`Tom took himself out of my life deliberately,` she said. `If that`s the way he wanted it, that`s the way I want it. He didn`t study-me-up, so I`m not studying him any more. I`ve grieved for him as best as I could, considering the way he died. I`ve settled the only debt I owe him, and now it`s time to draw a line under the account, write "Paid" on it, and get on with the rest of my life.`
The car jerked almost to a stop as Raymond slammed on the brakes and swerved onto the hard-shoulder, heedless of frantic horn-blowing from other drivers behind him. `When you say Get On With The Rest Of Your Life, does that mean you`re ready to marry me? Please say it does, Sylv. There`s nothing I want more than to share the rest of my life with you. Tell me you feel the same.`
`Yes. Yes, I do, if you still want me.` But that was a question she hardly needed to ask. At last the long shadow of Tom`s death had been lifted. The darkest days of her life were finally over, and ahead lay a future to which she dared to look forward.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ROSEMARY HODGSON, NOVELIST
Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Rosemary is a proud “Geordie”. During the Second World War, when schools were closed, her mother taught her to read and write,
Following her father`s death, she left school at sixteen, to start work. `Mam took-in lodgers to make ends meet,` she remembers, `but she hated sharing her home with strangers. My teachers thought I was misguided for not going to University, but all I could think of was bringing money in, so Mam could call her home her own again.`
Rosemary married Ronald Hodgson, a railway-worker, eventually moving to Yorkshire. They have a son Kevin, two daughters Catherine and Yvonne, and four grandchildren – David, Rebecca, Katie and Alexandra.
Rosemary worked in offices, and subsequently as a cleaner, later in a shop, and a care-home. Beyond bringing up her family, she considers her most rewarding achievement to have been serving as a volunteer with a telephone helpline. `It was a privilege to be there for callers needing someone to talk to, when life was tough.` She eventually gave up work to care for her husband until his death from Parkinson`s Disease.
`I tend to write about characters for whom life doesn`t always turn out perfectly. I`ve been writing for years, but never made any serious attempts to get published. Friends from my local Writers` Circle have persuaded me that I should give it a Go. So this is it, folks - I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.`
A Long Road Through The Night Page 26
