Chapter 43
43
Libby placed the last of the boxes of all her cooking items into the large understairs cupboard at home. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but she just about managed to get everything in.
‘My word,’ her dad gasped, nodding thoughtfully as he stared inside the cupboard now full from top to bottom. ‘Who knew it took all this to make such delicious chocolate,’ he said with a bewildered smile.
She hesitated before she brought out a small packet from her handbag, feeling nervous, all of a sudden.
‘What’s this?’ asked her dad, as she placed the packet in his hands.
‘Well, you said you’d never tasted my chocolate,’ she told him. ‘So I’ve got some samples for you to try. If you’d like.’
‘Of course,’ he replied, smiling broadly. ‘Let’s sit down, shall we?’
As they sat down at the kitchen table, Libby thought how much things had changed. He could now manage the washing and housekeeping at his own pace. He had even let her show him how to do online shopping for the supermarket, which had been delivered that morning. They were such small changes in the scheme of things and yet it had transformed him. He was a little more talkative and after so many years their relationship finally felt more balanced too.
He looked at the first truffle carefully before placing it in his mouth. She waited nervously for his assessment, having decided to start off with one of the plain flavours.
Finally, he gave her a delighted smile. ‘They’re delicious, Elizabeth,’ he told her, reaching out to take her hand to give it a squeeze. ‘Absolutely tremendous. You’ve got a real talent there.’
‘You really like them?’ she asked, desperate for his approval.
‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘You know, they taste just like your mother’s did.’
She nodded. ‘I know. That’s what I was aiming for.’
‘Do you mind if I try another?’ he asked.
‘I think you’ll like the coconut one too,’ she told him, handing him over another truffle.
Libby was happy that he was enjoying them. But what pleased her even more was that they remained at the kitchen table for a long while, as her dad wanted to know more about the chocolate-making process and what it involved.
Later on, after dinner, they talked some more about The Nutcracker as he had found the transcript online and was editing the story to fit in with the Christmas train run time. She told him how pleased she was that he had agreed to narrate the story.
He nodded. ‘I always love stories in the way that you can learn from them. In fact, I always loved everything to do with teaching. It felt like I was helping people. Giving them a step up.’
‘You could still do that in some way,’ she told him.
‘Funny you should say that,’ he replied. ‘Because I have an idea to run past you.’
Libby couldn’t think what on earth her dad was going to suggest so waited for him to speak.
‘After my conversation with Eddie, I realised just how isolated I felt after my stroke,’ said her dad. ‘Of course, living out here in the countryside doesn’t help as there aren’t any stroke clubs or anything of that nature. But I was thinking that perhaps I could create one instead.’
Libby looked at him. ‘You want to start a stroke club?’ she said, amazed.
Her dad nodded. ‘And even if there’s only myself and Eddie there, at least I can pass on my knowledge and experience to one other person. Although it’s so common, I’d be surprised if there weren’t more people in the area who had suffered the same affliction.’
‘Oh, Dad,’ said Libby, getting up to rush around the table to give him a hug. ‘I think it’s a great idea!’
He patted her on the back with his good hand. ‘Thank you, my dear. I was hoping you’d approve.’
Libby was feeling a little emotional as she sat back down at the table. It was such a turnaround for her dad to even mention talking to strangers. He had hidden himself away for so long that it really felt as if his depression had finally cleared.
‘Although I must confess to feeling a little nervous,’ said her dad.
‘Nonsense,’ replied Libby. ‘You’ll be amazing. And knowing you, you’ll research everything and have so much to pass on to people.’
‘Yes, what not to do, in my case,’ said her dad, with a frown as he looked up at her. ‘You’ve grown into a fine young woman, Elizabeth. I’m sorry I haven’t said so before now.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she muttered.
‘You’re just like your mother,’ he told her with a soft smile. ‘She had to learn to take a compliment as well.’ He paused before carrying on. ‘I hope you find a love as great as your mother and I had. It was special. She was my best friend. Maybe there’s someone out there too that’s your other half. The matching part.’
She briefly thought of Ethan, who knew her better than anyone else and yet there was still a gulf between them, even after their kiss.
‘It’s hard to get through life without a guide map sometimes,’ Libby told her dad with a shrug.
He looked at her with a smile. ‘Surely my clever daughter doesn’t need one,’ he said.
‘Not so clever if I can’t get another job,’ she told him, biting her lip. She had already received another couple of rejection emails from airline companies, although in truth she didn’t actually want to work as a flight attendant again, despite it being the only real job she had ever had. ‘Now that I’ve finished that big order for the hotel, I’m at a loss as to what to do next.’
‘Why work for someone else when you have everything you need already under our stairs?’ asked her dad. ‘You have a real gift, my dear,’ he told her. ‘So why not use it? Why not take a bit of time to see if you can make your hobby into something more permanent.’
Libby nodded thoughtfully. ‘I did get that amazing feedback from the hotel and they offered to type up a glowing review that I could use any time.’ She bit her lip. ‘But do you really think I can pull it off?’ she asked.
‘I think you can pull off anything, my dear daughter.’ He smiled at her. ‘I think it’s time for us both to be a little brave, Elizabeth.’
‘You first,’ she muttered, still feeling nervous.
‘How about together?’ he said, raising his mug of tea at her.
‘Together,’ she replied, before breaking into a wide smile. ‘Cranfield had better watch out! There’s no telling what we can pull off if we both put our minds to it!’
‘That’s the spirit,’ said her dad.
She loved that she could see a sparkle in his eyes for the first time in many years and could feel herself also coming alive with the possibilities for their future plans.
Best of all, she felt herself growing even more closer to him day by day.