Hi my name is Max and I am a twenty five year old sales executive based in Manchester ,the events I will share took place five years ago in the same city. I was then in the second year at Manchester Uni when I recieved the bombshell that my cancer had returned and I had to have immediate surgery on my liver ,due to my parents career's ( diplomats both ) ,and the fact that I was still in education I was still included on their medical insurance and arrangements had been made for the necessary surgery at the Alex in Cheadle . The operation went well and the day after surgery the consultant said I should start to take light excercise, so taking him at his word I was walking down the corridor ,slowly I accept ,with only medication stands for company when suddenly the floor started to move toward the ceiling and I slumped against the wall in serious danger of fainting ,when I heard a door open and immediately felt strong hands grab my arms "what the hell are you up to ?" her voice echoing in my mind . Apparently she held me until I gathered my senses and then got me back to my room and and rang for the nurse ,who immediately I was safely back in bed read me the riot act regarding only going walkabout with supervision !! When the nurse established I was ok she offered my visitor coffee, then left us alone I introduced myself and thanked the lady who was called Jill, I was amazed as she was only around 5ft and yet had managed to keep me upright then got me back to my room . The next surprise was how forthright she was ,she told me in no uncertain terms I was a pratt for wandering about on my own ,"what the hell have you had done anyway ?" when I told her her next question was equally direct "where the hell are your parents anyway?" ,I thought she was going to explode when I told her they both worked abroad , and weren't able to get home for at least two months . Even though I had only just met her I knew the best policy was to let her vent her spleen about two people she had never met and never would ,only the arrival of the coffee stopped her ranting ,and before she got started again I asked if she intended to visit again as I was totally alone in the city ,at last she smiled and said as I was such a cheeky sod she may just do that. Having broken the ice she finally relaxed as she sipped her drink ,I asked what she did and her reply was that she owned a type of hotel in Didsbury ,apparently she had bought a large old property with her husband and over several years had totally renovated and converted it into a top end hotel . Sadly it transpired her husband had been killed in a car smash five years earlier and she now ran the place on her own ,she obviously wanted to change the subject asked what I did ,listening politely as I told her about my course ,and what I had done since I came to Manchester .As soon as she drained her coffee she made it obvious that she was ready to leave ,I thanked her once again and extended my invitation for her to visit again . In truth I didn't expect to see her again ,so was very pleasantly surprised when she reappeared just before lunch, fortunately I had ordered sandwiches and was able to share them with her .The other pleasing fact was that today she took her top coat off ,before sitting,so obviously intended staying a while I had not noticed yesterday but she looked very attractive ,she had almost white ,light blonde hair in a very funky short cut with a pink?purple flash at the front and a very striking look . I recon she took around a size 12 dress and had no idea how old she would be ,had she not told me about the house and the work they had done and the fact that she was widowed 5 years ago I would have estimated early thirties ,but very attractive and a lot more relaxed today . For the next couple of hours we chatted easily ,covering childhood ,where we had lived ,my parents and their careers and what I intended career wise after Uni ,time flew and before I knew it the consultant appeared on his rounds ,Jill said she would go for a coffee whilst the consultant reviewed his work . The news was positive he had removed all of the cancer ,which was not large only around 20 grams , and he estimated I could leave hospital in 5 or 6 days , have a couple of months before starting chemo ,the best bit of news was that it was a secondary and not a new cancer . He had just left when Jill returned and the smile across her face when I gave her the news was broader than on mine ," you're a lucky boy you know ,you don't even look as if you've had an operation ." I thanked her and said it must be my super fitness that was winning through ,"I just think you're a lucky bugger ,where will you convalesce ? " I just said I was going back to my flat ,then back to Uni within 2weeks ,but could do with a lift home if she was up for it ? she just shook her head ,before she could say anything I asked her to accompany me on my afternoon stroll down the corridor ,this time making two laps without any problem .I had lost one of the drip stands and Jill walked at my side and didn't baulk when I took her hand ,just chatting easily as she got me back to my room ,"are you staying for tea?" I asked ,totally surprised when first she said yes,and then took my hand again when I was in bed . She was so relaxed I phoned housekeeping and ordered her food ,still she had my hand in hers gently stroking where the rip had