An unexpected meeting

Ann woke to the sound of ravens fighting on her roof. They were there most mornings, squabbling and rattling their beaks and claws on the skylight above her living room. She groggily propped herself up against the bed head and waited for the room to come into focus.

“Oy! Quiet, you lot,” she managed, after a while. “What's the argument over this morning?” The noise stopped for a moment, but none of the ravens bothered to reply.

“That's better. Now for some coffee.”

She pulled herself out of bed, straightened her kaftan and put on her slippers. Ann made her way down the corridor, through the living room to the kitchen. She switched on the kettle, put out a cup and put two crumpets in the toaster. She sat on the bench, with her arm resting on the bread keeper.

“What a week it's been,” she said to herself. “It's no guess why my body's so upset with me.”

Ann's work at the hospital often left her exhausted. She was doing a rotation in the Emergency Department and the strange hours and irregular weekly timetables were having an adverse affect on her sleeping patterns.

She finished her coffee, ate one of the crumpets with apricot jam and left the other with just butter for later. She got dressed, brushed her teeth, packed her satchel, picked up the buttered crumpet and stepped out into the sunlight. She locked the front door behind her, folder in one hand, keys in the other and the crumpet held between her teeth.

The sunlight warmed her face, while the cold morning air brought a crisp chill. The walk to the hospital took her past a retirement village filled with rows of identical houses and gardens that had all manner of colourful flowers. One of the residents greeted Ann with a wave as she passed the driveway. Ann responded with a smile, trying to think whether she'd ever treated the waving gentleman. She hadn't finished the train of thought when she was startled by a shout from behind. She turned around to see a fellow intern from the E.D. running towards her.

“Ann! You- You're carrying your work gear. What's up?” panted the tall, sharply dressed man.

“What's up? Work's up, Hugh. That's what's up.”

“But, Ann, don't you remember- ?” Hugh smiled, waiting for the realisation to dawn.

“Sorry, what are you talking about...?” Ann though for a moment, “Oh, yes! That's right! So sorry. I remember, you called, didn't you. You're taking this shift so you can stay longer with your...?”

“Cousins, yes. Up north. It's no problem. Is it still OK?”

“Oh, yes, fine,” said Ann, glad to have a day of leisure.

“Well, I'd best get going, then. Sorry you had to walk this far.”

“Never mind. I think I'll just continue into town. I hope today's not too heavy on the ward. Have a good day.” Ann tucked her folder into her bag.

“Yeah, you too. Enjoy your freedom.” Hugh smiled then turned and left.

Ann stood on the spot. She thought about what she might do in town. There were groceries to buy, she could visit a friend and of course, she did need more baking trays. She examined the skyline. The car park that was attached to the shopping centre could be seen above the houses, as well as the palms that lined main street. To the right of this, a hill stretched upward covered with a housing estate. The cathedral could be seen near the base, and a river and grove wound its way down to the city centre, marking the boundary between the old suburb and the new. She wasn't sure what to do with this unexpected freedom. First, she decided she would head for the cathedral.

It didn't take long before she was climbing the steep driveway to the big, blue-stone building. When she reached the entrance, instead of going in to pray or to admire the beautiful architecture, she sought out the small path around the side. It ran between the side of the building and the surrounding hedgerows. Once it past the vestry, the path presented her with two options; one track lead to the community centre next door and the other zigzagged up a small hill, behind the church. Ann's eyes followed the path to the top of the hill, where she saw a shape she recognised at once.

Her strong legs propelled her forward, as she bounded up the dusty path to the lookout at the top. The large fish turned to see where the footsteps were coming from.

“Ann? Why it is Ann! Hello! Come to join me?” Carl asked, pleased to have some company.

“Hi, Carl! It's so good to see you!” Ann greeted him, hiding her shortness of breath. “What are you doing up here? And by yourself!”

“I could ask the same of you. I was just on my way back from shopping,” Carl said, patting the shopping bags beside him, “when I felt that it had been too long since I'd been up here. I mean, each week we go to church here, but usually after the morning tea we're back off home, or off to lunch at a friend's place.”

“I see what you mean. What about the bookshop? Is it closed today?”

“Oh, no. Hori's got it under control. I was just on an errand to make sure there was ample food in the pantry for tonight,” explained Carl. “You're off work today, then?”

“Yes. Bit of a mix up. I was rostered on for today, but forgot that I'd agreed to swap shifts with a friend. Never mind. I'm glad I ran into you. That is, I'm glad I spotted you up here. What's the plan for the rest of the day.”

“In the grand scheme of things, I suppose I should make it back to the shop before Hori closes up, but for now I wouldn't mind sitting here a while longer. Although, the morning's chill hasn't worn off. Will you be alright up here, exposed to the wind? You could probably fit your legs under the end of my scarf.” Carl held out the end of his woollen scarf to Ann.

“Thanks. It'd be nice to take in the view for a bit.”

The view was stunning. They could see from the lakes to the farms and right across the city. The pair sat there on the grass and took turns pointing out their favourite coffee shops, restaurants and bike trails (although Carl wasn't much of a cyclist). When they felt they'd exhausted that avenue of diversion, they turned on the spot to look up at the suburbs that were sprawled out behind them. Ann pointed out various friends' houses until Carl drew their attention to the clouds that seemed determined to settle over them. As soon as the sky started to spit, they hurried down the hill to take shelter in the church.