Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
‘Happy birthday, Olivia,’ Kate, Connor, and I all chorused, raising aloft our coffee cups. The vanilla latte I’d bought Olivia from Happy Beans Café sat on the top of her gravestone in its cute pink travel mug. On either side of her gravestone were bunches of pink flowers and two heart balloons with – Happy Birthday on them. The biggest arrangement was from Sonia, Olivia’s mum. ‘When did Sonia come up?’ Kate asked, kneeling to inspect the flowers.
‘She texted me earlier to say she was up here at eight in the morning,’ I explained. ‘The family are all coming back later this afternoon.’
We stood before Olivia’s gravestone. Rummaging in my coat pocket I searched for tissues as tears spilled down my cheeks. Connor pulled me against him and stroked my hair. He began his speech. ‘Olivia, happy birthday. I am missing your winged eyeliner, your ability to walk into any charity shop and find an amazing piece of clothing, your love of liquorice sweets and how, even though you were a dreadful cook, you never gave up cooking us all meals that gave the impression you’d been torturing a vegetable and a stringy piece of meat for hours.’ He grinned at the stone. ‘I hope you get to dance the night away in heaven tonight.’
With a nod and a little sob, I started my speech. ‘Happy birthday, my soul sister. I am missing seeing you go wild on a dance floor and drinking dodgy green liquid shots. I miss sitting on the sofa in identical pink onesies, scoffing steak and onion sandwiches and talking about our future fitness goals. I am missing hearing you shout at imaginary people whilst you type out your romance books. I hope there are some fit angels up there for you to dance with as you celebrate your heavenly birthday.’
Kate rose to her feet and nodded. ‘I still can’t believe you’re gone, Olivia. It’s like you’ve gone travelling or are on an extra-long holiday. I keep expecting to see a photo dump on Instagram, filled with photos of you dancing on tables and lying on a towel looking pale and hungover. I am missing your laughter, your craziness, friendship and love.’
I rubbed Kate’s arm. ‘Me too.’
After placing his coffee cup next to Olivia’s, Connor took out her romance book. Kate and I both nervously glanced around the graveyard for anyone who might not want to hear an extract from, One Night with The Viking King. He started to read, and I closed my eyes.
I remembered the day Olivia had come hurtling out of her bedroom with a huge smile on her face. ‘I’ve finished it,’ she announced. ‘I can’t believe I have written a medieval romance.’ She giggled. ‘My GCSE history teacher is going to be impressed with my historical knowledge when she reads it.’
‘Do you think she will read One Night with The Viking King ?’
She nodded. ‘She’s read all my other books on Amazon and always leaves me a thought-provoking three-star review. When she reads this one, she’s going to feel guilty for predicting me a C at GCSE history. She might go for a four-star.’ We laughed before grabbing our coats and going out for a celebratory drink.
I wiped my tears away as Connor closed the book. He grabbed his coffee and smiled at the gravestone. ‘Olivia, that was amazing. I felt like I was in medieval times waiting for my handsome Viking King to row across the sea. I did wonder whether a Viking king would row his long boat by himself. Surely, he would have had people rowing it for him.’
I placed a hand on his arm. ‘Olivia doesn’t need to hear your editorial criticism on her birthday.’
Connor nodded. ‘As a reader, I did get a good idea of the Viking King’s impressive physique with all those powerful rowing descriptions.’
Kate and I leaned against Connor, and we all gazed at Olivia’s stone.
‘I hope you enjoy the coffee, Olivia,’ Connor said. ‘Rachel put two sugars in it as she doesn’t think heaven will have bad stuff like sugar.’
Kate smiled at me. ‘We should have brought Olivia some vodka.’
I nodded. ‘That will be next year’s birthday.’
After Connor told Olivia’s gravestone all about his latest online dating match, Kate talked about how she’d adopted a fourth cat called Bob. Then I began to tell Olivia’s stone about Christmas. ‘My family have conspired against me once again on WhatsApp, and I am now spending Christmas, looking after Humphrey, the dog, and Grandpa in Harp Brook.’
‘Olivia, please make the wind blow the trees if you want Rachel to disobey her sister’s rich husband and venture into the west wing,’ Connor announced.
We all gasped and then laughed when the trees hemming the graveyard began to sway as the chilly wind raced around them.
‘It’s a sign,’ said Connor. ‘You must be naughty in Harp Brook.’
‘Unlikely when I will be mostly tending to Grandpa and Humphrey.’
With tears in our eyes, we told Olivia how much we missed her. Connor poured her coffee around her stone as we didn’t want it to look as though we’d left a coffee cup on someone’s gravestone. We linked arms and trooped back to the car.
‘Do you remember that blind date she organised for you?’ Kate asked, unlocking her car. ‘Did you ever email that guy back?’
I shook my head and took out my phone. His email had arrived a few days after Olivia had messaged him. Even though I never replied to him I had kept it. I opened it:
Hi Rachel, I am assuming Olivia has told you about me and her idea of a blind date. If she hasn’t then this is very embarrassing, and you must think I am her weird stalker friend. If this has happened, I will have words the next time I see her.
As you may or not know, I am Ben and Olivia has agreed to be my dating consultant. We’ve been friends since university, and I know the following about her:
1. She can’t hold her drink.
2. She thinks she’s the next Barbara Cartland.
3. She has a heart of gold.
4. She claims her odd-shaped nose was because she once banged it on a cupboard but if you meet her mum, you will know the cupboard story is not true.
5. She loves Harry Styles and her own made-up dance sequences to his songs were questionable.
Hopefully, this will show you that I know Olivia very well and I am not a weird dude. If you want to go on a blind date, please get in touch. I know a great place for brunch and their coffee is out of this world.
Ben.
‘Rachel?’ Kate was nudging me. ‘Are you looking at his email? Why have you kept it?’
I shrugged. ‘I never replied to him. It didn’t feel right. I did think about emailing him when she died but that felt awkward too. It wouldn’t have worked.’
‘Why not?’ Connor asked.
Sam’s face appeared in my head. ‘My heart was still broken after what Sam did to me. It has taken me ages to get over him. Every time I open my flat door, I relive seeing Sam standing there about to break my heart.’
‘Sometimes I wonder whether your flat is doing you any good?’ Kate perused. ‘So many memories for you to deal with every day.’
Connor tapped me on the shoulder. ‘Where are you now on the romance front?’
‘I would like to find someone,’ I said, ‘but my self-confidence isn’t great, and I do spend a lot of my time getting upset about Olivia.’
‘Have you got those leaks sorted?’ Kate asked. ‘All that water and dampness cannot be good for you.’
I shook my head. ‘My landlord is ghosting me.’
‘Where will your grandfather sleep tomorrow night?’ Connor asked.
‘My bedroom. I’m going to have to sleep on the sofa?’
Kate gasped. ‘Rachel, you can’t sleep in a room where half the ceiling is leaking.’
‘She’s right,’ agreed Connor. ‘The dripping will keep you awake and it’s not healthy.’
There was only one other place. The thought of sleeping in Olivia’s room made every muscle in my body clench. ‘I can’t sleep in Olivia’s room. I haven’t been in that room since her mum came over to take away her things.’
Kate reached over and laid her gloved hand over mine. ‘You need a fresh start, Rachel. You’re living in a flat which should have a public health warning stamped all over it and constantly reminds you of the past.’
‘I disagree,’ I mumbled. ‘Being in my flat means I am close to Olivia.’