Page 56 of Love from Pretty Beach
Penny:This isn't the same as the others. I can tell just from how you talk about him.
Darby laughed. A bird landed on the edge of one of the terracotta pots and cocked its head at her curiously.
Darby:I hope I'm not being stupid.
Penny:You're not. You deserve to be happy and if he messes it up again, I'll drive down there and show him what for.
Darby:LOL, thank you.
Darby put her phone down, finished her tea, listened to the sounds of Pretty Beach and wondered how it was all going to turn out. She'd earned this, hadn't she? She wasn't just the woman who'd cried in her car on New Year's Eve or who ate toast for dinner because she couldn't be bothered to cook for one. She wasn't just a failed relationship statistic or a woman whose best years were supposedly behind her. She was still Darby, underneath it all - the one who'd had the courage to start over, to put herself online for the world to see, to fight her way back from rock bottom and build something new.
About half an hour later, she was still sitting outside when Archie appeared, leaning on the back door. 'Any chance of tea?'
'I’ll put the kettle on.’
'What time is it?'
'Nearly eight.' Heading past him for the kitchen as she filled the kettle, Darby caught sight of herself in the window reflection. Her hair was everywhere, she was in floral pyjamas, but she looked as if she was glowing and happy. Properly, genuinely happy for the first time in longer than she could remember. She’d started a new chapter and it was going well. She’d made herself get better. Expensive tiramisu from a man who'd swallowed his pride had helped. She could certainly handle a bit more of that.
44
Darby walked hand in hand with Archie, smile on her face, love (though she’d not admitted that or told anyone) in her heart. They had just got off the fast train from Pretty Beach and were spending a day in London. Initially, when they’d first talked about it, they had wanted to see a show, but in the end, nothing had taken their fancy. Instead, they were on their way to have a look around the British Museum, after which they were going to a restaurant. Things were not just good for Darbs; they were brilliant.Shewas brilliant.Lifewas blooming brilliant. Where were those doldrums again?
Pinching herself that not only was she with Archie but also again growing and doing new things, she could hardly get the smile off her face. In all the years she’d lived in Pretty Beach, she’d used the fast train many times for one thing or another, mostly to do with her girls. Now, here she was going on a lovely day out with, dare she say it, a partner and despite the little blip regarding the video incident, things were going very well. She hoped it would stay that way.
Once arrived at the museum, it got better, and after crossing a wide forecourt, they paused and looked up for a while at the beauty of the British Museum building. Old, impressive,beautiful, with a presence of its own and hard to beat. People moved in and out of the doors, students with rucksacks slung over one shoulder, tourists clutching maps, and scholarly types with a certain air of purpose about them. Everyone surrounded by old British architecture and revelling in it.
'Right then,' Archie squeezed her hand as they approached the imposing entrance. 'Ready for a bit of culture?'
Darby laughed. 'Let me at it. I haven't been to a proper museum since I was dragging the children around exhibitions about dinosaurs and Egyptian mummies. I went to an exhibition about town planners a while ago, but I got the time wrong. So me, ha! This feels rather grown-up and very lovely. I’m happy we’re here.'
'When was the last time you did something just for you that wasn’t just a squeezed-in thing? Not for work, not for the children, just because you wanted to? I asked myself the same thing when we were speaking about this the other day. The months seem to fly by and then you realise you’ve done nothing but work again.'
The question caught Darby off guard. She paused on the steps, thinking. 'I honestly can't remember. That's quite sad, isn't it? You’re right, time flies.'
'Easily done, I believe.'
As they passed through security checks and collected tickets for the Reading Room, Darby marvelled. Looking up at a beautiful glass ceiling which soared overhead, she sighed at the domed roof and didn’t know where to look first. Tilting her head back to take in the full scope of the architecture, she gushed. 'It's absolutely stunning. I’m so glad we came.'
Archie followed her gaze. 'The engineering that went into this roof is incredible.'
'All I can think is that someone designed this to make people feel small and awed and it's working perfectly.'
They wandered slowly around, Darby's eyes darting from one amazing detail to another. The space buzzed with a lovely quiet but full energy. Darby felt a long way from Pretty Beach. School groups clustered around teachers, couples strolled leisurely here and there, and serious-looking academics strode purposefully around.
Archie consulted the map. 'Where shall we start? There’s a lot to see. We should have booked a hotel and made a weekend of it. Ancient Egypt? Greece and Rome? Or something completely different?'
Darby didn’t have the foggiest. 'I don't know. There are so many parts of this place, by the looks of it. I feel as if we should have some sort of plan, or we'll miss the important bits. Then again, it doesn’t really matter…'
'Let's just wander and see what catches our eye.'
‘Good idea.’
About three hours later, Darby's legs were feeling it. Deciding that a tea break was needed, they were in the coffee shop together with tiramisu and a pot of tea.
‘Well, this is nice.’ Darby cut a slice of cake and popped a piece in her mouth. ‘Mmm, a good one.’
‘It meets your requirements?’ Archie joked. ‘You know tiramisu.’
