LEZZIE-ASON CHAPTER FOURTEEN

We both stared at Gerry, gobsmacked.
"Wh-What are you on about?" May asked.
"Oh, didn't my darling wife tell you. I'm sure she knew."
May looked at me, a horrified expression knitting her eyebrows.
"It's not true," I quickly said. "He's lying."
"Oh, but you did know, Sarah, I told you I was leaving you for someone called Tom."
"Yeah, you told me he was called Tom, but I never twigged." How could I have been so stupid? I knew May's ex was also called Tom. Why didn't I catch on?
Gerry smirked as he picked up his suitcase. HYe chucked a key at me. "That's so you can lock the door on your way out," he said, leaving the bedroom.
We heard ther front door open and close, I hoped it was the last we'd seen of Gerry.

A few days later, a letter arrived for me at May's house. It was the first ever piece of mail I'd got since moving in with May, and I was surprised someone knew where I lived.
I tore it open, thinking it was a stupid leaflet asking me to bake cookies for some charitable event. I read the contents of the letter and nearly started crying.
"What is it?" Mat asked, seeing my face and coming over.
"It's-It's a letter. From Larry and Lisa." I read it out loud.

"Dear Mum,
Dad has stuffed us in some big house full of other kids. He just dropped us off outside of it, and left without saying goodbye. This weird lady called Eliza Raisin told us we can never see you again. You can't take us back because you are our adopted mother. Whatever that means. Please Mum, come and get us, we can't stand it here.
Love from Larry and Lisa.
PS, we have encloised the address of where we are staying so you know where to find us"

I reached into the envelope, and pulled out another piece of paper. It had the address of the Childrens' Home. I looked up at May.
"I'm going to get them," I said. "Right now." I stood up and pulled my coat from the back of the chair. My car keys were in the front pocket, so I pulled them out.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"Yes, I'll need you there. For support."
We drove around for hours, looking for the place. We found it at last, it was a large house, very much proportioned like a school. We pulled up, let the engine of the car die, and went inside the building.
As we got inside, we noticed a door with a notice blu-tacked onto it: "Eliza Raisin: Social Worker."
"Larry and Lisa mentioned her in their letter," I said.
I knocked on the door, and waited. Presently, a woman with short brown hair and wearing a clashing green t-shirt and orange leggings answered.
"May I help you?" She inquired.
"Yes. We're here to see Larry and Lisa Padma."
"And who are you?"
I thought for a moment. "We are their aunts, Steph and Bella Padma. We understand their mother's left them, and their father can't manage to look after them by himself. We're here to visit him."
"I'll just go get them," the woman said. "Wait in my office, won't you?" She set off down the corrider. May and I opened the door to her office and went inside. It was quite a cosy room, with pictures of kids everywhere. It had a desk with bits of paper heaved everywhere. And there was sort of a talcum powder smell hanging in the air.
In front of the desk, there were two swivel chairs; May and I sat down, gratefully.
After a few minutes, the door opened again, and the clashing-clothes woman came back, with Larry and Lisa.
"Mum!" They both yelled, running towards me. They both gave me a hug at the same time, nearly squashing me to death. I caught the woman looking at me.
"Oh, they like to call me Mum," I bluffed. "Because I am her twin sister. It's their little joke."
The woman smiled, understanding.
"Say hello to your other aunt," I told the kids. They looked up at me, a look that said: "What are you on about?"
I gave them one back, silently telling them to go along with whatever I said.
They cottoned on, and also gave May a hug, just saying, "Auntie!"
The woman pulled up two more chairs for Larry and Lisa, and they unclung themselves from May and sat down.
"Now, I'm Eliza Raisin, I am the Social Worker for this place," she said. "What brings you here?"
"Well, we heard about the current situation concerning their parentsd, and we thought we'd drop by to comfort them. If we're allowed to, we'd like to take them out for a spin."
"Oh, yes please!" Lisa blurted out.
Eliza Raisin sighed. "Well, before we let kids out with anyone, stranger or relative, we like to have a few documents. Hang on, I'll just go andf get them..." She got up, and left the office.
May leaned over, "let's make a run for it, while she's gone."
I noded. "Come on, kids," I said. We all got up, ran out of the office, out the front door, and was piling into the car in a matter of seconds.
I revved the engine, and drove away, before anyone found we were gone and came out to get us.
"We're so glad you came, Mum," said Larry. "It isn't true that you adopted us?"
"No, that was just your father being a pig," I swore.
"Why doesn't Daddy want us to see you?" Lisa asked.
"Because he's a pig," Larry answered. Lisa seemed satisfied with this, which rescued me from having to tell her something she wouldn't understand.
"Where are we going now?"
I looked over at May. "They can stay with us," she said.
"Oh, great, I'll get to play with Lauren all the time," Larry said, happily.
"Why aren't we going back home?" Lisa wanted to know.
I sighed. I couldn't exactly tell her the truth, which weas that I'd shacked up with May, she was to young to understand. So I just said: "Because your father's still living there, and we don't like each other anymore."
"But why?"
I deeply sighed. Lisa took this to mean she'd asked too many questions, and mumbled: "Don't worry about it," and sat back in her seat.
When we got back to May's, we immediately sorted out sleeping arranements. It was decided that Lisa would stay in Lauren's bedroom with Lauren; something that Lauren protested against at first, but then decided she'd like it, because then she'd have someone to put make-up on. May and I decided that I'd sleep in her bedrrom, allowing Larry to sleep in the spare room, where I'd spent the last few nights. All of Larry and Lisa's clothes we'd left at the Childrens' Home, in our haste to get away, so Lisa had to borrow Lauren's old clothes. Luckily, Lauren had gone through a stage a few weeks ago, where she'd insisted she was a boy so that was Larry sorted out.
Whewn we got in the door, there was a letter on the floor. Another brown envelope addressed to me. I ripped it open, read the letter, and nearly choked.
It was divorce papers...

Find out what happens next in Chapter Fifteen...