After the divorce: I found my Prince at the village bus stop!
Two years ago my world went topsyturvy. My father passed away and, after twenty years of marriage, I was finally divorced.
I moved back into my dads cottage in the Cotswolds because Id been made redundant. At forty I was convinced there was no hope of landing a decent job or stumbling into a new romance.
Fate seemed to have a sense of humour. The thatched roof, patched up by the local handyman, started leaking. I was too exhausted to haul firewood up the loft.
The contractors whod swapped the windows left a gap, and a cold draft kept sneaking in through the cracks. To stay warm I gathered pine cones and, when the fire went out, I used the piles of books on the shelf to coax the old stove back to life.
Then the electricity quit altogether, and I had to shut the heating off. The owner of the pub across the road started sliding me deals for a warm cup of tea and a slice of cake. I wasnt sure whether to laugh or weep.
I thought things couldnt get any worse, and then, all of a sudden, everything turned around.
My Prince turned up at the little bus stop, on a rickety coach that had seen better days. He sported a bit of a mess on his hair, wore work overalls, and spent his days fixing roofs. He asked if I needed a hand. I admitted I did, but I had nothing to pay him with.
He smiled and said, When youve got a few quid, well sort out the bill.
He patched the roof, fixed the leaky tap, replaced the water meter, mended the fence, repaired the stairs and straightened the windows.
One frosty night, I woke to find the fireplace glowing warmly and a mug of herbal tea waiting beside it. It was as if a miracle had delivered exactly what my frozen throat and chilly toes needed.
I knew who my hero was and wondered how to thank him. Hes handy, but modest. So Ill keep his name out of this tale the village is small, and hed probably roll his eyes if anyone called him a knight in shining overalls.
Now the cottage and garden look as if a mans touch has been at work. With my Prince nearby, I feel cosy, happy, andtruth be tolda little terrified of ever losing him.
