Keep your fingers crossed

I got a text message from Freddie's Dad today.
that's the first unsolicited one ever.
I say unsolicited.
I did write to him recently to let him know how marvellous his son is, and to tell him our door is always open for him. For the first week after I posted the letter I thought I may hear something. Then didn't, and had resigned myself to the fact we wouldn't. In fact, a couple of months on, I was seriously thinking 'is it time to send a photo?'
Then, whammo
'Can I meet my son please?'
Or, different words, same outcome.
Wow, cool. I said. Course.
He's coming next Thursday.
I'm trying to keep grounded. we got here before, nearly a year ago. A promise to visit then, nada. Until mothers day when I got a 'happy mothers day' text.
That was the last we heard.
I thought oh well, and started to work on the story about how Daddy worked with dolphins in a far away place and the dolphins needed him more than Freddie did.
Not the most convincing tale, especially when it gets drilled down into and turns out the reason we can't visit is that - what, they're quarrantined? Suffering dolphin menigitis and unable to come into contact with humans who don't have the special protective clothing? That they're in a place only reachable by dingy, a million miles from the nearest island?
That was Mum's idea. I'd been discussing how to tell my son that yes, he does have a Daddy, but Daddy just isn't around. In a way that doesn't leave him feeling that somehow he's unlovable when I know, he's the most lovable little man on the planet.

Through the conversations I kept saying 'I'm hoping it won't come to that, I do think he's a decent guy and he hasn't forgotten, won't find it easy to live with being a non-dad'. And the looks came back. the 'hello deluded lady from planet Janet' looks. But I thought, 'hey if I believe it, it may be a self fulfilling prophesy'. So I did. And, well,
Checks feet.
Grounded.
It could yet be.

I'll keep you posted.