Chapter 12
A couple of uneventful weeks passed in which Angelia had frequent Zoom calls with Mr Novak, the consultant, and she was introduced, on one such call, to Lydia, a nurse from Inverness who specialised in working with myasthenia patients, with the instruction that if she had any problems Lydia would be a good point of contact.
Fiona had been in regular contact by video call and Ed by WhatsApp.
Heath, Bear, Dom, Den and Anouk had taken it in turns to contact her individually, so as not to overwhelm her or pressure her into feeling she had to return to them.
And, of course, there had been the usual messages with silly memes in the band’s group chat.
Josh, however, had been strangely silent.
Angelia and Meghan had spent time at the shop cleaning and preparing for meeting the interior designer Ruby had mentioned and the place was looking a little more shipshape.
The village residents had been so friendly and welcoming.
While people had known who she was, no one had made her feel like an outsider.
She had been treated like any visitor, welcomed and with warmth.
A daily visit to Caitlin’s bakery became part of their routine, although Meghan commented frequently that she should definitely stop eating cake or she might not fit through the door of her Mini any more. Suffice it to say the visits to the bakery continued.
‘Ooh, no, eat the cake I say,’ Caitlin had said. ‘Life’s too short to worry about what size you are.’
Meghan had laughed. ‘You would say that, you’re the one selling the dangerously addictive little demons.’
They had a lunchtime visit to the Lifeboat House Museum where they met Jules and learned about the old lifeboat and the lives saved by the crew. Jules seemed sweet and very friendly.
‘You’ll have to join us for our book club if you decide to stay on the island,’ Jules had said. ‘Although I have to admit it’s usually about drinking wine and gossiping rather than the book we’ve read,’ she’d added with a giggle.
‘That sounds good to me!’ Angelia had replied, feeling a strange sense of belonging thanks to local women she had encountered.
Now that the medication was taking more of an effect, Angelia was champing at the bit to get out in the fresh air, so on a sunny Tuesday, after May had arrived in an array of vivid colours, the hedgerows around the bothy were vital with new life and there were a few extra hours of sunshine, Angelia directed Meghan on a drive around some of her favourite Skye beauty spots.
Whilst she drove, Meghan gushed about how stunning the island was as Scrappy sat happily in his car seat in the back of the Mini, with his front paws on the base of the window.
It was as far as his seatbelt would allow but he was clearly enjoying the view of the birds he could see.
Every so often he gave a little growl and a single bark.
Following Angelia’s instructions, Meghan pulled her Mini into the car park at the base of the Old Man of Storr and they climbed out. Scrappy’s tail began wagging frantically and he sniffed the ground in one place, and then another, and another; his senses overwhelmed.
‘It’s funny but when I was a kid I didn’t appreciate the beauty of Wales.
I grew up in Cardiff so I’m a city girl at heart, and I used to think views were a bit shit.
My mum used to take me places on the train and go, “Look at the view out there,” pointing out the window and I’d be like, “Yeah, whatever,” and go back to reading my book.
But I tell you what, this place is spectacular,’ Meghan said.
‘I mean, these views are anything but shit.’ She laughed.
With Scrappy leading the way, Meghan and Angelia set out, the latter determined to at least try to walk the gravel path that led to the summit, but her legs weakened rapidly and with tears in her eyes she had to sit and rest. She took a book and a bottle of water out of her rucksack and insisted that Meghan make the journey without her while she waited with Scrappy, sitting on the flat rock she had found.
She sat, face tilted towards the sky, enjoying the warm heat of the spring sunshine as Scrappy greeted every person that passed them by.
After only half an hour, her assistant returned, rosy-cheeked and smiling. ‘I didn’t go all the way to the top because I hated the thought of you sitting here by yourself.’
‘I’m not by myself. I’ve got Scrappy, haven’t I, buddy?’ Angelia said, scratching the little dog behind his ears.
‘Aww, did you look after Angel wike a good wittle boy?’ Meghan asked him in a babyish voice that he clearly appreciated.
He tilted his head as if fully understanding every word.
‘I tell you what, the views from up there are stunning. It’s made me want to go back home and visit the Brecon Beacons so I can look at the place through fresh eyes. ’
They ate a picnic in the shadow of the Old Man of Storr with a bright blue sky overhead and once again Angelia marvelled at the place she called home and tried not to dwell on the fact she couldn’t make the climb she had once loved.
She explained to Meghan that from the top there was a panoramic view that took in the Sound of Raasay right across to the island itself and then a little further north to Rona.
And that on a clear day, you could see right across to the Scottish mainland.
From their viewpoint, only part of the way up, the sea appeared almost glasslike, calm and reflecting the rays of the sun that danced on the surface as if they had a life of their own.
‘It’s even more beautiful in the summer,’ Angelia said. ‘But having said that, you should see it when the place is covered in a blanket of snow. It’s like something from a painting.’
‘I’ll have to come back with you in the winter,’ Meghan said with a sigh. They sat in silence for a while and just admired the view until Meghan said, ‘If it’s okay with you, I think I might spend some time video calling with Ezra this evening.’
Angelia nodded. ‘Absolutely. You being here with me isn’t really conducive to a fledgling relationship, is it? I really don’t mind if you want to go back to London, you know. I’ve bumped into fans a few times in Glentorrin now and it’s been fine. I haven’t felt threatened or unsafe.’
Meghan nudged her with her shoulder. ‘You trying to get rid of me?’
Angelia gave a small laugh. ‘Not at all. You’re my friend as well as my assistant and it’s always fun being with you, I just think you could be doing something a bit less boring with your time than babysitting an adult.’
Meghan continued to gaze at the land spread out before them.
‘I think Den was worried about you being hounded by crazed fans. Or maybe it’s that he doesn’t want you to get used to being back at home too much, and if I’m here you have a constant reminder of where you belong.
But I don’t really think you need me here, do you? ’
Angelia shook her head slowly, worried about offending her.
‘Need? No, probably not. I think what I do need is time to adjust to things and to think about what I can do going forward. I used to walk this path so easily when I was younger and it breaks my heart knowing how much I struggled today, but I just need to work out what my limits are, that’s all.
And I will figure things out. I’ve been reading up on the MGUK website about people with this condition, and what they’ve achieved in spite of it, and it’s given me renewed hope.
It’s not all negative, doom and gloom like it felt at the beginning and that’s progress.
I’m feeling so much more positive in general.
Today was probably a bit ambitious but we’ve had fun and some amazing fresh Skye air. ’
‘And the views from here are incredible,’ Meghan added. ‘Come on, let’s get back to the car and you can take me to see your mum’s bookshop, eh?’
* * *
That evening, after dinner, Meghan disappeared to her room to call Ezra and Angelia decided she would like to go back to Glentorrin to visit the shop again.
She hadn’t made a habit of venturing out on her own since she had met the group of college kids the other day, but she saw no reason why she shouldn’t.
Her mum and dad were not so sure. They were concerned about something happening with her condition while she was alone, even though she had explained, in detail, that it was unlikely.
She couldn’t be upset with them, however, they simply cared about their daughter.
‘I’ll come with you,’ her dad, said reaching for his car keys. ‘We can have a chat about things on the way.’
Angelia held up her hand. ‘No, Dad. It’s okay.
You stay here. I think I’d like to just go by myself.
Scrappy can come too and I’ll take my phone and call you if I need you, but Ruby’s in the village if I do need anything.
I just want to go and have a really good look around and see what plans I can come up with. ’
Her dad glanced at her mum and then back to Angelia. ‘But?—’
‘I’ll be fine, Dad. You don’t need to worry.’
Her mum nudged him. ‘See, stubborn just like her father.’
Angelia put on her baseball cap and tucked her hair up into it, pulled on her jacket and within minutes, Scrappy was clipped into his car seat.
Just under an hour later she parked her car by the village hall, which was all in darkness this evening.
The sky overhead was now a little overcast, and the temperature had dropped but it was by no means cold.
She lifted Scrappy out of the car, and as they began to walk across to the shop, she spotted two men standing by the inlet.
As she got level with them, she noticed they both had cameras and presumed they had been photographing the wildlife or the pretty location.
But one turned and spotted her and hit the other on the arm and in her periphery, she saw him nod towards her.
They began to follow her, which caused Scrappy’s ears to prick up.
He kept looking behind himself and giving low growls.
‘Hey! Hey, love, are you going to pose for us?’ one of them asked in a Glaswegian accent. Angelia didn’t reply. The other began to type on his phone and within only a few moments two more men came out of the pub and made their way across to the others.
‘Are you going to stop for a chat, Angel?’
Angelia stopped and turned to face the men. ‘I’m sorry, who?’
‘You’re that Angel lassie, the singer from the band. We saw yous on the Instagram here with some kids a few weeks ago and we’ve been coming over ever since to try and catch you. We’ve come over special from Glasgow to see if we can get some good shots. Don’t leave us disappointed, eh?’
Angelia scrunched her nose. ‘Nah, I think you’re mixing me up with someone. I’m a shop owner, not a singer, pal.’
‘I told you it wasnae her,’ one of the newcomers said with a huff. ‘We’ve wasted weeks coming back and forth here on a bloody wild moose chase. You should never just believe what you see on Instagram, Davey. AI is everywhere now. You’re too gullible.’
‘I think you mean wild goose chase,’ the fourth one said.
‘Goose, moose, what’s the difference? Neither of them is here, you numpty. And neither is the Angel lassie.’
‘Aye, she is. It is her,’ the first man, presumably called Davey, said. ‘She’s the same height and every’hin’.’
Angelia turned, tugged on Scrappy’s lead and began to walk briskly away. She safely made it a few hundred yards, and the group continued to argue amongst themselves with raised voices. ‘I told you she was going to be here. Apparently, her mum and dad stay up by Portree. It’s definitely her.’
They hadn’t even noticed that she had walked away which amused her no end. It was like listening to something out of a Monty Python sketch and Angelia was tempted to stay and watch it all play out.
‘I think it’s her too. Come on, let’s get some shots and then we can get back to the pub.
We can make a decent amount on shots of her fae the tabloids, I’m telling yous,’ Angelia heard the first one say just as she ducked out of sight behind a leafy spruce tree in the churchyard.
She glanced down at Scrappy and whispered, ‘Shhh.’ The dog gave a wag of his tail and turned to make sure they hadn’t followed.
‘Don’t forget I’m bloody driving, Boaby, and I’m no driving yous all home pissed oot yer heids, I can tell yous that for nohin’.’
As their contradictory conversation ensued, Angelia paused behind the tree as she watched them look around, confused. She finally managed to lose the group of so-called paparazzi by sneaking in through the unlocked door of the church.