Married Because of Colin

**A Marriage for Tommys Sake**

Tommys happy childhood ended when he was five. One day, his parents never came to pick him up from nursery. All the other children had gone home, but he sat at the table, drawing pictures of himself, his mum, and his dad. The nursery teacher kept glancing at him, dabbing her cheeks with a tissue. Finally, she scooped him into her arms, holding him tight, and whispered, “No matter what happens, you must be brave, Tommy. You have to be strong now. Do you understand, love?”

“I want my mum,” he whispered back.

“Your aunt and uncle will come for you soon. Therell be other children there. Dont cry.” She pressed her wet cheek against his before leading him to a car. When he asked when hed see his mum again, they told him she and his dad were far awaytoo far to come for him today.

Tommy was placed in a dorm with other boys like him. But his parents never camenot the next day, nor the day after that. He cried himself to sleep every night, until one evening, he fell ill with fever. The matron in the white coat sat him down after he recovered. “Your parents are in heaven now,” she said gently. “They cant come back, but theyre always watching over you. So you must be good and stay healthy for them.”

But Tommy didnt believe her. He stared at the sky and saw only clouds and birdsno mum, no dad. He decided hed find them himself.

During outdoor play, he searched the yard until he found a gap under the fence. The iron bars were bent, but the hole was too small. So he dug, scooping out loose, sandy soil until he could wiggle through.

Once free, he ran as fast as he could, away from the orphanagea word hed heard the older boys use. But he didnt know the city, and soon he was lost. Every house looked the same, until

“Mum!” he cried, sprinting toward a woman in a polka-dot dress, her blonde hair tied in a neat bun. She didnt turn. He grabbed her sleeve. “Mum!”

She knelt, studying his face. But it wasnt her.

Emily had fallen in love at twenty, and it lasted forever. She and James were perfect for each other, meeting by chance at a summer dance. Hed shyly asked her for a slow song, and they never parted after that. They married three months later, blissfully happyuntil, three years in, Emily learned she couldnt have children. James struggled to accept it, but she kept trying treatments, even spa retreats. Finally, they faced the truth: theyd never have a child of their own.

One day, James suggested adoption. But Emily loved him too much. “We should divorce,” she said. “Youre still young. Marry someone who can give you what I cant.”

James refused. So Emily hatched a plan. She lied, claiming shed fallen out of love and found another man. He didnt believe heruntil she stayed out all night, reeking of wine and aftershave. “I have a lover,” she insisted. Heartbroken, he agreed to the divorce.

When Tommy called her “Mum,” Emily had been divorced for two months, aching for James. Her heart leapt. “You lost, love?” she asked softly.

“Im looking for my parents. They said theyre in heaven, but I dont believe them,” he sobbed.

She took his hand. “Come home with me. Ill get you some cake, yeah?”

At her flat, he devoured the treats shed bought, gulping down blackcurrant tea. Between bites, he told her about the older boys who stole his sweets and bullied him. Her heart broke. “Would you like to live with me?” she asked. “When youre older, youll understand everything. And one day, youll see your parents againjust not yet.”

Tommy nodded.

Emily called the orphanage, returning him with a plea for better care. She visited daily but couldnt adopt himsingle women werent allowed. For the first time, she regretted the divorce.

Desperate, she asked a coworker, Simon, to marry heron paper. He agreed, but with conditions. “Dinner, candles more.” Disgusted, she refuseduntil she saw Tommys black eye, punishment for “telling.”

The next evening, dressed in red (as Simon demanded), she lit candles, sick with dread. The doorbell rangbut it wasnt Simon.

“Ive been watching you,” James said. “Youve had no visitors.”

Then the lift opened. Simon staggered out, flowers and champagne in hand. “Evening, Em”

James turned scarlet, fists clenched. He left without a word.

“Wait!” Emily chased him, but he vanished onto a bus.

She sent Simon away, sobbing. What would happen to Tommy now?

Two years later, Tommy stood proudly in his school uniform, clutching flowers for his teacher. His parentsEmily and Jameswatched, their adopted daughter, Maisie, giggling in Jamess arms. Emily wore the polka-dot dress Tommy loved.

Simon, it turned out, wasnt a complete cad. Hed explained everything to James, who rushed Emily to the registry office the next day. They adopted Tommyand later, Maisiekeeping their promise to visit the orphanage with gifts.

“Mum, Dad,” Tommy whispered, gazing at the sky. “Dont be sad. I love them, but theyre just temporaryuntil I see you again.”

He knew nowhis parents had died in a car crash. Hed visited their graves. Sundays, he went to Sunday school at the parish church, learning about heaven.

Emily hadnt listened to James, but fate intervened, giving her a second chance. And in the end, everyone was happy.