The Reunion

The Reunion

The park was quiet. Peaceful. Of course, it was a Tuesday morning.
Children would be at school, their parents at work.
Anna wished she felt peaceful. Her heart was racing, and she wondered
if she might faint.
She settled herself on a newly painted bench, and tried to concentrate
on the river, sparkling beneath early spring sunshine.
"Mum?" The voice was quiet and hesitant, but Anna jumped as she turned
to look at her daughter. Her first impression was that Sarah seemed
smaller than she remembered.
Anna stood up. She tried to speak, but her voice had deserted her. She
realised she was crying, which was the last thing she'd intended doing.
Where had all the anger gone>
"Oh mum." Sarah was crying too. "I've missed you so much."
They clung together, and Anna felt the pain of not having held her
daughter for so long. After a moment or so, they pulled apart and sat
down. A man walking his dog looked at them strangely, and Sarah giggled
as she blew her nose.
"What must we look like?" She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her
jacket, and stared at her shoes. Silence fell between them.
"I heard about Jim. I wanted to say sorry." It wasn't enough. They
both knew it. Sarah had made Anna and Jim's life hell, before running
away to London the minute she left school. They hadn't heard from her
since. She stayed in touch with Tony, so they knew she was alright, but
it had never stopped hurting. Tony had defended his little sister. "She
just couldn't handle it mum. You getting married again so soon after
dad dying. You know she was always daddy's girl."
Yes - she'd known alright. And Michael's death had pushed Sarah further
away than ever. Anna had tried to reassure Jim. "It's nothing
personal," she had said. "She would have reacted the same way, whoever
I'd married." And now Jim too, was dead after seven wonderful years
together.
"I know how angry you must be with me, mum." Sarah was speaking
quickly now, not looking at Anna. "When I look back, I can't believe
how vile I was, but every year that passed - it became harder to get in
touch&;#8230;&;#8230;&;#8230;.." Her voice trailed away.
Looking at the well dressed, pretty young woman beside her, Anna could
barely recognise the wild-eyed, straggly haired teenager who had
slammed out of her life all those years ago. There was a hint of the
old Sarah in the badly bitten fingernails, Anna noticed and realised
that the bitterness in her had gone. It was that bitterness which had
prevented her from storming down to London and confronting her daughter
in the first place, and she knew she was in part to blame for their
prolonged estrangement. Well - she had no room for anger
now&;#8230;&;#8230;.she was still grieving for Jim. Anna reached
out and took Sarah's hand. "I'm sorry too," she said softly. They sat
for a while, watching the ducks. The distant hum of traffic from the
main road was soothing.
When they next spoke it was simultaneously.
"Will you come home for a
coffee&;#8230;&;#8230;&;#8230;?"
"How do you feel about becoming a
grandmother&;#8230;&;#8230;..?"