Chapter 5
SARAH
She was here in Switzerland at last. There was snow on the ground, a light flurry in the air.
The plane had landed with no problems, and she’d even got a view of the snow-capped trio of mountains – the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau – as the plane descended over the Swiss countryside and she got closer to her grandparents.
On board the transfer bus, she settled into her window seat that would let her take in the different scenery for the next hour or so.
There were quite a few stops to go before they would reach Winterbruck, but she didn’t mind – it meant she got to see more of this beautiful country, the spectacular landscape, the quintessential Swiss towns and buildings.
When another passenger got on the bus carrying a set of skis it reminded her of her trip here with Keira a couple of winters ago.
They’d tried skiing for the first time and soon decided their skills were better used eating fondue or enjoying her nanna’s cinnamon buns she made all through winter.
The temperature today was hovering above zero, and she felt it every time the bus door swung open to drop off another passenger at their accommodation.
Low cloud lingered in some places interrupting the view at times, but it didn’t detract from the country’s beauty.
Her last visit had been over the summer months, and rather than these same places being dusted in white as they were now, they’d been vibrant and green, there had been the tinkling of Swiss cow bells, and the sun had shone powerfully, warming the land, the people.
She’d gone hiking, swimming in the lake, and huddling up by the fire had been replaced with windows flung open and letting the fresh air inside.
The scenery was still amazing in the summer but there was nothing quite like December with the promise of Christmas in the air.
It made her forget her troubles, if only for a moment.
The Aare, Switzerland’s longest river which flowed through Bern, Interlaken and other towns, came into view, reflecting the winter chill.
Surrounded by valleys and the Alps, Gerzensee appeared, as pointed out by the driver who told the passengers in German, then French, then English.
She’d visited lakes with her dad before, but she had no idea whether they’d come to this one and sat beside each other as they tried to count the stars before her dad carried her back to the car on his shoulders.
She breathed out a ‘wow’ when they drove past Thunersee Lake, or Thun as it was otherwise called.
It was enormous even against the big snow-capped peaks of the mountains.
Through the patchy low-lying cloud, she was sure she spotted the turret of a castle, which looked so dramatic with the colder weather.
What must it be like to live right here in one of the traditional wooden chalets with the balconies overlooking the lake and alpine backdrop?
She could imagine having a hot chocolate and gazing at the view for hours.
Some chalets had been modernised, but in Winterbruck, where Grumps and Nanna lived, they’d stuck with tradition and it looked like time had stood still in many ways. She kind of loved that.
The bus dropped a few more passengers off in Interlaken, which the driver told them in literal terms meant ‘between the lakes’, and was the town nestled between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun.
Sarah watched two young girls throwing snowballs at each other and a man beckoned them inside the nearby café.
Another kid ran past pulling a sledge. There was a feeling of fun in the air already, a sense of escape.
And she wasn’t that far from Winterbruck now, which meant it wouldn’t be long before she could hug her grandparents.
She spotted a bride and groom and what looked like others in a wedding party rushing to somewhere – probably out of the cold.
The bride looked gorgeous. Her hair was piled up elegantly and had little crystals buried in the blonde that caught the light.
She wore a white stole around her shoulders, and her groom hadn’t let go of her hand the entire time they were outside before they disappeared into a big building.
She thought about her mum’s wedding folder.
Her mum was trying to help even though she didn’t approve, and Sarah was grateful for that except it didn’t ease her stress at all.
It was a mother’s job to make sure their kids were happy and her mum had done a brilliant job of that over the years, even though her worrying was next level a lot of the time.
But this was Sarah’s decision. Getting married wasn’t something she wanted her mum to keep weighing in on.
She’d voiced her concerns – Sarah had enough of her own – and coming here had felt like the only way she would be able to get the space she needed to truly learn what she wanted and whether she was making the biggest mistake of her life.
This wasn’t for her mum to make right; it was for Sarah to sort out and for Rhys.
Her mum couldn’t fix this, like she’d fixed the soggy pastry for the beef pie Sarah once made when she was eleven and wanted to cook for her dad the first night he’d come home after being away for months.
She couldn’t leap in and save the day the way she had once when Keira had stomach flu and couldn’t make their spa weekend.
Chrissie had paid Keira’s share so she didn’t lose out financially, and she’d gone with Sarah so she didn’t miss out on something she’d been looking forward to for ages.
Everything with her mum tended to be a big deal because Chrissie was a worrier, and sometimes Sarah wanted to tell her that it was okay for her to find something for herself, that it was her time now, given Sarah was an adult, but how to say that without sounding ungrateful was something Sarah had never been able to manage.
And now here she was in Switzerland. She’d run off, which could possibly make things worse, but between that big wedding folder with its dividers and tabs, and talk of an ever-expanding guest list, she needed an escape.
The roads weaved as the bus carried on its way, the backdrop changing continuously as the gradient went up and then down.
Trees stood at a height she couldn’t possibly guess; they were like giant Christmas trees dusted with snow.
They passed a couple of big hotels, smaller inns, then the road quietened again for a while as if they were in the middle of nowhere once more until finally the sign welcoming them to Winterbruck was ahead.
Three passengers disembarked in the town, and then it was just her and one other passenger as they passed by restaurants, convenience stores, a couple of ski shops, and the imposing Alps so close it felt like she could almost reach out and touch them.
Of course that was ridiculous, but their sheer enormity and beauty made it feel possible.
She wasn’t sure of the exact details, but she thought there was a rail link, or a gondola, from one of the towns near Winterbruck to transfer to Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe.
She bet it was stunning up there. Her mum had always said it was.
At last, the bus pulled up outside her grandparents’ chalet. They must have been waiting because the front door with a beautiful wreath fixed to the front, opened the minute she wheeled her luggage onto the path.
‘Watch your step!’ Astrid clapped her hands together with glee as Sarah approached. Grumps had his coat on to come and meet her, but she was at the doorstep before he had a chance to get much closer.
She left her suitcase on the snowy path, favouring a hello with her grandparents rather than dry luggage, and as she was hugging her nanna, Grumps had gone round her to fetch her things.
‘Close the door,’ he commanded the second they were all inside.
‘And now let me look at you, Sarah.’ He was beaming; so was she and so was Nanna.
‘What a delight to have you here with us.’ He gave her another big hug which made her feel safe.
Rather than thinking this might be a terrible idea that could possibly make things worse, she wondered whether this might just be the best thing she could’ve done.
‘Thank you for letting me visit.’ It felt so good to be here at last.
‘Oh, enough of that.’ Nanna motioned for Sarah to take her coat off. ‘You are welcome here whenever you like. We’re over the moon to see you so unexpectedly.’
Feeling a little uneasy at the reference to the last-minute visit, she smiled at the sight of her artwork still in its frame on the wall near the telephone table.
Her version of the Hungry Caterpillar fashioned with sponges dabbed in paint, and her fingers doing the rest, had been there for more than sixteen years.
From the small entrance hall they went into the lounge, a room with wooden beams on the ceiling, a raised fireplace and the same two beige wing-backed chairs and taupe sofa that had always been there. Grumps insisted she sat the closest to the fire.
‘You always say that,’ she told him.
‘Well, you always liked it.’
‘I’ll get you something to eat and some tea.’ Nanna, always the host – she even had her apron on – scurried off towards the kitchen.
Her hands weren’t cold at all, but Sarah still held them nearer to the flames and rubbed them together. She could remember doing that as a little girl, her dad warning her not to get too close and her Grumps pulling her back more than a few times.
‘So, tell me,’ said Grumps. ‘How was the journey?’
‘It’s amazing to see Switzerland covered in snow.’
‘From high up in the clouds or when you were on the bus?’
She took a band off her wrist and tied up her hair, then went and sat on the arm of his chair, the way she’d done as a kid. ‘Both.’
‘I can appreciate that.’
‘Beautiful in all seasons.’ She recapped how excited she’d been on the plane, then the journey from Bern airport, until Nanna came in carrying a tray.