“Of course,” said Sarah.“If that’s okay with you,” she said to Simon.
“Why don’t you two go get in line?We’ll be there in a minute.”He waved goodbye to Art, who was now chatting with a potential customer.“Would you really like to try pottery?”
“One day, maybe.I’m not that creative.But I do love the results.Should we catch up with the girls?”
“Sure,” he said.“Though I think they’re okay for a few minutes.We have time to look at these other stalls in the meantime.”
She glanced toward the kids and relaxed a bit, following him over to look at a woodworking vendor’s wares first.They wandered past two more stalls, taking time to look at the plants at one and the silver at another, and reached the face painting just as Riley and Sally had their turn.
“Is there a fee?”she asked.
“We’re raising funds for cancer treatment,” said one woman, pointing to a large jar for donations.Simon took out his wallet and stuck a twenty into the box, and Sarah nodded her thanks.
“What would you like?”asked one of the painters.
“Cat faces with whiskers,” said Riley.
“Yes,” said Sally.“Whiskers.”
“Whiskers it is,” said one of the women.She added a pink nose and whiskers to Sally’s face and sat back to examine the effect, holding up a mirror to her.“There you go, all done.”
“Thank you.”Sally grinned at her reflection and climbed down from the chair where she’d been sitting.
“It looks great,” said Sarah, squeezing Sally’s shoulder and turning toward Riley, pleased that her daughter was looking in the mirror and smiling.
“Look, Mom,” said Riley, bounding over to Sarah and smiling up at her.
“I almost expect you to be meowing instead of talking,” said Sarah.“It looks wonderful.”
“And now that you’re painted and we’ve had a wander in the market, are we ready to watch the races?”said Simon.
“Yes,” said Sally.“We need a good spot so we can watch the Comeback Crew.That’s the team Daddy’s friend is on.”
They turned toward the water, and Simon led them to the nearby pier.“My friend got here early with a group and said she would save us a spot,” he said, walking closer to where the action would soon start.
“Hi, Daphne,” he said, giving a slim woman in her early forties a quick hug.“Are you all ready?”
“We’re in the second heat,” she said.“The first race is about to start.”
“This is Sarah and Riley,” he said, introducing them.
“Glad you could come,” said Daphne, ushering them up to a spot near the railing where they had a view of the whole harbor.“We need all the support we can get,” she laughed.
“We’ll be rooting for you,” said Simon.“Right, girls?”
“Yes,” the pair said in unison.
“Perfect,” said Daphne, waving toward the shore where dragon boats were already lining up.Their brilliantly colored carved dragon heads seemed to be champing at the bit, ready to leap across the water.“I should be getting down there.My team is assembling.”She turned and walked down to the boats where a group of women waited, all wearing bright pink shirts like Daphne’s.
Sarah’s attention was soon drawn from the women on the pier to the sound of drums.The deep rhythmic pulse filled the air, raising the anticipation of the people in the crowd.A moment later, the drums fell silent while everyone awaited the signal to start.Then they were off, the rhythm began again, and the crowd watched the boats slide across the water.
“Look, Mom, they’re so fast,” said Riley, beaming.The paddlers moved in perfect synchronization, their paddles cutting through the water as the drums kept time.
“Yes, it’s exciting,” said Sarah, patting her daughter on the shoulder, pleased she could be part of this day.
The first heat was done, and they all turned their attention to the Comeback Crew on a boat with pink-painted ribbons along the hull and up the tail.A moment later, the drums began again.
“And they’re off!”said Simon.
