A Cornish Affair

Don't Let Them Grind You Down

Rosie couldn't move. Without realising, her fingers had tightened at the edges of the certificate and they were crumpling under the pressure. Then suddenly as if it had turned boiling hot, Rosie screwed it up and threw it across the room. Seeing the wine glass on the table, she picked it up and drained the last drop. She replaced the glass, but something inside her stomach churned and with her hands to her mouth, Rosie ran to the bathroom.

She stood with her head bowed over the toilet as waves of emotion washed through her. Rosie's body arched as the shock of her find took over her whole body. Slumping down against the wall, tears flowed uncontrollably as she screwed her knees up to her chest and buried her head.

Questions ran through her mind at top speed. How? When? Why? To have kept it a secret all of these years.

Rosie's head suddenly bolted upright and she held her breath, thinking she could hear a noise at the front door. She scrambled to her feet, stopping at the top of the stairs. There was nothing. It must have been next door. But Lee would be home any minute. Rosie didn't know what to do. Stay and face it all now or leave and speak to him once she'd had chance to digest what was going on - to come to terms with the fact she had been lied to for the past ten years.

Deciding immediately on what she wanted, Rosie ran into her bedroom and grabbing a bag she filled it with random things she could get her hands on. Underwear, jeans, a brush and a few tops. Zipping up the bag as she made her way downstairs, she found her handbag and phone, yanked her charger from the wall and finally taking her coat, she left the house, slamming the door behind her, yet not having bothered to turn out the lights.

Looking both ways along the street, Rosie retraced the route she had taken not an hour before, constantly watching for Lee, not knowing if he was on foot or in any of the cars which passed her. Trying as hard as she could to keep to the shadows and walking at just below a jog, Rosie headed towards the station.

Sitting on the platform, knowing she had a fifteen minute wait for the more infrequent train service at that time of night, Rosie watched the ticket barriers. She was convinced that Lee would have got home, found the certificate that he had kept so secret all these years and immediately guessed where she was. She didn't move her eyes, but sat biting at her nails, her bags on her lap and her feet tapping nervously.

Eventually, seeing the train approach, she was on her feet, stepping from one foot to the other, eager to step on to the train that would take her away. That would take her to somewhere she knew she would be wanted. That would take her to Ricky.

The doors beeped as Rosie pushed between them, her eyes still trained on the barrier, expecting to see Lee any moment. It was only as the beeping sounded again and the train edged it's way out of the station that Rosie allowed herself an extremely deep breath and the tears once again began to fall.

Her behaviour had caught the attention of an elderly man sat opposite her. As she sat staring at the lights of Greenwich blend into the lights of Deptford she hadn't seen the man leave his seat. Being aware of someone stood opposite her, Rosie's head snapped round to see the man holding out a packet of tissues towards her.

"There you go lovey. You look like you could do with blowing ya nose." He smiled as Rosie accepted the tissues with a quiet thank you and doffing the hat that he wore, he returned to his seat. Rosie took a tissue and wiped at her nose, before taking another an attempting to wipe the mascara that she knew must be smeared under her eyes. 

"Thank you,"  she said more loudly this time, weakly smiling in the man's direction.

"Boyfriend trouble is it?" he asked, but continued before she could reply. "Well he's obviously not worth it if he's made a pretty thing like you this upset. Plenty more fish in the sea darling!" He nodded, as if to confirm his words.