Harvesting Acorns (2 page)

“Of
course, it would be lovely to have company,” Chloe responded, trying to add a
bit of warmth and return the welcome she had received on arriving.

“We
have many regular patrons, and I never forget a face. Yours I have not seen
before” she said to Chloe once she had taken the seat opposite.

“Yes,
actually I have just arrived. This is the first place I have stopped,” Chloe
replied cautiously. She was grateful for a friendly welcome and some company
but she was not quite ready to share her story and her reasons for being here
just yet. Especially as she was not too sure of those reasons herself. She took
another sip of her tea and then continued:

“I
am making a new start and this is where I found myself. That is as much as I
can tell you for now.” She smiled a little apologetically at the woman.

“Oh,
forgive me, my name is Chloe” she quickly added.

“Yes,
how rude of me! I am Phoebe, and it is a pleasure to meet you. Where will you
be staying?” Phoebe asked.

“I
don’t know yet,” stammered Chloe sheepishly. “I planned to find a guest house
as soon as I arrived, but I found myself craving croissants and stumbled across
your café. I will go and make my arrangements as soon as I have finished here.”

 “It
was serendipity that brought you to this café mon chere amie,” Phoebe replied,
“as it so happens we have a guest house adjoining the café and we have an
ensuite room available. We have the most reasonable rates in the village, but
as you have been travelling and have not had a chance to see for yourself,
tonight you may stay at no cost. If you are comfortable and happy, then
tomorrow we can discuss further arrangements.”

Phoebe’s
offer was enhanced by the kindness in her deep jasper eyes. Her stylish dark
blonde pixie cut accentuated her high cheekbones. She was an attractive woman,
in her early forties but there was wisdom in her eyes that told of experiences
way beyond her years. Chloe’s thoughts flitted over this briefly, but she was
just too tired to ask any questions, let alone be courteous enough to listen
attentively to the answers.

“Thank
you Phoebe. That is the kindest offer I have had in a long while and I am
deeply grateful to not have to begin searching for a room immediately”. Chloe’s
voice betrayed her utter exhaustion and a yawn escaped before she had time to
mask it.

“I
am sorry! Wow, I didn't realise how tiring driving could be.”

Phoebe smiled, dismissing the apology
as unnecessary.

“Let
me show you to your room first and then I will call my husband to help you with
your bags.”

The
room was enormous and luxurious. White curtains hung from dark wooden rails,
tied back with chocolate brown silk tiebacks. A queen size bed stretched across
the middle of the back wall, adorned in crisp white bedding, with a mountain of
pillows and cushions in shades of rich brown contrasting boldly against the
white.  Chloe was so tempted to snuggle into the mound right away.

The
bathroom, also clean white, had a Jacuzzi in the corner and a glass-enclosed
shower with chrome finishes. It took all her will not to turn on the Jacuzzi
there and then. She just wanted to drift into oblivion under a cascade of
bubbles and just let the fizz dissolve all the stress and memories of the last
few months. She could not believe how this had fallen into place for her. It
was as though a force was working ahead of her to pave her way to recuperation
and release of all the negativity that had led up to this point. Chloe knew she
was going to be all right.

“Is
this going to be all right for you, Chloe?  I want you to be comfortable.”
Again, that genuine kindness and concern gleamed gently in her eyes.

“This
is absolutely wonderful and beyond generous of you, Phoebe. I am going to sleep
like a baby tonight,” Chloe answered gratefully.

“I
hope so; I can see how tired you are. Let’s turn on the Jacuzzi while we
collect your things. It takes about half an hour to heat up.” Phoebe led the
way back out to the street. She stopped at a door on the side of the café,
knocked gently before opening the door slightly. She poked her head around the
corner and Chloe heard her talking softly. A tall man came out and followed her
over towards Chloe.

“Chloe,
this is my husband, Jean Pierre.”

Chloe reached out to shake his hand:

“Pleased
to m…” she was cut off mid-sentence and gasped embarrassingly as Jean Pierre
reached past her extended hand, put both hands on her shoulders and kissed both
her cheeks.  For the second time today this greeting surprised her. You would think
being a well-travelled journalist she could not have been caught off guard. She
just was not used to people being in her space or being exposed to genuine
warmth, hospitality and being welcomed this way – by strangers!

“My
love, please will you help Chloe bring her bags through to her room. Chloe, I
see your car is packed really full. Don’t worry, our village is very safe and
so your belongings will be fine out here.”

Phoebe
seemed to be a woman who liked to organise and nurture. Chloe felt herself
relax and feel that, even if just for one night, someone else could make
decisions for her. All she could think about right now was the hot water of the
Jacuzzi and how it would feel to her aching body. She made a mental note that
she should take up yoga or Pilates. She was too young to feel this fatigued and
stiff. She followed behind Phoebe and Jean Pierre to her room.

“There
is an intercom for emergencies if you need anything during the night. We serve
breakfast at eight o’clock but I am sure you will want to sleep in so please don’t
rush. There will still be cereals, muffins and fruit out until eleven o’clock,”
Phoebe told Chloe as she walked towards the door after her husband.

“Thank
you Phoebe, I can’t begin to tell you what this means to me,” Chloe spoke
softly, fighting back a stray tear.

Phoebe turned, put a hand on Chloe’s
arm and smiled.

“I
am glad you found your way to our café. I have a feeling we are going to be
good friends. I felt it when I first saw you.”

Chloe smiled back.

 “I
really do hope so.”

Phoebe and Jean Pierre left and
closed the door behind them. Alone, Chloe stood and looked around the room in
amazement.

Steam
began to rise from the Jacuzzi. Chloe unpacked her nightclothes and toiletries
onto the cabinet. She looked at her tired and ragged visage in the bathroom
mirror, got undressed and immersed herself under the hot water. Bliss seeped
through every cell in her body, rejuvenating her from her core outwards. She
dozed off every now and then, jolting awake and then allowing the warmth to let
her drift off again. The water cooled and Chloe climbed out and into her gown.
There was no feeling on earth like a hot bath and a warm gown in the aftermath
of physical and emotional exertion. She took a book off the shelf in the corner
of the room, made herself a cup of tea using the meticulously set out
self-service nook, and then wiggled her way between all the cushions and
pillows on the bed. She sipped her tea as she read the first few pages of an
adventure novel and felt the familiar drooping of her eyelids when she tried to
read while tired. This was her sure win way of falling asleep when she was
having trouble – much to her frustration the mornings after when she realised
she had not even gotten through one chapter of reading. This time she didn’t
care. She just wanted rest, her body was screaming for it.

Chloe
drifted off to sleep with the images and landscape she had seen along her drive
filling her last few wakeful thoughts. She felt at peace. It was new to her.
She liked it.

C
hapter Two

She
slept until 9 o'clock. When she woke, she found herself feeling like she had
been sleeping for days. She did not realise how long it had been since she had
had a good night's rest. She had been so stressed the last few months that her
sleep was plagued by nightmares. A recurring dream of trying to run somewhere
but the harder she tried the more firmly her feet were rooted to the ground and
the heavier her legs felt. Kind of like walking in knee-deep water, only
multiplied a hundred times. She knew dreams were supposed to mean something -
perhaps this represented her pursuit of her dreams and the feeling that no
matter how hard she tried to reach them she just had not been getting anywhere,
not moving at all. 

She
stretched and enjoyed how her body seemed to loosen up and sink deeper into the
cosy
bed. The sun streamed through a slight opening between the curtains and Chloe
liked the way it felt like a small ray of hope. She had a good feeling about
this new phase of her life. It was a new morning, a new start.

She
got up and dressed; then took her laptop with her down to the café for
breakfast. She thought that she would just check her e-mails and tie up a few
loose ends that she had forgotten in her rush to get away from her old life.
Phoebe was serving some customers and chatting familiarly with them. It seemed
that they must be some of the locals; the regulars Phoebe had mentioned. Chloe
greeted them all and took a seat in a booth at the window.

She
opened up her laptop and booted up while she looked at the breakfast menu. She
felt like a big breakfast, she thought she would abandon her strict healthy
eating habits in favour of pancakes and eggs and toast. Her body just needed
something extra today. She looked out the window and noticed her surroundings
and all the things she had not seen the afternoon before.

Across
the street was a huge park. It was very green and neatly landscaped. There
seemed to be a large duck pond with some benches along the bank. There were
pathways with quite a few people jogging and others picnicking on the grass
patches in between. What grabbed Chloe’s attention was the giant oak tree in
the middle of the park. It held her focus – there was just something about this
tree. She was so mesmerised and faraway with her thoughts that she did not hear
Phoebe approach.

“Chloe,
are you all right?” she giggled, as Chloe looked up after the third time she
called to her.

“Oh
my goodness, Phoebe! I am sorry, I didn’t hear you! I was looking out at the
park, I had not noticed it yesterday and I guess my mind wandered off,” Chloe
apologised profusely for being rude.

“Don’t
worry. You have a lot to take in and even though you had a good sleep, I am
sure it will still take a few days for you to start feeling human again. Can I
get you some coffee and what can I get you for breakfast?” There it was again,
that comforting nurturing that Chloe had seen the day before.

“I
am going to be very greedy this morning I am afraid. I am ravenous!” Chloe told
Phoebe what she had decided on.

“Of
course, I’ll make sure it is ready as quickly as possible,” Phoebe giggled in
the way Chloe had now heard a few times – not girlish, mature but with a hint
of the youthful spirit that danced behind those wise eyes.

Chloe
looked back out the window at the oak tree. There was now a little boy standing
underneath it and looking up into the branches. He had a cooler box next to
him. Chloe assumed he was about to picnic or had just finished a picnic. She didn’t
pay any more attention to it and focused on her laptop. She checked her
e-mails.

There
were two from her closest friends just asking if she had arrived anywhere in
particular and curious as to where she had chosen. They expressed their concern
and volunteered their support if she needed anything. It was good to feel their
friendship and care for her. She was going to miss them, but they had their own
lives. Vivienne had recently got married and Candice was expecting her second
baby so she didn’t feel like she was throwing away friendships that demanded
her constant presence. They had been friends since their school days and so she
was confident that they would keep in touch and update each other on what was
happening in each other’s lives.

Phoebe
arrived with the coffee and food simultaneously. That was something quite rare
in restaurants and Chloe liked it. The mixture of the aromas of coffee and
cinnamon and toast had Chloe’s belly grumbling loudly in anticipation. She and
Phoebe laughed out loud.

“I
will leave you in peace to satisfy that appetite of yours and then when you are
ready I would love to chat and see how we can help with whatever your next move
is” she said as she placed the plate in front of Chloe.

“Bon
appétit!”

“Thank
you” Chloe smiled up at her, “I am going to enjoy and savour every mouthful of
this.”

Phoebe
returned to the kitchen and Chloe began with her meal. She looked up out at the
park again. The little boy was now sitting on his cooler box just gazing up
into the tree’s branches. Very curious she thought. She watched him as she ate
and sipped her coffee. It took her about half an hour to finish and throughout
that time the little boy had remained where he was, just sitting on his cooler
box and looking up into the tree. Perhaps he was watching a bird nesting,
although as it was autumn she doubted that. Maybe there were squirrels then.
She found herself unusually interested in the child’s behaviour. Perhaps it was
the journalist in her looking for a story behind every day events, looking for
the extraordinary in the ordinary. She turned her attention to finishing the
rest of her meal. She didn’t want to keep Phoebe waiting too long for their
chat, especially as she had arrived for breakfast so late. She realised that
Phoebe would soon need to start preparing for the lunchtime intake of diners.