My mum stole my husband

YOUNG wife Samantha Eggleton never suspected her husband Simon was having an affair. Then she discovered he was seeing another woman behind her back - her mother Shirley, 54. Samantha, 23, from Essex, went numb with horror. The relationship devastated her and her father Barry, and divided the rest of the family. Samantha has not spoken to her mother since. Here they tell their stories to ROS WYNNE-JONES...

THE DAUGHTER'S STORY

When I first started going out with Simon, my mum hated him. She thought he wasn't good enough for me.

But by the time we were married and had our three sons, they were getting on a lot better. Simon and I fought a lot and he used to go to her to talk through some of our problems. After all, she knew me better than anyone.

After one particularly bad row I had asked Simon to move out. A few days later he was asking to come home and I couldn't decide what to do.

I asked my elder sister, Sherie, for some advice. She went really quiet, then she said: "Sam, can't you see what's going on under your nose?" I couldn't understand what she was on about.

She said: "There's something I've got to tell you, I can't keep it secret any more. Simon and mum are having an affair."

I just laughed. It was completely ridiculous. She was my mum and he was my husband. She was 51 and he was 25. Simon and I had three kids - her grandchildren. Even if I'd caught the pair of them naked in the bathroom I still don't think I would have believed it.

But Sherie was crying her heart out and told me mum had confided in her and keeping it secret was making her ill. It had been going on for four months and everyone knew except dad and me. We were the last to know.

My first thought was for my dad. I couldn't believe mum would humiliate him like that - we were a close family.

I went straight over to talk to him, and saw mum running upstairs. When we had finished talking, we realised mum had packed her bags and gone off with Simon.

The week before I found out I went shopping with her and we had a lovely day. She kept buying all this lacy underwear -which I thought was strange.

When I found out the underwear was to please my husband, I thought it was disgusting. How could she do that to me?

That was three years ago and the only time I have seen her since was in court when she and dad were sorting out their financial arrangements. I couldn't look at her and I only managed not to cause a scene because dad begged me not to. I felt sick being in the same room as her.

We didn't hear from Simon or mum for months after they ran off, until a letter came demanding to see the kids.

There was no way I was going to let either of them near my children.

They took me to court over it three times, but never showed up to any of the hearings - that's how much they wanted to see them.

She's written to me a few times since then, but she's never once said sorry. She just says it was two people falling in love, as if it was nothing to be ashamed of. My sons still don't know the truth. I just feel they are too young.

Simon is seven, Jesse is four and Josh is three. They think their dad has left and their gran is dead.

She is dead as far as I'm concerned.

When they get a bit older I'll explain it to them. I've kept all the letters she's sent. They can see the evidence for themselves and make their own minds up.

Simon has never written to me or rung me. One day I was driving to see some friends and I spotted him on a building site driving a digger. My heart stopped.

I leapt out of the car, and shouted at Simon to get out of the digger, but he wouldn't leave the cab. I went crazy. I climbed up into the digger and started attacking him. I really lost it.

I was thinking of the kids, growing up without their dad, and how he and mum had humiliated me.

Some of the other builders dragged me away and the foreman came out to see what was going on. He sacked Simon on the spot.

My dad's in a new relationship now, and I'm really pleased for him. We are still very close. I don't see my two sisters any more because they have chosen to be friends with mum.

The whole thing has affected my ability to get close to anyone. I just don't feel I can trust anyone after being betrayed like that.

Mum has done something very bad. I just hope she can live with herself.

Husband's story: You don't choose who you fall in love with. At first I thought what we were doing was wrong, but I love Shirley.

She is wiser and much more mature than girls of my own age, and she has a heart of gold.

I have never had what I had with Shirley before.

When I first started going out with Samantha I thought Shirley was a lovely person but I didn't feel anything special for her in the beginning. She used to accept me for who I was.

She would put me right when I was wrong and she would put Samantha right when she was wrong.

People accuse me of using Shirley, but do they really believe I would have gone through all that aggro if I hadn't loved her?

I just hope Samantha realises we didn't try to hurt her deliberately.

Mother's Story: I liked Simon right away. He was a caring and loving boy.

I didn't think of him as anything other than my daughter's boyfriend. It certainly wasn't love at first sight.

All I did for two years was try to help them. We were both unhappy in our marriages.

After a while I realised I was falling in love with him, but I dismissed it as an impossible dream.

Then one day I blurted out how I felt. Simon was gobsmacked. He just left without saying a word. Later I phoned him to apologise and he said: "Don't apologise, I'm glad. I can't stop thinking about you."

Simon always used to say: "This is wrong" and I worried constantly about the age gap.

But I never felt guilty about Samantha because I didn't think I was destroying anything.

They had no marriage, and Simon and I deserved a little happiness.

We didn't start having a sexual relationship until Simon decided to leave Samantha. It was wonderful but very frightening. It just happened - and at the time it just seemed so right.

When we left we literally had nothing. I know we didn't deserve a pat on the head, but I never regretted falling in love with Simon.

I just regret that the family I have loved so dearly and supported has turned against me. No matter what I have done, I am still me.

We have found in each other what other people were not prepared to give us. We deserve a little happiness.

Copyright 1997 MGN LTD
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