Page 88 - The Letter By Ann Newhouse

‘The thing is Mr. Stapleton got the impression that my father was looking for his sister and not my mother?’ Rex continued, ‘so I had to put him right and explain the whole story’, Rex sounded miserable he didn’t want to believe that his father would deny his existence. ‘Mr. Stapleton said he believed my father was living abroad then because the phone number was definitely international’.
‘I’m sure my grandparents got the message but at the time my mother was very ill, and they would have taken over her day to day care I don’t think they would’ve passed on anything to do with my father’, he was torn between anger and depression. ‘Surely they wouldn’t be so cruel’, Penny said in disbelief, ‘to deny your mother on her death bed’.
‘I remembered then that every week for about six months before my mother died a basket of flowers would arrive to the house, no note, no sender but my mother’s eyes would light up when she saw them’, he smiled wistfully I assumed at the memory of his mother’s smile, ‘I believe it was a secret code to let her know he still loved her, my father never gave up but my mother was ruled by her parents and she was too frightened to go against them’.
Penny and I were upset at this terrible news and we both went to hug him. Penny couldn’t believe that a mother and father could make their daughter suffer all her short life for one mistake. She questioned whether she had every really known this woman at all.
We were all feeling very emotional after that and although our walk back to the B&B was silent we were all mentally exhausted by the time we got there so Penny excused herself and headed to our room.
Alone in Rex’s room we kissed passionately. I suddenly found myself unbuttoning his shirt I wanted him, and he wanted me. I surrendered myself fully throwing caution to