Author's Note: This is my entry for the February Writing Challenge. I'm not sure exactly how romantic it is, seeing as I've never been able to write romance particularly well, not as a main theme at least. I'm not sure how well the title fits either, so it's likely that'll be changing before long.



I hadn’t heard from any of my friends for months until Kirsty phoned me again. It seemed we were all busy with one thing or another. I was constantly kept busy with two things, my two daughters, Jody and Pamela.

The girls had lost their mother a few years ago. With Pamela, she had simply taken on the extra responsibilities with no complaints of any sort. I knew she had become a stronger person because of it. Jody, on the other hand, had become rather rebellious. I had come to expect a letter from the school at least once a term, often several in a month, telling me that she had been up to something again.

That term had been no exception. I thought we’d got away with it that time, but on the very last day, she came home with the letter. This time it was serious. They told me if she did anything else wrong, she would be suspended, possibly expelled depending on the seriousness of the thing she did.

That summer was one of the most difficult I’d ever known since Jessica’s death.

For the first two weeks I was forced to put up with Jody’s constant complaints. I’d grounded her, something I’d never done before in my life. Normally a letter from the school involved a severe telling off and little talking for a few days. I was getting fed up with her behaviour. I knew this wouldn’t have happened if Jessica had still been around.

I had intended to keep Jody at home for at least half of the holiday. She needed to learn some manners and respect for the people around her. She got nowhere complaining to Pamela, who normally took her side, about how unfair I was being.

By the end of those two weeks I was so fed up with her that I sent her out every single day. I could see, at first, that she loved it, but then towards the end she was getting bored of the great outdoors. I refused to let her stay inside and watch television. If she wasn’t out with her friends, she was in the study with her homework. I didn’t care if she hated it or started complaining about it not being fair again; life was unfair.

It was in the third week that the phone call came. I’d gone to school with Kirsty, and kept in touch with her afterwards. I’d been there when she had married Lee, and been honoured when she had named me Godfather to Caroline, her daughter. I knew things weren’t going too well with Lee. I’d never liked the man. He made Kirsty do everything while he sat and watched football or something else just as boring.

“He left me!” Kirsty wailed down the phone. “He’s gone and left me for some bimbo! What has she got that I haven’t?”

Lee was always cheating on his girlfriends. Kirsty was no exception. I knew he’d gone from one girl to the next, even when he had been married. I thought things might have been different at first, then he got Kirsty pregnant and lost interest in her. I found myself wondering how many other kids the guy had.

I had always loved Kirsty. Perhaps this was my chance to be with her.

“Why don’t we meet up? Go for a coffee or something.” I suggested.

“Oh yes! I can’t leave Caroline alone though, she’s not old enough.”

“Then come around here. She’ll be fine with my girls.”

“Oh David. Where did it go so wrong?”

Try when you married that jerk, I thought. I knew Kirsty wouldn’t appreciate my comments, so I kept them to myself. She knew my opinions when it came to Lee.

We’d fallen out a while back because of it. That hadn’t lasted long. Within two weeks, she was on the phone again, begging me to talk to her again. I left it another week before I called her back.

We met up occasionally for a time. Lee ‘caught’ us once. We were sitting in a café, having a drink and a bite to eat and good chat, just like the old days. He stormed into the building, told me to stay away from his wife, and dragged her out with him. He’d not done it quietly either. That was the last time I had seen Kirsty.

She phoned me as often as she could after that incident. He became violent towards her, and she could only speak to me when he was out. She was forced to hide the phone bills from him, should he phone the number that cropped up on them most often. He didn’t deserve such a wonderful woman.

The woman that turned up on my doorstep a few days after the phone call wasn’t one that I recognised. She was pale and thin with a dejected look upon her face. The young girl beside her didn’t look too pleased to be there.

“Come on in, guys.” I kept my voice neutral. Part of my hated Lee for what he had done to Kirsty and Caroline, the other part of me was thankful that he had gone. Kirsty deserved better yet I knew it would take a lot for her trust to be repaired.

Jody and Pamela were waiting in the living room when we entered. I saw Caroline glance at them and return her gaze to the floor.

“Why don’t you girls go out into the garden?” I suggested, making sure to include Caroline. “It’s a shame to waste such a beautiful day.”

Pamela was the first to move. She headed towards the patio doors and pulled them open. Jody scowled at me and followed. Caroline was the last to move. She went after the other two, but went no further than the edge of the lawn.

“It’s really hard on her.” Kirsty whispered. “Lee was so wonderful with her. I think he was trying to make up for not liking me any more.”

“She’ll come around. You just have to find the right person to help her…to help both of you.” I replied calmly. Someone like me?

“You were always so sweet, David.” She turned her tired eyes on me.

I wondered when she had last had a decent amount of sleep. I knew she was weary, emotionally and physically.

“Why don’t you stay here for a while?” I prayed she’d say yes.

“I’m not sure. Lee is bound to be following me. He gets so angry.”

Everything came back to Lee.

“Not even for tonight?” Why was I trying so hard? Ok, so I’d loved her in school, and through college, but I’d given up when she married Lee…or maybe not…

“Well…” Her eyes fell upon her daughter, lonely and dejected. “Maybe one night won’t hurt.”

One night turned into one week, then one month. I was hopeful that Lee was gone for good. With each passing day, I found my old feelings for Kirsty coming back, getting stronger all the time. Then he came and spoiled it all.

Someone came hammering on my front door one evening, shouting at me to give her back. I could tell straight away he was drunk again.

“You stay away from her!” He yelled in my face.

I recoiled at the strong smell of alcohol and stale tobacco.

“She’s mine, you hear?”

“Lee!” Kirsty appeared behind me, wide-eyed and scared.

“Get here, now!”

She hesitated. He barged past me and seized her arm.

“Hey, stop it!” I protested loudly. “Leave her alone.”

The three girls came running at the commotion. Lee’s eyes stopped on Caroline. I turned to face her too. She was terrified. I realised she’d never seen her father in a drunken rage before.

Lee reached out and seized her arm too. She tried to pull back, but he held on even tighter.

“You stay away from my girls!” He spat in my face and dragged them both down the path and onto the street.

It took everything in me not to go running after them. I would only make things worse. I hated Lee more than ever in that moment. He was much too possessive of women. Saw them as objects.

“Dad?” Pamela stepped forwards.

“I’ll find a way to get her back to safety.” I muttered darkly, reluctantly closing the door. “Just you wait and see.”

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