by Bella Donnis
Erin felt her eyes widen. She had heard her fiery Italian friend say the f word on many occasions, only ever when she was really wound up. But she’d never heard Gia this passionate about anything before.
“Here we are on your right…” The tour guide gestured with an arm to one of the most iconic scenes in all of England. So he did have a tongue after all. Erin had been so engrossed with Gia that despite facing the landmark, she’d completely failed to notice it. “…This is The King’s College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, or simply King’s College for short. Established in 1441 by King Henry VI, it contains the world’s largest fan vault, a style of architecture which was typical for the period.”
Erin folded her arms and scowled at him. He must have got the message because he ceased talking and turned back to the river. Erin felt bad for not being a better customer, but his timing really had been poor.
Gia continued with a little less force. “Anyway, these brave people are in the need of physio…For the rest of their lives they’ll need it. I just feel like I need to do something. I have many friends in the army and…” She clenched her fist. The tour guide looked round then away again.
“It’s ok, I understand.” Erin put her arm around Gia’s shoulders and pulled her in close.
Gia exhaled softly through her nose and smiled at Erin. “You’re supposed to be the erratic one here.”
“No actually I tend to be consistently quiet.” Erin squeezed Gia tight, her head nestled against Erin’s shoulder.
Erin continued holding her friend as what seemed like the first winter’s chill of the season bore down upon them. The punt continued to drift along the Cam, nearing the point they’d have to disembark. Erin closed her eyes and lost herself in the perfection of the moment, wishing it could last just that little bit longer. Quiet sniffles from Gia announced she was crying. Erin rested her cheek on the top of Gia’s head as peach floated up into the senses. Erin could not recall a moment she’d felt closer to another person.
“I think it’s such a wonderful and noble idea.” Erin said breaking the long silence.
Gia pulled herself up from Erin’s embrace. “What is?”
“I…I assume you’re planning on opening up some kind of physio or treatment facility for wounded soldiers?”
Gia’s eyes clouded over for a moment before she focused them fully on Erin. “Yes! Yes, you are right.” She pushed herself away to an arm’s length, her hands on Erin’s shoulders. “And you should join me.”
“What? I should join you?” Erin asked almost with a screech.
“Yes…It would be perfect. Erin, you are my best friend in the entire world and when we graduate we should go into business together.”
Erin thought back to the decision she’d made about rowing on the double scull with Gia and how easy that had been. Making the choice of going into business with her best friend would be nothing like deciding which kind of boat to row, but the decision was plain and simple regardless – Indeed, it was a total none brainer. Owning her own business had always been some far off, unobtainable goal – But with Gia then anything was possible. And they’d both be practicing physiotherapy – What was there to think about?
“Ok.” Erin couldn’t believe it. “It’s a deal.”
They opened their arms and embraced.
And to think Erin had wanted to avoid this punt ride.
Chapter Five
Surprise
A clicking sound wrenched Erin from her thoughts as her eyes regained focus to find Ben’s snapping fingers in front of her face.
“And welcome back to planet earth, Doctor Baker.” He gestured to the Cam. “Really, Erin, I didn’t think you were that afraid of the water.” He laughed. “I just thought it’d be special, it’s such a beautiful day. I know you’ve never been on one of these things,” he said pointing to the punt, “and I thought it’d be a great idea.”
The tall, stripy topped, straw hatted, long stick holding tour guide faced away with his head hanging down, unable to bring himself to acknowledge his potential customers. Honestly, where did they find these people so full of enthusiasm? It was amazing how ten years made so little difference.
“Ok, it’ll be nice.” It would be an experience she could do without, considering the memories of her only ever punt ride along the Cam. But come on Erin – It was an age ago – Get over it! She had a fantastic guy who, for whatever reason, was crazy about her and here he was finally doing something romantic. The least she could do was put her faith in him and actually dare to enjoy the moment. Just try not to think of Gianna.
“Two please.” Ben said, steadying Erin’s hand as she stepped on the punt.
The mute tour guide somehow managed to nod his head, even as he looked down and away. It really was the rudest thing Erin had ever come across.
“What is with that guy?” She asked, loud enough for him to hear. “No tip for him.”
Ben took his seat next to Erin. “Hey, give the man a break. He’s probably exhausted from pushing this thing around all morning.” He patted the outside of the punt. “And you need to cheer up.”
“Yeah, you’re right, I’m glad you’re here and this was a nice idea.”
The punt pushed away and began its journey along the Cam. At the point where Erin remembered the beautiful rare Kingfisher, only ducks quacked as if begging tourists for bread. That Kingfisher had been symbolic of the hope she’d felt that day, losing herself in its beauty as it flew into the heavens. She’d since discovered that ten years on, the Kingfisher population was dwindling. Ok, so this punt ride would not be the same, but Erin wouldn’t take it out on Ben.
She snapped out of her trance, realising Ben had also been quiet. He fidgeted with his hands, once even rubbing his palms over his trousers as he stared at the far off river before it disappeared around a bend. Erin covered his hand with hers. The silence was palpable and the tour guide, if he could be called such a thing, missed every landmark and opportunity to furnish his customers with fun facts and anecdotes. He even remained speechless as they slithered below the Bridge of Sighs, surely a cue to impart any knowledge, if any was known. The combination made for a silent tour, save for the quacking ducks, which was not altogether unwelcome in the afternoon sun.
“Are you ok?” Erin asked. “Shouldn’t you be pointing out the various wildlife and launching into long rambles about them right about now?” She pointed to a bird. “Look, there’s a Bearded Tit over there.” She said, nudging him.
“It’s a Greenfinch.” He nudged her back. “How could you possibly get the two mixed up?” Well it had been Ben who told her the Kingfisher population was in decline.
“Ok, so it’s a Greenfinch. I’ll remember that.” She gave him a mock salute.
Ben chuckled under his breath, then again wiped his hands on his trousers.
“Those things’ll need drying off if you’re not careful.” But really – She’d not seen Ben this nervous since the day she met him. Ben was one of the most self-assured people she’d ever known. Being around him so much over the years had influenced her own demeanour; it was hard not to take little bits away from people you spent time with and admired. It was Ben’s calming face she thought of when the haze threatened to appear, which it hadn’t done in years.
The punt slinked toward King’s College, the familiar chapel with the adjacent Clare College in her line of sight. What was unfamiliar however was the large marquee on the Back Lawn. Term time and graduation had finished for the summer, yet a large gathering lingered as if waiting for something to approach along the river. As they neared, the meaty smell of barbeque ignited her taste buds. A large table contained row after row of drinks – Somebody was having a large party.
“I didn’t know you could have private parties on the Back Lawn.” She twisted and looked to Ben, who in turn looked away with a smirk. “Hey you, don’t ignore me.” Several people were now standing in a line along the river bank as though the imminent arrival of somebody had created a
buzz. What’s more – They were all looking at Erin.
Beethoven’s 5th symphony, one of Erin’s favourites, became more and more audible as the seconds progressed and the punt neared. Then she saw the five piece orchestra. “Oh my God.” Erin’s mouth gaped as a middle-aged couple waved. “Ben, what the hell are my parents doing here?” She scanned the rest of the faces. “My brother, Cousin Louise…I know these people.”
What was happening? Was she dreaming this? Could she possibly dare hope a certain somebody else was amongst the group?
“Ben, what is this?”
The tour guide jammed his oar into the water, bringing the punt to a stop parallel to the gathering. She was mere metres from the cluster, faces she recognised, and nearly all with pursed lips as though they were suppressing a cry, a cheer, laughter; Erin couldn’t tell. The whole thing was so surreal, and the weirdest part was that nobody spoke, like time itself had stopped.
She stood, placing a hand on the backrest for support and turned to face Ben - He’d better have some answers.
Ben lowered himself to one knee.
Then he pulled out a ring in a small box and held it up to Erin.
“Ben?” It wasn’t the full-on haze that threatened to make a long overdue reappearance, but she did feel lightheaded. This was different. The blurry tour guide to her side had turned round to face her, though any extra details she couldn’t make out in the moment.
“Erin, ever since the moment I first saw you, all I wanted to do was hold you close and never let you go. To my eternal stupidity, I’ve let you go too many times over the years and each time, I realised I couldn’t live without you. I never mean to let you go ever again. I love you with all my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with you…Always.” He took hold of Erin’s hand. The clicks of cameras from all angles were one of the small details that made it through to Erin’s conscious, though nothing much else was clear at this moment. “Erin, will you marry me?”
She blinked several times. It took a few seconds but the blur began to recede as clarity returned. The tour guide had stepped off his perch at the punt’s bow and was almost in Erin’s face taking photo after photo. She’d better answer and quick.
“Yes.” She pulled him up into an embrace. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
“We have a yes!” The tour guide announced to the guests as he threw his straw hat into the air.
Erin turned to glare at him. “Scruffy.” Her face broke into a grin, her eyes glazed over, this time with tears. She punched her old friend on the arm. “I cannot believe you.”
The first thing Erin did after stepping onto the Back Lawn was scan frantically for Gianna. It was only natural after all, that maybe by some miracle she was there, lounging under a parasol, drinking a cocktail, causing trouble. The gathering was a mixture of family and friends from past and present. It wasn’t so unreasonable to hope that maybe the most important person who’d ever existed could have been there too. But she wasn’t. And Erin was glad. Not because she didn’t want to see her, because Erin’s heart truly ached for her - But because she’d just agreed to marry Ben. She’d have time to process everything later on.
“How did you manage all this?” Erin’s legs still wobbled but of course, her fiancé was happy to act as a support.
“Oh, you know, when you have contacts…” he gestured around the Back Lawn, “…two postgraduates with businesses in the city. Things can be done.” Apparently so, even when neither of them were graduates of King’s or Clare College, the buildings of which encompassed this stunning classic English setting.
The Back Lawn was the large area of grass as seen on all the postcards of Cambridge, between the river, King’s College and Clare College - An iconic symbol of the city.
She hadn’t necessarily meant how did you book the Back Lawn, but rather how did you get everybody here without my knowledge?
Erin spent the first twenty minutes moving quickly from guest to guest, telling them how incredibly overwhelmed she felt that they’d made the effort to be a part of her engagement. Her parents, brother and cousin had travelled the 264 miles from Alnwick to Cambridge. After making quick pleasantries to acknowledge their presence, Erin promised she’d spend more time with everyone on her second way around the gathering. It would take some time.
“I know what you’re thinking, you have that preoccupied look on your face.” Ben squeezed her hand. “Yvette agreed to lock up for the day and will be down shortly, so don’t you be worrying about returning to work.”
“Looks like you thought of everything. I truly am quite overcome with all this. You must have gone to an incredible amount of effort.” She pulled herself closer into him.
“It wasn’t all easy. I was quite justifiably worried your cousin wouldn’t keep quiet.” Ben glanced over at Louise, his future cousin-in-law, who smiled and walked over, champagne in hand.
“You’re not keeping that ring away from me any longer…Let me see.” She wrenched Ben and Erin’s hands apart and went in for a closer look. “Oh my God! I’m not even guessing at the cost.”
“Oh, Louise, it’s not all about the money.”
“I know, but we all dream about this day…And the ring…Just have fun ok.”
“I am having fun…Honestly I am. It means the world to me that you’ve made the journey.” There had only been a couple of times in ten years that any family member had made the trip south. Usually it was Erin who returned home to Alnwick to visit the family. She nodded to the mobile bar which had its own bar tender. “Why, it’d be rude not to.”
“What would you like?” The bartender spoke louder as the five piece orchestra began with Edvard Grieg’s Morning Mood.
“I’ll have a glass of white wine and a lager for Ben.”
“We have Peroni and Pinot Grigio?” He poised with the wine bottle over a glass, the label stating it was from the Lombardy region - Hmm, both Italian.
“Ok, that’ll be fine.” Was there nowhere to hide? Why, even now, was she being reminded of Gianna? – This was supposed to be her engagement.
Erin made eye contact with Scruffy over the lawn. She’d never have thought on the day she met the character that he’d end up becoming such a great friend. He’d been one of the mainstays of her entire time in the city, a link to the past, including to Gianna. In the early days it had hurt to be around him because of the connection to her, but that soon became easier, once she’d forced herself to forget the damn Italian – By all means necessary. Now, with everything since that bloody poem fluttered back into existence, she worried that being around the guy would prove too difficult. Only one way to find out…
“Ben, have you met my old inconvenience from Cambridge?” She gestured to the Scot, clean and well groomed for a change. “This is, um, Scruffy.”
“Scruffy? There must be an ironic twist to that surely?” Ben asked. Indeed, Erin assumed he’d cleaned up either to annoy her as she introduced him to all her friends as Scruffy, or to enhance his chances of meeting some eloquent Cambridge grads.
“She always had it in for me did that one. No matter what she says about me, just ignore it…The nickname does indeed have an ironic twist…As you can see.” He motioned with his hands in an elaborate gesture, indicating himself. “I’m just happy you’re taking her off my hands now.”
“I know you as Stewart, don’t I? We spoke on the phone.” Ben reached out to shake his hand but Erin pulled it away.
“Perhaps not the best of ideas.” Erin held her fiancé’s hand in a protective embrace. It was funny hearing Scruffy referred to as his proper name. She’d only discovered herself what it was a couple of years ago. “Scruffy has a bad wrist.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Ben gestured with a hand to the river. “Weren’t you just punting?”
“Like I said, whatever Erin says about me, you should just take with a pinch of salt. I never once asked her out on a date either.”
Ben’s head tilted up. “You must have some interesting s
tories. How exactly do you know each other?”
Erin spoke before Scruffy had the chance to open his mouth. “Our group were all part of the Cambridge Boat Club.” It was as detailed an answer as she wanted to give. She wasn’t lying to Ben per se, but she was being extremely measly with the details, which to many would have been just as bad. Erin didn’t want reminding of the bloody Boat Club. The last time she’d rowed was with Gianna, her trophies and medals were stashed away in the attic and even most of her photos were someplace she wasn’t totally sure of. Ben was faintly aware she had rowed during her freshman year and had been considered gifted at the sport, but she never spoke of the subject if she could help it.
“Ah yes, I always regretted never giving it a try.” Ben said to Scruffy. “Rowing is so quintessentially Cambridge. Cricket was more my thing, orienteering at a pinch. But with work and everything, I never got the chance to commit myself entirely to any one thing. It’s one of my biggest regrets.” He turned to Erin. “You really don’t speak much of your rowing days, babe.” Then back to Scruffy. “What boat did you row?”
“Well, technically, because it was a two man boat and we each rowed with two oars rather than one; it was considered sculling and not rowing.” Scruffy’s detailed answer was given with reserved enthusiasm, quiet with little animation. Like Erin, he had his reasons. And like Erin, she knew, he wouldn’t have the desire to elaborate upon those reasons – At least not at a party.
“Isn’t that what you rowed, babe?” Ben asked Erin. “Sorry, sculled.”
This time Scruffy interrupted Erin and spoke while looking at the river. “We were all part of the larger Boat Club. We rotated boats and crewmates.” That was a lie. Scruffy tightened his lips and Erin thought she detected the slightest hint of a tremor in his voice. This subject needed putting an end to, which was probably why he gave the answer how he did, as if he was bored of the subject. Scruffy gestured to his empty glass. “Time for another beer I think. Would anyone like anything?”