The Weekend - Completed

Chapter 44

I'd tossed and turned all night and finally gave up on sleep a little after seven. The sun was shining enticingly through the gap in the curtains, so throwing my sweat pants and t-shirt on I headed out for a run to clear my head.

The dew on the neighbourhood lawns shone like tiny diamonds in the bright morning sunshine, but the air was still brisk. So I stretched and warmed up quickly before setting off. Within seconds my body was on autopilot, allowing my mind to wander and my subconscious to sort through my Daniel issue.

As always the blue sky had greyed and the air smelt of the impending rain I knew would soon be falling. For once I didn't care, I was far too preoccupied to even notice the first drops as they splashed into my face. It was only when the pavement crescendo reached torrential levels that I was pulled from my rumination.

As the cold rain streamed from my hair, down my face and through my clothes I resolved to take matters into my own hands and put this thing to an end, once and for all.

I could smell the bacon as I finished dressing after my shower. The delicious aroma like an invisible hand pushing me on, rushing me down the stairs to my breakfast.

"Morning love, you were up early." my dad noted nonchalantly not raising his eyes from the daily paper.

"Yeah, I went for a run, thought I'd make the make of the weather." The irony in my tone wasn't wasted on my dad, who smiled to himself and shook his head.

"Dad, I need to ask a favour." I began hesitantly as soon as I'd swallowed the last of my bacon on toast. My dads interest now stirred, he closed his paper, looked up and waited for me to continue.

"Can I use the car tomorrow?" I could see his face smoothen and his head start to nod.

"I want to go to London, well just outside actually." I clarified, my dad's calm expression was now gone with confusion taking its place.

"I don't understand love, why now? Why after all this time?" His face remained impassive but his clenched fist betrayed his true feelings about my planned day out.

I explained everything to him, from the phone calls to Katie's concern, he still wasn't happy.

"Dad, I'll be okay, I don't want to see him but I do need to know he's alright. Please dad, you have to trust me I have to do this so I can move on." I pleaded.

"I don't know love, you were in such a mess. I've never seen you like that, not even after..." He didn't need to say anymore I knew what he meant. As both our thoughts drifted to my mum the silence between us stretched on.

"Please dad" I again implored, "I promise I won't speak to him, he won't even know I'm there, I'll return his Gran's ring to his mum and tell her what's been going on, the rest is up to her, okay?" I made it sound like the easiest thing in the world, but I knew I was fooling neither of us. Eventually he agreed and I made my plans for the following morning.

By 6:00AM I was dressed and ready to set off on the long drive south. I'd had a surprisingly restful sleep and for once I felt refreshed. I hadn't quite decided how today was going to pan out, my plan extended to getting there and after that I was just going to play it by ear.

The roads were empty of Sunday morning traffic and I'd made good time. So just before nine I was parked across from Daniel's family home. From where I sat I could see the house easily and watched waiting for its inhabitants to come and go, getting on with their normal lives oblivious to my presence.

An hour passed slowly and the limitations of my plan were becoming glaringly obvious. I needed to do something, I just didn't know what? I couldn't just knock on the door, there was no way I could risk him answering it. As the time ticked on my initial confidence at speaking to his mum also waned, what if she shut the door in my face...oh shit perhaps this was a really bad idea.