When the news that Alina and her husband were living at Anna’s filtered down to Rena and Steve, it took a day or two for Rena to realize she had a chance to find out if Philp had news from the Greek island of Paros where her father was now living with his extended family.
There was a tangled set of family relationships involved, including Caroline Fenton’s grandmother, Lynn, who was married to Stavros, one of Rena’s uncles. Philip had designed the beach house for Stavros and he might have more recent information about how things were going on the island. Rena’s father, Dimitri, was not into smart phones or much in the way of technology, and although she wrote to him frequently, replies were few and far between.
She called Anna and explained her problem.
“I have not met your brother, Anna. Could you possibly ask him to call me some evening, but only if he has any news from Greece. It’s a month or more since I heard from my Papa and I do worry about him.”
“Of course, I will, Rena. Please pass on my thanks to your husband for helping Edmund get the new assistant doctor. I believe he will arrive soon. That will make a huge difference in Ashley and Edmund’s lives.”
“Steve was glad to be able to help. Since we arrived in Oban we have had so much assistance and advice. It’s a relief to be able to give back something in return.”
“So, everything is going well for you two? Are you considering staying in Scotland?”
“Well, we are already involved in so much it would be difficult to extricate ourselves. Truthfully, our life in England is growing dim by comparison, but Steve still has family there and I have good friends.
I believe the decision will be made soon as the rental of the house in Sussex comes to an end before too long.”
“I see. Lots to think about, Rena. There’s always a lot happening in Oban as I am sure you have discovered.”
“You are so right, Anna. I admit I thought it was a small and sleepy holiday town when we first arrived but now I know better. This place is a hive of activity and with a substantial group of Canadians also!”
“Indeed it is! I will let Philip know about your concern and one or other of us will call you.”
Philip was surprised to hear about the call from Rena Collins.
“Do you know, Anna, the older I get the more everything in my life connects up in the most amazing ways. I never expected to hear about Paros from someone in Oban and now you tell me Caroline Fenton, Lynn and Stavros’ granddaughter, was living here a short time ago. As it happens, I did talk to Stavros before I left Egypt. He had some concerns about storm damage to the flat roof of their beach house and in the course of our conversation he mentioned the Kyriakos family who are doing well even in the slumping economy of Greece. They are a large family group on Paros and they cater to the needs of tourists and also to the island’s residents. Stavros says they are always happy and positive about life. You can’t ask more than that.”
“I believe you are right, Philip. Give Rena a call and relieve her mind.
By the way, I noticed Alina got a letter from the London doctor who performed her eye surgery. Has she shown it to you?”
Philip shuffled his drawings together on the kitchen table and Anna was immediately alarmed. This was a delaying tactic. Perhaps the news from London was not good. It was unlike Alina to keep information from Anna.
“We did not want to burden you with this just yet Anna. Everything is going so well here and the news is a bit of downer.”
“Oh, Philip tell me, right now! Tell me there is not a problem with Alina’s eyes.”
She clasped her hands together and held them up to her mouth in anguish. After all the time spent and the good results, surely nothing could go wrong now?”
Philip caught her hands and lowered them. “It’s not bad news. The doctor is very pleased with Alina’s progress. He sent a list of things to be avoided in the next few months until the eyes have settled into their new mode of sight. One of the items on the list was about the danger of flying long distances with the inevitable cabin pressures variations.”
“What does that mean? It isn’t too bad, is it?”
“No. Not at all. As long as we stay off planes.”
“I see the problem now. How will we get back to Canada?”
“I have been giving that a bit of thought. I think I should take Alina on a cruise.”
“Oh, of course, Philip! You two need a restful holiday together after all you have been through.
It’s a wonderful idea. Don’t be concerned about me. I have another idea for myself and I need to be here for some months yet.”
“I haven’t made a booking but I think I would like to take Alina on a cruise around the British Isles and then connect to a transatlantic cruise to Canada. From the east coast of Canada we could travel by train home to Ontario in slow stages.
Of course, Anna, we will not leave until the foundations for the extension are completed.”
“That fits in with my plans perfectly Philip, but there is one thing to be organized before you go.”
It was several weeks before Anna’s plan could be finalized.
It involved a number of people.
It required Rena and Steve to be present, so a Sunday was selected to suit them.
Shona asked to be included and along with her came Fiona.
Ashley and Edmund were already making frequent weekend visits to the McCaig Estate House to inspect the building progress and to consult with Philip, so it was simple for Anna to ask Edmund for medical assistance, in the unlikely event of it being required.
When all was in place, and the weather looked like cooperating, the group assembled at Anna’s and fortified with hot drinks and shortbread, they set out on the expedition.
Anna and Alina were inspected first of all, by Steve, who cast his experienced eye over their clothing and particularly their footwear. He insisted on sturdy walking sticks and went ahead to examine the path for possible obstacles.
Philip declined the challenge saying he was saving his strength for gentle strolls along the decks of seagoing vessels.
Anna and Alina, arm in arm, began the ascent at a slow pace with Rena immediately behind them and Fiona and Shona bringing up the rear. At the last minute, Ashley decided to join the party, leaving Edmund behind to keep Philip company.
Fortunately, Edmund’s medical expertise was not required as, with Steve clearing their way and Rena guarding their progress, the climb to the top of Helen’s Hill was accomplished slowly and successfully.
Shona quickly activated her detector and began to scan the hilltop for hidden treasure. Her experience with Fergus had given her the notion that high places were like to be the most productive sites in which to search and she did not intend to miss this opportunity.
Fiona went along a few paces behind her daughter but she turned around frequently to see if Anna and Alina were sitting safely on Helen Dunlop’s thinking rock. Steve and Rena promised to return in thirty minutes and took off at a blistering pace to examine the views from all the peaks they could reach in that time frame.
Ashley was content to take up a sitting position from where she could look down at the outline of the McCaig House extension and dream of the time she and Edmund would be moving from one room to another in the generously-sized spaces Philip had designed for them. She noticed a deep channel leading from the garage to the rear garden and wondered if this was where the future power generator was to feed solar and supplementary power to the new extension. It was so exciting to see their future home grow by stages each weekend. Napier Builders were working furiously to get the work done as soon as possible. Mr. Napier’s wife was one of Edmund’s patients and she was, reputedly, constantly encouraging her husband to work harder as Dr. Jansen was ‘The only doctor who ever helped my fibromyalgia and I need him to stay!’
Behind Ashley, Anna and Alina sat on cushions from Fiona’s backpack and marvelled at the views all around them.
“Well Alina, is this what you expected?”
“I don’t exactly know what I expected but this is amazing. It feels like I understand for the first time what the phrase ‘bird’s eye view’ really means. It’s an entirely different perspective. There’s nothing approaching this height in London, Ontario. From here the clouds move along and the landscape changes minute by minute as light and shade take their turns. One second of sunlight and a small pond in the distance glimmers like crystal, then disappears into the background again. Anna, the seagulls are flying beneath us! Oh, how I wish I had known about hill climbing when we were young. We could have run along the mountain tops somewhere in Canada far above the world below, just like those Collins’ who are right out of sight already.”
Anna chuckled and felt so pleased she had been able to give Alina this gift. It was like seeing everything through her friend’s new eyes for the first time. Alina was incandescent with joy at what she could now see since her eyesight was restored to her. It was a miracle and Anna was delighted to be a part of it.
They stayed until the clouds grew heavier and a chill wind roared up from below, making the women pull up their jacket collars and find the gloves Steve had insisted on placing in their pockets.
Anna was the first to stand. She spied Rena and Steve trotting along toward them and noticed Shona and her mother approaching from the other side where the mountaintops sloped down toward Bev and Alan’s farm.
It was time to go.
Anna knew from experience the downward descent from Helen’s Hill was, if anything, more difficult than the upward climb. She made Alina walk around the rock to get her circulation going but no one started the journey down until Rena went in front with Shona and Fiona.
“I’ll get the coffee on for you two,” she called back over her shoulder. “I’ll run a hot bath in case there are sore muscles. Ashley brought soup and fresh bread and Fergus sent the first of the raspberries from the greenhouse.”
“We’ll have a feast!” yelled Shona, waving her detector above her head like a flag at the head of a procession.
It was, indeed, a longer trek downhill before Alina and Anna were able to enjoy the picnic-style feast, but it was worth the effort.
“Thank you everyone for making this day possible,” Anna said, lifting her coffee cup in salute.
Alina looked around the crowded kitchen where even the window seat was fully occupied, causing Sylvia to slink off in disgust.
“I will always have the memory of that view from Helen’s Hill. Perhaps I missed some of it as my sight is not one hundred percent, but Anna filled in the rest for me, as she has always done throughout our lives.
Philip and I are leaving soon on our cruise and I may not see all of you here together again, so let me say now, from the bottom of a grateful heart, how much I cherish each and every one of you, friends and family alike. I leave my dearest Anna in your hands.”
Spontaneous applause met this heartfelt speech and Philip nodded his head in agreement.
It was a grand finale to their time in Oban and he was content to leave the remainder of the extension in the builder’s hands. He did ask for regular photographs to be relayed to his phone, however, and reminded Bill Napier he would be on call during the ten days when the cruise was circling the British Isles, just in case of unforeseen problems.