On The Rebound

In the morning Claire was suffering.
John wanted to know who she had been on the phone with. Claire hadn't realised he didn't know. He asked if it was Roger, a very good friend of Claire's. Well more than a friend as he had asked her to marry him and John knew this. They had spent a lot of time together but only as friends although after a great night out and a little booze, they had made love. John didn't know that! It had been very tender love making and Claire was quite sad that he was someone she couldn't settle down with. She was never attracted to 'nice' men. 
Had she been clear headed and not bowled over by love she would have realised that John obviously was concerned deep down. She just assured him it had been her friend Jackie.

Things were fine for some time. The Central Heating was close to being completely installed so the decorating would soon give something to occupy Claire's time. A lot of the issues arose around her lack of focus and time on her hands, she had always worked. 
Once the house was more organised she was going to set up her own business.
No worries about school holiday time as John would be home.

Claire knew John had a few female friends in the city. Not long term friends but those he had met from placing an advert in a lonely hearts. Not a newspaper but in Private Eye.
She had many male friends so had no problems with this. Although they were all back in the town where she used to live. 
The problem was that he went running to one in particular each time they argued and revelled in letting her know.
It became obvious that she wanted more than friendship. John's explanation of his rebuff was that he realised he was in love with Claire. 
She didn't see it the same way as he still met up with her. 

The issues with the children became problematic as they relayed everything to their mother and she said that they could no longer go to Claire's house. 
John started spending weekends with his children at his flat.
Claire felt his ex partner was manipulating the situation and that they should wait to have the children until she changed her mind. She had to realise that this was their life and the children needed to accept that.

John suggested they see a counsellor.
Claire had never needed to do this but John had been before with his children's mum. She started to think that she wasn't the problem it was obviously John who couldn't cope in a relationship.

She finally agreed and they saw the qualified nurse at the local surgery.
She was lovely. She spoke with John first, then Claire then both.
She said that they would need to have agreed rules for all the children, stick together and not be divided. They should tell their mum that they would have the children but no longer at the flat, at the house. They should wait until this was agreed. 
She was saying all the things that Claire had said so surely john would now listen. He wanted them to see a professional.
How wrong she was. On leaving John said that he didn't know why she had said that and it wasn't the sort of counselling he had been trained in. 
Claire wanted to discuss it further but he was going to meet his friend, Shirley. 

Claire walked home refusing a lift. What was she doing? She knew if she was back in her little town surrounded by family and friends she would have finished the relationship already. Was she holding on because there was no-one else around? 

John had been staying at his flat and didn't return to the house that night.
When he did Claire wanted to discuss everything saying that she had gone to the counselling as he wanted yet he didn't want to take that advice either. He hated the fact that she had said the same as Claire.

Claire was very intuitive and was quick to assess people. He knew she had been right about his ex partner, something he tried to push to the back of his mind. She had been right when she said that his friend was really a friend of his ex and when visiting the cottage she was taking his ex too. Then when he changed the lock she came to collect all the gifts she had given for the use of the cottage to give to his ex. 
She had been right about so many things that John had had to agree with but he wouldn't agree this time.

Eventually he said that it was over but Claire didn't want that, she still loved him, she had left a content life behind for him. On later reflection she realised it wasn't really that she wanted him she just didn't want to be stranded.

It had only been a few months and now was the time when the bills started rolling in. This included a huge phone bill from John's children phoning their mum.
She had no spare cash, no job and had not been in this position since Sam was a baby.
She had to start over again.