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Great Writing - Home > Extended > Let no man put asunder - chapter 35
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Extended Work
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| Let no man put asunder - chapter 35 | |
| By LynB | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 February 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Chapter 35 For the next few minutes there was silence, apart from the sound of the birds singing in the trees just outside the window. Donna just lay there, clutching his hand, finding comfort in his closeness; there was no need for words any more, just his presence was enough. Suddenly, he broke the silence, by saying: “I don’t want to leave you, Donna, but I’d better go and rescue Joanne! I’ll come and see you again soon.” “Will you come tomorrow?” “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it tomorrow – it’s Eliza’s funeral. I want to go and say goodbye. It’s going to be so hard, Donna….” “Jon, I’m so sorry. I wish I could be there for you.” “I know you would if you could, Donna. I’ll be all right; it’s just the thought of all those people. Still, I have to do it – for Eliza. She did so much for me, it’s the least I can do now.” “You’ll do it, I know you will. You’ll find the strength from somewhere.” “ I don’t feel very strong at the moment. I feel as if everything is falling apart all over again. I’m scared, Donna…” “There’s no need to be scared, love. I’m here for you – we can be here for each other. It doesn’t look as if Steve is going to be around, does it?” “No” he said, softly. “He’s made that pretty obvious. Anyway, I’d better go now – maybe your mum and Joanne will bring the children to see you. I know they’re worried about you. If they see you, it’ll put their minds at ease.” “That would be lovely. I’ll see you soon.” He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek, and made his way to the door. She called him back. “I’m glad you came, Jon” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “It’s good to know you still care.” “I’ve never stopped caring for you, Donna” he said, softly. “You’re the mother of my children.” With that, he left the room, and made his way down the winding corridors, back to the car park. As he drove home, he thought back to his conversation with Donna, and suddenly felt his eyes burning with tears. She had looked so fragile and vulnerable, and in so much pain. Steve’s promises to look after her had been nothing but empty, meaningless words – he had shown himself to be nothing but a heartless user. Jon had told him that if he hurt Donna, he would pay for it, but he had come to the conclusion that he was not worth it. Eliza’s untimely passing had proved to him that life was too short for incriminations and revenge; it was for living to the full, and that was what he was determined to do from now on. As he walked into the living room, Joanne and the girls looked up from what they were doing, their faces questioning. “How is she?” said Joanne, her eyes filling with tears. “Physically, she seems fine” he said, sinking gratefully into an armchair. “but mentally is another thing. She’s obviously feeling very low at the moment, and that bar steward hasn’t helped.” “Did she seem pleased to see you?” “She said she was glad I came” he said, deciding not to tell her, for the moment, exactly what else Donna had said. “I think we found comfort in each other – we’re both in pain at the moment.” “I know” said Joanne, putting a gentle hand on his arm. “I heard what happened to Eliza. It’s absolutely awful. Have they got the scumbag who did it?” “No, and I don’t think they will. Anyway, Eliza told me to let him go, but I don’t know if I can, Joanne. He’s caused me so much pain, I loved her so much…” He put his hand over his face, as he struggled to regain his self-control. Joanne waited patiently for him to speak again. “I’m sorry” he said. “but I’m still feeling rather raw at the moment. Every time I speak about her, or if someone mentions her name, I feel like crying. Tomorrow will be one of the hardest days of my life – it’s her funeral. Donna said I’d find the strength from somewhere, but God only knows where.” “You’ll be fine, daddy” said Emily, putting her hand on his shoulder. “I know you will. Eliza will know you’re there – she’ll be watching you from heaven. That should make you feel better.” “It does, Emily – thank you” “Maybe Eliza’s talking to Auntie Eileen” said Rosie, looking very thoughtful. “I’m sure she is, sweetheart” replied Joanne, taking a swift sideways glance at Jon. “they have a lot in common, don’t they? They both loved daddy, for a start.” Her comment was intended to be comforting, but she was shocked at the effect it had. Jon looked helplessly at her, tears streaming down his face, and despite his best efforts, he could not hold back any more. Joanne put her arm around his heaving shoulders, and held him close as he cried like a baby. She looked over at the girls, who looked most concerned. Over the last little while, they had had to grow up faster than a lot of children. They had come to realise that it was not just children who got scared – sometimes grown-ups had feelings they could not control. “It’s all right, love” she said, gently rubbing his back. “You let it all out – that’s better. You can’t keep all that pain inside.” “I’m so sorry, Joanne” he said, pulling away from her. “I don’t know what came over me. You’d better go – Danny will be wondering where you’ve got to.” “He knows where I am” she said, smiling. “now, you get a good night’s sleep, and I’ll be round tomorrow, so you can go to Eliza’s funeral. You look after yourself. I’ll be thinking about you.” With the children safely in Joanne’s care, he made his way to the small local church, where Eliza’s funeral was being held. As he had rightly said, she did not have much family, but the church was filled with her friends and colleagues from work – she had been a valuable and much loved member of the staff. Even former patients had turned up to pay their respects – that, to him, was a measure of just how much she was loved. He began to feel a little overwhelmed at the number of people there, so he found a seat at the back, near the door, so he did not feel hemmed in. Suddenly, there was complete hush, as the music started to play. He felt tears burning his eyes, as he realised it was one of Eliza’s favourites, the one she had asked him to sing during their day in the country – ‘Fields of Gold’. He sat there in a daze, as the coffin was carefully and respectfully put in place, and the vicar began to speak. As they all stood up for the first hymn, ‘Make me a channel of your peace’, he could feel his throat tightening, and, at first, he was completely incapable of singing a note. Then an image of Eliza’s smiling face came into his mind, and he could hear her voice, soft and full of quiet strength. She had given him the strength to face tomorrow when she was here, and she was continuing to do so, even after she had gone. He clenched his fists in a gesture of silent defiance, as if he was gathering all of his strength together, and, taking a deep breath, he began to sing, that glorious tenor that Eliza had loved so well, remaining strong and true, until the final notes, when he began to falter. As they all sat down, he began to cry softly, and searched his pockets in vain for a tissue. He felt someone gently nudge him, and a lady he had never seen before in his life, placed one in his hand. Realising he was alone, she gently rested her hand on his arm, giving him the strength he needed to face the rest of the service. As they all stood there at the graveside, he waited until the rest of the mourners had drifted away. After throwing a single red rose on to the coffin, he stood there, his head bowed, lost in his thoughts. Eliza had done so much for him in the short time they had known each other. She had met him while he was at his lowest ebb, and she had turned him around and helped him face the world again. There had been times when he had wanted to give up, but she would not let him. He thought back to the time when he had told her that he would never sing in public again. She had assured him that he would, and when he did, she would be in the front row. He had often wondered how he could repay her for all she had done, now he knew exactly what he had to do. He had to go out there and do what he had been born to do - he had to sing again….
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Lyn, I can't see the letters on the keyboard because of the tears 
It is also good to know that Donna is giving him the emotional strength to carry on. 
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