Page 18 of Summer at the Cornish Garden Café

Ellie nodded and it was then that Lena realised her cheeks were wet. She patted them with the back of her hand and sniffed. Ellie opened her bag and pulled out a pack of tissues. ‘Here.’

‘Thanks.’ Lena removed a tissue from the pack then dried her cheeks. ‘I don’t know what came over me.’

‘It’s the sea.’

‘The sea?’

‘It’s healing being here,’ Ellie explained. ‘I’ve been through the same thing. When I came back here after over a decade inLondon, I wasn’t prepared for the impact of being near the sea again, but boy did it hit me!’

‘Really?’

Ellie nodded. ‘It was like all these pent-up emotions I had stored inside me came rushing to the surface and I had to release them.’

‘Wow. I guess I have been doing the same thing. I mean… storing emotions inside.’

‘We all do it.’ Ellie shrugged. ‘It becomes second nature to push things down, putting on a brave face and getting on with things. But it’s not healthy and sooner or later those things will rise to the surface and BOOM!’ She made a gesture that suggested an explosion happening. ‘But being near the sea can help you to heal.’

‘Have you healed?’

‘Massively. I didn’t even know how broken I was feeling. I knew I wasn’t right but then I came home to Cornwall and once I started letting things out, it was like a geyser.’

‘But you feel better now?’

‘I do. Obviously, I still cry, and I will always need to release things but I feel lighter than I did. I’m convinced that healing is an ongoing process and with each step of it, we can feel a bit better. We shouldn’t try to suppress our feelings but should try to face them and set them free.’

‘I like that idea.’ Lena smiled. ‘Although it’s not always easy to release emotions, especially not when they’ve been hammered down for so long.’

‘And some of them are downright terrifying, I know.’ Ellie squeezed Lena’s arm. ‘Look, if you ever need a friend to talk to, please give me a call. I’m a good listener.’

‘Thank you so much.’ Lena sighed and her shoulders dropped as some of the tension seeped from them. ‘That means a lot.’

‘We all need friends, and we all need to share. There’s nothing wrong with letting things out. The damage is caused when we hold them inside.’

‘Pain can be damaging.’ Lena nodded. ‘It gnaws away at you over time like a trapped rat in a cage.’

‘That’s a good way of describing it.’ Ellie smiled. ‘So what are your plans today?’

‘I’ve had a look around the fair and it’s very impressive. I met a lovely little pug in the rescue sanctuary gazebo and just stroking him made me emotional. I thought a walk to the sea would help and it did, but it also brought my emotions bubbling to the surface.’

‘Dogs are good for helping you to heal. My partner, Jasper, has a dog called Wiggy and he gives amazing hugs. He’s also a good listener.’

‘Wiggy?’ Lena asked.

‘Short for Wigglebutt!’ Ellie giggled. ‘Because his butt doesn’t stop wiggling.’

‘That’s so funny.’ Lena smiled.

‘He’s the happiest dog I’ve ever met. It’s impossible to be sad around him.’

‘I was thinking about how nice it would be to adopt Harvey but then I initially only planned to be here for the summer. Unless, that is, I decide to stay.’

‘You certainly should consider it if your life in London isn’t what you want anymore.’ Ellie’s eyes were filled with kindness and Lena wanted to lean into her and tell her everything. But she also felt it might be challenging because she had no idea where to start. And as kind as Ellie was being, she probably had a million things to do today.

‘I don’t think it is,’ Lena admitted, the weight of that one confession making her feel instantly lighter.

‘Well there you go then. Take the next few weeks to decide if that is how you feel and do something about it.’ Ellie made it all sound so simple. ‘I did it and so could you.’

‘Thank you.’ Lena pushed a lock of hair that had escaped her plait back under her baseball cap. ‘It helps to talk to someone.’

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