Bella (34 page)

  
“
Here
’
s my number, just incase he decides to turn up before tomorrow.
”

I checked into a
hotel and decided to explore the town. There were so many little streets and
alleyways with tiny cottages. I found a small restaurant on the seafront, and
decided to have something to eat. Then I went back to the hotel. I was feeling
very tired and
went straight to
bed.

The next morning my
phone rang and woke me up. I looked at
the clock, 7 o
’
clock.

  
“
Hello Bella I hope I didn
’
t wake you.  I called
to tell you

Simon will be here
at 11am; if you like I can come and pick

you up and we can go
and have some breakfast.
”

I quickly got myself
showered and dressed. Richard was waiting in the car park. He had a lovely Audi
A5 Cabriolet. He took me to a
nice
little caf
é
on a side street near the promenade. I told him everything about
Simon and me. He was very nice and understanding and we got on very well. He
told me Brian his father, is an alcoholic
but that he quit drinking quite a while back.

   
“
When he married my mother Christine he decided to stop drinking; but
he found it very difficult. As soon as my
mother was pregnant
with me,
the struggle stopped and he hasn
’
t touched a drop
since. I know that when he was with Barbara he was a
terrible husband and father. He even admits it himself.
”

After we finished
eating, we went to his house. His father was
charming and I was happy for Simon that he had found him.

   We sat in the
garden and waited for Simon to arrive. He was supposed to arrive at eleven and
it was nearly twelve. We started to get worried. By three in the afternoon it
was obvious he wasn
’
t coming.

I was really
disappointed and decided to go back home to Lighthouse Cove. Richard seemed
disappointed I wasn
’
t

staying longer and
asked me to stay one more night.

  
  
“
If you stay a bit longer,
I
’
ll
take you out this evening. I know a really good restaurant that will knock you
off your feet. Everyone has to go there at least once in their life.

   
   
“
OK! I
’
ll stay, but just
one more night and I hope the restaurant is really worth it.
“

I decided to stay
one more night, hoping that maybe
Simon would eventually arrive.
”
I
said jokingly.

   That evening I
got
myself showered and
changed. Richard arrived ten minutes
early and we drove out into the country a few miles away
from the town. The restaurant was set back
in lovely grounds
and was in a
charming manor. We were shown to our table. It was set with the finest
silverware and the best pottery, along with lovely silver candle sticks as a
centre piece. Richard was a real gentleman and he even pulled my seat out for
me to sit down. He ordered some
champagne and we both ordered our food. I asked Richard what he did
for a living. He told me he was a property developer. I told him that I once
owned a guest house and that I now worked part-time in a bar. We discussed a
lot about my life and children. The night flew by so quickly and I was really
disappointed because I was actually having a great time.

 Richard drove back
to Newquay. We then decided to have a night cap at the hotel. I didn
’
t want the night
to
end. Richard was charming just like his brother.

 After Richard
left, I went to bed feeling tired and
rather tipsy. The next morning Richard called to say he wanted to meet me as
soon as he finished work. 

I had to go back to
Lighthouse Cove so I left him a message on his voicemail.

The drive back took
ages. I was about thirty minutes away when my mobile rang. It was Richard and
he was speaking but I couldn
’
t understand a word he was saying. I told him to start again and
speak more slowly.

  
“
Simon
’
s been in an accident and he
’
s
in hospital.
”

 I couldn
’
t actually believe what I was hearing.

   
“
Where is he?
”
Richard told me he was in a hospital in Kent. He told me Simon was
supposed to go to London and then to Kent before coming back to Cornwall. He
had been working all night and he must have been tired and fell asleep at the
wheel

  
“
How bad is he Richard?
”

 
“
You need to come to the hospital as soon as you can.
”
I drove to the hospital; I don
’
t
know how I got there because I was tired and panicking with worry. When I
arrived Richard and Brian were already there. I called Lizzie and she told me
to let her know how serious it was and whether she should come along.

   Luckily Simon
wasn
’
t too badly hurt, he only suffered minor concussion, cuts and and
bruises but the doctor thought it was better to keep him in overnight for
observation. I booked into a hotel for the night.

   The next morning
Simon was allowed out but he would
n
‘
t
even look at me. I realised then there was no point in
even trying with him and decided to give
up.

I drove back to Lighthouse
Cove and Simon went back with Richard and Brian to stay with in Cornwall
because Barbara was staying with some friends in Scotland for a few weeks.
Richard called me a few days later to say that
Simon was adamant he would never talk to me again.

   Over the next
year things didn
’
t change very much and Simon still kept his distance.

Violet came home for
a short period however, after some deliberation she decided to go and live in
New York with her new boyfriend she
’
d met while on
holiday there. I
’
ve met him and he
’
s lovely furthermore he makes Violet very happy which is the most
important thing. I miss her very much but fortunately we speak daily via Skype.
Thank God for such inventions.

   Violet wasn
’
t the only one that decided to go back to New York. Lizzie informed
me that Simon had also returned back there and taken his mother with him.

Richard called to
let me know he would be coming to visit me. When he arrived, I showed him
around Lighthouse Cove, then I took him to my favourite restaurant on the
seafront.
 
We talked about what we had been doing during the past year. I
asked him if he thought Simon would ever forgive me.

  
“
At the moment, I don
’
t think so Bella, and if I were you, I would try and move on.
”

I didn
’
t like what he said and I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks I
quickly made my excuses and went to the powder room. I stayed in there for a
while and tried to pull myself together.

   After the
restaurant we went for a walk along the beach, the night was clear and the
stars were out. However, there was a cool breeze which made me shiver. Richard
put his coat over my shoulders and we
sat on one of the rocks and talked. I realised how much Richard and
I had in common. I think I must have had too much to drink because I suddenly
had an urge to kiss Richard and obviously the feeling was
mutual. His kiss was soft and passionate;
he looked into
my eyes;

   
“
I think I
’
m falling in love with you Bella and am I right in thinking that
possibly you feel the same?
”

I think actions
speak louder than words so we kissed again, this time long and passionate. We
walked
back to my home and had
a night cap. The next morning I
prepared a picnic and Richard and I took the children to the
zoo for the day. They really enjoyed their
day and
Richard was extremely
good with them and they seemed to really like him.

   The next morning
Richard had to leave and go back home. I was disappointed although I
knew he had to go at some point. After he
went back, we chatted daily on the phone. Richard told me Simon had returned
from New York for a while and was staying there with him. I knew I had some
feelings for Richard, however, I was confused because he was Simon
’
s
brother. I tried
to keep my feelings to myself because I didn
’
t
want to get hurt again and I certainly didn
’
t
want to give Richard the wrong signals.

I decided to take
the children to New York with me to visit

Violet. Anthony took
me to one side and asked me for my blessing as he was planning to propose to
Violet. Despite thinking she was a little too young for marriage I gave my
blessings. Anthony was a lovely young man and from I could see he had a very
good influence on her. 

   I felt much
better after a good nights sleep. The children were still rather sleepy after
our long journey so I let them sleep a bit longer.

Once I got Liam and
Bella up and dressed I jumped into the
shower. I wasn
’
t expecting to find what I did .While washing myself I found a lump
in my breast. I tried to keep calm and enjoy my holiday with Violet and the
kids.

   That evening
Anthony took us to a restaurant in Time Square called Casa Nona, an authentic
Italian experience. The food was superb and
we had a fantastic bottle of white wine with our food. Before our desserts were
bought out, Anthony pulled out a small box with a diamond and sapphire ring
inside and proposed to Violet. The smile on her face said everything and of
course she accepted.

Anthony is a writer
for a newspaper and I know he will look after her.  Violet has always wanted to
make her home in New York and now she is with a lovely man.

I only hope
she doesn
’
t
make the same mistakes as I have.

   Over the next
week I tried to enjoy myself with everyone

but I couldn
’
t get the lump I
’
d found out of my mind. I decided to phone Lizzie and confide in
her.

She told me to
return home as soon as possible and go and see my doctor. I decided to cut the
holiday short and return back to England.
Once we arrived home I went to see Doctor Matthews and told
him about the lump. He referred me to see a
specialist at the
hospital in
my home town. I had to have a mammogram which was extremely uncomfortable and
then an ultrasound scan which showed up a small mass in my breast. He decided
to do a biopsy and sent it off for further examination.

   Fortunately
everything was done within
two
days so I didn`t have to wait long before the results were back. Lizzie came
with me to give me some moral support.
We sat in the waiting room for about fifteen minutes before the
doctor called me to his room. I was so nervous and scared. Lizzie held my hand
as the specialist told me my results. I had a lump which had been found to be
cancerous. I would need chemotherapy and hormone therapy treatment every couple
of days for about three months and then every three weeks.

I had to start the
treatment immediately. I decided not to tell

Roy and the
children. The only person who knew was

Lizzie.

I knew there was a
possibility I would lose my hair

and then I would
have no choice but to tell the kids.

My treatment started
the next day. It was awful and It made me
feel very sick; however I wanted to live and I would do anything to survive. I
felt constantly drained and lethargic and couldn
’
t
do very much.

   After a few weeks
my hair started to fall out in big chunks and the children started to ask me
questions. I just told them I had a problem with my hair. Violet told me she
was coming home with Anthony for a holiday so I knew I would have to tell her
when she got here.