All the Lonely People

by Mike Gayle

As she took people’s coats and pointed them in the direction of the food and drink, Joyce realised that she didn’t need to show her family she was doing well. She didn’t need to prove to them somehow that she had made the right decision in marrying Hubert. The happiness she felt right now was testimony enough.

‘It’s easy to waste a lot of time trying to think of a perfect solution to a problem. But sometimes the only thing you can do is cross your fingers and have a go.’

You’ve got to refuse to give up on people, even if them given up on themselves.’ He

Extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people like you and me, but only if we open ourselves up enough to let them.’

In fact, to choose to continue living was to honour the memory of those he had loved and lost, a celebration of the life they had once shared.