Holding On

Thirty-Four

Taking a deep breath, Emma made her way towards the dining table and stopped, gulping nervously when she met four grim gazes - her husbands, daughter's, aunt's, and her best friend's. It wasn't a grimness born out of anger, but that of worry.

Nobody spoke as she went and took her usual seat beside George's. Her husband didn't even look at her, and Em knew that he was probably still upset with her for shutting him out today.

It was Eva who attacked her with questions first. "Where the f-" her gaze fell on Amy who'd widened her eyes "-flower were you, Emma."

"You know you really got us all worried." Her aunt chipped in while she begun serving Emma the food.

"George said he found you crying and you wouldn't even tell him what was wrong."

Amy, who'd been on her own episode of mock hostility, whipped her gaze to look at her. "Why were you crying mummy?" Concern filled her eyes.

With a heavy heart, Em smiled sweetly at her daughter, stroking her cheek affectionately. "I wasn't crying. Mummy just got a bit emotional, that's all." Turning her gaze to Eva, she said. "We'll talk about this after here."

She then looked at George who still hadn't spared her a glance and attempted to slide her hand over his on the table but he pulled it back without a word. She looked at his face apologetically. "Coconut, I'm so sorry. The thing is..."

He finally glared at her, then gesticulated with his eyes to their daughter before giving her a we'll-talk-about-this-later look. Emma sighed resignedly.

"Daddy," Amy suddenly said from beside Emma. "are you upset with mummy?"

"Of course not sweetheart." He took Emma's hand while saying this. "I could never." He smiled at Amy, but to Emma, he glared before faking one. Eva could barely contain her laugh.

The rest of the dinner pulled through awkwardly. After they were done, Maggie made to do the dishes, George went to the study while she, Amy and Eva went to the living room to talk. The talking excluding Amy, of course.

"I'm so sorry for not being there after lunch to continue, but I'm sure you guys were able to pull through without me." Emma begun, as she watched Amy trying to read a comic book she'd picked from the glass centrepiece while sitting on Eva's laps.

"We pretty much did. Though you know things are not really the same without you." Eva played with Amy's hair. "But it's not important that you weren't there. What matters is the whys. Both for not coming and George finding you crying."

"My father came back." Emma told her, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Your father?"

Em begun to explain how she'd met her father in Zain's apartment, the poignant discussion they'd had, he apologizing for destroying their happy family 15 years ago, and she finally telling him she didn't need him in her life.

Eva looked stunned after the narration. "Who could've thought that this was the drive of your father. I mean, since you said he was having financial problems at that time, I'd assumed he abused your mother because his imminent bankruptcy was driving him crazy. But to think of this..."

Emma nodded, trying to eject every emotion from her face. Her life was better this way - without her father. It would be too much a job to try to find a place in it for him. Ever the supportive one, Eva did not try to convince her to forgive her father since she seemingly knew how crucial that could be to Emma's emotions.

"Well, anyways I brought your car." Eva informed her, and Emma nodded since she'd seen it under the canopy outside. "But where did you return from."

She suddenly thought of the visit to Zain, the tumult it'd sparked within after he'd pledged to keep on fighting for 'their' love, and a chill froze her spine. "I just went for a walk to lighten my mood."