family events warranted. She was almost
glad when bedtime had come for the children so she could stop pretending mummy
was alright.
She had left the kitchen lights
off. Through the wooden slats of the kitchen blinds, a sliver of pearlescent
white peeked in, cutting through the gloom. Darcy went over to open them
and the full disc of the moon branded itself on her eyes. It was the
fundraising, she told herself, the mountainous climb
she had set herself, that was making her doubt everything. And life would be
strange and challenging, she reminded herself as she stared up at the inky
night sky and sipped at her milk, but this was a path she had set now and
already too many people had committed to back out. Whatever the next few months
held, she had to go and face it head on.
‘Mum?’
Darcy spun around to find Jake at
the doorway. In the dim light from outside, she could just make out his
bleary-eyed and puzzled expression.
‘I couldn’t sleep. What are you
doing out of bed? You’ll be tired in the morning now.’
‘So will you,’ Jake said. ‘Can I
sit with you?’
‘In the dark
kitchen in the middle of the night?’ Darcy smiled.
‘I don’t care about the dark and
the moon looks cool like this.’
Darcy hopped onto a breakfast
stool and patted the one next to her. ‘Just ten minutes and then we go back to
bed.’
Jake made his way over and
climbed up beside her. She shoved the glass of milk his way. ‘Want to finish
that? I’ve had enough.’
He took the drink and Darcy
ruffled his hair as he drank it. He was much blonder than the rest of them, and
they had often pondered how he had come to have such golden tresses. A
family throwback, they supposed, though neither she nor Ged could recall anyone in their families being quite
so blonde. But the current of deep thoughts that ran beneath the
boisterous exterior of a normal carefree boy – Darcy knew that he got that
particular trait from her. Where she could never quite work out what was going
on in Sophie’s head, Jake’s was like a mirror of her own. He was a born worrier
and he would always worry, and for that she felt truly sorry, because she knew
exactly how that would limit his life choices if he let it.
‘Miss Pearson says we should have
a non-uniform day and give the money to Sophie,’ Jake said, interrupting her
thoughts. ‘I forgot to tell you.’
‘That’s alright. I expect she
would have sent a letter home. It’s very kind of her…. did you put that idea in
her head?’
‘I told her about the plan to
take Sophie to America
and that you were trying to get the money and she went online and saw the
website.’
Darcy smiled. Good old Amanda had
struck gold again when she cajoled a friend of a friend – a web designer – to
do them a beautiful site for free in return for endorsing his services. He had
even included a constantly updating totals page and a link to an official donation
site. It made the whole campaign seem much more genuine when the information
about it was freely available to those who wanted to see.
‘Well, that’s brilliant. I’ll
write a letter to thank her and you can take it into school.’
They were quiet for a moment as
Jake drank some more milk.
‘Do you think we’ll get all the
money?’ he asked, breaking the silence. ‘Dad says he’s not sure. But you think
we will?’
Darcy looked at him. He
needed answers. He needed to know that his life would still continue as it
always had done, despite the extra pressures Darcy had brought into their home.
She wasn’t sure she could give him those reassurances.
‘I’m going to give it my best
shot,’ she said slowly. ‘Because I love you and Sophie so much that I would do
anything to make you happy and I know that walking would make her happy.’
He gave a serious nod. ‘I think
so too. She doesn’t say it but I think not being able to walk upsets
her.’
‘Next year…’ Darcy said, pulling
him into a hug, ‘when she’s racing up and
glad when bedtime had come for the children so she could stop pretending mummy
was alright.
She had left the kitchen lights
off. Through the wooden slats of the kitchen blinds, a sliver of pearlescent
white peeked in, cutting through the gloom. Darcy went over to open them
and the full disc of the moon branded itself on her eyes. It was the
fundraising, she told herself, the mountainous climb
she had set herself, that was making her doubt everything. And life would be
strange and challenging, she reminded herself as she stared up at the inky
night sky and sipped at her milk, but this was a path she had set now and
already too many people had committed to back out. Whatever the next few months
held, she had to go and face it head on.
‘Mum?’
Darcy spun around to find Jake at
the doorway. In the dim light from outside, she could just make out his
bleary-eyed and puzzled expression.
‘I couldn’t sleep. What are you
doing out of bed? You’ll be tired in the morning now.’
‘So will you,’ Jake said. ‘Can I
sit with you?’
‘In the dark
kitchen in the middle of the night?’ Darcy smiled.
‘I don’t care about the dark and
the moon looks cool like this.’
Darcy hopped onto a breakfast
stool and patted the one next to her. ‘Just ten minutes and then we go back to
bed.’
Jake made his way over and
climbed up beside her. She shoved the glass of milk his way. ‘Want to finish
that? I’ve had enough.’
He took the drink and Darcy
ruffled his hair as he drank it. He was much blonder than the rest of them, and
they had often pondered how he had come to have such golden tresses. A
family throwback, they supposed, though neither she nor Ged could recall anyone in their families being quite
so blonde. But the current of deep thoughts that ran beneath the
boisterous exterior of a normal carefree boy – Darcy knew that he got that
particular trait from her. Where she could never quite work out what was going
on in Sophie’s head, Jake’s was like a mirror of her own. He was a born worrier
and he would always worry, and for that she felt truly sorry, because she knew
exactly how that would limit his life choices if he let it.
‘Miss Pearson says we should have
a non-uniform day and give the money to Sophie,’ Jake said, interrupting her
thoughts. ‘I forgot to tell you.’
‘That’s alright. I expect she
would have sent a letter home. It’s very kind of her…. did you put that idea in
her head?’
‘I told her about the plan to
take Sophie to America
and that you were trying to get the money and she went online and saw the
website.’
Darcy smiled. Good old Amanda had
struck gold again when she cajoled a friend of a friend – a web designer – to
do them a beautiful site for free in return for endorsing his services. He had
even included a constantly updating totals page and a link to an official donation
site. It made the whole campaign seem much more genuine when the information
about it was freely available to those who wanted to see.
‘Well, that’s brilliant. I’ll
write a letter to thank her and you can take it into school.’
They were quiet for a moment as
Jake drank some more milk.
‘Do you think we’ll get all the
money?’ he asked, breaking the silence. ‘Dad says he’s not sure. But you think
we will?’
Darcy looked at him. He
needed answers. He needed to know that his life would still continue as it
always had done, despite the extra pressures Darcy had brought into their home.
She wasn’t sure she could give him those reassurances.
‘I’m going to give it my best
shot,’ she said slowly. ‘Because I love you and Sophie so much that I would do
anything to make you happy and I know that walking would make her happy.’
He gave a serious nod. ‘I think
so too. She doesn’t say it but I think not being able to walk upsets
her.’
‘Next year…’ Darcy said, pulling
him into a hug, ‘when she’s racing up and
Similar Books
