Chapter 38
‘Happy birthday, Nelly,’ gushes Aunt Polly as she opens the door. She goes to hug me but sees my wet hair. ‘I see you’ve been for an early morning swim.’
‘It was my birthday, so I thought – why not? The water was lovely, and I swam for ages. I could do with a shower, though.’
She laughs. ‘Come inside, go get freshened up and we will go to The Sailing Boat café for a birthday treat.’
‘Are you sure?’
She nods. ‘The fresh sea air will do me good.’
Once I have showered and washed my hair I come downstairs.
I watch as my aunt surveys my outfit. ‘Nelly, you look great.’
This morning, after I woke up, I put on my swimming costume under my clothes, and I also decided to pack a different outfit for once I’d showered after my swim.
I remembered the other evening, of the picnic, standing in front of my mirror and feeling good.
I also recall the look Oliver gave me when he saw me step out of my bedroom.
I return to the part of my wardrobe I had once closed off after Eva left.
My fingers flicked through the hangers. I pulled out a white shirt and some blue jeans, folded them neatly and put them in my bag.
I do feel different standing in my aunt’s hallway, wearing my white shirt and smart blue jeans. I have also let my hair down and not put it into a bun.
It’s a slow walk to the café, but it’s nice as Aunt Polly and I walk arm in arm along the promenade.
We make frequent stops to watch the salty waves break on the shore, while excited children race across the golden sand.
I recall floating in the sea earlier, watching the sunshine dance on the surface like golden glitter being poured onto blue paint.
I remember feeling a sense of relief as I let the sea hold me.
I’d seen an upsetting vision on the train, and it had been on my mind as I entered the water; a woman finding her husband in bed with her boss.
The water seemed to carry away my sad thoughts.
When I got out, I felt lighter and excited about my birthday.
On the last stop, Aunt Polly turns to me with watery eyes. ‘I tried to bake you a birthday cake, but I felt so terrible this morning and…’
‘What is it?’
She puts her hands over her face. ‘I had a disaster. The kitchen is a mess,’ she says through her fingers.
‘You don’t need to bake me a cake, and I’ll clear everything away.’
She takes her hands away and shakes her head. ‘You’re not tidying up the kitchen on your birthday, Nelly.’
I smile at her. ‘I am, and you’re too weak to fight me.’
She laughs and we carry on walking.
We have a lovely time at the café, and Aunt Polly treats me to a cake.
When we return to her bungalow, she groans as I survey the baking disaster zone. The work surfaces are strewn with flour, bits of dough, dirty bowls, utensils, and sat in a tin is a sad-looking cake with a saggy centre.
‘Wow – you have been busy,’ I say, jokingly.
She laughs. ‘Can we never mention this again?’
‘Go and sit down. I will sort this.’
She doesn’t put up much of a fight. I watch her head for the sofa.
While she sits and watches TV, I clear away the mess, put the cake in the bin and wash up.
As I am putting the clean baking equipment back in her bottom drawer I spot a pile of letters.
That’s weird. Why would she keep letters in her baking drawer?
I am about to have a closer look when my aunt calls me.
‘Nelly, come in here, I have something to show you.’
Aunt Polly looks up at me as I enter the living room.
I sit down in her armchair and notice a cardboard box. ‘What’s in there, Aunt Polly?’
‘That’s the box of stuff I found at the back of my wardrobe. Remember that photo album I showed you? The one where we both got sad and had to put it away?’
‘What else is in the box?’ I peer into it.
Aunt Polly reaches down to underneath her coffee table and pulls out a little wrapped gift. ‘This was at the bottom of the box. I’ve been saving it for your birthday.’
‘What is it?’ I ask.
She passes me the gift and rolls her eyes. ‘Nelly, it’s a present, and I’m not going to tell you before you open it.’
I take it from her and smile at the rose-patterned paper and pink ribbon.
She watches me as I carefully unwrap it. Once I remove the paper, I’m left with an old notebook.
‘It was your mother’s,’ says Aunt Polly. ‘She would have wanted you to have it. I didn’t realise I still had it.’
‘What’s inside?’
She shrugs. ‘I haven’t read it. That’s your job.’
I run my fingers over the soft blue cover. Holding it up, I fan the handwritten pages. The sight of her swirly letters makes the air catch in my throat. I think about what Henry told me. Aunt Polly can sense something is wrong. ‘Nelly, talk to me. What’s on your mind?’
I explain about meeting Henry, our coffee and what he told me. ‘Do you think Mum had my curse?’ I blink away tears. ‘Why didn’t she tell me?’
‘You were nine years old, Nelly. If she did have it then maybe she was planning to wait until you were a bit older. It’s quite a big thing for a child to understand. Also, can you stop calling it a curse? It’s a gift.’
I hold up her notebook. ‘Maybe this will explain things?’
Aunt Polly smiles. ‘If it does give you answers, great, but if it doesn’t, don’t be upset with your mum. She was doing her best.’
‘I’ll save it for later,’ I croak.
On the train home, I decide to read Mum’s notebook when I am alone.
It feels too special to read on a busy train, crowded with a constant stream of visions.
Even though the visions I see are heartbreaking, I notice they don’t make me feel heavy or sad.
I acknowledge each one and remember what Eva said about heartbreak.
I also recall being in the water and that light feeling I had when I got out.
Tiredness washes over me as I climb the stairs to my flat. I’m worried that tonight I won’t be able to keep my eyes open, and I want to because I really enjoy my chats in bed with Oliver. He doesn’t even know it’s my birthday – I left before he woke up and haven’t mentioned it.
I stagger along the hallway and as I put my key in the lock, the door opens. He’s standing behind the door. ‘Come in, birthday girl.’
‘Wait – how do you know?’
He grins. ‘Miranda texted me.’
‘She told you?’
Miranda never fails to shock me, but then again, she was behind me and Oliver flat sharing. She’s desperate for us to work because it will benefit her business.
He nods. ‘Now come in as I have a surprise.’
I walk in, and he leads the way into the living room.
The sight that greets me makes me gasp. He has decorated my chair with coloured bunting and tied two balloons on strings to each arm.
The coffee table has been transformed. It contains little plates of sausage rolls, sandwiches cut into triangles, crisps, baked pizza slices and sticks of carrot and celery.
‘Welcome to your birthday party, Nelly.’
I look at him. ‘You’ve done all this for me?’
He grins. ‘Sit down. Let’s eat. Lenny is around here somewhere. I had to guard the sausage rolls as he had his eye on them.’
We have the most delightful party meal. When we’ve finished, he clears everything away and brings out a little cake with candles on it.
It’s a wonderful evening and one of the best I’ve had in a very long time. I open Eva’s gift and gasp. It’s a tiny silver necklace with an ‘N’-shaped charm.
‘That’s lovely,’ says Oliver. ‘Who’s it from?’
‘My friend Eva.’ I hold it up and watch the light bounce off the little charm.
Lenny comes for a stroke, which is nice.
‘What have you two been up to?’ I ask.
Oliver smiles. ‘Lenny has been asleep on my writing desk for most of the day. And I managed to get some words down.’
‘Oh, wow. That’s great.’
He gives me a sheepish smile. ‘I’m trying my best. I went back on social media stuff earlier and it was nice. Getting back into it.’
‘This is progress.’
I check the time on my phone and suppress a yawn. ‘It’s nearly nine. Do you fancy an early night?’
He smiles. ‘Another instalment of the footman and the maid?’
I start to giggle, and we both laugh.
He looks like a different Oliver to the one I saw in my kitchen a few weeks ago. There’s a brightness to his eyes, his brow is not as furrowed and his shoulders are relaxed.
We get up from our seats. I’m so busy thinking about how handsome he looks and how fabulous his birthday surprise has been that I don’t spot Lenny weaving himself through my legs. I try to move away from my chair, but trip over the cat and crash into Oliver.
I look up and find myself in his arms.