My divorce came through March 1970, the year before I met Tommy.
I felt blessed, my relationship with Tommy was going from strength to strength.
I was still having nightmares, only close family knew of my horrific experience, if anybody outside the family asked me about being back with Mam I just smiled and said it just didn't work out. I was ashamed.
When my Mam realised that it was getting serious with Tommy, she started changing towards me, it was hard to put my finger on what was troubling her, at first she mentioned things like you know Tommy is a Catholic and you a Protestant, well John was a Catholic, and you know what happened with him, my reply was" not all Catholic men are wife beaters".
I thought that she was worried about me and trying to protect me as always, then it dawned on me, she just wanted us to stay the same, Mam, me and baby. I loved my Mam and I would always be thankful for all the support she had given me, I didn't want her to think I was ungrateful.
Tommy and myself arranged our wedding for September 1972, we had saved hard and found our ideal family house, we had been gazumped a couple of times, the house we eventually bought was over the water on the Wirral.
My vicar was Neville Black from St.Georges and when we approached him about marrying us he told us that he couldn't because I was divorced, what he could do was officiate along with St.Joseph's priest Father Baker. I don't know how, but me being married didn't count because it was in a Church of England Church.
I knew my Mam would be upset, in fact she wished me luck but she said could not go to my wedding because it was going to be in a Catholic Church, I pleaded with her.
My two eldest sisters said they could not upset their Mam and they didn't come, thank goodness for my youngest sister, she told me she would be there with me.
Tommy's Dad gave me away, we had a lovely wedding with only a handful of guests, I missed my Mam.
We moved into our new home, and fell into a good routine, Tommy travelled to Whitbread and me to Kraft, our daughter settled in school.
It took six months for Mam to speak to me. I understood she stood by her principles but I thought she would have relented.
In May1975 we had a beautiful daughter born in Oxford St. Maternity Hospital Liverpool.
In September 1975 Mam took ill and went into a coma, she passed away in Walton Hospital, I was distraught, my baby was four months old.
Before she died we had a conversation, she said that she was sorry for not going to my wedding and that in her words "I had done well this time". She had dementia and was sixty three.
January 1977 we had another daughter, our family was complete.
Will finish next time...
