GRIEVING REAL LIFE
When Mandy Donnelly, 40, from Corby, Northamptonshire, gave her daughter awarning, she never thought her tragic prediction would come true
Rushing through the door with her tan and beautiful nails, it wasn’t long before I got awarm hug.
‘Mum!’ my daughter Courtney, then 23, shouted, before giving me akiss.
Then she’d do the same to her brother Harry, now 13.
Even though Courtney had moved out to live with her daughter Lily, now three, in Kettering, the next town over, there wasn’t atime when we weren’t in contact.
Courtney was my soulmate, my rock… my everything.
Ihad always liked to call her my baby girl.
Having her at 15, my relationship with her dad wasn’t good, so it was just us.
Going on cinema trips, feeding the ducks at the park and meeting loved ones for days out, Courtney loved being surrounded by family.
And when it came to going to school, Courtney always cared for other people –especially her best friends PJ and Shan.
PJ became apart of the family, living with us, too.
When Harry came along, even though there was 10 years between the two of them, Courtney jumped for joy.
She’d fight over the carrier! Wanting to study beauty, Courtney had to have aset of long nails –I’m not sure how she managed to open her cans of Coca Cola!
And they had to be purple of course –she loved lilac.
When she started going out with her friends, Iknew I didn’t need to worry.
Speaking about everything, Courtney would let me know exactly where she was.
Only, she didn’t always make the best decisions.
‘When you go driving around with those boys, make sure that you’re careful,’ I’d insist. ‘One day, I’m going to get a knock on the door.’ But turning 18,
Courtney decided that she wanted to be a mum –and holding her hand as she gave birth to Lily, I couldn’t have been any prouder.
Like me, she left a turbulent relationship and Courtney put all her heartbreak into Lily.
Having Lily over for sleepovers, I’d do anything to see my granddaughter.
Only, when Courtney started dropping Lily off in August last year, she had someone else with her, too.
‘You’re not going out with him, are you?’ Iasked as I noticed afamiliar face around Corby. ‘He’s bad news.’
Steven.
With abit of areputation, there were rumours about Steven’s behaviour. With one eye, it was said that he’d had the other shot out by aBB gun.
I didn’t know why Courtney would go for someone like him and the idea of it made me worried, especially as he was seven years older.
‘No, Mum, we’re just talking,’ Courtney insis
