Nothing is Forever Read Free

Henry’s? Have you come to a decision at last or are you going to settle into middle age on your own?’
    Ruth turned away to hide her frown, thinking of Henry and the proposals she had refused. ‘Let’s get this one over first, Aunty Blod.’
    The wedding of her brother Tommy to Toni Gretorex had been a miserably small affair. Far less of an event than those of her other three brothers, Tommy and Toni deciding on a register office rather than a carefully planned wedding was as upsetting as the suddenness of it. Tommy and Bryn were twins and practically inseparable, and she was sure the reason for Tommy and Toni’s sudden wedding had been because a flat next to the one about to be rented by Bryn and Brenda had become available. Tommy had quickly taken on the tenancy and arranged the civil ceremony with hardly time to let everyone know. Toni had dealt with it efficiently and without telling Ruth, and the four had made their plans together. Ruth was still feeling the shock of their announcement and the hurt of not being involved in the decision and the plans.
    Tommy and Bryn worked together, enjoying a variety of gardening jobs and travelling around the local farms doing seasonal work. Several farmers for whom they worked on occasions were here sharing the celebrations and had also added to the food on offer. The money wasn’t great, but Toni worked in a wool shop which would help. Brenda worked with Tommy and Bryn by keeping a note of their arrangements, and also worked at the farms doing housework during spring cleaning and at other busy times. She helped on a regular basis at the school, cleaning the kitchens after meals had been cooked. ‘Bits and bobs’, was how she described her occupation.
    Despite the noise from the living-room, and the constant comings and goings as friends came in for more plates of food, she could already feel the house changing from a busy, noisy one, to a hollow shell. A too large house in which she would rattle. Henry hardly entered her thoughts. She wasn’t prepared for the sudden end to her busy life. With no one needing her, what would she do with the empty hours?
    Since their parents had died of a flu epidemic when Ruth was only seventeen, she had looked after them all; four brothers and now, four sisters-in-law had all treated this as their home and the house had been filled every day with their friends, and now after ten years it was over, in less than a week.
    Ruth had willingly given up the prospect of a career in hotel management to stay at home and keep the family together. Not a duty, but a joy. After all, it was her duty. It was the family home and had been for three generations. She gave a sigh, and tried to put thoughts of the empty house aside. There was a lot of noise coming from the living-room, conversations shouting above the music that was now playing. Ty Gwyn was filled with family and friends, mostly friends, people who had treated this place as a second home. To go from this to silence; how would she cope with that?
    The bride and groom came through the door to the kitchen where she was putting the final touches to the plates of food still being collected and taken into the living-room, and she smiled.
    That smile had been fixed to her face all day and her jaw ached with the effort. She was trying not to think of tonight, when all the guests were gone and she faced staying in the huge house on her own for the first time ever. Night time was a long way off and there was so much to do she told herself, that she would sleep as soon as she crawled in between the sheets.
    Aunty Blodwen heaved herself out of the couch where she had been dozing and gave her a hug. ‘Can I ask a big, huge favour, darlin’ girl?’ she asked, her large brown eyes looking sorrowful.
    ‘Of course. Anything, Aunty Blod.’
    ‘Can I stay a few days next week? The workmen are coming to do some repairs and some decorating. Terrible hard it’ll be to stay there with them all buzzing about like