Unforgettable Love (Book 1)

Chapter 4

15.34 hrs

Everyone had finished lunch and I was just in the lounge with Daniel sat on one of the chairs, enjoying the free time the group leaders had given us to rest until six before going to church for evening Mass.

A couple of the other members sat together in their own little groups whilst we enjoyed the rest period. Some girls were in the middle of playing Jenga on a table but in the time I'd seen them play the tower had already fallen a couple of times with every reset they did to the game.

One of the group leader's eldest son was sat with another member reading through a book together about an Irish Christian Priest in World War Two which I recall studying in school saved thousands of Jews and allied soldiers against the Nazis in Rome, earning the nickname as the "Vatican's Scarlet Pimpernel".

It was a very touching story which was listened amongst the many great acts of heroism and belief within this prayer group's studies.

Meanwhile I browsed through my messages to see if Fatima had left anything.

She still hadn't been online recently so she wasn't seeing any of my messages – just spam her inbox why don't you.

As much as I didn't want to sound obsessed or anything, I was simply worried about her. It wasn't normal for her to be offline for so long or to be unresponsive through her mobile.

I took a deep breath and switched off my phone. Stretching my arms out I sank into the chair comfortably.

'Still nothing?' asked Daniel sat on my right in an armchair.

I shook my head.

'Nothing. I've sent her a few messages and she still hasn't seen them. Now her phone is off so no getting through there.'

'Mate, just switch your mind off for now. Wait until tomorrow when we finish, then you can go spend as much time as you want with her.'

I rolled my eyes.

'You know I'm right,' Daniel insisted. 'Remember, you came here to get away from it all. Be present in the light of God and if needs be seek guidance on how to overcome this barrier you're stuck behind. Honestly, you might as well make the most of it until tomorrow, right? Pray for guidance.'

I sighed.

'You're right. I should just switch off and enjoy my time here. Heh... for all I know, it might be a sign from God that she's not replying.'

Daniel nodded once and smiled.

'The Lord works in mysterious ways.'

We soon headed outside of the lounge and into the patio where some of the other people were sitting down on the benches enjoying the sunlight. Daniel pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one up whilst we joined a few others who had the same idea.

The dark clouds I saw last night were hovering above but there were still open patches of sunlight poking out. So for now at least the weather was holding.

I spotted one of the new girls we met during the retreat sat on a bench on her own holding a sheet of paper in her hand.

She seemed a little younger than Daniel and I with very pretty strawberry blonde hair and wore a pair of white sneakers, light blue skinny jeans and a salmon jumper with a little golden crucifix hung around her neck.

She was going over the paper in her hand very carefully which I presumed was one of the readings for tonight's Mass at St. Theresa's Church. Her grey eyes were glued to it, like she was trying to memories every line.