Hey Jude,
I was in a long term, devoted relationship for three years before it recently ended. A month later a close friend of mine discovered via Facebook that my ex is currently in a new relationship. Although our relationship ended on mutual terms, I can't help but feel hurt and betrayed that he moved on so quickly. Also, his new girlfriend is quite gorgeous and accomplished and I can't help but feel like an ugly failure compared to her. I can't help but think that I wasn't good enough for him. I can't help but think that I couldn't make him happy. How can I stop being so pathetic and get over this?
- BROKEN UP AND BETRAYED

DEAR BROKEN: You are not pathetic. Break-ups can be hard, especially after being with someone for so long. It can be especially hard when the other party moves on whilst you're still trying to collect yourself. It's natural to feel jealous and or hurt when an ex lover starts to see someone new. Time will heal your hurt feelings but at present is is important not to compare yourself to your ex's new flame. Eleanor Roosevelt one said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent". If you keep pitting yourself against your ex's new girlfriend, there is no way you'll ever feel good about yourself. NEVER say that you are not good enough for someone. No one is better than you, they could only simply be better for that person. Also, take a break from social media. Checking it to see what your ex is doing will only make you feel worse and trigger more ill feelings. Block your ex's page or unfriend him if you haven't already and do NOT look at his new girlfriend's page. Also keep in mind that jumping into a new relationship is probably not the best way to cope with your break-up. Now is the time to focus on yourself. Spend some time with friends, find a new hobby and do everything you can to benefit your emotional well being.

There were three ways Harry usually spent his Saturdays:

1.Staying in bed until Anne threatened to wake him up with a bucket of ice water and catching up on his letters while Gemma took Essie out for the day.

2. Helping Anne out during morning rush in the bakery.

3. Taking Essie to the park to play or feed birds.

This Saturday was a bakery Saturday, one of Harry's favorites. The smells of cinnamon rolls and cake frosting put him at ease and reminded him of simpler times.

Anne had owned the bakery for as long as Harry could remember. Some of his earliest memories consisted of him running around the kitchen with Gemma, covered in flour and eager to taste whatever cookie dough Anne was mixing. When his parents had divorced he spent all his afternoons sat behind the counter, doing homework and happily stuffing his face with takeaway if it was a late night. When he was finally old enough, Anne had happily given Harry his own shift on the weekends and he'd managed to keep the job up until Essie had been born.

Annie's had been an important staple in not only Harry's life but also a vast majority of the citizens of Holmes Chapel. The bakery was centrally located in the town and people often flocked there to get special occasion cakes and the usual sweets fix. Harry loved when he ran into loyal customers, grayed old ladies who'd watched him grow up and dotted over how handsome he'd become and cooed over Essie whenever she was with him. Overall, Harry enjoyed seeing others and being sociable, something he didn't get to go in the office.

"Daddy! Daddy!!" Essie shouted prancing up to the cash register where Harry was sat.

He hadn't seen her for most of the morning since bakery Saturdays required them to wake up quite early. Like Harry, Essie was not a morning person and usually whined if she was woken up before she was ready. The was a small cot kept in the back of the kitchen for Essie to catch up on her beauty rest. When Essie had been a baby, Anne had set up a play pen away from the ovens where Essie would happily play and sleep for hours.

Essie seemed well rested and chipper,her curls bounced wildly about her head and biscuit crumbs laced her mouth and cheeks, evidence that her energy had been fueled by something sugary. Harry dusted the flour from his apron as Essie climbed onto his lap.

"Hey, pumpkin. Have a good nap?" he questioned, brushing away the crumbs in the corner of her mouth with his dumb.

Essie nodded happily.

"I wanna help you give money to people. Nan said I could." she chirped.

While Essie enjoyed watching Anne bake, she enjoyed working the cash register just as much. She loved to talk to all the customers who stopped by, chatting their ears off about preschool life, her favorite things to do and life at home with Anne and Auntie Gem. And she loved counting money, it made her feel all grown up.

"Okay," he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "but you have to give me my good morning kiss first."
Essie rolled her eyes.

"You're soo clingy, Daddy."

She pressed a small kiss to his cheek and Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

"Where'd you learn that word from, Es?" he questioned.

"Auntie Gem," she shrugged, grabbing his hand that sat on the counter and twisting the rings around his fingers. "she says Uncle Peter can be really clingy sometimes."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"You spend too much time with Auntie Gem."

The brass bell of the bakery's door rang indicating the arrival of a customer. Essie grinned widely with excitement.

"Hey! Welcome to Annie's!" she shouted, practicing her greeting like Harry had taught her.
A woman smiled brightly at the two as she stepped over the threshold. She wore a long, billowy dress that had been embroidered with more than a dozen butterflies that instantly caught both Harry and Essie's attention. The dress was elegant yet elaborate, almost to the point where the small boy following behind her looked nearly lost in the fabric. When she'd finally reached the front counter it was quite obvious that her dress was not the only striking thing about her. She had the brightest and bluest eyes that Harry had ever seen that contrasted nicely with her dark hair. Her face was round, the faintest dimples denting her cheeks. She had a classic beauty about herself, not in the intimidating, modelesque way but in more of a sweet, girl-next door manner.

"Lovely morning we're having, yeah? Are you the little lass who owns this place?"

She smiled at Essie, placing her handbag on the countertop. The small boy retreated behind her leg, clinging to the fabric of her dress.

Essie shook her head wildly.

"No, I'm Essie! Annie is my nan but she doesn't like it when people call her Annie so everyone calls her Anne. Nan says when I'm all grown up I can take over but for now she lets me taste all her treats before anyone else."

The woman grinned, obviously won over Essie's charm.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do an excellent job of it. Your nan will be so proud."

Harry looked on, eyeing them carefully.

"Looking for anything special today?" he asked, locking eyes with her briefly before looking away.

She flashed her dimpled grin a final time before turning to the the boy behind her leg.

"Alright,bug. What do you want?" she cooed.

Essie burst into a fit of giggles.

"That's a silly name!"

"Essie, be nice." Harry warned.

The woman shrugged.

"It's alright, all mummy's and daddies have silly names for their kids, right?" she grabbed her son's hand, gently prying the boy away from her leg.

"My daddy calls me pumpkin!" Essie exclaimed, her hazel eyes wide. " I only mind it when I'm mad at him. Somedays he takes a long long time to pick me up from school. He always gets in trouble with Nan."

Harry could feel a blush creeping on his cheeks, embarrassed that Essie had shared too much information.

"Es," he warned again.

The small girl shrugged.

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure this lady has somewhere important to be. Let's stop chatting and let her get the things she needs, yeah?"

The woman grinned.

"I'll have a croissant with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll for my little lad." she replied smiling down at the boy who was still attached to her dress.

Essie climbed off of Harry's lap and on to the stool while he went to fill the woman's order. She and Essie were still engaging in small talk when Harry returned.

"Here you are, Miss." he announced, placing the items on counter in front her.

She whispered a thanks as her eyes swept over in the direction of a stack of newspapers sat closer to the door. Harry tried to bring in a little more revenue to his mother's bakery by brining in newspapers from work. He'd used his employee discount to give the bakery a yearly subscription but newspapers had never been a hit. Why would people buy a newspaper when they could find all the news they needed to know on the internet? It was an unfriendly reminder to Harry that his job was slowly but surely becoming less relevant the further the world got into the digital age.

"Do you want a paper?" he questioned, tugging his beanie down his forehead to cover the wild curls that threatened to escape. "No charge. Nobody reads those anyway."

It was a fact. Even Harry didn't read the newspaper.

Her lips curved down into a frown.

"I do." she protested, striding over to pick up the wrinkled paper, folding up her arm with a contented sigh.

"Your dress is sooo pretty," Essie declared, breaking the silence. "When I grow up I want one just like it."

The woman smiled, turning her attention back to Essie.

"I'm sure you'd look like a dream in it."

As Harry supervised Essie's money counting, he couldn't help but notice how well Essie and the stranger got along so well. It wasn't unlikely since Essie was quite the social butterfly, always making new friends wherever she went, but with this woman there was an instant connect.
******
Around noon Harry and Essie had left the bakery in route of the park. Essie had grown restless sitting behind the counter and Anne urged Harry to let her get some fresh air, pushing them both out the door with ham sandwiches made with the morning's bread. The park was walking distance from the bakery and Harry struggled to keep up with Essie as she bounced ahead of him.

"Essie," Harry called. "slow down, yeah?"

He could spot the swings ahead and Essie could too, increasing her excitement and speed.

"Essie!" Harry warned.

The small girl rolled her eyes, slowing down her steps so that her father could catch up.
"You're sooo old, Daddy. You should try and catch up." she declared.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he took hold of her hand, making sure to lock their fingers so that she couldn't run ahead.

"Heey, he huffed. "I'm not as old as you think. 'M quite young, little lass."

"Auntie Gem said that you you were born way before I was. That makes you old."

They'd just crossed over the first patch of the park's grass as Harry chortled.

"Auntie Gem is even older than me." he declared matter-of-factly.

The conversation had ended once Essie caught sight of the other children on the playground and she tugged on her father's arm.

"Can I go play now, Daddy?" she questioned, staring up at him for approval.

"Yes," he nodded. "but you must come and eat lunch when you start feeling hungry," He reached in his back pocket and retrieved a bright red cap, stooping down to place it over Essie's wild curls. "keep this on so I can find you on the playground, yeah? And don't talk to any strange people."

Essie nodded, adjusting the bill of the hat and shrugging out of her cardigan.

"Alright, Daddy."

Harry grinned.

"Run along, Pumpkin."

He sighed, watching Essie take off in the direction of the playground and decided to make himself comfortable on a bench lose enough for him to keep his eye on Essie. Harry thought it would be a good time to check his email and read over some letters to jump start his ideas. If he didn't catch up over the weekend he'd be severely behind by Monday.

His gaze shifted from the playground and back to his phone as he read, looking out for Essie whilst he drafted a response. She looked happy, bopping along in her red cap.

He realized he'd hit a block when he felt a presence settling next to him on the bench.

"Hello." a feminine voice greeted.

"Hi." Harry murmured, barely glancing up from his mobile.

He didn't care much for talking to others while he wrote. He usually needed as much concentration as possible.

"You look quite different when you're not behind that counter,"

The strange statement peaked Harry's curiosity and his head snapped in the direction of the voice. His eye caught sight of the familiar butterfly embroidered dress and he couldn't help but think how funny life could be sometimes.

"Oh, hi." he smiled politely, sitting his mobile in his lap.

The woman smiled, displaying her dainty dimples. The shy boy who'd been attached to her leg all morning long was no where to be seen and Harry assumed he was somewhere on the playground.

"Must have gotten a little jittery sitting in the shop all morning long. It's a nice day to be outside, yeah?"

Harry nodded in agreement.

"Essie's usually pretty good at sitting in places for a while. It's nice to get some fresh air, though."

The woman ran a hand through her long tresses tugging at her bottom lip briefly.

"Is Essie your little girl?" she asked.

Besides the differences in complexion, Essie looked rather similar to Harry. The dimples were the most obvious trait they shared. Still, people were curious, especially considering Harry's young age.

"Yep. That's my girl."

The woman's lips curved up into a grin.

"She's very friendly. I wish my boy would break out of his shell a little bit."

Harry laughed.

"Essie's been running her mouth since she could talk. The only time she's quiet is if she's upset or asleep."

"You and your wife must be quite entertained." she replied, smoothing the fabric of her dress.

He crinkled his nose whilst staring into her blue eyes.

"Wife?"

The woman could feel the crimson burning her cheeks.

"Yeah, I-"

" 'M not married." he finished casually.

"Oh," The woman bit her lip in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I just assumed. So sorry."
Harry shrugged.

"No harm, no foul."

Harry felt tickled. He could barely handle raising a kid. Marriage was the last think he needed.
The woman sighed a sigh of relief before picking up the newspaper at her side. She nervously unfolded it, allowing her eyes to skim over the paper. It had been the same issue she'd picked up from the bakery. Harry remembered how obviously offended she looked when he'd declared that no one read newspapers anymore.

"I take it you like to stay updated on what happens around here?" he asked, trying to make small talk.

The woman looked up from the paper, nodding her head slowly.

"You know, you could save a lot of money if you just went online. There's a webpage for the Herald." he replied matter-of-factly.

The woman frowned yet again, her eyebrows furrowing.

"There are so many important things you can find in a newspaper, memories you can save. You can't get that online."

Harry kinked a brow.

"When I was a kid," the woman continued, "I'd cut out comics from the paper and tape them to my walls. I wanted to be an artist, maybe draw cartoons like Walt Disney."

"That's pretty nice," Harry replied. "do you do anything like that now?"

A sad smile swept over her lips.

"No. I still draw from time to time but I haven't gotten a career in it. Sometimes life gets in the way of plans. You understand, yeah?"

Although he'd never really thought about what he wanted to do in life before Essie had been born, Harry could totally relate to having his life interrupted by unmade plans.

"Of course." he replied.

He tore his gaze away to look for Essie, relieved once he'd spotted her red cap.

"I've seen you twice in one day but yet I've only managed to get your daughter's name."

She folded the paper on her lap, smiling as she waited on a response.

"I'm Harry."

"Abbey. Nice to meet you, Harry." she grinned.

"Daddy!!!" Essie shouted, interrupting their introductions as she ran towards the bench.

"Hey, Pumpkin," Harry cooed. "ready to eat?"

"Yes!" Essie exclaimed.

Her eyes grew wide when she noticed Abbey.

"Hey! You're that butterfly lady from the bakery!

Abbey giggled.

"Yeah, I am. You can call me Abbey."

Essie grinned.

"I like that name."

Harry didn't know how to feel about Abbey. She seemed to have taken a strong liking towards Essie and seemed rather nice but he couldn't put his finger on what was bothering him.

He glanced down at his mobile, looking for an excuse.

"Es, why don't we head back to the bakery. It's a busy hour and Nan's probably going to need some help. You can finish your lunch there."

Essie groaned in protest at his announcement.

"Do we have to? I want to talk with Abbey some more." she whined.

Harry chewed his bottom lip feeling slightly guilty that he was dragging Essie away from a new found acquaintance. He couldn't help but feel skeptical of Abbey's strong liking towards Essie and only thought it appropriate to leave.

"Yes, we have to. C'mon."

Essie sighed as she wiggled into her cardigan. Abbey picked up her newspaper before smiling at the two.

"It was lovely to meet you, Essie. And Harry."

He nodded.

"Same. Let's get going ,Pumpkin." Harry spoke, grabbing hold of Essie's hand.

"See you later, Abbey." she waved.

Harry and Essie walked in content silence, Harry hold Essie's hand tightly as they crossed the street. Harry couldn't tell if Essie was angry or in deep thought.

"Daddy," Essie asked suddenly staring up at her father.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we'll see Abbey again?" she questioned innocently.

"Maybe," he sighed. "you're too young to understand right now but if people are meant to be in your life you'll run into them again. Some people stay and some people are just passing strangers."

Essie sighed frustratedly, unable to wrap her young mind around such an adult concept.

"If the people who go are strangers than what about the people who stay?"

"Then they matter," his grip on her hand tightened. "those who stay matter."

Notes

I am back! I know it's been forever since I've updated but I have returned. I'm not really please with this chapter so I apologize in advance. It's kind of basic and a bit of a filler but we have to be introduced to Abbey some way somehow. So with that being said, let's get to some questions.

• What do you think about Abbey?
• What do you think about her and Essie's instant connect?
• Do Essie grave female attention other than the attention she gets from Anne and Gemma?
• Why is Harry so stand offish? If so why do think

I love to hear what you guys think!
I'm so glad to have updated this! And isn't it a time to be alive? Harry launching his solo career with a magazine full of photos and an interview by Paul Mccartney! And Niall launching his solo career? 2016 just got brighter!

Anyway, until next time! Hope your day is as lovely as Harry's dimples! Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a little review!

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