Short story
Anna didn’t notice the sun behind the clouds – but it was there
She never wanted to come in the first place.
Downright coercion.
That’s what it was.
‘I’ve got plans,’ she’d said when Mandy asked her if she fancied it. She didn’t have, of course. Bar sitting the kids down in front of the telly, while she made half-hearted inroads into the pile of chores that, like every weekend, she’d promised herself she’d get on top of this time. And never did.
Getting on top of the mess had never been a problem before. In fact, Stu used to say she was too much on top of it. It was the one thing they’d argue about. He never put things away. It used to drive her mad. But that was before.
There was nothing left of Stu’s things any more. Just a few books and some vinyl records. Their wedding photo. No clothes. No other bits and pieces. Where he was now there was no need for bits and pieces. Two weeks ago, she’d finally deleted all his social media accounts.
A party, Mandy had said. Food. Games. Face-painting. It was going to be massive. The kids would love it.
The event had been organised by the council at the community centre on the other side of town. Spring Festival, they were calling it. Anna had done her best to get out of it but, Mandy had worn her down. So here she was now. Well, sort of. If you could call hiding behind a tree, shivering in her winter coat being ‘here’.
From where she stood, a can of non-alcoholic beer in her hand, she could keep an eye on her kids. Bless them, they were having the time of their lives. She watched as little Daisy stumbled along eagerly behind big sister Chloe, their wide grins and smiling eyes exaggerated on their recently painted faces.
The prizes for the winners of the games, plus the facepainting, the two drinks each and lunch of choice from any of the food vans parked around the edge of the field – as long as it was a burger or a vegan wrap – were being funded by the council. Money was short these days, with only Anna’s wage coming in. She might be proud, but no way would she deprive her kids of a day out just because the venue lacked sophistication.
The fun had been underway for a while now. Initially, Anna had stepped forward to join in the treasure hunt, but Mandy had shooed her away. ‘You go and have a bit of time to yourself,’ she’d insisted. She was lucky to have a friend like Mandy. Somebody who got her and understood, without the need for words, that right now, a bit of solitude was what she needed.
Daisy and Chloe had happily trotted off behind Mandy with barely a backward glance. Independent little souls they were. Well, they had to be these days. In fact, they were coping better than she was. Chloe still spoke about Daddy, but it was less frequently. Little Daisy had stopped asking where he was months ago. Daddy was there
