Times of Our Lives

by Jane Waterton

  “Why not?” Daphne agreed. “I could do with cooling off.”

  Sparrow rose, looking around the small cove to ensure that it was deserted, then removed her shirt and shorts. Daphne tossed her swimming costume to her, then leant back to watch her change, a lazy smile on her face. Sparrow threw the costume back, smirked, then slowly began removing her underwear.

  Daphne bolted upright, mesmerised, as Sparrow slowly removed her panties and bra.

  “Come over here, you brazen hussy,” she demanded huskily.

  Sparrow grinned. “Nope, you want me, you gotta catch me.” With that, she ran the short distance across the beach and plunged quickly into the water.

  Throwing caution to the wind, Daphne stood, tore her clothes off and ran down the beach, diving in to join Sparrow in the ocean.

  “Damn, but that water’s cold,” she gasped, shaking water out of her eyes as she surfaced next to the naked body of her lover.

  Sparrow placed her hands on Daphne’s shoulders and wrapped her legs around her waist.

  “Is that any warmer?” She grinned cheekily.

  Daphne could feel the heat of Sparrow’s centre pressed against her abdomen. The contrast of the heat from Sparrow’s body pressed against the chill of her skin made Daphne dizzy with desire. Crushing her mouth to Sparrow’s, she placed her hands under her buttocks, supporting the smaller woman. Feeling Sparrow beginning to move rhythmically against her, Daphne’s toes curled as a flash of desire streaked through her. Lifting Sparrow a little higher, Daphne captured a rosy nipple in her mouth, relishing Sparrow’s gasp as her warm tongue enclosed the pointed flesh. Slowly, Daphne moved her fingers to Sparrow’s centre. Sparrow leant back in her arms, drops of water beading her body, desire evident in her eyes.

  “Kiss me, Daphne,” Sparrow panted.

  Pulling Sparrow’s body back to her own, Daphne captured her mouth once again and felt Sparrow shudder against her as waves of contractions rippled around her fingers.

  Gentling her kiss, Daphne cradled Sparrow in her arms. The women held each other for several minutes, gently swaying in the water. Daphne closed her eyes, dazed once again by the feelings that swept over her.

  “Hey, why the tears? What’s wrong?” Sparrow asked, wiping Daphne’s cheeks with her thumbs.

  Daphne shook her head, swamped by a myriad of emotions. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to run a million miles away, or to stay and hold Sparrow like this forever.

  “Daph, what is it? Tell me,” Sparrow murmured, stroking her face

  Daphne shook her head, gasping, “I can’t explain it…I just feel…”

  Sparrow kissed her gently. “I know, I feel it as well. It’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it, love?”

  Daphne lowered Sparrow back into the water. “I didn’t expect this. I had my life all mapped out and then you walked in and…nothing’s familiar anymore, everything’s changed.” Running her hand over her face, she looked at her lover. “I don’t know if I can do this. I just need some space to deal with it all, Sparrow,” she admitted quietly.

  Sparrow’s face showed her dread at Daphne’s words. Resting her head against Daphne’s chest, she fought to stay calm. “It’s okay, honey, we can work this out. There’s no rush. We can take all the time you need.”

  Nodding mutely as she heard the edge of panic in Sparrow’s voice, Daphne closed her eyes, feeling the growing apprehension and uncertainty fracture the intimacy they had just shared.

  Slowly, they waded back to the shore and gathered their towels and clothing. They turned away to dry themselves and dress, then silently packed away their picnic basket and fishing gear.

  As they trudged back towards the car, Sparrow looked across at Daphne’s set expression.

  “Did I tell you that Bella is having some friends over tomorrow for afternoon tea? There’s a small group of us going and I was wondering if you had anything planned with Pat?” she asked quietly.

  “I haven’t spoken to Pat for a week or so. I have no idea what she’s up to,” Daphne said brusquely.

  “You could give her a call. She might be glad of the company,” Sparrow suggested with a hesitant smile.

  Reaching the car, Daphne unlocked the boot and placed their gear inside. At the driver’s door, she stopped to look across at Sparrow. “You don’t need to manage me. I am perfectly capable of contacting my friends without any prompting.”

  Clenching her jaw, Sparrow got into the car and busied herself with her seatbelt.

  “I’m not trying to manage you, Daphne. I’m just…” she hesitated, confused at how suddenly everything had spiralled out of control.

  “Just what?” Daphne asked, wrenching the car into gear.

  Sparrow leant against her seat and closed her eyes, trying to keep her breathing even.

  “Nothing. Let’s just go home,” she said quietly, turning away to look out the window.

  Turning the radio on loudly, Daphne drove them back to the village.

  At Sparrow’s cottage, Daphne quickly helped collect her picnic basket and beach gear. After dropping them at the doorstep, she turned to walk back to her car.

  “Daphne,” Sparrow said, laying her hand on Daphne’s arm. “Don’t leave like this. Come inside. Let’s talk. Please.”

  Daphne shook her head. The earlier surge of anger she felt had dissipated, leaving her feeling confused, guilty and desperate to escape.

  “I can’t, Sparrow. I really need to go home and be by myself. I’m sorry I ruined our day.” Gazing at her sadly, Daphne gently touched Sparrow’s face. “Please try and understand. I really do want to try and make this work. I feel like everything’s happened so fast and I just need some time to work it all out.”

  Sparrow nodded, her shoulders slumped. “Sure,” she said with the ghost of a smile. “Give me a call when you are ready to talk.”

  CHAPTER 21

  Tossing the magazine she had been trying to read onto the chair next to her bed, Meg looked around her large, sunny room. She had been moved to the rehab facility a week ago, where she’d immediately commenced an exercise regime with Casey, her young and, in Meg’s opinion, far too enthusiastic physiotherapist. She had hoped that she would be allowed to go straight back to OWL’s from the hospital, but Dr Wilcox was reluctant. “I just want to be sure, Meg. Ten days in the rehab under Casey’s guidance and then, all being well, you can go home.”

  Meg had received regular visits from OWL’s residents, but despite all of the attention, she was fed up. She hated feeling dependent, her scar was starting to itch and she desperately wanted to go home and take control of her life again.

  “Morning, Meg”

  Jolted from her funk, Meg realised Bella and Pat were standing in her doorway. Her delight at seeing them was tempered by her dismay that, once again, Allie was not with them. Smiling through her disappointment, she welcomed them into her room.

  “Oh am I glad to see you two,” she declared. “I am nearly going crazy with boredom. I almost wish Casey was here today so I could have someone to snipe at.”

  Bella moved the magazine from the chair next to the bed and sat down as Pat brought the other chair over alongside it.

  “So have you any news on when they are going to evict you from here?” Pat joked.

  “Jenny’s coming to see me tomorrow and I am hoping she’ll tell me then. I just want to get back home. I mean, they are so kind here and are looking after me beautifully, but…”

  “It’s not home,” Bella finished, taking Meg’s hand.

  Meg nodded, suddenly aware of the lump in her throat.

  “So,” she said, taking a deep breath, “enough about me. What’s happening at home?”

  Bella and Pat filled her in on the events of the last couple of days. Meg was shocked to hear about the rift between Daphne and Sparrow.

  “Oh no, they can’t let that go! Th
ey’re so right together. I know I thought it was an odd pairing when they first became involved, but sometimes you just need to follow your heart. They seemed to be making it work, and it was wonderful to see the two of them so happy.”

  Pat shrugged. “Well, Sparrow won’t be trifled with, and I have to admire her determination. Until Daphne decides that she wants to commit to a relationship, Sparrow is adamant she won’t have anything to do with her. She’s not the slightest bit interested in a ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement. She’s prepared to accept a friendship if a committed relationship is not an option, but she’s drawn a line in the sand and isn’t backing away from it.

  Bella shook her head. “We aren’t sure that giving Daphne all the power is such a good idea, but Sparrow seems to believe it will make her honestly assess what she wants. In view of her past experiences with relationships, it’s causing Sparrow a world of heartbreak, but we we’re giving her as much support as we can.”

  “Daphne can’t run away, or just push this one under the carpet. If she wants a life with Sparrow, she has to stop being an idiot and sort herself out. I have to admit, Daphne has been totally miserable over the past week, so maybe Sparrow does have the right idea,” Pat admitted.

  Meg stared off into the distance. “Daphne needs to realise that once in a lifetime someone comes into your life that you are meant to be with, and if you let them go, nothing will ever be quite right again,” she said thoughtfully.

  Pat met Bella’s eyes, and an unspoken message passed between them.

  “Darling, would you do me a favour and get my jacket out of the car? I’m feeling a bit chilly in here,” Bella asked.

  “I can give you my sweater…” Pat offered.

  “No, cara, just go grab my jacket. It’s on the backseat.”

  “No problem. I’ll be back in a flash,” Pat called, heading obediently for the door.

  Bella turned back to Meg and gently took her hand.

  Meg linked their fingers. “How is she?” she asked quietly.

  “It’s hard to know, Meg. You know what Allie’s like. She refuses to talk to us about anything remotely connected to you. On one level she seems fine, but…” Bella shrugged.

  “She hasn’t been to see me; she hasn’t called. I’ve tried ringing her but it just goes to message bank. I know you said she is angry with me for not telling her about my symptoms. I agree, I should have done, but that’s me, that’s just the way I am. I don’t understand, Bella, is she angry that I survived?” Meg asked sadly.

  “She feels betrayed, betrayed and terribly hurt, cara. You put yourself at huge personal risk and she feels you either couldn’t trust her enough, or you didn’t care enough about her to let her know what was going on.”

  Meg laughed incredulously. “Didn’t care enough about her? Doesn’t she know? I’ve loved that woman since the first moment I saw her at that damned party forty years ago. I’ve never stopped loving her…and I probably never will.” Meg closed her eyes as tears threatened, her anguish evident in her voice.

  Bella leant forward, grasping Meg’s hand tighter. “Then tell her, Meg. You said it yourself, sometimes someone walks into your life that you are just meant to be with.”

  “It’s a bit hard to tell her if she won’t talk to me. Besides, I know she loves me as a friend, but that’s all. Do you know last month we were seconds away from kissing?” Bella’s eyes widened and she leant in as Meg continued, “We got interrupted, but the shock on Allie’s face when we pulled apart told me everything I needed to know. She could barely even look at me.” Meg shook her head. “If friendship is all I have with her, then I don’t want to risk losing it by making a total fool of myself.”

  Bella threw up her hands in frustration. “Meg, for a sensible, educated woman you can be very dense. Trust me, I know what loves looks like and I see it very clearly in both of you.”

  Meg sat, absorbing Bella’s words. “Well if she loves me so much, where the hell is she?” she sulked, picking at the edge of her coverlet.

  “Here’s your jacket, honey,” Pat announced, walking back into the room.

  Bella stood and took the jacket. “Thank you, darling. I think we should probably get going now. Meg looks tired and we don’t want to wear her out.”

  “Oh, all right then, sure.” Pat said, somewhat confused. “You all right, Meg?”

  Meg smiled. “I could probably do with a nap. I honestly can’t believe how much I’m sleeping. One minute I feel fine and then the next I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

  Bella bent to give Meg a farewell kiss. Placing a hand on her cheek, she murmured quietly, “Think about our conversation. Love is too important not to fight for.”

  “Meg, as soon as the doctor gives you the all clear to come home, let us know and we’ll come and pick you up,” Pat reminded her.

  “Thank you so much. That would be wonderful. Though I think I will be so happy to get out of here I could probably skip home.” Meg laughed.

  As they walked away from the hospital, Pat nudged Bella. “You didn’t really need your jacket did you?”

  Bella smiled and squeezed her arm. “Sorry, darling, I wanted to talk to Meg about Allie and…”

  Pat held the car door open for her. “Yep, I get it. Girl talk… So what did you find out?”

  “Well, we were right. Meg does love Allie, has done for forty years. However, she is adamant that Allie doesn’t return her feelings.”

  “Well, I can’t say I’m that surprised,” Pat responded, as she eased the car into traffic. “I don’t think Allie is aware of it either! I mean, how can you love someone and not admit it? Honestly, I don’t know why everyone makes it so hard. Love is love; it’s not damned rocket science. Meg, Allie and Daphne all need a swift kick up the backside. The three of them have the most wonderful chance in front of them, and they are all dithering around the edge, too scared to jump in. Honestly, it makes me so cross.”

  “Imagine if you had been too scared to pursue me all those years ago. Just think what we would have missed,” Bella agreed.

  “Yeah, and you know how scared I was, but what I felt for you was bigger than my fear. There was nothing and no-one, not your father, brothers or whole extended family, that could have persuaded me to walk away from you.”

  “You’ve always been my champion.” Bella reached over, linking their hands.

  Pat glanced across at her, bringing Bella’s hand to her lips. “And you, my darling, have always been my lady.”

  Bella laughed and suddenly it was as if all the worries of the last months slipped away. Pat was right, love was the greatest gift two people could find, and as she watched her driving, she saw once again the vibrant young woman she had fallen in love with forty-five years ago. They may have gotten older and greyer and their bodies may carry the scars of their lives, but she knew that in their hearts they were just as young as they had been all those years ago.

  CHAPTER 22

  After morning tea at Pat and Bella’s, Sparrow walked slowly home, deep in thought. Despite giving her the requested time and space since the episode at the beach several weeks ago, Daphne appeared to be no closer to resolving her problems. They had seen each other twice, both of which had been awkward, leaving Sparrow no clearer regarding Daphne’s intentions. In desperation, she had spoken of her fears and frustration to Pat and Bella, both of whom had urged her to maintain her distance.

  “If she wants you, then she is going to need to make the commitment.” Bella had been firm.

  “I still don’t understand what she’s scared of,” Pat had said crossly. “As far as I can see, all this talk of needing time is just an excuse.” Seeing Sparrow’s rising panic, Pat had smiled, quickly reassuring her. “I don’t doubt for a moment that she loves you, Sparrow, but she won’t listen to me. As far as I’m concerned, she needs a damned wake-up call.”

  Sparrow continued to mul
l over the conversation as she made her way home, stopping suddenly as Pat’s words replayed in her head. She was right; Daphne didn’t need Sparrow to be compliant and understanding. What Daphne needed was a shock, and Sparrow was finally in the mood to give it to her.

  Empowered by her resolution, she walked briskly to Daphne’s cottage and knocked firmly on the door.

  “Sparrow,” Daphne said in surprise, standing hesitantly in the doorway.

  Sparrow looked directly at her. “There’s something I need to say,” she said bluntly. “I know you’re having problems coming to terms with our relationship, but I can’t make the decision for you; we are either worth it, or we aren’t. I believe we’ve been given something special, another chance that neither of us was expecting. I know that this relationship is something I want and I know how I feel about you. What you need to do is figure out your feelings and what you want. Just don’t take too long, Daphne, because I won’t wait forever.”

  With a last look at Daphne’s stunned expression, Sparrow turned and walked away.

  CHAPTER 23

  Leslie Barlow’s birthday party was in full swing, laughter and soft music filling the games room. Daphne stood talking to several women about an upcoming fishing trip they were planning. A sixth sense made her look up just as Sparrow arrived with Helen Macintosh. In a dove grey silk dress, her shoulders covered with a shawl that she had obviously embroidered herself, Sparrow was beautiful. Their eyes met, and Sparrow smiled coolly as she and Helen walked over to join a group on the other side of the room.

  “So what do you think, Daph, are you happy to do it that way?” one of the women in her group asked.

  “Sorry...what?” Daphne asked distractedly, still watching Sparrow and Helen out of the corner of her eye.

  “The transport; if we take Gail and Mary’s SUV…”

  “Yeah, whatever,” she agreed hurriedly. “Sorry, I’ve got to go and catch up with someone.”