The Other Couple by Diane Jeffrey

Author:Diane Jeffrey [Jeffrey, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-03-27T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Amy

The next few weeks streak by, and yet as I live through them, it all seems like a never-ending nightmare from which I can’t wake up. Sergeant Harris – Lucy – continues to call me every now and then, although she’s no longer ringing in an official capacity. I’m the one bringing her up to speed. Most of the time, I simply repeat to her what Lorna tells me. I’ve had nothing new to tell Lucy for a while. Her calls get less and less frequent. As the days go by, our hopes of a breakthrough in the inquiry dwindle. Before long, I sense that the investigation itself is being scaled down. Even Lorna isn’t around much anymore. There are no new leads and the trail, if there ever was one, has gone cold.

I walk every day with my parents-in-law. By unspoken agreement, we avoid Croyde Bay and Baggy Point. For them, as for me, these places bring back too many memories of Greg. Instead, we drive further around the coast and walk along the beach from Putsborough to Woolacombe and back, or along the paths that lead through the sand dunes at Braunton Burrows.

Throughout August, I help out Sharky with his surf school. He and Matt, both secondary school teachers, set up their non-profit organisation, Smile and Wave, for kids with special needs and challenges about five years ago. When Matt fell and broke his wrist while rollerblading with his son at the end of July, Sharky begged me to fill in. They have other volunteers and I suspect Sharky has asked me for my help in order to help me, really, but I allow myself to be persuaded.

The free surfing camps take place at Saunton Sands, where there are fewer dangerous rip currents and where the waves tend to suit beginners better than at Croyde Bay. I’m relieved not to be at Croyde, where Greg and I used to surf together. It’s also the beach where I met him all those years ago. It’s paradoxical. I avoid places that might trigger memories of Greg and me, and yet, at the same time, I treasure those memories, replaying them often in my mind when I’m alone for fear that I might, over time, forget even one small detail.

Sharky and I, and the other volunteers, surf in tandem with some of the children; others, depending on their disability, are more autonomous. I find the whole experience rewarding, but difficult at the same time. Not difficult because the kids are difficult. They’re not. They laugh all the time, which puts a genuine smile on my face for the first time since Greg disappeared. But it’s hard being around someone else’s kids after losing my own. This is what has prompted my decision not to go back to work in September.

One evening about a week before schools go back, I have dinner with Liz and her family at their place. When we’ve finished eating, Liz’s husband, Mike, insists on clearing up and putting the kids to bed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.