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Daisy is more than happy to be on dry land. It doesn’t take her long to bounce back. She must be bloody starving. There can’t be anything left in her stomach anymore. I reach into my pocket and fetch out a chocolate bar. Maybe some sugar will help. Once we are all squared away, we head to Hamish’s. The door to the house opens and out steps the man himself. He hasn’t changed at all in six years. Work jeans, plaid shirt and a shocking red beard. He is a bear of a man. He also has the kindest eyes I have ever seen.
Ewan hangs back. The air is thick with tension and I hate it. Stepping forward, I hug Hamish and introduce him to Daisy. To Daisy’s surprise, she is hauled into a hug, too. I laugh. Ushering Daisy into Hamish’s house, I look back over to Ewan, giving him a thumbs up. I hope he’s brave enough to swallow his pride and ask for a second chance.
Inside, Daisy has settled at the kitchen table. Hamish has a similar taste to Ewan, so the house is lovely. Everything is modern and sleek, but still looks homey. I wonder how much it cost to have everything shipped over. It’s not like he can nip to the local furniture store. My musings are interrupted by Hamish and Ewan, who walk through the door hand in hand. I can’t contain my smile.
“You want a nip?” Hamish asks in his gruff voice. We can’t stay long, but I’ll never turn down whiskey.
Without waiting for an answer, he pours four generous glasses and hands them out. It’s a weird situation. I know these men but not really. We were a part of each other’s lives but I always had to keep them at arm’s length and yet I feel close to them. It’s bizarre.
“Slàinte Mhath,” Hamish shouts. Daisy takes her cue from me and swigs her drink, almost choking. “There’s a spade out back. Just call if you need a hand, lass,” Ewan says. I haven’t explained why I need a spade and they haven’t asked. I like that about them.
Standing at the back door, my eyes land on the shack. The place I called home for a short time. When I say shack I’m not exaggerating, it’s tiny. At the time, it was all I needed. Hamish did a little work on it to make sure it was liveable and that was that. I pick up the spade and walk over. Daisy is next to me, surveying my old home. God knows what she thinks.
From the door of my little shack, I turn to the left. I count two hundred paces and then turn right. Another fifty paces and I stop. Oh, shit! Remember when I hoped that Hamish hadn’t made any changes? Yeah, he has. Karl, Hamish’s prize-winning bull, has taken up residence in the field. Cows I could cope with, but Karl? No fucking way, he’s a beast with a terrible temper. At least he was when I was here last. Back then, Karl was all the way over the other side of Hamish’s property.
How in the hell am I supposed to reach the spot to dig with a literal raging bull hanging around? I look at Daisy and then back at Karl who has noted our presence and, of course, looks like he wants to eat us.
“Don’t tell me it’s in there?” Daisy signs, pointing to Karl. I just nod. What the actual fuck universe. “Okay, so how do we get it without being trampled?”
“Good question.” I have no clue, really, my days of planning are over. I think my brain has finally given up.
“Well, we need to distract him.” Daisy is taking the reins again, just like she did in Tivoli Gardens with the security guard.
“How?” Literally no ideas at all are in my mind.
“How far is the spot you need to get to?” I look and approximate it’s about twenty metres away. I point to the spot. Daisy follows my finger. “Okay, so we need the bull over there,” she says, pointing to the far end of the field.
“Yeah, but how are we going to do that?”
“Simple, I’ll go over there and antagonise him.” That is the worst idea in the world. Daisy vs. Karl, I don’t think so.
“No.”
“Callie, you’re the only one who knows where the bloody spot is. We can ask Hamish and Ewan to help. Surely three of us can keep the beast occupied long enough for you to do the digging.”
I groan because, really, it’s our only option. I can’t exactly ask Hamish to relocate his bloody bull. I drop my head to my chest and sigh. “Okay,” I sign without looking up. Daisy takes off toward the house to fetch Hamish and Ewan. I can’t move without losing my place. I know I need to go twenty-six paces to get to the book section. I didn’t bury it too deep so it shouldn’t take long to get to. My concern is that Karl will kill me. Is that dramatic?
With Hamish, Daisy, and Ewan at the other end of the field, I roll my shoulders, preparing for what I’m about to do. I give them the signal. All three climb over the fence and start clapping and shouting. Sure enough, Karl gives them his full attention. I hold my breath as I climb the fence and count out my paces. So far, so good. I reach the spot without Karl being any the wiser.Dig, Cal, for the love of God, dig.
The hole is getting deeper and I’m still not hitting anything. I’m going to be so pissed if I’ve made a mistake. I keep at it until finally I hear thedingof metal on metal. I cheer which was a huge mistake. Karl turns his snotty head my way. I freeze. We’re in a standoff and I know I will lose epically. I look down at the hole. I can see the metal container. Karl has turned to face me. Daisy and the others have doubled their efforts to catch the bull’s attention again, but he’s having none of it.
Shit, fuck, and bollocks. Karl is doing that thing with his hoof. You know the thing where they scratch the floor before running. He’s preparing to charge. I drop to my knees and paw at the box, trying with all I have to loosen it from its muddy cage. I look up and in that moment I know I have mere seconds before Karl loses his shit and tramples me.
Finally, the box comes free. Karl makes one of the most terrifying sounds I have ever heard before he starts running. My stomach almost drops through my arse. I faintly register Hamish screaming at me to run. A direction I do not need because my legs are already working double time. I run as fast as I can. Now, in the movies, the person running always makes the mistake of looking over their shoulder, therefore falling over something. I’m not that girl. My focus is solely on the fence I need to get too. I can hear his hooves and they are getting uncomfortably close. I’m metres away from the fence. I know that I have no time to think. In a feat that would impress an olympian, I vault over the fence, landing heavily on the other side. I close my eyes and wait for Karl to burst through. It doesn’t happen.
I can’t move. My body is curled up like a pretzel around the tin box. It’s only when I feel a warm hand on my face that I dare move my head. Daisy is leaning over me, stroking my cheek. Oh, thank the lord, I’m alive. Pain shoots through my shoulder. The landing was bad, I think I’ve dislocated it.
Gently I move and yelp. I want to pass out; the pain is so bad. Hamish is next to me in an instant, supporting my full weight. Slowly Hamish and Ewan lift me and carry me back to his house. They place me on the couch. I must look like shit. My clothes are covered in mud, as are my hands. I pass the tin to Daisy. We’ve done it! We have all the pieces.
Tears roll down my face unexpectedly. Daisy is by my side in an instant, wiping my cheeks. Hamish leans down, “We need to get that arm back in place, lass.” Joy! I nod because he is right. Daisy steps back, looking horrified as Hamish begins to work his magic. It’s not the first time he’s had to patch me up so I trust he knows what he’s doing.
Ewan passes me a bottle of whiskey. After a few healthy swigs, I nod to Hamish. The process of popping my shoulder back in may be relatively fast, but when it’s happening to you, it feels like a fucking lifetime. I scream and cry, but then I feel it slot back in and it’s done. Hamish whisks my arm up into a sling and gives me back the whiskey bottle.
The next thing I know, I’m waking up, still in the same position on the couch. “Hey,” Daisy signs. She is sitting with Ewan at the table. “You kind of passed out.”
“I’m sorry.” I have no recollection at all. We should have been back on the boat already.
“Don’t be daft. How are you feeling?”
