It had happened about four years after they had arrived in the States. Brad had been offered the chance of a promotion, a hefty raise, plus increased benefits, to move to Tampa and oversee the opening of a new office. Her mum was pregnant with her little sister Megan, and Gwen had already moved in with Kristal while she studied graphic design at university, Kristal was studying interior design. Kristal had taken her under her wing in college and helped her navigate the differences between the UK and US education system. Gwen had found it easy to adapt, her Welsh accent made her stand out, but she had been delighted to discover it also made her popular, and she soon had a support system in place.
Those friends had given her the confidence to send her mum down to Florida with the only condition being they make sure they bought a house with room for visitors. Her mum and stepdad had gone one step better and bought a home with a separate two-bedroom pool house where Gwen and her friends had crashed whenever they went to stay. They had flown her gran out several times over the last few years to visit, Gwen had always been so thankful that her stepdad had accepted her paternal grandma. She had never known her maternal grandparents, they had died in an accident before her parents had even met, her only memories of them were the old videos her mum had that she had shown her growing up.
She loved her half-sister not that she ever considered her that, but she was jealous sometimes at the extended family she had on her dad’s side. That was not to say they had ever excluded Gwen; they had done everything to make her feel part of their family, but she always felt the outsider still. Her accent a daily reminder of the home she had left behind.
A couple of years after they arrived in New York her dad had got hold of her mobile number. He had rung her drunk a few times begging for money, belligerently claiming she owed it to him for cutting him out of her life and that her mum could afford it. She had changed her number, that had hurt so badly, not because of him but it was one more tie to home and her friends there severed. The fact they had never used it to contact her was besides the point, now they would not be able to.
An hour before her mum was due to arrive Gwen sat in her living room, her suitcase packed and ready despite the fact they were not flying until the evening.
“Gwen, shall I book a table somewhere? Or would you rather order in?”
“I’m not really hungry.”
“I know but your mum has been on the go since this morning and you are both heading for a long flight tonight, you really should eat something before you go for the flight. I could cook?”
“Hell no!” A smile cracked on Gwen’s face, Kristal was a notoriously bad cook, it was a standing joke amongst them all that you would only eat her cooking as a last meal because you wouldn’t be around long enough to suffer the consequences.
The meal out was a quiet affair, Kristal gently asked questions about their time growing up in Wales, Gwen’s mum was happy to discuss her life their but each time she tried to coax any information from Gwen she clammed up. After they had eaten there was just time to head back to the apartment and pick up the cases, it had been decided they would get a taxi back to the airport. Kristal had a car, but she used it to head out of town to visit her parents, or when they drove down to see Gwen’s family, as she hated the crowded city streets. Once the suitcases were loaded Kristal hugged her friend.
“Call me when you land, let me know you’re okay?”
“I will, don’t forget the time differences, so text before you ring to make sure I am awake.”
“And Gwen…”
“What?”
“Whoever he or she is, please talk to them, make your peace, whatever you need to do. I love you and want you to be happy, something is holding you back. Deal with it, stop running from it.”
“I’m not running from anything. Stop worrying I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Kristal noticed the tears forming in Gwen’s eyes, but she said nothing more, simply gave her friend one last hug before she climbed into the taxi and pulled away into the traffic.
CHAPTER THREE
For a minute Gwen forgot where she was. The unfamiliar bed was comfy but didn’t hug her body the way hers did, but she felt well rested despite the jetlag. They had booked a suite and she could hear her mum moving around, probably making coffee. A minute later a gentle knock on the door followed.
“Gwen, are you awake?”
“Yeah, come in mum.”
Her mum entered the room, as soon as Gwen saw her, she sat bolt upright in bed. One foot was halfway to the floor before her mum had chance to speak.
“Sweetheart, I just had the hospital on the phone. We need to go now, I’m so sorry she doesn’t have long left.”
Later Gwen would be unable to remember much about the next few hours. Having dressed quickly they’d made it to the hospital in time to sit with her grandma for her last couple of hours before she slipped away. She had been unconscious for most of the time but there had been a brief time while Gwen was alone with her when she’d woken, and they’d spoken.
“Gwen?”
“I’m heremam-gu, if you really wanted me to visit you could have just said, you didn’t need to go this far.”
“My sweet girl,un melys, I am sorry you had to travel so far for me to leave...”
“Shh, you’re not going anywhere. They will soon have you fixed up and then we will go catch up properly.”
“Not this time, I’m tired and I can see your grandpa waiting for me, don’t be sad, it’s my time. I wanted to say I am sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”