by Krissy V
There’s a knock at the door and Mum, Dad, Mr. Stanley and Joyce are waiting outside, we open the door and they all walk in smiling. We shake hands with them all and Mum reaches into her bag and brings out a bottle of champagne and some glasses. We open the champagne and sit in one of the cubicles, then we raise our glasses in a toast. “To Pebbles and to all who come here looking for food, drink, help or guidance.”
“To Pebbles,” they say in unison. Jordan lifts his glass and says, “To Cassie, without whom this would not have happened and wouldn’t have been worthwhile doing.”
“To Cassie,” they all say. We take a sip and then Jordan goes out the back for a few minutes. When he comes back he seems nervous, I wonder what he was doing out there.
“I know we will be having an official opening and fundraiser next week and I was going to wait till next week to do this, but Cassie I can’t wait any longer I need to know what you think and how you feel.” I look at him confused, he knows how I feel about everything because I tell him how I feel all the time. I found during my counselling that it was better to talk about my feelings than bottling them up or waiting to be asked how I feel.
All of a sudden it’s like everything happens in slow motion, one minute Jordan is stood at the end of the table, the next minute he is on the floor on one knee. “Cassie, I’ve always loved you from the first moment I saw you at school. The years when we were apart were the hardest and I was never fully happy with anything in my life, no one ever made me happy like you did. When I heard you were moving back home, I was happy and wanted to have you in my life as a friend, but then fate threw us back together and I know those circumstances weren’t good, but it meant I had you with me. I always told you that our souls would find each other and they did.”
He looks at me while he takes a deep breath. “Cassie will you marry me? I want to be with you forever, I didn’t realise how much I need you to make my life complete, but I am nothing without you.” He stops talking and looks at me, waiting for me to answer him.
I can’t talk. I can’t speak. I stare at him, everyone is waiting for my reaction. “Cassie?” Mum says. “Don’t leave him kneeling there put him out of his misery.”
I can feel myself start to cry, big snotty tears are falling down my face. “Oh my god Cassie, I’m sorry I thought you wanted this. I thought this was meant to be, don’t cry babe, please,” Jordan says getting up and taking me onto his lap and cradling me.
“Jordan,” I say in between sobs. “I love you so much and I know we complete each other, what you said was so beautiful. I don’t deserve to have you in my life. I don’t deserve to be happy, but I want to be happy. I want you in my life and I want to marry you. I’ve always wanted to marry you,” I’m really crying now.
“Did you just say yes?” He asks.
“Yes, yes, yes I did,” I say smiling and looking up to him, he reaches down and kisses me. He then takes my hand and puts a ring on my finger. It’s beautiful. It is a white gold band with an infinity symbol made out of diamonds. It is delicate and beautiful.
Mum, Dad, Mr. Stanley and Joyce start clapping and talking all at once. “Good job I brought another bottle of champers isn’t it,” Mum says. We all laugh.
About an hour later, I’m sitting in the booth and watching everyone around me. Mr. Stanley who has just sold his dream to us, I am so touched by him right now that I can’t think straight. He looks so happy and I know that some of that is because he will still work here after today.
Mum and Dad look so happy and I know they are happy for me, after everything I have put them through over the years I just want them to be happy, I just want to have some of the love that they still have after all this time. Joyce sits with us, she has become a part of the family, she has been instrumental in my recovery and I couldn’t do this without her.
Then there’s Jordan! I sit and watch him for a while, he is hands down the most attractive man I have ever met. He is beautiful on the inside as much as he is beautiful on the outside. He has helped me through the most difficult time in my life and he still wants me. He wants to marry me and to stay with me forever. I just can’t get over that! I sit smiling at him and after a few minutes he must feel me smiling at him because he looks up at me and smiles back.
“You ok Cassie?” he says taking my hand and twirling my new ring around on my finger. “Are you happy?” I nod because I can’t speak right now. He smiles at me and keeps my hand in his and continues to talk to my Dad about the plans for Pebbles. Mum and Dad are going to help in the redecoration and the general running of the charity.
When it is time for everyone to leave I watch them go. We tidy up for a while and then lock up as we walk out the door. I stand and wait while Jordan locks the door and I can’t believe that we own Pebbles, the place where are dreams were made and where we became one.
We walk back to our house and when we get to the front door, Jordan unlocks it and then turns to me and gently lifts me up so that my legs are draping over his arm and he carries me into the house and down into the lounge. He had kicked the door closed on the way in, he lowers me gently to the couch and then he kneels on the floor, he is between my legs and he is leaning his elbows on them looking at me.
“Cassie, you did mean that you wanted to marry me, didn’t you?” I can see the worry on his face, Did he not believe me?
“Jordan, of course I meant it. Why do you think that I didn’t? I always want to be with you, it’s all I thought about at Bonnie’s wedding. I was walking down the aisle and could see you at the end and all I wanted was for it to be me and you that were getting married. This is what I’ve wanted since the day I met you Jordan. Of course I want to marry you!” I grab his face and pull it into mine and I kiss him to show him I need him to breathe.
I pull away, “Jordan you saved me when I needed saving the most, only you could do that. I needed you to do that,” I have tears falling down my face.
“I’m so glad you mean it Cassie, I need you so much. I’m unhappy when you are not near me, it feels like I’m not whole. You make me whole, you complete me.”
The next morning, we have so much to organise at Pebbles as we are having our first official fundraising next weekend. I'm so excited about the opening and I can’t believe I am getting married to the man of my dreams. I can't wait!
I ring Bonnie as soon as I get out of bed, she is delighted for us and as they are coming home from their honeymoon today she offers to come down to Pebbles later on when they get home. She is so excited when I tell her about Jordan’s proposal that I have to hold the phone away from my ear because she is squealing so much.
Jordan holds my hand as we walk to Pebbles; we are meeting the contractors for the refurbishment. It is very exciting to think that we can change everything to the way we want it. Putting the key in the door feels so amazing, and we both smile at each other.
The meeting goes really well and we are all engrossed in the plans and details when Bonnie and Jezza are walking through the door at six o'clock in the evening. We've been here all day, but we have made tremendous progress. Bonnie runs in and takes me into a bear hug. "Oh my god I can't believe it, I'm delighted for both of you, you were meant to be together." She kisses me on the cheek, releases me and then goes over to Jordan to hug him. Jezza is shaking his hand then he comes over and hugs me. I see they brought a bottle of champagne too; this is becoming a habit!
We show them what we have achieved so far and they think we've done really well. They offer to help us in the evenings this week so we might be able to open on Monday. We need all the help we can get!
“Thank God I Found You”
This week has been so busy, it's Friday already but we are almost finished and ready to open. The chairs and booths are being delivered later on today, I can't wait. The rooms out the back are organised too, there is an office with three desks, two smaller interview rooms and then one communal room.
We have advertised about the work the charity does and we have already ha
d a couple of people coming in asking what we can do to help them. We've already spoken to a couple of them even though we were all sat on boxes and surrounded by dust and noise, but we helped them as best we can!
Joyce and Mr. Stanley are helping us out as much as they are able, they are making quite a team and they seem to get on really well.
On Saturday morning we have a lie in because we have worked so hard but also because last night Jordan made love to me for hours. I think we are still trying to make up for all the years that we lost out on.
When we eventually get up, we stroll down to Pebbles and find a few people outside. "Hi, is everyone OK?" Jordan asks them, they are teenagers like we were when we started coming here.
"Hi, we heard you were reopening and we normally come down here after football on Saturdays and just wanted to see whether you were open or not," one of the lads says.
"Well we're not due to open until Monday, but if you want to come in you can, we won't turn you away." Jordan smiles at them and looks to me for confirmation.
"Of course you can come in boys." We open the door and let them in. They stay for a couple of hours as we go about our business of making sure everything is ready for the event tonight and ready for opening for business on Monday morning! The boys come and go, there is a good turnover of them and they are all very pleasant and helpful. Some of them have helped us move some furniture and boxes around. We made them drinks and let them just hang out. I see a couple of girls and one of them is sat with a boy the same age as her, I look at her and smile, they remind me of Jordan and I.
All of a sudden I feel two arms reach around my waist and I know it's Jordan. "I know what you're thinking Cassie, I see it too. Do you remember sitting here for hours, talking, laughing and falling in love?" He twirls me around and kisses me, much to the pleasure of the group of boys who start jeering and then I hear "Put her down mister!" and "Oh you're too old for that." This makes us laugh and then he puts me down.
"Guys, we've got a few more things to do today so if you want to stay you can, just shout if you need anything." I say and go to continue finishing all the preparations. At about four o'clock we start to close up, turning everything off and tidying up. The boys and their friends have all gone with promises of coming back next week. This is what I love about Pebbles, it's a great meeting place.
We lock up and go home to get ready for the charity fundraiser tonight. We have sold over one hundred tickets at twenty-five pound each. After the dinner dance we have a local band playing and then we will finish the night with a DJ. There will be an auction of some local artists work, which we will also be featuring in the cafe and selling if anyone wants to buy them. We have had some good prizes donated to the auction from local businesses and other businesses in the South West too. It's going to be a great auction.
The dress I picked is one of my favourites because it shows off my figure and my long blonde curls. It is bright red, has only one shoulder which has diamante’s on it and comes down at an angle to my waistline. It is ruched with one big diamond in the middle. I have my hair curled and pulled to one side, it is swept to the front and is held together with a big red rose.
Jordan has his tuxedo on and he looks good enough to eat. I can't believe this man wants to be in my life forever, I am so lucky.
We go off to the fundraiser, which is extremely successful. We meet lots of people from around the town and from far and wide. A lot of these people know my story and have come up to personally thank me for doing this and bringing this charity to Newquay. With it being a tourist resort there are lots of things that go on that shouldn’t and because the turnover of tourists is high, people don’t always tell anyone about the things that happen to them.
Dinner is fantastic. For starters there is a choice of prawn cocktail or melon followed by a choice of chicken or salmon. The dessert is a trilogy of desserts, which is absolutely scrumptious. Everyone is laughing and making new friends.
After the dinner, Jordan stands on the stage and taps the microphone to get everyone to stop talking. “I know everyone is having a good time, but I just need to say a few words before we start the auction and the rest of the evening’s entertainment.” The talking dies down and Jordan looks at me, smiles, then he clears his throat.
“First of all I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has come along tonight; to everyone who has donated to this evening’s auction and a huge thank you to everyone who has supported my charity. A huge thank you to everyone who is involved in PEBBLES; from those who help us every day, to those who help in any small way they can. Without all of you, we wouldn’t be able to do this to help others. I wanted to tell you a little bit about me and how PEBBLES got started.” He looks at me with questions in his eyes. He has already asked my permission because he wouldn’t talk about it without having my say so. I nod and smile at him.
“I think you all know me around here and most of you will remember that Cassie and I started dating when we were at school. I remember the first time I really saw her, she was sitting in an Economics class looking out the window when I happened to walk past. She ended up looking directly at me and I could have stood there all day, captivated by her beauty and the passion in her eyes.” I blush and look down at the table.
“We eventually broke eye contact and I found myself looking for her all over the school. I was really lucky one day when I was playing football and I saw her sitting on the grass watching us. We kept staring at each other and I hoped that she could feel the amazing bond that I believed we had. I heard she was going to a party so I managed to wangle an invite – thanks Jezza – and I went along to the party with the intention of trying to steal her heart. She looked like an angel, but everyone was telling me to stay away from her, explaining they all looked out for her and protected her. I had to convince them, especially Jezza, that I really was worthy of her and how much I wanted to make her mine. We got on really well that night and we started to see each other all the time.”
He takes a breath and looks at me. I nod. “Eventually, I was told the story of how she was attacked by someone at a beach party but luckily he was interrupted. She never told anyone and a few months later she tried to take her life. It makes me so mad that he nearly took her from me before I even met her.”
He wipes away a tear from his eye, as do I. “Eventually we had to separate because we wanted to concentrate on our careers. However, we thought it was only going to be for a few months but we both had our contracts extended. I always thought we would go out into the world together but it didn’t happen. We were soul mates and I told Cassie that our souls would find each other again because we were meant to be together.”
“When I moved back to England I didn’t want to live in Newquay because it would remind me too much of Cassie and I was finding it hard enough to live without her, let alone seeing her in OUR places and seeing her family all the time. So I moved to London, but Cassie had inspired me with her strength and determination that I knew that I wanted to help other people who had been through similar situations. I always believed that had Cassie felt she could have talked to someone, she wouldn’t have tried to take her own life. I set up PEBBLES so that I could help those who didn’t know how to help themselves. I guess you all know why I called the charity PEBBLES, but just in case you didn’t – it’s the place where Cassie and I used to go to be together. We made lots of plans in there and we always felt comfortable there. When I was thinking of a name for the charity I toyed with a few ideas but ‘PEBBLES – the stepping stones to healing’ seem perfect to me for many reasons. When Cassie suggested opening the charity in our favourite café, it just seemed like the perfect place.”
Again he takes a breath and looks around at his audience. “PEBBLES has been a phenomenal success and because of this success we were featured in an inflight magazine, they were doing an article on our charity to raise awareness, particularly in resort locations. It was on a flight that Cassie saw this article and actually during her time
of grief and loss, she donated a large sum of money, anonymously, to my charity. When I found this out it made my heart swell, but it also cause it to break a little because by doing that it meant that she still thought about those bad times, she was still haunted by what happened to her. It also made me realise that my Cassie was still in there, and I thought there was hope for me yet.”
“Now unfortunately fate had to intervene for us to get together again and unfortunately, it was a very sad occasion as Cassie had lost her husband. When she came home to grieve, the guy who had hurt her years before brutally attacked her and raped her before Jezza and I could stop him. He didn’t stop there though, he tried to kill her by smashing her head on the ground continuously. Thankfully, we got there and pulled him off her and I will never forget how I felt when we did. I wanted to kill him, I wanted him to suffer like she did. I knew that if I did then I wouldn’t be there for Cassie and that is something I wanted more than anything. It was a slow road to recovery, but then Cassie found a purpose in life.” He looks to me to make sure I am Ok. I smile and nod my head and he continues.
“It was her idea to set up a branch of PEBBLES here in Newquay and already before our doors have opened we have had some customers. Cassie wants to help the victims by getting them to talk about themselves and we intend to rehabilitate some of the victims by letting them work in Pebbles, to help them with their confidence, which has been lost due to their situations.”
He holds his hand out for me to join him on stage. When I step up next to him every person in the room stands up and starts clapping their hands. There are many people with tears in their eyes and they are all looking at me.
I wave for them all to be quiet and sit down, when they do I say “thank you to everyone who has helped us with this venture, thank you to my friends and family for putting up with me during my darkest days. Thank you Jordan for thinking of me even when I wasn’t here with you. You were right, our souls did find each other again and I am so grateful that they did.” I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him in front of everyone, he grabs hold of my waist and pulls me tight.
