Wish You Were Here

 Wish You Were Here 

By Jane Scoggins 

   Gwen’s trip to the charity shop started a few months after her husband Jim had passed away. It had been the Macmillan nurse who had suggested that Gwen might like to give some of Jim’s clothes to the hospice shop. Although she had nursed Jim through his illness, and knew that time was short, she had still been completely overwhelmed by grief when he died. The visiting nurses had given such a professional and supportive service to them both. After his passing the nurses had continued to visit regularly through the practicalities and emotional turmoil she found difficult to cope with. For the first few months Gwen found comfort in opening Jim’s wardrobe or chest-of-drawers and  holding a piece of his clothing to her face to breath in any lingering smell of him, or  to stroke a favourite wool sweater. At the point she felt it was the right time to sort out Jim’s clothes she asked one of the nurses what she thought she could do with her husband’s good suit, his sheepskin jacket and the almost new shirts and sweaters. The nurse, sensitive to Gwen’s emotions suggested she may like to donate them to the hospice charity shop. Jim had been cared for several times in the local hospice for short periods to review his medication and give Gwen a break from his care. She thought this a good idea, and the nurse offered to take them when she was ready to pack them up. Time passed and Gwen coped better with her grief. She ventured out more to spend time with friends. During a visit to the town she ventured into the charity shop. She was relieved not to see any of Jim’s clothes on the rails, afraid she might become tearful. Browsing in the shop she chose to buy a couple of books, a CD and a slim glass vase, just right for a bloom or two from her small garden. On the way to the counter to pay, something hanging from a hook caught her eye. It was a cloth bag made from deep purple velvet. It looked homemade and the things that made it distinctive were the badges pinned or sewn onto the front flap. Intrigued Gwen looked closer. The sewn on badges were from Cornwall, Paris, Nice, Moscow, Sri Lanka and Chile. Gwen could only imagine what it was like to travel the world, but she and Jim had been to Cornwall many times in their camper van and it held many happy memories. The pinned on badges were of Greenpeace, CND, Amnesty International and Love Books. The bag and its badges somehow resonated with Gwen and impulsively she took it to the till with the book CD and vase she had also selected.

At home Gwen put on the kettle and the CD. She hummed along to the Songs of the 70’s and examined the bag again. Smiling at her impulsiveness for buying a  rather well worn bag for the badges, she felt her spirits lift. Having made a mug of tea she reached for the sugar bowl and knocked the mug over. Hot tea spilled over the worktop where the bag sat. The bottom of the velvet fabric thirstily soaked up the tea and left very little to mop up. Dismayed, Gwen reached for a cloth and tried to sponge it clean but soon realised that it would need more serious attention. Putting the plug in the sink, Gwen ran the tap and dunked the soggy bottom of the bag in the cold water. After lifting it out Gwen began to squeeze the water out. The base was heavy with sodden cardboard or padding  so snipping away some stitches she reached in to remove it. To her surprise it was not cardboard but a plastic bag with two neat piles side by side of 20 pound notes wrapped in cloth and with a letter:

  ‘Dear stranger,

I am so glad you have my bag and have discovered this hidden treasure trove. It is a gift for you.

 

Yes, it really is. Let me explain. After many years as a free spirit travelling, and supporting good causes close to my heart, I am now housebound and reliant on others for the first time in my life and having to live any unfulfilled dreams  through others. I have decided to give away some of my possessions and treasures. The velvet bag I was undecided about but hoped I would take pot luck and give it away in the hope that someone else would treasure it and discover the hidden money. I would like you to use the money to fulfil a dream. Life is short and we should enjoy it whilst we can. Of course you may decide to pay your electric bill or have the house painted that is up to you. But I hope that if you are the person I think you are, you will take a leap of faith and do something out of the ordinary. The Norwegian fjords, the Northern Lights, The Rocky Mountains are all spectacular. If it is peace you prefer, a Hebridean croft. I have been living in Essex for some time but feel the time is right now to return to my native Cornwall. If you decide to follow a dream I have included a PO Box number. And if you wish, and only if you wish, perhaps you would write and tell me of your adventure.

Wishing you happiness

Rose  

 After Gwen had read and re read the letter she sat thoughtfully for a while before saying out loud

 ‘Well Jim, what a bolt out of the blue this is! But I am not going to waste an opportunity, I'm going to do it Jim. I'm going to do what we always said we would do together; if and when we had the time and money. I'm going to Nepal to walk in the Himalayan mountains, stay in a teahouse and watch the sunrise from the Annapuri Sanctuary. You will be with me all the way, and I will send Rose a postcard. 

 

Copyright Jane Scoggins