It
was a successful organization that district nurse Elena Fedeli joined on a
bitter cold January morning along with another new nurse named Harriet
Robinson.
It
was two years to the day after Dr Claire Andrews took over The Shallowfield
Surgery and in that short time she and her business partner Olivia Adamson had
transformed it into the Dancingdean Heath Centre, which necessitated the
expansion of staff numbers.
However while
things had been going well for Claire and Olivia in the two years they had been
in Shallowfield.
It had been quite
a different story in those two years for Elena, despite the fact that they
began with her meeting the man that within a few weeks she would be in love
with.
She was working at
St Bernadette’s Covent Hospital in Abbeyvale, although in truth it was more of
a hospice, there were a number of wards for convalescents but mainly it was
palliative care.
Which she didn’t
mind because she was good at her job and she was a caring soul.
It was at the end
of her shift on a winter’s night and she was on her way home.
She was taking a
shortcut through the hospital garden when she found Dave McAteer sitting alone
in the dark.
It was snowing and
she was walking along lost in her thoughts when she suddenly saw something
moving in her peripheral vision which made her jump then he spotted her and let
out an involuntary yelp.
Which resulted in
Elena subsequently letting out a scream.
“Oh Shit” she said
in very un-convent like language.
The reason he was
sitting in the dark on a cold winter’s night was that he had just received the
worse possible news about his mother.
Elena was a kind
and caring nurse so despite the bitter cold night and the falling snow she sat
with him.
And they smoked a
cigarette and drank from a hip flask as they chatted in the snow.
After about forty
minutes the snow began falling harder and it was getting colder when he asked.
“Are you off
duty?”
“Yes” she replied
“I’m done for the day”
“Well I’m chilled
to the bone” He said “do you fancy getting something to eat?”
“Yes, that would
be nice” she replied and a broad smile crossed her face
It was
a kind face with a delicate smile and her coloring clearly betrayed her
Mediterranean ancestry and he
smiled back at her.
But when he
offered and she accepted neither of them expected it to be anything other than
a mutually companionable meal.
They certainly
weren’t looking for anything else.
Elena Fedeli had
been disappointed by love too many times in her 32 years to walk into another
potential disaster with a man who had a very difficult and fraught time ahead.
Dave had also been
through the mill relationship wise and wanted no more than to be there for his
mother every step of the way until she passed.
With all that said
they promptly went and fell in love.
More than two
years on with the benefit of hind sight it was disaster waiting to happen.
Apart from the
fact his mother was dying by inches before his eyes there were other aspect of
their lives which were not compatible.
Dave was a lapsed
Catholic in fact he was a lapsed Christian while she was a practicing Anglican
and had a very deep faith.
He worked 9 to 5
for an insurance company while she was a nurse who worked shifts and there was
the age difference he was three years her junior.
But despite their
differences they really did love each other and there was a time that she
thought it might even lead to marriage.
They had met under
difficult circumstances with her being one of the palliative care nurses caring
for his terminally ill mother.
Then when the day
came that his mother died he leant on her.
In fact he leant
on her a lot and perhaps foolishly she let him do so more than she should have.
But it did hit him
hard, and his mum was the last relative he had left.
The biggest
problem was that his faith which had been crumbling over a number of years
before they met had disintegrated altogether and that became a problem between
them.
She
tried to help and support him but she had a deep and sustaining faith.
Her faith was as
strong as ever, if not stronger, but he had none and it drove a wedge between
them and the resulting chasm between them could not be reconciled.
Dave
losing his faith was not in itself a problem, she could have lived with that,
she could have dealt with that.
But
what she couldn’t live with in any way shape or form was that he resented her
relationship with God and that she could not live with.
After
his mum died he blamed everyone and everything except the cancer.
In
the end, for the sake of her sanity she had to make a hard decision, to stop
being his crutch and to leave him to wallow in self pity.
They were together
for two years before they split up which in the end they did quite amicably and
then she lived alone for six months before she had an epiphany.
She decided to
change everything in her life, firstly she quit smoking and when she had licked
that she went teetotal.
With a clear head
and clearing lungs she took up running although in truth the running only
lasted a week when she reverted to walking.
She figured if that
went well enough she would then start walking faster.
And finally she
applied for a new job.
Teardrop Lake
and the surrounding woodland was privately owned and divided into twelve parcels
each with one significant dwelling although there were a number of cottages
dotted around the woodland.
Elena
moved into number 3 Folly Cottages just before Christmas, the previous occupant
was one of her new bosses Olivia Shenton who now lived at the Vicarage in
Shallowfield with her husband and she fell in love with the cottage and its
location instantly.
Originally there
were six dwellings but after conversion there were now three terraced cottages
and they were situated high above the northern perimeter road in a rocky glade.
The two end ones
had two bedroom and the one in the middle had one.
Once upon a time
they were home to peasants who worked the woods but now the peasantry couldn’t
afford to live anywhere near the lake.
The view of the lake was spectacular although
they couldn’t see it all or discern the teardrop shape that gave the lake its
name. But the view of the surrounding ancient woodland of the Dancingdean
Forest was majestic.
Although much of the modest body of water was
obscured from view it was still quite beautiful and relatively unspoilt which
was why the she instantly fell in love with the place, and as there was snow on
the ground the scene was very picturesque.
It was both idyllic and peaceful, there was
little or no noise pollution and she had been reliably informed that although
the lake was used there were no speed boats or jet skis, only rowing boats,
canoes, dinghies and skiffs.
Fortunately
Elena was not the only new starter at the health centre or the only newbie to
the area.
Harriet
Robinson who was the new phlebotomist moved into number 1 a couple of days
before her.
However
whereas Elena’s move had been out of choice because she was looking for a
change Harriet’s had been forced upon her due to cost cutting measures.
As
they both moved in before Christmas and weren’t due to start work until the New
Year and as they were neighbours the two new girls gravitated towards each
other especially as Harriet’s University Professor husband, Nathan, was only
around at the weekend for the first week until the end of the semester.
Eva
Christodoulou and Siti Shahara, who lived in number 2, also worked at the
health centre, volunteered to show the new girls around and help them get their
bearings and settle in.
She
was dreading that first Christmas in a new place without Dave, she thought that
all that time on her own would drive her crazy.
But
she needn’t have worried for a second the mad girls in number 2 made sure she
wasn’t sad or lonely and didn’t give her a minute to think.
She
did find herself missing him in her quieter moments though.
After
a very enjoyable first Christmas in her new home Elena
was really pleased that she wasn’t starting the new job on her own and she knew
Harriet felt the same way.
They both slotted right in at the Heath
Centre and they soon found that the rest of the staff were just as friendly as their
new neighbours were.
Elena loved her job from the first moment she walked through the doors
and she loved living on the Lake even more.
She had continued on her healthy approach to
life and walked a circuit of the lake every morning except the weekends, on
Saturdays she split her time between housework and exploring the forest and
Sundays after she’d attended church in the morning she watched old films on TV
in the afternoon, after all she was 35 by then.
Apart
from enjoying the Lake and its environs she was fast becoming a regular part of
Church life in Shallowfield and along with Harriet where in full voice when on Easter Sunday when her neighbour Nathan Robinson debuted
as Choir master.
After Easter, life continued in much the same way until the summer
festivities filled the calendar.
It began as it did every year on Teardrop Lake with Lynn Cooper’s
birthday BBQ at Coopers Villa on the first of May and ended at the Shallowfield
Lodge Hotel in September for Rob and Sheryl Browns Wedding Anniversary party.
It had been such a busy summer with the seemingly
endless round of Hog Roasts and BBQ’s, parties and picnics that it wasn’t until
summer drifted relentlessly into autumn that
loneliness struck her.
Although if truth be told since she had split
up with Dave she had not been short of admirers so her loneliness was not for
want of an offer.
Her loneliness was so heartfelt because she
missed Dave because at the end of the day she still in love with him.
There were other distractions in September such as
Olivia Shenton’s Wedding Anniversary and Chantelle Dooney’s
birthday and Siti Shahara’s was in October, but overall not enough.
Throughout October at the health centre the
main topic of conversation was the upcoming Lutchford’s Annual Fancy Dress
Halloween party at Forest Lodge, to which all the staff were invited.
The talk was primarily of what costumes would
be worn but more interestingly the gossip was mainly about past misdemeanours.
Although Elena was not a Catholic her years
spent at the convent hospital exposed her to what she considered a more
dignified way to spend Halloween than dressing up in a ridiculous costume and
drinking so much you couldn’t remember if you enjoyed yourself or not.
So she choose to decline the invitation to
the Halloween party and chose instead to attend the Halloween celebrations at
St Mary’s.
Everyone at the health centre apart from
Elena and the Vicar’s wife Olivia were going to the Halloween Party at
the Lutchford’s so the two of them left work early for the Church.
The evening began with a short children’s
service followed by a Children’s party in the church hall which included music
and games and of course sweets.
After the parents and children had gone Elena
stayed on to help Olivia and Ben and the other helpers to clear away.
“Come and have supper with us” Olivia said
when they were done “its only bread and soup”
“No I wouldn’t want to intrude” Elena said
“Nonsense” the Vicar said “We insist”
“In that case then, thank you” she conceded
As they sat eating homemade soup and bread in
the Vicarage Olivia asked
“So will you be lighting a candle tonight?”
“Yes” she replied
“Might I ask for whom?” she asked
“My parents” Elena replied “And someone who
isn’t dead yet”
“Ok” Olivia said “that’s intriguing, but I
won’t press you”
At St Marys the All Hallows Eve vigil was a
quiet solemn time where you could light a candle for dead loved ones.
After quiet contemplation she then lit one
for a living person, Dave McAteer, she thought if she lit a candle for him on
Halloween she could let him go and get on with her life.
Elena took a seat on the front pew and lost
herself in prayer, she had no idea how long she had been praying or even when
another worshiper had joined her.
“Hello El” he said when she eventually raised
her head up from her devotions.
She turned around and it slowly dawned on her
who it was
“Hello Dave” she said “how on earth did you
find me?”
“Sister Agatha told me” he replied
“Why are you here?”
“I missed you” he
said
“I’ve missed you
too” Elena confided “but I’m not in your life anymore”
“I’ve realized
since you left that you were my life” Dave said
“And I foolishly
let you go”
Elena said nothing
and looked away
“And you were
right to leave me” he said “I had to learn to stand on my own two feet”
Still she said
nothing
“I’ve grown up and
come to my senses and as soon as I did I knew I had to win you back, but I
didn’t know how”
Elena still said
nothing
“So I asked
someone for help”
“Who?” she asked
turning and looking at him for the first time
“God” he replied
and she gasped
“I opened my heart
to God and suddenly everything made sense”
“Truly?” she asked
with moistened eyes
“Truly” he replied
and took her hand
“But I lit a
candle for you tonight” she confessed
“No, you lit a
candle for a different Dave” he replied “and he is dead and gone”
Elena looked at
him and she placed her other hand on his and smiled.
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