Page 80 of The Promise

‘You’re good at keeping promises, I’ll give you that,’ he says with a teary smile. He is physically frail in comparison to the man I first fell in love with, but with every year that passes he is becoming stronger, and with every day that passes I love him even more. ‘I love you, David, I’ll see you when I get home tomorrow.’

‘I love you too, Kate,’ he whispers, and blows a kiss to the camera. ‘Give everyone over there a big hug from me.’

We say our goodbyes and immediately I feel I can’t wait to get home to him. It’s lovely to be here with my family and important to take time to grieve on this anniversary day, and to reminisce, to laugh and share stories and plans for the future, but my real home will always be where David is, and that will never change.

‘It’s my birthday soon,’ says Hope, who skips over to me bringing me right back to reality. ‘I want a really good present but I don’t know what it is yet.’

‘It’s my birthdaytoday,’ says Shannon, as if in competition with her 5-year-old cousin.

Mo catches my eye and we laugh at the simmering rivalry between our two daughters, despite a twenty-one-year age difference.

‘Come on, let’s get out of here and plan some birthday celebrations,’ I say, pulling myself up from the doorway. ‘For both of you, of course!’

As we walk hand in hand back down the hill towards the town I love and where I grew up, the knot in my stomach loosens a little, and when I hear Hope giggle as Shannon tickles her playfully, I acknowledge that we are all survivors in so many senses of the word – me, Mo, Shannon, Hope and David.

I may be complete in myself, but I know that he made me the person I am today and I will never stop loving him.

‘Are we going to see Nanny Martha later?’ asks Hope, and Shannon rolls her eyes.

‘Yes, we can go see Nanny Martha now,’ I reply, ignoring my niece’s reaction. ‘And Granda Bob too, of course.’

‘How on earth is that man still alive?’ asks Shannon, which makes me chuckle. ‘Jesus, he must have the constitution of an ox.’

Mo and I laugh heartily together as Hope demands we swing her along as we walk.

‘Life goes on, eh sis?’ she says to me, patting me on the arm. ‘You’re amazing, you know that.’

I nod and blink back tears.

‘As are you, Mo. Yes, life goes on,’ I tell her. ‘It really does, even when we know it’s never going to be the same again.’

‘Nothing ever stays the same,’ Mo says to me. ‘But you and David – you’ve got this.’

We walk down the hill towards the car park and I feel I can take another step away from the bomb that threatened our lives and took the lives of so many precious others, even if the scars are still within me somewhere. So much else has happened since, so many hurdles, so many traumas, but together we are strong and we have learned to appreciate the good times and cherish every precious moment of our lives.

Life can be devastating, it can be unfair and cruel, it can deal us the most almighty blows, but beneath the fog and the storms it can still be beautiful; behind the clouds there is always a blue sky waiting to bring us better days.

Our lives might have changed for ever but, for David and me, our love story isn’t over yet. Not even distance, not even illness, not even time itself will change that.

Our love will never come to an end. It can’t. It will always be there because it doesn’t know how to leave.

This love of ours has nowhere else to go.

THE END