Emily and James divorced when their daughter Charlotte turned two. James just couldnt live with his wife anymore. She was always unhappy, always cross. One day shed complain he didnt earn enough, the next that he was never home and never lifted a finger to help with the baby.
James tried his best to please her, but nothing worked. Friends said Emily had postnatal depressionmaybe she needed a doctor and some pills. But James wasnt convinced. She hadnt been easy before the baby, and now it was like shed lost the plot entirely.
He couldnt recall the last time hed seen her smile. Even with Charlotte, her face was pinched with irritation, making him want to snatch the girl away and keep her safe somewhere else.
Still, he suggested therapy. Her response was a torrent of rage.
So now Im mental, am I? You think Im some hysterical mess? How could I not be, with you around?
That was the last straw. He told her he wanted a divorce. Out of spite, Emily took Charlotte and moved to another town. She didnt ask for child support or tell him where theyd gone.
James searched for a while but gave up. He loved Charlotte and wouldve been a proper father if he could. But the thought of facing Emily againthe shouting, the venommade him accept things as they were.
Emily, meanwhile, festered in her anger. She blamed James for everything, convinced hed left her for someone else. That bitterness eventually turned on Charlotte.
She never hit her, never starved her, but the girl grew up steeped in resentment most people never knew. There were no celebrations in their house. Charlotte only learned about birthdays when she started nursery.
Mum, guess what? Tommy had a birthday today, and everyone gave him presents! Will I get one too?
No. Thats rubbish. You didnt do anything worth celebrating. Im the one who did all the work having you. And dont ask againits a waste of money!
They didnt do Christmas either. Luckily, Father Christmas visited the nursery, so that was Charlottes one bit of cheer. On Christmas Day itself, she and her mum ate plain meals and went to bed early.
Emily couldnt stand laughterprobably because shed forgotten how to do it herself. If Charlotte giggled at cartoons, shed snap, Stop being daft! Theres nothing funny about that!
So Charlotte learned smiles were wrong. Laughter was wrong. You had to be stern and sour, like Mum.
Whether Emily had real mental troubles, no one knew. She refused therapy, calling it a con. She thought life wasnt for fun, and happy people were just dim.
Charlotte tasted sweets for the first time at nursery, when someone brought them for their birthday. They were heavenly! That night, she dreamed of buying a whole bag when she grew up. The thought made her smilea rare, secret thing.
Who knows how shed have turned out if shed stayed with her mum. Emily only grew bitter with time. Neighbours avoided her; old ladies muttered about her being cursed. All that spite mustve eaten at her health, because she was diagnosed with cancer. She hated doctors, so by the time an ambulance took her in, it was too late.
A neighbour took Charlotte in while Emily was hospitalised. Before leaving, Emily gave her Jamess name and where he still lived. Despite everything, she mustve cared.
Emily never came home. Charlotte wasnt told right awayshe was already too scared to ask. Social services tracked James down.
By then, hed been remarried six months. When they called, he told his wife, Sarah, he wouldnt abandon Charlotte. Hed been looking for her all along.
Sarah was decent. She knew how much James had suffered, so she told him to bring the girl home.
Charlotte didnt remember him. She was terrified, certain life with Dad would be worse.
James arrived with a giant stuffed rabbit and a bag of sweets.
Charlotte hung back, waryuntil she saw the treats. That won her over. Father Christmas gave sweets at nursery, and he was nice. No one else ever had.
As she hugged the rabbit, the neighbour filled James in.
God rest her, but Emily was a piece of work. Never said hello, never smiled. Poor Charlotte was walked all over.
Jamess chest ached. He shouldve fought harder to find them. But fear of Emily had stopped himand his daughter had paid for it.
Once the paperwork and funeral were done, Charlotte went home with him.
Your birthdays soon, he said, forcing a smile. What would you like?
She blinked. Mum never did birthdays. Said they were stupid.
What? He was stunned.
She said I didnt deserve them.
Thats not true. Birthdays are for being happy. His voice cracked.
Can I have sweets, then? Charlotte asked. I really like them.
James could only nod. Later, after Sarah had tucked Charlotte in, he poured a whisky and drank it straight.
No birthdays, he muttered when Sarah came in. She asked for sweets. Just basic things. How could I let this happen? If money was tight, finebut why take everything from her just to spite me?
Sarah hugged him. Dont. Life punished her enough.
Im not blaming her. Im blaming myself. I told myself theyd be fine. Now Ive got a kid whos scared to be happy.
Sarah smiled. Well, well throw her the best birthday ever. For all the ones she missed.
They had a week before the day. In that time, Charlotte adjusted to her new life.
The biggest shock? Dad and Sarah smiled. They laughed! Shed thought adults forgot how.
Breakfast wasnt just plain porridgeSarah made pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit with yoghurt. And there were always sweets in the house! James said she could have them anytime, just not too many.
On her birthday, Charlotte woke to balloons and a cake with candles. They went to a theme park, and she got seven giftsone for each year.
Kids adapt fast, especially to good things. Within a month, Charlotte laughed freely, hugged them both, and chattered away. Mum had hated clinginess.
She started school, and life got brighter. Sometimes she couldnt separate memory from imagination, but she knew she was lucky. She felt sorry for Mum, but life with Dad was better.
A year later, she called Sarah Mum for the first time. Because, harsh as it was, Sarah had been more of a mother than Emily ever was.
