The Star in Our Faults

Epilogue

15 years later...

"Miss Waters, could you sign my book please?" says the 9 year old girl behind the desk.

"Sure," I smile at her, while scribbling my name inside the cover of her book. Then she is gone, and another young girl appears asking the same question.

My first book signing. It's unreal. Girls and boys alike are queuing out of the shop door, and I been told it goes halfway down the street. It's strange to think that exactly 15 years ago today, I was attending my mothers funeral. The day is still fresh in my mind but with time I've learnt to bare the sadness.

At 16, I moved out of my grandparents flat with dreams of becoming a writer in 'the big city'. New York. Ever since the death of my mother I was intent on becoming an author as I wanted people to share my sadness and heartbreak, without the ordeal of telling them personally.

I don't think it was a wise decision to move to New York at the mere age of 16 but now I look back and think of how, because of that decision, great my life has become. I moved out at such a young age because living in that town, I felt a strange sense of guilt and it bared too many unwanted memories.

I didn't attend college or even get a degree. I spent my days working as a shopping assistant, barley making enough to support myself. Then I met Mike. He encouraged me to write a book, reflecting on my past experiences. It isn't my life story or an autobiography, just a simple novel, but he taught me how to use my own life and turn it in to novel form.

I finally finished my novel when I was around 19. It was a long and twisted journey but I got here in the end and was so proud of myself for doing so. I tried to send it to countless publishers, but it came back rejected every single time.

I began to feel more and more depressed and was wondering if moving away from my hometown was the best thing to do. Would my mother be proud of me? But finally a small publishing company excepted my book, and I was overjoyed. Me and Mike celebrated, and that was the night he proposed to me.

Now at the book signing, I squint at the small studded diamond on my finger. A symbol of me and Mike's relationship. He had been with me so much and knew every little detail about me.

We were scheduled to get married at the start of this year in New York, but something was wrong. I began feeling sick and too tired to get out of bed in the mornings until Mike finally dragged m to the hospital.

I was pregnant! The baby was completely unplanned but we were so grateful. So the wedding was postponed and me and Mike moved from New York back to my home town. Long ago I decided if I was going to have a baby, I would have it here. So me and Mike bought a house with all the money we had saved up plus the great amount I'm getting from making this book.

So that brings me up to present day, at this book signing, back home. Nobody knows about the baby which I am quite thankful for. I don't think I could deal with the release of my new book, a baby and a wedding all in one year!

Granny and Grandad love mike, as they should do. As does my father's family. Granny and grandad keep asking questions about why the wedding is postponed, so I guess we'll have to tell them soon. But just now I quite like how me and Mike are the only people who know, like it's our special secret.

Well of course Mom knows. She was always one step ahead of me, knew my secrets before I even knew them myself. And dad will know too. I knew he would of been a brilliant dad, even though I never got to meet him.

Reporters are always astonished on how calmly I can talk about my family. They always find it such a shock that both my parents have died and try to sympathise. But I'm still grateful for what I have and I know that at least my parents are together in heaven, like they should be.

The reporters and journalists are still astounded. "So you just accept this? You just accept your fate so simply? Are you not angry?"

I will laugh, and smile a little like I know a secret. "I'm okay," I'll say to them