Counting Sunsets

by Paul Gait

  ‘Good,’ said Geoffery, pleased that his plans were on track.

  ‘I’m sure Rupert will be relieved at this turn of events,’ said Andy.

  ‘Especially as she was threatening to track him down and sort him out again. That’s the problem with domestic violence. You never know when it will resurface. Still, now she has this more serious charge against her, it will be a long time before she’s released,’ he said satisfied. ‘Rupert will be able to relax and get on with his life.’

  ‘You know, I thought I saw a twinkle in your eye at the prospect of her incarceration.’

  ‘Really? It’s probably the drugs,’ said Geoffery, satisfied with his days work..

  CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

  Saturday November 22nd – Sunset count 83

  ‘You’ve just got to put one foot in front of the other,’ Carrie said impatiently.

  ‘I know that. I’m not stupid,’ Tim said angrily, picking himself up for the umpteenth time.

  ‘Wey, yee can’t keep stopping. The more yee stop, the harder it becomes.’

  ‘I can’t go on any further. I’m shattered already,’ he said, leaning his head against the walking pole.

  ‘Look. Just slow your pace down. Walk slowly, like this,’ she said, demonstrating a slow deliberate gait to emphasise what she meant.

  ‘This is bloody stupid. I wish I’d told him where to shove his bloody money.’

  ‘Come on. This is doing yee good. What more can yee want? Oot in the open air, in wonderful scenery, wi the promise of getting a fortune at the end of it? Sum people would gladly be in your place,’ she goaded.

  ‘It’s alright for you. You were fit in the first place, before your…um ..the bomb.’

  ‘It was an IED, an Improvised Explosive Device. They don’t call them bombs,’ she corrected. ’That’s how they reckon ah survived the trauma, because ah was fit.

  ‘Well, whatever it was called, the effects were still the same,’ he observed coldly.

  ‘Anyway, you’ve had a lifetime to adjust to having no legs. Mine’s a comparatively short time, so yee should be better on these things than me,’ she said, tapping her prosthesis.

  Tim admired her confidence and positive attitude to her ‘little accident’ as she called it.

  ‘There are people with problems worse than mine,’ she had told him. ‘No point wallowin in your own self-pity. You’ve just got to get on wi it, and make do wi what you’ve got. What’s done is done! Alreet, I’ve lost my legs, but otherwise I’ve got good health and all my faculties. There’s no point moping over somethin yee can’t change.’

  ‘I can’t be bothered, he said, sitting down heavily on a rock. ‘He’ll never know anyway.’

  ‘But yee will! If yee don’t put in the trainin. You’ll never make the first peak let alone all three. Yee said, he already reckons you’re a wimp and you’d just be confirmin it.’

  ‘I don’t care what he thinks. All I know is, I’m knackered.’

  ‘Alreet. We’ll have a short rest. But only for a few minutes,’ she conceded.

  ‘What’s the point? If I can’t get up a bloody Welsh hill! What chance have I got of walking up Ben Nevis for chrissake?’

  ‘Don’t forget Scafell and Snowdon,’ she corrected.

  ‘No need to rub it in. Oh it’s hopeless,’ he said dejectedly. His stumps were throbbing, his shirt soaked from his exertions. Tim laid back, his rucksack cushioning him against the rocks. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and listened to his pounding heart.

  His face suddenly felt warmer. Then he felt her lips on his. They were soft, full, her kiss gentle. He opened his eyes in surprise. She gazed deep into his. Then she quickly pulled away.

  ‘Come on Tim,’ she said hoarsely. ‘Yee can do it. Just for me.’

  ‘Give me another kiss, and I will,’ he said boldly.

  ‘No. Yee taste all salty,’ she said playfully. If yee want another, you’ll have to claim it at the top of the ridge.’

  ‘You tease,’ he said, struggling to stand. ‘OK. But it’ll cost you more than one.’

  ‘You’ll have to catch me first,’ she said, already striding up the slope.

  All his aches and pains forgotten, Tim started pursuing her up the slope. He was starting to like the activity after all! It was the first indication that there could be more to their relationship, other than simply fellow hikers.

  He had never had a girlfriend, and was surprised at the wonderful feeling that coursed through him as a result of a brief kiss. Determined to claim his prize, he hobbled up the rocky track after the figure disappearing into the darkness. Suddenly he had found new strength. The effects of gravity almost forgotten.

  Also forgotten was their journey earlier. Tim had been apprehensive about his venture into the Welsh Hills.

  Carrie had driven them in her specially adapted Peugeot 307 Estate. Tim had never learnt to drive. The limited Springfield household finances were insufficient to pay for driving lessons.

  A mask of concentration etched on her face, as she negotiated the narrow high hedged country lanes. She was a highly trained army driver, fast but cautious.

  As they sped around the meandering lanes that skirted the Talybont reservoir, he gazed at the mountains and forests that surrounded the large body of water, wondering how he would cope with this different terrain.

  Carrie had chosen the location in the Brecon Beacons to start a tougher regime for him. The mountain terrain would give him a few additional challenges to better prepare him for the three peaks, she had told him enthusiastically.

  Finally they had arrived at their start location.

  ‘Isn’t this where they do some sort of army training?’ Tim said looking at the distinctive profiles of Cribyn and Pen Y Fan, outlined against the darkening sky.

  ‘Wey aye. The SAS do a lot of exercises around here,’ said Carrie, opening up the tailgate.

  ‘They’re a pretty tough lot aren’t they?’ Tim said, pulling on his anorack.

  ‘Ah was part of the selection process for the Regiment a few years ago,’ Carrie volunteered. ‘Ah passed the physical stuff, but failed the interrogation part. So ah was returned to my regiment, Pity,’ she said, ‘Ah quite fancied the beret. It was my colour.’

  ‘Typical. Trust a woman to think of fashion accessories,’ he said bravely.

  ‘Nothin wrong wi that. Yee need to feel smart in uniform. Soldiers spend a lot of time polishin boots and gettin razor sharp creases in trousers. It’s all part of the discipline. Somethin yee could do wi,’ she said, grabbing hold of one of the spare tyres around his waist.

  ‘Here, careful with that. That’s take away profits you’re wobbling,’ he replied playfully.

  ‘Come on, get your act together,’ she goaded. ‘Otherwise it will be comin back time, before we’ve even started.’

  Tim returned his gaze to the darkening skyline. ‘I hope this isn’t going to be too long.’

  ‘Nay, it’s a relatively short stroll. Just a circular walk around Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big.’

  ‘Fanny what?’ Tim choked. ‘You’ve got to be joking.’

  ‘It’s not that sort of Fanny,’ she said quickly.

  ‘I just hope I don’t make a cock up of it then,’ he joked.

  ‘Ha, Ha. Very droll! It’s the welsh Fan Y. It means the top of the point. Anyway,’ she continued, outlining their route. ‘We’re going past the reservoir, up the head wall and onto the ridge before we do the peaks.’

  They had only been walking an hour before his first fall.

  After her kiss, it had taken them a further hour and a half, just to get up to the ridge. Barely a mile!

  ‘At last! We’re at the top. I just need to catch my breath before I claim my prize.’

  ‘Prize! What prize was that?’ she teased.

  ‘My kiss! You promised me.’

  ‘Oh that!’ she said, barely panting from the climb. ‘Now you’re up here ah might change my mind.’

  Unsure whether she meant it or not,
Tim’s face immediately telegraphed his disappointment.

  ‘Oh Tim,’ she said, ‘don’t be sad.’ She walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  ‘Ugh, you’re even more salty now.’

  ‘My lips aren’t though,’ he said recovering. Putting his arms around her waist, and drawing her to him, covering her mouth.

  ‘Mmm not bad,’ she said, pulling back.’ Ah think we might need to work on your technique later, though.’

  It was only the thought of ‘later’ that had kept him going, for as they progressed along the ridge it started to rain and, the night became very dark and windy.

  ‘Can’t we go back and take a short cut?’

  ‘No. Yee need to get used to these types of conditions. We’d be very lucky if we did all three peaks, without gettin a bit of rain, and in any case,’ she added, ‘we can’t avoid walkin in the dark.’

  ‘I’m not so sure I’m going to like this,’ Tim said fearfully.

  ‘Don’t worry. So long as we’ve got our waterproofs on, and we take our time, we’ll be OK,’ Carrie reassured him.

  ‘If you say so,’ Tim replied, unconvinced.

  ‘When we finish, we’ll sleep in the car. I’ve brought some sleepin bags.’

  ‘It’s getting windier. Is it safe to be up here?’ Tim said, looking around nervously. A beam of light from his head torch illuminated the clouds, which ‘flew’ by vertically, in the up draught from the ridge.

  ‘If it’s too windy, we’ll go down,’ she reassured him. ‘But you’re talkin about gale force winds, before we consider abandonin.’

  ‘And foggy?’

  ‘You mean low cloud? We’ll assess that based on where we are,’ she shouted over the wind. ‘But armed with a map and compass, that should ensure we don’t walk off any cliffs, hopefully.’

  ‘Oh. OK,’ said Tim, still not convinced.

  As the hike progressed, both of them had a few irritating trips and falls.

  As Tim fell noisily in a heap, Carrie shouted. ‘Yee must use your walkin poles more.’ Tim could barely hear her, because of the noise of his anorack hood which was flapping in the increasing gusts.

  ‘I’ve had enough. I want to go back!’ said Tim as he, again, pushed himself up from the loose stone strewn path.

  ‘We’re over half way now. Just be more careful. There’s no rush,’ Carrie said, not breaking her stride.

  ‘This is stupid. I’m wet and…’

  ‘Miserable,’ added Carrie.

  As they stumbled their way along the path skirting the very edge of the ridge the rain stopped, the wind subsided and clouds lifted. Within a short time, the moon appeared and transformed the mountainside.

  The moonlight lit up the crags, colouring the rocks a battleship grey. In the distance pinpricks of lights appeared from the farms nestling in the valleys. On the horizon an orange glow from Brecon reflected off the receding cloud base.

  Pulling her anorak hood from her face, Carrie stopped and waited for Tim to join her.

  ‘Isn’t this lovely?’ she said, scanning the view. ‘We’ll be able to turn our head torches off soon.’

  ‘You can if you like,’ Tim whined. ‘I’ve had enough of tripping over.’

  ‘Come on. You’re doing really well. Just think of that nice warm sleepin bag waiting for yee down there,’ Carrie encouraged.

  ‘How much further is it?’ Tim groaned.

  ‘I’ll show yee on the map,’ she said, wiping the rain from the plastic front of the mapcase. ‘What’s the position on the GPS?’ Carrie quizzed.

  ‘Here you read it,’ Tim said, removing it from under his anorak and thrusting the unit under her nose.

  ‘You’ll need to learn how to do this for yourself, sooner or later,’ Carrie told him, studying the map.

  ‘Let’s forget the training tonight. You do it. I’ll catch up later.’

  ‘Yee really are a Mister Grumpy aren’t you?’ she said reading the GPS position. ‘We are here, and the car is over there,’ she said, pointing at the map.

  ‘Hell! That’s miles away. Can’t we call in a helicopter to take us down? I’m knackered.’

  Ignoring the protesting Tim, Carrie strode on. Eventually, they started the descent, down a narrow ravine. The water sculptured gully had been carved out over decades by outflow from the peat bog on the mountain top. A smaller stream now ran down the mountainside, underneath the loose rocks. They passed noisy waterfalls powered by the recent rain.

  ‘Watch yourself here,’ she said, carefully easing herself down the path. ‘It’s a bit steep, and there’s lots of slippery rock.’

  ‘Behind her, the sound of Tim slipping over again indicated her warning had been too late. A shower of stones rattled past her down the mountainside as he fought to stop himself slipping any further.

  ‘Shit! I thought I was a goner then,’ Tim said, picking himself up.

  As they got to lower altitudes, the path eventually became grassy and less steep.

  ‘At last! A tarmac road,’ he said, planting his feet on the flat surface. ‘Now how much further?’ he demanded.

  ‘Yee tell me,’ Carrie said, thrusting the map case at Tim. ‘Where do yee think we are?’

  ‘I don’t know! Just tell me which way, and let’s get on with it,’ Tim replied, still walking.

  ‘We aren’t goin anywhere, until yee tell me. Come on. Work it out for yourself. We’ve just come off the mountainside and joined a road,’ she coached.

  ‘Oh! You really are a pain!’ Tim said disconsolately, switching on his head torch. Reluctantly studying the map and cross checking with the GPS, he eventually pointed a finger at a spot. ‘There,’ he said, ‘satisfied?’

  Carrie checked where he was indicating. ‘Very good,’ she replied. ‘Ah reckon you’re right, and so yee can answer your own question.’

  ‘Yeah, OK. Another couple of miles, I suppose. But at least it’s all on road, thankfully. Come on. You’ve got to admit it, that was hard going up there wasn’t it?’

  ‘It was challengin, aye. But yee did it! Yee should be pleased wi yourself,’ she said, suddenly planting a kiss on his forehead.

  ‘Is that all I get, after all that effort?’

  ‘Wait and see,’ she teased.

  CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE

  They walked in silence along the two miles of winding lanes. Moonlight reflecting off the road markings, making navigation easier. Tim groaned at the few, short sharp inclines, which the meandering tarmac took through the steep sided valley.

  ‘Just around this bend, ah reckon,’ she said, ‘and it’s done.’

  ‘Hallelujah,’ he said, spotting the car. ‘At last! I thought we’d never finish.’

  Carrie slipped her rucksack off her shoulder and plunged her hand into a side pocket, ‘All we need now are the keys,’ she said.

  A beep, a flash of the indicators and clunking from the door locks indicated that she had found them.

  ‘Here we are. Good job done,’ she said, lifting the tailgate.

  Having walked without lights for the last few miles, the courtesy light temporarily blinded them.

  ‘Hell, that’s bright!’ Tim said, shielding his eyes.

  ‘See, that wasn’t that bad was it?’ Carrie said, busily making space in the back of the Peugeot.

  As his eyes adjusted to the lighting, Tim looked at Carrie, as she dropped the rear passenger seats. Her wet tousled hair framing her face, and he realised he felt a pang of affection for this woman, who had led him through the long dark hours of the night.

  ‘That’s not what my hips and stumps are telling me,’ he said, regaining his concentration. ‘I’m knackered.’

  ‘You’ll be fine, when we get in the car, wi a nice hot drink inside yee. But first we need to get out of these wet clothes. I’ve brought a bin liner to put them in. Ah don’t want water stains on my upholstery. Now ah suggest you get out of those trousers and wipe down your prosthetics.’

  ‘’I don’t think I’ve even got energy f
or doing that. Come to think of it, I’ve never been told to drop my trousers by a lady before,’ Tim said, easing off his rucksack.

  ‘I’m sure it won’t be the last time either,’ she said suggestively.

  She unzipped and removed her own trousers to reveal the kaleidoscope of colour that was displayed in her lower limbs; the amazing technology that replaced her own legs and enabled her to have a ‘normal’ life; her cold marbled thighs cushioned by white liners protecting her stumps in the orange plastic prosthetic cups; the stainless steel joints and ‘shin’ bone that looked odd as it disappeared into a normal brown hiking boot.

  ‘That’s one advantage in our condition,’ she said, pulling her residual legs out of the prosthetic sockets.’ At least yee don’t have to unlace your boots. Come on, hurry up and get yours off, so we can close the tailgate. Now we’ve stopped I’m startin to feel chilly.’

  Tim did as he was ordered, sitting on the tailgate beside her, his attention to the task half-hearted as he watched her remove her damp top. He had never been this close to a woman shedding clothes before.’

  ‘What are you lookin at?’ she said seductively

  ‘I’ve never seen you in…without clothes before.’

  ‘You’ve seen me at the gym,’ she reminded him.

  ‘This is different,’ he said, becoming aroused.

  ‘Stuff your trousers into that bin liner and give me your legs,’ she said ignoring his stare. ‘I’ll put them in the front with mine. Shove up and we’ll put the rucksacks in and close the tailgate,’ she directed.

  ‘You OK? I’m starting to stiffen up,’ Tim said, trying to ease his aching shoulder muscles.

  ‘So ah can see, said Carrie.’ Looking at the movement in his boxers. Embarrassed, Tim put his hands over himself to hide the bulge.

  ‘There’s not enough room to swing around. Ah need to sit on you, while I put the stuff in the front,’ she said, sitting on his lap, much to his restrained pleasure.’

  They shared the tea that Carrie and brought in the flask, the steam, adding to the growing condensation on the inside of the car windows. Tim’s cheeks glowed. He wasn’t sure whether it was the heat in the car or in his loins that was generating it.