Dear Noah,
My favourite boy, I am so sorry. I have to leave you.
Every morning I find it harder to wake myself, to face the world that waits for me. For as long as I can remember, you have been the light that brightens my days. You have helped me more than I thought possible. But I have been sick for too long, and the treatments just get worse. Every day I feel myself becoming a little weaker. I don’t want your precious life to be spent looking after a dying woman, or watching me wither away in a hospital bed. At least this way I can go to sleep painlessly. I did desperately want to watch you grow into a young man - but it was not to be. I have reached the end of my road. This place is a grave for me.
Please tell your daddy that I do love him. He is a good person. I just can’t bear all the doom and gloom that he keeps on spouting. And the thought that he might actually be right about any of it is too much to bear; I can’t hang all of my hopes and dreams on you, Noah, in a world that is falling apart at the seams. But give him a chance. He still has time to be a proper father for you.
I want to let you know that I am deeply grateful for my time with you. I thank God that you are fit and strong. I wish I could have made a happier life here for you. I wish I could spare you all the ordeals you have ahead. Please forgive me.
I love you so much.
Mummy
YOU ARE READING
The Fall of Man
General FictionSo much for an easy way to go. After thirty nine long years, each squandered day chained inexorably and uneventfully to the next, this is how it ends. How appropriate. Blinking back tears, Joanna shakes out another handful of pills into the palm of...
