This is a sequel to both of my stories ‘Just Another Life Story’ and ‘Another Point Of View’.

*****

“Mrs. Hemmingway, have I told you lately that I love you?“ asked Chester caressing her neck and shoulders. “No, as a matter of fact, you haven‘t“ answered Ilona shivering with pleasure under his caresses, “but if you continue doing this to me while I‘m cooking, the food will get burnt“.

They really were very fond of each other. Chester would have loved to quit his job, only to be always with his wife but she laughed and said: “Better not, mister Hemmingway, we could get bored when we‘re always together. You keep working; then we will have something to look forward to after workand when our little prince is sleeping“.

Yes, they had already a baby. They had called him after Ilona‘s father, Mateo but they called him Mattie. He was a cute little boy with a very strong character and a very loud voice.

They remembered how Ilona had been afraid that she wouldn‘t be able to have children anymore. How happy had she been when she found out she was pregnant shortly after their wedding day.

How funny Chester had looked as he talked to the unborn baby. It was incredible that he, as a doctor in medicine, was nervous when she started having the contractions.

How proud had they been when they could take their little one home for the first time. Now they felt like a real family.

And now, Chester couldn‘t keep his eyes and his hands off of her. Ilona really was thrilled and never expected that life as a married woman would be so rewarding. At least with Chester; she was sure that nothing was able to separate them.

The little one behaved nicely for a change and didn‘t wake up during the night. The married couple had all the time to themselves to hug, kiss and caress.
They forgot to be careful and… yes! Ilona had not even returned to her job when she found out she was pregnant again.

They were very pleased but worried as well. Now they would have to add another room but the house wasn‘t big enough and there was not enough money to buy something bigger.

That was the only dark side of their life. Money… but they tried to make the best of it and their real fortune was their love. They would find a way out.
Ilona had just learnt that she was pregnant so she still could use her common clothes but in the house she loved to use her comfortable dresses.

Meanwhile, other things were happening as well in town.

Before leaving the island, Cynthia had found a letter from Raphael telling her that she should look in the drawer of the closet in his bedroom. There she would find the address and the key to a house of his property. He told her that the house would be hers‘. There would be nobody to claim it because, he didn‘t have any relatives and his parents had died a long time ago.
She said to the taxi driver: “to Rainbow Street, please”. The house was called Rainbow House. Was the street called after the house or the house after the street…, she wondered. It was located in the high part of Sunset Valley in a quiet street with only a few houses.

From outside it looked beautiful and very big.

It was completely quality furnished but a bit old-fashioned to her taste. However, she noticed Raphael‘s spirit in the house and decided that, for the moment, she wouldn‘t make any changes.

Well, of course it needed some cleaning but that‘s the usual thing after years of not being used.

That first day, she just relaxed and tried to sort out her ideas. One of the very first things she wanted to do was looking for Chester and his wife. She needed to be forgiven and she wanted to give the money back that she had obtained dishonestly. After that, she would go to Mr. Koffi to do the same.

That night she dreamt that Raphael was with her again but she was aware that it was only a dream and in her dream she saw herself preparing a place in the garden where she would bury Rapha‘s ashes.

When she woke up, she remembered the dream right away. She would bury his ashes in the afternoon.
First of all, she had to find out where Chester Hemmingway was living. She went to hospital to ask whether he still was working there. They treated her nicely and gave her his address. Once there, she saw that there was nobody there.

In order not to lose time, she went back home and started organizing her backyard. She buried the ashes in a place with a view on Lighthouse Island. She had bought some very nice flowers to surround his grave. Knowing that it would be one of her favorite spots, she put a garden chair next to the grave.

Her back was aching of all this unusual work but she was satisfied with the result and decided that she would take it easy during the rest of the day.

Before going back into the house, she had a last look for today at his grave and the flowers.

She was pleased with her work.

She went into the house and thought that it was a pity that the piano couldn‘t be used. This was one thing that she was not able to mend. She investigated if there was a solution to this but they told her that ‘perhaps in the future‘ it could be done.

Next day she went to Chester‘s place in the afternoon and she found him in the front yard of his house. When he saw her, his first reaction was to turn his back on her and go into the house but she said: “No Chester, please wait“.

He waited but he didn‘t trust her so she had a hard time explaining her intentions of making up for the past. As he wasn‘t sure whether he could believe her, he did not move one single muscle of his face.

Then she said softly: “I know that I can‘t give you your old house back, but I can give you the money I got for it and I will return you the money that I took from your account. Accept it please!
I need to be forgiven. I want to have my conscience clean when I have my baby.”

Yes, Chester thought already that she was pregnant and invited her in.
Ilona didn‘t know what happened in the garden but one look at her husband‘s face made her understand that everything was all-right.

She took Cynthia upstairs to show her the baby and Cynthia told her that she was pregnant as well. Now the two women started talking about these special months when a woman feels all the changes that take place in a woman‘s body. Chester was desperate because they were blocking his way to the crib and he wanted to take the baby in his arms.

Cynthia noticed it and quickly said goodbye.

Then she thought that Mr. Koffi never had known that she had taken his furniture and she didn‘t feel like meeting him. Anyway, she wanted to give the money back so she transferred the correct amount of money to his account with the words: ‘Sorry, for having taken your belongings. I hope that you accept my excuses. Cynthia del Campo.‘ After that she felt tremendously relieved.

To be continued.