Desolation


Summer in the City
I was a disheveled, hungover, shamefaced guy, who rang to announce his return to London, a mere twenty four hours after leaving for Los Angeles. I'd traveled nine thousand miles in that time and had a heart as heavy as at any time in my life. My source of income was gone. My life was in tatters once more and for once, there was no stepping stone in sight, to take me to another starting point. My long suffering friends, Chris and Sigrun, welcomed me back, their worry for me masked behind hilarity, at my latest misadventure. I laughed too, it was too ridiculous not to. I had but one option open to me. I had to now sell my house to ensure enough money to survive and begin afresh elsewhere. This was it. The final pot of gold was about to be tapped. If that money disappeared, I would become destitute. I didn't want to do it, fearing the inevitable. I procrastinated a couple of months by signing on for unemployment benefits and working on Chris and Sigrun's house in payment for my board and food. I spent a week with my sister as well, doing some work on her daughter Aimee's bedroom.
Come Hither
As word of my predicament spread, odd people began to offer me work. Most were commission based sales jobs, which I would never consider. My future looked bleak. At forty three, it seemed I was on an employment scrap heap. I didn't want to work in the UK again anyway, so was unhappily attempting to find work. This, I discovered, is not a great way to get a job. At the weekends, I played cricket once more with Richard Harvey. He was remote, which disappointed me. I'd done as he asked of me in Antigua, but clearly Phil had come between us. Talking with others who knew Phil, I learned that the Sandhaven Hotel had deteriorated and was once more an eyesore on the beach. Henry, it transpired, had decided to become involved in the rampant drug scene out there. He'd evidently discovered a source of Crack Cocaine and had negotiated with the British police to become an informer. I knew he was playing with fire and was highly suspicious, when he returned to the UK in early September with a broken arm, apparently sustained when the hotel jeep fell on him. I decided he'd fallen foul of the drug barons on the island.
In August, a phone call came in from Ireland. It was Steve, suggesting I paid his family a visit. Having been bitten once by Mary, I wasn't about to agree. Only after she called herself with an invitation, did I agree to visit them, with no strings attached. Telling my sister I was going to find out what Mary was all about, I made plans to leave England at the end of September. After all, I'd always wanted to visit the land of my "father's".
Irish Eyes
I was looking forward to seeing Dublin, described by my friends as a great place. When I arrived at the beginning of October, it was wet and windy. Karen met me at the airport and took me to Blackrock, which is a small community perched at the south end of Dublin Bay. I had no money, which they knew. My morale was at a very low ebb when I sat down with Mary, Steve and Karen that first evening. Mary looked at me kindly, and told me I was welcome to stay as their guests, provided I understood I had to help around the house and there was no place for me in the business. There was no problem agreeing to that, because I knew I could never work with her. She had taken what was, I felt, my rightful position within the company, but, I was not about to fight.
The Power Within
The next morning, I took the two dogs for a walk along Dublin Bay. It was a walk I got to know well. On my return, I was asked to wash the dishes, something I did without enthusiasm, but recognising it was necessary to keep Mary happy. Then we sat and talked. Mary got onto the subject immediately. "You know you have power", she said. I nodded. " Well, I think you are a medium and if you would like me to, I will teach you how to become one." The actor in me took over as I excitedly told her I would love to learn. Then she explained I would have to do everything she told me to do in order to gain the necessary insight. Readily agreeing to do as she wished, I sat and listened as she explained what was to happen.