‘He’s like the town crier.’
Cally’s eyes widened. Alastair didn’t hang around. He was going to announce that they were getting married or propose. One of the two. She waited with bated breath and shifted her eyes to Octavia, who was looking up at Alastair fondly. Octavia's face lit up, and she reached for Alastair's hand, giving it a squeeze. Blech.
'We've decided,' Alastair continued, pausing for effect, 'to embark on a grand adventure. We're taking a year-long sabbatical to travel the world!'
Surprise rippled across the table. Logan snorted softly beside Cally. 'A year-long sabbatical from what exactly? He doesn't even work. I'm not sure what he's taking a holiday from. Youhaveto love him. He’s always been the same. He can’t even get the horses sorted for a day without it causing all sorts of drama.'
‘Good point.’ Cally whispered.
‘Did this really warrant a big announcement?’ Logan wondered.
Cally wasn’t sure whether to say too much. It was fine for Logan to criticise Alastair, but her not so much. She didn’t need to go there. ‘Sorry, has he ever had a real job?’
Logan rolled his eyes. ‘He worked for Uncle Reg for a bit after uni. Officially, he still does.’
Cally watched as Octavia stood to join Alastair. 'We leave next month. We've decided to start here in the UK and then head straight to India and make our way east from there. We’re going to wing it a bit and see where we end up.'
‘Wing it a bit?’ One of Logan’s cousins called out. ‘What? Are you roughing it and backpacking?’
Alastair grimaced and shook his head quickly. ‘Gosh, no. We won’t be in youth hostels or suchlike. Rather not.’
A smattering of applause broke out around the table. Cally joined in with the clapping and laughter. Inside however, she couldn’t quite get her head around the fact that Alastair and Octavia were just going off on a whim for a whole year. As you do. Travelling the world wasn’t something that had ever been an option for our Cally. The concept seemed so foreign to her that she wasn’t sure what to think. To be able to just take off willy-nilly felt impossibly grand for someone like her. As the family began to pepper Alastair and Octavia with questions about their itinerary, Cally’s thoughts drifted to Lovely Bay. She thought about the long hours at the chemist, the early mornings working on her laptop for the online retail job, and the weekends spent helping Nina with decluttering projects. Each shift, each extra hour, another pound in her savings account. Another step closer to her own little piece of Lovely Bay. There were no year-long sabbaticals in the distance for our Cally. Does anyone have a violin?
Logan waved a hand in front of Cally’s face. 'Blackcurrant? You alright?'
She turned and forced a smile. 'Yes, of course. Just thinking.'
'About?'
Cally hesitated as she glanced at Alastair and Octavia. They were beaming, accepting congratulations and well-wishes from around the table. 'Oh, I don’t really know. Just how different lives can be, I suppose.'
Logan rolled his eyes. 'For him, maybe. I suppose Alastair's lifestyle is a bit different from what we mere mortals are used to. I guess I don’t really see it…'
Cally nodded, tracing the pattern on her coffee cup with her finger. 'It's not just that. It's the freedom, I suppose. The ability to just get up and go.' She shook her head and inhaled.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve literally never had that.’
Cally imagined what it might be like to pack a bag and set off into the unknown, to wake up each morning in a different country, to experience new cultures and ways of life. To not have to worry about holding up the sky. To not have a job and to have to constantly keep checking bank accounts. Not that she wanted to jetset around the world. It hadn’t ever really floated her boat. Or so she thought. She had her own very nice, tight little dream of owning her own place in Lovely Bay. She didn’t need to gallivant around the globe, but the option to have it might be nice. Logan didn’t get it. Not that she expected him to. It was sweet that he tried.
‘We could travel too, if you wanted. Not for a year, but we could see some of the world together.'
‘You'd want to?' Cally narrowed her eyes.
‘I’d love to. We’d have a great time.’
Cally allowed herself to imagine strolling the streets of Paris, or watching a sunset over a beach. Palm trees, cocktails, sunbeds, nothing to care about. It didn’t take long for reality to intrude: work schedules, chatbots, and savings accounts. 'It's a lovely thought, but…’
'Something to think about…’
‘Yes.’
The grandfather clock in the corner chimed and Cally stifled a yawn and checked the time on her phone. The events of the day, the rich food, and the long walks in the fresh Scottish air had caught up with her.
Logan seemed to read her thoughts. 'Shall we call it a night? I’ve had enough.’
Cally nodded, pretended she didn’t mind when really she wanted to go back and stopped herself from biting his hand off at the mention of going home to bed. She pretended to be casualand that it was up to him when really she couldn’t wait to get out of her clothes, scrub off her makeup, and get into bed. She shrugged. ‘If you like.’
