A Leisurely Walk Is A Luxury [9/?] | Saving Mr Banks.
Chapter Nine
The taxi had taken the trio back to their home when Ralph was discharged early the following morning - only after Pamela had the doctor’s swear under oath that Ralph was fit to go home and that they didn’t just need the bed. Pamela wouldn’t tell Ralph that she had signed the cheque for his medical bills before they left. The man had enough to worry about, and it was partly her fault that he was even in the accident to begin with. Having spent most of the night watching over both Jane and Ralph, Pamela was simply exhausted; to the extent where she had fallen asleep on Ralph’s good shoulder, his arm wrapped around her shoulder while Jane rested against Pamela’s other side, clutching the woman’s hand in her own smaller one.
This is what having a family felt like.
Ralph had never truly experienced that feeling before. He and his wife had married young, and as they had gotten older, they only seemed to drift more and more apart. His wife, Brenda, had never wanted children; Jane had been a complete mistake. Though she was his favourite mistake and Ralph had went out of his way to make sure that Jane had never once felt unloved; and he had never once told her that she wasn’t intended. Of course, Brenda had blamed him for her pregnancy and never once attempted to connect with Jane. In fact, when Jane was born, Brenda had even suggested a ‘mercy killing’ because she didn’t want a child with disability. It was Ralph who stopped her and more or less raised Jane by himself. While his wife was there for the first six years of Jane’s life, she never once attempted to bond with her - nor cleaned her, fed her or played with her. Ralph did it all. One day, she packed her suitcase and left, never too be heard from again. Now, he silently wished he had of been able to do all that with Pamela. In the short amount of days that she had been with them both, she had proven herself as a better mother than Brenda had done in the space of SIX whole years. He liked to pretend that Brenda never existed, that it was just Pamela and him raising Jane as their daughter.
When the taxi pulled up at the driveway and Ralph didn’t have the heart in him to wake the pair up. Deciding he couldn’t push the wheelchair by himself, nor carry Pamela in, he shook the woman’s shoulders softly. “Pamela..Mrs....We’re home” He whispered into her ear, hoping to wake her up as pleasantly as possible. He quickly caught onto the use of ‘we’ and decided he rather liked the sound of it - it made it seem like the three of them were going to be together for good; something that Ralph would love more than anything. Fluttering her ebony eyelashes, Pamela kept her head on Ralph’s shoulder as she unwillingly woke up. “Do we have to get up..I’m far too comfortable” She admitted with another yawn, although Pamela was the sort that once she woke up, she couldn’t get back to sleep for the love of money. Pushing herself off the man’s shoulder, she watched as Ralph tried his best to conceal the pain as he got himself out of the car as the driver stood waiting with Jane’s wheelchair. The pair of them had become well accustomed to getting Jane into her wheelchair, and art they had mastered together, and without even waking the girl, she was safely in her wheelchair.
By the time they had gotten into the house, Jane had woke up naturally and was already her usual bubbly self. Pamela could only roll her eyes and chuckle at that. Only Jane. Pamela turned the television on for Jane before heading into the bedroom with Ralph. “You need to rest!” Pamela protested, playfully glaring at the man as he lowered himself down on top of the covers. “Only if you come and sit with me, Mrs.” He argued back, not wanting to be left alone so soon after coming out of the hospital, plus, he wanted a chance to spend at least a few minutes of alone time with Pamela. Sighing heavily, Pamela threw her hands up in the air in a sign of defeat before dropping herself down onto the bed beside the man.
“You scared me, you know” She confessed, as Ralph moved to take ahold of her hand in his, giving in a gentle squeeze before letting go and bringing it to her chin, making her look at him. “Nothing will ever happen to me. I will never leave you - or Jane” He swore, looking her straight in the eye as he spoke softly, even though it was only the pair of them in the room. “Promise?” Pamela breathed, she was close enough that she could smell his cologne - light, not over bearing, in fact, she rather liked it. “I promise” With that, Ralph moved forward and caught her lips in his, kissing her softly for a moment before Pamela pulled away slightly and rested her forehead against his. “We don’t half to do this. We can just go back to how things used to be” Ralph breathed, fearful that he has scared the woman off. Shaking her head, Pamela took a deep breath before smiling at him once more. “No, we’re going to do this. There’s no point in turning back from this. We’ll take it slow and steady” Moving to take the man’s hand, she nodded her head at him. “Slow and steady” He repeated before moving to kiss her once more, earning a slight chuckle from the woman. It was only the knock on the front door that interrupted the pair.
“I’ll get it. It’s probably the nurse come to change your dressings” Pamela stood up from the side of the man’s bed, her cheeks still slightly flushed from their earlier kiss. Her clothes were slightly creased as well from lying on the bed. In fact, Ralph had never seen her look so laid back. It made him smile a little too know that was all because of him. Heading down the hallway, Pamela could finally imagine what her life might be like there; with Ralph and Jane. They would make staying in America - with the horrible blasphemy that was America tea - a little more bearable. In fact, she now couldn’t imagine her life without either of them in it.
Arriving at the front door, Pamela moved to push down the golden handle and open the door. She would later come to wish that she had ignored the knocking at the door. Upon opening the door, Pamela was greeted with a thin blonde haired woman, whose thin eyebrows sculpted her chocolate covered eyes - in fact, they looked rather like Jane’s. While Pamela was dressed in one of her typical business suits, the woman in front of her was in a floral knee length dress and sandals - rather the polar opposite of what Pamela was wearing. It was as though one was night, and the other was day. “May I help you?” The woman in front of Pamela was certainly not the nurse who had promised to be around later that evening to redress Ralph’s wounds.
“Mom!” Jane’s cry filled the room as she caught sight of the woman in front of Pamela. It was then that Pamela’s heart stopped beating, she had never imagined Jane calling any other woman by that title except for her - even if it had only been teasing, she had enjoyed that title more than any other. She had enjoyed the idea of being Jane’s mother, an honor she would have died for. Now, she was face to face with the woman who rightfully held that title. The tears filled Jane’s eyes as she pushed herself in her wheelchair towards the petite woman, completely ignoring Pamela - as though the woman didn't exist. “Momma!” Jane put her short arms out for the woman, causing the unnamed blonde to bend down and hug her daughter tight; while appearing affectionate, Pamela didn’t miss the death glare that was sent her way. It didn’t take long for Pamela to put the pieces together; this was Jane’s mother, Ralph’s ex-wife. In that very moment, Pamela felt as though a thousand knives had just been pushed through her heart, as though the air had just been pushed out of her chest and as though the only two sources of light and happiness in her life were about to be taken from her.
She had loved Ralph and Jane.
She had loved and now she was about to lose that love.
She had imagined a life - a family even - and now she was about to lose it all.
She was about to be replaced by the woman in front of her.
The taxi had taken the trio back to their home when Ralph was discharged early the following morning - only after Pamela had the doctor’s swear under oath that Ralph was fit to go home and that they didn’t just need the bed. Pamela wouldn’t tell Ralph that she had signed the cheque for his medical bills before they left. The man had enough to worry about, and it was partly her fault that he was even in the accident to begin with. Having spent most of the night watching over both Jane and Ralph, Pamela was simply exhausted; to the extent where she had fallen asleep on Ralph’s good shoulder, his arm wrapped around her shoulder while Jane rested against Pamela’s other side, clutching the woman’s hand in her own smaller one.
This is what having a family felt like.
Ralph had never truly experienced that feeling before. He and his wife had married young, and as they had gotten older, they only seemed to drift more and more apart. His wife, Brenda, had never wanted children; Jane had been a complete mistake. Though she was his favourite mistake and Ralph had went out of his way to make sure that Jane had never once felt unloved; and he had never once told her that she wasn’t intended. Of course, Brenda had blamed him for her pregnancy and never once attempted to connect with Jane. In fact, when Jane was born, Brenda had even suggested a ‘mercy killing’ because she didn’t want a child with disability. It was Ralph who stopped her and more or less raised Jane by himself. While his wife was there for the first six years of Jane’s life, she never once attempted to bond with her - nor cleaned her, fed her or played with her. Ralph did it all. One day, she packed her suitcase and left, never too be heard from again. Now, he silently wished he had of been able to do all that with Pamela. In the short amount of days that she had been with them both, she had proven herself as a better mother than Brenda had done in the space of SIX whole years. He liked to pretend that Brenda never existed, that it was just Pamela and him raising Jane as their daughter.
When the taxi pulled up at the driveway and Ralph didn’t have the heart in him to wake the pair up. Deciding he couldn’t push the wheelchair by himself, nor carry Pamela in, he shook the woman’s shoulders softly. “Pamela..Mrs....We’re home” He whispered into her ear, hoping to wake her up as pleasantly as possible. He quickly caught onto the use of ‘we’ and decided he rather liked the sound of it - it made it seem like the three of them were going to be together for good; something that Ralph would love more than anything. Fluttering her ebony eyelashes, Pamela kept her head on Ralph’s shoulder as she unwillingly woke up. “Do we have to get up..I’m far too comfortable” She admitted with another yawn, although Pamela was the sort that once she woke up, she couldn’t get back to sleep for the love of money. Pushing herself off the man’s shoulder, she watched as Ralph tried his best to conceal the pain as he got himself out of the car as the driver stood waiting with Jane’s wheelchair. The pair of them had become well accustomed to getting Jane into her wheelchair, and art they had mastered together, and without even waking the girl, she was safely in her wheelchair.
By the time they had gotten into the house, Jane had woke up naturally and was already her usual bubbly self. Pamela could only roll her eyes and chuckle at that. Only Jane. Pamela turned the television on for Jane before heading into the bedroom with Ralph. “You need to rest!” Pamela protested, playfully glaring at the man as he lowered himself down on top of the covers. “Only if you come and sit with me, Mrs.” He argued back, not wanting to be left alone so soon after coming out of the hospital, plus, he wanted a chance to spend at least a few minutes of alone time with Pamela. Sighing heavily, Pamela threw her hands up in the air in a sign of defeat before dropping herself down onto the bed beside the man.
“You scared me, you know” She confessed, as Ralph moved to take ahold of her hand in his, giving in a gentle squeeze before letting go and bringing it to her chin, making her look at him. “Nothing will ever happen to me. I will never leave you - or Jane” He swore, looking her straight in the eye as he spoke softly, even though it was only the pair of them in the room. “Promise?” Pamela breathed, she was close enough that she could smell his cologne - light, not over bearing, in fact, she rather liked it. “I promise” With that, Ralph moved forward and caught her lips in his, kissing her softly for a moment before Pamela pulled away slightly and rested her forehead against his. “We don’t half to do this. We can just go back to how things used to be” Ralph breathed, fearful that he has scared the woman off. Shaking her head, Pamela took a deep breath before smiling at him once more. “No, we’re going to do this. There’s no point in turning back from this. We’ll take it slow and steady” Moving to take the man’s hand, she nodded her head at him. “Slow and steady” He repeated before moving to kiss her once more, earning a slight chuckle from the woman. It was only the knock on the front door that interrupted the pair.
“I’ll get it. It’s probably the nurse come to change your dressings” Pamela stood up from the side of the man’s bed, her cheeks still slightly flushed from their earlier kiss. Her clothes were slightly creased as well from lying on the bed. In fact, Ralph had never seen her look so laid back. It made him smile a little too know that was all because of him. Heading down the hallway, Pamela could finally imagine what her life might be like there; with Ralph and Jane. They would make staying in America - with the horrible blasphemy that was America tea - a little more bearable. In fact, she now couldn’t imagine her life without either of them in it.
Arriving at the front door, Pamela moved to push down the golden handle and open the door. She would later come to wish that she had ignored the knocking at the door. Upon opening the door, Pamela was greeted with a thin blonde haired woman, whose thin eyebrows sculpted her chocolate covered eyes - in fact, they looked rather like Jane’s. While Pamela was dressed in one of her typical business suits, the woman in front of her was in a floral knee length dress and sandals - rather the polar opposite of what Pamela was wearing. It was as though one was night, and the other was day. “May I help you?” The woman in front of Pamela was certainly not the nurse who had promised to be around later that evening to redress Ralph’s wounds.
“Mom!” Jane’s cry filled the room as she caught sight of the woman in front of Pamela. It was then that Pamela’s heart stopped beating, she had never imagined Jane calling any other woman by that title except for her - even if it had only been teasing, she had enjoyed that title more than any other. She had enjoyed the idea of being Jane’s mother, an honor she would have died for. Now, she was face to face with the woman who rightfully held that title. The tears filled Jane’s eyes as she pushed herself in her wheelchair towards the petite woman, completely ignoring Pamela - as though the woman didn't exist. “Momma!” Jane put her short arms out for the woman, causing the unnamed blonde to bend down and hug her daughter tight; while appearing affectionate, Pamela didn’t miss the death glare that was sent her way. It didn’t take long for Pamela to put the pieces together; this was Jane’s mother, Ralph’s ex-wife. In that very moment, Pamela felt as though a thousand knives had just been pushed through her heart, as though the air had just been pushed out of her chest and as though the only two sources of light and happiness in her life were about to be taken from her.
She had loved Ralph and Jane.
She had loved and now she was about to lose that love.
She had imagined a life - a family even - and now she was about to lose it all.
She was about to be replaced by the woman in front of her.