by June Francis
‘Well, you all look fighting fit after the measles,’ Tim said, smiling down at them.
‘And you look heaps better,’ said Lucia. ‘How’s the book getting on?’
‘I’ve a touch of what is called in the trade “writer’s block”. That’s why I was glad of your suggestion of an outing. Considering how close we live to the beach, we don’t go there often.’
Lucia could not help remembering the evening the two of them had walked along the sands and kissed. She wondered if he ever thought about it as she did.
‘Most likely that’s because the sands get crowded, and I don’t know about you, but I prefer it quieter. I’ve never forgotten getting lost once and not being able to find Mam and Dad when I came out of the sea after having a paddle. I was frightened and thought I’d never find them.’
‘But surely they would have been watching out for you?’
‘Yes, but it’s surprising how far one can go when splashing along through the shallows parallel with the beach, and what with so many children and people, it’s difficult to distinguish one from another.’
‘But they found you eventually?’
‘A friend of Mam’s spotted me and took me by the hand and gave me a biscuit and helped me to find them. Now I worry about losing sight of the younger ones when there are crowds.’
‘Surely Joseph, James and Gabrielle are old enough to be wary of the sea. They’re also likely to stay together and run for help if one of them gets into difficulty. Anyway, we can take turns keeping an eye on them.’
She nodded. ‘That way I’ll be able to relax a bit.’
They had come to the main road and had to wait a few minutes before being able to cross in company with about twenty other people heading for the sands. To their left was Gladstone Dock, and beyond that was a line of dockyards all the way to Liverpool, as well as the largest tobacco warehouse in the country, dating back to Victorian times. A number of the docks were named after famous mariners and battles, such as Nelson and Trafalgar. After passing through a grassy area, they came to the sands. The children ran on ahead; the older ones looking for a space large enough for them all to sit down to eat their picnic when the time came.
Having laid claim to an area of firm sand halfway down the beach, with room to make a sandcastle, the older children stood waiting for Lucia and Tim to reach them, but Jerry and Joseph were already resting on their haunches and making use of their spades to fill their buckets.
Lucia removed an old army blanket from a bag and spread it on the flat sand, and then laid a towel over it before sitting down. For a while she watched Joseph and Jerry building a sandcastle, and then her gaze wandered to Theresa, James and Gabrielle, who had undressed down to their bathing suits and were heading for the water. She glanced in Tim’s direction to see that he had wrapped a towel around him like a sarong and was obviously changing into bathing trunks. She averted her gaze, thinking how much easier for the opposite sex it was in so many ways. She would only put on her bathing costume if the clouds cleared and there was a good large patch of blue sky. Then she would have Theresa hold her towel up for her while she undressed beneath it and dragged up her costume; otherwise she would make do with sitting in her frock and forgo a swim.
As soon as Joseph and Jerry were clad just in bathing trunks, they were off down the beach to the water to join the others, and in no time at all they had launched themselves into the waves and were splashing about.
‘Damn!’ muttered Tim, scrambling to his feet.
‘What’s wrong?’ Lucia asked, shading her eyes from a sudden shaft of sunlight as she looked up at him.
‘I don’t think Jerry can swim.’
‘You don’t know?’
‘I’ve never taken him swimming. I’d better go and make sure he’s all right.’
Lucia watched Tim limp down to the water’s edge and then, knee-deep in the waves, bend over Jerry and speak to him. The boy hit the surface with the curve of his hand, splashing water over his father. The sun glistened on the water droplets that landed on Tim’s shoulders and chest. As he turned and looked back at her, she caught her breath, admiring his muscular physique. Then she realized she could make the best of the opportunity, now the sun had come out, and change into her bathing costume while Tim was out of the way.
She wasted no time in doing so, although she had to manage without Theresa’s help and had her bathing costume half up when she heard Tim’s voice nearby asking whether she needed a helping hand to hold the towel. She blushed and turned down his offer, saying that she was nearly finished, and dropped the towel on the blanket.
‘That’s a snazzy cossie,’ he said, his sparkling blue gaze washing over her.
‘Thanks, it’s the first time I’ve worn it.’ She had bought it from a Littlewoods catalogue, won over by the combination of maroon, lime and white diamond-shaped patterns and a double frill at the top.
‘It suits you. You’ve got a good figure.’
‘You don’t look bad yourself,’ she retorted.
‘I could do with a tan. When I lived in Australia I was a great colour.’
‘I can imagine,’ said Lucia. ‘I had a tan when I went to Italy.’
‘I’ve always fancied going to Italy. What did you think of it?’ he asked, lowering himself on to his towel so their eyes were almost on a level.
‘A lot of the buildings are crumbling but the countryside is beautiful and I liked the food and the people.’ Lucia flicked some sand off her thigh. ‘An artist friend who used to work at the coffee bar told me that I’m a Philistine. Actually, she’s Maggie’s cousin.’
‘Betty,’ said Tim. ‘I remember her being mentioned. She lives in America. Irene visited her the other year.’
‘That’s right. My aunt Babs has visited her, too, the one who is coming over at the end of June.’
‘I remember she sent you all presents at Christmas.’
‘That’s right. She’s lovely. I’m blessed in having two generous aunts.’
‘I haven’t any aunts that I know of.’
‘Poor you.’
‘Life could be worse. At the moment I count myself lucky. The sun’s shining and I’m here on the beach with a lovely girl.’
‘You’re teasing me. I’m not lovely.’
His eyes met hers. ‘You’re lovely inside and out. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as unselfish as you.’
‘I’m no angel,’ she said gruffly.
‘I’m not on the lookout for an angel,’ Tim said. ‘Just someone to spend the rest of my life with.’
Lucia’s heart felt as if it stopped for a moment. ‘What are you—’ Before she could finish, there came Gabrielle’s voice demanding attention from a few feet away.
‘Can I have a drink, please? I swallowed some sea-water and it tasted horrible.’
Just behind her was James, who picked up a bucket from near the sandcastle. ‘I thought I’d make a moat for the sandcastle and fill it with water.’
‘Do Jerry and Joseph know you’re going to do that?’ asked Tim. ‘It is their castle, after all.’
‘But they’ve left it so they can’t really care about it,’ James said.
‘I’m not sure I agree with you there, young man,’ said Tim, standing up and appearing to loom over the boy. ‘I’ll go and see how they feel about it – and I’ll take a couple of buckets so they can bring water if they’re in favour of your plan.’
As soon as Tim was out of earshot, James said sulkily, ‘Why did he have to interfere? I wasn’t doing any harm.’
‘You should have mentioned what you planned to them when you were in the water.’
‘I wanted to do it without them interfering and also to give them a nice surprise.’
‘They mightn’t consider it a nice surprise but think you’re muscling in on their territory.’
‘You’re taking his side,’ snapped James. ‘I hope you’re not going to marry him.’
‘I’m not taking sides. Why don’t you build your own
castle?’
‘Maybe I will – and it’ll be better than theirs,’ James said with a sniff, picking up a spade and moving several feet away from her to a clear area of sand.
Lucia sighed with relief and hoped that was the end of the subject. She watched Tim approaching with Joseph and Jerry carrying buckets of sea-water.
‘We’re going to need more water than this,’ said Tim as the two boys dumped the buckets on the sand close to their castle. The three gazed at James.
Lucia said, ‘James decided he would build his own castle.’
‘Now that’s what I call a sensible decision,’ said Tim.
A few minutes later, Gabrielle appeared on the scene and immediately offered to help James. He gave her the task of fetching water for the moat. She made no protest but went and did what he asked. Jerry and Joseph set about building a moat for their castle. Tim volunteered to collect some shells to decorate the castle. Lucia said that she would go with him. He handed her a bucket with a smile and they sauntered off, shoulders touching every now and again.
‘What did the boys say when you told them James was going to build a moat for their castle?’
‘They decided that a moat was a good idea and wasted no time in getting back to their castle. I felt a bit of a fool when I saw James building his own.’
‘All’s well that ends well,’ Lucia said. ‘I think, though, that we’re going to have to share the shells and any decent pebbles we find between both castles.’
Tim slanted her a smile. ‘You know exactly how to be tactful, Lucia. It’s something I need to learn.’
‘I’m sure you’ll get there,’ she said, wondering how she could guide their conversation back to the earlier one that Gabrielle had interrupted, without it being too obvious. She settled on a plan of attack. ‘How do you think Jerry would react if you were to marry again?’ she said, only to realize that she was speaking to thin air because Tim had darted ahead and was in the act of picking something up from the sand. She swore inwardly and then asked, ‘What have you got there?’
He straightened up and held out a shell that reminded her of a miniature ice-cream cone. ‘I think Jerry and Joseph will like this, don’t you?’ he asked.
She agreed. ‘We’re going to need to find a lot more, though.’
‘We’ll have to keep our eyes on the ground then,’ he sighed. ‘When I’d much rather be looking at you. I’m not surprised Chris pops in to see you whenever he visits me. He told me how much he enjoys his visits to your house.’
Lucia could feel herself blushing. ‘Are you flirting with me, Tim?’
‘Yes and no. I have it in mind to court you, Lucia – and that isn’t only because I’m sure Jerry would love to have you as a mother.’
Instantly Lucia’s emotions were in a whirl of confusion. She liked the idea of being courted, it had such romantic connotations, but his mention of her being a mother to Jerry reminded her of what Irene had said about Tim shirking his responsibility for his son and leaving it to her and Marty to care for him. Neither had she forgotten what Michael had said about Tim using her, despite her being willing to help him out by having Jerry play at her house with Joseph. Yet even having thought about these things, she could not help but understand the sense in his wanting to provide his son with a new mother.
‘Forgive me, Lucia, for springing this on you,’ Tim said. ‘I can see it’s come as a shock. Yet you must have realized I think a lot of you and enjoy your company, especially when we manage to get some time together, just the two of us? Of course, you might not consider me good husband material with my history, and definitely not the right man to help you ensure the wellbeing of your brothers and sisters, when I don’t appear to have taken on enough responsibility for my own son until recently.’
‘I admit you’ve taken me by surprise,’ Lucia said. ‘I thought you had something going between you and Isabella.’
‘Only a working relationship and, besides, I don’t think she cares for kids. She never asks after Jerry.’
‘I love the idea of being courted by you. I guess it means we’ll make time to be just the two of us for a while before we talk seriously of our relationship going further.’
‘Naturally courtship should lead to marriage, and my intention is for us to be husband and wife and have children of our own one day. I was hoping it’s what you’d like too. Being older than you I wouldn’t want a long courtship, although I don’t want to put pressure on you if you need longer to think about my proposal.’
She turned over in her mind what he said and came up with the words, ‘Shall we wait and see how we go for a couple of months before we mention this to anyone else?’
He nodded. ‘If that’s what you want. I can name a few people who would immediately try and persuade you not to take such a step as marriage with me.’
‘I know, but I make my own decisions, so you don’t have to worry about them. If we love each other and are determined to make a go of things, I’m sure it will work out. Don’t you agree?’
‘Yes, although I question whether you could ever love me,’ he said in a low voice.
She wondered if he was trying to get her to admit that she did love him. Surely he must realize that she had already committed herself to him, otherwise she would not have helped him so much with Jerry, or had them both for Christmas last, or visited him when he had measles.
‘I’ve told you already that I like you, so surely that’s a good start on the path to loving someone?’ she said.
‘Of course, so we take things from here,’ he said, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips. ‘Shall we walk on a bit further so I can tell you how I love the way you try not to laugh after telling the boys off for being naughty because you’ve found what they’ve done amusing. Your lovely mouth twitches at the corners and there’s a gleam in your eyes that belies the sternness you’re trying to show.’
‘You must be watching me very carefully.’
‘You’re worth watching. You’re a feast for the eyes. Especially in what you’re wearing now. I’d like nothing more than to make love to you.’ His gaze washed over her in a way that made her want to throw herself at him, but she continued to walk sedately at his side, now with her eyes downcast, looking for shells and pebbles.
‘I think we’d need to find somewhere quieter,’ she murmured. ‘We wouldn’t want to shock people – we especially don’t want to shock the children.’
‘Do you think they’d all be shocked if I kissed you?’
‘That would depend on the manner of your kisses. Little affectionate ones or one big passionate kiss.’
He was still holding her hand, so he tugged on it and she turned to face him. He placed a hand on the back of her head and brought her close and kissed her in a fashion that sent warmth coursing through her veins as his lips gently explored hers. The kiss did not last long, but its effect lasted the length of their walk; she was aware of the weakness in her knees every time she bent to pick up a cockle or razor shell or an usually coloured pebble and placed them in the painted metal bucket
When they approached the children, hand in hand, Lucia was aware that James and Theresa were the only two who gazed down at their clasped hands. The other three were more interested in what shells or pebbles they had found, and in getting their hands on them and decorating their sandcastles.
While they were so occupied, Tim suggested that he and Lucia go and have a swim. She agreed, and raced Tim down to the water’s edge. It wasn’t until she was up to her thighs in the sea that she remembered his injury and that the race had not been a fair one. She turned and watched him limping along and cursed herself for her thoughtlessness. Especially after his having said she was the most unselfish person he had ever met.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, as soon as he drew alongside her. ‘I forgot you couldn’t run.’
‘I’m sorry too,’ Tim said, linking hands with her. ‘I wanted to catch you.’
‘Are you able to swim?’ she asked.
&n
bsp; ‘I don’t know. I haven’t tried since I came out of prison. Perhaps if I had done, Jerry would be a better swimmer than he appears to be. He tells me that Marty took him to the swimming baths with Jessie a few times but he would have had to divide his time between the two of them. After the accident I had years of really severe pain and discomfort to get through, as well as withdrawal symptoms when getting off the painkilling drugs.’
‘Maybe you should start going to the swimming baths. There’s one in Crosby with a trainer pool right by the beach. See your doctor and ask his advice. Water helps to support the body, so the exercise shouldn’t be too difficult.’
‘If the doctor were to give me the go-ahead, would you come with me?’
‘Yes, if we go during school time, I can fit it in with the hours I’m not working, once we know the opening hours.’
‘Right, all being well, it’s a date,’ Tim said.
Tim had difficulty getting to see the doctor, so decided not to bother. Surely swimming wouldn’t put any more strain on his hip than walking did? Yet when Lucia asked him what the doctor had said, he lied, instead of admitting he had been unable to get an appointment. He felt uncomfortable about not being honest with her but unable to backtrack.
They fixed an afternoon to go swimming and, except for having a slight difficulty getting into the pool, to his relief he was able to swim a length of the pool using a slow, careful breaststroke. Lucia swam alongside him, murmuring words of encouragement. After a few words with the lifeguard, Tim took up his suggestion of simply walking the length of the pool, and he found that comfortable despite having to forge against the water. He was slightly concerned about slipping but found Lucia’s presence reassuring. He decided to seek out a physiotherapist who could advise him about exercising in the pool and about any other exercises he could recommend at this stage of his recovery.
The physiotherapist was in favour of Tim swimming and walking in the pool, and also suggested some treatment and other exercises; ones that Tim remembered the prison hospital physio advising him to do, but that Tim had not kept up for long. Now he was determined to gain a better state of fitness and so he suggested to Lucia that they go swimming regularly. She agreed, but told him that when her aunt came over from America, she would have to give it up for a while.