She stops for a moment, staring out at the sea and the amazing colours of the sky.

‘I guess in the general scheme of things, we’re allowed a blip or two, right?’ Lisa says.

‘I guess.’

‘I feel really bad you’ve been through such a shit time and I haven’t been with you.’

‘It’s OK. My swimming gang have been keeping me sane.’

‘I want to meet them.’

‘I’m doing a swim. Round the pier. If you come then, you can meet them.’

‘I’d love that. I’m there.’

And just like that, there’s a date to see each other and they chat and chat. As she strolls along the sand, Maddy is hungry for Lisa’s news and is delighted that Tess, her daughter, has moved in with her boyfriend.

‘When are you coming home?’

‘I’m not sure where home is any more. And I like being near the sea. But,’ she sighs, ‘I have no idea how I can afford to stay. Not after losing the house. Not to mention the fact that my career is in tatters. I’m done with it, Lis. I can’t put myself out there any more. I can’t be the person I was trying to be.’

‘Then don’t be. Just be you. You know that everyone wants to know if you’ve found Jamie, right?’ Lisa says. ‘So, for starters, you should definitely do an Insta live about that.’

‘I don’t think so. After my last honesty splurge.’

‘Which got so many comments. I saw them,’ Lisa says. ‘People were so grateful to you for being real.’

Maddy couldn’t bring herself to read all the comments. She’s barely been on Instagram since. She’s been too worried about Jamie. But hearing this from Lisa makes an old flicker of her on-line vanity flare up.

‘Why not think about it? Why not get Jamie to help? Use your platform to help others in your situation?’

‘I’m not sure he would,’ but even as she says it, Maddy wonders if that’s true. Jamie has been a source of constant surprises since she got him back.

She watches the tide ahead of her as her mind starts mulling on what Lisa is suggesting. There’s a ripple of golden water coming towards her and she watches how it comes and goes, always an ending, always a beginning.

53

A Family Celebration

Tor had hoped there’d be a fancy event, but even though the radio station’s community awards are online, there’s still a sense of occasion as she sits beside Lotte in their living room in front of the screen. There are quite a few contenders for the community awards and she starts to feel very unworthy as she hears about the bravery of the other nominees.

Hearing about how tough it’s been during the last year for lots of people and how so many have fallen through the cracks is a familiar story, but she’s amazed by the positivity and resourcefulness of the people who have been determined to make a difference. There’s one woman who sacrificed everything to keep her care home going in terrible circumstances, a head teacher who kept several schools going for the vulnerable children during the pandemic. There’s a lovely woman who has kept her choir for dementia patients going online and then it’s Tor’s turn.