It has been two days since Niamh's death. Sheelagh is preparing for Niamh's funeral and wake. She goes out to check the mail and starts sifting through the bills and returns to the house. Then, she comes across an envelope addressed: 'For Sheelagh'. Intrigued, Sheelagh opens the letter and, as she reads it, she begins to cry. The letter reads:
Sheelagh,
You light up my world,
Like a candle burning brightly.
You catch each tear that falls,
And you hear the whispers in my heart.
There's no denying,
The way I feel about you.
So much has gone wrong for us,
We've been through so much.
Our beautiful daughter, Niamh,
Was so cruelly taken from us.
In an instant,
She was gone.
I'm sorry for everything I've put you through,
I never meant to hurt you like this.
You deserve so much better,
I'm truly sorry.
I ran because I was scared of what I'd done,
I knew I couldn't live with myself.
I didn't want you to suffer,
Because of my mistakes.
You're the world to me,
Without you I am nothing.
You are the most amazing person,
I have ever met.
From the moment we first spoke, properly,
The moment we first kissed,
You changed my life,
For the better.
You made me learn to appreciate life,
And the challenges that come with it.
But most of all,
You made me learn to be honest with those you love.
Which is why I told you what I did,
Because I let myself trust you.
You became my inspiration,
And if anyone should have died, it's me.
I'm sorry to bring up these feelings,
I know it can't be easy for you.
But I miss you so much,
That it makes me cry at night.
I've tried to deny this love I feel for you,
But I just can't.
I love you, Sheelagh,
And I always will.
Say goodbye to our daughter for me,
I wish I could be there.
I hope you understand,
Why I can't be at the funeral.
I love you, Niamh,
My little angel.
You had the sweetest smile,
The cutest little hands.
I know I've said it before,
But I truly love you, Sheelagh.
I'm sorry for everything,
Take care of yourself.
Cry if you must,
But no regrets.
This is just the way,
It has to be.
I'll never forget you, Sheelagh,
What I wouldn't give to hold you just once more.
To be able to feel secure in your arms,
To smell the scent of your hair.
Whenever you need me,
Just hold your hand upon your heart.
Know that I am there,
With you through everything.
Goodbye my darling.
Love,
Des
Sheelagh held the letter close to her heart as she continued to cry. She, too, wanted that chance, just once more, to be with Des. To love him and hold him again. She asked herself why he had left the letter in the letterbox instead of seeing her and telling her all of this to her face, or at least giving it to her in person.
Sheelagh was puzzled by this, but then again this was Des! She contemplated telling someone about the letter, but she thought that if this was Des's way of saying goodbye to their daughter Niamh, of letting go, then she should respect that.
Sheelagh put the letter away in a draw for safekeeping. The draw in her bedside table, so that he would always be close to her.
Later that evening, after the funeral and wake, Sheelagh lay on the bed and began to write a letter in reply to the one that Des had written. She was going to put it in his letterbox at his address and see if anything came of it. She hoped that he would get her letter so that she could tell him how she really felt about him...