A Sketch Of What You Mean To Me Part 16

Tomorrow we'll take a cog-railway and a cable car to Gornergrat. It's 3089m above sea level and there is snow up there all year around. Maybe we'll get the chance for a s...o...b..ll fight =) I'll just continue writing here tomorrow, so, sleep well.

So, now we're on the train to Lugano which is in the Italian part of Switzerland. The scenery we ride through is simply amazing. Such tall mountains on both sides of us. Down here, everything is green and you know that it's summer but if you look up, you see that the mountain tips are covered with powdered sugar snow.

Today was awesome. The ride with the cable car alone was already an adventure. I felt a little dizzy so high from the ground, moving towards the sky.

There really was a little snow field up there. I should have remembered to bring a sweater. Was a little cold in my t-shirt...

Although we were up so high, I still felt small because there were so many taller mountains around us.

The best part of it wasn't even the amazing view, it was the air. I've never breathed such clean air in my life. I think it was like a trip to the spa for my lungs.

I'll write you again from the Italian part of Switzerland.

Take care until then.

xoxoxoxoxo Fiona Some mountain air probably wouldn't be the worst for mine and Lucy's blood either. But we would get our recuperation at Lake George. Therefore, I was slightly annoyed at my mom's first reaction.

'Is this getting serious between the two of you?' She asked me.

'What do you mean with serious? We're just friends and should be allowed to drive away together for a long weekend.'

My mom gave me a long look. 'You are very sweet with Lucy. I'd just imagine that Fiona would get jealous.'

'She has to learn to trust me and so should you.' I exclaimed. 'I should have just told you that I went with Eric. This conversation is not worth it. It's none of your business what I do or don't do with Lucy and I don't want to have a bad conscience for not doing anything.'

My mom smiled. 'You are right. I'm sorry.' She sighed. 'Lucy really doesn't look too good though. Be careful with her.'

'I had cancer myself. I hope I know when to push her and when not to.' I gave back, walking out of the room. I knew my mom only acted this way because she cared but now it felt like too much caring. Something was clear now though; I wouldn't tell Fiona in an e-mail that I was going away with Lucy. Too much room for misunderstandings. This would have to wait until she's back.

Chapter 20.

Subject: Switzerland h.e.l.lo my dear It felt like Christmas when I received that envelope with all your letters. Again, I wished I could have visited all these places with you and floated down this river, too.

However, my bag is packed; tomorrow I'll head up to Lake George. I can't wait. Maybe afterward, you will also receive a longer e-mail because I will actually have something interesting to tell you.

I wished I could hold you in my arms now.

Counting the days.

Kev The next morning I found Lucy cheerful on the bench in the hospital garden at the appointed time. She was even wearing the surfer towel.

'Ready?' I asked.

'Yep, sooo ready, let's roll.' She got up with a small backpack in her hands.

'I hope you didn't pack a book.' I pointed my eyes towards her bag. 'I need somebody to talk to while I am driving.'

She laughed. 'I had to, if not my parents would have got suspicious.'

'What did you tell them anyway?'

'I told them the truth actually. They didn't like it at all and we had an argument about it but it was worth it for in the end they realized that they can't keep me like a prisoner on parole and that I still have the right to make new experiences and have some fun. I need to call them tonight though.'

I laughed. 'Sounds like the conversation I had with my mom.' Then I frowned. 'But now they probably dislike me even more than before.'

'They never disliked you. They mainly didn't want you to,' she hesitated, 'grow too attached to me. They probably wanted to keep me for themselves.' Lucy nudged me.

'Your parents should read the poem that is inscribed into my birth photo alb.u.m. Something like; your children are not your children.' I hesitated to think how it went on. I once learned it by heart for a social studies project during High School. Now it felt as if that was decades ago. Still, the words came back to me, 'they are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts.' Lucy listened intensely. 'You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.' I opened the car door for her. 'I've read it so many times and I'm still not sure whether I have understood it right but I just love how it sounds. Above all that we live in the tomorrow. So that like every generation always brings something new which the older generation can't understand and it's important that we move on to something different.'

'How wise. Who wrote this?' She climbed into the seat and then closed her eyes for a moment letting go of a breath.

'Khalil Gibran. Are you okay?'

'Yes, this seat was just quite high to get on to.'

It was a normal pick-up truck.

She continued. 'I know that my parents do above all love me. Perhaps even a little too much. But they already had to suffer so much because of me; I'd like to keep it at a minimum bay for as long as I have an influence over it.'

I nodded. 'What music would you like to listen to? There are some discs in the glove box, you can pick one.' I pointed to the box.

So from then on, we were rolling along with Gym Cla.s.s Heroes in the background.

We arrived at Lake George shortly after 1 pm and had lunch at a small diner in town.

'I can't believe there still is the same ice cream truck.' I pointed out excitedly. 'And in that Italian restaurant, there is a pinball machine.'

Lucy laughed. 'I imagine you were as hyped when you came here on vacations as a child.'

'I'm just happy to be back.' I replied. 'Instant holiday mood.' I put my fingers together like a zen yogi.

After lunch, we drove to the address which Amy, our Couchsurfer, had written us. We pulled into a private driveway leading towards a house slightly hidden by the forest. The house wasn't big but it had a nice wraparound porch with chairs installed on it.

I stopped on the graveled parking lot. A red haired woman with a very big belly became visible behind the screen door.

We both climbed out of the car and she waved at us, so we made our way towards her.

'Hi, Amy, nice place you've got here.' I said.

'Yes, it's wonderful to live where other people spend the few days of the year on which they want to forget all their stress.' She smiled and stepped away from the door so that we could enter. I was fanning myself. Today was turning into a rather hot day. I hadn't really noticed it with the AC in the car.

'I know and in my condition this heat is hardly bearable. I'm glad that I could cut back at work and can spend most of the time inside these cool four walls. I don't want to imagine what it would be like carrying this one through August, too.' Amy tapped on her stomach.

'Well, it doesn't look like this one will have to stay in there for much longer.' Lucy smiled.

'No, two more weeks.' Amy leaned against a counter and pointed around herself.

'This is the living room and as you can see, we do have a couch but it's quite small. For Lucy alone it would probably work. But usually our Couchsurfers stay in the guest room with a real bed.' Amy said.

I shot Lucy a glance. I naturally a.s.sumed that Lucy and I would sleep on separate couches or in sleeping bags.

Lucy shrugged. 'The guest room sounds great, Amy. So, you already had Couchsurfers at your house?' She then asked.

'Yes, many. From the west coast, from Canada, from Norway, France and Spain.' Amy listed. 'With some of them we're still in contact.'

I noticed many pictures of Amy and Ben travelling together. I had to think of Fiona who was jetting around Europe right then, without me. I wanted to be there with her. We should have shared such an adventure together. We. I wondered whether there ever could be again the "we" that we used to be.

Amy pulled me out of my thoughts.

'So, unfortunately, I can't accompany you but that's definitely worth doing.'

'Sounds like fun, let's go there, Kevin.' Lucy looked at me with enthusiastic eyes.

'Sure, where?'

'Haven't you been listening?' Lucy shook her head. 'To that canoeing place.'

'Ah yeah. Good idea.' I liked canoeing.

Amy wrote down the directions for us and we got back into the car for the short drive. I parked in a secluded forest area next to the lake. The trees lined up on the waterfront and green branches were hanging into the water. In the middle of this idyllic scene was a little cottage which was like a garage for small boats.

There was an entrance with a dusty counter on the far side of the water. As we waited there, we heard footsteps and shortly afterward, an old man arrived. He was dressed in Jeans and a tank top and from the sweat, we could guess that he must have been working.

We paid for two hours and the man took us inside the cottage where all the boats were stored. He handed us some lifejackets which we put on. The center of the cottage was hollow and open, so that the water could float inside. Some boats and canoes were already in the water; others were piled up along the walls. I steadied the canoe for Lucy when she climbed into the boat and once I sat down as well, the guy gave us a little push out of the shade of the cottage and suddenly we were under the bright sun above Lake George.

'It's beautiful.' Lucy leaned back. 'Look how nice it is with the trees surrounding the water and the blue sky in the background.'

With a few strokes I moved us even further out on the lake.

'Yes, wonderful. How about we paddle to that island?' I pointed to the center of the lake about 300 yards from us.

'Yes, Amy said it's the best place to swim because there aren't as many people.'

With each of my movements, we glided further across the surface of the water.

'Do you want to paddle?' I offered after a while.

'Why, are you tired?'

'No, it's fun. I thought maybe you wanted to also.'

'Okay.' She said and I gave her the paddles.

Lucy had a great handling with them but after about 10 strokes she rested and we slowed down in silence. I looked around and felt tiny on that big lake.

Lucy let go of a long breath. 'My arms are tired already. I don't have any muscles anymore.'

I took the paddles from her. 'That's okay. The guy is supposed to row anyway and the lady should just enjoy.'

We reached the island after about 15 minutes and canoed along the sh.o.r.e to find a good landing. Some other people swam in the water and rested ash.o.r.e but we found a small area without anybody else around yet. I hopped into the water which was about knee deep so close to the island and pulled the canoe next to the gra.s.s, that Lucy could climb out.

'What a service.' She smiled.

We took a walk to explore the island for a while. Mainly trees and bushes. There was an area with fireplaces and a group of students was having a barbecue. Although we had lunch not that long ago the smell of meat made my mouth water.

'So, are you up for a swim?' I asked when we were back at our canoes.

Lucy weighed her head from one side to the other. 'After you.'

I stripped off my shirt and waded into the water. I turned around. Lucy still had all her clothes on. 'Are you coming or what?' I yelled.

'Isn't it too cold?' She responded.

'No, it's like being reborn, come on, it's such a hot day.'

'I forgot to put on my bikini.' She tried weakly.

I waded back. 'I know you're wearing your bikini. You changed in Amy's bathroom and I can see the ribbons of it behind your neck. You will feel great.' I a.s.sured her.

She grimaced. I didn't understand why she was acting so bizarre.

'We extra drove so far and it's such a nice day. Shouldn't you want to enjoy the water?'

'Fine.' She sighed. 'Just don't say anything about how I look.'

'Ah, that again. I told you, girls would kill to be as thin as you are.'

Lucy then also took off all the layers of clothes until the pink bikini and the surfer bandana were the only things she was wearing. She really did look as if the slightest breeze could knock her down but that didn't make her anything less beautiful.

Carefully she sat on the edge of the water and simply dangled the legs into it for a while.

I swam away from her on my back.

'So, come on now, you see, not cold at all.'

She also walked into the water until it reached her bottom.

'The stomach is always the hardest part.' Her teeth chattered.

'You can't be cold already?' I asked disbelievingly.

'Just a little, I told you, my body isn't the best protection anymore. But I can do this.' She smiled. 'Count me in.'