Six weeks later…
It was the day of the memorial service. Between them, Rebekah and David had organised an event in conjunction with the local branch of the stillbirth and miscarriage charity. It was being held at St James’s Church just along from Owerdale Primary and was open to anyone whose life had been touched by the loss of a pregnancy.
Dawn had considered not taking Archie, wondering if such an event was appropriate for a boy his age. But over the past few months he had experienced the loss of his beloved Elvis and the death of his father. Shaun had passed after only two meetings and she’d opted not to take Archie to the funeral. It was a lot for him to process and the emotions of Shaun’s family were too fresh for them to intrude upon. So even though today had been organised by Rebekah to remember Harry’s siblings, it was also a way to mourn their recent losses, including her own.
It was hard to admit, but she counted herself among the mourners. She’d not lost a child, she’d gained a nephew, and yet at times the void had been so palpable it hurt.
When they reached the church, Joel took charge of entertaining Archie. It gave Dawn the chance to admire how beautifully the space had been decorated. Some volunteers had done the place out with flowers, ribbons and candles and somehow it was cheerful, not maudlin.
‘Do you need me to do anything?’ Dawn asked Rebekah when she found her at the front of the church.
‘Would you mind handing out the candles to anyone who wants one later in the service?’
There were boxes upon boxes of them waiting by the stage.
When the time came, the deacon delivered a beautiful sermon on how today was a celebration of life, however short.
The candles she was charged with handing out were housed in beautifully decorated glass jars, each inscribed with the words: Too Beautiful for Earth. As she passed them out it struck her just how many people were affected by the loss of a child; that this journey, however unique to Rebekah and David, was in fact being travelled by many others. It was humbling to be part of this and to know how fortunate she’d been to be able to help them with their fertility troubles.
When the service ended, Dawn waited by the exit with what remained of the candles in case anyone wanted to take extra away with them. They were meant to be keepsakes for anyone wanting to cherish them, and she knew that, as in David and Rebekah’s case, there was a chance some would need more than one.
Once everyone other than the deacon was gone, it was just her little family that remained: David, Rebekah and Harry with Archie and Joel. And she definitely considered Joel family even if they were still keeping their relationship to themselves for now.
‘Are we ready?’ the deacon said from the front of the church.
‘Yes,’ Rebekah said.
Dawn didn’t know quite what they needed to be ready for. They certainly weren’t ready enough to leave with boxes still to pack up.
‘Right, can I have everyone up here in that case?’ the deacon said.
Rebekah beamed at David as she took Harry from his arms, their baby as content as anything these days.
‘And who are the godparents?’ the deacon asked Rebekah.
They stopped at the font and it took a second for Dawn to clue on to what was happening.
‘Dawn and Archie, if they are happy to be?’
The question took Dawn by surprise. They’d been here to mark the memory of David and Rebekah’s angel babies. It was moving on from the past, so it made sense it was also walking towards the future.
‘I will,’ Archie said. ‘I will be the best lookout ever.’
The lookout. The protector. The guardian. Archie was going to be the best godparent.
‘We’d be delighted to.’ Of course she would and, with one promise, whatever void there might have been disappeared.
It was only on returning home that Dawn remembered today was the end of their six-week honeymoon period of secret liaisons. Tonight Joel was going to come over so they could decide if this was working well enough for them to tell Archie they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
Admittedly, it was going very well at the moment, but Dawn still had her reservations. It was such a transient time for Archie, and this would only add to that.
The simple act of saying goodbye to Joel after the service had told Dawn it would be hard to shake the feelings she had for him. She wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. It was because of this six-week deadline. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but now it was causing too much pressure. How could she be sure? How could anyone be sure? But equally he’d brought so much to their lives, even her hope of starting to make money from her artwork. The contact he’d put her in touch with was offering a large commission for the adult colouring book idea and it was looking like she might never have to pick up a needle in order to follow her dream.
‘I’ve got a letter,’ Archie said as they got through the door.
‘Have you? Let me see.’
It was rare for Archie to have post. He showed her the envelope marked clearly with his name.
‘Open it then.’
It looked like it was some company trying to sell him a magazine subscription. They shouldn’t be allowed to send mail-outs like that to kids when it was the parents who would have to fork out the money.
‘I don’t understand, Mum. It says I’ve won a competition.’
‘What? Read it out.’
Archie unfolded the piece of A4 paper to its full length.
‘Dear Archie Manton,
Thank you so much for your entry into the Animal I Love competition. We are pleased to tell you your entry was selected as the first prize winner. Congratulations! Your prize includes the following:
A holiday for a family of four to South Africa
Transport to and from your hotel location
A safari to see meerkats in the wild
The holiday comes inclusive of food and a tour guide for two further expeditions.
Please email the below address so we can sort out suitable dates for your prizewinning holiday.’
Dawn was peering over his shoulder, not quite believing what she was hearing. ‘This must be a wind-up. I’ve heard about scams like this.’
‘This is what Joel entered me into. We’ve won, Mum! Can I ring him?’
‘Really?’ Dawn recalled Joel mentioning the competition. She even remembered filling out some of the form with Archie’s details, but she thought it was for a hamper of stuffed toys or something. ‘Call him now. Invite him over.’
By the time Joel arrived, Dawn had managed to read the letter herself and check it for authenticity. The letterhead was genuine and it included some fine print Archie hadn’t read out. It was a bit late in the day to send out emails, but maybe Joel could throw some light on it. That was if they could ever get Archie to stop bouncing from all the excitement.
‘We won. We won. We won,’ Archie said repeatedly to Joel when he made it into the flat. Her son in his enthusiasm had neglected to notice Joel had used his own key. That was one sure way to blow their cover. But she was too sick with disbelief to make an issue of it.
‘Is this real?’ Dawn thrust the letter in Joel’s direction.
‘Fantastic news! You really did win.’ Joel ruffled Archie’s hair and his bouncing momentarily stopped. ‘Yes, it’s real.’
‘But the prize… it’s massive. I had no idea that’s what it was for.’
‘You could pick the prize related to the animal. I figured there was nothing Archie would want more than to see meerkats in their natural habitat. Is it okay? I know it’s for a family of four, but it’ll be fine if just the two of you go.’
‘What?’ Dawn was struggling to believe it was real and that a dream holiday had landed on her doorstep thanks to her amazing boy’s biggest obsession. ‘You don’t think we’re going to South Africa without you, do you? You’re the reason this is happening.’ You’re our alpha male, she thought, but wasn’t brave enough to voice it out loud. But seeing the smile cross his face, Dawn knew Joel was thinking something similar.
‘Joel’s coming with us. We won. Joel’s coming with us.’ The excitement from Archie was almost too hyper to contain. And she wasn’t surprised. What a dream it was.
‘I’d love to come. If you’d be happy to have me?’ It was a statement loaded with a lot more than just the simple fact of going on holiday together.
‘I couldn’t think of anyone we’d want there more. Now, shall we order some Chinese in? I think today is a day to celebrate.’
‘Yes. It. Is,’ Archie said, as he did fist-pump lunges across the room.
‘It certainly is.’ Joel planted a soft kiss on her forehead. ‘Shall we make it a sixty-year plan?’
At that moment anything was possible and she had to believe this amazing man would continue to only ever bring happiness to this family. Not taking a risk on it being the right thing for Archie and her would be a crime against her future happiness. Sometimes you had to take a chance like Joel had with the competition. Because it was impossible to know where it might take you unless you tried. ‘Definitely,’ she said, ‘but is there any chance we can tell him he was right tomorrow? I don’t think the downstairs neighbours will cope if he stomps on their ceiling any more today.’
So, after filling their bellies with Chinese food and staying up way past their bedtime with discussions about what their holiday adventure would be like, Joel didn’t go home. The alpha male and female went to bed side by side, knowing their little lookout had known they were meant to be together way before they had. Tomorrow, over breakfast, they would let him know that, as Archie had always hoped, they were a couple. And for the first time in a long time Dawn knew she was doing something for herself. And, boy, did it feel good.