‘Ha, well, let’s not have our first argument about who is the luckiest here. We’re both lucky. It must have been the lucky dog we stroked. Oh, I love you, Tomas.’
I didn’t mean to say the ‘L’ word, but it felt like the most natural thing in the world. I never believed that I could fall in love with someone so fast, but sometimes, it feels just right.
‘And I love you too, Olivia. You walking into Uncle Albert’s apartment block that day was the best thing that ever happened to me.’
‘Me too.’
‘It’s amazing, isn’t it?’ says Tomas, sitting on the edge of the bed. ‘I wish we could show our gratitude to Uncle Marek and your aunt for bringing us together.’
‘Well, I guess we are thanking them by taking Aunt Grace’s ashes to be with Marek. We’ll be doing something special by reuniting them. That’s the biggest way we could ever thank them.’
‘Yes, that’s very true. So, can I get back into bed now? It’s cold out here,’ smiles Tomas.
I throw the duvet aside. ‘Get in here and let me warm you up. Although I don’t understand how you feel quite so cold.’
‘You’ll see. Now come here and warm me up,’ laughs Tomas.
As we giggle under the duvet, I don’t think I have ever felt such happiness in my life. Aunt Grace may have been right about the second chapter of someone’s life being the best. By the looks of it, I think mine certainly will be.
Tomas holds me so tightly it feels as though he will never let me go. However, when we are disturbed by the doorbell, I feel compelled to get up.
‘Ignore it,’ says Tomas.
‘It’ll be Ken. Nobody else comes up this way. I feel bad leaving it.’
‘In that case, we’d better get up. I want to see him anyhow to thank him again for helping me get here.’
I hand Tomas an old white dressing gown and quickly jump into a onesie. The dressing gown looks far too small for him, and his long legs look funny as we run downstairs, chasing each other to open the door first.
When Ken sees us both open the door together, his face is a picture.
‘Oh, now that’s a happy sight if ever I saw one.’
‘Aww, thank you. We are happy, aren’t we, Tomas?’
‘I’ve never been so happy. And I have to thank you again, Ken. You were very kind helping me in the snow like that.’
‘It’s what anyone would have done. You’ve got to help a man in need.’
‘Well, thank you from me too, Ken,’ I say.
‘It’s nothing. But, hey, I’m not here to be thanked. There’s a recorded letter you have to sign for.’
‘Oh, what is it now?’ I look at the envelope and it looks like a legal letter from Dewi’s office. I hope nothing untoward has happened. I have already signed all the papers he needs. Concerned, I open the envelope on the doorstep as Tomas and Ken talk about the weather.
‘Still got some snow in the garden up here then,’ says Ken to Tomas.
‘Yeah, I made the most of it before it melted,’ says Tomas. I look up at him and catch him grinning at Ken. What is he on about?
The letter distracts me from their conversation. It says that everything has been completed. All the money from my aunt’s estate has been transferred to my bank account. I look at the final numbers once again. Aunt Grace was always so generous with her time, love and now her money. I will carry her in my heart forever.
‘By the way, I’ve decided that I’ll be moving to Prague for a while, Ken.’
‘Will you? How wonderful!’
‘Yes, but only on the condition that you can help make sure the birds are okay around here.’
‘You know I will. The robin’s looking well over there, isn’t he? We’ve done a good job taking care of him this winter.’
