What are the chances?

The Greatest

Two years later

The mild chill of the early morning air caused the hairs on her arms to stand to attention as Kat sat in the garden watching the dewy blades of grass glistening at her feet. Filling her lungs with the crisp air, she mentally went through her checklist for the third time that morning before her thoughts soon filled with all the events that had led her to be where she was today.

After learning all about David's secret life, Kat immediately left London and moved back to the Midlands for a fresh start, and to be closer to her family. After a few months of wallowing in self pity she filed for divorce, and things began to unravel further as the depths of David's lies and deceit were truly exposed. Not only had he used all of their joint savings in starting up his new property business, but he had racked up hundreds of thousands of pounds of debt in trying to keep his lavish business afloat. The house and all their assets were sold off to cover the costs of his debts and the legal fees of the divorce, leaving her absolutely nothing.

As Kat finally began to build a new life for herself she decided to put her mathematical degree to good use and after several failed attempts finally found a secondary school who were willing to offer her a job as a trainee teacher. The school was very tough, and had a poor reputation but due to the high turn over of staff they almost instantly hired her when she called to make her enquiry. Her first year had been quite challenging trying to complete her QTS and settle into her new life, but thanks to a small group of ladies who had welcomed her into their fold, she was finally settled and really enjoying her new path.

Thanks to the security of her new job and a sizable loan from her parents, she was also able to get a mortgage for a small 2 bedroom house in a tiny village not too far from her parents home in Stafford, meaning her mum could still pop around whenever she wanted to, but there was enough distance for Kat to have her own space and independence. The 25 minute commute into work was scenic and enjoyable and Kat knew the area well as a child they had lived close to the school she was now working at before her Fathers job had them move away.
She had reluctantly attempted to dip her toe back into the dating pool, but very quickly decided to give it up in favour of taking the time to get to know herself again and learning to be ok on her own. This didn't mean she wasn't lonely at times, but after a visit to the local rescue centre she offered her home to a King Charles spaniel called Sophie, who she instantly fell in love with and the two of them quickly became inseparable, spending hours walking the fields and lanes around the village, often ending up in the local pub where they would enjoy a signature steak and ale pie, and whatever live music was playing at the time. It was safe to say that Kat was thriving, and for the first time finally felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.

She was abruptly pulled from her thoughts by a couple of pigeons fighting in a nearby tree an observed them momentarily, unimpressed by their volume as they screeched back and forth at each other in temper. She flicked her wrist and 7:45 flashed up on the screen of her watch. 'I guess I have time for another cup of tea before Debbie arrives.' she thought to herself as she awkwardly clambered out of her hanging egg chair and scurried across the damp paving into her house.

To celebrate the divorce finally being over, her new group of friends had rallied round and agreed that this would be their 'big' trip that year and that everyone would go to make sure it would be special for Kat. They had always taken regular girls trips or weekends away with each other well before Kat had joined their group, and found themselves in all sorts of strange and wonderful situations from, weekends in castles and luxurious spa's, to outdoor pursuits like mountain walks and hikes, log cabins with hot tubs, and even a Travelodge on the motorway to watch a tribute show. Kat relished the company of the women and having that tight knit group of friends was something she had greatly missed whilst in London.