and any boy would desire her. When Harry looked at Darcy, she could
never be sure that the lust in his eyes was real or in her imagination, but
when he looked at Rachel, there was no mistaking it.
Darcy watched her trip over the
sand, watched Harry get nudged by one of his companions as she approached them,
watched his head flick up from a clipboard he had been studying, watched his
genuine grin of delight as he saw her. Darcy watched all these things and felt
a hollow sickness inside.
‘What are you collecting for?’
Darcy turned to find a young
woman with an ice-cream encrusted toddler clamped to her hip standing next to
her, trying to peer at the details on the side of her bucket. She stared at the
woman almost as if surprised to find anyone else there. Shaking herself
she forced a smile, reminded of the reason why she needed to rid herself of all
the selfish impulses that seemed to rule her lately and concentrate on the
things that really mattered.
‘It’s for my daughter… she has
cerebral palsy and we’re trying to take her to America
for an operation that could help her to walk.’
‘Really?’ the woman asked,
sounding impressed. ‘That’s an incredible thing to do.’
‘I don’t know,’ Darcy shrugged,
‘I think most mums would do the same if they could.’
‘Not all mums…’ the woman set the
protesting toddler down for a moment and rifled in a small satchel slung across
her shoulder. ‘Just for a minute, Nancy…’
the woman said to the little girl who had now started to wail. She produced a
handful of coins and gave them to the girl. ‘Why don’t you put these in the
lady’s bucket?’
At this, the little girl stopped
her crying, like a switch had been flicked, and she beamed. Carefully, she
slotted the coins, one by one, into the hole in the lid of the bucket.
‘Thank you so much,’ Darcy said,
smiling at the little girl and then up at her mum. ‘Every person who helps us
takes us a little bit closer to Sophie’s dreams of walking.’
The woman reached for Darcy’s
hand and gave it a squeeze. For a moment, Darcy was taken aback by the
familiarity of the gesture, but then she relaxed.
‘I hope you raise the money and
make her dreams come true,’ the woman said. ‘I wish you all the luck in the
world… you deserve it and so does your little girl.’ She scooped up her own
daughter and ledged her back on one hip. ‘Wave goodbye, Nancy…’
The little girl waved a podgy
hand.
‘Are you staying for the games?’
Darcy asked.
The woman shook her head. ‘We’re
on holiday, love, came down to the beach for one last look before we head home.
And I have a husband waiting impatiently in a car somewhere so we can get
going.’
Darcy wished she could say the
same as she bid the woman goodbye. Even an impatient husband would be better
than an absent one right now.
Darcy spent the next half hour
wandering amongst the crowds, smiling politely, offering thanks and a kind word
or more information about their cause whenever she received a donation. By the
time she had caught up with Amanda again, the first event had been announced
and was about to begin.
‘How did you get on?’ Amanda
asked.
Darcy shook her bucket in reply, a
satisfying rattle of coins issuing forth. ‘How about you?’
Amanda handed her bucket over and
Darcy frowned as she weighed it up. ‘It feels light… Your end was not so good?’
‘Silly… it’s full of notes!’
Amanda laughed.
Darcy grinned in return as she handed
it back. ‘Good old Amanda … working your magic, eh?’
‘Naturally…’
Their attention was drawn by a
row of four lifeguards lining up at makeshift starting blocks further up the
beach.
‘Looks like we’re off,’ Amanda
said. ‘I’ve been so looking forward to this one.’
‘You mean to say that you weren’t
bowled over with excitement by the bingo at the old folks’ home last week?’
Darcy grinned.
‘Strange how it doesn’t have
quite the same appeal,
never be sure that the lust in his eyes was real or in her imagination, but
when he looked at Rachel, there was no mistaking it.
Darcy watched her trip over the
sand, watched Harry get nudged by one of his companions as she approached them,
watched his head flick up from a clipboard he had been studying, watched his
genuine grin of delight as he saw her. Darcy watched all these things and felt
a hollow sickness inside.
‘What are you collecting for?’
Darcy turned to find a young
woman with an ice-cream encrusted toddler clamped to her hip standing next to
her, trying to peer at the details on the side of her bucket. She stared at the
woman almost as if surprised to find anyone else there. Shaking herself
she forced a smile, reminded of the reason why she needed to rid herself of all
the selfish impulses that seemed to rule her lately and concentrate on the
things that really mattered.
‘It’s for my daughter… she has
cerebral palsy and we’re trying to take her to America
for an operation that could help her to walk.’
‘Really?’ the woman asked,
sounding impressed. ‘That’s an incredible thing to do.’
‘I don’t know,’ Darcy shrugged,
‘I think most mums would do the same if they could.’
‘Not all mums…’ the woman set the
protesting toddler down for a moment and rifled in a small satchel slung across
her shoulder. ‘Just for a minute, Nancy…’
the woman said to the little girl who had now started to wail. She produced a
handful of coins and gave them to the girl. ‘Why don’t you put these in the
lady’s bucket?’
At this, the little girl stopped
her crying, like a switch had been flicked, and she beamed. Carefully, she
slotted the coins, one by one, into the hole in the lid of the bucket.
‘Thank you so much,’ Darcy said,
smiling at the little girl and then up at her mum. ‘Every person who helps us
takes us a little bit closer to Sophie’s dreams of walking.’
The woman reached for Darcy’s
hand and gave it a squeeze. For a moment, Darcy was taken aback by the
familiarity of the gesture, but then she relaxed.
‘I hope you raise the money and
make her dreams come true,’ the woman said. ‘I wish you all the luck in the
world… you deserve it and so does your little girl.’ She scooped up her own
daughter and ledged her back on one hip. ‘Wave goodbye, Nancy…’
The little girl waved a podgy
hand.
‘Are you staying for the games?’
Darcy asked.
The woman shook her head. ‘We’re
on holiday, love, came down to the beach for one last look before we head home.
And I have a husband waiting impatiently in a car somewhere so we can get
going.’
Darcy wished she could say the
same as she bid the woman goodbye. Even an impatient husband would be better
than an absent one right now.
Darcy spent the next half hour
wandering amongst the crowds, smiling politely, offering thanks and a kind word
or more information about their cause whenever she received a donation. By the
time she had caught up with Amanda again, the first event had been announced
and was about to begin.
‘How did you get on?’ Amanda
asked.
Darcy shook her bucket in reply, a
satisfying rattle of coins issuing forth. ‘How about you?’
Amanda handed her bucket over and
Darcy frowned as she weighed it up. ‘It feels light… Your end was not so good?’
‘Silly… it’s full of notes!’
Amanda laughed.
Darcy grinned in return as she handed
it back. ‘Good old Amanda … working your magic, eh?’
‘Naturally…’
Their attention was drawn by a
row of four lifeguards lining up at makeshift starting blocks further up the
beach.
‘Looks like we’re off,’ Amanda
said. ‘I’ve been so looking forward to this one.’
‘You mean to say that you weren’t
bowled over with excitement by the bingo at the old folks’ home last week?’
Darcy grinned.
‘Strange how it doesn’t have
quite the same appeal,
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