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Chapter Eight

Ashley’s friends and family encouraged him to embrace life again by attending social gatherings and spending time with others. Initially hesitant, he gradually adjusted to this new aspect of his life, still in his late twenties. Remarkably, Abbey seemed to accept this arrangement. However, Ashley remained mindful of his promise to Abbey to always be present for her, ensuring these outings did not occur regularly. Yes, her life has gone through all four seasons: autumn, winter, spring and summer, at times a mixture of some, if not all, played itself out as waves rolling upon each other. 

In her autumn years, post her birth and as a young child, there were the colours of autumn plus the warmth it radiates. It was the start of troubled times for her parents but being a child it did not worry her too much. There was a balanced mixture of good times and not-so-good times. Her winter years started the day her mother left and extended well past the time her father abandoned her too.

Winter descended upon Abbey’s life the day her mother left, its cold grip extending long after her father’s departure. He met Maureen Tyler at a friend’s party, and their connection quickly deepened. Their relationship blossomed, and despite Maureen’s initial show of affection towards Abbey, it soon became apparent that it was a facade to win over her father. Within seven months, they married, and both of Abbey’s parents were gone from her life. Initially, her paternal grandmother, Jesse, provided a comforting buffer against this harsh blow.

Jesse and her husband attempted to gain custody of Abbey, but the social worker assigned to her case deemed them too elderly and placed Abbey with foster parents for her care and upbringing. For Abbey, life became stark and cold. The biting winter winds that swept across the landscape felt less severe than the chilling emptiness that seemed to stifle her very being.

Spring arrived in the form of her adoptive parents, James and Andrea Glazer, a loving couple unable to bear children of their own. They proved to be wonderful, showering Abbey with a love that enveloped her in warmth and security. This new chapter shielded her from the pain of her past and the cruelty of her peers at school. It was a welcome and refreshing oasis at a time when another desertion felt imminent. Sadly, children can often be more cruel than adults, frequently targeting vulnerable individuals like Abbey with bullying and hurtful remarks. She endured more than her share of these attacks. School became a source of unhappiness, transforming her from a bright and bubbly child into an introverted young person who spent most afternoons and weekends isolated in her room.

During these years, the oases in her life were the unwavering love of her adoptive mother, who strived to create a normal home for her, and the solace she found in music within the confines of her room. For her fifteenth birthday, her paternal grandmother, who maintained visiting rights over the years, gifted her a radio tape recorder.

Abbey immersed herself in a wide range of music, learning the lyrics and singing along in her beautiful alto voice. One song, in particular, resonated deeply with her soulful melody and poignant lyrics: “Wildflower” by Skylark. She had recorded it on her tape recorder and would often play it, her heart aching, tears streaming down her face. The lyrics, “She’s faced the hardest times you could imagine and many times her eyes fought back the tears,” and “Let her cry, for she’s a lady, Let her dream for she’s a child,” held profound meaning for her. She still cherished that song, often listening to it on her faithful old tape recorder, now with a shop-bought original cassette tape. Other beloved songs included “Reflections of My Life” by the Scottish group Marmalade and “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel, among others. Considering everything, her spring period offered little hope for her future.

Finally, summer emerged the day she met her husband, Clancy. Their meeting was serendipitous, as neither had planned to attend the birthday party of her one true friend from school, Persis Naidoo. Abbey had intended to stay home and study for a mathematics test scheduled for the following week. It was Persis’s seventeenth birthday party. Clancy’s father worked with Persis’s father, and the invitation was extended to both him and his son. His father, rarely accepting refusal, insisted Clancy accompany him. How glad he would be!

When he saw Abbey that afternoon in her flowery summer dress, her fringe just grazing her eyelashes, it was truly love at first sight. Abbey didn’t notice him until he offered his hand and asked her to dance. Looking up, her initial instinct was to decline, but through some inexplicable connection, she stood up. As they danced to Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” they both felt a sense of rightness. Shortly after, proper introductions were made, and he asked if he could see her again soon. They did meet, and as the saying goes, the rest is history as their courtship blossomed. Three years into their loving relationship, she joyfully accepted his marriage proposal. They were married in the church he and his father attended. Grateful to Persis for their chance encounter, she served as Abbey’s bridesmaid.

Like Queen Elizabeth, Abbey could now declare, “Now has the winter of my discontent turned to glorious summer,” and indeed it had. Where once she felt abandoned by a mother’s love, she now became immersed in it as a mother herself. As a mother, she willingly surrendered her own life to her children. Her deepest wish was that they, and all other children, would never experience the pain she endured; no child ever deserved such hardship. In retrospect, it might seem that being abandoned by her parents destined her for a difficult future. However, as the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The resilience she developed during those formative years of disappointment and hardship enabled her to weather the storms she faced and emerge victorious in the end. La Victoire – Victory (Defedre) championne (achieve, triumph, conquer, succeed, prevail, attain).

The End