Chapter Five

Monday morning, with almost rehearsed precision, Ashley heard Fred’s car arrive and pull up. Going outside he waived his workmates to continue to work without him. His childish attempt at sign language seemed to have worked for they waived and drove off. It wasn’t a long wait before there was a knock on the front door. He knew immediately that being this early in the morning it could only be Jean, arriving earlier than usual, as requested. Opening the door, with a good morning greeting, he invited her in. No sooner had she stepped into the house and Abbey ran to her and threw herself into this wonderful loving lady’s arms. Over a cup of tea, he gave Jean a more detailed version of the weekend’s upheaval. Quinn’s attitude or lack thereof on Friday afternoon, now made sense to Jean. In a more comforting gesture, she squeezed Abbey a little tighter. It did not escape Ashley as he noticed a lone teardrop running down Jean’s right cheek. This reassured him that Jean would care for Abbey as her own in the coming days. That’s if his Quin held to her intent of never returning.

After promising to return home as early as possible, he went to the carport, got into his vehicle and left for work. Work was not pleasant for him that day. Hearing his story, the workshop manager excused his late arrival. He then requested that he concentrate on the urgent work required by the client for the fabricated structure. They had fallen behind schedule but the work team had been in similar situations previously and had assured management that the job would be completed on time with quality and no compromise on safety which was now priority one on the shop floor.

He called Jean at lunchtime to check on how things were at home. Not surprisingly, Jean mentioned, “Instead of doing all the housework, I chose to spend quality time playing games with Abbey to keep her mind off things and happy.” He agreed and hung up.  

He couldn’t get home early as planned, so the work team stayed an extra two hours to help Ashley catch up. Finally arriving home, he apologetically explained to Jean why he was late. Abbey could not contain her joy at seeing him. He suspected that she could have thought that he also skipped out on her. Jean left and promised to return early the next day. Heading to the kitchen, he saw the pots on the stove and, with a wry smile, whispered, “Thank you, Jean. You truly are a marvel.”

He showered before mealtime, with the looming task of informing the family of recent events on hid mind. Coming out of the bathroom, he saw Abbey sitting on the floor just to the right of the bathroom door, waiting for him to exit. He picked her up, and she flung her arms around his neck clasping him as tight as she could. He carried her to the kitchen for supper, but the food was still hot. So, after serving them both, they ate in the lounge instead. Turning the TV on to find Alvin and the Chipmunks playing. Alvin’s antics kept her amused and happy. The mood he adopted was a source of stability and a doting parent to Abbey. It would seem that Quinn leaving was a wake-up call for him.

Throughout the day, Ashley’s thoughts played out different scenarios of how he would break the news to the family, both his and her side of the family. Knowing his wife’s persona, he doubted she would have called any of the family. He knew he had to do the inevitable. Late that night when he started phoning around, his suspicions were confirmed.