Page 44 of Happiness Under a Summer Skye

‘Absolutely. How are things going along the road?’

‘Great. Bella’s ideas are so good. I can’t wait to see it all come to fruition.’

Caitlin smiled. ‘It’s good to know someone had the vision it needed. It’s a shame for it to have been empty for so long but the whole absentee owner thing has been a nightmare from what I understand. Years that went on for. You came along at the right time.’

‘It’s a beautiful old building. But then again, it’s a beautiful wee village.’

Caitlin gave a light laugh. ‘Just watch yourself or you’ll fall in love with the place and the people, like so many others before you.’

‘I think your warning may be a bit late,’ Angelia replied.

When the cakes were packaged up, she thanked her and left to head to the church. She now saw at close range the posters she had seen Ferris putting up. In fancy lettering they stated:

Glentorrin Summer Concert

14 June

She guessed this was the concert the choir were rehearsing for prior to losing their director and pianist. Such a shame.

The large oak door was unlocked, just as it had been on the first day she had discovered it, so she pushed it open and walked inside and along the stone aisle towards the chancel to see if she could locate the vestry. There was no sign of Ferris, however, and a twinge of disappointment tugged at her insides.

The Yamaha keyboard the choir had been using was standing there and Angelia ran her fingers across the top of it. She hadn’t played since her diagnosis, which wasn’t that long ago but she missed it all the same. She noticed it was plugged in and so she placed the cake boxes down on the closest pew before pulling out the stool and taking a seat.

She played a C major pentatonic scale from C to A and back again. The acoustics in the church gave the resonance of the notes a richness she immediately loved. She played it again, only this time she sang along with each note as she hit the corresponding key. She was happy to find the scale easy to sing and it spurred her on.

Thinking about Ferris and his dog Judy, she began to play the opening bars of ‘Over the Rainbow’ and smiled as the sound echoed all around her. She closed her eyes as she continued to play, letting her relaxed fingers dance gently across the Ivorite keys. The mineral-reinforced plastic had been created by the music company to mimic the feel of ivory when the harvesting of the original material had been, rightfully, banned.

Seeing as she was alone, she took a deep breath and began to sing, the beautiful, yet somewhat melancholy lyrics, of the song falling from her lips as she remembered them with ease. Her voice wasn’t as strong as it once had been and as she sang, her eyes welled with tears when the words took on a new meaning for her. They spoke of dreams coming true which resonated within her. Her dreams had come true but now things had changed, and those dreams that had once been a reality were now somewhat out of reach. No amount of wishing on stars would change that.

Once the song ended, Angelia rested her hands in her lap and wiped away a few escaped tears. A spontaneous and unexpected round of applause from an unseen observer made her jump and she leapt to her feet and swung around to find Ferris standing halfway down the nave. As he clapped, he walked slowly towards her, a sweet smile turning his mouth up at the corners but his eyes glinting with unshed tears.

He took a seat on the pew closest to her and shook his head. ‘That brought back so many wonderful memories. Thank you,’ he said with a wavering voice.

‘Sorry, I-I didn’t think anyone was here,’ she replied.

‘No apologies necessary. It was absolutely beautiful. Made me think of my lovely mum.’

She smiled as she wiped more of her own tears away. ‘Thank you. It felt good. Really good.’

He narrowed his eyes. ‘I thought you said you’d lost your voice.’

She shrugged. ‘I have really.’

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ‘That’s not how it sounded to me. It actually sounded like you’d found it again.’

She recalled the recent occasion where she had tried to sing with her dad and it had made her sad that she couldn’t carry on as long as she had wanted. ‘If I keep singing it’ll probably disappear and I’ll sound like I’m being strangled all over again.’

‘Or maybe you’re giving yourself the chance to relax and think about something other than how you feel you’re letting everyone down. The plans for the record shop seem to excite you and that’s such a good thing. You light up when you sing, Angelia, but it doesn’t have to mean you only get that feeling when you’re playing stadiums. Have you ever thought about writing songs for other artists? So many singers do it. Or maybe just singing for fun for a change? Not that stadiums aren’t fun, I’m sure they are, but… maybe this myasthenia diagnosis doesn’t have to be the end of your singing career. Maybe it’s just a side road that gets you to the same destination only via the scenic route.’ He laughed out loud. ‘Good grief, listen to me trying to sound like I know what I’m talking about. I’m pretty rubbish at metaphors.’

She thought about what he had said and a smile spread across her face. ‘You’re better than you think you are. What you’ve just said actually makes perfect sense. I haven’t written for other artists, but I could definitely do it. I have folders full of songs I’ve written and never recorded. It would mean I still get to keep doing what I love, just indirectly. Like the scenic route you mentioned. Also, Ruby suggested movie score writing which is something I’d like to try too.’

His face brightened and a handsome smile lit up his features. ‘Really? Well… that’s brilliant.’

‘I really need to stop looking at this as an end-of-the-road situation, and instead look at it as a diversion,’ she said, knowing he had hit the nail square on its head. ‘There are many routes to get to most places, and you don’t always have to follow the map exactly as it’s drawn, do you?’

He beamed. ‘Definitely not. You have the most incredible talent, Angelia, and the world needs that.’

She shook her head as her eyes welled with happy tears this time. ‘Thank you. I mean it, I’ve said it to you a lot since I met you, but I’ll say it again, thank you.’