MIND-BOGGLING REAL LIFE
Donna Hunter, 38, from Hereford, couldn’t believe it when her hubby developed artistic talents overnight...
Scooping two delicious portions of Shepherd’s pie onto plates, I smiled as the scent filled the room.
‘Smells fantastic!’ my friend Moe beamed – already waiting at the table in anticipation.
I was proud of my culinary skills –my grandmother had taught me to cook, and as a result, I wasn’t too shabby in the kitchen.
‘Your Shepherd’s pie is the only reason I keep coming back,’ Moe jokingly told me.
On 16 June 2014, Moe, 38, and I met on a local online forum.
Noticing I liked Linkin Park on my profile, we already had a few things in common.
And as a carpenter, he leapt to my rescue when I needed a wardrobe.
Despite talking for a few months, we hadn’t met in the flesh before. Until Moe came to take the wardrobe measurements that is.
Getting to know each other over tea and Shepherd’s pie, we soon found that we had loads in common.
I loved Moe’s flare and creativity – it was so nice to meet someone on a similar wavelength to me.
But we were strictly friends.
I had rushed into relationships before, and it hadn’t gone to plan. I also had my son Tobias, now 11, to think about.
Besides, Moe had just got out of a relationship, too.
So, for the next year we continued getting to know each other as firm, platonic friends.
And before long, I learned that Moe had been in a coma back in his early twenties.
I loved his flare and creativity
He had contracted bacterial meningitis which left him in a coma for 30 days.
‘What was it like?’ I asked, fascinated. ‘How did it feel?’
Describing shadowy figures, Victorian streets, beautiful gardens, I was enthralled – I’d never heard anything like it!
‘I could even hear the doctors in the operating theatre and the staples going into my head,’ he said.
‘Could the doctors explain it?’ I asked. ‘Not at all,’ he replied. ‘They told me you don’t really dream in a coma.’
It was bizarre, but Moe’s uniqueness attracted me even more to him, and soon our relationship began to blossom.
And we mutually decided to see each other more.
We went out for a few meals and hung out at my house.
Then, Moe began to stay the night, getting to know Tobias and my eldest daughter gradually.
My family was very important to me, so it was vital my children approved of my partner.
And luckily, they welcomed him with open arms.
In 2015 we made it official. That year, Moe discovered his creativity, too.
Moe had been making custom toy boxes for clients as long as I’d known him. But he would decorate t
