Part Six              

A new life began with Darcy’s arrival at the new house, her tenth address and, bizarrely, it was number ten in the street. It was a nice house. Old and traditional in style, unlike the sterile sixties block houses she had left behind. There was a garden full of trees. She was told that squirrels would come to the back door in the mornings.

Darcy’s room was a large square with three beds and proper furniture. She had her own wardrobe with a mirror and a chest of drawers that she did not have to share. A pretty curtain divided her space from the others. She wondered how long she could stay here, hoping that life would be as it seemed just for once.

Within these walls there dwells a home

A place of comfort, warmth and calm

Dispensing kindly rays of hope

Upon raw nerves, a soothing balm

Contentment lives behind this door

A cherished memory to store

Darcy had little time for friends and merriment. Her time at the hostel was taken up with working from 8 until 6, and then her evenings and weekend were largely spent doing laundry and cleaning, and learning basic sewing and cooking. There were no staff members here. All of the chores, including the cooking, were done by residents, watched over by the two resident governors.

But Darcy was also a dreamer. As she worked, she dreamed of a future bright with endless possibility and exciting discoveries. One day she would build that family she’d never had.

Working all day with the general public, Darcy found her upbringing had left her ill-prepared for the complexities of forming close bonds and friendships with her peers and she did not make close friends easily. Something inside her was always waiting to be moved on. This was a debilitating handicap that would last for years to come.

Mysterious world of friendship found

So fortified by background love

That doubt cannot stain or adhere

Nor undermine the heart above

Such freedom grown from blissful seed

Cannot relate to an outcast’s need

Where wariness is custom built

To ward off uninvited guests

And form a shield from which to foil

The foul from their degrading quests

No man or beast will claim a hold

While birdlike heart is closed and cold

Darcy was a full year at the hostel, working hard and wondering what life had in store for her. Then, during the summer before her seventeenth birthday, she stepped into another brand new world. One of the girls with whom she worked, invited her to see a live concert.
Of course Darcy went... How could she not? This was outside the proverbial box, a new horizon.

Halfway through the evening of the concert, Darcy was introduced to Chris, the drummer of the band. All through the performance, Chris caught her eye and smiled. They went for walk along the beach afterwards and then sat talking at a seafront bar until the early hours. Darcy could hardly believe that this good looking, intelligent and talented young man had chosen to be with her. This was the beginning of a whole new phase. For the first time in her life, Darcy was in love.