Category:
Action/Thriller
Central London gets Kate and Greg Bailey down. The skills of a hair stylist and a health club manager seem transferable to the Scottish Isle of Arran. But the move turns out to be a disaster for them both. As their relationship tears apart, Kate must survive traumatic events. Can she turn her world around on her own? Can she possibly find contentment in her life as the wild sea churns over and the fresh sea breezes blow in her direction?
Chapter 5
From Dippen, the road left the shoreline and their focus changed to the forest on the right. The map showed a large wooded area and that meant no clients for either of them. But the rain seemed to be falling straight down on them, masking any civilization.
‘No sign of any habitation. Just when I could do with a break,’ he said.
Kate consulted her map. ‘There’s a hotel at Lagg, I think we should stop there.’
‘Yea great. In fifty miles I suppose.’
‘No Greg, only a few now. I’d say about four minutes ahead.’
‘I’m counting.’
Despite the mid-summer holiday, there was a welcoming roaring fire in the hotel lounge’s fireplace. Greg made straight for the loo. Kate took the opportunity to go too before they ate.
Seated on either side of the fender seat, they remained in silence until assistance arrived.
‘Good morning, can I get you anything?’ asked Pat the waitress.
‘You say good-morning. You haven’t been outside have you?’ asked a disgruntled Greg.
‘Ah the weather. It’ll, clear up. It always does.’
‘The same day?’ asked Greg.
‘Well that’s a good question,’ the waitress replied, enjoying the banter.
‘I’ll have a coffee and a scone if you have them?’
She turned towards Kate and resumed her duties. ‘Yes, madam we have scones, with cream and strawberry jam, cheese, or fruit?’
‘What a choice. I’ll have the cream and strawberry jam. Greg?’
‘Black coffee. That’s all.’
‘Black coffee for you too, madam?’
‘No, a white-flat if I may?’
‘Certainly, It will be with you in a moment,’ Pat said spinning round, making her skirt dance around her waist.
‘What’ wrong Greg?’ She asked directly at him.
Greg lowered his head and fanned his palms in front of the fire. ‘I get a feeling we are drawing apart. Don’t you? I mean, you seem set on a new life here. I can’t see the way forward for me.’
Kate wondered if that was all. She’d give him a chance to redeem himself. ‘It’s only our second day on Arran. Too soon to come to your conclusion,’ she said bending towards him.
Greg stood up before the fire and warmed the seat of his trousers. ‘It’s more than that. I’m a city guy, always have been. Don’t think I’ll ever change.’
Kate was saddened by his expressed feelings. She felt trapped. Here on Arran she felt a gentler pace with people ready to talk, with a healthy climate and fresh air, great sea views and a great work opportunity. She tried but failed to reconcile her feelings with Greg’s.
The atmosphere chilled despite the fire. Kate held her coffee in both hands. Her cream scone sat proud on its plate, untouched. Greg moved away from the flames and looked out of the rear window onto the hotel’s back garden. Lush bushes and border flowers stood like wet soldiers resenting their daily drill. Another couple passed through the lounge.
‘Good morning, not a day to be outside,’ said the jolly chap in his plus fours carrying a tweed deer stalker hat. His wife followed on, seemingly knowing her place. She giggled nervously. ‘I hope the weather changes,’ she managed to say as she left the room. Greg gave a weak smile, acknowledging their departure and glad of no more mindless talk.
‘Let’s go. Let’s be on our way,’ he said.
Kate scowled at him. ‘I’ve still to eat my scone and my coffee. Now sit down and act less of a child,’ she said sternly.
Greg did as he was told but looked as glum as the china pug staring at him from a corner of the room.
They resumed their journey with distrust in the air but Kate was not wishing to promote hostility. She consulted the map.
‘Blackwaterfoot seems to be the largest village on this side of the island. We could explore it a bit.’
Greg was at a loss how the rest of the day would develop so a walk around town sounded a better option.
‘Okay,’ was all he managed to say.
They took a sharp left turn to approach the village. As they made their way to the shore they realised it was a more substantial town. A white walled hotel appeared before them with a large car park. They entered it and with sparsely distributed vehicles, they were able to face the sea.
‘Just look at that, Greg. Pure magic and look over there, a seal on a rock.’
‘Where?’
‘There,’ she pointed.
‘I guess they like this weather.’
Kate put her hand out of the window. ‘It’s dry. It’s not raining. Come on, let’s walk along the beach.’
They locked the car and set out along the road leading to the shore. Just before they got to the golf course, there was a row of private houses. The very last one had a sign on the lawn. It simply read For Sale.
Kate stopped and looked at the house. ‘I wonder how much they are asking. Can we knock on their door?’
Greg put up no resistance as Kate rang the door bell. She could hear a dog respond to her bell ringing. The door opened and a young woman of around twenty-eight years opened the door. She wore blue jeans and a light pullover. Her shoes were house slippers.
‘Do excuse our impromptu call but we see your home is for sale. Not so?’
‘Yes, has been on the market for some time now, almost a year.’
‘That’s a long time,’ said Greg.
‘Yes, I don’t live here usually. I work in Glasgow. My father died last year and my mother is now in a care home. She has Alzheimer’s disease.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Greg.
‘That’s why I am down here, to tidy up. Sorry the house is still a bit dusty. Despite that, would you like to see around the house?’
‘If it’s convenient,’ said Kate. And it certainly was.
‘I’m Sue, Sue Parker.’
‘I’m Kate and this is my husband Greg.’
They shook hands. ‘Come in. Don’t mind the dog, she’s on her last legs and partly deaf. Now, this is the lounge, the main room downstairs.’
Kate and Greg’s mouths were open as they took in the view over the sands and out to sea. A better view they could not imagine. In the bay window was a telescope on a tripod pointing to the sky above the horizon.
‘Don’t suppose the telescope goes with the price?’ asked Greg optimistically.
‘Oh yes it does. If I had it in my flat in Gardner Street, I’d be reported for being a peeping Tom,’ she laughed and so did the others.
‘As children we used to spy on yachts go by, see submarines at close range, see people playing golf on Kintyre and great for ornithology. It brings back many happy memories for me.’
‘I’m sure you will have many happy memories of here.’
‘Oh and as it’s a bay window, you get the sun from 3 pm until it’s dark in this room.’
‘Perfect,’ said Kate smiling at Sue.
‘The kitchen is at the back of the house. It gets the sun in the morning.’ Then they were led to that room. Not only was the kitchen sunny, the room was spacious and had a dining table. The units seemed new.
‘It looks like a magazine kitchen,’ said Kate
‘We had it gutted two years ago. It was meant to see my parents out, as it were, but as I told you, it didn’t work out that way.’
There was a bedroom at the back of the house then they were taken upstairs where three bedrooms and the bathroom were situated. The back bedroom was spacious with views inland, unobstructed and had they a closer view of the rear garden lawn, in need of a cut. The rich dark soil supported a mass of varied flower colours.
‘The soil is sandy as you can imagine. Dad was a keen gardener. He brought in tons of dark soil for the flower borders.’
Sue was in no rush to move them on and neither were Kate and Greg as they looked at the garden, the greenhouse and the enclosed hedge. A morning suntrap was their conclusion. Neighbours were unseen and to all intents, unheard.
The bathroom was quite out of this world. A shower over a bath in one corner and a Jacuzzi filled the other. The colours were cotton blue and white, once more a picture postcard.
‘As you can see we have a Jacuzzi in the bathroom but you were unable to see the hot tub in the back garden. It’s on the patio near the back door.’
The two front bedrooms were spacious with deep enclosed storage space. The views being at the front were even more spectacular as they were raised above the lounge. And in the upstairs hallway there was access to the rafters where there was additional storage space.
‘Well, that’s the house apart from the garage at the side of the house. It’s totally empty now, that is apart from my car. Do you want to see it too, I mean the garage of course?’ she sniggered at her ambiguity.
‘I’d love to get the whole picture of the house in my mind. Yes, that includes the garage too,’ said Greg.
As they made their way down and out past the hot tub to the garage, Sue needed to find out more about her prospective buyers.
‘And may I ask, what line are you in?’
‘I run a fitness studio in Fulham,’ said Greg.
Sue gave a silent hum but did not respond further to him. ‘And you Kate? Are you working?’
‘At present I am a hairstylist in Chelsea but I’m planning to run a mobile hair salon on the west coast of the island.’
‘That should go well. Just what we need on this side,’ she told her with a glint of reality, knowing she could never be a client of a Chelsea stylist in Glasgow.
‘And how are you going to set up a fitness suite on Arran, Greg?’ asked Sue.
Greg took a deep sigh. ‘Well it’s not happening for me yet.’
Sue gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘You’ll have to set up on the east coast, where the population is. But a Fulham experience is something the locals don’t have. Make the most of what you have; you need to re-visit your SP.’
‘You sound as if you are an organiser for some sort?’ asked Greg.
‘I am. I’m an events manager at the SEC in Glasgow.’
‘Wow, a big events organiser,’ Greg said.
‘Yes, just an event’s organiser. Now here’s the garage.’
A dark blue Nissan Ascona sat in the middle with ample room on either side. A work bench filled the back wall but there was something which Greg failed to identify overhead, above the car.’
‘What’s that up there?’ he asked.
‘When the car is out, of course, the table comes down and we fix these six wooden legs over here, she pointed to them strapped at the side. When it’s set up, you have a full sized snooker table.’
‘Very neat. I presume you are not taking the snooker table?’ asked Greg.
‘If I want to play snooker, and that’s quite doubtful, there are many snooker venues in Glasgow. I didn’t play as much as my father and my brother. I don’t want it.’
‘Perhaps your brother might?’ suggested Kate.
Sue’s bottom lip trembled. ‘Norman came off his motor bike three months ago. He did not survive.’
‘I’m very sorry to hear that Sue. Our condolences,’ said Kate touching Sue’s arm lightly.
‘You’ve had a very rough time,’ said Greg.
‘I know. I just want to sell and get away. Get back to Glasgow. This chapter of my life has ended.’ Sue wiped her eyes with her spotted handkerchief.
‘If you just wait a minute, I’ll bring you something,’ said Sue as she entered her home once more.
Kate and Greg looked at each other perplexed. Moments later Sue returned, dry eyed.
‘Here, have the agent’s brochure. All the extra facts are in it, more than I managed to give you.’
Karen took the folder and placed it under her arm. ‘We thought we might take a beach walk and give it some thought.’
‘Excellent idea. Why not walk over to the King’s cave. It’s not too far and the sun is trying to break through,’ observed Sue.
‘That sounds a good idea. The cave, Greg?’ smiled Kate.
‘Thanks for the brochure,’ was all he said.
The sand was soft and golden. Kate took off her shoes and walked barefoot at the edge of the water. She looked back at the house. ‘Not a better position on the whole island Greg. What about it?’
‘What about what?’
‘Come on, the house. Didn’t you fall for it?’
‘Not as much as you did, obviously.’
Karen stopped in her tracks. She looked out over the Kilbrannan sound and tears began to fall down her face. Only when the sobs were heard did Greg take any notice.
‘So you’ve got your life fixed. Go ahead then, but leave me out.’
Kate’s hands were on her hips. Her face, like an angry bull. ‘Greg, what the hell are you saying? You want a divorce? Or do you want to talk things through? I’ve got the time if you have.’
‘What’s the point? I’m just ready to get home.’
Karen gave a large sigh and blew her cheeks out. Can you not just enjoy the time in a new environment. We’ve got four days left. Why throw in the towel today? Even if you can’t get a gym up and working, what else can you do? Think about it. Think outside the box.’
‘And don’t you think I have? Don’t you know I’ve been pulling my hair out, almost sobbing myself to sleep and coming up with nothing. Absolutely nothing and you know what’s keeping me sane? Well, do you?’
Kate chose not to reply but did so with a shake of her head.
‘Well, I’ll tell you. It’s getting back to Fulham and get bodies fit and see some smiling faces. That’s what is keeping me sane.’
They continued to walk. Kate replaced her shoes as the sand ran out and more taxing steps over boulders and hidden rock pools slowed their silent progress down. Karen wondered what Greg was really thinking. She could not accept he was only missing his work. He seemed reluctant to enjoy himself. Was he depressed? Her mind was active and the recurring thought was that he had found some new client at the gym and he was transfixed by her. She did not want to make a scene.
Soon the cave appeared and they approached its yawning mouth. Kate let out a howl and it echoed around the entrance. They walked deeper into the cave and she sat down despite the stones being wet. Greg was looking out to sea with his back towards his wife. When he turned round he saw Kate had removed her bra, was top less and was smiling at him. He hesitated. She began to unbutton her jeans.
‘Christ, not here. This is a cold, wet, stony place if ever there was. Come on, don’t be daft.’
Kate dressed smartly, disappointed she could not coax him towards her.
‘Right, let’s get back to the car,’ she said.
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