Page 23 of A Spell of Midlife Mayhem

I hung around and chatted with Raven while he ate his breakfast. Afterwards, we each had a cup of tea.

‘Are you going to do some sightseeing in London, Heather?’ Raven asked.

‘I sure will. There are lots of landmarks I’ve seen on TV that I’d love to visit for real, like the Tower of London and the Millennium Wheel.’

‘Yeah, they’re popular with tourists. Anything else?’

‘I’ve always wanted to see the big art galleries of Europe. In London, there are two of the best, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.’

Raven’s face lit up. ‘You appreciate art?’

‘I do. I always went to the art exhibitions back home, especially those of famous European artists.’ I caught Raven’s sudden interest. ‘Are you an art lover too?’

‘Yes. I’ve been to most of the main European galleries several times. I have an art history degree.’

‘Wow. Fascinating.’

‘I’d be happy to go with you to the main London galleries if you’d like.’

I beamed at him and shivered with excitement. A whole day with Raven showing me around the top London art galleries. Was he asking me on a date? ‘I’d really like that. You can share your knowledge with me.’

‘Of course. Shall we go some weekend soon?’

‘That’ll be great.’ I drained the rest of my cup of tea. ‘What do you do for a living, Raven?’ I asked.

He eased back in his seat and took his time to answer. ‘Historical research in specialist areas, plus my own study.’

‘Sounds interesting.’

‘It can be. At times...’ He shrugged. ‘Dead ends are all I find.’

‘I found teaching history to thirty teenagers was a dead end when all they wanted to do was message each other on their phones. I tried, but few of them really cared for lessons from the past.’

‘As someone once said, “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” They might get there in time.’

‘Who said that? Dr Suess?’ I laughed.

Raven grinned. ‘Albert Einstein.’

***

MY FIRST MISSION OF the day was to call the home care service the hospital had emailed me about. Besides the frequent visits by her physiotherapist, Aunt Ruth was eligible for a substantial package of home care. A nurse or an aide would come to the house three times a day to help her with personal cares and other tasks she could no longer do by herself. I’d already made some of the arrangements by phone from New Zealand, calling at all hours of the night because of the time zone difference. Now, I only needed to notify the nursing agency that Aunt Ruth would be discharged in three days.

Once I’d done that, I left for the hospital, as visiting hours were about to start. Ten minutes later, I parked in the hospital car park and gasped when I discovered how exorbitant the fees for parking were. Could I leave the car here without paying? Yes, but it wasn’t mine, and it might get towed if I did that. I couldn’t risk it, so I drove out and parked on the street a few minutes’ walk away.

The walk may have done me good, but I regretted it. I was huffing and perspiring once I’d got to the main entrance of the hospital. I caught my breath, then asked at reception for directions to the ward where I would find Aunt Ruth. I took the elevator.

Aunt Ruth had a room to herself. She was dressed and sitting in a wheelchair. Her skin was weathered and tanned from years spent outdoors. I was relieved to discover she wasn’t covered in bruises or arm slings or eye patches. Indeed, her cobalt eyes were bright and her hair was snow white, giving the impression of an aged Disney princess.

Her face lit up with joy when I walked in the door, holding out a bunch of flowers I’d cut from her garden and made into a bouquet.

‘Heather! I’m so glad you’re here. And you brought lilacs. You’re always so thoughtful. Are you settled at the house?’

‘Yes, I am, thanks to Raven. How are you doing, Aunt Ruth?’ I put the flowers down on a side table and gave her a long hug. I hadn’t seen her in person for a long time, not since she’d visited us in New Zealand years before.

I took a seat in a visitor’s chair. We talked for half an hour while she filled me in on the operations and the physical therapy she’d had and how she may be wheelchair bound forever. That news hit me like a blow to the stomach, but Aunt Ruth appeared to have accepted it and seemed at peace.

I told Aunt Ruth about my missing luggage, and she kindly said I could borrow any clothes of hers until my bags turned up or I replaced my things. Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief.

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