I was up early, and Roy noticed. He asked where I’d been, said he’d run out of milk. I told him he should have woken me, but he just smiled and said I needed my beauty sleep. Then he mentioned a puzzling piece of news from Mel, the electrician.
Mel was sending the certificate for the rewiring, but he’d also decided to go back to Inverness. It was sudden, and Roy wondered what prompted it. I didn’t care. I was just glad he was leaving.
Later, I went to see Todd. He hid me in the bedroom when Theo came back. It was like Todd was a prisoner in his own home. I didn’t know what to do.
I told him about the running I’d had with Theo, how he’d said something that got me thinking. I thought we could prove what he’d been doing to Todd. I met with Danielle, Theo’s ex-wife. I asked her if Theo had ever been violent towards her.
She was furious. She said I had a nerve, that she barely knew me, and how dare I ask that. I apologized, but she was already gone. Theo found out about it.
He confronted me, said I was trying to turn everyone against him. I told him he was an abusive partner, that it would come out sooner or later. He threatened me, told me to stay away from his family. I was sorry.
I’d only been trying to help, but I’d made things worse. Meanwhile, Roy was dealing with his own worries. He was concerned about Sam, his grandson, feeling like he was slipping away. He asked me if I’d ever been through something similar, if there was anything that had helped.
I didn’t have answers for him. I also had a run-in with Gary, who was moving out. He was defensive, saying everyone thought he was some abusive psycho, but that wasn’t true. He claimed Todd had a temper, that he’d been arrested for assaulting him.
I didn’t believe him. I told him to save his breath. There was a lighter moment when I suggested dance classes to Roy. He laughed at first, but then we actually tried a few steps in the café.
It was fun, a bit silly, but it lifted the mood. Then I got a call from Fiona. She wasn’t happy. She’d been planning to set up Gary, to get him involved in something dodgy and then have him sent down.
I’d told her to drop it. I hated him as much as anyone, but when things were good, he made her happy. She wanted him in her life. So I called it off.
She wasn’t pleased, but I didn’t care. Gary came to see me. He’d heard about Fiona’s plan. He said it wasn’t very nice, and I agreed.
I told him if he tried anything like that again, I’d tell Debbie, his wife. He backed off. Later, Roy got a message from Mel. He was sending the certificate and was on his way to Inverness.
I was relieved. Roy said Mel had made life difficult for someone we knew, that he was a nasty piece of work. I didn’t ask for details. I went to the pub with Todd.
He was in a good mood. He’d got a call about a job in Belfast, and it had been signed off. He’d booked tickets on the ferry and arranged temporary accommodation. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, to get away from everyone who was trying to poison me against him.
I was happy for him. We celebrated with a drink. But then I saw Theo. He came up to me, and I told him I didn’t want anything to do with him.
He said he was sorry about my dad, but it wasn’t his fault. I didn’t believe him. He told me to look closer to home for someone to blame. I didn’t know what to think.
I was left with a lot of questions. I’d tried to help Todd, but I’d only made things worse. I’d tried to protect him, but I didn’t know if I could.
And now, with Theo’s words echoing in my head, I wondered if I’d been wrong about everything.
