and had taken her aside.

‘You must be finding this very hard,' he  had said. ‘two old people and a young son and no man around. Any time you need something let me know, ok.’
She had caught the hidden meaning by the way he looked at her. Oh, the sweet temptation of a male body that wanted hers, the raw smell of his unshaven skin, Maggie had felt her legs buckle. Then she had glanced at her parents sitting side by side in their wheelchairs, their gnarled hands touching, their faces looking at her with trust and love.
‘Thank you’, she said ‘It was kind of you to come out this evening, but we'll be fine now, thank you.’
She had shut the front door with a bang and gone back into the bedroom. ‘Come on let's watch some Comedy Gold, I think there's 'Dad's Army' on now’.

Lucy was watching her. ‘Gran you won't tell mum and dad will you? I think I got carried away, what with Geoff getting married, I just got too easily flattered by the attention. I'm so sorry.’
 She burst into tears again but just then David Oakley appeared bearing a tray with three glasses of champagne and some delicious looking savoury quiches.

‘Can I join the party?’ his eyes smiled at them both. ‘There's going to be a live band soon and I'd love the first dance.’

Lucy stood up and straightened her dress. I'm off to freshen up and then I'll join you both on the dance floor. The best man looks quite nice doesn't he?’

David Oakley held out his hand to pull Maggie up. She stumbled into his arms and lay her head on his shoulder. An unfamiliar sensation swept through her. Something like relief mingled with happiness and a feeling that she was no longer alone. She knew without any doubt that her parents would have approved of David.

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