Wednesday was a day for making sure everything was ready, including us. When I went to the shops I only got as much fresh food and fruits as we would need to eat for the day. The boys wouldn't let me get away from making a full breakfast on the day we were to leave, so I got a little extra to cover that. After breakfast I asked the boys to make sure they had everything they would need for the trip and if it was where they could get to it. I always kept a change of clothes in my bag for any accidents. I had also made sure that we hadn't gone over our quota for weight in our luggage. We thoroughly cleaned the house and as we were going to be away for so long we covered the furniture. We left the living room till last because of use. Where it was possible, we ate on the tables outside the cottage. Lunch was a free-for-all when it came to picking what to eat, sausage, mash and a full quota of vegetables went down nicely. Cups of tea all round to wash down a good English meal.
I gave Grace a ring to see if she was ready for the following day and to see if she would join us for dinner. When she said, yes, I told her I would pick her up about six. I got plenty of whistles when they found out Grace was coming for dinner. "Be nice, boys, Grace will be around for a few months, so remember you're still not too big to avoid a clip round the ear." I laughed at their reaction.
At 5:30 I was ready to pick up Grace. "Guys, will you set the table while I'm out? You know to use the one at the front, right? Be gentlemen tonight, guys, okay?" That earned me a snigger.
As I pulled up behind Grace's car, she came from the side of her house with a smile. "Well, hello there, you're early. No kids?"
"They're at home being useful," I said.
The table was set nicely when Grace and I got to the house. "Nice one, guys." Dinner talk was a mixture of what Grace needed to pack and the guys having a pop at me. About 9:00 I took Grace home with the promise that I would pick her up in plenty of time to get to the airport.
"Okay, guys, you sure you've got everything you'll need?"
"Yes, Dad, even our toothbrushes." "No worries, Dad, we've got it sorted." So it seemed that everything was in order for our excursion. Seemed being the appropriate word, only time would tell.
We were up bright and early and breakfast was our first bit of work for the day. . . well mine. "Boys, can you get everything downstairs so it can be packed in the car?" They had just put everything behind the front door when the phone rang. "Hello. . . Morning, Grace. . . What?. . . When? . . . Oh, I'm really sorry, is there anything I can do?. . . Okay, but the boys will be disappointed, me too of course. . . Okay, I will then. Please ring if there's anything we can do. Bye."
"What, Dad? Is everything okay?"
"That was Grace, she got a call from her mother early this morning, her father is in the hospital from a stroke. So it looks like only the three of us."
Brian walked over and gave me a hug. "Sorry Dad. We know how much you wanted her to come along."
"Well, I've still got my sons. Okay, guys, you've got about an hour before we have to go. What do you want to do?"
"Lake," came the dual reply. So we took a walk down to the lake and talked mainly about Grace.
"Okay, guys, time to go." We went back to the cottage and packed our suitcases in the boot, leaving our hand luggage in the car. Then off we went. We got to the airport at 11:00, leaving us an hour to kill before check in. We sat down with some drinks and a snack, then waited patiently for our flight. Of course nothing runs smoothly, we were called for our flight at 1:00, the pleasure of flying. We finally boarded the plane and took our seats.
"Brian became the 'yes' man. . . yes, John, this and yes, John, that. I think he loved knowing all the answers. With a nine hour flight, we all took a nap before dinner. When dinner was served, John, in his infinite wisdom, asked what it was. I'm glad the attendant answered as I wasn't sure myself. It was okay, but I won't be employing the cook.
We arrived at Heathrow about 10:00. By the time we got our luggage, everyone just wanted to get in a comfortable bed. I thought about going on to the cottage, but decided on booking a room for the night. I booked two rooms at the Premier Inn. After a good night's sleep we could go home. At least home for the next six months. We went straight to bed after we got into the rooms. The following morning was breakfast, then checkout. I got a taxi to London as I was going to the dealer to whom I'd sold my car. Guys, we need a car, so let's pick something that we can all travel in. When all the sports cars were ruled out we got a Range Rover.
We went to get some groceries, then home. John was looking forward to seeing his new home, at least his new home for the time being. Getting indoors again was a blessing. The place smelled musty, but with the windows open letting in fresh air, problem solved. John got a soda while Brian made two cups of tea. "Thanks, guys. John, are you ready to check out where you'll be living, for a few days at least. Brian will show you your room later, for now we'll go into the village and show you around, okay?" He nodded. "Well let's go then." We had a look round town, went into some specialised shops selling local goods and souvenirs, then after a few hours of walking, drinking tea and soda we went home. Brian showed John his room and they put what gear they had brought with them away, then came back downstairs like a herd of elephants, saying they were hungry. We ate at the table at the front of the cottage and watched the sunset. Gorgeous. It had been a long day, so we all went off to bed to get a good night's sleep, wanting to be fresh for the following day.
Friday, after breakfast, Brian took John around the outside of the cottage. The cottage was hidden below an embankment covered with trees and grass that went all the way from the front and both sides of the house. At the back, about 20 yards away were the woods that seemed to seal the house into a world of its own. When they came back in, John was in awe of his surroundings. "After lunch I'll take you through the woods and show you what lies beyond." Brian was being vague as he knew the sea was about a hundred yards on after you went through the woods. We had an early lunch - where do they put it? - then relaxed on the back porch.
Just after 1:00, Brian stopped making John wait to see what was beyond the woods that was so secret. I decided I would go with them, if only to see John's reaction when he saw the vastness of the sea that would be in front of him. Most Canadians live inland. Living near lakes, which there are plenty of in Canada, is a far cry from the sea. Brian was purposely making the trek in the woods slow by stopping in certain places to explain about the history. Depending on where you are in the woods was whether you were on the sand or looking down at the sea from the many embankments.
We walked up a slight incline so John was now looking at the sea from above. "WOW!! You have the sea in your back yard." John set off running down the embankment until I told him to stop, which he did with surprise.
Along the Cornish coast are a lot of mines that were used for smuggling. Some are only covered by shrub. If you step on that, you are down sometimes hundreds of feet, which, stating the obvious, is a long way to fall. We slowly and safety walked down to the beach.
Brian started to take his shoes and socks off to walk in the sand. "Take your shoes off. See what it feels like." Barefooted, he started to walk, "Watch out for the crabs!" John stopped dead while Brian burst out laughing.
"I'm gonna get you big time," he said, running to catch Brian.
We walked down the beach into some alcoves and even showed John some of the caves. When you're having fun, times goes too quickly. We got back home exhausted. "Anyone for McDonald's??" Unanimous!! Two Big Macs and fries later their hunger subsided. I drove home hoping whatever else the boys wanted to do it was alone. I needn't have worried, they were tired when we got back and went straight to bed. I sat on the porch watching the stars. Being away from the town you don't get light pollution, so you could see every star for miles.
John came up behind me, "Thanks, Dad. I now have a family and it's all thanks to you."
"I would love to take the credit for that, but I can't. Brian's the one who gets that, I just did all the work." Then laughed.
"I know Brian asked you to adopt me, and a brother's okay, but, no, Dad. Nah!! You made it happen."
"Whatever you got, you deserved, Son. I know, I got a miracle with both you and Brian."
"Thanks, Dad, I love you too." Brian says, walking outside to join us.
"And I love you, but to what do I owe the pleasure? Two hearty souls wanting to sit with their old dad??"
"Awe, Dad!!" I laughed. "I came to see where John was," Brian said.
"And I came down to tell you I like it here. It's cosy like Deer Lake, but the lake is bigger," John said. We all laughed at that.
"If there are no flags up tomorrow you could go swimming, but stay close to shore. The English Channel can get really rough. The tides can sometimes be erratic. Anyway, shoo, off to bed!"
"Night, Dad," the reply came as the two ran to the stairs.
The weekend was all go. Saturday they went swimming till lunch, then to town. Sunday I told John about a bus stop that was right on the sea front in Penzance. I took them both to get an original Cornish pasty. John couldn't believe the size of them. Growing lad or not, he struggled to finish a whole one.
Monday I told John we were going to see St. Mary's school, the one he and Brian would be going to. To Brian it would be like going to see some of his old friends. To John it would probably be a little scary but he would cope, especially with Brian there. I had arranged to meet the headmaster on Monday. I asked if they wanted to go get something to eat to give John another true English breakfast. Of course another stupid question from me. I let Brian pick a café to eat, asking him to break John in slowly. John looked confused. "Well, you see we can go to a transport café and have breakfast, but it can get really greasy." John put two fingers at his throat as if going to throw-up. After we had eaten, walking away John rubbed his stomach to show he was bloated. "You enjoyed then?" I keep asking these silly questions.
I asked the guys if they wanted anything to drink for the journey. They got a couple of sodas. Okay, guys, settle in for the ride. Being such a distance from the cottage I would have to rent property while the guys were going to Brian's old school. With Brian going to his old school it would make it easier to settle again, especially for John, as this was going to be a completely new experience for him. It won't be an easy ride for Brian, but he has the advantage of old surroundings. John is still timid about meeting new people, but Brian will smooth the waves. I know Brian will look out for his brother and be sensible at the same time. I wanted to try and get there a little early so it was possible to look up some estate agents to preview some property. I wanted something rural so it would feel like a home from home for the boys. I also wanted John to at least get a feeling of what living in England is like. Hampshire has natural beauty with all the countryside and wooded areas. John will also find that in England everything is done at a different pace. In the cities hectic, but the more rural you go the more relaxed and laid back people are.
I tried to take the scenic route where possible to show them the forest areas and open countryside, most of which belong to the National Trust. John asked how anybody could live so isolated? I told him that's the way it's always been. I told him that while we were here I'd show him round Alton, Bordon, and surrounding areas. There was the Royal Engineers barracks at Aldershot and the army base in Bordon, which was home to the Canadian army. We got into Southampton just after 12:00, so that didn't leave much time for seeing any property until at least after we had seen the headmaster at St. Mary's. I parked just outside the town centre to have a chance of an easy exit after our visit to the school. We had sandwiches for lunch, but I told the boys I would take them for a traditional pub lunch if we got time later. St. Mary's was the traditional primary school that blended into its surroundings. I suppose during term the screaming kids would definitely give it away. I walked down the side of the school to where the offices were and through the main door. The headmaster was just coming out of, I presume, the kitchen. He asked my name, then shook my hand with a greeting. "Welcome, Mr. Gould, Brian. And who is this fine fellow?"
"John, Sir. Pleased to meet you." I think the warmth of the welcome caught him by surprise.
"Well, John, please follow me into my office." After offering us beverages, Mr. Hardy then invited us to take a seat. He got some papers from his desk and studied them. "Nice to have you back, Brian. Now, John, can you tell me something about yourself? I like to get to know my charges?" John went into a discussion with the headmaster of his likes and dislikes, sports, and in general about his background. "Thank you, son. Your background has no consequence to your schooling, but thank you for telling me. Brian knows this school. I won't stand for bullying and degrading students for whatever reason, be it race or creed. I don't say this to get you uptight, but as a warning. As you will agree, school is a hard enough place to come without selfish people with no thought for anyone but themselves adding to the woe," looking at me as he spoke. After the rights and wrongs of the school the conversation was turned back to John. It centred on the differences between the two countries. Then turned to how the two boys met and became brothers. Mr. Hardy finished by saying that like British Columbia. Britain was just as diverse with different culture and nationalities. Everyone shook hands and we left.
The day had been long and it was now nearly time for dinner. I took the boys for a snack to keep them going till we decided what we were going to do next. "Guys, it's too late to check properties out so I thought we could stay over till tomorrow, then go back after we have secured somewhere to live when you start school. Okay?" We found a very nice public house that also let rooms for the tourists. The rooms were small and compact, but were perfect. After we got settled we went to checkout the docks.
"This is where I first met Brian. He was sitting on this very bench watching the harbour. I had seen him sitting here countless times when I came in to get supplies. I spoke to him and we went to get a drink at the café. We spoke often. Do you want to eat at the café or the pub?" Brian was sitting there in a world of his own.
John took a seat beside him, "You okay, Bro?"
"I was just thinking how I went from a kid with no hope to a kid with everything to live for. Children's homes can be a lonely place. When I had a rough day I had no memories I could look at to make me feel better. There's no one to think about when there's just yourself. Other kids had a mother, a father, aunts, uncles, nans even that they could think about and smile. I never knew any family, just a home run by people that did what a budget would allow. Some tried to be as near to a parent as possible. To some it was just a job." John pulled him into a hug.
"But now you've got a dad and even an awkward brother to pick on. What could be better?"
He looked across to a liner that was coming into port as a tear dripped onto his cheek, "You're my family. Something after a while you stop thinking of, because to keep getting left behind hurts, really hurts. I love you guys, you know that, don't you?" Nothing needed to be said, being close told him the answer he needed to know.
Life can be a killer. But sometimes it can throw something in the mix that's hard to fathom. Without trying to understand it, it put three very different people together that had all lost something they either wanted or needed. One thing for certain is whatever drew us three together, the bond that holds us would not be separated by persons or spirits.