Bella

by D. J. Barrett

  I told Claudio we should get married the following year when Simon was completely better. Simon was a lot better than he was, and the Doctors said he was making good progress.

  I decided to take the children to New York for the Easter Holidays. The warm spring sunshine was welcoming and warm on my skin. After we had slept I took the children to see Simon. I hadn't told him we were coming because I wanted to surprise him. He seemed much better this time He was clean shaven and smiled for the first time since his illness. I invited him to stay with us for a while at the apartment Roy had bought me. That evening when the children were in bed I cooked us a lovely meal, Monk fish, jacket potatoes with spring onion seasoning and steamed vegetables were on the menu. We polished off the whole lot and drank a bottle of Chardonnay between us.

  . Lying in bed I couldn`t sleep and was feeling rather restless. I could hear Simon in the next bedroom playing his guitar. I felt that same familiar passion rearing its head again. I decided to call Claudio. Maybe hearing his voice would make me feel better. He talked about his work, and told me he would be visiting soon and if a date wasn`t set for the wedding then our relationship was over. After the phone call I decided to read a book.

  Eventually I must have drifted off to sleep, but was woken by Simon.

  “Bella you were having a nightmare.” Simon was stroking my head as I tried to close my eyes again. He leant over and kissed me. I responded by kissing him passionately in return.. He kissed every inch of my body. I quivered with excitement; then we made love.

  “Bella we have to do something about this, we are in love. No matter how hard we try, we always end up together again.” Simon pointed out.

  “Simon we can never be together you know that. This is wrong, and we have to stop.” I said again for the umpteenth time. He left the room in silence.

  When morning arrived, we carried on our usual things, and nothing was said about our night of passion. Over the next few days we visited many places in New York and ate plenty of good food. Simon started to return to his old self again so I decided to return to England.

  Claudio was already there when I got back, and I knew I still loved him. I could never be with Simon, so I had to try for the Children's sake and mine because they needed a stable life. We decided to set the date for the following June. This time I was going to get my fairy-tale wedding that I had dreamed of.

  Weeks passed and thankfully Simon made a complete recovery. He returned to England for a while however, I tried not to see him too much because I knew I couldn’t hide my feelings.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Weeks had passed and Claudio was living here in Light cliff Cove with me. It was summertime; the weather was very hot and clammy.

  Tammy and Roy decided to live in America. Claudio also wanted us to move there, but I didn’t feel I was ready to leave my roots behind, along with the memories of my mother and father.

  Summer time soon passed. Lizzie opened a new beauty parlour and I decided to go and work there. I felt like I needed a change.

  Claudio was always away with his work, so Tammy invited us all to go to New York for Christmas. It was September and autumn was fast approaching. The leaves had changed colour and started falling from the trees, I loved this time of year.

  Just as I was getting ready for work one morning, and the children were having their breakfast; there was a knock at my door. I didn’t normally get visitors that early in the morning. Rushing to answer the door, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see Victoria on my door step. I put another pot of coffee on and we sat down at the kitchen table.

  “I won’t beat about the bush.” Victoria said. Somehow I realised she wasn't here for a nice chat.

  “It’s about you and Simon. I’ve known something for a while and I think it’s about time you knew.” She said.

  “I don’t want to know.” I replied.

  “I think you will Bella.”

  “You’ve got the letter haven’t you? Where did you get it from? Have you been snooping around? I was furious.

  “It doesn’t matter where I found it.” She snapped. Victoria looked at me, her eyes narrow and her face full of anger and resentment.

  “You love Simon don`t you? And I know he loves you.” She blurted out.

  “Look I haven’t got the time to chat now; I have to go to work.” I answered, avoiding her questions.

  I knew whatever she had to tell me was important, but I just didn't want to hear what she had to tell me.

  “Will you ever want to listen, don't you want to know?” She asked. “Maybe I’m happy the way my life is, with losing mother and father and then having a bigamist husband, I have finally found peace and happiness.” Victoria handed me the letter. I thought back on the amount of times I had held that letter in my hands, but never had the nerve to read it. Maybe I never will, I thought. Just before Victoria left, she said.

  “Bella you really have to read the letter, you will understand why I was so angry, everything will fit into place, when you read it.”

  I hurried to work. I didn’t give another thought to the letter, and left it on the kitchen table. ’Maybe I will read it tonight, I know I have to.’ I thought to myself.

  Rushing home after work, the rain was really heavy and I was soaked. I picked the Children up from nursery and as I was turning in to my street I could smell smoke, then I could see thick grey clouds heading up to the sky. I never for one minute thought it was my home that was on fire. It was so severe we lost everything we owned in the fire.

  Over the next few weeks, everything was a blur, my whole life had gone up in smoke. The police said it was arson. But who would want to do that to us, and why? Lizzie told us we could stay with her until we got ourselves sorted out.

  I thought that it would be better to have a new start with Claudio and the Children. Tammy and Roy asked us to consider moving to New York and I did have an apartment there. December had arrived and we couldn't stay with Lizzie forever so I made my decision.

  Before we left England, I decided to go and take one last look at the house that was once our home. Now it was just an empty shell, every memory I had in that place had gone up in flames, including the letter from my parents. Maybe I wasn't meant to know what was in it after all.

  We landed in New York and I was feeling very nervous. We had our health and each other and that was what really mattered. Maybe a new start was what we needed. We soon settled in to our new life. Tammy and Roy made Christmas as normal as possible. Simon didn’t join us and Lizzie stayed back in England Claudio found work in New York and our lives started to fall into place.

  The first sign of spring arrived and it was nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin and the smell of the flowers, especially Lavender. We decided to move to the suburbs of New York, so Roy told us the apartment was to do with as we saw fit. We found a lovely little house in the Hamptons, not far from New York and a private School for Violet. Sometimes I miss England and our house. Thankfully the insurance covered the damage that was done on the house and it was going to be done up. It was easy to replace furniture and other material things but I couldn’t help wondering about the letter and its contents. I missed Lizzie and Simon very much, although Simon was returning to New York very soon. Claudio and I found a lovely venue for our wedding and decided to have the ceremony on the beach. Tammy was as excited as I was. Lizzie called to let me know she arrive soon in time for the wedding. I only wished that mother and father were still alive to see me get married although I had already been married before. For some reason I wasn’t to bothered that they weren’t there for that one, as it was done very quickly and wasn’t particularly very special.

  When my sister arrived, I found out she was expecting another baby even though the doctors had already told her that it was unlikely she would be able to carry full term. She brought along her new partner who she had been seeing for only a short time.

  “This time I am staying with this one.” She laughed. His name was Anthony, a very cha
rming man who seemed very good for Lizzie. I only hoped for her that this one would work out.

  We all decided to go for a meal, we took Lizzie and Anthony to a lovely seafood restaurant called Tierra Mar on West Hampton Beach and had lobster After we walked along the beach and watched the sunset, then we took the children home, Tammy and Roy offered to babysit, so we went to a cabaret club called Le Flirt. Antony, Lizzie’s new boyfriend was really charming and Claudio got on well with him.

  “Maybe Lizzie will finally settle down, Antony is really nice.” I told Claudio.

  A week passed by and our wedding was only a day away and I was soon to be Claudio’s wife.

  The morning of our wedding was very sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Our ceremony was to take place on the beach, and then on to our Venue at the Gras mere Inn, a charming hotel, which was located on West Hampton beach. Violet was my flower Girl and Robert my Page boy. Tammy and Lizzie were fussing around me helping me to get ready. Lizzie did my hair and Make-up and Roy offered to give me away.

  When Simon arrived he looked charming dressed in his top hat and tails, and he was to be Claudio's best man.

  Claudio's parents said they would arrive just before the ceremony. I had only met them once, but they were lovely people and I was really looking forward to meeting them again. Roy had arranged for a horse drawn carriage to take the children and I to the ceremony.

  Walking towards Claudio, seeing him standing there, he looked so proud, and very handsome. We smiled at each other, as the ceremony took place and I became Mrs Ferrari.

  Roy and Tammy gave us tickets to travel Europe for our honeymoon. We said our goodbyes to the Children and flew off to Europe. Our first destination was Paris. We were booked into Le Metropolitan Hotel it was very stylish hotel.

  The Café’s and bars were fantastic, and the food was plentiful. On our first day we went to the Eiffel Tower, then we visited the Cathedral Notre-Dame, Paris was very romantic. Those few days flew by too quickly. Our next destination was Luxembourg a small country bordered by Germany, France and Belgium .We stayed at the Hilton Hotel which was situated in Luxembourg City. We visited Vianden, which is well known for its beautiful fairytale castle set on a rocky promontory. Esch-sur-Sur another one of it’s magical sights. Luxembourg City Centre was very beautiful, with its quaint streets, and café’s. After our trip we flew to Rome.

  Our first visit was the Trevi Fountain, Fontana Di Trevi, is one of Rome's most famous touring sights.The water from the Fontana Di Trevi comes from an ancient underground Roman aqueduct built by Agrippa, the Aqua Vergine. It also supplies water to the fountains in Piazza Novena, the Piazza di Sphagna and Piazza Farnese. Claudio told me that the legend says, if you throw a coin into it, your wish will be fulfilled and you will be destined to return to Rome in the Future. We stayed at the Hotel St George. It was right in the heart of the historic centre. The Hotel had a spa, fitness centre and a pretty terrace. It was modern but had a historical feel to it. We went to a lovely restaurant on our final night. At Zio Ciro, the food was lovely and we had a bottle of their house wine. Our honeymoon was lovely, however, we were both looking forward to getting back home and seeing the children.

  Tammy and Roy picked us up from the airport in New York. We settled in to married life and I felt happy and secure. Simon was no longer in my head. The only thing I was missing was England, I loved it in New York but there was no place like home.

  As the next few years passed my children grew up. Violet was eleven and Robert was nine. Lizzie and Anthony finally got married. Unfortunately she lost her baby when she was eight weeks pregnant and was told that she would probably never be able to carry a baby full term.

  Tammy and Roy are currently travelling the World and luckily Marco never contacted me again. Claudio and I were planning on moving back to England. We stayed in New York for a few years, but I missed my home town too much.

  I couldn't believe the feeling I had when we landed back in London. We bought a house in the same street as our old house and put the children in private school to give them a good education. I began thinking back to the fire and the letter that I never got to read. I wondered what mother and father had to say to us. The only person who knew was Victoria. But I was happy with my life the way it was and nothing could change that. Simon called to inform me that he was getting back with Victoria after all those years; I didn’t feel any jealousy and was very happy for them both. After numerous attempts at getting pregnant, it finally happened

  Walking along the beach hand in hand with Claudio, we watched the sun go down. Looking back to my childhood I had so many happy memories. Remembering the times I used to walk on the beach when I needed to think and Simon would always follow me.. In fact, we were inseparable. Maybe the feelings that we shared are no longer there or we have managed to finally put them at the back of our mind. I thought to myself.

  They say you can love someone for a life time, but never be with that person and of course our reason was that we were brother and sister. I knew I would always have a part of Simon in Robert and he is becoming more like his father every day.

  My pregnancy was going well, and my baby was due at the New Year. Christmas Eve arrived and I started having contractions. Claudio had just gone to buy a real Christmas tree.

  ‘My contractions are getting much stronger maybe I will have the baby today.’ I thought to myself.

  Our Daughter was born at home five minutes before midnight. Claudio wanted to call her Bella, the same as me. She was so beautiful, with lots of dark hair, and blue eyes like mine. Christmas day was hectic, with two Children, and a new born baby I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.. But I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

  We had the entire family round including Simon to celebrate the birth of Bella, my birthday and Christmas. My family finally felt complete.

  After a while I decided when the time was right to ask Victoria about the letter, seeing as she was the only one that knew what was written in it.

  On New Year’s Eve Tammy and Roy were having a party at their house in Light House Cove. Victoria and Simon were already there when we arrived. I still didn’t think it was the right time to ask about the letter even though it was constantly on my mind. I really wanted to know what mother and father had to say. I think Victoria must have guessed that something was on my mind because when Simon decided to play us all a piece of music on the guitar she looked directly at me.

  “This must bring back memories Bella. Simon playing his music and of course he’s playing your favourite song.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. For some reason Victoria was in the mood for a confrontation. I took her to one side.

  “You know the letter was burnt in the fire.” She laughed at me.

  “I am the only one who knows what was in that letter. I love Simon and I don't want you to ruin what I have with him.”

  “Why would this letter wreck your relationship with Simon? She didn't answer that question. I started thinking that there had to be a copy of the letter somewhere. Knowing father, he would have kept a copy somewhere. When I first found the key I never looked for anything else in the safe. But I know when Tammy and I packed up the house before we moved; we took everything to Tammy's.

  Being at Tammy's house, I decided to go to the office where everything of fathers was still kept. I found the key in the top draw just where I had left it. I opened my father`s safe and looked in, but there was nothing there.

  ‘I wonder if it’s in the one of the folders in the filing cabinet.’ I thought to myself... My hands were shaking as I started going through every document there was. But there was no letter addressed to us. I was just about to give up, when I noticed a piece of paper that looked like a letter but it was very roughly written. I looked at the date it said: 24/12/1986 my eleventh birthday. I knew this was what I had been looking for. I heard somebody coming so I frantically put it in my bag. When the door opened it was Victoria, I tried not to look too suspicious and told her
I just needed some time away from everyone.

  I walked past Victoria and went back to enjoy the rest of the night with my family, taking great care of my bag to make sure that the letter that I’d found stayed there.

  After a few hours I went to check on Bella. I certainly wasn't expecting to find Robert so poorly. I shouted for someone to get an ambulance. Everything was a blur, the paramedics, the ambulance. My mind was frozen. Robert was unconscious; doctors were frantically working on him to find out what was wrong with him. He had been having nose bleeds for quite some time and it had left him looking rather pale. He’d also complained about his legs hurting. I took him to see a doctor who told me he had a virus, and that nose bleeds were quite common.

  After numerous tests the doctor finally had his results. He was diagnosed with Aplastic anaemia.

  I was told he would need some treatment and possibly a bone marrow transplant but in time he would make a complete recovery.

  Over the next few weeks, Robert remained very poorly. Claudio was often away on business so fortunately Tammy and Roy helped look after Violet and Bella.

  A month later Robert started to improve and was allowed to return home, but still needed plenty of rest.

  The timing never seemed right to read the letter. I couldn’t help but believe that I wasn’t destined to read it. Fate always seemed to step it and stop me somehow; the lost key, then Victoria finding it, the fire destroying the original then finding the copy but not getting a chance to read it. I know one day I will read it, however, until then I want my family to be happy, and Robert to be in good health again.

  My mother always used to say.

  “Bella no matter what happens in life, and what cruel things come your way; you are a fighter, and will get through anything that comes your way.” I knew she was right. I would always remain strong, no matter what.