Chapter Five
Monday, 29 th May
E mily limped down the steps from the hotel front door and lowered herself into the wheelchair, which Stacy had parked on the drive. It was comfier than you’d think, but she didn’t half feel self-conscious sitting here. A couple with a little boy of about four passed by on their way inside, the boy talking loudly and turning round to stare at her as he passed. His mother hissed something at him in German, and Emily flinched. Judging by the expression on the boy’s face, it was as well she didn’t understand what he’d said. Kids that age were brutally honest, and this one was looking at her as if she’d popped up as part of his ride on the ghost train.
‘Ready? Here’s Alan now.’ Stacy stepped to the side to let Alan push the chair.
Emily gave him her best polite smile. His eyes were shining like twinkly lights on a Christmas tree and she was not going to spend her holiday with a love-sick barman panting after her all the time, even if he was nice. He’d offered to accompany them on their trip to the summit of the S?ntis today, to push the wheelchair and load it in and out of cable cars, etcetera, and Stacy, of course, had accepted before Emily could open her mouth. So here they were, heading for the station à trois. She gave herself a shake as he pushed her up the little hill. Hm… that would have been hard work for Stace. Maybe this was better than insisting on doing everything without help.
She changed her mind about that when they were sitting on the train and she had to face Alan on the seat opposite. He was enjoying this way too much; look how his eyes were beaming warmly across at her. Emily gave him another vague smile and turned to stare out of the window. She would be friendly, but that was all. The second he tried to be anything other than a holiday acquaintance, she would stamp it out before he got started. Harsh, yes, but best in the long run. Another potential Sam in her life was not what she needed.
At St Gallen, the nearest large town to Grimsbach, they caught another train and then a yellow post bus, and the journey continued upwards. By half past ten, both she and Stacy were gripping the seat in front as the bus rolled on. Golly, this was a real mountain pass they were going up now, hairpin bends and everything, the road snaking up through green scrubland dotted with rocks. Houses were few and far between, but no wonder. Imagine what this must look like in winter, with everything snow-covered and icy cold.
Stacy leaned forward in her aisle seat. ‘Have you been up the S?ntis before, Alan?’
He turned round from the seat in front, shaking his head. ‘No. But don’t worry – it’s wheelchair friendly all the way – I checked online.’
Emily bristled. ‘I’m not glued to the chair, you know. I can walk whenever I need to.’ She peered out as the bus pulled over at the side of the road. They’d arrived at the cable car base station, and wow, there it was, gliding up to the summit, and… ‘Look, guys – is that snow up there?’
It was, too. The bus driver switched off the engine, and everyone got out. The air was noticeably cooler here. Emily took Stacy’s arm as they joined the queue to go up to the summit. She hadn’t brought her stick today. Alan pushed the folded wheelchair into the cable car when it came, and Emily stood at the rail where she could hold on. She gazed out as the cable car surged upwards. Far, far below was the lake, spreading out and disappearing into the distance. In the other direction you could see half of Switzerland – mountains all the way to the Matterhorn, according to the cable car operator. Did everyone speak perfect English here? Emily could hardly breathe; it was so amazing. She’d never seen air as clear as this. It was simply spectacular.
They reached the top in only a few minutes, and she gripped the rail as the cable car lurched to a halt. Stacy took her arm again as they stepped off onto the concrete platform while Alan brought the chair.
‘If you’re up for a walk, I think it might be best to leave this in the restaurant,’ he said, staring at the pathway up to the summit. ‘It’s a bit on the cold side to sit in this while we push you around.’
Emily tried to sound nonchalant. ‘Not a problem. I’m not decrepit yet.’ But oh, how would she manage on that snowy, slippery path?
‘I can’t believe how far you can see!’ Stacy’s cheeks were pink and her eyes were shining.
They went to stand at the railing round the edge of the platform while Alan went off with the chair, and Emily zipped her jacket right up. It was windy here; her hair was blowing in all directions, but wow, that scenery.
‘It’s perfect, isn’t it?’ Stacy’s eyes were shining.
‘And freezing!’ Alan came back, rubbing his hands together. ‘Sorry – if I’d known we’d be walking over snow up here I wouldn’t have suggested it!’
‘Stop being such a fussy old woman!’ Emily stuck out her tongue at him to show she wasn’t really being horrible. ‘I’m the one who decides what I can and can’t do!’
Stacy laughed. ‘This amount of fresh air will do us all good, including Em’s knee,’ she said. ‘Shall we head up the path to the highest point? We can go back any time you don’t feel safe, Emmy.’
Now Stacy was at it, too, but to be honest, Emily was glad to have Stacy’s hand under one elbow and Alan’s under the other as they inched along the pathway covered in patches of hard-packed snow and ice up to the platform on the peak. Mind you, she wouldn’t have felt much safer in the chair, though the path did have a railing on the mountain side.
The wind on the top platform was even more biting, and Emily felt almost like crying, the view was so incredible. Peak after snowy peak on one side; on the other, the lake was a far-off patch of shimmering blue. This was why they’d come here. She might be frozen solid by the time they went down again, but this was something she’d remember always, and after all the bad stuff of the few months, all this beauty was… healing, yes, that was it.
‘I must make a video for David!’ Stacy rummaged for her phone and moved a few steps away.
‘Is David the boyfriend, then?’ Alan was still keeping a tight hold of her arm, but given that they were standing on sheer ice, Emily wasn’t objecting.
‘Yes. He’s just finished med school. They’ll be getting married soon.’
Brown eyes were staring down at her again. ‘And you? ’
Well, he’d asked for it. ‘Single, and no intention of changing that any time soon.’ She turned back to the view.
He gave her elbow a tiny shake. ‘I guess that’s me told, then. I don’t promise not to try and change your mind, though.’
Oh dear. She’d been mean, hadn’t she? Emily shook her head. ‘I need to feel better before I think about a relationship.’
‘We’ll try to get you feeling better, then. Meantime, we’re mates, huh?’
He gave her a cheeky grin, and Emily smiled back before she realised. He was nice. Maybe mates was a good idea…
***
Stacy finished making her video and tried to watch it, but the sunlight glistening on snow up here made it way too bright to see anything. She slid her way back to the other two. At least they’d been chatting, though goodness knows what about. Emily hadn’t exactly been bubbling over on the way here.
‘Coffee?’ suggested Alan, one hand deep in his jacket pocket, the other holding Emily’s elbow. ‘You’ll still get the view from inside, plus you get their heating. And yes, you can call me a wimp.’
To Stacy’s surprise, Emily smiled. ‘Hot chocolate!’
‘With whipped cream on top!’ Alan gripped Emily’s arm more firmly as they shuffled to the edge of the platform.
Stacy took Emily’s other elbow for the walk back. This was better. You couldn’t say the other two were making eyes at each other, but Emmy had sounded halfway like herself there. Good for Alan, and good for Emily too. Stacy glanced at her friend. Emily’s face was awe-struck as she gazed around, and she felt just the same. Who’d have thought she’d ever be standing in the middle of all this scenery?
Inside, they sat at a window table and drank hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles while Alan told them about his trip to the Falls of Rhine the previous week.
‘That sounds amazing too,’ said Emily wistfully.
Stacy glanced at her. ‘Would we manage it, Alan?’
He looked doubtful. ‘I only had time to visit one side of the river, and there was a long, steep path down through woods,’ he said, frowning. ‘The other side looked flatter, though. You should ask at the hotel. I’m not off again until Friday, unfortunately.’
Stacy’s phone buzzed, and she leaned back to check it, but it was an email from the bank. She checked her video, then sent it on to David. He hadn’t replied to the text she’d sent last night, actually – was he getting her messages? Monday lunchtime – this might be a good time to give him a quick call.
She left the other two pointing out places along the lake below and took her phone to the cable car waiting area. The car had just arrived, and a throng of new visitors was sliding up to the summit. Stacy hung around until she had the place to herself, then connected to David’s number.
‘Stace? Is everything okay?’ His voice in her ear sounded nearby and intimate, and Stacy’s heart gave a thump.
‘’Course it is. We’re having a fabulous time. How’s things with you?’
‘The same. Busy.’
‘We came up a mountain today – the S?ntis. It’s on the video I sent you a few minutes ago. You should see the view, David, it’s–’
‘Stace, I’m supposed to be observing in a clinic right now, and the sooner I’m finished the sooner I’ll be able to get on with the studying I have to do today. I thought something was wrong when you called. You have a great holiday, sweetheart, and you can show me all your pics when you’re home again. I’ll get back to you at a better time, okay?’
The connection broke and Stacy gaped at her phone. Well… what was she supposed to make of that? She didn’t usually phone him while he was working, of course, but – had he been a touch patronising? You can show me all your pics when you’re home again . She wasn’t six. On the other hand, if he was in the middle of a busy clinic, she could understand him not having time to listen to her rhapsodizing about the scenery.
Alan and Emily were inspecting the menu when Stacy arrived back at the table. She pulled out her chair. ‘Are we having lunch here?’
Emily closed the menu. ‘Let’s go down. These prices are eye-watering. We could sit outside on the terrace at the base station restaurant, and we definitely couldn’t do that here. Did you get David?’
Stacy made herself sound upbeat. ‘Yes – in a clinic. He’ll call back when he’s less busy.’
They found a table with a sunshade at the base station restaurant, and ordered goulash soup with crusty bread. It was special, sitting here outside, gazing up at the S?ntis, the cable car coming and going above their heads. Stacy blinked. It would be lovely to come back here with David; it was much too long since they’d been away anywhere together.
‘Do we go home the same way?’ she asked, while they were counting out their Swiss francs to pay the waiter.
Alan put his wallet back in his jacket pocket. ‘We’ll get off the post bus at Urn?sch and catch the train along to Appenzell. It’s a little village, and Karen at the hotel said it’s worth a visit. Then another train back to St Gallen and the post bus down to the lake again. Might as well get our money’s worth from those regional travel tickets!’
Stacy smiled to herself as they carried out the programme. Judging by his happy face, Alan was having a great time, and she had a good idea why… and this trip was ideal for Emily. Lots of sitting interspersed with short walks in cute little villages, and plenty of mountain scenery to look out at. If they managed as well as this every day, she would take Emily back home much happier, and stronger, too, which was the whole point about coming here. She glanced at the other two, side by side, shoulders almost touching as the train trundled through rolling green countryside. You couldn’t call it a holiday romance yet, but things were definitely thawing between those two.
Maybe David would phone tonight.