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Back Walking on Sunshine Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. By the same author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. Three Months Later
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. Epilogue – Five Years Later
  44. Acknowledgements
  45. An extra note from me …
  46. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

You did it. Now keep going. Remember to always have your let’s-just-go bag packed and use it when you need to, and when you don’t. See. Hear. Smell. Feel. Touch. Love. Always love. Dive in and keep going. The world is yours, just as it was ours. Live.

I think of my plans, of taking her with me as I see the world, of setting her free, and I know she would approve.

Penguin walking logo

Epilogue – Five Years Later

Vicky

‘See you next week,’ I shout as I leave the office, getting a flurry of goodbyes from various workmates before I head out of the door of BRB Studios at the end of a busy week. As part of my daily weekday ritual I grab some lunch from Leon along with a coffee and sit down to calmly savour it before heading on to the Tube for the school run.

Me working mornings was the compromise Nick and I eventually came up with, although we didn’t get there straight away. When Chloe started nursery I took some time to really focus on me and my recovery. It was only once Chloe started full-time school though, some two years later, that I felt ready to head back to the workday commute into town. This delay was partly because mum-guilt held me back – I have discovered that never truly leaves you, but also because I had to wait for a job I wanted to become available. I had, after all, been out of the game for quite some time by that point. With Chloe settled at school, Nick and I had a big chat about how we could make things work so that our family life wasn’t compromised. And that’s something we do regularly now, talk! We talk about what’s working and what’s not, and then we adjust life to strike a balance we’re both happy with.

Thankfully working in morning TV has its benefits. I might have to be out of the house at the crack of dawn, leaving Nick to take the kids to breakfast club at school, but more often than not I’m back for the pick-up. Thanks to a Sunday morning batch-cooking session that we all enjoy getting stuck into, dinnertimes have become easier to navigate too. I’m not the only one getting us all organized these days, although I’m fully aware I’m the drill sergeant making sure everything gets done.

‘Mum!’ Chloe shouts as she’s released from her teacher, running over and leaping straight into my arms.

‘Hello you. How was your day?’ I ask.