Love, Rosie (278 page)

from
Alex.

408

LonelyLady:

Buttercup:

Wildflower:

SureOne:

LonelyLady:

Buttercup:

LonelyLady:

Buttercup:

Oooh,
what
did
he
say
in
the
letter?

Here’s
the
tough
part.
He
said
he
loved
me.

Whooooah!

Oh.
My.
God.

No!
So
where
did
you
find
the
letter?

Cecelia
Ahern

What’s-his-name
returned
it
to
me.
He
“didn’t
want
to
be
the

cause
of
my
loneliness
anymore,”
he
said.

He
had
kept
it
all
these
years?

Why
he
would
keep
it
all
these
years
I
have
no
idea.
I
haven’t

quite
figured
that
out
yet.
Although
I
never
truly
figured
him

out
at
all
while
I
was
married
to
him.
I
can’t
really
think
any-

thing
now,
I’m
in
so
much
shock.

Wildflower:

Buttercup:

Wildflower:

Buttercup:

So
have
you
spoken
to
Alex?

How
can
I
speak
to
him,
Wildflower?
Knowing
what
I
know,

how
can
I
even
think
of
him?

Very
easily
I
would
imagine.
He’s
just
told
you
that
he
loves

you!

No
LonelyLady,
he
told
me
over
10
years
ago
that
he
loved

me.
Before
he
got
married,
before
he
had
Theo.
I
just

couldn’t
bring
myself
to
talk
to
him.
He’s
been
writing
and

phoning
but
the
thought
of
that
missed
opportunity
makes

me
so
sick
to
the
stomach
that
I
can’t
respond
to
his
mes-

sages.

LonelyLady:

Buttercup:

But
you
have
to
tell
him,
you
know!

I
was
going
to.
I
was
half
fearful,
half
excited.
I
was
going
to

ring
him
on
the
phone
and
say
it
to
him
casually
at
first
to

test
the
waters
and
see
how
he
felt
and
then
go
a
bit
further.

But
that
morning
his
annual
Christmas
card
arrived
in
the

post
box.
With
the
photo
of
his
wife
and
two
sons
on
the

cover
of
the
card,
all
wearing
colorful
knitted
Christmas

jumpers,
Theo
with
his
two
front
teeth
gone,
Josh
with
his

beaming
smile
just
like
his
dad.
Bethany
hand
in
hand
with

Alex.
And
I
couldn’t
tell
him.
What
would
he
care
now
any-

way?

love,
rosie

409

He’s
married.
He’s
happy.
He’s
over
me
and
even
if
he’s
not,
I

wouldn’t
expect
him
to
jump
out
of
that
perfect
Christmas

photo
for
me.

SureOne:

Wildflower:

SureOne:

Buttercup:

SureOne:

Take
it
from
me
Buttercup,
you’re
right
to
leave
the
family

alone.

But
she
loves
him!
And
he
loves
her!
And
everyone
airbrushes

their
photos
these
days!

What
age
are
you
now
Buttercup,
42?

Yes.

Right.
He
wrote
that
letter
12
years
ago,
before
he
got
mar-