After Forever Ends

Even though we knew she’d done something terrible to hurt our son, or at least he thought she had, we invited her in for tea. Oliver and I had always considered Gwen a semi-adopted daughter. The truth was that I was thrilled to have her pop by. “I have pumpkin scones," I told her happily, knowing they were her favourite, “Would you like milk or tea? “

“Milk," she smiled as she sat at the table, “Thanks, Sil."

After an hour or so of chit chat about how we‘d been and what Caro and Gryff were up to, Oliver finally point blank asked her what had happened with her and Warren. “I thought the two of you were getting on so well,” He said, “I was disappointed to hear that you’d split up.”

She immediately looked as if she’d cry, “Yes…well, I’m afraid that was my entire fault.”

It seems that Gwe

“It was such a mistake!” Gwe

“We all make mistakes,” Oliver said gently, “Didn’t you tell Warren about Nick?”

She shook her head and her face in her hands. “No! It was so stupid! I wanted us to be perfect, so I never mentioned it! I filed for divorce thinking that Nick would just give it to me, but he refused. He contested it and the whole process got really messy. I didn‘t want Warren to know, so I kept it from him. I told Nick that I didn‘t want anything from him, no property, no money, I just wanted out, but he said he didn‘t care. I hurt him so badly. He wanted to drag the whole thing out just to hurt me back!”

“Are you still married to him?” I asked. I handed her a tissue.

She nodded miserably, "He’s still tying it up. I thought that I could get it over with, you know? Without hurting Ren, but Nick saw the pictures of me and Warren on a website and he got all bent out of shape! He just showed up in Greece at the hotel and marched up to Re

Oliver shook his head, “We don’t need to see them. Why didn’t you show these to Ren?”

“He wouldn’t listen to me! He was so hurt and so angry! He started shouting at me, telling me I was a liar and then he just left. He just walked out on me. He didn’t even bring his things with him. I let him go, yeah? I thought he was just angry and he’d be back. I sat there and I waited all night and he never came back. He left me, just like that. And now, he won’t talk to me. I‘ve called, I‘ve e-mailed. I‘ve written him letters. I even went to his house and banged on his door. I faxed these papers to him, but nothing. Not a word.”

“Oh, Gwen,” I sighed, “What a mess! I wish that there was something that we could do.”

“There isn’t,” Her eyes were filled with such sincerity they made me ache, “And I don’t want you to think that’s why I came here at all. I really did come just to visit. I’ve missed you both so much.”

Gwe

Oliver and I looked at each other, recognizing the echo of ourselves in that statement. Forever. We’d said that word to each other a million times. Her saying it and knowing she meant it in the light that Warren wasn’t giving her another chance was heartbreaking.

When we did deliver the message, Warren wasn’t interested in hearing it. “It’s more than that. She’s not honest about anything. She’s not honest about how she feels, what she does…anything. She’s not the Gwe

After he let Gwenllian go, Warren, firmly in his late twenties, lived alone in his grandparent’s house where his only mistress was his piano. He claimed to have friends, but I never saw any. When I would come by the house, it was never tidy and was always littered with cereal boxes and empty pizza containers.

“Mum, please don’t come over and clean my house!” He complained, “It’s not like I have rats scurrying about!”

“I’m not cleaning you’re house, I’m just taking out your rubbish, which is sort of the same thing in your case. Your grandmother Ana would be spi

Warren had used his co

“It’s fine, Mum.”

“When was the last time you got out of the house?”

Being as music was his one true love, he didn’t get away from the piano long enough to meet a lady or at least create any foundation for a serious relationship. He always seemed lonely to me, even if he didn’t recognize it himself.

“Ah, Mum!” He scratched at his chin, which badly needed shaved, “I’m busy! I don’t have time for complications!”