Twice in a Lifetime

by Helga Jensen

  ‘Take care, you know where I am if you need anything. Call me anytime, okay. I wanted to have a chat with you about something, so whenever you feel up to it,’ I say.

  ‘Sure, let’s have a chat soon. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Megan said she might pop over with a curry later. She makes a very good one, apparently, with turmeric and…’

  ‘Megan? She’s back?’ I interrupt.

  ‘Oh, she messaged and I told her I was in hospital. So she said she’d come over with a curry tonight,’ he says, before wincing in pain.

  Has Megan changed her mind? How can she change her mind like that?

  Jamie Lewis is meant to be with me; I just need to find a way of telling him.

  Chapter 45

  Laugharne – healing rifts

  It has been over three weeks since I last spoke to Jamie. I assume he has been pre-occupied with Megan. Her return has come as such a shock to me. The only good thing to happen is that Patrick – I still can’t get used to the name Rudolph – has been caught. He was stopped at customs when he was attempting to board his flight back to New York. The police took him in for questioning when he tried to leave the country with an impressive jewellery collection and large amounts of cash in his hand luggage. The police think he had wanted to travel to the UK to meet up with the many other women he was in touch with. This would make sense, as he was only ever going to be in Wales for a few days. After discharging himself from hospital, he spent the rest of his visit meeting up with some of the other women who paid for his lifestyle. One of those women was called Harriet. She was, in a way, his boss, as she practically paid him a salary. Harriet is a wealthy widow living in the Cotswolds that he met online. We have now corresponded and she is a lovely lady who just wanted to meet ‘someone nice’. After Patrick stayed with her, she noticed that her jewellery was missing. She didn’t mention anything to him, but tipped off the airport so that it would be found by an official. She said she loved Patrick, but was not going to be taken for a fool. He should never have under-estimated the power of a woman who has been hurt.

  As for the lady in the background when he would have to rush off our phone calls, I found out that this was his sister. He did have family after all. The bereavement, depression and even the illness were all tall tales to make women feel sorry for him. Harriet tells me that he had told her a different story. He told her how close his sister and him were. Astonishingly, Harriet had even seen her when she flew to New York to meet up with Patrick. Strangely, this fact upset me further. Even in a scam, I wasn’t treated as well as Harriet.

  As for Sian, she has been frantically finalising the dream wedding that she insists on organising all by herself.

  During this time, I have been busy working on my dreams too. I’ve been speaking a lot to April, a fantastic dementia nurse I met online when I was researching what I need to do to change career. She has been so encouraging; my prospectus from Swansea University, to get me the necessary qualifications, should be here any day. I can’t wait to tell Jamie that I have taken the first step.

  I also discovered something amazing about myself. I love running! It was an app that promised to turn me from a couch potato into a runner that lured me in; the couch potato bit grabbed my attention when I was scrolling through the app store. Plus, the lovely ladies at the running club were so welcoming when I approached them apprehensively.

  So, for the past few weeks, instead of turning to food whilst I figured out what to do next with my life, I ran. I ran and ran and ran. Of course, I had to stop every five minutes too. But the feeling of being free and running was so invigorating. It was so satisfying. Not only do I feel fabulous when I run, but I have also managed to lose six pounds already. Admittedly, my jeans aren’t loose on me, but if I suck my belly in hard enough, I can pull the zip up. Who would ever have believed I could enjoy any type of exercise that much? The only downside is that I can’t chat to the lovely ladies while I am running, as I am forced to choose breathing over talking.

  So many times over the last few weeks I have wished I could talk to Jamie. I wanted to tell him about the running club. I wanted to tell him about my feelings for him, but I wouldn’t with Miserable Megan around.

  As I calm down about the recent calamities, I begin to understand that Sian could never have realised quite how spectacularly her plan could fail. She most certainly couldn’t plan for Patrick to be the type of person he is. Nobody could have foretold that, not even the fortune teller with her ridiculous predictions.

  With a little time and fresh air to clear my head I finally feel ready to listen to what Sian has to say about the whole escapade, so we agree to meet for lunch. Her treat, she insists, which I think is fair enough after the mess she created.

  ‘Oh my god! Have you lost weight?’ Sian says as she greets me at the Chinese restaurant she has chosen. I am not sure whether she is trying to butter me up, or really means it, but I will take it as a compliment.

  ‘You’ll be needing a new bridesmaid dress if you carry on. Don’t lose any weight before next week, will you? There’s no time for any alterations now.’

  ‘I won’t,’ I promise.

  ‘I’ve missed you so much, Amelia. I know you’ve been mad at me, but I want you to know that I love you to bits. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just get overexcited sometimes and this was like a dream come true. It was all so exciting and magical. I wanted to help make it happen. How the hell was I to know he was a bloody looney?’ says Sian.

  ‘I know, I understand that. It’s all been very unfortunate.’

  ‘Do you forgive me?’ Sian asks.

  ‘Absolutely,’ I agree.

  ‘So, what’s news? Anything further on Patrick?’

  ‘Hoping to get some money back, but who knows. He had so many women on the go that I could be at the back of the queue,’ I say.

  ‘Well, the main thing is you’re rid of him.’

  ‘Definitely. It could have been a whole lot worse. Can you believe that Harriet loaned him ten thousand pounds? And then he had the cheek to steal her jewellery. At least he can’t ever do it again. He got his karma,’ I say.

  ‘Oh, too right, and about time,’ says Sian. ‘By the way, have you spoken to Jamie?’

  I tell her about the call from the hospital. About Miserable Megan reappearing with her health-busting curry.

  ‘When I had that phone call to say that he may have cancer, I truly panicked. It made me realise how much I had accepted that he would always be there for me. Yes, he was one of my best friends, but I realise that I do truly love him. I don’t want to see him with someone else. I can’t bear to listen to him talk about her. I think I’ve lost him.’

  ‘No, you haven’t lost Jamie. You know how fond of you he is. He admitted his love for you on the airplane. We know it’s you he loves,’ says Sian.

  ‘Yes, but then he sent me those flowers, apologising for his remarks.’ I take a swig of wine and think back to how he has already made his feelings clear. ‘Only I could have someone say something like that to me.’ I laugh.

  ‘Oh, he only said that he didn’t mean it because he was embarrassed. Leave him to me, I’ll sort him out.’

  ‘No, Sian. Absolutely no chance. We all know what happens when I trust you and it doesn’t ever end well,’ I say.

  Sian looks at me, embarrassed.

  ‘Sorry, that was a bit harsh,’ I apologise.

  ‘He asked if Megan could come to the wedding. Did he tell you?’ Sian says.

  A sinking feeling hits my stomach. I have left it too late. I had my chance and I missed it. Why didn’t I make more of it on the plane? I was confused about my feelings and didn’t want to spoil what we had together, now I have missed out on true love. A wonderful relationship with a lovely man. A man who helps clean out an attic, a man who enjoys walks along a beach, only I never got to do that bit with him. Now he will take Miserable Megan with him on the long walks he enjoys.

  ‘Don’t worry, I told him no guests,’ giggle
s Sian. ‘Do you really think I’d let Miserable Megan spoil my day?’

  We laugh so hard that I forget about all the trouble we have had.

  ‘I missed you. Let’s never ever argue again?’ I say.

  ‘It’s a pact,’ says Sian, clinking her glass against mine. ‘Just one thing you have to promise,’ she says.

  ‘Hmm, I don’t know. Depends what it is.’

  ‘Leave Jamie to me. Let me work on him. Give me until the wedding, okay. Miserable Megan will soon be a thing of the past. I hope her cats and her naked yoga trainer are ready to welcome her back.’

  ‘You’re so mean, Sian.’ I laugh. ‘Please don’t talk to Jamie about me though. If he’s happy with Megan then leave it be. Promise me you won’t say a word.’

  ‘Wait for the wedding. That’s all I’ll say. Wait for my wedding day. Wooohooooo. I’m determined you two are going to get together,’ says Sian.

  ‘Sian, stop it. Don’t you dare,’ I plead.

  ‘Haha, we’ll see,’ Sian says with a laugh.

  ‘Not “we’ll see”. Sian, you’ve pushed it far enough already with Patrick. You have to promise you won’t speak to him,’ I insist.

  ‘I promise.’ Sian grins.

  ‘Sian, put your hands where I can see them. Uncross your fingers.’

  But Sian refuses to do so.

  Chapter 46

  Gretna Green – Sian’s wedding day

  ‘You look absolutely stunning,’ I say. Sian really does.

  I often forget that Sian has encountered her own unhappiness and hides behind the façade of being totally over the top. It is utterly fantastic to see her so happy on her wedding day. As chief bridesmaid, I will ensure that she has the best day of her life.

  Sian’s wedding dress is ivory and embellished with the most delicate crystals. When I first saw the dress, I was quite surprised as it’s demurer than her normal style. However, now that it has been teamed with a matching fur cape, I can see why she chose it. The fake fur makes her look like a beautiful Russian princess and, with her silver Gina shoes, she looks like a doll.

  Kitty and I – Kitty’s the other bridesmaid; she is a distant relation of Sian’s – don’t look like a pair of limes as I had feared. We all seem to fit together perfectly. Perhaps I should have more faith in my best friend. Occasionally she does get something right.

  The ceremony is in a candlelit olde blacksmith’s shop. Sian and Rob are getting married over an olde blacksmith’s anvil and it is the most beautiful, picturesque scene. Sian chose the setting carefully. When Rob proposed, he gave her a wrought-iron heart that he had made especially for her, so she felt this was the perfect backdrop for the wedding. A wrought-iron heart was an usual choice I thought, when Wales has so many wooden love spoons available. But I suppose you couldn’t get married over a giant love spoon.

  I have tears in my eyes as I witness Sian’s happiness on this delightful day. She is surrounded by all those who love her for her silly ways and outlandish ideas.

  Kitty and I stand to one side while the vows are being spoken.

  ‘I, Sian Mary Jones take you, Robert Morgan, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer and for even poorer after I’ve been shopping, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.’

  The whole congregation burst out laughing. Trust Sian to add in her own vows.

  Sian and Rob kiss and the succinct ceremony is over too quickly, leaving the photographs next.

  ‘Stand together, please,’ the photographer instructs.

  There are the usual photos of the bride and groom first and then with the bridesmaids and best man, Mike. It is obvious that Kitty quite fancies Mike, as she keeps asking him what he is wearing under the kilt that he has been made to wear. As he is one of Rob’s co-workers in The Banana Men, I am sure he won’t mind showing her at some point over the course of the day.

  ‘Group shot. Can we get all the group together?’ shouts the photographer to the whole wedding party.

  I see Jamie in the distance talking to someone I don’t recognise. I have been working so hard in the demanding role of bridesmaid, ensuring everything is perfectly organised, that I haven’t spoken to him yet. This will be the first time we have seen each other since I dropped him at home after his operation. I notice he still has a bandage on his nose.

  I also spot Jane; none of us have seen much of her since her separation with Markus. It seems an old flame had been waiting in the wings and she moved on quicker than any of us would have believed. He looks a nice guy and as I look at the two of them, standing near the wedding car, I begin to wonder if everything is meant to be and all planned out in advance for us all. Perhaps she was meant to marry a two-timing rat bag to make her realise what a good person her ex was.

  The boys join us for the wedding photos, and it gives me a chance to check that they are not too bored. I do feel that weddings can be tedious for children. Bless them, they are struggling to stay still for the group photos.

  ‘Now bride and groom alone again. Shall we go over here?’ the photographer asks, pointing at some trees nearby.

  Sian’s new mother-in-law, Ivy, is amazingly lovely, and very unlike the mother-in-law I had to endure with Dick. Sian is very fortunate with lovely Ivy. She invites the boys to inspect the blacksmith’s shop, as I am told that Ivy adores children and always dreamed of having grandchildren. I can see that she is a natural as she whisks them away.

  Unfortunately, now left alone, this means that I am currently a gooseberry, listening to Kitty and Mike flirt. This leaves me with the ideal excuse to find Jamie and say hello. I see he is talking to someone I saw him with earlier, a blonde, attractive woman in her thirties. She must be from Rob’s side, as I have never seen her before.

  ‘Jamie, can I have a word, please?’ I say, dragging him away from her. ‘I am sorry about all that has gone on between us,’ I start.

  Jamie goes to open his mouth, but I quickly stop him.

  ‘You don’t have to speak,’ I say.

  We keep walking as I continue my apology. Jamie looks ahead; it is difficult to gauge what he is thinking.

  ‘I don’t ever want to lose you, Jamie. I know things have been a bit difficult between us since the flight, so I just wanted to say that you will always be my best friend no matter what. I also know you didn’t mean what you said about being in love with me; you have made that clear. I wish you well with Megan and hope we will remain friends,’ I say.

  ‘Megan? What’s she got to do with us?’ asks Jamie.

  ‘Well, it’s just that if you had meant what you said and if you weren’t with Megan… Maybe in another world we would have been soulmates. I just wanted to say that I love you to bits, Jamie Lewis, but I understand you two are now back together,’ I say bravely.

  ‘Megan and I aren’t together. When did I say we were back together?’

  My mouth hangs open as I absorb this news.

  ‘You’re not back with Megan?’

  ‘Heavens, no way. She’s busy bending about with her naked yogi. She rang me when I was in hospital as she’d left her favourite relaxation CD at mine. When I told her I was in hospital, she said she’d make me a curry so she could post the pictures on Instagram of her helping a sick person. It wasn’t even very tasty,’ says Jamie.

  We both laugh at this.

  ‘But you asked if Megan could come to the wedding,’ I say.

  ‘Oh, that was only because when she was over, I told her Sian was getting married. She asked me to text Sian and ask if she could come to the wedding, as you all go back years. I felt so cheeky, but she was quite insistent. She wanted to see who she was marrying more than anything, I think. You know Megan can be a bit inquisitive,’ he explains.

  ‘What a cheek. Sian doesn’t even like her,’ I say. ‘Oops, sorry,’ I add, covering my mouth with my hand. ‘Didn’t mean for that to slip out.’

  Luckily Jamie finds this funny.


  ‘Well, I can assure you, we are definitely not together,’ he says.

  ‘Absolutely not?’ I ask.

  ‘Absolutely not.’ Jamie grins.

  ‘In that case…’ I say. ‘I think we should… um.’

  I look up and see that we are underneath a sign which says ‘The Kissing Gate’.

  I point up at it.

  Jamie seems to be grinning, and I pray that I haven’t misjudged the situation.

  ‘Come here,’ I say.

  I move towards him, so close that I can smell the soft scent of his aftershave. Getting my face close to his, I feel his breath on my lips. My heart is beating so fast as I pull closer until our lips are practically touching.

  At first, I give him a peck on the lips and pull away slightly to check his reaction. He doesn’t appear too disconcerted, so I move in once more.

  This time his body reacts positively. He meets my lips even though the plaster on his nose is getting in the way slightly.

  His mouth opens and so does mine and there it happens. We are finally kissing, a bit like the airplane moment only with much more intensity.

  As we kiss, I feel complete, as though he is the missing piece of a jigsaw.

  It is something very special.

  I have no idea how long we are standing there as the next thing I know I hear clapping. Pulling away from each other, I open my eyes to find Sian and Rob laughing and clapping at us.

  ‘Thank God for that,’ shouts Sian.

  Jamie grabs my hand tightly and looks at me with his familiar smile.

  ‘Sian told me how you felt. We had a good chat. I was going to ask you on a date myself later, but I wanted to have a few drinks first to give me some Dutch courage,’ he says.

  ‘I have been sweating all morning, wondering how I was going to approach you. That Sian! I warned her not to speak to you,’ I say.

  ‘You know Sian, always meddling,’ Jamie says with a laugh. ‘Truthfully though… I love you so much, Amelia. Always have, always will. I didn’t mean what I said on the card. I knew exactly what I was saying on the plane. Why has it all taken so long? Why didn’t we do this before?’