Page 8 of Summer at the Cornish Garden Café

He stifled a yawn. Bligh was an early riser, he knew, as he was often up early to catch some waves or to work on tattoo designs before the rest of the house woke. Bligh and Marnie had twin girls aged six, and Marnie was six months pregnant with their third child. They’d been together for years and were very content, something that made Thomas happy because it meant that some relationships did work out.

‘I hope you’re excited about seeing my downward dog.’ Bligh ushered Thomas through the gate to the café gardens then followed him in.

‘I can hardly wait,’ Thomas muttered, aware that watching his brother-in-law contorting himself into a variety of positions was not going to be his idea of relaxing.

They followed the path around to the side of the café where they found a semi-circle of yoga mats laid out. Hanging lanterns created a warm golden light around the area along with stick solar lights, while the rest of the gardens lay in shadows.

‘Hello, gents.’ Pearl Draper smiled at them from a mat placed at the centre of the semi-circle.

‘Hi Pearl,’ Bligh replied while Thomas raised his hand in a wave.

They selected a mat each then sat down cross-legged to wait. Soon, more people arrived, and the mats filled up. Thomas closed his eyes and focused on breathing slowly while he waited, barely aware of the people settling around him. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all. In fact, he’d have to try not to nod off.

When Bligh had called at his house to collect him, he’d been wearing a pair of black shorts and a hoodie, but he’d removed the latter to reveal a black vest. He was very muscular with tattoos over every inch of his arms, chest, back and neck. Thomas often found his eyes drawn to Bligh’s skin that he thought resembled a detailed map. With his bald head and bushy black beard, Bligh reminded Thomas of a Viking warrior, but the irony was that Bligh was a gentle giant. He was a loving husband and father and a good friend to Thomas. His appearance meant that people sometimes got the wrongimpression of him but once they got to know him, they found that he had a warm heart and would do anything to help anyone. Bligh absolutely doted on Marnie and the girls and Thomas was happy that his sister had found someone to love her the way Bligh did.

Thomas rarely wore shorts these days because he was conscious of how his leg looked and so he'd opted for loose jogging bottoms and a baggy black T-shirt. He thought the clothes should be fine for yoga because he had room to move in them and wouldn’t be worried about his leg distracting anyone. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that most of the other people who’d come for the class were wearing fitted tops and trousers, including Pearl, who looked the part of yoga teacher with her bright pink and black spandex outfit and matching headband.

‘OK then… Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining me here for sunrise yoga.’ Pearl beamed at them from her mat where she was sitting with her legs crossed, her feet resting on her thighs. Thomas knew just from looking at her that there was no way he’d get his legs into that position because sitting with his legs crossed like this was hard enough. Perhaps Bligh was right, he did need to do some exercise that would improve his flexibility. ‘Close your eyes for me and we’ll do some breathwork first to relax you all.’

Pearl talked them through some slow breathing with a focus on using different parts of their lungs. Thomas drifted on a cloud of relaxation as he listened to her soothing voice and the warbling of a blackbird nearby that seemed to have joined them for the yoga session. When Pearl told them to open their eyes again, Thomas blinked a few times as he rejoined the class, then Pearl told them to lie on their backs and to gaze up at the sky.

Thomas lay down and looked up, watching as the sky brightened, navy turning to lilac then peach and lavender. The blackbird was joined by other birds all singing their hearts out in appreciation of the new dawn.

When the sky glowed golden, banishing the shadows to the corners, Pearl took them through a gentle routine of stretching and poses, reminding them to breathe so their bodies and minds were linked through the breath. Thomas did what he could, taking care not to strain, and he found it was good to move his body again, to feel his muscles and tendons stretching out the way they were meant to do. During one pose, he found his gaze drawn to Bligh and he was filled with admiration for the large man. Bligh was incredibly flexible and had total control of his body as he held the poses, his movements fluid and graceful as he went from one pose to the next. Marnie was a yoga fan too but someone had needed to stay with the girls, so she’d remained at home, keen to grab some more sleep anyway as her advanced pregnancy was making it harder for her to get comfy at night.

When Pearl had settled them into a sitting position again, she told them all to send out a thank you to the universe for their bodies that could move, and for the new day stretching ahead. Thomas did as she instructed, and his heart swelled with gratitude.

Suddenly, there was yelping from behind him, so he turned to see a woman rolling around holding her foot.

‘Cramp!’ she said. ‘Oh… dammit.’

‘Straighten your foot out,’ he said instantly. ‘It will pass as long as you breathe and get that foot straight.’

‘Can’t!’ She sat up, eyes wide with pain, and he recognised her as the woman he’d spoken to a few days before in the gardens.

The journalist.

Shit!

Was she following him? Keen for a story?

The urge to get up and leave rushed through him, but he was held in place by his concern for her as she grimaced and tried to straighten her foot.

‘Come here,’ he said, reaching for her foot.

Taking it between both hands, he eased it straight then rubbed his thumbs into the sole and up towards the toes, easing the tension away and warming it at the same time. He kept his eyes on her foot, hoping she wasn’t staring at the scar on his face, yet realising it didn’t matter if she was. People stared out of interest, concern and disgust and he knew he was powerless to stop them.

‘Do you have some water?’ he asked.

Nodding she picked up a metal bottle.

‘Drink some. You could be dehydrated.’

She took a long drink and then another and Thomas kept kneading her foot until he felt the tension seeping away. ‘Oh… That feels so much better. Thank you.’

‘Good.’ He looked down at her foot and rubbed each of the toes in turn then gave the sole another massage for good measure. ‘There you go. It should be OK now, but you need to make sure you drink plenty today and keep that foot warm. Do you have some socks with you?’

She shook her head. ‘I wore my lined Crocs.’

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