Trudy's Baby

A man ? He looks a bit lost. I wonder if he has come to join the group. "Hello. Are you looking for the singles group ?"

"Yes. I saw in the council newsletter that there are walks here in the Country Park on Tuesday afternoons, for singles, but are you the only one ?"

"No, there are normally about eight or nine of us, usually all ladies. Ah, here comes our leader, with her clipboard. She'll want you to sign in, then hand the board to me, for me to sign in. I'm Vaniella."

A man, yes, but time to be careful. Ah, I see his phone number, his name is Trevor and his email is trevorwatkins909@gmail.com. Very interesting.

"Trevor, we usually walk in pairs..."

"Oh yes, I'd like to have someone to walk with. You must know the park, so you can point out some of the features to me."

He's presumably single, but is he rich ? He doesn't seem to have a strong personality, so he could easily be useful.  

They make small talk, the weather, the park, some of the others in the group, and then food. "Trevor, I like that too, we should eat together sometime."

At the end of the walk, they agree to keep in contact.

At home, Vaniella thinks, "Trevor seems nice, but so was Gerald, and I can never forget how he ruined my life."

She pours herself a drink, "I'm never going to lose again, if this opportunity with a man comes to anything, I'm going to make sure that this time it is I who win, and I don't care how much anyone gets hurt. One man hurt me, and so another man has to be hurt in return."  

They meet for a meal. "Trevor, have you ever been married ?"

"Yes, but that finished several years ago. You, Vaniella ?"

"Yes, once. Trevor, did you have any children ?"

"No, Vaniella, well, er, I don't think so."

"You don't think so ?" she laughs, "That's a rather strange answer."

"I've never told anyone this, but I think I can trust you. After the divorce I met Trudy, who was also single. We both liked the outdoor life, the seaside and the countryside. That's why I wanted to join the walking group in the park when I heard about it. At first Trudy and I just liked each other's company, but after a while, it became more serious. We knew we had to be careful, and we were, although once .... Anyway, a few weeks later she told me that her monthly nuisance was overdue. She was very worried, but I assured her that I would support her."  

"Men always say that," says Vaniella, and thinking, "That's what Gerald said, after I told him that I was expecting."  

Vaniella continues, "A man doesn't want the woman to panic and go telling everyone, and the man wants time to think of what to do. How old was she then ?"

"Forty five."  

"So it could have simply been the start of the change, which is when things get rather irregular. Then what happened ?"

"I don't know. Trudy had told me that her mother had just come out of hospital, and she needed to go and stay with her. That was three years ago. I've tried emailing and phoning, but I have never received any reply from her."

"So that's why you are not sure whether you have any children. Oh dear. Do you know where her mother lives ?"

"In Sunderland, I think, a long way from here."

At home, Vaniella remembers Gerald. "I was fifteen, and rather well developed for my age. I had been brought up by my mother, who didn't think much of men, but I had always felt that there was something missing in my life, until I met Gerald. He was quite a bit older, but I didn't care, and he seemed to be so wonderful, perhaps like the father I should have known. When I told him that I was expecting, he said that he would arrange for someone to help me, as abortion was illegal in those days. I didn't see Gerald anymore, but I wasn't worried. I was simply thankful that I was back to normal, and every girl's fear, that for some reason she can never have children, and so never be a real woman, was gone."  

Vaniella thinks, "I wonder if I could pretend .... But first I need to know Trudy's email address, and her full name, and I mustn't rush things, or it will look suspicious."

Next time they meet, Vaniella asks Trevor what Trudy actually said in her last email to him. Trever opens his phone and shows her, and Vaniella sees Trudy's name, Trudy Vincent, and her email address, trudyvincent18@gmail.com.  

At home, Vaniella opens a similar sounding email account, as trudyvincent18@yahoo.com.  

Unfortunately Vaniella does not know anyone in Sunderland, so she visits her sister in Birmingham. There she persuades her sister to help her, by agreeing to forward any letters she receives which are addressed to "Trudy Vincent".  

Vaniella is excited, but she knows she has to be very careful, so she deliberately misses seeing Trevor for a few walks in the park. Then she sends an email to Trevor, but pretending that it comes from Trudy, at trudyvincent18@yahoo.com. She sends it on a Sunday, two days before she hopes to see Trevor in the park.  

It says, "Dear Trevor. I hope you remember me, although it has been a few years. I have been wanting to contact you for a long time, ever since I came to help my mother, but I had lost my phone, with all my contacts, when I moved to Sunderland. I bought a new phone and I knew my email address, but I couldn't remember the password, so I couldn't open my email to see your email address, and I had to start again, with this Yahoo email address. All I could remember was that you were trevorwatkins and some numbers @gmail.com. Yesterday I went shopping, and the till receipt was for £9.09, and then I remembered that your email address is trevorwatkins909@gmail.com. I was so excited that I can contact you again. So, I do hope you remember me, your friend Trudy."

In the park, Trevor cannot wait to see Vaniella, and excitedly shows her the email which he thinks has come from Trudy.  

Vaniella pretends to be surprised, and she says, "She doesn't mention a baby, well, a child by now, so perhaps you don't have any children, after all," and laughs.  

"Well," says Trevor, "she may have a child, and not want to mention it, when first contacting me."  

"True. I assume you will reply, but you will have to be very careful how you word it, to find out if she has a child. You could ask how busy she is these days, whether she has a job, or much spare time, as well as asking about her mother." 

"Yes, Vaniella, I will reply, and thanks for your suggestions."

Vaniella gets a picture of a two year old girl from someone at work. This is hard for Vaniella, who keeps thinking, "That little girl should be mine."

Trevor gets a reply saying, "Dear Trevor. I am so pleased to hear from you, and that we can be back in contact. I have so much to tell you. Here is a picture of our little girl, Theresa. I wanted to ask you what to call her, but I couldn't contact you when she was born. She has just had her second birthday, and is starting to talk. My mother was very upset when I told her that I was expecting a baby, and she thought that you must be a very bad man. But she needed me to look after her all the time, so she could not ask me to leave. My mother got better, and when Theresa was born, my mother was quite excited at being a grandmother, and so the three of us all live together now. I have a part-time job, and my mother looks after Theresa while I am at work. How are you, and what are you doing these days ? Love, Trudy."

At home, Vaniella remembers how she later married Jason, and how Jason's parents were so looking forward to having grandchildren. "We tried for a child, but nothing happened, and after two years we went for tests. Jason was okay, but that was the worst day of my life. The doctor told me that my previous operation had been so badly done, that I would never be able to have children." Vaniella remembers herself screaming, and cursing Gerald, and then how she and Jason divorced, so that he could re-marry, and have the children his parents so much wanted.  

Trevor replies saying how pleased he is with the picture of Theresa, and says he wants to see her. He also asks if there is anything he can do to help.  

"Trudy" replies that some things, like children's shoes, are so expensive, and wonders if he could send her some money. "If you can, perhaps you could post it to me. I don't want my mother to know, so could you post it to me at Trudy Vincent, c/o my friend in Birmingham, who will transfer the money to me." Of course, the so-called friend's address in Birmingham just happens to be the same as Vaniella's sister.  

Trever puts some banknotes into an envelope and posts it to "Trudy" in Birmingham.  

Trevor gets a reply from "Trudy" thanking him for the money, and sending a picture of Vaniella's friend's girl wearing some new shoes.  

Vaniella still sees Trevor from time to time, and she is very pleased to be getting the money from her sister in Birmingham. She thinks, "At last, a man is paying for what Gerald did to me." She gets more pictures of her friend's little girl, to email to Trevor each week, and each week Trevor posts more money back to her.  

One day Trevor gets an email from Trudy saying, "Theresa loves playing hide and seek, and she hid behind my mother's television, in the corner of the room. When Theresa jumped out, she knocked the television over, and it broke into pieces. Theresa has accidentally broken some little things before, which I have had to replace, but I do not have enough money to buy another television. I worry that my mother will want Theresa and I to leave, but then I will not have enough money to pay for child minding while I am at work."

Trevor is worried about this. He sees how much televisions cost, and he posts several hundred pounds to Trudy, so that she can buy a new one.  

Vaniella is very pleased to get so much money from Trevor, but she is getting a bit worried that she may have pushed her luck too far.

Next Tuesday at the park, Trevor says to Vaniella, "I've had an email from Trudy. I was surprised, because she used her old email address. Vaniella, what's the matter ? You look as white as a sheet."