Chapter Fifteen #2
Sortland was every bit as charming as the cruise brochure described.
Lenny, their guide, met the passengers as they disembarked.
The temperature was several degrees below zero, and Joy was pleased that she’d invested in snow grips for her boots.
With ice crunching underneath a fresh layer of snow, her footing was firm, and she walked with confidence.
Lenny explained that the weather could change in minutes, and it wasn’t long before the mist lifted and through the darkness, they could see the blue-painted buildings looming in the shadows ahead.
Their route took them along the fjord before turning into the town.
Lamps burned brightly in the main street of Strandgata, which was bustling and lined with shops and boutiques, all offering a range of Norwegian products.
‘I rather like these,’ Henry said when they stopped in a store selling Christmas items. He held up a tiny pair of Sámi boots, known locally as gállohat footwear, made from reindeer hide and decorated with traditional, colourful stitching.
‘Audrey would appreciate these earrings,’ he continued. ‘She likes unusual objects.’
Joy nodded. The earrings would likely match Audrey’s Viking chieftain faux-fur cloak coat.
She picked up an oval-shaped bowl and stroked the smooth polished wood.
The bowl would make an ideal gift for Susan and fit in well with her minimalist, ultra-modern chic London townhouse kitchen, where acres of sleek cabinetry were created from what appeared to be the entirety of an forest. Moments later, she stood outside the shop with her purchase neatly wrapped.
The walking group now trudged uphill, and Lenny guided them to a charming church, built in traditional style and painted a soft white that blended into the landscape.
With snow falling in flurries, the heavy wooden doors creaked open to reveal a warm glow from suspended pendant lights and the sound of choral music echoing through the peaceful sanctuary.
‘This is lovely,’ Joy said as she sat beside Henry on a pew and stared at the stained-glass windows. Henry sat quietly beside her and nodded as he, too, looked around at the vaulted ceiling and the flickering flames from multiple beeswax candles.
Joy suddenly felt a sense of calm and she realised that it had been quietly building since Leticia had helped her through the panic attack and insisted that she dine at the captain’s table.
Like a spring slowly unwinding, Joy’s body was beginning to loosen, releasing a tension that had gripped her for far too long.
She felt Henry’s arm alongside, buried beneath the fabric of his coat and radiating warmth.
It gave her comfort here in the sanctity of this little church, far from the uncertainty of the world outside. Joy closed her eyes and thought of Tom.
Would he have enjoyed this holiday? She had an inkling that her husband might have preferred a warm, sunny cruise and would complain about the sunless winter skies, not appreciating the tranquillity and quiet beauty.
The tight knot of nerves that had been her constant companion was slowly unwinding, and she was even finding things to smile about.
She wondered if she was finally allowing herself to let go and leave the memories behind because the cruise was turning out to be enjoyable and far from the nightmare holiday she’d feared.
‘Are you all right?’ Henry whispered.
Joy opened her eyes to turn and stare at Henry. His deep blue eyes were focused on her with concern.
‘Yes, sorry, I was just having a moment,’ she replied.
‘That’s perfectly fine. We must all have our moments. Sometimes, it’s in those moments that we find the strength to keep going.’
‘Oh …’ Joy was lost for words. Had Henry read her mind, and was he aware of her inner turmoil? Like Leticia, did he have a sixth sense that reached beyond what he showed on the surface?
‘Shall we go and look at the Christmas trees?’ Henry asked, and he waited as Joy gathered her rucksack and wriggled out of the nave seating and into the aisle.
In one corner of the church, three spruce trees stood as a backdrop to a nativity scene.
Decorated with pretty lights and a bright star on the highest branch, they highlighted the figures below.
Standing beside Henry, Joy felt that she was having another ‘moment’ and had to resist the sudden urge to reach out and take his hand.
Whatever was the matter with her! She was shocked by her longing and told herself that she hardly knew the man. Yet the desire to touch Henry had been strong.
Leaving the church, they found the snow had stopped as they made their way back down the hill.
It lay in a thick, fluffy layer, and Henry reached down to scoop flakes into his hands.
Hurrying ahead, he turned and grinned, then hurled a snowball to skim Joy’s shoulder.
In reply, she leaned down to gather a handful of snow, shaping it quickly between her gloved fingers.
As she launched her snowball back at him, a sound she hadn’t heard in far too long bubbled up.
Joy was laughing. A genuine, carefree, happy laugh erupted as the delicate white spray hit Henry squarely on his nose, clinging to his skin like a feathery beard.
Spluttering, Henry gasped in mock outrage and soon, like children in a play fight, they were ducking and dodging as their snowballs landed.
‘Hei!’ Lenny called out. ‘There’s apple cake and coffee at the Scandic café!’
Joy and Henry paused. A guilty look passed between them as a group of children, huddled beneath a streetlight, stared with bemused smiles. Joy brushed the snow from her coat and then touched her cheeks, which were flushed with cold and laughter.
Henry straightened and cleared his throat. ‘Apologies,’ he said, ‘I don’t know what came over me, and I suppose we should behave like adults.’
‘Absolutely,’ Joy responded, fighting to regain her composure. ‘I don’t know what came over me too.’ But as they turned to continue down the hill, Joy knew that whatever had come over her was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. It was the feeling of being truly alive and, of having fun.
Perhaps, just perhaps, she was beginning to live again.