Absolutely! Please provide the title you would like to have rewritten and adapted.

Choice

So it turns out, Freddies thoroughly married sighed Alice, perched on a bench in the little park while nervously fiddling with the referral in her pocket.

Her fellow residents in the halls of residence were green with envy whenever they saw her in the company of the dashing, clean-shaven, blue-eyed dark-haired gentleman. They thought she mustve struck gold with such a charming date. Well, nothing to be jealous of after all.

Alice shivered, recalling her firstand, as fate would have it, lastencounter with Freddies wife, who had set up an ambush for her right outside the factory gates, ready to set the record distressingly straight.

Well, hello! You must be Alice! the woman announced.

And you are? Alices nerves ratcheted up as she sized up the tall, willowy woman, her hair dyed a chilly shade of platinum.

Im Margaret. Freddies wife.

Pardon?

You heard me.

Another silly girl, hmm? Margaret calmly carried on, How many of you are there, I wonder? The supply seems inexhaustiblehunters of other folks happiness.

How dare you?

Look here, Margaret coolly took Alice by the elbow. Really, who do you think you are? Im the wife, you know. Saw you out with my dear husband, and here you are, still trying to put on airs instead of apologising and running off with your tail between your legs. Decent people would feel at least a twinge of shamebut lets not overestimate you.

She cast Alice a withering look. There have been so many like you, Id need all my fingers and toes to count.

Youve tangled with a married man. Shameful! Menhunters, arent they? But to him, youre nothing but a fleeting dalliance. Before you know it, hell have forgotten your name. Best keep your distance.

By the way, weve got two daughters. Want to see a family photo? Margaret produced a proudly dog-eared snapshot for Alice, who stared at it in mortified silence. Evidence of a great and noble love. This was us in Blackpool, only two months back

So, have you nothing to say?

What do you want from me? Take it up with your husband.

Oh, I will, rest assured. Hes new at the factorygood pay for a changeand then along comes you. Do us all a favour, move along quietly. Dont fall for his promises, Freddies not about to file for divorce. Dont waste your time. How old are you now, thirty?

Twenty-five! Alice snapped, indignant.

Even better. Still plenty of time to get yourself hitched and have children. But do leave Freddie alone.

Alice didnt wait to hear more. She tottered away on wobbly legsFreddies wife had crashed through her carefully constructed dreams, sweeping away her pink-tinted hopes in a single ruthless swoop.

Betrayer Alice muttered, feeling a lump gather in her throat. But she refused to let herself weep in public, not wanting to be the topic of office gossip.

That evening, as if nothing had happened, Freddie arrived at Alices door bearing flowers. She, red-eyed and determined, showed him outeven as he made rousing declarations about eternal love and how he and his wife were practically strangers by now.

For two weeks, Alice pieced herself back together. Freddie wisely kept away, preferring to feign ignorance and turn his back whenever their paths crossed at work.

Trouble, as the saying goes, does enjoy company. Alice had chalked up her morning nausea and dizzy spells to stress, but soon realised that her star-crossed affair with Freddie had rather, well, tangible consequences.

Six weeks, she heard from her GP, as if it were a sentence.

Alice was terrified. She didnt want to be a single mum. Worse, she was sure that everyone already knew and looked at her with silent condemnationserves her right for trusting a man she scarcely knew.

Freddie had lied about his circumstances. What could she have donedemand his passport at their first meeting? There had been no sign of a wedding band, but not all married men wear one.

And why hadnt she been more suspicious when Freddie insisted they keep it all hush-hush at work? Shed been deceived, but knowing shed been in the dark didnt help. The whole office was already awash with whispered retellings of Margarets epic takedown.

Im pregnant, Alice blurted to her erstwhile lover during her lunch break, unable to see any other way out.

Ill give you moneyjust do something about it, he grunted.

Freddie handed in his notice the very next day and vanished, never to be seen again.

Alice knew she couldnt procrastinate. GPs warnings or not, she eventually took the referral for the procedure.

And so there she sat, clinging to the slip of paper as if it might run away.

In a hurry? chimed a young man in a sharp suit, thumping himself down beside Alice on the park bench, arms full of a gigantic bouquet of deep red chrysanthemums.

Sorry? Alice looked up with hollow eyes.

Your watchits fast, he grinned, nodding at the little gold watch on her wrist.

My watch is always ten minutes fast, cant seem to fix it no matter what I do, she replied dully, turning away.

Lovely weather, isnt it? Proper Indian summer. My mum loves this time of year. She always says it was on a warm autumn day like this that she made the right choice in lifenever regretted it, not for a second, he gabbed away, buoyant and irrepressible. “Shes a legend.” He gave a proud thumbs up. Im so grateful to her, you know.

Your dad? Alice couldnt help herself.

She never talks about him, and Ive never asked. I know she gets sad when she thinks about him

Ive just come back from a job interview! You wont believe itthey picked me over nine others. First proper job, no real experience, bit mad really

He beamed. Mum gave me the courage, you see. Know what Im going to do with my first pay cheque? Book her a trip to the seaside. Shes never been.

Ever been to the seaside? he asked.

No, Alice said, watching him curiously, suddenly unable to look away from his burgundy tie.

Mums present, he said, smoothing it down with shy pride, having caught her gaze.

Im probably boring you senseless, he added, apologetic but eager. Its justyou looked so sad, I thought you might need a chat. Am I annoying you?

She shook her head. He didnt annoy her at all. In fact, hed managed to pause the relentless spiral of gloom. And his obvious adoration for his mother was oddly touching.

How devoted he is! she thought, listening to him with growing fascination. What a lucky mother if only I could have a son like that.

Well, Id best be offmy mums probably worrying. He jumped up. And dont rush!

What?

I was talking to your watch, he grinned.

Oh, Alice chuckled, finally.

A moment later, the cheerful young man with the crimson chrysanthemums disappeared down the path. Alice stared at her crumpled referral, then tore it into tiny shreds, letting the bits drift onto the breeze.

She sat for a long time, drinking in the golden autumn air.

She didnt feel alone anymore. That woman had raised a wonderful son all by herself, after all. Pity she never caught his namebut it didnt matter now.

Her choice was made.

***

Twenty-three years later

Mum, Im running late! Stan hovered by the mirror while Alice carefully straightened his burgundy tie, bought just yesterday for his big job interview.

Maybe you should skip it

You need it for confidence. Trust me, youll nail itthey wouldnt dare not take you now. There! Perfect! declared Alice, stepping back to admire her son.

Nerves, Mum. What if?

Its your spot, Stan. Dont stressjust answer clearly, dont forget to smile, and remember, youre irresistible.

Love you, Mum! Stan pecked her cheek before racing out.

Alice watched from the window as her beloved son strode off towards the bus stop. Suddenly, she shiveredwhere had she seen this before? A young man, suit and tie, red chrysanthemums

That boy in the park, more than twenty years ago

Stan in his suit now looked just like him.

Shed forgotten that day, until this sudden rush of memories. How was it possible? Could fate really be so neat, letting her glimpse her childs future before shed even made her choice?

Why hadnt she spoken to him properly back then? They were the same age almost, why hadnt she asked about his mum?

But it didnt matter anymore.

Everything had worked out beautifully.

That afternoon Stan came home, clutching a bouquet of deep red chrysanthemums and cheerfully announced hed landed the job.

He promised Alice theyd finally take that trip to the seasideshe had still never been.

Now it was his turn to look after his mum. Hed move mountains, turn rivers, whatever it took for her. Thats the sort of son shed raised.

Whatever the years threw at them, she was always comforted when she hugged his messy head. Theyd weathered every storm together and never lost heart.

Alice never once regretted her choice. She did what was right for herand what a choice it turned out to be.

And so let it be!