Page 119 of Merrily Ever After
Merry nodded. ‘I’ve been every day this week. But only briefly this morning. I took him a few sausage rolls left over from the party. You said he likes them. Did you hear about him getting in trouble?’
‘No?’ Emily said, feeling wrong-footed. ‘Nobody told me.’
‘It’s nothing serious,’ Merry reassured her. ‘In fact, it’s quite funny. The home has had a skip delivered roundthe back to get rid of some garden waste. Apparently, Dad was caught throwing cushions from the communal lounge into it. Every time he was on his own, he’d open the window and throw one out. Then he’s being going out in the garden, collecting them up and sticking them in the skip. Gail asked him why he’d done it and he said they smelled of wee.’
‘Cheeky old rascal,’ Tina laughed, shaking her head.
‘He never did!’ Emily exclaimed.
She looked at Merry’s face and saw the amusement in her eyes and the warmth in her smile and her heart squeezed with love. A bubble of laughter rose inside her, and she brushed away her silly jealous thoughts. Emily had wanted someone to share Ray’s care with, she wasn’t going to be territorial about him now that it had finally happened. Ray would enjoy seeing a new face, Merry was getting to know the father she had only just been reunited with and Emily, well, she had someone to talk to, to bounce thoughts and feelings off. Everyone was a winner.
‘I think it’s incredible that you’ve managed to visit him every day this week,’ remarked Tina, shaking her head.
‘Excuse me, so have I,’ Emily said mock-pointedly. ‘And I’ve been doing so for months, even before he moved into Springwood House.’
‘Yes, but Merry’s running a business and in the throes of wedding planning.’
‘Merry’s running a business, blah blah blah,’ Emily mimicked, rolling her eyes and making Merry laugh.
‘Oh give over,’ said Tina, passing the tape measure over the dress to check Emily had made both back bodice panels equal. ‘It must be bittersweet for you, Merry love, I guess, making contact with your father, only to find his memory fading.’
‘I prefer to think of it as just sweet,’ Merry replied, lifting her arm up so that Emily could get at the seam of her sleeve. ‘I feel blessed to have this time with my dad. I can’t do anything about the past, but I can be here now, getting to know him and Emily. I want to find out as much about my mum from him as I can. I’ve got family of my own now, rather than just marrying into Cole’s family. Actual blood relatives. I can’t tell you how much that has changed my life.’
‘Mine too,’ said Emily, gazing at her sister with love.
‘That’s a healthy way of looking at it,’ noted Tina, placing her hands softly on both women. ‘And I know I’m not a blood relative, but sometimes a girl needs a mother figure. And if you and my Emily are going to be close, then it stands to reason that that mother figure could be me. If you like, that is?’
Emily held her breath, waiting for Merry’s reaction; she couldn’t imagine what her life must have been like without a loving mother to guide her, inspire her and show her what love looked like. Tina had tears in her eyes and, in that moment, Emily had never loved her mum more.
‘Really?’ Merry’s voice was faint as she looked from Tina to Emily. ‘I’m … Gosh … I don’t know what to say.’
‘You don’t need to say anything.’ Tina hugged her tenderly, pressing her cheek against Merry’s. ‘Just remember where I am if you need me.’
Merry blinked at Emily unsurely. ‘Would that be OK with you?’
Emily swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. ‘Of course, as the saying goes: a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.’
Merry’s eyes brimmed with tears. ‘I’m so happy. Thank you.’
‘Oh dear,’ Tina sniffed. ‘There’s something in my eye.’
‘Me too,’ Emily said, laughing even as tears fell onto her cheeks. She handed round the tissues. ‘But we haven’t got time for all this sentimentality, we’ve got a dress to finish.’
‘And we will,’ said Tina. ‘But, Emily, do me a favour, when it to comes to your wedding, do not leave alterations until the eleventh hour like your sister. I’m getting too old for this stress.’
‘Come off it, Mum,’ Emily teased. ‘You’re loving the drama.’
Tina giggled. ‘It is exciting, I must admit.’
‘It already feels a lot better,’ Merry acknowledged.
‘Can’t have you looking like a waif and stray on your wedding day, can we,’ said Emily, taking a step back to examine the dress.
Merry laughed. ‘To be honest, I’ve had a lifetime of perfecting that look.’
‘Oh, love,’ sighed Tina, her brow furrowed in sympathy. ‘That breaks my heart. I’m so sorry.’
‘Me too,’ added Emily, feeling her sister’s pain.
