Page 17 of An Island in the Sun

This was her chance to say no, for Raff to leave and for things to go back to normal. As normal as they could for someone bouncing from place to place trying to avoid dealing with her emotions.

‘That sounds great,’ Tabitha said, realising she meant it. ‘It’s just I think I might be stuck in here.’

Raff snorted. ‘It’s a piece of piss getting out. Watch me.’

Tabitha did, her eyes unwavering as he swung his legs out and planted his feet on the grass. He stood, his bum in snug jeans coming into view as she was left swinging back and forth.

She followed his lead, lifting her legs out and releasing herself from the depths of the hammock with Bailey and Fudge at her feet.

Tabitha used to have Raff’s confidence, until life had ground her down. Not life; a relationship. Trying to please someone else, compromising but ending up being the only one to make sacrifices. Of course, Raff’s blustery assuredness could all be a front; she couldn’t tell without talking to him properly. A stranger’s company was the last thing she’d craved, yet a part of her wanted to get to know him better.

8

Raff offered to drive, but there was no way that Tabitha was going to allow him near the driving seat of Cordelia’s spotless white BMW. Driving somewhere new didn’t bother her; she was used to it, with many of the places she’d been staying being inaccessible by public transport.

They drove along the road that hugged the coast. It was more comfortable with Raff; he didn’t feel the need to fill the silence like his dad had. Tabitha was relieved to be able to concentrate on driving, in and out of tunnels and through the villages that clung to the edge of the island and overlooked the Atlantic. After twenty-five minutes, they reached the village of Ponta Do Sol and Raff directed her up the heart-stoppingly narrow and winding roads past houses nestled between pockets of banana plantations, to park by the Church of the Lombada and the start of the Levada do Moinho.

With one dog each, they set off, Tabitha taking in their surroundings as they followed the levada up through the valley which was studded with a mix of cultivated and uncultivated terraces. Clouds clustered, drifting across the distant shadowed peaks. Raff was good company and they chatted easily about the dogs and the other places on the island that were worth a visit. Tabitha gleaned a little more about him, discovering that although he no longer lived on the island and hadn’t done for quite some time, he had when he was younger. His love for the outdoors was evident, and there was an ease about him as they walked that made Tabitha think he was in his happy place.

They navigated the narrow walkway, with the levada running on one side and a steep, fenced-off drop into the sun-flooded valley on the other side, where a narrow river was visible. Tabitha relished the parts of the trail where the dirt path plunged beneath the acacia and eucalyptus trees, the dry leaf and twig-covered ground speckled with sunlight. They let the dogs off their leads to race ahead, both of them stopping every so often to sniff clumps of grass or the fronds of a fern glowing luminous green in a patch of sunlight. The path emerged back into bright sunshine to sweeping valley views edged with sugar cane.

The climb up to the waterfall was a scramble and hard on the thigh muscles, but it was worth it for the welcome shade of the trees and the soothing trickle of water.

‘This is one of the quieter levada trails,’ Raff said, as they walked alongside the ice-clear stream. ‘What do you think?’

‘It’s lush.’

The different trills and calls of birds filled the wooded glade as they neared the waterfall. Water plummeted between curved rocks, as if, over thousands of years, the constant pressure had worn it away, shaping and smoothing it into a vertical tunnel. The path cut through the rock, so they were able to walk behind the waterfall. Fine mist dampened their skin as they gazed through the curtain of water back the way they’d come, the view distorted by the constant flow so it was just a blur of fresh greens and russet. With Bailey and Fudge running ahead to lap up the cool water of the stream, Tabitha and Raff continued along the path curving out from beneath the grey rock, its damp surface flecked with moss.

On the return walk, they were rewarded with the view back down the valley. A patchwork of green, the hillsides studded with trees and bushes swept all the way to the red roofs of Ponta Do Sol and the ocean, a darker shade of blue than the sky.

By the time they reached the car, the dogs were panting in the afternoon heat. They eagerly drank from their bowls of water, while Tabitha and Raff swigged the remainder of their water bottles.

‘I’ve lived in London for too long,’ Raff said, cutting through the sound of the dogs’ lapping.

‘Oh?’ Tabitha screwed on the lid of her bottle.

‘I miss all this.’ He swept his hand in the direction they’d just walked. ‘I don’t mean being here exactly, but the space… It’s good for the soul.’

‘You don’t like London?’ Tabitha asked tentatively, aware that he’d opened up slightly and she wanted to encourage it.

‘Oh, I like it. A bit too much, that’s the problem. At least I used to.’ He gave her what she assumed was a knowing look. ‘Too much temptation.’

‘And by temptation you mean…’

‘Ah.’ He shook his head. ‘The wrong crowd.’ He suddenly pushed away from the car door, disturbing Fudge. ‘I’m flipping starving. You fancy grabbing something to eat?’

And just like that the start of an interesting conversation was shut down. Whatever troubles he’d been dealing with back in London, Tabitha wondered if coming to Madeira had partly been to escape them. She wanted to continue the conversation, but the most pressing thing after their hike was that she was hungry too, even after the generous brunch Raff had made. The day had raced by. Food and the chance to talk further sounded rather appealing.

* * *

The ocean glimmered, ripples of waves forming far out but kept from the pebble beach by the stones sheltering the lagoon. The village of Ponta Do Sol was enclosed by cliffs, one with a hotel perched on the edge, the opposite one covered by a banana plantation. The air tasted of sea salt, the smell of grilling fish drifted towards them and a sultry afternoon heat permeated everything. Fudge and Bailey’s noses twitched as Tabitha and Raff wound their way to a free table at a beachside restaurant and tied the dogs’ leads to the table legs. Even surrounded by people tucking into plates of seafood, both dogs lay panting in the shade.

‘This is on me,’ Tabitha said after a waiter had taken their order. ‘A thank you for taking me on the walk; I’d probably never have done it otherwise.’

‘I should be the one thanking you,’ Raff said, folding the edge of a napkin between his fingers. ‘I appreciate you being so cool about the situation last night.’

‘I’m just relieved you really didn’t end up being some psycho murderer…’

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