Happier Than She's Ever Been... (17 page)

‘Okay, that's a lie,' Ben admitted. ‘But I didn't want
you
to ask, I mean, of course I did, but
I
wanted to ask
you
.'

‘Oh.' May smiled. ‘I see.'

Ben shifted from the bench to the path and knelt in front of May, who was still kneeling herself. May giggled as a few passersby slowed to watch them. Ben put a finger to her lips.

‘May, will you –'

‘Yes,' she said. And they both laughed.

They walked all the way home, hand in hand, underneath a fogless sky spotted with stars. Then they had dinner, went to bed and made love. And that was the night it happened.

Three nights later May woke up sweating, her heart racing. This time she didn't try to calm herself down, or suppress her feelings and keep all her fears secret. Instead she woke Ben, who squinted up at her with a sleepy smile.

‘I just had another dream,' May said. ‘A portentous one.'

‘Is that a word?' Ben mumbled.

‘Yes, it's a word, of course it's a word. Well, at least I think it is,' May said. ‘Anyway, that's not the point.'

‘What is the point then,
bichana
?' Ben groaned. ‘Is it specifically a three thirty a.m. point or one that could be made at nine a.m.?'

‘I just met our son.' May couldn't help but smile. ‘Well, his spirit at least.'

‘Really?' Ben asked, his eyes shining. ‘Really?'

May nodded. ‘Yep, I think so, if my latent, and completely untested, psychic powers are anything to go by. And he told me something.'

‘Oh?'

‘He told me that this next adventure is going to be a brilliant and very bumpy ride.'

‘Oh boy.' Ben laughed, pulling May into a hug. He held her tightly for a while, tucking his head into her shoulder, then wiped his eyes and looked into hers. ‘Are you nervous?'

‘Oh, no.' May smiled at him. ‘Only vaguely terrified. But I have a little feeling that as long as my heart keeps beating, and I keep breathing, then it'll be all right. No matter how much I mess up, he'll be okay, and we'll be okay and, whatever goes wrong,' she said, thinking back to her conversation with Faith, ‘death, divorce or devastation, if we keep looking for the good stuff in it all, then it'll work out. And, either way, life won't stop being –'

‘Messy and beautiful and –'

‘Perfect –'

‘Exactly as it is –' Ben said.

‘Right.' May smiled.

And then they kissed.

Men, Money and Chocolate

www.menmoneyandchocolate.com

If you've enjoyed May's experience of enlightenment, and want to have a magical lifetoo, then we invite you to seek inspiration from the real-life Rose: Vicky van Praag

[email protected]

She'll give you all the insight and inspiration you need to make all your daydreams come true: a loving relationship, work that fills your heart, and a body that makes you smile!

Visit our brilliant blog - full of inspiration, chocolate and other sweet things. And find us on Facebook for updates, giveaways and lots more!

© Mark Ashworth

Menna van Praag
is the author of the bestselling
Men, Money & Chocolate
, the autobiographical tale of a woman who longs to be a writer but lacks the courage and self-belief to succeed. As a little girl, long before self-doubt settled in, Menna wrote stories and read them aloud to anyone who would listen. As a teenager, her English Literature teacher suggested her writing was ‘publishable', thus planting a secret seed of hope in her heart. But, being full of self-doubt, Menna decided to focus on a sensible and safe future and went to Oxford University to take a degree in Modern History. There she read many books (texts during the day, novels at night) and tried to forget about writing her own.

She graduated into an office job but, sensible as it was, it also made her feel slightly suicidal and Menna realised it was writing or nothing. So, for the next eight years she worked as a waitress and wrote numerous unpublished novels. About to turn 30, with enough rejections to wallpaper her flat, she thought it might be time to give up hope. Luckily, a month before the birthday, Menna attended an enlightening workshop in New York, with Ariel & Shya Kane. Now determined never to give up, Menna remembered a life-changing conversation (one of many) with her mum, Vicky van Praag, and sat down to write a different book: about hope, courage, self-belief and truth.

Menna lives in Cambridge with her husband, Artur.
Happier Than She's Ever Been…
is her second (published) book. She is currently working on her third,
The House at the End of Hope Street
.

www.menmoneyandchocolate.com

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