The Promise ( Part 5) Final

Tom and Paul stood outside the church in stunned silence, both knowing what the other was thinking. Tom turned to Brian.

“So where is she now, Jennifer, whose looking after her?”

“Oh, social services are looking after her, the woman in charge was at the funeral, she was sitting with the old couple!”

Tom looked frantically around him; he caught a glimpse of the woman just about to get into a car at the far end of the church yard.

“Excuse me, excuse me, wait up a second please!”

Tom was running and shouting and heading in the woman’s direction. She turned round and stood by her car. Tom reached her, he was out of breath.

“My names Tom, I’m sorry to stop you but I've just heard about Stella’s daughter. Is she OK?”

“Hi I’m Sue, yes she’s fine, a bit upset, naturally, but she’s Ok, do you know Jennifer? We’ve been trying to trace any relatives that Stella might have but no luck so far, were you a friend?”

“This may sound crazy, but I think I may be Jennifer’s father!”

The woman took a deep intake of breath.

“Well if you are, that certainly changes a few things; perhaps you should come back with me to the office and have a chat!”

Tom walked back to Paul and they followed the woman cars back to her office. Paul was the first to speak.

“So you think Stella was pregnant when she left you?”

“Yeh, it all makes sense now don’t you see, Stella left me BECAUSE she was pregnant. Because of the way she was brought up she thought that everyone and everything she loved would eventually leave. Just like HER parents had done years before. She could only rely on herself, the reason she didn’t get close to anyone was because she was always scared they would let her down, because that’s all she knew. She wanted to keep her child safe from disappointment and the only way she thought she could do that was to keep her as close as she could. That way no one could hurt them”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to get my daughter back, that’s what Stella has been trying to tell me, she doesn’t want Jennifer to go through what she did, she wants her to come and live with me!”

“I knew you were going to say that, it’s a big commitment mate, it’s a whole new life, you do know that don’t you?”

“Listen, she’s my daughter, I just know it, besides I made Stella a promise, I intend to keep it!”

They pulled into a car park in Bexhill just off of the sea front. They followed the woman into her office.

Tom and Paul sat down and Tom started to tell his story about Stella to Sue.

Sue sat and listened, then gave Tom some facts.

“It is never easy Tom, they’ll be checks, tests, a mountain of paperwork, but if she is yours and you want her, and she wants you, then we should be OK, would you like to see her?”

Tom lowered his head and started to cry. Paul put his arm around him.

“It’s Ok mate, let’s go and see your girl!”

The two of them stood up and followed Sue into another part of the building; they entered a room full of toys and books. There were six children in the room playing.

One of them, a young girl, stood up and walked over to Tom; she took his hand and led him to a small table where they both sat down. She picked up a rag doll, kissed it and gave it to Tom. She smiled.

“You must be Jennifer; you are so much like your Mum!”

The two of them hugged. Now it was Pauls turn to cry!

Tom spent four months going through all the necessary procedures to take custody of Jennifer, during that time he visited her every day after work.

The first night Jennifer came home for good to his two bedroom flat in Plaistow, he read her a bedtime story, kissed her on the cheek and wished her goodnight.

He went to bed soon after, completed exhausted.

He had the same dream as he always did since Stella died. He saw her standing beside the road, calling him but no words or noise were heard, as he got close to her she didn’t fade away this time, he was standing right beside her, she looked him in the eyes and this time he could hear her words.

“Thank You”

Tom never had that dream again.