Page 30 of The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street
Almost breathless, she reached the edge of the square, her hands resting on a barrier as she stared across the space. ‘Oh, look… isn’t it magical?’
In front of her was an expanse of sparkling ice with bodies twirling this way and that under a canopy of stars. The stars weren’t real of course but made up from strings of lights that criss-crossed the space and, although it wasn’t dark, she could imagine how it would look if it were. Just like it had one magical Christmas the year after she had gone to live with her grandma and grandad.
She turned to look at Bertie. ‘Can we have a go?’ she asked. ‘Please?’
It was the first time she had seen his face fall the entire day. ‘Would now be a good time to confess that I have absolutely no sense of balance?’ he said. ‘It took me twice as long to ride my bike as all the other kids at school, and don’t even get me started on roller skates…’
She pulled at his arm. ‘I’ll help you,’ she said. ‘You’ll be fine.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Do I take it you’ve done this before?’
‘Oh yes,’ she breathed. ‘A long time ago mind, but I’m hoping it’s like riding a bike.’ And to her amazement she found herself winking at him.
Bertie groaned. ‘A low blow,’ he complained.
A few minutes later they were all kitted out and Daisy stepped out onto the ice. All at once she was nine years old again, standing on the frozen surface of the canal as it shimmered under the light of a full moon and hundreds of twinkling stars. She looked up. This was something she could do.
Bertie was still clutching at the barrier, his feet moving even though he had no wish for them to. He waved at her. ‘You go off, if you like. I’ll just stand here looking pathetic.’
‘I haven’t done this in years, Bertie. As soon as I try to move, I’ll probably be flat on my back.’ But she wouldn’t be, she could feel the excitement under her feet, that feeling of utter freedom. ‘Just give me a minute,’ she said. ‘Let me get my balance a bit and then I’ll come back for you.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll be right here…’
She gave a tentative push off with one leg, remembering how to hold her weight, not to look at her feet. And then the other. It felt strange, but there was a feeling of weightlessness that felt so wonderfully familiar. It was as if her body, no longer encumbered by her feet gluing her to the ground, had found what it was like to fly; the slightest movement spun her round, or moved her forward and, even if it wasn’t where she wanted to go, she went with the flow.
It was tentative at first, a few wobbles as her centre of gravity shifted, but then she was able to lengthen her stride and glide into each movement. She could feel her smile widening as she looked upwards, remembering what it had felt like to skate under the stars. A young boy and his father turned in front of her and she recognised the scared wonder on the boy’s face, knowing how it would feel when the fear receded. She grinned at them, almost feeling her grandad’s hand in hers as she took her first baby steps.
Still grinning with excitement, she made her way back to Bertie, her fingers outstretched.
‘Youhavedone this before!’ He was laughing. ‘Blimey, Daisy, that was amazing. Where did you learn to skate?’
‘Would you believe on the canal back home?’
His eyes widened.
‘Yes, I know… it would never be allowed now, but my grandparents were great believers in flouting conformity, plus of course my grandad had tried out the ice first; he didn’t just let me go regardless. It’s funny but the canal rarely freezes over now, but back when I was little it was a regular thing…’ She tilted her head to one side. ‘Or maybe I just remember it that way. Anyhow, the one stretch of water between the locks made the perfect skating rink, just the right size for a little girl.’
Bertie looked her up and down. ‘I can just picture you, twirling round and around.’
‘He used to take me out at night, can you imagine? No light, save for that of the moon. It was the most magical thing. So quiet, everything glittering like it was made from stardust. I can’t remember when I’ve seen anything more beautiful.’
‘That’s a lovely memory.’
‘Yes, it is,’ she replied. It was one of the ones that had almost made up for what had gone before. She paused for a moment, her head full of them. ‘It’s funny, but I haven’t thought about that in years. Thank you for bringing me here, Bertie.’
‘You’re welcome,’ he replied, his smile warm. ‘It was worth it just to see the look on your face.’
She blushed but held out her hand. ‘Come on then, your turn now, I can’t wait to see the look onyourface…’
‘What, the one when I’m flat on my backside with you standing over me laughing?’
‘No, the one when you realise that all your pots of money can’t buy a feeling like you’re flying. It’s the little things, Bertie, always has been, always will be.’
* * *
It had been dark for some time by the time Daisy finally got home and she walked the path to her cottage more tired than she had been in a long while, but happier too. She couldn’t believe how quickly the time had gone, and what she had been dreading had, quite unexpectedly, turned into the most wonderful day out. And she really couldn’t work out how it had happened.
Bertie had always been the easiest of the brothers to talk to, but she had thought him brash and showy, lacking in care. In fact, he had turned out to be very considerate of her feelings and she could see very clearly how his upbringing had encouraged his devil-may-care attitude. What she hadn’t banked on had been his playful sense of fun and infectious good humour, which had made even the difficult aspects of the day easier to bear, and she had found him to be extraordinarily good company. She couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same.
