Chapter 11: Homecoming Discussions

Unusually, the passengers had all boarded the aircraft quickly and the flight was able to leave early. On the flight, the captain managed to make up even more time. Since Bristol isn't a particularly busy airport, they were not 'stacked' on approach to the airport, so they landed twenty minutes early.

"That was unusual." commented Maxxie, "Early arrivals at the London airports usually end up flying around in circles for anything up to an hour. Let's hope Sid and Cassie have kept an eye on the arrivals information."

"And Alo for that matter." said Rich.

Bristol is a small airport, so the Immigration, baggage and Customs formalities did not take long. The little group of seven, that is Maxxie, Rich, Caterina, Angela with Sandra and her parents managed to stay together as they emerged into the public arrivals area.

As hoped for, Alo, Sid and Cassie were waiting for them. As a bonus, Alo was already talking with Cassie and Sid by the time the seven pilgrims came out into the public area of the airport.

When Cassie recognised Caterina, she ran forward, and embraced her, holding her so tight, it was almost as if her friend might disappear if she let go.

"You're looking wonderful." said Cassie, breathlessly, "Have you enjoyed your trip?"

"Yes!" said Caterina, "It was amazing. I'll tell you all about it later. Anyway, how are you these days? You look as if you're thriving."

"I'm okay, but I've missed you." said Cassie, "Let's go for that coffee Maxxie mentioned in his message."

After a very short discussion, they all headed for the Costa coffee shop as it appeared to have more vacant seating. Finding a couple of adjacent tables, they moved them together and acquired a couple more chairs, so that all ten people could sit together.

"Perhaps some introductions might be in order." said Maxxie, turning towards Sid, "This is Sid, and his girlfriend, Cassie."

Turning towards Angela and Rich, he continued, "This is Angela, with her boyfriend Rich, also, this is Sandra Rashbrook with her parents, George and Cynthia."

Rich completed the introductions by indicating Alo, as his closest friend at Roundview.

"I trust you got our messages about parking." said George.

"We did." said Sid, "Although Alo, here is in a different part of the car park, as his van is too tall for the regular areas."

"That's okay." said George, "I'll pay for the parking when we all leave here. What do you all want?"

"We'll help carry them to the table." offered Alo and Maxxie.

Once the coffees, six lattes, one cappuccino and two white Americanos had been prepared, George, Alo and Maxxie returned to the table.

"I've heard a lot of good things about you." said George, addressing Cassie, "I was so intrigued, I really wanted to meet you. From what I've been told you seem too wonderful to be true."

Cassie blushed.

"I try to be nice to people, when I can." said Cassie, "But it doesn't always work."

Both George and Rich were enchanted by Cassie's gentle voice, her lively eyes and her sweet smile.

"I can already sense that there's something special about you." said George, "It's little wonder that Maxxie and Caterina were so complementary about you."

"I could say they're biased." said Cassie, "Katie's been a very dear friend through my worst times when I was in that rehab clinic."

The word 'rehab' caused George to come to a totally wrong conclusion about Cassie.

"What was your addiction?" asked George.

"I wasn't addicted to drugs or drink, if that's what you're thinking." said Cassie, "I was feeling worthless, so I stopped eating. Katie was my roommate at the clinic. She kept me on an even keel when things got really bad."

"And Cassie was the sweet angel who helped me to survive our time there." said Caterina, "We were in there for different, but related problems."

"How are things now?" asked George.

"I'm a lot better now." said Cassie, "Sid has convinced me I'm not useless by taking the time to get to know me, and I've got a lot of friends now, who I trust. Life has become worth living."

Cassie looked round and smiled at everyone. Sid kissed her cheek.

"How did you two happen to get together?" asked Rich.

"I'm almost embarrassed to say this." said Sid, "But my 'friend' Tony thought that I should cease to be a virgin by my sixteenth birthday, so he set me up with Cass."

"To give him his due," said Cassie, "He didn't do what his friend expected. He took the trouble to get to know me. You could say 'the rest is history'."

"Yes." said Sid, "We've had our ups and downs, but once Cassie had got 'under my skin', I realised our futures were connected. Your first meeting was probably a lot simpler."

"Yes, it was." said Angela, "He approached me, asking for a date, and I told him where to go in no uncertain terms."

"It was embarrassing." said Rich, "We were in the college library, and everyone in there must have heard our exchange."

"You were dressed like a hell's Angel." cut in Alo, "And you had long greasy hair, so Angela's reaction was to be expected."

"Anyway," said Rich, "I thought that was it. My ginger friend here did introduce another girl to me and we had a steady relationship for a while. I really did think we might have had a future."

"What happened there?" asked Sid.

"Someone who seemed a lot more desirable than me captured Grace's heart." said Rich, "I can't feel too bad about that. Gavin did need Grace's tranquilising presence far more than me, so I had to accept the situation. The week after 'losing' her, I was in Nürnburg, with my father, learning about the Nazis and the Holocaust, and Angela, who was on a similar 'educational' trip, heard me talking in English. She approached me. We got talking. After a while, she recognised who I was. She apologised profusely for her earlier reaction. Over the next couple of weeks, we just 'clicked'. It happened so fast. By the time we returned from Poland, we considered ourselves to be a couple."

"He was dressed like a normal person." said Angela, "I didn't recognise him with his hair short, but I'm glad I talked to him. I'd really misjudged him. We're so close now."

Angela put her arm across Rich's shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"You said you met in Nürnburg." said Cassie, somewhat puzzled, "I thought that was in Germany."

"My parents were taking me on an identical itinerary to Rich's." said Angela, "After Nürnburg and the Nazi parade grounds, we flew to Kraków. That's where we saw the more unpleasant side of the Nazi regime; the ghetto and Auschwitz. We also learnt about Oskar Schindler."

"I also went with Angela's folks to a number of Catholic pilgrimage sites." said Rich, "We visited Wadowice, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, and the black Madonna at Czestochowa among others."

"I must say Rich is very observant." said Angela, "He noticed a road sign saying Oświęcim one way and Wadowice the other and commented 'One way to heaven, the other to hell'."

"I guess that's when you started to be interested in the Catholic Church." observed Cassie.

Yes, it was." said Rich, "Although it did take me some time to get around the role of 'Our Lady' in Catholic worship."

"I had similar problems." said Maxxie, "Even though I had been brought up as a Catholic."

"What happened?" asked Cassie, "I don't think you've told us anything about that one. I've always thought of you as someone without any particular belief."

"I suppose I sort of drifted away from the Church after my confirmation." said Maxxie, "That was at about the time I began to believe I was gay. I felt that the Church's attitude to gays wasn't exactly positive. I think you know about the time I met this wonderful lady sitting next to me and realised I might be 'normal', whatever that might mean, after all."

"Let me get this right." said Cassie, "Your pilgrimage to Međugorje was to crystallise your thoughts about the Virgin Mary?"

"In a word, yes." said Maxxie, "The same goes for Rich."

"Yes," said Rich, "I suppose you could have classified me as 'no particular belief' until I met Angela and visited the Catholic shrines in Poland with her."

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, Cassie," said George, "But there's something about you that I can't quite put my finger on. My first impression of you is that you seem to be a really gentle, tranquil person. Your deep tranquility is contagious. I don't think anyone could feel agitated in your presence. I believe you have had an emotionally testing time at about the time you met Sid, but you seem to have survived it wonderfully."

Cassie blushed. Here was a complete stranger saying complementary things about her character, which she didn't really believe could be true. She knew she had made Sid feel good, even before she had spoken to him. She still took it with a pinch of salt when people said she was beautiful.

"Grace mark one!" commented Rich.

"Who's Grace?" asked Maxxie.

"You could say that she was my previous girlfriend before I met Angela." said Rich.

"Yes," said Alo, "She was the girl I introduced to Rich following his somewhat inept encounter with Angela in the library. I felt she might be able to smooth out his rough edges and make him more 'human', somehow."

"What was she like?" asked George.

"She was a gentle, compassionate and understanding person who, like Cassie seems to, had this aura of serenity about her." said Alo, "She seemed to be able to generate an atmosphere of love and tranquility around her just by being her. Oh, I didn't mention, she was exceptionally beautiful, with cascades of long black curly hair and the most amazing dark brown eyes."

It was clear from what Alo had just said, that he had been deeply affected by the atmosphere of calmness that seemed to surround Cassie.

"The only problem was that she was the College Director's daughter," said Rich, "So I had to be very careful what I said to her. I've already explained how I 'lost' her. That hurt, but thanks to Angela, the pain didn't last more than a few days."

"I seem, by good fortune to have encountered a group of exceptionally pleasant young people." said George, "Anyway Cassie, you look as if you're happy with your lot."

"Yes I am." said Cassie, displaying one of her sweetest smiles, "I've got everything I could have wished for; a comfortable home, good friends and Sid, despite his, shall we say, clumsy start to our relationship, has come to be just the type of young man I would wish for. He's kind, considerate and thoughtful. He is my rock. I couldn't wish for anyone better. I know he looks ordinary, but you can't judge a book by its cover."

It was Sid's turn to blush.

"Alo, I understand you're giving us a lift home." said George.

"That's right," said Alo, "There's enough seats in my van to take you as well as Rich and Angela."

"You didn't bring your young lady with you." observed George.

"She's at home on the farm, looking after little Grace." said Alo, "She's still a bit small to come out with us."

"Oh yes," said George, "I remember now. You're the one whose girl chose to keep her baby. Rich mentioned you when we were discussing some of the homilies delivered by Irish priests about the right to life. How is she handling her life now she's an unmarried mother?"

"Surprisingly, she's taken to it like a duck to water." said Alo, "She so loves little Grace, and so do I for that matter. She won't be unmarried for very much longer, we're tying the knot in September when the harvest is over, and just before I take up the place I've been offered at Cirencester University. She's quite looking forward to her future role as a farmer's wife."

"Yes, Mini is the member of our little group of friends who has changed most." said Rich, "When I first met her, she was the typical 'blonde bombshell' in our group; very much style over substance. She was a bit of an airhead, but once she got to know Alo, she started to take life more seriously. That was long before she got pregnant."

"I started out on this pilgrimage feeling a tad sceptical about you two young couples." said George, "However, you've all behaved impeccably and shown a serious side I didn't believe was present in today's youth. I see before me seven young people I've only met in the last week or so, who are taking life seriously, but still finding enjoyment. You've restored my faith in the next generation."

"Thank you." said Maxxie, "And that goes for all of us. I think Everyone in our group of friends is taking life seriously."

Once they had drained their coffees, George escorted them towards the car park, paid for both Alo's and Sid's parking before they picked up their passengers and returned them to their respective homes after a surprisingly satisfying pilgrimage. Maxxie and Caterina arranged to keep in touch with their new Bristol friends about future pilgrimages.