Fifty four

Rachel called.

The planners had issued a statement a week ahead of time. North Street Skate Park would stay. A new consultation process would begin immediately to determine the validity of two other options to resolve the traffic problems. It didn’t say if these options were those presented by the consultancy but I had my suspicions. It’s one thing for a planning committee to give a group of teenagers some airtime, but quite another thing to be confronted with professional opinion.

Actually, let me rephrase that. It was the combination. The professionals would not have got involved without the Defenders’ determination.

I was excited for Rachel and her friends. Interestingly, Rachel was simply pleased; she had expected to win through. I wondered if that was the steadfast confidence of youth or symptomatic of a real change in the way influence goes around comes around these days.

Myra called.

She proposed we take Rachel out to celebrate her triumph. And Rachel’s boyfriend. “What boyfriend?” I asked.