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Back Walking on Sunshine Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. By the same author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. Three Months Later
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. Epilogue – Five Years Later
  44. Acknowledgements
  45. An extra note from me …
  46. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘Just look at that view,’ I tell them, taking in the image of someone in front of the most stunning backdrop of rippling mountains.

‘It’s somewhere we never got to go,’ says Mike.

‘Let’s do it,’ exclaims Vicky, clicking through to see when that particular company has dates available. ‘What are you both doing in May … that’s three months away.’

‘I’ll have to check with work but, yeah. I could be free,’ I nod.

‘And the kids?’ I ask Vic, who hasn’t taken her eyes off the screen since the dates popped up. ‘Will they be OK with you going?’

She thinks for a moment. ‘They’ll be absolutely fine. Quite frankly, if I don’t go on this trip I’ll be heading for a nervous breakdown and no good to anyone by the time the year is out.’

‘I hear you!’ says Mike.

‘What about your wedding plans?’ Vicky asks, turning to me.

‘There’s nothing that a bit of time away will mess up,’ I laugh, thinking more in financial terms and how to juggle the cost of a wedding and a long-haul trip, but knowing I can make it work. ‘What about you, Mike?’

‘Sounds fucking ace. Gives me time to get this job done and then head off.’

‘Are you ready to leave your flat and Pia yet?’

‘Pia isn’t here,’ Mike shrugs, shuffling in his seat and straightening out his legs. ‘I thought I’d say a few words to her earlier and wish her a happy birthday. You know, talk to her ashes. The words simply wouldn’t come out. It’s not that I didn’t have anything to say, there are so many things I wish I could say to her, things I want her to know or ask for her help on. But I don’t feel like she’s here, around me. Today confirmed for me that although her body is gone, everything that made her great and wonderful – her spirit, her soul, her zest – isn’t. Instead she’s out there. Free of any kind of weight that pinned her down.’

‘Then let’s join her and be free of it all for a bit too. Maybe you aren’t supposed to be inside talking to her ashes, but getting rid of your own shackles and remembering her with life and living.’

‘I’ll drink to that!’ I declare, holding out my wine glass for them to chink. ‘I’m in!’

‘In!’ chimes Vicky.

‘In,’ croaks Mike.

I don’t know who cries first, but before I know it we descend into a mixture of tears and laughter. We’re doing this!

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14

Vicky