‘Jo, Lucy and I swim here every night. Or at least every night for as long as Jo could – so today, on the finest August night in my memory, we’re delighted to invite you all to join the Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club.’
There was wild applause at this so when Jo cleared her throat, they had to wait for it to die down before she spoke in her soft and delicate voice.
‘I won’t say much… because I can’t.’ She laughed. ‘But as you hit the water, maybe together we’ll all shout it out…’ There was a round of applause from the gathered women.
Bugger off, cancer; you’re not going to get the better of us.
And with that, there was a mass shuffling out of coats and bathrobes, a wild almost riotous roar and nearly two hundred women went scarpering off into the freezing Atlantic waves, with Elizabeth, Jo and Lucy leading them all.
30
Jo
Jo couldn’t quite believe she’d made it. Of course she knew she wouldn’t have, not without Lucy and Elizabeth and even Dan who’d rallied round with that off-roader ride to take her down the beach.
It had been magical; travelling along with Lucy, waving to the many women who’d turned up for what she knew for certain was her final midnight swim. The beach was glorious, lit up with a trail of tall burning lanterns that the men had set up earlier all along their path to the cove. Even the sea, gently murmured its story to her. She loved this place, and no matter what fear woke her in the middle of too many nights to count since she’d learned her prognosis, she always knew that this was where her spirit would remain. She convinced herself the sea knew that too and it whispered its welcome as if she was already part of it.
The cove was resplendent in light. The women who came from far and near were all ages and it seemed to Jo they had only one thing in mind and that was doing something for each other and every woman who came after them.
As she hit the water, she knew that this was the night of her life. It felt as if this is what it was all leading up to. She embraced the water like the old friend it was. Soon, she felt it envelop her with its invisible cold embrace and she was swimming out, far beyond her depths, the waves carrying her further and further into the silky darkness.
‘Mum,’ Lucy called from far behind and something in her voice made Jo stop and turn to see the outline of her daughter in the moonlight. ‘Wait for me,’ she said and Jo was reminded of when she was a little girl and she couldn’t bear her mother to go out of sight for any length of time at all.
‘I’m here, don’t worry,’ Jo whispered and she turned over onto her back to gaze up at the stars overhead. She lay there for some time with Lucy at her side and when she felt tears run down her cheeks she knew that it was the sweetest sadness she could have ever wished for.
‘Oh, Mum,’ Lucy said beside her and then Elizabeth was at their side.
‘It’s time to go back in. Are you ready, Jo?’ Elizabeth asked gently.
‘Yes. I’m ready,’ Jo said finally and she looked across at Lucy and Elizabeth. Their faces were full of love and apprehension and Jo wondered if she could find the words she needed to say to them. She felt as if her whole body was brimful of emotion, a toxic mixture of the inevitability that lay ahead, the love that she knew would never die for these two extraordinary women and the gratitude for a life that could lead to this utterly sublime sense of peace and appreciation. ‘I really am ready now,’ she whispered and with that she started the long swim back to the shore.
31
Dan
Dan figured there wasn’t much point returning to the cottage while the swim was taking place. He’d only just have walked back when he’d have to turn around and walk down again. The community centre committee had organised a welcome home celebration for the swimmers when they returned from the beach. Already the whole village had turned out to applaud the women. At this hour of the night, the pubs and hotel were closing up, but they’d all been canvassed for donations and between Lucy and Elizabeth, they had managed to garner enough sparkling wine and hot punch to ensure that the welcome would be warm.
The beach was striking, with lit lanterns marking out the route down to the swimmers in the distance. He threw his jacket over the wall and sat next to Niall and Zoe, enjoying the atmosphere. The women really were very lucky. To be fair, he’d arrived here in the stormiest weather. Warm days like they’d had for the last few weeks seemed to transform the village to a whole new realm of beauty.
It reminded him of being a kid – long summer days spent hanging out with nothing much to do but feel the sun on his face. He thought of the women at the far end of the beach and wondered, for a moment, if perhaps his mother might be one of them. He could see the group of women making their way back across the sand. They were a raggle-taggle bunch and he imagined Elizabeth at the front of them leading them along with Jo being chauffeur driven by Lucy in the off-roader. He was glad he’d been able to make some small contribution.