It was mid-November when Oliver returned to England. We had spoken most evenings via Skype – what a marvellous invention that is. Harold hadn’t been allowed home yet but was making good progress. He should be home for Christmas. His speech was slow and he was slightly paralysed down one side. Slowly, physiotherapy was bringing sensation back to his hand and leg.
I had met Oliver at Heathrow and we went back to his house. Surprisingly, I'd never been there before. It was a three-bedroom detached house in a quiet cul-de-sac. Although it hadn't been lived in for three months, and Oliver had left in a rush, it was neat, tidy and welcoming - there was a vase of fresh flowers on the hall table. Noticing my surprise, he told me he had a cleaner who usually came twice a week. While he had been away, the lady had been coming once a week to ensure the place didn't look too unoccupied.
I was given a quick tour of the house, finishing with a view of his bedroom. There was nothing feminine about it, but neither was it obviously masculine. There were no posters or models. The bed was king-sized and the bed linen plain sky blue apart from dark blue pillow cases. "It looks very comfortable," I told him. I had hoped he would want me to stay and I had brought an overnight bag, just in case.
"I've always found it so," he replied, his face serious. "But I've only ever slept in it on my own. Would I be overstepping any boundaries if I asked if you would be willing to see how comfortable it is for two?" As he said this his eyes twinkled. I wrapped by arms round his neck.
"I was hoping you'd ask," I told him, kissing him deeply for the umpteenth time that day.
"I thought as much," he grinned. "I noticed your overnight bag behind the back seat. But before we test the comfort of the bed for two, experimentally of course, I have some calls to make and we are going out for a meal. I haven't had a decent Greek meal for months."
Oliver’s two weeks home were two of the happiest weeks of my life. We visited his mother, as much to update her on Harold’s condition and how Eleanor was coping, as to introduce me to her. She was frail and hadn’t coped too well since her husband’s death. And the situation in Canada had taken its toll on her, too. She was delighted that we had called on her. She didn’t have a computer, or a phone that she could see images on.
Oliver had brought his laptop with him and something called a dongle so he could use the laptop when there was no broadband in the house. His mother was overjoyed when he was able to Skype Eleanor and actually see her and talk to her and her grandsons. It made her feel so much better than just a talk on the phone.
Harold was improving all the time and they were hopeful he would be able to come home for Christmas, even if it was just for a few days.
"Isn't it wonderful that we can see them and talk to them," his mother said when the call had ended. "But why do we have to go via the Isle of Skye?"
Oliver explained that it was just a computer program that was called Skype. It had nothing to do with Scotland or Scottish islands.
"I can get you a laptop so you can call them," Oliver offered. "Would you like that?" Her mother said she was too old to learn to use a computer, but Oliver said he would set it up to make it easy for her. She was sceptical, but eventually agreed to let him try as long as he wasn't upset if she didn't use it.
We stayed overnight, sleeping in separate rooms so as not to cause his mother any embarrassment. The following day we bought her a simple computer and a dongle and set it up so she could call either him or Eleanor. He helped her call him via his laptop to get her used to using it.
Later we took her out for a tea at a local hotel, took her back home and set out on our return journey. His mother had been saddened that we had to leave so soon. She and I had already formed a bond. "You look after her," she had whispered to him as we were about to leave, but not too quietly so I couldn't hear. "She's not like Ruth; she's someone you can depend on."
"I know," he had replied as he hugged her. "I've waited a long time for her, but it has been worth it. We'll be back to see you before I go back to Canada."