@GeraldineBanksJanuary2025
It was a Thursday evening and Martin and Sandy were both sitting at the kitchen table eating a rapidly put together meal. The brief contact with Martin and Maria had been three days ago. The twins were in bed and hopefully sound asleep .There was a knock on the door and they both went outside to answer it , both of them were on tenterhooks not really knowing what to expect.
They were quite disappointed that there was no one there ;only a parcel which lay in the porch. Neither Martin or Sandy were expecting any delivery, so they took the parcel into the kitchen and Sandy looked on as Martin opened it. Inside the cardboard box was a very old, mobile phone with a charger, some sims and a business card.
P.Neel and Family , Organic Greengrocers
Superfood Delivery Specialists ( We deliver to suit You)
The business card had a weekly delivery slot time of Friday 7.00pm written in blue ink on the reverse.
Martin examined the mobile phone and remembered an article that he had read about Criminals using offline mobile networks and the Government attempts to stop their use being largely ineffective. Martin’s specific area of interest had been stolen archaeological artefacts so he was very aware of this out of date technology and how effective it was at keeping protagonists under the radar of anyone trying to find out their activity and location. The sims were changed frequently and were nigh impossible to trace. Martin told Sandy that it was probably only going to be for emergency use, but it was from the people who had Alex. Sandy immediately put the phone on charge. The business card said they should expect a delivery tomorrow.
Sandy sensed Martin’s trepidation and acknowledged that his reactions and feelings towards Alex were complex. There was something that neither of them had addressed or talked about. Where had this gene defect of Alex’s come from? Both Sandy and Martin as A2’s had been screened and although the Doctor had given them the get out card about the environment, Martin had had every right to ask Sandy about being unfaithful to him, but he never had. She was keeping something back from him and he knew it. Sandy thought that if they were about to be embroiled in a fight to get Alex back, would Martin feel as strongly about it as she did?
Martin had never pursued Alex’s paternity with her. He was surprised that the Authorities had not dug deeper and questioned Sandy. Martin had wondered why at the meeting about Alex’s future, the origin of the gene defect had been brushed over, and though he sensed Sandy’s embarrassment, no one had addressed it. It crossed his mind that the father could be an A1 and that the whole thing was a charade , a big cover up. He loved Sandy and whatever the truth he had chosen his life with her and that was what he wanted.
The truth, which Sandy would have shared if Martin had asked was seedy and she regretted every moment. It had been a one night stand on a business trip. Out of the blue she’d been given a short piece on a Travel Programme about Northern Spain to do and she was on location with the crew. The main presenter was Gerry Reid. Gerry was one of the old Grandees of the presenting World. An older man who apart from his fame and the fact that he’d never married, she knew little about. Sandy had drunk a lot and was flattered by his attention and had perhaps hoped that he might help her with her career. The opposite had been true. He hardly spoke to her after that night, and her piece was never used. Sandy decided to put it down to experience and move on . She loved Martin. They were trying for a baby even if it was by artificial insemination. She hated herself for making Martin do that , but she felt so confused and degraded.
Martin had suspected that he wasn’t Alex’s father. He was certain Sandy had been unfaithful to him at a time when perhaps they had grown distant from each other , but he did not know with who or where. He only sensed that whatever had happened had not been a good experience for Sandy. They both lived such busy lives and both were away from home or on training courses. Hotels, Business Meetings and Conferences. Everyone was at it, he just hadn’t been tempted. Life was like the Discovery Channel and we were all basically just mammals had been his conclusion.
Sandy’s subsequent behaviour and the trauma of losing Alex made him think that she regretted what had come between them. She had changed, she was more attentive and less critical and that was all Martin had wanted. The twins arrived and everything was good between them. Sandy and him were fine. We all make mistakes and Alex had not been a mistake, but his subsequent fate had been out of Sandy’s and Martin’s control.
The situation that had unfolded in recent days though had changed circumstances seismically. Martin figured that the people who were going to look after Alex would want maintenance money. Once he knew for sure what they wanted he and Sandy would have to have one of the toughest conversations he could ever imagine. He would need to know who Alex’s father was. He hoped that their relationship would survive.
thenotsomightyom 