Freedom Of Choice

Heather knew she had some decisions to make, but would they be the right ones?

HEATHER put down her fork and pushed her plate to one side. It was the first morning of her holiday at her sister’s home in Philadelphia.

She’d been too busy with work to visit Julie for nearly three years, and had looked forward to a leisurely breakfast while they caught up with all their news.

But, after Julie’s announcement, her appetite had disappeared.

“I want to invite Rick to my wedding. I’d like to ask him to give me away.”

Julie had moved to America 13 years ago with her first husband, Todd, who worked in Philadelphia. Tragically, he’d died three years later, shortly after their daughter, Alana, was born.

Heather had expected Julie to move back to England after Todd’s death, but she stayed in Philadelphia, where she worked as a kindergarten teacher and where she could remain close to Todd’s parents.

Heather was happy that Julie was getting married again, to a lovely man called Corey. But to hear that Rick would be at the wedding had stunned her.

She realised Julie was waiting for her to comment.

“Rick, as in my exhusband?”

Julie nodded.

“I didn’t realise you were in touch with each other.”

Julie stood up and started clearing the table.

“He messaged me on Facebook just after you got divorced. He was upset.”

“That was five years ago!” Heather gasped. “You’ve been in contact all this time and you never said anything?”

Julie poured coffee into mugs and handed one to Heather.

“We Skyped and e-mailed for a while.” She hesitated. “He came to see us two years ago.”

“To Philadelphia?” “He’s stayed with us a couple of times since then.” Julie gave a small nervous laugh. “Corey treats him like the brother he always wanted and he’s great with Alana.”

“And you kept this from me?”

“I tried to broach the subject loads of times,” Julie shot back. “You never seemed to want to talk about your marriage . . . or Rick.”

Seeing that Julie was getting upset, Heather jumped up and hugged her sister.

“It’s fine. Seeing Rick again won’t bother me at all.”

She gritted her teeth, not sure who she was trying to convince.

Two hours later, Heather strolled along one of the many trails in Bartram’s Garden, America’s oldest botanical garden.

Whenever she came here, Heather made a point of visiting the gardens.

Her job as a fashion designer was demanding, with unsocial hours and a lot of travel. The gardens, full of visual delights and surprises, were the perfect place to rest and unwind.

Heather’s main reason for visiting Philadelphia was, of course, to help Julie plan her wedding. But she also needed time to think about her career and her future.

Tired of being away from home so much, she was thinking about investing her savings in a boutique.

The shop she had in mind was a going concern and she was sure she would be able to improve and expand the business.

But it would mean a lot of changes to her lifestyle. She had to be certain it was what she wanted.

After wandering through the garden, Heather walked along a narrow path to the bank of the Schuylkill River to eat lunch.

She tried to focus on the shop and her options, but her mind kept drifting to the conversation she’d had with Julie and the prospect of seeing Rick again.

As she sat down on the grass she heard screams from the river. Two teenage girls had fallen out of a kayak and were now bobbing about like corks in their life jackets in the water.

It reminded Heather of her time at university, where she and Rick had met. He’d been keen on all types of sports and on one of their first dates had taken her kayaking.

He’d shown her how to do an Eskimo roll in case of accident, but when the boat capsized she’d panicked.

Thankfully, Rick had rescued her, and when she’d gazed into his blue eyes she’d fallen in love.

They were happy days, full of laughter and fun, which Heather thought would never end.

Taking her lunch box from her bag, she felt tears prick her eyes. Despite their love for each other, those days had ended only a few years into their marriage.

With hindsight, it was easy to understand why things had turned sour.

Rick worked as a sports coach, which took him all over the UK and abroad, just like Heather.

They were rarely at home. When they were together they were both tired and stressed.

They either seemed to have nothing to talk about or constantly bickered.

Eventually, they’d decided there was no point staying together.

After the divorce Heather had spent many sleepless nights asking herself if they could have saved their marriage. She blamed herself for not trying harder.

Julie was right; Heather had always avoided talking about her relationship with Rick. The memories were too painful to think about.

She’d thrown herself into her work to help put the past behind her – successfully, until today.

After finishing her picnic she strolled through the fragrant flower gardens.

As she breathed in the heady scents, she reflected it was no surprise that Julie and Rick had kept in touch.

They’d always got on well and he’d been supportive to Julie after Todd’s death.

When she’d Skyped Alana, her niece had sometimes spoken about an uncle and all the fun things they’d done together.

Heather’s stomach tightened. Surely she wasn’t envious of the friendship Julie and Alana had with her ex-husband?

The following day, she and Alana took a bus to the Independence National Historical Park to see the iconic Liberty Bell.

Although Heather had seen the bell several times, Alana was studying its history for a school project and was keen to share her knowledge.

“Lots of people, you know, like Civil Rights leaders, took inspiration from the inscription,” she stated solemnly as they approached the bell.

“That’s interesting. What else can you tell me about it?” Heather encouraged her niece.

“I know the inscription off by heart.” Alana scrunched up her eyes, deep in thought. “‘Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof’.”

“Well done!” Heather exclaimed.

“The first bell, the one that was made in London, cracked on its first ring,” Alana said knowledgeably. Heather grinned.

“So much for ‘Made in Britain’.”

“That one was melted down and a new one was made here in Philadelphia.” Alana’s eyes widened as she warmed to her subject. “And guess what?”

“I can’t imagine.” “After about ninety years, that one cracked as well.”

Before Heather could respond, Alana rushed on.

“They repaired it, but then another crack appeared.” She gave a shrug. “No-one heard it ring after that.”

“Well, not all cracks can be repaired, no matter how much you want to try.”

At the sound of Rick’s voice, Heather’s heart skipped a beat. Both she and Alana swung round to face him.

“Uncle Rick, what are you doing here?” Alana beamed. “Mom said you might be coming over some time to talk about, you know, wedding stuff. I didn’t think she meant this week.”

“I’ve booked into a hotel. I thought it would be a surprise for you. Your mum said I’d find you here.”

He smiled at Alana, then turned to Heather.

“You don’t mind, do you?” “Of course not,” Heather replied.

While Rick chatted to Alana, Heather studied her ex-husband. He’d hardly changed at all, though she could see dark shadows under his eyes.

“Look!” Alana broke into Heather’s thoughts. “Uncle Rick’s got us tickets to go inside Independence Hall.”

As they strolled towards the hall, Alana spotted two schoolfriends in the crowd and ran off to speak to them.

Once she was out of earshot, Rick spoke.

“I’m sorry, Heather. I shouldn’t have made that comment.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I mean about the cracks in our marriage.”

“It’s OK,” Heather assured him. “You were right. At that time there was no way we could mend the gulf that had developed between us.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. It should have felt awkward, Heather mused, to be so close to her ex-husband.

But, somehow, it seemed right, comforting, to have Rick by her side again.

His nearness stirred up emotions she’d thought long-buried.

“It was my fault our marriage didn’t work,” Rick blurted out. “I should have put you before my career.” She touched his arm. “Neither of us was to blame, Rick. We were both ambitious and wanted to make a success of our careers.”

She smiled wanly.

“We didn’t have the time or energy to work on saving our marriage.”

“I guess you’re right.” After a slight pause, he said, “Julie tells me you’re thinking of buying a boutique?”

Heather nodded.

“Nothing’s definite yet, but as I’m getting older . . .” She pulled a face. “I’m fed up of being away from home all the time.”

“I know what you mean. I got sick of travelling with my job. I work as a school sports coach now.” He grinned.

“I’m a slippers-by-the-hearth man these days.”

“You? The man who used to love rock climbing and hang-gliding?” She laughed. “Somehow I can’t picture you sitting by the fire, reading a book.”

As she looked into his eyes she felt something shift inside her.

It was a tiny glimmer of hope – hope that, now they weren’t leading such busy lives, they might possibly rekindle the love they’d once had for each other and make their relationship work this time around.

She tried to pull herself together. Whatever was she thinking?

But she could tell, from his expression, that he was having the same thoughts.

Before either could say more, Alana came up to them and they took their places in the queue to wait for the tour.

“Do you know,” Alana said, “there are lots of different meanings for the word liberty?”

She pulled a tourist leaflet from her pocket.

“‘It can mean not confined, unlimited, unrestricted,’” she read. “Whatever all that means.”

“You’re going to get top marks for your project,” Rick said. His voice became serious. “It also means having the freedom to live as you please.

“If you’re lucky, that means sharing your life and your dreams with someone you love.”

Heather felt herself blush, but before she could reply, Alana pointed to a picture of the bell on the leaflet.

“Uncle Rick, do you think it will ever be possible to mend that big crack?” Rick glanced at Heather. “I certainly hope so.” “So do I,” Heather said as Rick took hold of her hand and slipped it gently into his. ■