Page 12 of New Beginnings At Pencarrow Bay
Ted raised an eyebrow, but his smile was warm and loving. ‘You’d better be right,’ he said, and held out his hand to take hers. ‘Love you, Pegs,’ he whispered, giving her a soft smile, which turned into a yawn.
And Peggy felt her heart melt.
7
The weather on Saturday started out grim. Rain and a cold south-westerly made the day seem more like March than May. Peggy had envisaged treating Ted to a hearty pre-swim birthday breakfast of poached eggs and bacon, grilled tomatoes, toast, orange juice and berries, set out in the gorgeous spring sunshine of the terrace. But instead they ate indoors. She had bought him a couple of shirts– of his choosing, Ted was very particular– and a beautiful bronze hare by a local artist she’d found in the village gallery. He seemed delighted, and said he would put it in the window of Henri, to bring them luck.
Later, regardless of the dreary weather, the village stalwarts gathered in their wetsuits for Morvoren’s Dip, ready for the ten o’clock start on the beach at St Piran’s Head, above which the towering white- and red-painted lighthouse sat. The time was dictated by the tide.
Captain Jack, ex-navy and commodore of the sailing club, was in charge of proceedings. He’d arranged for a couple of RIBs to hover along the course, on standby in case any participants got into difficulties on the mile-long swim. With his greying nautical beard touching his chest, fierce blue eyes, which had seen a horizon or two, and a loudhailer that amplified his already terrifyingly imperious tones, he gave Peggy confidence that things would go ship-shape and without a hitch.
Ted was pumped and ready for action. The evening before, he’d driven Henri down to Mermaid Cove, where the race ended, Peggy designated the task of manning the coffee truck while he swam. Shona was on board because it would be very busy, Ted having insisted on offering free drinks and buns to anyone who took part in the swim, and Peggy wasn’t sure she could manage on her own. A huge black blow-up arch, swaying about wildly in the strong wind, had been erected on the sand, FINISH inscribed along the top in white letters, although all swimmers, having staggered through the arch, needed to touch Morvoren’s tail to seal the deal.
Quite a crowd of onlookers had gathered on the small beach: friends and relatives of the swimmers, villagers and tourists out for a spectacle. The charming crew of mainly children who would take part in the mini Mermaid Day parade later that morning were already congregating in their bizarre raggle-taggle array of homemade mermaid outfits– from ponchos and skirts of blue plastic and tulle to shiny sequins, tiaras and blonde wigs. One, Peggy noticed, was definitely identifying as a mer-boy.
‘Rather them than me,’ she commented, as the race began and everyone’s focus was on the water– deep blue now the clouds were clearing, but still quite choppy at the entrance to the bay. From her standpoint behind the counter, she could watch through the hatch the dark heads and bodies, flailing arms, white surf kicked up by the couple of hundred men and women making their steady way around the lighthouse corner and across the bay, like an untidy murmuration of birds.
The van was cramped with two people and Peggy feltclaustrophobic, dying to get out into the fresh air, even if it was still chilly. But the number of coffees to be dispensed required one of them to froth the milk and organize the pastries, the other– Shona today– to make the coffee from the mega-expensive Italian machine Ted insisted was essential to the delivery of a perfect brew.
‘Oh, I’d have given it a go, if I hadn’t buggered my knee,’ the South African replied cheerily. ‘Ted’s a hero.’
‘He certainly is,’ came a voice from below.
Peggy dropped her gaze to see Lindy and Ada peering up at her. Lindy was dressed in smart white jeans and a fitted navy rain-jacket– almost an anorak, but too classy. She looked great, with her jaunty white yachting cap pulled over her brow, every inch the seaside grandam.
‘Hi, you two.’ Peggy greeted them, with a welcoming grin. ‘Is Daddy swimming?’ she asked Ada. She thought Felix, with his broad shoulders, broken nose from rugby tackles, might once have been an athlete.
She laughed. ‘Not a chance. He and Mum have gone over to Falmouth on the ferry for lunch.’
‘Very sensible,’ Peggy said.
Lindy laughed and put her arm round her granddaughter’s shoulders. ‘Well, you’re here, sweetheart. That’s what counts.’
Ada did not reply as she squinted through the rain towards the group of swimmers. ‘I think Tommy Hicks is going to win,’ she declared excitedly, standing on tiptoe for a better view. ‘I’ve seen him training and he’s awesome.’
Tommy was the latest descendant of the long-established bakery family, which had been serving the village since the middle of the last century. Their main source of incomewas the pasties Peggy so envied– deemed the best in the area, although Jake at the deli was keen to change that– which they sold from their wooden shack on the harbour. But they also did a good trade in white, brown and granary tin loaves– none of this sourdough or gluten-free nonsense– doughnuts and custard tarts, chocolate-chip cookies for the tourists.
The race took anything from about twenty-five minutes for the fastest, to an hour plus for the slowest, and soon the shouting was louder and more raucous as the lead group of about ten powered towards the beach. Peggy, looking out for Ted, realized she had no chance of distinguishing him among the capped, wetsuited bodies. But clearly others in the watching crowd were able to spot their favourites. There were screams of encouragement for ‘Tommy’ and ‘Billy’ and ‘Kaz’. But when they were still a couple of hundred yards from the beach, one swimmer suddenly detached themselves from the others and performed an amazing sprint, leaving the rest trailing in their wake. Leaping upright in the surf, the slight figure raced nimbly across the sand, under the blow-up arch and threw itself on Morvoren’s tail. After a second of stunned silence, there was a roar of approval.
‘Gi-na, Gi-na, Gi-na,’ the crowd chanted, as the woman got to her feet and triumphantly peeled her swimming cap from her mousy hair, breathing heavily, a surprised smile on her face. A single mother in her late thirties, who worked at the Co-op, Gina was slim, pale and quite shy, not obviously the athletic type. Peggy was thrilled for her, grinning as Tommy and Billy– who worked on the ferry– clumped up the beach to arrive second and third.They’d been the favourites, and Tommy looked a little thrown by the outcome as he made a show of congratulating Gina.
Peggy turned to share her delight with Lindy, but her friend had disappeared and the crowd around the van was building now that the race was finishing, so she spent the next quarter of an hour frothing milk and warming sausage rolls, looking forward to Ted emerging from the waves with the rest of the second, slower group.
The next time she glanced up from her task, she spotted him lurching out of the water to stumble through the arch with the others. Then she noticed Lindy approach him. She had in her arms a bulky turquoise bundle, tied with a red ribbon, which she handed him.A present?Peggy was taken aback, surprised she would even have known it was Ted’s birthday.
Lindy had her back to the coffee van, but her body language seemed very friendly. Ted, on the other hand, appeared awkward, slightly embarrassed by the gift. Bemused, Peggy turned her attention to finish the latte she was making.Has he promised her special fund-raising help, or something, and she’s grateful?
When she swung back, the coffee queue finally slowing, Ted had pulled his wetsuit off his shoulders down to his waist, and was sliding his arms into a dry robe.Wow, thought Peggy, realizing it must be Lindy’s present from the bright, turquoise colour.Those are not cheap.So it was not just a token present. Now Lindy was giving him a quick hug. Ted, she could see, was still looking awkward as he smiled his thanks, his gaze sliding towards Henri– he must have known she’d be watching. Peggy raised an eyebrowin question, while Shona waved and shouted her congratulations to her boss.
Ted, detaching himself from Lindy’s hug, hurried over. But there was another flurry of customers wanting coffee so Peggy just said a quiet ‘Well done,’ as she carried on working. He came round to the door in the back and opened it.
‘How’s it going?’ he asked. There was no room for him to climb in, so he stood, looking ill at ease in the open doorway, the bright robe flapping in the wind, his bare feet fidgeting on the wet tarmac road.
‘Busy as hell,’ Shona told him, with a grin.
‘Nice robe.’ Peggy couldn’t help herself.
‘Yeah. Extremely generous of her,’ Ted replied, looking bewildered. When he saw she wasn’t going to respond, he took a deep breath. ‘Listen, I’ll whizz up to the house and change. Be back in twenty to take over here. Give you two a break.’
