This spot, right here, was complete and utter tranquillity.
‘Enjoying the sunshine?’
Startled and embarrassed, Beth sat up, ramrod straight, mortified at having been caught in such a moment of vulnerability.
The woman who’d greeted her stood by the table, having delivered a bottle of water.
‘Oh, uh, yes, I am,’ Beth answered. ‘And the sounds of the river and trees, too. The atmosphere, it’s very peaceful out here.’
‘Peaceful, you say?’ The woman regarded Beth carefully, her dark brown eyes twinkling behind a pair of round glasses. ‘You draw strength from the world around you, that much is clear. I can tell, I have a connection to Boodja.’
Beth stared at her. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what that is.’
‘In my people’s language, Boodja means country—the land, the sea, waterways. Nature speaks to you and you listen.’
It was true, shedidlove nature and observing the tiny details—details that made her feel insignificant in the scheme of things but so infinitely blessed. She’d never really thought about that before. Didn’t everyone interact with nature that way?
Strangely, it was as if, in speaking those words, the woman had taken Beth by the hand and said, ‘This is who you are.’ With one simple sentence, she’d made Beth feel seen and understood.
‘I’m Marge, by the way.’ The woman placed a menu in front of Beth.
‘Thank you.’Remember to smile.‘I’m Beth.’
‘It’s lovely to meet you, Beth. I’ll give you a minute to decide what you want, then I’ll come back and take your order.’
Beth nodded, though focusing on the menu options wasn’t easy, distracted as she was by the view and what Marge had said to her. She managed, in the end, and Marge returned a few minutes later.
‘How’d you go?’
Beth glanced down at the menu. ‘I’ll have a toasted panini and an iced tea, please.’
‘No problem.’ Marge jotted the items down on her order pad. ‘So, you like it out here, huh?’
Beth’s smile this time came unbidden. ‘I really do. It soothes the soul.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Some people—’ Marge nodded over her shoulder at the diners eating inside, ‘—are put off by the sounds of nature.’
‘Really? But it’s all so relaxing! I mean, I could actually fall asleep out here. You’ll probably find me snoring when you bring out my order.’
‘Fantastic!’ Marge chuckled. ‘Relaxed customers always come back, so it’s good to know that building this deck was money well spent.’
When Marge left to place the order, Beth once more soaked up the sun and absorbed the sounds of the flowing river and the wind in the trees. What was it Marge had said about her? That nature speaks and she listens? What was it telling her now?
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, her stillness taking her to that place of tranquillity she’d found earlier. As her other senses heightened, she listened with her whole body, and before long, she couldn’t tell where she ended and the world around her began. Warmth seeped into her skin and peace filled her heart and mind. She felt a connectedness, a profound sense of rightness, one she’d never experienced before. And when she opened her eyes, she felt her ever-present anxiety had melted away and she could justbe.
‘Not snoring, then?’ Marge said when she returned.
‘No, I …’ Beth bit back a grin. ‘I was too busy listening.’ She gestured out at the trees and the river beyond. ‘It’s amazing what you can hear when you pay attention.’
Marge laughed—a happy, joyous sound, warm and tinkling—as she placed Beth’s meal in front of her. ‘That’s what I love to hear.’ She winked as she stepped back and put her hands on her hips. ‘So, tell me, Beth, what brings you to town? Are you on holiday or just passing through?’
‘Um, neither, actually.’ Not normally one to elaborate, she surprised herself when she added, ‘I’ll be in town for a while, at least until the new year. I’m fixing up an old house.’
‘Ooh, that sounds like fun.’
Beth shook her head. ‘Not when you don’t know what you’re doing. But I’ll get there, eventually.’
‘Well, I’m glad to hear you’ll be sticking around for a bit. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.’
