THIS IS A NOVEL I AM WRITING. IT IS ABOUT CANCER RESEARCH'S RACE FOR LIFE. CHAPTER ONE: JOINING THE GIRLS 1 It was a field peppered with pink. They looked like tiny dots from where she was standing. They could almost be flowers. Or butterflies. She smiled. Both seemed appropriate. Florence Crabb was standing on a stage, facing thousands and thousands of people. It was a warm day - thank goodness. The sun was pleasant on her bare shoulders. The wind was gentle, softly lifting her hair. Looking round the dozens of faces, she picked out that of her husband. He was standing at the side with the other volunteers. Their eyes meet and he beamed at her. His eyes told her silently how proud he was of her. "My name is Florence Crabb!" she announced, "and I'm running this race again for the fifth year running! My sister Lottie and I did it together in memory of our mum, Rachel every single year without fail. She died of cancer six years ago. And now..." Florence swallowed. She had promised herself she would not get upset. "Now I'm running for Lottie too. She's in hospital with bowel cancer. But, I'm going to run this race, my husband Jamie is going to film it..." she waved in his direction, "and then we're gunna run, straight to that hospital and show her the film, show her what amazing work we're doing!" The crowd erupted. Many women had tears running down their faces. Some reached out to touch Flo's hand. She brushed fingers with several and climbed, slightly dazed, down from the stage. As her foot landed on the grass, she felt an arm around her shoulder. "I am so proud of you," said Jamie. "I haven't even run the race yet!" she replied. "I got it all Flo," he said, tapping his camera, "Lottie will be beside herself when she sees it." "In a good way, I hope," she joked weakly, "something to take her mind off the fact she had half her bowel removed a few days back." He massaged the back of her shoulders and gave her a light kiss on the neck. "Come on Flo," he said, "she's getting stronger every day. And if seeing you doing something like this doesn't put her right, I don't know what will." She turned to face him. He was a lot taller than her, thin but muscular, with thick strawberry blonde hair. His eyes were blue and sharp, his nose small and his lips thin. And she loved him so much it made her heart ache. "I love you," he said. "I love you too." He bent his head and kissed her passionately. "Ok, alright," said a loud voice, "you know, some people want to run a race today and they can't do that if there're vomiting into their tee-shirts, can they?" "Hello Sandy," said Florence breaking away from Jamie. Her best friend seemed to have appeared from nowhere. "If you can tear yourselves away for just one second," Sandy winked at them, "the race is about to start." "Right. I'm ready." Florence smoothed down her shorts and checked her race number. "back sign in place still?" "Yep," said Jamie, "you're good to go, baby." He tapped her back sign. It was large notice they had attached earlier to her tee-shirt. Many women had one and each had their own personal message. Flo's read "I am running for mum's memory and Lottie's recovery." "Let's do this thing." said Sandy, taking hold of Flo's arm. "Bring her back in one piece, please," Jamie called after them. Sandy and Florence made their way to the sea of women. "You struck gold with that one, Flo," said Sandy gesturing behind them, "a decent partner. What a rarity." "Well, yes, Jamie has been wonderful, especially with Lottie.... anyway, I thought you like being single. Being liberated and all that." Sandy rolled her eyes. "You're joking aren't you?" Florence laid a sympathetic hand on her friends arm. "You just haven't found the right man yet. It'll happen, I promise." Sandy smiled. "Yeah. Course it will." "Come on," said Flo, "let's get right to the front before it starts." She jogged ahead. Should she of looked back, she may have noticed the wistful look in Sandy's eye. The way she stroked the spot on her arm where Florence had touched her. "Jay! Jamie!" Jamie whipped round, almost loosing grip on his camera. His face broke into a grin. "Hey mate!" he called back. The voice had belonged to his friend Tyrone. He reached Jamie and greeted up with a powerful slap on the back. "Watch my camera Ty!" said Jamie, stumbling. "Whoops, sorry my man." Tyrone steadied Jamie's shoulders. "What are you doing here, the Ty?" asked Jamie. "You know me," he replied, "I'm a curious kinda guy. Came down to see what's occurring. And all for a good cause, innit." Jamie raised his eyebrows. "Nothing to do with the fact that there's hundreds of women her in tight tops and running shorts." "Hadn't noticed, dude," said Tyrone with a wink, "Is Flo all set? I haven't seen her today." "Just missed her. She and Sandy just left to warm up, the race is due to start any minute." "Sandy," said Tyrone slowly, "the chick with legs up too her arms?" "That's the one." Tyrone whistled. "Have you seen her eyes man? There're like...like two almonds set in her head. And her hair - I mean most girls don't look that great with short hair in my opinion but with her it looks...what?" Jamie was chuckling. "I dunno. Don't think you're her type." Tyrone's face fell. "Does she only like tall guys?" "Don't be stupid Ty. Look, I've never meet any of her partners so I can't judge. Come on, let's get to the front." He was already making his way through the throngs of people. Tyrone frowned as he took what Jamie said. "So there could be a chance then?" he yelled at Jamie's retreating back. "Sure. Maybe." Jamie called back. Tyrone quickened his pace so he was beside Jamie, at the starting line. Jamie already had camera poised, pointing directly at Flo. The girls were ready. Flo's heart was beating painfully hard. It thudded inside her head. She did her best to block it out with the noise that was around her but only succeeded in filling her mind with voices from the past few years. "I'm sorry Mrs. Taylor, it is cancer...there's nothing we can do...I'm sorry...Miss. Taylor - Florence, your sister - it is cancer..." The thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Sandy had slipped her hand into hers. The two friends smiled at each other and for a moment, there was total and complete understanding between them. The starting pistol fired. Hundreds of women dressed in pink surged forwards. The air was thick with laughter. Hundreds of woman, from all over the city. They had never meet or spoken before, but each and every woman was there for the same purpose. As they left the starting line, they ran under a banner that sported the slogan "Join the Girls." The girls had indeed joined together. An army to fight cancer. The hospital room smelt has her mother's had. Florence was sure of it. It was difficult not to baulk. That smell brought so many unpleasant memories. "I asked them to give me pink bed sheets," said Lottie from the bed, "I thought it would be a nice gesture for today." Florence was standing in the empty space by Lottie's bed where the bedside cabinet had been. It had been dragged to face the them by Tyrone and Jamie and a TV was placed upon it. Now, the two men tinkered with the TV and camera, trying to connect the two. "That's sweet," said Flo, "I think it looks a million times better than the normal blue that they use." It might have just been her imagination but she thought her sister looked stronger than usual. She hasn't bothered with a head scarf today - why should she? In fact, she looked quite elegant bald. Her lips weren't so blue and her eyes didn't look so tired. At least she thought they didn't. Lottie looked more herself, more my sister, Florence thought. Amazing, considering she'd been under the knife a few days before. There were the full lips they shared, the bright blue eyes. It was difficult to picture Lottie's hair now - thick and curly like their mother's had been. Flo's hair hung blonde, the same colour, but straight. Maybe it was her wishful thinking that made Lottie seem better. The image of her mother hunted Flo. Once the cancer has taken hold, their mother, the woman who had seemed so youthful and strong had become alarmingly fragile. Towards the end, her skin had been nearly translucent. Florence hadn't liked to look too closely at her - afraid she would see her mother's crumbling bones and failing organs. Her hands had become like claws and her eyeballs yellow and vacant. The disease had her in an iron first and mercilessly gnawed like a dog chewing a bone. Rachel had died a long time before her body did. But no. Lottie would not end up like this. She was looking healthier, happier. Smiling - positively beaming at the TV, which now showed a rather breathless Florence finishing her race. "Rewind it, quick!" said Jamie. Tyrone leapt into action, just as Sandy entered the room, ladened down with a tray sporting four cups of coffee. "Brilliant, thanks," said Flo, going to take a cup. "Bet you could do with the caffeine," said Lottie, "you must be shattered after that race." "Oh no quick!" Sandy set down the coffees next to the boys and rushed over too Lottie's beside, "cover her eyes! You don't want to see the race all backwards!" Florence chuckled and covered one of Lottie's eyes while Sandy covered the other. "Nearly there," said Jamie, "aren't we, Ty? Ty?" Tyrone's eyes seemed to be fixated on Sandy . Jamie sighed and nudged his friend. Tyrone blinked and turned back too the telly. Florence and Lottie giggled whilst Sandy looked bemused. "There we go," said Jamie triumphantly. He moved aside. The...