Part 16 (1/2)

Joy lit up Lucy's face. 'It's a beautiful little place in Dorset. Somehow, I need to recapture the peace and happiness I felt back then, if that's possible. I remember it so vividly. It's not far from Dorchester. It's a small village off the beaten track, and right on the coast. When we went there, all those years ago, it was little known by holidaymakers.'

'I'll bet it's different now, though,' Kathleen remarked. 'It's been such a long time since you were there, it's bound to have been discovered over the years. Don't you think so, Lucy?'

Lucy thought it would be an awful shame if that lovely place had been spoiled, although it was true that nowhere remained unchanged for all time. 'You could be right,' she answered. 'When we were there with the children some twenty years back, I did notice there were a few more houses dotted about. After all this time, though, as you say, it's not very likely that more people have discovered it.'

'So, if it has changed, will that spoil it for you, Lucy?'

'No. It won't alter my memories.' She was certain of that. 'Besides, the landscape itself is bound to be the same ... I hope. The high cliffs, the wide, open beach and the waves lapping over the sands ... oh, and the beautiful views from the pretty, wooden jetty.'

She could see it all so plainly in her mind. 'Oh, Kathleen, I do hope it's still just as I remember.' For a magic moment, she was there, losing herself in the character of that charming little place.

'You know what, Lucy? In a way I envy you, going back there. Revisiting your cherished memories. I can see you in my mind's eye, perched high up on some cliff, legs dangling over the edge while you gaze out over the sea. Oh, Lucy! It's exactly what you need ... and it's what you deserve.'

She imagined the idyllic seaside village that Lucy had described so vividly. 'It sounds like the kind of quiet, lonely place we all need from time to time, when the big bad world starts crowding in.'

Lucy agreed. 'The first time we went there, with Mum and Dad, I was just ten years old. I've never forgotten it. Then, some years later, after we had both the children, Martin and I took them there. We only went the once, when money was really short. Anne was a toddler, and Sam was a babe in arms.' She paused to remember. 'It was so beautiful, Kathleen. Sadly, though, that was the first and last time for us.'

Kathleen was curious. 'What's the name of this little paradise?'

'If I remember rightly, it was called Limerton or Littleton something like that but I'm sure I could find it on the map. The name just popped into my head last night I can't think why. Oh, and I'll never forget the first time we went, and Dad got lost. We went round and round, up and down, and then the old banger of a car suddenly stopped and wouldn't go. Eventually, we were towed off to a garage, with Dad grumbling and cursing all the way.'

The memory was so real, she could hear her father's voice in her head. 'Roll on the day, when I have enough money to send this useless bag o' bones to the sc.r.a.pheap where it belongs!' Lucy did a fine imitation of her father's cursing.

Kathleen laughed. 'I don't blame him,' she quipped. 'Driving all that way, only to break down when you get there. I reckon I'd be grumpy an' all.'

'He really loved that old car,' Lucy explained. 'He never did send it to the sc.r.a.pheap. Instead he kept it for about four years, but it was forever breaking down. In the end he sold it to a neighbour who, as far as I remember, had no trouble whatsoever with it.'

They both laughed at that. 'Maybe the car didn't like your dad cursing it all the time,' Kathleen teased. 'But you were telling me ... how did you manage to arrive at this little hideaway you loved so much?'

'Oh, yes! The man at the garage couldn't fix the car straight away, so because he had a big old truck, and as we were only four miles from the place we had been looking for, he took us all there in the truck. It was great fun, but needless to say, Dad was not in the best of moods.'

'I'm not surprised.' Kathleen chuckled at the picture in her mind of Lucy's dad ranting and raving.

'He told the man with the truck that the old car had enjoyed its last journey, that it rattled the teeth and shook the bones, and that after that bad experience it would be a week before he could walk properly. He vowed that whenever he managed to get the old rust bucket back home, he would turn it into a henhouse in the back garden!'

Kathleen roared with laughter. 'Your dad sounds like a bit of a devil.'

Lucy smiled at the memory. 'It was one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong, but when we actually got to our destination, it was so beautiful we just forgot all the disappointments. We came off the busy main road, then round a bend, and right there before our eyes was paradise on earth. Tucked away among some high, sloping cliffs, it simply took our breath away.' She smiled. 'It even silenced our dad. One minute we were on the main road, with him swearing and moaning and threatening all manner of punishment for the poor old car, and then we turned a corner into the village, and he didn't even make another peep. At least not until me and Paula scrambled out and ran towards the beach. Then he was yelling, ”Be careful, you two!”'

'Careful of what?' Kathleen asked.

'I'm not really sure. Everything, I suppose. ”Be careful!” is always what parents say to their kids when they run off.'

'So, did you get onto the beach all right?' Kathleen had this captivating image in her mind of cliffs and a wide beach, and the two young girls running, happy and excited.

'The beach was completely empty,' Lucy recalled, 'with not a soul in sight. I could not believe that we had this great big, beautiful beach all to ourselves.'

The memories came thick and fast. 'I'll never forget it,' she told Kathleen excitedly. 'It was exactly the same when Martin and I took the children there years later. It was still unspoiled, and since that last visit many years ago, I've had a hankering to go back.' Slightly embarra.s.sed, she said softly, 'I know it sounds soppy, but it was the kind of place that somehow gets right into your soul.'

Kathleen smiled. 'Sometimes a place or a person can do that to you,' she said knowingly.

She could see the longing and regret in Lucy's eyes. She could hear it in her voice, and she was convinced that Lucy had made the right decision. 'I'm glad you've chosen to go back there,' she said. 'I think it's the right thing to do. It will give you a chance to reflect. The peace and tranquillity, and the comfort of wonderful memories with family ... it will help to heal you, Lucy, I know it will. And once that begins to happen, you'll find you have a clear idea of what you want to do next.'

Lucy was close to tears. 'Thank you, Kathleen. I don't know what I would have done without you.'

'Don't give it a second thought,' Kathleen chided. 'You would have done the same for me. Just remember, I'm here if you need me.' She gave a long sigh. 'Oh, Lucy! I really do wish I could come with you ... but I can't.' She had an idea, though. 'After you've sorted yourself out, maybe the two of us can have a week or so in this beautiful place, and you can show me around. What d'you say to that?'

'Oh, that would be lovely!' Lucy got out of her chair and gave her friend a long hug. 'Yes! We'll do that ... just you and me.' She would not forget.

Kathleen called for a taxi to take Lucy to Bedford station.

'He'll be here in ten minutes,' she told Lucy. 'I found his number on a card in a shop window a few weeks back. I thought it might come in handy. Apparently, he's local, and he never overcharges. He also has a reputation for being a safe driver.'

In a surprisingly short time the taxi arrived. Nervous and excited, Lucy said goodbye. 'I can never thank you enough, Kathleen.' She wrapped her arms about this wonderful, caring friend, and held her as though she would never let go.

'Ring me as soon as you get there, will you, Lucy?' Kathleen discreetly brushed away her tears. 'I'll be waiting for your call.'

'I'll ring you the minute I arrive,' Lucy promised, 'and, please, Kathleen, don't forget the story we decided on, in case Anne should come round. I don't like deceiving her, but I think it's a necessary evil. For a mult.i.tude of reasons, I do not want the chldren finding out where I've gone, and why.'

'I understand. If she does ask, I will simply tell her that you really needed to get away and be on your own for a while. I'll explain that you've gone to stay with my old aunt, and that she is not on the telephone.'

'Thank you.' Lucy explained, 'I don't want her telling Martin or Paula any different. The less anyone knows where I am, the better ... for now, anyway.'

'So, do you think you will eventually tell them about Martin and Paula, and that it was the main reason you had to get away?'

'I have no idea how it will all end.' Lucy was deeply ashamed that this was the second time in as many days that she had not been altogether honest with her daughter. But it had to be done because the last thing she needed was Anne, or anyone else, coming after her and upsetting her plans. 'I can't let anyone know where I am, Kathleen, because I know they would chase after me, and just now I must be on my own ... to think, and plan, and hopefully sort out my life one way or another.'

'Don't fret about it, Lucy,' Kathleen advised.

Lucy appreciated her understanding. 'For your information only, Kathleen, I expect to book into a hotel at the seaside, and I'll call you from there. I'll just have to make up some story about where I'm phoning from if I talk to Anne. Remember, won't you? Any calls I make to you or the family ... will be from there.'

The tearful goodbyes over, Lucy climbed into the taxi.

'Morning, miss!' The driver was a burly, jolly sort. 'Railway station, is it?'

'Yes, please, but could you make two quick detours first?'

'Don't see why not, my lovely. Especially as you asked so nicely.' He gave her a wide, toothy smile. 'Off on a holiday, are you?'

'Sort of.' Lucy was careful to give nothing away.

'Right then ... let's be off.' He dropped the engine into low gear and began easing the car away from the pavement. 'So, where are we headed first?'

'To the High Street. I'll tell you where to stop when we get there. Thanks.' She glanced anxiously up and down the street as they drove off.

Thankfully, the street was clear, except for Katheen, who was still waving from the doorway. 'Stay safe and keep in touch!' she called out.

Lucy wound down the window to remind her, 'I'll call you when I get there!'

She stifled her emotion and turned her eyes to the front. 'I'll only be a minute on the High Street,' she instructed the driver. 'I'll tell you the second detour afterwards ... if that's all right?'