To Virginia
 

Toni reckoned she’d just spent the most wonderful night of her life with Travis McGee. She even toyed with the idea of phoning her mother and putting off her flight for a few days but she knew Travis was going to be tied up with the court case. She was in love like she’d never been in love before.

She was on the plane for Virginia, Kyle having got her a direct flight, Travis told her Kyle was well paid for what he did and well worth the money. She had to agree with that he certainly looked after Travis and his business.

She had no idea yet what she was going to tell her mother. It wasn’t going to be easy but her mother knew about Richie’s infidelity she just didn’t know about her daughters. She hadn’t really thought about that herself in those terms, in her mind she’d already taken that step away from Richie. She now had nine days to figure out how she was going to tell Richie she was leaving him. Travis told her he had a place she could go, a house on the beach.

“Hello Mumma,” Toni hugged her mother

“Toni dear you look positively…radiant” her mother stepped back having a look at her daughter.

“I am…I’m in love” she hadn’t meant to say that it just came bubbling out.

“It shows well come in dear you must tell me your secret for such a happy marriage.”

Toni bit her lip and followed her mother into her den, “It’s not my marriage Mumma, I’m leaving Richie.”

“Oh…well believe me dear I can understand that after what you’ve been through with him but…in love with whom?

“Travis McGee, you don’t know him but Dad does. I hadn’t meant to tell you about him just yet.”

“Why ever not?”

“I was afraid you’d be upset with me and I’d hoped to have a good visit with you before it started going downhill.”

Her mother laughed, “No dear I’m not going to be upset, since your father and I have divorced I’ve uh found someone myself to go around with and he’s great fun.”

Toni smiled it was going to be okay. “That’s wonderful Mumma, I’m so glad for you.” Toni ended up telling her mother all about Travis leaving out the fact that she’d slept with him.

“It sounds a tangled web Toni but you both are still married; you need to be careful.”

“Yes, we will be.”

“It’s terrible when a marriage breaks up Toni believe me I know. How is Richie taking this?”

“Um well…he doesn’t know yet. I thought when I first decided to come over to see you that I would try and sort it all out while I was here but then when I ran into Travis it just kind of made up my mind for me. I’ll figure it out and tell him when I get back.”

“Perhaps you should think about telling him before you get back.”

“Yes, that might be the best thing it’s going to be hard to talk to him on the phone knowing what I now know.”

Gena Stanley looked at her daughter, “that must have been some flight over from Australia.”

“It was Mumma, it was.”