Donna Joy Usher - Chanel 01 - Cocoa and Chanel (23 page)

I opened it and inside was the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen. It was princess cut in white gold – a dainty thing with a claw setting. My breath caught in my throat, and then he was on his knees in front of me proposing.

I started crying; it was the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to me, and of course I said yes – although it sounded more like this, ‘YEEEEESSSSSSSS!’

The manager of the restaurant popped the cork on a bottle of champagne, and we rang our parents to tell them the good news. I can honestly say that, apart from our wedding, it was the happiest moment of my life.

I was distracted from my thoughts by my father joining me.

‘Look at that,’ he said. Panther – my mother’s huge black cat – was lying in the sun while the birds played around him. ‘Damn thing, won’t even try to catch a mouse.’ Dad shook his head.

I knew what he was referring to. Panther had – a while ago – decided that his favourite game was hunting Dad. He would hide in the garden while Dad worked, waiting patiently till he could launch himself from his hiding place onto Dad’s back. The first time it happened – Dad had admitted quite shamefaced – he had peed himself in fright.

I wasn’t the only one ending up with animals from the shelter where Mum worked. She had personally taken on the responsibility of finding happy homes for the pets that had been mistreated by their owners. Unfortunately they were often the ones with the psychological problems. Mum and Dad had Panther and Fluffy – a huge Great Dane that thought it was a lap dog.

Right at that moment Fluffy joined us in the garden, backing up slowly till the very end of his butt rested on Dad’s knee. He lifted his hind legs off the ground and perched there happily.

‘Damn dog should come with a reversing alarm,’ Dad said gruffly, but he started to scratch him behind his ears. Fluffy groaned in appreciation and nudged further back onto Dad’s knee.

‘How’re you holding up?’ Dad asked.

‘Oh just fine and dandy,’ I replied brightly.

Dad was not fooled by my tone of voice. ‘You’ve got to forgive your Aunt Esme,’ he said.

I looked at him quizzically.

‘She doesn’t mean to hurt you.’

‘Really?’ I said, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

He laughed a little and looked over his shoulder to make sure she wasn’t within hearing range. ‘All right,’ he conceded, ‘she’s a cantankerous, nasty old cow, who gets pleasure out of other people’s misery, but she’s the only relative – apart from Jackie – that your Mum has left.’

He reached out and took my hand. I was fine until he touched me, but then I could feel tears threatening to overflow. I concentrated on containing them.

‘I’m going to be all right Dad,’ I assured him, when I could finally speak again.

‘I know you are sweetheart. I know you are.’

We sat like that for a long time, holding hands and enjoying the uncomplicated silence between us.

***

If you would like to have a better look at
The Seven Steps to Closure
follow the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Seven-Steps-Closure-ebook/dp/B0082S1WPE