Life Changes (Hope Springs Eternal)

by secwaters

The third of my stories about the Swallows, Amazons, Ds and Eels as adults - this one is set in the 1980s. Once again to make sense of some of the story it helps to have read my previous two! (Rated T as it is really for adult readers who are familiar with all the S & A books.) I've given this a new title as the original has been used here - apologies!

14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER XIV

PEGGY"S CONFUSION

As she put the washed up crockery from supper away in the kitchen cupboards, Peggy thought about the evening's conversations and, of course, Dot's admission and dilemma. But what she ended up thinking most about was her own stupidity. Once again she had opened her mouth and said exactly what she thought, how many more times in her life was this going to happen?

When she and Nancy had met the Swallows that day so long ago on Wild Cat Island, she immediately let slip that Nancy was really named Ruth and when the two of them got home that day Nancy made her annoyance known, but only for a short time, Nancy could be wild but never unkind. Nothing seemed to have changed in either of them.

Now she had done it once again with Dot. Why didn't she just listen to what people were saying and let them finish? Why did she have the almost uncontrollable urge to jump in? She felt guilty about what she said of Timothy. But it had never occurred to her why Timothy visited them so much and why he would always show so much interest in Dot, did John realise? She didn't think so. Timothy lived nearby, so it wasn't that odd that he visited, but he never brought his wife, thank goodness. John probably didn't think of it either, that was why when Timothy died it was John out of all of them that was informed, the straight, reliable, upstanding, retired naval officer who could be trusted not to say the wrong thing.

Ah, John. Nobody knew in those early days when they were leaving their childhood behind that she loved John, well Titty said she knew, but the rest of them all thought he'd marry Nancy, but it was her loved him. Nancy caused a bigger surprise when she 'came out' to everyone, except Titty once more, but it was her, the 'other' Amazon, that got John. She thought to herself, they don't really understand, they still just remember Captain John, but he's not anymore. She loved him, he's just hard work sometimes, still. Perhaps Dot had the best idea, but then she had to share Timothy, John is all hers.

Why did she say the wrong thing? She didn't think Dot minded. Too much to worry about, that money, so much money.

As she put the last of the plates away she thought about Susan and how she was not the same as she had once been.

Susan, what happened to her? She does nothing like that now, she never cooks, she never washes up, she used to do everything with me. Thank goodness Daisy cooks, and likes it, she is such a good cook, does Nancy know how lucky she is? Of course she does, she knew at once but took so long to really know.