You know, after everything fell apart I actually found my own Prince at the bus stop!
Its been a wild ride. Two years ago my world turned upside down my dad passed away and, after twenty years of marriage, I finally got divorced. I moved back into my dads old cottage because Id been let go from my job. I was hitting forty and thought there was no chance of landing a decent gig or finding someone new.
Things just kept going wrong. The roof, put in by a dodgy local builder, started leaking. I wasnt strong enough to haul timber around, and the tradesmen whod replaced the windows never finished the job, so drafts kept slipping in. To keep warm I was gathering pine cones and even burning old books I had a stack of them until the power cut out and I had to turn the heating off altogether.
Then the landlord of the pub opposite started throwing me all kinds of offers. I wasnt sure whether to laugh or cry I thought it couldnt get any worse, but suddenly everything started to turn around.
One chilly morning I was waiting at the little bus shelter in the village of Littlebourne when a bloke on a workwear outfit stepped off the bus. Hed got his hair a bit messy, was covered in dust from roof work, and asked if I needed a hand. I told him the truth I did, but I had nothing to pay him with. He said, When youve got a few quid, well sort it out, and got straight to work.
He fixed the roof, the leaky tap, the water meter, the fence, the stairs and the windows. One night, during the worst frost of the year, I walked into the cottage to find a cosy fire crackling and a mug of herbal tea waiting on the table. It was like a miracle for my frozen throat and cold feet.
I knew right then that he was my hero, and I kept wondering how to thank him. Hes handy but dead modest, so I havent even mentioned his name were a tiny village and everyone knows him anyway.
Now the house and garden look like a proper English home, with a real mans touch. With my Prince beside me I feel warm, happy and, honestly, Im terrified of ever losing him.
