Interview with Louis from 'Live the Dream'.

Rebekah Louise
Jun 30, 2017
3 min read

Today I have the pleasure to be speaking to Louis from the story I wrote entitled Live the Dream. You can find the story in Love, Life & Dreams (Link is below).

Rebekah: Louis, firstly thank you for coming to talk to me today. I understand a lot has happened since the readers read Live the Dream, can you tell me about that?

Louis: Yeah sure. As the readers will know, Emma wasn’t very well, she had been diagnosed with cancer and sadly the doctors said that it was terminal. Emma passed away shortly after Live the Dream was published. I have been re-adjusting to life and taking comfort from the memories that we shared.

Rebekah: I’m so sorry to hear that Emma has passed away, I can’t imagine how hard it is for you. I was wondering whether you would be happy to share your last few weeks that you had with Emma, did she manage to visit any of the other countries that she wanted to?

Louis: Before Emma became too ill to leave the house we visited some fancy restaurants, walked across some beautiful English countryside and enjoyed sipping on our coffees, side by side. She would puzzle over the latest crossword she was working on and I would read the sports pages at the back of the newspaper. It was our little bubble of happiness.

Rebekah: Sounds perfect. What was Emma like as a person?

Louis: She was amazing, she had a real passion for life. She enjoyed Zumba once a week and would always be trying to bend into yoga positions that looked painful to me. She was always busy helping others, trying to fix other people’s problems. Very selfless.

Rebekah: Thank you, I can see this isn’t easy for you, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today.

Louis: You’re welcome, I’m glad to be here. Talking about Emma keeps her alive, it keeps her close to me.

Rebekah: I can understand that. You were married for just over ten years, that’s a long time to then suddenly be without someone. Can I ask what’s next for you?

Louis: I’m still trying to figure that one out. I would like to travel, it was always something we liked to do. Perhaps I’ll go and visit Venice and experience it first-hand. Who knows what the future holds, maybe I’ll meet someone else, maybe I won’t. I have great friends and family around me who are supporting me. I am rarely alone and that brings me comfort going forward.

Rebekah: What advice would you give to people out there who have recently lost a loved one?

Louis: That’s a difficult question as we all heal and deal with things differently. For me, I know it has helped to take one day at a time. If I need to lock myself away and cry then I give myself permission to do that. If I want to be around people, then I am fortunate enough to have loved ones around me who understand. I think it’s important to be kind to yourself, you are not going to get over a death over night, or even in a few months, it takes time. Keep talking, tell people that you trust what’s going on in your mind, don’t bottle up your feelings, it only makes the pain worse. The last thing I would say is allow people to help you, if they offer say yes. I had some lovely home cooked meals that neighbours brought me and an old friend came and helped me clean the house when I could not face the thought of it.

Rebekah: Thank you, I think you raise some good points and hopefully they will be a comfort for someone reading this. Louis, I’m grateful for you taking the time

to speak to me today. I wish you all the best for the future.

Louis: My pleasure.

If you would like to read about Louis and Emma in Live the Dream you can buy your copy of Love. Life & Dreams here.

To see pictures of Louis & Emma and their time in Italy click here.