The Firefighter

Chapter 11 - Cancer

Charlotte took a bouquet of flowers around to Oliver's house to give to Sandy. Jane was happy to see her and Jimmy. Charlotte and Jimmy had decided to travel together from the farm. When the door opened, Oliver and Charlotte stood on either side of the door just looking at each other. Then she greeted Oliver and handed over the flowers. Oliver took all of them to visit Sandy in her bedroom. She was lying in the bed, covered in tumours and on a drip. A home nurse had been employed to look after Sandy's needs in her dying days. Sandy couldn't talk much and after a while, she waved them away to go to the sitting room.

Once they were all settled in the sitting room, Oliver and Jane served the tea and scones. They talked about their lives in the past and now. It turned out that Jane wanted to become a firefighter, like her dad had been. Of course, Oliver had retired from firefighting, but he did help with the RFS admin and do some co-ordination from their local office. They had an App now that enabled them to check the front lines of the fires and predict the burn rate so that the firefighters could be flown in to put out the fires even faster. Charlotte admired the fact that Jane had taken on the responsibility of studying to be a firefighter, knowing that it was a tough job for any man or woman. They risked their lives every time they went to attend to a fire. Sometimes the dangers came from unexpected quarters when fighting fires.

After two hours, Charlotte and Jimmy decided to return to the farm as it was feeding time. She went into Sandy's room to say goodbye and then she gave Jane and Oliver a big hug each. She told them that they would be in her thoughts and prayers and to try and stay strong for Sandy's sake.

It was six months later that Charlotte heard that Sandy had passed away from cancer. They had tried to fight it with chemotherapy but when there was little more to be done, Sandy had gone home to live out her remaining time on this earth, with her family close to her. Charlotte cried and attended the funeral at their local church. She heard Oliver's speech regarding how brave Sandy had been and how she had managed to leave a legacy of love and hope for those left behind.

Charlotte was asked to do a reading at the funeral, and this is what she said in her short speech:

To those of you who don't know me, I am Charlotte, a friend of the family. I got to know Sandy after she was diagnosed with cancer and my family and I want to offer our support to Oliver and Jane in this difficult time. My mother used to recommend this Irish blessing to be read at times such as these, so I would like to share this with all of you now:

"May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rain fall soft upon your field,

And until we meet again,

May God hold you

In the palm of his hand."

As she finished, she gathered up her papers and returned to the pew. Oliver nodded to her as if to say a thank you. Jane had tears running down both cheeks. After the service had finished, they all went to the gathering area near the kitchen and ate and drank some refreshments. Oliver was in demand and walked around talking to all their family and friends. By the time he reached Charlotte, he was tired and worn out. They shared a few words of comfort and then Oliver announced that he would be going home. Charlotte and Jimmy remained behind to help the church team to clean up after the refreshments. They were given some leftover cakes and cookies to take home. Charlotte wondered what would become of Oliver and whether he would go through a period of feeling depressed over the loss. Mental health was important when a close family member perished. She was determined to remain a friend of his and give him her unconditional support.