The Girl at the Bus-Stop (37 page)

‘Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,’ she said softly, fighting back tears, ‘I feel very honoured to receive this award on behalf of Reuben Rudge. You probably don’t realise this, but it took Reuben almost thirty years to fulfil his dream of getting his first sci-fi novel published, and it won him this award. Sadly, he didn’t get to see it in print, but the success of his one and only novel will be Reuben’s legacy. The
Starfish
charity he founded to provide free holidays for under-privileged children, will receive all of the royalties from
Wife on Mars
,
and also the money from the sale of the film rights.’

There was more applause and cheers and Becky smiled and put her hand up as a signal for silence, before continuing.

‘No one knew Reuben Rudge,’ she said sadly, ‘but I hope one day to tell his story so everyone will know what a lovely man he was. The old shed where Reuben did all his writing has been relocated to the foyer of the
Starfish
charity’s first venue, the
Hotel Cassendre
in Bournemouth. This magnificent award will take pride of place on the wallpaper table he used as a desk. Hopefully, it will inspire many of the children who come to stay to become the writers of tomorrow. On the shed door I wanted to put up a plaque in his memory, and I tried thinking up some clever words to express how much this man meant to me. Then I remembered asking him once, why, after thirty years of disappointment and rejection he’d not abandoned his quest to become a writer? He gave me one of his silly grins and said, ‘I just couldn’t stop believing’.

The End