by Jo Meadows
David had taken Georgina’s death particularly badly. Being the one who discovered her and being unable to do anything to help her; he’d been distraught, ashamed of the last things he’d said and ashamed about what he’d been about to say to her when he went into her room. It had taken Lynnette and Leo hours to calm him down and make him believe that nothing could have been done to save her. He’d lost the love of his life, but inside, he now had a feeling of calm and of peace.
Lynnette too, blamed herself for sitting in the garden planning what to do next about her errant mother, while Georgina lay dying alone in her room. Leo, ever the voice of reason, had eventually helped them both come to terms with the fact that nothing any of them could have done would have prevented her death.
The post mortem had conclusively revealed that Georgina had died of heart failure. Her condition, ironically, had been caused by high cholesterol which had remained unchecked for many years. Despite her protestations of good health and her goading of David over the years for his high cholesterol and health in general, she’d dismissed any thought that she may be suffering from the same problems herself. Eventually her heart could no longer cope with the effects of the cholesterol and the stress she’d put it under. Her narcissistic disorder, with her resulting attitude and inability to accept that she was anything but perfect, had slowly but surely led to her demise.
Michael had travelled over for the funeral but, due to school and work commitments, Susan and the kids had stayed at home. Michael had initially felt guilty that he had done little over the years to try to do anything about his Mum’s problems and told his Dad that he’d, in effect, ran away from home the first opportunity he’d got. David tried to put his mind at ease and told him that he’d known all along why Michael had been so keen to get away and had apologised himself for not standing up to Georgina more in the past. He admitted that after a while he’d just simply given up and accepted what had become his lot in life.
***
Several months later David was living in the extension and was well established in the new routine that had become his daily life. After Georgina had died they had discussed whether or not to continue with the build, and decided that having his own self-contained little annexe was far better for David than just living in a room in the main house. After the funeral and all the associated fuss had died down, the build had gone ahead without delay and the extension had been completed very quickly. No-one commented that the lack of sabotage to the work may have had something to do with how little time it had taken.
David missed Georgina terribly. Despite having suffered a great deal over the years, he had loved her very much and had always thought of her as his soul mate. He often fantasised about what life might have been like had she’d lived and if she’d been able to overcome her disorder and all the problems it had caused. To be living together in the new extension as they’d planned, with Lynnette, Emily and Leo so close would have been ideal.
Emily was in her element and was in and out of his place all the time and, because there was a spare room available, she got her wish regarding sleepovers. David loved every minute of it; he adored his granddaughter and frequently had to be told to stop buying her little gifts and sweets.
Michael and his family made a point of visiting as often as they could and it was very soon suggested that it would be a great idea for everyone to go over and visit them in Spain; an idea that would never have been raised if Georgina had still been alive.
On the first anniversary of Georgina’s death, the whole family went to pay their respects at the local cemetery where her ashes had been placed. Although she’d dramatically affected all their lives in the last few months of her life, all the bad times, while not forgotten, were not discussed. Instead, they focused on happier memories and the good times, of which there had been many.
The one common regret they all had was the wish that they’d recognized Georgina’s disorder earlier and for what it was. Although they may not have been able to do much about it, at least they may have been able to help her in some way. Unfortunately, they would never know.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
