Loading the weapons in the car

‘All that’s left to do is load the weapons in the car.’

‘No going back now.’

‘Indeed.’

‘I’m nervous.’

‘Me too. But we’ll be fine. We’ve planned it all carefully, down to the last detail. Perseverance. Purpose. Passion. Nothing can go wrong.’

‘But…’

‘Shush. No buts. Remember the training. Stay focused. Stay calm. Stay self-aware. And remember to breathe, to breathe deeply. You know it helps.’

They breathe.

‘That’s it, good. You’ve got it.

‘I feel better now.’

‘I said you would. Ready?’

‘Ready. I’m just that I’m still finding it hard to believe that we’ve got this far.’

‘We trained and we trained. We never gave up. We learnt resilience. We were true to ourselves and our mission. We supported each other and got stronger together. We did everything we needed to do. We were everything we needed to be. What could have gone wrong?’

They're still again. Calm. Focused.

‘Right, let's pack the car. You've checked the list, yes?’

Yes. Nose and ear piercers, waxing materials, scissors, cuticle nippers, spray gun and all the rest of the armoury we need for the 2024 Beauty Therapists North West Regional Final.’

‘Great. Into battle we go then.’