Rejetee

Abandoned -The Story of Abbey Donne

A Story By Samuel

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Chapter Six

Once their ‘TV’ dinner was done, he told Abbey that he needed to return to the kitchen to call her grandparents and other family members and relay the recent events. Lost in her television program, she nodded her agreement without looking up.

His first call was to his parents. His mother, Clodagh, seemed to take the news quite well, but his father, Colin, flew off the proverbial handle as they say and used a few unfavourable expletives to express his anger. Some words back and forth and finally he was able to have a decent conversation with them. During Ashley’s call to his parents, his sister, Gail, overheard the fuss on the phone and decided to get in on the act by calling Quinn some names which are best left unsaid. Unaware of Gail’s call to Quinn, Clodagh, as always, was the first to ask the golden question “How is Abbey, how has she reacted to this development?” He reassured his family that for the moment she was at a better place, that the initial shock had broken her heart in a million pieces, and that she had been devastated. Out of concern for both of them, his parents wanted to know if there was anything they could do or if they could help in any way. His mum, who retired early due to health problems, offered, on condition that her husband Colin agreed, they would come over to help, but also as a means of moral and emotional support. For the time being, he felt that they were fine and they ended the call. 

He knew, the next call he’d make would be a more challenging conversation with his father-in-law, Ethan Murphy, who had never approved of him as a husband for his cherished daughter. Quinn had inherited her tempestuous temperament from Ethan. His mother-in-law, Ciara, however, was a kind woman with whom he had developed a good relationship, much to Ethan’s displeasure. Their reactions to his call were totally different. Ethan, showing no concern for his granddaughter, in venting his dark-natured mentality, waded into Ashley calling him a misfit and a person who should never have been allowed to marry his daughter. Sadly, Ethan could never see any fault in his daughter. To him, she was an angel. To those who knew better, well, they thought of her more as a fallen angel. Ciara, in her quiet commanding voice, brought the telephonic conversation to order she wanted to know what had happened and enquired about her granddaughter’s wellbeing. Ashley answered her to the best of his knowledge which was merely the timeline of events as they had occurred. With not much further to say, he hung up.

It was only when he turned around that he saw Abbey standing at the kitchen entrance, eyes full of tears again. He did not know how long she had been standing there or what she had heard. All he knew was that it had affected her, the tears bearing witness. He gestured for Abbey to come to him, and as he picked her up, he tried his best to comfort her and stem the new flow of tears. It dawned on him that they were facing a long and difficult period, especially for Abbey. Still carrying her, he started walking up and down through the house all the while reassuring her, calming her down. Overwhelmed by grief in the absence of her mother, Abbey eventually fell asleep in his arms. He carried her to the room and without waking her, gently tucked her into bed just as she was, knowing she needed the rest that sleep would bring.

After cleaning the supper dishes, he set his alarm and retired early to bed. He was unaware of how tired he was because as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep. The piercing high-pitched ringing of the alarm clock woke him. He swung his feet off the bed and looked around in the semi-darkness as his eyes adjusted and the fog cleared from his mind he got himself into full awake mode. His first instinct was to check on his daughter, wondering if the alarm had also disturbed her. The last couple of days of unusual and unaccustomed activities for them must have taxed her young physique and psyche to the maximum so that when she succumbed to sleep the previous evening her body and mind took advantage of the opportunity to rest. It looked like she would sleep until fully rested before waking up. This day and the next number of days followed the new normal in their lives, the only change, which they both welcomed was the arrival of his mother to assist them in the predicament that they were in.