I Ran So Far Away - Complete

Chapter 53

"You two seem happy," I commented as Ana and Aisling walked into the suite at 1:00 pm. "Did you have fun?"

"We did," Anastasia replied, passing Teddy to me before flopping onto the sofa. "Have you eaten?"

"We ordered up," I replied. "You?"

"Yes. We stopped at a café after the bookstore. Christian! You should see this place! It's amazing."

"As good as Strand Books?" I asked with a smirk. Anastasia had once described visiting there as dying and going to heaven.

"Pretty close! I'm grateful to Aisling for suggesting it!"

"High praise, indeed," I said to Aisling with a smile which she tentatively returned. "I hope you both took advantage of all its offerings?"

"I might have bought a thing or two..." Anastasia admitted.

Aisling snorted, smiling at Ana.

"Ok. So, I might have bought a lot," my wife corrected.

"I hope you did!" I said with a smug smile.

"You go ok?" Anastasia asked, the look in her eyes belying her casual tone.

"Fine," I said, reassuring her with my smile. While Aisling and Ana went shopping, Wendy, David, and I discussed Eleanor. David had made her 'real' for me through his stories. They'd grown up as neighbors before they dated so David could detail her short life up to the time he left to join the army.

David explained Eleanor's mother, Kathleen, had been a free-spirit – having Eleanor out of wedlock in the 1960s. Eleanor's father never revealed, her grandparents took on the responsibility of raising her while Kathleen spent less and less time at home. In an eerie parallel, Kathleen died when Eleanor was four.

Convinced they'd been too liberal with their daughter, Kathleen's parents resolved not to make the same mistake twice. Accordingly, they'd been very stern with their granddaughter; sending her to a strict Catholic school and limiting her interactions with others. Yet David and Eleanor had secretly met, their love story playing out during hours at the school library, free periods at high school and on the long bus journey to and from school.

They hadn't been ambitious; Eleanor had hoped for a home of their own and in time two or three children. David joining the army had been the first step in their plan, but things had not worked out the way they'd hoped. We'd probably never learn how Eleanor ended up where she did, and why she didn't reach out to David. Still, I now had a picture of my mother beyond the drug-addicted neglectful prostitute – and for that, I would be eternally grateful.

"This little guy looks ready for sleep. Did you want me to take him to Gail?" I offered.

"Yes please," Anastasia replied, curling up on the sofa we'd claimed for our sessions before making chit chat with Wendy, Aisling, and David. When I returned, it was time to get back into it.

"This afternoon, I wanted to discuss where to from here. Christian and David spoke a little about it earlier, and both have committed to wanting to develop a relationship. Now I'd like to explore what that means for each of you. David? Would you like to start?" Wendy asked.

"Well, I've missed a lot of time with you, Christian. You have a family with the Greys, but had things been different you would have grown up an O'Riley. If you're willing, I'd like to tell my family about you, and arrange a time for them to meet you."

"I'm open to the idea," I said cautiously, "however I need to speak with my legal team, first. I'm a private person, and while it's public knowledge I was adopted, few know the full circumstances of my early years and I'd prefer to keep it that way. The last thing I want is the story of my early life splashed over some tabloid."