Page 169 - The Letter By Ann Newhouse
P. 169

A week later Penny called to talk and finally let me in on her plans. She confessed that she was very concerned about Shalma’s future.
‘Paul and Sherry are very much in love and together’, I could tell she was bracing herself to let out everything, ‘but Sherry doesn’t want to have the responsibility of a baby, so I have decided to buy the cottage for Shalma and me’, I looked at her slightly stunned at this new development.
‘I am going to rear Shalma and leave Paul and Sherry to run the business, Paul has agreed to take out a loan to give me my share of the bar and B&B, so I can buy the cottage outright’.
She said she still felt young enough to rear Shalma with Paul’s help if things get difficult.
‘I know I’m fast approaching sixty, but it would be like finding the daughter I lost all those years ago’, she confessed, tears in her eyes.
I gave her a hug and a word of understanding, we both felt sad knowing that was as far as her secret could go. I felt a little responsible for splitting up this family, introducing Sherry into their lives and reeling that Paul would agree to this arrangement at all.
‘They are all adults here and can make up their own minds about their future’, Rex assured me after I had told him the news, ‘Anyway, Penny wanted to look after Shalma since the day she was born, you would think she gave birth to her instead of being the grandmother’, he didn’t realize how right he was, about what happened all those years ago. I didn’t explain.
Penny got the cottage at a good price and within a week of closing she had the workmen in painting and renovation paying particular attention to Shalma’s room.


































































































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