The Reunion

Sam raised her glass, “Here’s to us.” She sipped her wine, as Vanessa echoed the toast.

Sam drained her glass, “Twenty years, it hardly seems possible does it. I do wish we’d kept in touch. I’m dying to know what you’ve been up to; did you go into teaching in the end?”

“No, things sort of got in the way, in fact I didn’t even make it to Uni. What about you, weren’t you set on a career in television or something?”

“Yes, that was my dream, and it very nearly came off. The trouble was my first big break at presenting on a local station, coincided with a rather messy and public divorce, so the station had to drop me pretty quick, never mind I’ve made my mark in advertising I suppose. Anyway how come you didn’t get to university? I thought you were so set on it.”

“My dear mother felt it was better for me to go and spend some time with my Aunt in Brighton.”

Sam looked a little puzzled, “But why? As I remember it, she wanted you to go into teaching more than you did yourself, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but her desire for me to become a respectable teacher, had to be put on hold. You see, even though she always pretended to be very enlightened, she couldn’t handle my being pregnant.”

Sam felt lost for words for a moment, and then blurted out, “You were pregnant? My god, why didn’t you say something? Whose was it? Did you keep the baby?”

Vanessa smiled, “Yes, I had a daughter, Sarah; everyone keeps saying she’s really like me.”

“That’s a nice name.” She paused for a moment before speaking again, “I don’t remember you being particularly serious with anyone, so who was the mystery man, was it anyone I knew?”

Vanessa’s expression changed, “You might not have thought I was serious about anyone, but that assumes you’d have bothered to find out, doesn’t it!”

“What do you mean? I thought we’d agreed that there was to be no one special during that last year, we just wanted to have fun before we went to Uni. Anyway, why have a go at me about it? It’s not my fault is it?”

Vanessa allowed her smile to return, “Anyway, enough of my sordid past, any skeletons in your closet?”

“Apart from my love life being a total mess, do you mean?”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad is it?”

“Try three divorces and a string of failed relationships for starters. Surely that qualifies as quite a mess.”

“Sounds like it I suppose, and yet you were always the popular one with the boys at school, what went wrong?”

Sam smiled, “I don’t know, I just seem to keep on picking the wrong ones. Anyway I’m with Ian now, he’s different, he’s caring, and he’s my Mr Right.”

“Mr Right? Is there such a person?”

“I hope so, but virtually every man I’ve ever been involved with gives me their undivided attention for a time, then without warning, they’re off making eyes at someone else.”

“They can’t all be the same, surely?”

“I’m afraid so, the fact is, I’ve spent the past eighteen or so years of my life with the knowledge that I can’t keep a man. Until now that is, this time it’s for real, I know it is.”

Vanessa smiled, “Poor Sam, after all that’s happened, you really still believe that there’s such a person as your Mr Right don’t you?”

“I guess I have to still believe, otherwise, what’s the alternative? Just give up?”

“True I suppose, mind you, I would never have thought of you having problems with men, especially the way you were at school.”

“What do you mean, the way I was at school?”

Vanessa almost sneered, “Come off it Sam, you know you could have any boy you wanted, couldn’t you, and you usually did.”

“That’s a bit unfair Nessie, I know you were always a bit shy around boys, but we were just having fun, that’s all.”

“Some might call it fun I suppose, but it wasn’t much fun for those who got hurt, was it.”

Sam looked a little taken aback at this, “That was over twenty years ago, so why bring it up now? You’re talking as if I did something to upset you back then, did I?”

“What could you have possibly done to upset me?” She drained her glass. “Well, apart from one small thing I suppose.” She fixed Sam with a steely stare, “Do you remember Steve Gray?”

Sam looked puzzled, “No, should I?” Then slowly a look of recognition spread across her face, “You don’t mean the Steve Gray from our old class do you? God, there’s a name from the past. What about him?”

“You went off with him after the leavers dance, didn’t you?”

“Good grief, I’d forgotten about that, I wonder what happened to him? Wasn’t he going to …”

Vanessa interrupted, “Never mind reminiscing, did you know I was going out with him when you started flirting?”

“Why would I, I’m sure that if I thought you and he …”

“Would it really have made a difference? You saw someone you wanted, and went for him. It didn’t matter who might get hurt.”

Sam’s face drained, “If I’d known, I would never …”

“Of course you would, you wouldn’t have cared, it was just another conquest to you.”

Sam reached for Vanessa’s hand, but it was pulled away before she had the chance to take it. “Look, this is ridiculous; it was over twenty years ago. Anyway, Steve couldn’t have thought that much of you; otherwise he wouldn’t have fallen for it, would he.”

A false smile broke over Vanessa’s face, “Don’t act the innocent Sam, you knew that every boy in the area would’ve given anything to go out with you, or even be seen with you, so it’s hardly surprising is it.”

“But the baby, don’t tell me he was the baby’s father, surely …”

“He never knew about the baby, I was going to tell him after the dance.”

A tear appeared at the corner of Sam’s eye, “Honestly Ness, I never knew, I wouldn’t have done anything if I did.” She wiped the tear away, and then tried to lighten the situation, “Anyway if it’s any consolation, being such a hit with the boys hasn’t done me a lot of good has it?”

Vanessa drained her glass, “I know, I’ve made sure of that Sam.” She reached into her handbag and pulled out a handful of photographs.

Sam looked surprised, “What do you mean; you’ve made sure of it?”

Vanessa fanned through the photos, and threw one on the table. It was of her, with a tall fair haired man, arms around each other, obviously happily in love.

Sam reached out and grabbed it, “Tom? This is Tom, my first husband. When did you meet up with him?”

Vanessa smiled, “The date is on the back.”

Sam turned the photo over quickly, “But that was when we were married. In fact that was only six months after we got married. I don’t understand.” She felt confused, and then a slow realisation spread through her, “Don’t tell me it was you, you weren’t the other woman were you? Did you take Tom from me?”

Vanessa’s smile grew a little wider, “I didn’t take him Sam; he came quite willingly.”

“But how, we were so happy. My god Vanessa, the ink had hardly dried on the wedding certificate.”

“Let’s face it Sam, it’s not difficult to flirt with a man is it, you should know. They’re all a pushover when it comes to a bit of flattery and attention. Plus, give them a few suspicions that you might be doing the same sort of thing, and Bingo.”

Sam grabbed at the other pictures, and spread them out on the table. She looked in total disbelief at the array in front of her, there were a couple more of Tom, two of Joe, her second husband, one of Gary her third husband, and a few of the other longer term lovers she’d had over the past twenty years. She shook her head, quietly saying, “No, it can’t be, it’s just not possible.”

She shuffled the pictures around on the table slowly, “What the hell have you been doing Ness? Are you saying that you’ve been the ‘Other Woman’ in every break up I’ve been through? That can’t be right, surely.”

Vanessa just smiled.

Sam carried on, “But I don’t understand it, we were such good friends at school, you couldn’t do that. Did you hate me that much?”

The smile vanished from Vanessa, “Hate doesn’t come into it. You took away my Steve, the only person who’d ever meant anything to me. He was the father to my unborn child, and yet you didn’t care, you just took him.”

Sam began to feel angry, “I never realised what a nasty vindictive person you could be Vanessa, but the fact is I don’t believe you. OK, so you might be able to win over the odd man with your charms, but come on, you don’t expect me to believe you were behind all of my relationship breakdowns, it’s just not possible.”

“Isn’t it? I’ll admit that both Tom and Joe were difficult to seduce at first, but after that, your own insecurity did most of the work for me. Your belief that you couldn’t keep a man, made you almost desperate to prove otherwise, in fact you smothered any man you met, and as for trusting them, forget it. So one by one, they began to feel trapped. That made my plans easy, because they were all subconsciously already looking for a way out.”

“You set out to ruin my life over some silly misunderstanding that I didn’t even know about. You’re crazy Vanessa, you should have got help a long time ago.”

“You ruined my life don’t forget, I was sent away because of the shame of being pregnant. My mother didn’t love me, Steve didn’t love me, and yet I was supposed to bring a life into the world, then love it and care for it, on my own.”

Sam wiped away a tear as she spoke, again anger was taking her over, “If you’d asked, you know I could have helped, but no, you’d rather kick out, and then keep on kicking long after the damage is done. Why tell me this now anyway, does it give you some sadistic pleasure? Or is this yet another way to carry on hurting me? … My god Vanessa, tell me you’re not going to seduce Ian, he is my one chance at happiness, please don’t say you’re going to carry this on.”

Vanessa drained her wine before speaking, “To be honest I’m getting tired of it all now, and I no longer feel the need to, besides, like you, my looks and charms are starting to fade with age, so getting a man isn’t as easy as it was. Anyway, when I explained it all to Sarah, she understood why I did it, and even agreed with me, so I feel justified in my efforts.”

“How can Sarah agree with what you’ve done, surely she can’t think you should bear a grudge for so long, does she?”

“She probably agrees with me because she’s so much like me. In fact you can see for yourself, that’s her coming through the door, I asked her and her new boyfriend to join us for a drink.”

The young elegantly dressed girl, in the doorway, was unmistakeably Vanessa’s daughter, looking almost identical to the way she had looked all those years ago at the school leavers dance. Sam’s jaw dropped as she watched the man that followed her through the door, as he gently placed his arm around her waist, then bent to kiss her softly on the cheek, “Ian…“ She sobbed, “No… not my Ian… “

Vanessa’s smile spread once again, “Yes Sam, as I said, Sarah is very much like me, isn’t she.”