Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

‘You’re probably going to have to scratch number three, or at least put that off
until it gets warmer.’
I checked the list. ‘Quadriplegic basketball? I’m not even sure if he likes
basketball.’
‘That’s not the point. Bloody hell, it’s cold up here.’ She pulled the beret lower
over her ears. ‘The point is, it will give him a chance to see what’s possible. He
can see that there are other people just as badly off as him who are doing sports
and things.’
‘I’m not sure. He can’t even lift a cup. I think these people must be paraplegic.
I can’t see that you could throw a ball without the use of your arms.’
‘You’re missing the point. He doesn’t have to actually do anything, but it’s
about widening his horizons, right? We’re letting him see what other
handicapped people are doing.’
‘If you say so.’
A low murmur rose in the crowd. The runners had been sighted, some distance
away. If I went on to tiptoes, I could just make them out, probably two miles
away, down in the valley, a small block of bobbing white dots forcing their way
through the cold along a damp, grey road. I glanced at my watch. We had been
standing here on the brow of the aptly named Windy Hill for almost forty
minutes, and I could no longer feel my feet.
‘I’ve looked up what’s local and, if you didn’t want to drive too far, there’s a
match at the sports centre in a couple of weeks. He could even have a bet on the
result.’
‘Betting?’
‘That way he could get a bit involved without even having to play. Oh look,
there they are. How long do you think they’ll take to get to us?’
We stood by the finish. Above our heads a tarpaulin banner announcing the
‘Spring Triathlon Finish Line’ flapped wanly in the stiff breeze.
‘Dunno. Twenty minutes? Longer? I’ve got an emergency Mars Bar if you
want to share.’ I reached into my pocket. It was impossible to stop the list
flapping with only one hand. ‘So what else did you come up with?’
‘You said you wanted to go further afield, right?’ She pointed at my fingers.
‘You’ve given yourself the bigger bit.’
‘Take this bit then. I think the family think I’m free-loading.’