by Ruth Hay
“I am sure, because it has to be.”
Two hands intertwined and two gazes focused on the garden with tears in their eyes. Neither woman could trust herself to speak.
James had been cornered by Lucy on a two-seater glider that forced them into close quarters and made him feel quite uncomfortable. He knew who Lucy was and had met her at such gatherings of the Sambas on occasion, but he was realizing Lucy had changed. It wasn’t just her forceful manner and sly way of cutting him out from the crowd with the pretext of getting a Coke for him and insisting they sat where there were side tables for their drinks. It was more about her appearance.
Casting his mind back, he could remember she was always a pretty little thing but somewhat in the shadow of her older sister who was quite a beauty. Now Lucy had blossomed into this tall, slender goddess with dark lustrous hair swinging around her perfect face and the most form-fitting strapless dress that definitely raised his temperature by several degrees. He could not help wondering why she was suddenly so interested in talking to him.
“I hear you have completed a business course in England, James,” she began.
“Call me Jay, Lucy. James is my ‘grown-up’ name.”
“Don’t you feel grown up yet?” Lucy’s eyes twinkled as she teased Jay. She expected a blush to colour his cheeks as she knew the effect her teasing had on other males of her acquaintance.
Jay resisted the ploy and kept his cool by reaching for the drink and giving himself the chance to consider how he would react. If his mother could hear Lucy now, she would call her ‘a little minx’ and this thought allowed him to laugh at her attempt to intimidate him.
“What do you want to know, Lucy?”
“Well, first of all I want to know why you went to England to study when there’s a famous business school right here in London, Ontario?”
“That’s simple. A Plus has interests on both sides of the Atlantic and I spend quite a lot of my time following Anna’s orders in Scotland and England, so it seemed sensible to know the rules about exporting and importing materials and, of course, I made many useful contacts over there. Does that answer your question, young lady?”
Lucy bristled at Jay’s responsible tone and decided to drop the act and get right to the point.
“I am really impressed by your career choices, Jay. I understand you got involved with A Plus before you even left school. I am thinking along these lines myself and I need to persuade my mother that it is a valid choice for me.”
“Oh, I see! You want to get me on your side. Don’t count on my support. My mother fought long and hard against the idea. It was the hours spent on the internet that made her mad, but in the end it was that knowledge that let me drag Anna and Alina into the 21st century and gave them the kind of head start with high tech that made all the difference in their business.”
Lucy swung the glider a few times while she considered Jay’s reply.
“Hmmm! I think the online approach is the right one for me too. Most kids our age shop and buy on the internet on a regular basis. I can source materials from many places and I can adapt them to suit current trends. I’m doing this already in a small way in my mother’s store in the mall. You might have seen my display model with the uber-cool clothes in the window?”
Jay could only shrug his shoulders in response. If he ever had time to go to the mall it was to grab something in the first place he saw, and a women’s clothing store was not likely to be his merchant of choice.
“Anyway,” Lucy continued, “I could set up the web site and stuff by myself but I need to know how to produce the outfits in enough quantity to fill orders in a hurry.”
“Not my department, Lucy. You need to talk to Alina for that. She runs the workshop and warehouse and has most of the creative ideas. Talk to Anna about outsourcing workers. She’s the one who found expert knitters in Scotland.”
Jay extricated himself from the swinging seat with some relief and left Lucy with the parting shot. “It sounds like you have a lot to learn. Stay at college and prepare really well before you try it on your own. I was lucky. It doesn’t always work out that way.”
Jay walked across to the BBQ where the meat was just beginning to sizzle and the smells were pervading the patio. He had no sooner lifted a set of tongs to turn the burgers and hotdogs when Anna asked how his mother and her new husband were getting along in Oban.
“You did manage to spend a week or two with them, and with Eric, before you flew here. Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah! Things are going well, I think. They look happy together and Mom’s started to update the older stuff in the cottage.”
“How is Alan adjusting to that?”
“He seems all right with it. I’m not sure he has even noticed. He’s outside on the hills most of the time but he loves Mom’s cooking when he gets home. I found some of the meals a bit different. I think Kirsty must have taught Mom some recipes Alan enjoys.”
“Smart woman, your mother! But I’m sure you knew that already, James!”
James smiled in agreement and began to dish out grilled lamb chops and vegetables to join the burgers on a heated platter.
Alina returned from the kitchen with a tray full of cold salads and warm breads.
“Thanks for stepping in James. I got distracted for a while and these women were too busy chatting to notice the meat beginning to smoulder.”
“It all smells delicious, Alina!” said Maria, soothingly. “Come and sit down. I’ll take over.”
While everyone was busy filling plates and glasses, Susan approached Anna and suggested they take their plates indoors so she could see the enlarged wedding photograph. Anna agreed and led the way to the dining room but when they got there, Susan did not seem interested in the photograph. Instead she put her plate down on the table and whispered urgently, “Anna I have just had a strange conversation with Alina and I need to know if you have noticed any changes in her lately.”
“What exactly do you mean, Susan?” Anna felt she should be defending her friend and for a moment forgot the kind of person Susan was and how long she had been a support to all the Samba group members and their families.
“Now don’t be defensive, Anna. I want to help but I can’t if I don’t know what’s going on.”
Anna sat down heavily at the table. For some months she had wanted to share her concerns with someone and this seemed to be a perfect opportunity.
“I have noticed some changes but I figured it was to do with her fear of the effects of the macular degeneration.”
“I am sure you are right about that. She is not the gentle soul she was before. She is much more anxious and jumpy. She told me about her mother’s experience with eye problems and it was as if she was reading a medical report from a journal or something. It just didn’t sound like Alina.”
Anna glanced out of the patio windows that stretched across the back of the house and gave a view of the garden from each room. Everyone was busy eating. They would not be interrupted.
“I think she is trying to process all the information she has received from doctors and fit it into what she saw latterly, when she understood a little of what was happening to her mother. Basically, she’s scared, Susan, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve tried to talk to her but there’s a brick wall between us on this topic.”
“It could be the same brick wall Alina’s mother put up years ago when she was unwilling to admit what was developing with her vision.”
“What do you mean?” Anna’s interest was piqued. Any hint about the source of Alina’s changed behaviour was valuable to her and Susan had the incisive mind that might have spotted a cause.
“Well, Alina let it slip that her mother kept her secret because she did not want to burden her only daughter with the responsibility for her care.”
“How does this apply now?”
Susan spoke gently and reached out for Anna’s hand. “My dear, substitute your name for Alina’s mother’s name and you will see t
he connection.”
Chapter Four
Anna’s phone conversation with Philip took place about a week after the barbecue.
Realizing it was going to be a difficult discussion, Anna had prepared a list of possible comments and compelling points.
She had spent the week considering Susan’s idea that Alina was afraid of the future and her eventual dependence on Anna. The conclusion she had reached was that Alina needed to be distracted from her fears and also encouraged to build up her confidence in her own ability to weather whatever storms life might toss her way.
Anna felt uniquely competent to help in this endeavour since all her friends had contributed to her own recent journey from depression to confident business woman.
* * *
As soon as Alina left the condo to conduct staff interviews at the warehouse, Anna dialed Philip’s number.
He answered from a building site which soon became obvious to Anna, as the sounds of heavy vehicles and crushing stones was an accompaniment to Philip’s voice.
Anna apologized and immediately offered to call at a more convenient time but Philip told her to wait while he stepped into an onsite trailer and closed the door.
“That’s better! Now, Anna, what can I do for you?”
“I apologize again, Philip, I didn’t mean to interrupt your day. I can call at another time.”
“I was ready for a break anyway. With the time difference it’s difficult to reach me. You have my attention now.”
Anna swallowed convulsively. She was about to ask for a big favour and she was not at all sure that her relationship with Philip was strong enough to withstand this imposition.
The silence was lengthening and she knew a busy man would not appreciate the waste of his time. She rushed right into the main question without further ado.
“Is it possible for me to come to Egypt in the winter when you go back to work on your hotel project?”
“Uh, I wasn’t expecting that! Give me a minute.”
On the other end of the line, Anna held her breath. If Philip turned her down now, there was no hope of introducing the topic of Alina as her companion. And that was the whole point of this venture. The very idea of setting out on their own to such a different culture, so far away, was daunting to say the least.
“Well, it’s a long way to go to meet up again, Anna,” he began with a half laugh, “but I suppose it’s as good a place as any. I will be occupied during the day, of course, but you could take in some tourist sights then, and we could get together in the evening for a few hours.
The days are short in the winter months so work on the site stops fairly early. I take it you have never been to Egypt?”
“Right! It’s somewhere I have always wished to see one day. What part of Egypt are you working in again?”
“The hotel project is near Luxor. It’s one of the finest locations in the country as the Valley of the Kings is just across the Nile and many other ancient monuments are there also.”
Anna felt enormous relief that Philip had not turned down her request immediately. Now came the hard part.
“Well, I am so delighted that you are willing to agree to this, Philip. I know you have many responsibilities and you won’t want someone hanging around bothering you. I was thinking I would travel with my friend and business partner, Alina. Would this be a problem with respect to accommodation and visas and so on?”
“I don’t imagine so,” replied Philip in a casual manner. “It’s best to travel with a partner at any time and all tourists are welcomed in Egypt, particularly this year. If you give me a few days I can check into various things for you. I have a government contact there, who helps me out with travel arrangements. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Oh, Philip! That’s immensely kind of you. I am most grateful. There are more reasons than one for this trip and I will fill you in later. Would travel in December be a good idea?”
“Certainly! The cooler weather is pleasant then and I should be well started on this year’s hotel building project.”
“Wonderful! I can hardly wait! We’ll talk again, Philip, and thank you so much.”
“Afwan! You’d better learn some Arabic before you go, Anna! Bye!”
Anna’s heart was thumping with excitement when Philip said goodbye. It took a moment for his final statement to register and then she reached for her pen and began to read over, and add to, her list.
Location? Luxor
December? Yes
Alina? Yes!
Travel advice? Yes
Arabic Definitely
Buy tourist guide books
Look for online information
Ask Maria about clothes
Check on vaccinations and visas
See travel agent for best route
As she reviewed some of the things that would need to be done before winter, Anna realized there was one important item that should be on the checklist. She had not told Alina of this plan and with the way she had been reacting of late, that might not be a simple matter.
Several days went by while Anna deliberated about how and when to inform Alina of the decisions that had been made without her knowledge. At first, she used the excuse that she needed to wait until Philip had confirmed his approval and provided additional information, but as the days came and went without a call, she began to worry about Alina’s reaction when she found out how much planning was going on behind her back.
Knowing her friend’s uncanny ability to sense things about her, Anna knew she could not delay much longer.
Alina had been observing Anna’s unusual behaviour with a keen eye. It would have been simple to ask what was going on but she suspected a plot was underway and she hoped the denouement would involve the fulfillment of her wish to go to Egypt. She might be on the wrong track, of course. That was always a possibility, although not likely. Perhaps Anna had had bad news about someone in the family? No, she would not withhold that kind of information.
It had to be good news of some kind. Alina figured out that speaking too soon might ruin the whole plan. Anna’s genuine delight if she could surprise her friend was not to be spoiled by even a hint that Alina guessed something.
So days went by and Alina watched while Anna acted as if everything was fine and dandy.
She had no clue that her silences and her habit of staring into the distance for an hour at a time, were speaking volumes to one who could read the signs.
When Anna began to hunch over the computer late at night, after she would normally be fast asleep, Alina knew things were coming to a head. She maintained her patience with some difficulty and ignored the impulse to shout out, “Just tell me for goodness sake!
When the unexpressed tension in the house had reached crisis level, the phone rang one afternoon. Anna was sitting in the garden with her cell phone by her side and picked it up on the second ring. This was another new habit she had been displaying recently.
Alina watched from the kitchen and noticed at once that Anna’s entire body relaxed as soon as she heard the voice on the end of the line. Alina strained to hear the conversation, but the heavy glass doors excluded all but the loudest exclamations. She could, however, move around until she could see Anna’s face from the side and that revealed enough to assure her that this phone message was the catalyst which would settle the issue one way or the other.
After a minute or two, Alina busied herself in the kitchen, humming a tune and rattling dishes that were not in need of re-arranging. Soon she heard Anna open and close the sliding patio door but she continued to pretend to be absorbed in her work until Anna tapped her on the shoulder.
“My, you made me jump! Who was that on the phone?” she said, innocently.
Anna’s face was a picture of guilt so transparent that Alina had to stifle an outright laugh.
“Uh, it was Philip.”
“What did he want? Is he still hankering for you to meet him in Scotland?”
Alina was not about to let her friend
off the hook after the days of suspense she had endured.
“Not exactly; you’d better sit down so I can fill you in.”
Alina did not have to feign interest at this point. She sat down with an eager expression on her face, ready to hear the news.
Anna shuffled about in her seat for a moment as she struggled to find the right words. In the end she decided to be frank and confess the whole subterfuge. Better to get it over with quickly than prolong the agony one minute longer.
“Well, you see, we have been planning that trip to Egypt you wanted.”
Anna stopped, took a breath and waited for the outburst that seemed to be her friend’s preferred method of communication these days. Instead, Alina burst out into the laughter she had been suppressing.
“At last! I was about to explode with anticipation! Tell me everything!”
Anna was taken aback with this response and uttered a series of sounds that indicated her total confusion.
“Calm down, my dear!” reassured Alina.” I’ve been waiting for this announcement for days now. I knew you were up to something and I was hoping it was to do with Egypt.”
“But why didn’t you say something? I’ve been stewing about how to break the news to you and you knew all the time!”
“To be truthful, I didn’t know for sure, but I certainly suspected what you were up to.
I’ve been watching you like a hawk and wondering how long it would take for you to break down and tell all.”
“Alina! Playing tricks at your age! I can’t believe it!” Anna’s sounded as if she was scolding her friend while she was really thinking that Alina appeared, for the first time in months, like the happier person she used to be before the diagnosis about her eyesight. Perhaps this was the beginning of a more optimistic, less worried attitude. If so, all the stress had been worthwhile.
“Oh, forget it! Tell me what Philip said and why you contacted him about this in the first place.”
The next hour passed quickly as Anna brought Alina up to date. Philip had communicated with his government connection in the Egyptian Embassy in Ottawa and asked for information about the current situation in Egypt with regard to visas and travel.