Tor had hoped there’d be a fancy event, but even though the radio station’s community awards are online, there’s still a sense of occasion as she sits beside Lotte in their living room in front of the screen. There are quite a few contenders for the community awards and she starts to feel very unworthy as she hears about the bravery of the other nominees.
Hearing about how tough it’s been during the last year for lots of people and how so many have fallen through the cracks is a familiar story, but she’s amazed by the positivity and resourcefulness of the people who have been determined to make a difference. There’s one woman who sacrificed everything to keep her care home going in terrible circumstances, a head teacher who kept several schools going for the vulnerable children during the pandemic. There’s a lovely woman who has kept her choir for dementia patients going online and then it’s Tor’s turn.
The presenter introduces Tor and talks about the Home Help charity. This is being broadcast on the radio, but she’s talking on Zoom to the presenter in the studio. He announces that there’s a short video interview he’d like to play her.
She’s surprised to see Arek and she blushes as she listens to him speaking about his involvement in the charity’s work and how much Tor does. Then Vic joins in.
Tor’s touched to see that Vic has smartened himself up.
‘I don’t know what I’d have done, if it hadn’t been for Tor. Especially at Christmas.’
Lotte squeezes Tor’s hand.
‘She’s always friendly. When her friends, Claire and Maddy, told me about the awards thing, I said I couldn’t imagine anyone deserving it more.’
‘Oh my God,’ she whispers. Because now she realises that it’s Claire and Maddy who have nominated her. The penny drops now, as Tor remembers Claire and Maddy talking to Arek and Greg. And she picked up something in the sea the other day between Dominica and Maddy. They all knew about this? This is happening because of the Sea-Gals?
‘Did you know about this?’ she whispers to Lotte, who nods.
‘We all voted,’ she says. ‘It was Claire and Maddy’s idea. We talked about it when I did her hair.’
All that time ago? Tor thinks.
‘Tor … Tor, are you there?’ the presenter asks, and Tor grins.
‘Yes, I’m here. Thank you so much.’
‘No, it’s us who need to thank you,’ she says. ‘Your award and a thousand pounds towards your charity will be coming over to you later.’
‘That’s amazing, but I really need to say some thank yous. To the people who nominated me – my swimming friends, the Sea-Gals Helga, Maddy, Dominica and Claire. But I also want to thank the one person who’s kept me going. Who’s made me believe in myself.’
She turns to Lotte and smiles. ‘I want to thank my girlfriend – my partner – Lotte, who’s right here. I love you. I couldn’t have done this without you.’
Lotte’s eyes fill with tears.
‘That’s so lovely. Thank you, Tor,’ the presenter says. Then before she knows it, the interview is over and they’re off air.
‘I can’t believe you said that,’ Lotte said. ‘On air. Everyone is listening.’
‘I hope so,’ Tor says with a grin.
And then her phone buzzes and she gives Tor a look and turns the phone round. It’s her mum ringing.
As she goes to answer, Tor asks, ‘Can I ask them over? To spend a day? To meet you properly?’
‘I thought you’d never ask.’
Lotte insists on spending a fortune in Waitrose for a celebratory picnic the weekend after the awards ceremony. She’s nervous and Tor has never seen her so skittish as she sets up the deckchairs on the beach. Tor checks her phone, knowing her parents are having a nightmare parking. She finally sees them and waves to them as they come down to their spot on the beach.
‘Relax,’ Tor tells Lotte. ‘I promise. It’s going to be OK.’
Because she means it. She’s been so worried, but getting the award has somehow given her the boost of confidence she needs. When her mum rang straight after the awards, she sounded shocked about Tor’s acceptance speech, but Tor cut her off, inviting her for a picnic and her mum agreed.
Alice called immediately afterwards.
‘Lotte?’ she said. ‘Lotte your flatmate is your partner?’ She sounded excited and Tor put her on loudspeaker.
‘You’re on speaker. Say hello.’
‘The famous Alice,’ Lotte said.
‘Well, this is amazing,’ Alice says. ‘At long bloody last.’
‘What do you mean?’ Tor asked.
‘Do you think I didn’t realise you liked girls? I’ve known since we were about seven.’
Lotte bursts out laughing. ‘Oh my God, Alice. You should see her face.’
‘I don’t know if Mum and Dad know,’ Tor said, confused. How had Alice known all along?
‘Oh, don’t worry about them. Leave them to me. Oh, Tor, I’m so proud of you.’
Tor put down the phone and Lotte pulled her into an embrace. ‘Why do you bitch about her the whole time? She sounds great.’
Now Tor wonders what Alice has told her parents as they arrive. She hasn’t seen them since she dropped the bomb about her having RA at Easter and her mum has sent several envelopes full of pamphlets. She know she’s worried and wants to help, so she’s glad she’s here. She’s glad she’ll be able to see for herself how well Tor feels. It helps that they’re all by the sea. It feels like the best space to be having this meeting rather than in the house.
Tor kisses both her parents and, after her mother has offloaded about the parking situation, Tor introduces Lotte.
‘Mum, Dad, this is Lotte,’ Tor says. ‘Lotte – Rita and Roger.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ Lotte says.
‘You’re partners?’ Tor’s mum checks, her eyes darting between her and Lotte. ‘You’re the one who does the hair?’
Lotte glances nervously at Tor. She’s had a cut and Lotte has dyed her hair back to its natural chestnut colour for the photo for the awards she had sent in.
‘Yes, that’s me,’ Lotte says.
Tor feels a stab of nervousness. Her parents aren’t going to be snobs about Lotte being a hairdresser, are they? When that’s the very least of all of her considerable talents.
‘You did a very good job,’ Roger says. ‘She’s very pretty when she doesn’t have purple hair.’
‘She’s very pretty even with purple hair, in my opinion,’ Lotte says, and Tor could kiss her for standing up for her in such a charming way.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,’ Tor says, ‘about us. But I want you both to be happy for me. Because I’m happy. Really happy.’
She smiles at Lotte.
‘I love her,’ Lotte blurts. ‘Unconditionally. Completely. I will take care of her, make sure she has everything she could possibly need and everything she wants,’ she adds, shaking Tor’s dad’s hand, then grabbing him in a bear hug.
‘Goodness. Just as well I’ve brought champagne,’ Roger says, ‘because this certainly calls for a celebration.’
‘We’re so glad you’re happy, darling. Really. I mean it,’ her mum says. ‘And you look so well.’
‘I am well. It’s so much better now that it’s not so cold.’
‘Have you been in swimming? Only I bought my bathers. I thought I might go in? In with you, both, I mean,’ her mum says, nervously.
‘Then what are we waiting for?’ Lotte exclaims, already stripping off. ‘Come on, Rita, I’ll race you to the sea.’
Tor’s mum, clearly surprised at Lotte’s enthusiasm, starts to get undressed too.
‘Oh, isn’t this fun!’ she says to Tor with an excited smile.