Page 101 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
‘What did she say?’
‘It’s a bit more complex than I can explain now, but the gist was that you and Molly had moved on with your lives and, if he cared that much about you, he’d let you go and allow you to be happy.’
‘And he listened to that?’
‘He seemed to. It was like he suddenly got it. I’m sure the line of lads outside the shop helped drum in the message that little bit harder though.’
‘I’m sure,’ I say, trying to take all this in. I couldn’t believe that Joel had been here in St Felix and I hadn’t known about it.
‘I guess thanks are in order,’ I say after a few moments. I look at them. They both seem to have visibly relaxed either side of the table now their secret is out. ‘Thank you so much for helping Anita out that day – I’m sure she was very grateful to you. However, you should have told me what happened.’ I turn to Julian. ‘You, Julian, because you’re my friend, and friends don’t lie to each other.’ Julian looks immediately ashamed. ‘And you, Jack.’ I turn to face him now. ‘You should have told me because I think we mean a great deal to each other, and I didn’t think we had any secrets.’
‘We don’t,’ Jack says defensively. ‘Not from each other anyway. You know how much you mean to me, Kate. I wanted to protect you, that’s all.’
‘Protect me?’ I challenge. ‘Cosset me, more like. You both have no idea what that man put me through. If he’s been anywhere near me again then I have the right to know about it.’
‘But—’ Jack begins.
‘No, save it, Jack.’ I wave my hand at him. ‘You really don’t understand.’
‘Well, I think I—’
‘Tell me,’ I say suddenly, ‘what you hate the most about being in your chair, Jack?’
Jack looks confused.
‘You hate it when people treat you like a child, when they patronise you and don’t speak to you like an equal. That’s right, isn’t it?’
Jack nods, ‘Yes, but that’s different to this.’
‘How is it different?’ I demand. ‘How is you two colluding behind my back and keeping secrets from me treating me like an equal? Did you think I wouldn’t cope with the truth? Do you think keeping me safe means lying to me?’
‘We didn’t lie, Kate,’ Julian says now. ‘We just didn’t tell you, that’s all.’
‘But it’s not all,’ I cry. ‘You don’t understand. I need people around me I can trust. After this, how can I ever trust either of you again?’
As I storm towards the door of the pub, I feel tears beginning to well up.No, Kate, I order myself.Don’t you dare cry now!
I glance back at Jack and Julian through the crowded pub and I can see them arguing with each other, most likely about who is going to come after me.
Jack seems to be winning, so I head quickly through the pub door knowing that pushing through the hordes of people around the bar will be far harder for him than it has been for me. If he is the one in pursuit I don’t need to worry about getting away. Feeling bad about that thought I pause outside, wondering which way to turn. I know I shouldn’t use Jack’s disability against him.
It’s a pleasant evening in St Felix and people are enjoying gentle strolls along the harbour front, stopping to browse the closed shop windows and taking in the burnt orange glow of the sky as the sun sets across the bay.
Jack, surprisingly, appears through the pub door much faster than I’d anticipated so I suddenly have to move fast. As usual, I’d forgotten that people automatically jump out of the way when someone comes through in a wheelchair – as if they don’t want to be accused of not helping the disabled person. I’d thought it was just people being nice and helpful to begin with, and some of the time it likely was, but I’d witnessed it too many times with Jack to pretend it didn’t exist.
It doesn’t take him long to spot me running away along the harbour and he quickly sets off in pursuit.
‘Kate!’ I hear him call, when I’ve turned away from the harbour and am heading up a fairly steep cobbled hill. ‘Kate, please wait!’
I hesitate. I feel bad that Jack is trying to chase after me in his chair.But would you feel bad if he was an able-bodied person running after you?I ask myself. When the answer isno, I keep running, telling myself Jack wouldn’t want me to treat him any other way.
Eventually, I turn another corner and come to the same steep grassy hill where Jack and I had bumped into each other when I’d been walking Barney, and Jack now slows as we make our way up the central tarmac path. Luckily for him, I also begin to slow down as my lack of fitness catches up with me and I’m left gasping for breath. After a minute or so, Jack’s superior level of fitness finally allows him to pull level with me.
‘At last!’ Jack says, coming alongside me. ‘I didn’t think I was ever going to catch you.’
‘You might as well … just … wheel yourself … back down the hill again,’ I reply sulkily, still trying to catch my breath. ‘I don’t want to talk about this … You’ve wasted your time.’
‘No way,’ Jack says. ‘I’ve not gone to all this effort for you to get away with storming off like that.’
