Three Amazing Things About You(81)

Seriously, you deserve so much better than a man like that.

Was that too harsh? Hallie saved the reply but didn’t send it. Tomorrow morning she’d read it again before deciding whether or not to upload it to the site.

OK, next:

Dear Rose,

When I was twelve I was involved in a terrible car crash.

I know how lucky I am to still be alive.

Sometimes when people tell me how lucky I am, I just want to scream at them to shut up.





I suppose that makes me a horrible person. I think I probably am. You see, I’m twenty-three years old now, and last year I met – but didn’t go out with – the man of my dreams.

The problem is, he turned out to be the man of my best friend’s dreams as well, and now they’re really happy together. I’m crying as I’m writing this, because I feel so mean, but just for once I wish someone could fancy me. Except it’s never going to happen because of my face. It got badly injured in the car accident and I’ll never look normal. I’m so ugly I could burst into tears every time I see myself in the mirror. No one is ever going to look at me and think, Wow, she’s nice. Instead, people point and whisper. Some laugh and do Quasimodo impressions. Other people give me sympathetic smiles. (Sometimes that makes me feel even worse.)

So anyway, I suppose there isn’t any answer. I am glad to be alive but I wish my face wasn’t such a mess. I love my best friend and she has no idea how I feel about her boyfriend. He’s nice to me too, because he’s a nice person. I wish I could just be happy for them. Do you think it will get easier to bear or am I doomed to feel this way for ever?

Fran x

Dearest Fran,

Oh darling, if only I had a magic wand I could wave, but I don’t. As you say, there is no definitive answer, but I want you to know that you’re not alone. I know exactly how you feel. And I agree, it’s miserable to feel unwanted for reasons beyond your control.

But but but . . . you have to remind yourself that this still happens to those who don’t have damaged faces or anything else wrong with them. All over the world, millions of people are secretly in love with their friend’s partner. You are not alone!

Secondly, your friend’s relationship might not last. It’s perfectly possible that they won’t be together for ever. (Yes, this might be sad for her, but it would make things an awful lot easier for you.)

Thirdly, you sound really lovely and I can understand how rejected you feel right now, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t fall in love one day and be loved in return by someone wonderful. Search the internet and you’ll find hundreds of stories about people whose physical appearance had them worrying they’d never find a partner. But . . . guess what? They did! Because there are plenty of human beings in the world capable of seeing beyond a bit of surface damage. And these human beings are all the better for having been blessed with that ability.

Carry on being your own beautiful self, Fran, and one day it will happen, I know it will.

Promise me you’ll let us know when it does!

Love,

Rose xxx

Hallie read through what she’d written, then added: PS No, in case you’re wondering, I don’t have facial scars myself. But trust me, I do have a condition that enables me to understand how you feel.

This time she didn’t leave it until the morning. She uploaded Fran’s problem and her own reply. Then she shut down the computer and wondered if Fran would let her know when she did eventually find love.

What she deliberately didn’t wonder was whether she’d still be around to find out.





Chapter 37


‘Ooh, you should have been here yesterday,’ Margot exclaimed the moment Flo arrived in her apartment. ‘You’ll never guess who turned up!’

‘Donald Trump,’ said Flo. ‘Barbara Windsor. Jeremy Paxman.’

‘Better than all of those.’ Margot put down the glossy magazine she’d been reading and reached for her iPad. ‘Patrick brought Jade to meet me. Such a lovely surprise!’

‘Really? Great.’ Against all the odds, the blind date arranged six weeks ago by Patrick’s ex-wife had paid off; the fact that Jade was an aerobics instructor hadn’t meant she was a nightmare after all. She’d actually turned out to be a thoroughly nice person who didn’t mind a bit if other people weren’t as crazy about aerobics as she was.

‘She’s charming,’ Margot said happily. ‘I liked her a lot. And she brought me those flowers on the table. Here, come and have a look before you start in the kitchen.’

Flo went over to look at the photos on the iPad. Margot had been keeping her updated on the budding relationship since the first unexpectedly successful dinner party following the day at Denleigh Horse Trials. She’d heard about their subsequent dates and been delighted for Patrick. It just went to show, you never knew who was going to turn out to be a good match or where you might meet them.