Someone Loves You
by Penelope Friday
It came through the post. An envelope, her name and address neatly typed. When Jenna opened it, there was a postcard with a picture of Monet’s Waterlilies. Beautiful. She turned the card over, to find three words written on the back.
Someone Loves You.
They too were typed, and there was no signature, nothing. Jenna looked back at the picture. She’d always loved the Impressionists, dragging Alan and Liam to see the original when they were on holiday in France two years ago. She bit her lip. That had been the last holiday they had as a family before Alan had been diagnosed with cancer. He'd died less than six months later. She'd loved him so very much, and there had been a hole in her life ever since. As for Liam, her gentle twelve year old son had turned into a sulky, rebellious teenager in the eighteen months since Alan’s death. Talking of whom...
“Liam!” she called up the stairs. “You’d better hurry. The bus leaves soon.”
A grunt was the only response, but Liam shrugged past her shortly, his rucksack packed to bursting, his shirt creased.
“Oh love, I ironed you one,” she said reproachfully; but her words were spoken to his retreating back. For a moment Jenna felt her eyes prick with tears, but with resolution she turned away, taking one more look at the card.
Someone Loves You.
But who? Jenna had led a reclusive life of late, the only men she’d met being those who worked with her. Oh, and George, of course – the dishy bloke three doors down. He’d moved in five years ago, and from the very moment he moved in, Alan had teased her about her crush. Was it her fault if he looked like George Clooney as well as sharing his first name? But surely George wouldn’t write postcards to the woman next door?
Jenna allowed her mind to dwell on the possibility of George being her secret admirer as she drove to work. All morning, she looked around the office, wondering whether one of the men working beside her had been responsible for the note. Dean? Surely not: he was far too young for her. Terry and Ken were married, so it wouldn't have been them. What about Jeff, she thought as he popped his head round the door just before lunch time to volunteer to fetch sandwiches in. Was she imagining that his eyes rested on her a little longer than on anyone else?
Diane, her closest friend, dragged her off excitedly for lunch in the office garden.
“Jen, what is it?” she demanded. “You’ve been staring round the office like... like... a tiger looking for breakfast. It’s the first time I’ve seen you look interested since Alan died.”
“Have I?” Jenna realised that she hadn’t been going through her usual fret list that morning. Usually, behind the concentration on her work, she’d be thinking about what to cook for dinner; which bills might be coming in; whether she’d have to nag Liam about his homework. This morning, her mind had been full of her postcard. “Look at this!” Jenna dug the card out and showed it to her friend.
“Goodness!” Diane was thrilled. “A secret admirer! I thought that only happened in books.”
“Me too,” laughed Jenna.
The rest of the day passed happily. She and Diane exchanged bright-eyed looks across the crowded office. Jenna couldn’t remember when she’d felt this good – this alive. It was as if a part of her had died alongside Alan. She drove home feeling good about life.
She drove home to flowers.
Flowers on the doorstep. A large bouquet of roses, tied with a pretty ribbon. Fascinated, she tore open the little card with them, to find the same three words.
Someone Loves You.
Humming to herself, she arranged the flowers in two vases, placing one in the sitting room and taking the other up to her bedroom so that they would be the first thing she saw in the morning. Somebody loved her! Truthfully, Jenna wasn’t ready for a new relationship but she couldn’t help being excited by the attention. Maybe... For the first time Jenna actually considered the possibility that it wasn’t just possible to live without Alan, but to live happily. When Liam came in, she smiled at him. Even when he grumbled about how boring pasta salad was, and how all his friends got chips, he couldn’t upset her badly.
“I know, love,” she said, “but it would be boring if we ate chips all the time.”
Liam sulked from then on, but he did his homework without prompting.
*
It was three days before the next note came. Enclosed in the letter was a tiny bar of very expensive (very decadent) chocolate. The letter itself still held just three words.
Someone Loves You.
Jenna waved the chocolate at Diane when she got into work, and at lunch time she gave her all the details she knew.
“And it never says anything else?” Diane asked.
“Never,” Jenna said cheerfully. “Just ‘Someone loves you’.”
It was funny, but Liam seemed less troublesome now Jenna felt happier. He still grunted answers; still didn't tidy his room, but somehow it mattered less. Jenna found herself humming as she ran the hoover over his floor (the pile of discarded clothing had been dumped on his bed). She was still humming when the hoover spluttered as it encountered something too big to be sucked up. Turning it off, Jenna bent down. A piece of paper was stuck halfway into the vacuum cleaner, and resignedly Jenna pulled it out. Something about it made her glance down. On the piece of paper were three words.
Someone Loves You.
*
When Liam grumbled about the supper, Jenna smiled and said nothing. When he complained that he didn’t have any clean socks for the morning, Jenna produced a pair from the dryer. He might find fault with everything she did, but Jenna knew the truth.
Someone loved her.
Penelope hates writing bios because she never knows how to describe what she writes about. Her particular strengths are romantic sensual fiction, and articles on disability issues - but she also writes sci fi, teen stories, Regency Period articles, and many other things. Her website is http://penelopefriday.viviti.com and she blogs at http://www.t5m.com/penelope-friday. Contact Penelope.
