spot-on. The beach, private to the hotel, was perfect, sloping gradually into the water. And the hotel itself had been out of this world. It should have been a wonderful holiday. Even the weather was almost guaranteed.
And for the first nine days their holiday
had
been wonderful. They had long lie-ins and leisurely breakfasts. Afterwards, Jennifer generally went off to do whatever was on the keep-fit schedule that morning, while Phillip and Hailey spent their time by the pool. How he’d loved those mornings alone with his daughter. They would meet Jennifer for a lunchtime sandwich in the gardens, and then in the afternoons they had done something different almost every day.
They’d visited Side, with its quaint shopping alleys. They’d gone on a boat trip to see basking turtles, which Hailey had loved. They’d driven to Antalya once, to see the market. And several times they had spent the afternoon on the beach, because that was what Hailey liked best.
There was a children’s playground where the hotel garden met the beach. Hailey had always gone there first, while he and Jennifer swam in the sea. Then he would fetch Hailey back and the two of them would go for a ride on the banana-boat. It had been such a joy, watching his little girl having fun, laughing with her, building sandcastles, looking for shells. Phillip had truly felt that this was the best time of his life.
Then came the tenth day.
‘Phillip, darling, do you have any tissues?’
Consumed with memories and grief, Phillip tossed his half-eaten cornet into a nearby bin and pulled out a wipe for Gran’s chin.
‘Here you are. Enjoy that?’
She took the wipe and applied it to her mouth, and he noticed that her fingers were shaking. She was tired, it was time to go back to the ward and let her rest. He pushed the chair back towards the oncology unit, taking deep breaths, forcing the memories to the back of his mind. This was Gran’s time now, not his, not Jennifer’s and not Hailey’s. He should remember that.
‘Thank you, Phillip darling. It was wonderful to be outside and hear the ocean and smell the wind,’ she said as they approached the building.
‘We’ll do it again very soon,’ said Phillip, unwaveringly cheerful, pushing her inside and realising just how very antiseptic the smell here was.
She was silent in the lift and Phillip couldn’t think of anything to say either. Perhaps she was worried about the scan. They would have the result very soon. But she was in less pain now so surely the tumours must have shrunk.
He was abruptly less sure about this when he wheeled Gran out of the lift and into the ward. Dr Powell was standing at the nurses’ station, clutching one of these portable screens they showed scans on. His eyes met Phillip’s, and the expression on his face was grim.
Chapter Eleven
Maggie sat on her rock at the top of the cliff path. Out here, with the wind whistling past her ears it felt as if she was sitting on the edge of the world. If she concentrated hard enough she could imagine that there was no world at her back, just the never-ending ocean before her and the heavens above - and somewhere out there in the enormity of it all was Olivia. The rock had turned into the only place where she still felt connected to her daughter, and so here she would sit, from morning until night when the weather was fine, and sometimes even when it wasn’t. Livvy was gone, summer was dying, and the smell on the wind was autumn.
Today there was greyness everywhere. The sea was grey and swollen, and thick grey clouds were sweeping across a grey sky. Foamy grey waves rushed up the sands then back again. The tide was going out, and Maggie could see the rocky ring and the sand where Olivia’s last castle had stood so briefly. In the distance the beach huts were providing the only splash of colour: blue, green and yellow against the grey sky.
The rock was cold, but Maggie knew she would stay here until she barely had the strength to
And for the first nine days their holiday
had
been wonderful. They had long lie-ins and leisurely breakfasts. Afterwards, Jennifer generally went off to do whatever was on the keep-fit schedule that morning, while Phillip and Hailey spent their time by the pool. How he’d loved those mornings alone with his daughter. They would meet Jennifer for a lunchtime sandwich in the gardens, and then in the afternoons they had done something different almost every day.
They’d visited Side, with its quaint shopping alleys. They’d gone on a boat trip to see basking turtles, which Hailey had loved. They’d driven to Antalya once, to see the market. And several times they had spent the afternoon on the beach, because that was what Hailey liked best.
There was a children’s playground where the hotel garden met the beach. Hailey had always gone there first, while he and Jennifer swam in the sea. Then he would fetch Hailey back and the two of them would go for a ride on the banana-boat. It had been such a joy, watching his little girl having fun, laughing with her, building sandcastles, looking for shells. Phillip had truly felt that this was the best time of his life.
Then came the tenth day.
‘Phillip, darling, do you have any tissues?’
Consumed with memories and grief, Phillip tossed his half-eaten cornet into a nearby bin and pulled out a wipe for Gran’s chin.
‘Here you are. Enjoy that?’
She took the wipe and applied it to her mouth, and he noticed that her fingers were shaking. She was tired, it was time to go back to the ward and let her rest. He pushed the chair back towards the oncology unit, taking deep breaths, forcing the memories to the back of his mind. This was Gran’s time now, not his, not Jennifer’s and not Hailey’s. He should remember that.
‘Thank you, Phillip darling. It was wonderful to be outside and hear the ocean and smell the wind,’ she said as they approached the building.
‘We’ll do it again very soon,’ said Phillip, unwaveringly cheerful, pushing her inside and realising just how very antiseptic the smell here was.
She was silent in the lift and Phillip couldn’t think of anything to say either. Perhaps she was worried about the scan. They would have the result very soon. But she was in less pain now so surely the tumours must have shrunk.
He was abruptly less sure about this when he wheeled Gran out of the lift and into the ward. Dr Powell was standing at the nurses’ station, clutching one of these portable screens they showed scans on. His eyes met Phillip’s, and the expression on his face was grim.
Chapter Eleven
Maggie sat on her rock at the top of the cliff path. Out here, with the wind whistling past her ears it felt as if she was sitting on the edge of the world. If she concentrated hard enough she could imagine that there was no world at her back, just the never-ending ocean before her and the heavens above - and somewhere out there in the enormity of it all was Olivia. The rock had turned into the only place where she still felt connected to her daughter, and so here she would sit, from morning until night when the weather was fine, and sometimes even when it wasn’t. Livvy was gone, summer was dying, and the smell on the wind was autumn.
Today there was greyness everywhere. The sea was grey and swollen, and thick grey clouds were sweeping across a grey sky. Foamy grey waves rushed up the sands then back again. The tide was going out, and Maggie could see the rocky ring and the sand where Olivia’s last castle had stood so briefly. In the distance the beach huts were providing the only splash of colour: blue, green and yellow against the grey sky.
The rock was cold, but Maggie knew she would stay here until she barely had the strength to
Similar Books
