There's No Accounting For Love

Chapter Forty Five

Clare asked the children to give out the presents. There were exclamations all round and cries of "Thank you, Clare" and "Thank you" so and so as they excitedly opened their gifts. The children were pleased with Alan's books and were soon flipping through the pages making happy comments. Alan gave Stephen a state of the art calculator, as he was into finance and expensive perfume and chocolates to Sandra, Kathy and Clare. Soon, they each had a small pile of presents and had filled two bags with used Christmas wrapping paper. Alan had a new blue striped shirt from Clare, toiletries and after shave from Kathy and two new ties from Sandra and Stephen. The children gave him a box of mints.

It was clear that Alan enjoyed the children's company and he made them laugh with his silly remarks. As Clare sat on the sofa, he lounged back in an arm chair.

"Auntie Clare, please help us build this game." asked Laura, taking the lid from a box and taking out several pieces. She rose from the sofa, sat beside the girls on the floor and kicked off her shoes revealing bare feet, immediately regretting it. She'd forgotten that Alan knew nothing about her amputated toe.

"How on earth did that happen?" he asked.

"I had a little accident." she said.

"Come off it, it was more than that!" said Sandra.

"Well, I can't talk about it now." said Clare.

She saw a bewildered look cross Alan's face, but he didn't press her for an explanation.

"Come and help us Alan," said Clare, changing the subject. "You used to be good at this sort of thing."

Later on, Sandra and Stephen took the girls to the park to burn off energy, but left Toby behind to nap. He had taken a liking to Alan and was sitting on his lap, twiddling his hair and sucking his thumb. Clare smiled lovingly at both of them and wandered into the kitchen where her mother was tidying away.

"Mum, I'm just going into the Conservatory. Toby is on Alan's lap and will soon be asleep, so he may need your help." she said.

"Okay, darling." Kathy replied, tenderly stroking Clare's cheek. "You've done well today, I'm very proud of you."

Clare hugged her mother then went into the Conservatory. She sat down by the patio door and picked up her wedding album from the nearby table. One of her favourite photographs was of Hal with a little giggling bridesmaid under each arm - Laura and Sophie. He'd so enjoyed their wedding day. Clare glanced up and stared out onto the garden. It was a typical December day, dark and dreary with little light. As dull as the ache in her heart, she mused, which refused to go away.

She was still staring out of the window when she heard someone coming. It was Alan. He came and sat down beside her.

"I'd like to see your wedding photographs." he said.

"Yes, of course." She handed him the album.

"I didn't know Hal had a bald head." he said, turning the first page.

"Oh, he did that for charity and raised a lot of money. He made every student give 50p. He'd do anything for anyone."

"And you didn't mind?"

"No, he did mention our wedding photographs, but I didn't care. I loved him, not his hair.

It grew back quickly enough, anyway."

Alan looked amazed. "You're a remarkable woman."

"He was a remarkable man." she replied. "Where's Toby?"

"He's asleep on the sofa. Kathy's watching him."

"He's really taken to you." said Clare.

"I'd love a son, just like him."

"Yes, so would I." said Clare.

Alan continued to look at her photographs. "You look beautiful." he said, quietly.

He handed her the album, then grinned. "I haven't got my wedding photographs anymore."

"Oh...and I told you not to." said Clare.

"I'm like you, I always make up my own mind. I packed up the pieces and sent them to Marie."

No matter what, Alan could always make her laugh and the thought of anyone receiving tiny pieces of their wedding photographs, was hilarious! They laughed about it, until Alan said "Please tell me about your toe." Clare frowned. Although it wasn't something she felt happy talking about, he deserved an explanation.

She sighed heavily. "When I was twenty I fell in love with Christopher." she said. "We went to the same church and he was the vicar's son. Looking back, I think he was far too serious for me. I've always loved singing and I was a member of a Light Opera company and we had a great time, until a boy called Ryan joined. He was good looking, but I didn't like him. And he had a pony tail, they always gives me the creeps, ugh." She shuddered.

"He asked me out, but I told him I was engaged. I wasn't, but we were talking about it. Ryan didn't like it and several times when I was out with Christopher, he would pop up from nowhere, saying things like "Why didn't you turn up last night?" or "I waited for you Clare, where were you?" And it was always a night when I wasn't seeing Chris."

"He was stalking you?" asked Alan.

Clare shrugged her shoulders. "He must have been. Chris believed Ryan. I tried to make him see sense, but he wouldn't listen. I think Chris was fed up with me and used it as an excuse. It was very upsetting and I left the church. I didn't feel comfortable there after that. No-one took my side and when I wrote a letter to his parents, they ignored it."

"That's awful! Surely they knew what you were like?"

Again Clare shrugged her shoulders.

"Dad caught Ryan outside in his car one day, watching our house. Dad was very ill at the time, but he pulled Ryan out of the car and he told him if he pestered me again, he'd kill him! Can you imagine my dad saying that? Ryan disappeared after that, but a few months later when I was out driving, I saw him alongside me on the dual carriageway. I was so scared that I panicked and accelerated across the road into the roundabout and struck a bollard on the island. Luckily, nothing was coming. It could have caused a terrible pile up. God was watching over me that day and everyone else. Someone could have been killed."

"Oh, Clare!"

"I've never been so terrified in my whole life. The front of the car caved in and trapped my foot. A man came over to help me, but I couldn't move. I screamed and screamed and someone sprayed a fire extinguisher onto the engine to prevent a fire. The fire brigade cut me out and I had to have half of my big toe amputated."

Clare glanced at Alan, who looked shocked and horrified.

"The most romantic thing Hal ever did was to kiss my foot. It's so ugly, I don't know how he did it, but as I say, he was a remarkable man."

"Well," said Alan, slowly, "When a man loves a woman that much I suppose he might."

They fell silent for several seconds.

"I had an accident too." said Alan and he pulled up his jeans revealing a large scar on his leg.

Clare gasped. "How did that happen?"

"An Alsatian dog attacked me...in Canada. I could have lost my leg, but I was lucky. It took a long time to heal."

"That must have been traumatic." said Clare.

"Yes, it was a bit." said Alan, smoothing down his jeans.

"That's the understatement of the year." replied Clare.