The Escape Collection: (The Escape Collection) (93 page)

“Mom.” Taylor appeared at Darci’s side. “All these people are here because of you.”
 

Darci looked at her daughter. She’d seemed to have blossomed into a young woman over the last few months. She’d be thirteen in a few weeks, but the grace and dignity she’d shown, far surpassed her age. “No,” Darci said. “All these people are here for you, kiddo.”
 

“I love you, Mom.”
 

 
Tears came to her eyes, but Darci blinked them away. “I’m so proud of you, Tay. I want you to have fun today, okay? Run your best race and just remember to have fun.”

Taylor smiled and drew away. “Don’t worry about that, Mom. Besides, we look super cute.” She spun around, her arms outstretched. “And as we know, it’s all about how we look, right?”

Darci laughed. “Who taught you that?”

“I did.” Cam came up beside her and wrapped his arm around Darci’s waist.
 

“You?”

“Hey, I have a lot of coaching tricks that you don’t know about.” They laughed and Taylor gave Cam a quick high five before giving Darci a hug.
 

“I have to go find my team,” Taylor said. “Have a great run, Mom. I’ll see you at the end. Oh, and good luck on your speech.”

Before Darci had a chance to ask Taylor what she meant, she was gone. Instead, she turned to Cam. “What did she mean by speech?”

Cam looked away.

“Cam?” Darci reached for his shoulder. “What did Taylor mean by speech?”

He turned and his face held the whisper of a smile. “Well,” he said, “it’s no big deal, but…”

“But?” Darci turned and scanned the crowd that was gathering. There were more people then she thought there’d be.
 

Cam took her hand and led her to a table. “It’s just that you did such a great job at the fundraiser. I mean, Darci, you got all those people to sign up and be here today. All for diabetes research.”
 

She glanced back at the crowd and then focused her eyes on Cam.
 

“Most of those people would never have even thought about training for a run before,” Cam continued. “You did this, Darci. You inspired all these people.”

Darci shook her head. “Not me,” she said.
 

Cam only smiled and gestured to the table. Darci swallowed hard but let him help her up.
 

From her vantage point she could see the full extent of the crowd gathering for the race. The group clustered around her table was small in comparison. Still, it was overwhelming.
 

Cam whistled to draw everyone’s attention, and then, it was Darci’s turn.
 

She cleared her throat and tugged at her shirt. Scanning the group, her eyes rested on Taylor. “Thank you all for coming,” she started. “I understand what a huge commitment this was for everyone, and no matter what distance you’re running today, you have all made a difference just by being here.”
 

A yell of encouragement rang out from the back of the group. Darci smiled and looked to the voice. Susanna, her hair pulled back into a slick ponytail, her face just as made up as usual, stood in full running gear with her number proudly pinned to her shirt. She waved when Darci made eye contact.
 

“This has been a true journey for me,” Darci continued. “Truthfully, when Taylor was first diagnosed I didn’t know what to do. I was overwhelmed by everything that was happening to her, to us as a family. And I was scared, because I was alone.”
 

Darci turned and tears came to her eyes when she saw Doctor Wilson and Joelle decked out in their Team Diabetes jerseys and the bright orange hats on their heads like everyone else. They hadn’t told her they were signing up. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek, but she didn’t wipe it away.

“I know now, that I’m not alone. None of us are if we open our eyes and our hearts. You all have taught me so much about community and the power of love.” Darci sniffed. She found Barb and Tim standing with their arms around each other. “Together,” Darci said, “we can accomplish great things. With all of you here, in support of Taylor, in support of diabetes research, we have already made a difference. Together, we have raised thousands of dollars that will help fund essential research. But more than that, we’ve raised awareness about an often misunderstood and forgotten disease. Be proud.”

Darci stopped and looked over the group one more time. “Now the hard work is done. It’s time to put all that training to use and have a little fun. It’s time to run!”

The crowd burst out in cheers and applause. Through her tears, she made eye contact with Taylor who was crying too. She blew her mom a kiss that Darci caught and held to her heart, closing her eyes against the rush of emotion. When she opened them again, Taylor was gone, heading towards the start line. Darci turned and let Cam help her off the table.
 

He wiped her eyes with tissue before kissing her lightly on the lips. “Are you ready to do this?”
 

Darci nodded and took his hand. Together they walked through the mass of people, who offered their congratulations and best wishes, towards the start line. They lined up in the starting coral. Darci adjusted her water belt and double checked that her number was pinned on properly. The crowd pulsed with excitement and anticipation.

“Are you ready?” she asked Cam.

He nodded, but his smile faded and his face turned serious. “Hey, I understand if you want to do this on your own. Don’t feel like you need to run with me.”

“What?”

“I just know that sometimes there are things you need to do by yourself. You know, show yourself what you can do? For a lot of people, that’s a race.”

Darci let her mind flick back to the last few months, to everything she’d been through with Taylor and how she’d changed. Yes, she thought. She did need to prove something to herself.
 

The announcer’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker announcing that race was about to start. “10, 9, 8…”

She grabbed Cam’s hands and squeezed them in her own. “You’re right,” she said. “I absolutely do need to prove something.”
 

He turned away, but not before she saw disappointment flicker across his face.
 

“…7, 6, 5…”

“Cam.” Darci tugged on his hands and he turned back. “I need to prove to myself that I don’t need to do everything on my own. It’s okay to need other people. And Cam?”
 

“…4, 3, 2…”

Cam’s eyes met hers. “I need you.”

“RUN!”

THE END

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Keep reading for the short story Neighbours the story of a determined young woman and her mother who refuse to settle. Inspired by real events.

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________________

Neighbors

What goes on behind closed doors…

Do we really know our neighbours?
 

Things are often not as they seem
…

_________________

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
 

Neighbors

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2013 Elena Aitken

Version 1.1

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Your support of author rights is appreciated.

Ink Blot Communications

Jenna

At exactly 4:45, just as she did every morning, Jenna Newbury tied her housecoat tight and moved quietly to the other side of the bed where Richard had tossed his own robe the night before. She laid it out next to him and lined up his slippers before padding out of the room to the bathroom, careful not to make any noise. Not that there was a real risk of anyone in her family noticing how early she was awake. They never did.
 

She moved through her routine, her hair and make-up an exact copy of the day before. After patting the last curl in place, Jenna put all her supplies back in the organizer that kept everything lined up just so. She’d seen the idea on Pinterest, and it really wasn’t that hard to replicate. Plus, once everyone had their own drawer, life was so much easier. And neater.

She opened her son’s drawer. Toothbrush and toothpaste right where they should be, a comb, slightly askew. She straightened it. Deodorant stick. Not like Ty used it. But at twelve, he should probably start soon. Jenna pushed it slightly to the side. There, in the back, his Ritalin.

Her heart raced, and she a drop of sweat beaded over her right eye. She forced herself to take a deep breath and fanned her face with her free hand. She couldn’t afford the time lost if she had to redo her makeup. With effort she kept her hand steady and reached for the bottle. The doctor had taken Ty off the pills at least six months ago. She’d tried to ration.
 

She opened the cap.
 

Six.

The bead of sweat trickled down through her eyebrow, tickling her eyelid.

“Dammit.”
 

She took a pill and tucked it in her pocket before quickly putting the bottle back and fixing her eyeshadow.

In the kitchen, Jenna flicked on the hand-me-down laptop Richard had given her last month. It was slow. The keys stuck and the case had a crack running through the top. It didn’t matter, Richard had said when he handed it to her. All she used it for was Pinterest. It was true and she couldn’t deny it. Not even when the bubble of jealousy rose up at his slick new Macbook.
 

While the computer warmed up, she poured herself a cup of coffee and congratulated herself on setting the timer the night before. Waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, with just a touch of cinnamon was divine. She’d bet that Bree Robinson across the street with her beautiful garden hadn’t thought of that.
 

Jenna spent exactly ten minutes scrolling through the various pins on Pinterest. She pinned a bathtub cleaning technique, a recipe for tye-dye her daughter would enjoy, and a chicken recipe to try. She’d have to put it in the meal rotation.

With an hour before the kids would be waking up for school, she set about her morning project. Rice Krispie treats shaped to look like pumpkins. Sara was having a harvest party at school, and they’d be the perfect addition. It didn’t matter that Sara had forgotten to tell her about the party until last night. Kids were forgetful. It was a mother’s job to be prepared for all occasions. Thankfully she already had the recipe idea pinned on her ‘Fall Fun’ board. She’d also pinned a recipe for caramel apples, and as a sweet surprise for her son, she decided to whip some up for his homeroom class as well. It was important to be fair.

By the time the kids woke up, she’d wrapped the treats, complete with curled ribbon and the smell of fresh pancakes filled the air. Richard walked in moments before the children, who slid into their seats and immediately dug into their breakfast. Jenna handed Richard his coffee. A splash of cream, a tablespoon of sugar. Just the way he liked it.
 

He took it without a word, sitting in his place, the paper already open to his favorite section.

Jenna stood back and surveyed the scene, a smile of satisfaction creeping across her face. Perfect.
 

Ten minutes later, what would be mayhem as the kids prepared to run out the door, went smoothly since she’d laid out their homework, and packaged their lunches the night before.
 

Sara, at ten, already so grown up, took the lunch and peeked inside the paper bag, decorated with construction paper cut outs of pumpkins and leaves. Her pretty face turned down in a frown as she said, “Sushi? Why would you give me sushi for lunch?”

Jenna smiled. “Look closely,” she whispered. “It’s really a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made to look like sushi. I put chopsticks in there for you, too.”
 

Sara rolled her eyes and closed her bag after picking the paper pumpkins and leaves off, letting them fall to the floor.

Jenna bent to pick them up. “These will make a lovely wreath. If you wait, I can whip it up for the party.”

Sara’s face morphed into panic. “The party. You didn’t forget—“

“Would I forget?” She handed Sara the packaged rice treat pumpkins and smiled again. “All ready to go.” She turned and grabbed the caramel apples. “And Ty. Don’t think I forgot about you. I made these for your friends.”

She held out the twenty-three perfectly dipped treats. “One for everyone,” she said. “I put in an extra one for your homeroom teach—“

“Mom! I can’t take those. It’s embarrassing.”

Jenna’s smiled faltered, but she kept it in place. “Everyone likes a caramel apple.” She followed Ty down the hall and continued to hold out the tray.