“Tee, are you all right? What’s happened?”

“Please. Just come and get us. I’m leaving him this time. I promise.” Tee pressed the red button on her phone and laid it on the floor beside her. Her head was pounding and she could feel the blood dripping from her lip. Her tissue wouldn’t hold much more and she crawled along the landing to the bathroom. That bastard husband of hers had done a proper job this time.

She struggled to her feet and gazed at the stranger in the mirror; the woman she didn’t want to be: the woman she refused to continue to be. Thank heaven Gregg had left the house. She didn’t care if he was lying in a ditch in one of his drunken stupors. They wouldn’t be here when he eventually found his way back.

“Mummy, daddy, I need a wee.”

Shit. She splashed cold water over her face and dabbed at her lip to stem the bleeding. Her eye was beginning to close up and she reached for her emergency sunglasses in the bathroom cabinet. Then she gritted her teeth and clenched her side as she made her way into Paul’s bedroom.

“Mummy.” The five-year-old boy was standing at the bottom of his bed with his legs crossed. The bedwetting stage was finally over but he was still too nervous to go into the bathroom on his own in the dark. Gregg had said they needed to leave the light on, but Tee rebuked him saying that he would have to learn sometime. She knew she had made a rod for her own back but she had been sure it wouldn’t last long. Now that she was about to take their son away from his father, going to the toilet at night could be the least of his problems.

“OK, darling, let’s be quick.” She guided him to the toilet.

“You’ve got your funny glasses on. Are we going to play that game again?”

“Well, we’re going to play a different game this time.” She tried to speed things along a little by pulling his pyjama bottoms up but couldn’t go so far as to excuse him from washing his hands; there were limits.

By the time they were downstairs Tee heard her sister’s car pull up outside. She crouched down and gave Paul a hug.

“Listen.” She tried to stop shaking and made a weak attempt to sound excited. “Aunty Stella’s here. We’re going to go and stay at her house for a few days.”

“Will daddy be coming?” Paul’s excitement wasn’t weak. They were going on an adventure in the middle of the night.

Tee swallowed to push back the lump in her throat. Each word was becoming harder to say, and it had nothing to do with the progressive swelling of her lower lip. “No darling.”

She was saved from further interrogation by her son as her sister turned the door handle and entered the hallway.

“Oh Tee. What has he done to you this time?” Stella’s horrified tone matched the expression on her face.

“Can you just take Paul out to the car?” Tee pleaded behind her dark glasses. She didn’t want to have to answer any more questions. Not yet. “I just need to get a few things together. Please. Wait for me in the car, OK?”

Stella was already taking Paul’s little hand in hers and raising him to his feet.

“Sure, love. And don’t worry about getting too much. You can use my things. Come on Paul. Let’s wait for mummy in the car.”

Sixteen years later

“Paul! Is that you?”

“Yes mum. And Barrington’s with me. I told you he was coming, didn’t I?”

Yes, you bloody did! With such short notice that I’m rushing round like a mad woman trying to make up the guest room!

“I’ll be down in a moment.” Tee battled with the double duvet and its cover. And the cover was winning as she frantically tugged at the corners with both hands and wafted it in a vain attempt to get the duvet to fit snuggly. Not an easy task for a single woman with arms of only average length. Which was why Tranquility Hammond, known to everyone as Tee, paid a cleaning company to come in once a week to perform such duties, in addition to ensuring her house was spotless. An obsession with cleanliness was a long-standing trait of hers which stemmed from her childhood and used to drive her mother mad.

Finally the cover conceded to form a union with the duvet and all evidence of the battle disappeared as it was laid neatly on the mattress. The pillows received a gentle pummelling before taking their place at the head of the bed and Tee thankfully closed the spare bedroom door and went downstairs to greet her son and his friend.

“It’s lovely to see you, darling.” Tee appreciated that her twenty-one year old son, Paul, had taken time out from university to come and see her for her fortieth birthday weekend. His visits were rare and she wasn’t going to let his last minute decision to bring a friend along with him spoil things.

“It’s good to see you too, mum.” He pecked her proffered cheek before turning to the man standing next to him. “And this is Barrington. He’s doing a masters in mathematical finance.”

Tee held her hand out and was surprised by the student’s firm handshake. At six feet two he was a little taller than Paul, and somewhat slimmer. He also appeared a few years older; late twenties she guessed. As he smiled her eyes were drawn to soft lips spanning a wider than average mouth. His short light brown hair was swept upwards from his forehead, allowing an observer to see deep-set green brown eyes beneath dark, neat eyebrows. His high cheekbones dipped into a strong jaw line that looked as though it hadn’t matured enough to require shaving yet. Or perhaps he had the perfect skin that would easily withstand the daily stroke of a razor. She let go of his hand and hoped she hadn’t appeared overly inquisitive of their guest. “It’s nice to meet you, Barrington. That’s an unusual Christian name.”

“It was my grandfather’s.” Maintaining eye contact with his host for the weekend, the young man continued in a deep voice that was softened by an appealing huskiness. “Barrington Stone. And I’m very pleased to meet you, Mrs Devere. Thanks for letting me stay. Sorry it was such short notice but my own plans fell through.”

“Oh, that’s OK. It’s no bother.” Tee never blushed for telling a white lie, as the vision of the misshaped duvet reared its ugly head. “And the name’s Hammond. Tranquility Hammond. I reverted back to my maiden name when Paul’s father and I divorced. Everyone calls me Tee.”

“Another unusual name.” There was no smile from the handsome guest, who left Tee feeling she wasn’t the only one who was being overly inquisitive.

“Er. Yes. I suppose so.” She laid her hand on Paul’s arm for a moment, sensing a need to prevent too much tension filling the hallway. “Let’s go through to the kitchen. If you’re anything like my son, you’ll be starving.”

Taking readymade Indian meals out of the fridge and attacking their plastic containers with a fork, Tee asked Paul, “Did you have a good journey? How’s the car running?”

They had fought over his desire to have a car even though he was living on campus at the university and train lines from Manchester to their home town of Wilmslow in Cheshire were good. But in the end she had relented and bought a small Citroen for his twenty-first birthday. It still hadn’t resulted in him coming home any more frequently.

“It’s fine, mum. And I see you’ve managed to cook for us.” He glanced over his shoulder to Barrington as if to say ‘I told you so’.

Tee flashed him a scowl as she placed the food containers in the oven, wishing them luck as she pushed the door shut.

“There are some crisps and dips on the counter. Help yourselves. I thought ready meals would be quick and easy. Della Delights are coming over to cater tomorrow night. Stella and her gang will be here.” She looked over at Barrington. “And I hope you’ll be joining us, Barrington?” Liking the sound of such a strong and unusual name, she couldn’t help thinking it would be fun to have this handsome young man in their company for her birthday dinner.

“Oh, I don’t think it’s his thing …”Paul shot a nervous glance at his friend and then looked surprised as he heard his reply.

“If it’s no trouble, Mrs Hammond, I mean Tee, I’d love to.”

Barrington’s dark expression stopped Paul from questioning the change to their plans. In the car he had said he was going to see his father on Saturday night. Now he was planning to spend the evening with Paul and his mother, and his aunty and uncle and two cousins?

“Great.” His mother smiled.

After devouring some snacks whilst chatting about the new equipment recently added to the gym at the Armitage sports centre in Manchester, Paul suggested that he and Barrington take their bags upstairs, calling out, “Is it OK if I leave some dirty washing, mum?” as they left the kitchen.

Tee shook her head and smiled again, glad of the company for a change, dirty washing and all.