Day 3: Canterbury
Chris woke early, as always on pilgrimage, and most of his life. He made his way to the shower and let the water run over his body. He remembered the night before and smiled. So many of his old feelings for Kate had resurfaced. Including his strong desire for her. Her intellect and confidence had initially attracted him, and she had grown into woman he respected and admired.
Her beauty hadn't faded either. Kate's broad hips and full breasts had undergone the changes that everyone goes through as they age, but that gorgeous curvy figure still attracted him, just as surely as the first day he saw her. And her smile. That slightly crooked little smile. He never understood why, but it always made his heart soar when he saw it. His cock stirred as he remembered seeing her ass sway as she walked, conflating memories of it from his youth, and the preceding two days.
He had put all those feelings away, years ago, lived a life without her, but now those feelings pushed back with an almost overwhelming force. He considered reaching for the soap to stroke himself but shook his head. He needed to keep his distance. While last night wasn't a mistake, he supposed it could easily become one.
He turned to business and quickly dressed and packed for the day.
***
As the bus merged from the A46 onto the M4 and the ride smoothed out a bit, Chris stood in the aisle and steadied himself against the two front seats.
"We have a bit of a ride this morning as we are headed to Canterbury. I'm sure you all know Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It's about a group of pilgrims who tell their stories as they make their way there. My favorite is The Miller's tale," a few chuckled, knowing the story's reputation for ribald humor, "but I always enjoyed the Wife of Bath too."
"I talked the other morning about 'thin places' and Chaucer wrote about them over six hundred years ago. He called them 'liminal places,' but the idea is the same. As we will learn today, there's been some kind of religious site at or near the Cathedral since at least Roman times. Many have argued that sites like Canterbury develop because it's a thin place. We'll have a guided tour late this morning, with an expert from the Cathedral leading us. And then free time through the afternoon. We'll meet at the hotel, which is just around the corner from the Cathedral at four and then walk back to the Cathedral for Evensong. As usual, you're on your own for dinner."
More of the group sat together in pairs, and Meg and Kate buddied up.
"Kate, I see that Sarah's free and I thought I might see if she wants to bum around together this afternoon and have dinner," Meg said as she rose from her seat and moved forward.
Seconds after Meg left her seat, not even long enough for it to cool, John slinked into it. He caught Kate by surprise, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted his company.
"Good morning, Kate," he greeted her with a smile that felt disingenuous.
"Good morning, John. Did you have a good day yesterday?"
They chatted for a few moments about the Roman Baths, and Bath in general. John had eaten alone the night before and Kate sensed his hurt feelings from that.
"Would you like to join me for dinner tonight?" John asked.
"Oh, Gosh, John, that's nice, but Meg and I have plans; another night perhaps?" Kate deflected.
Before John could respond, Meg returned. "Hi John," her voice cold and almost accusatory, "you're in my seat."
John stood, "I hope another night then!"
As John moved away and Meg sat down, Kate looked at her puzzled. "That was a little unfriendly?"
"I think he's tried to date every single woman in the parish." Meg said, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "Sarah's got other plans, should we ask anyone else?"
Martha, who sat just in front of them with Kristin, turned around in her seat. "Yeah, John asked me out too. He's looking for love, but in all the wrong places." The four women cackled with laughter. "Could we join you this afternoon and for dinner?"
Kate sat in silence as Meg, Kristin and Martha began to talk about what all they might do for the day. She certainly didn't find John attractive, but she also couldn't blame him. She knew the heartache of loneliness. She realized that she had pushed away friends over this last year, isolating herself. She didn't want to live in loneliness anymore.
***
Chris enjoyed taking a back seat to the local guide, Martin. When he first started leading tours, colleagues had recommended Martin for his many years as a docent at the Cathedral. Even though Chris had heard the spiel before, Martin's delivery and knowledge made his talks worthy of hearing over and over.
As they got ready to break for the afternoon, Chris approached John. "Hey John, do you want to have dinner with Bill, Jane and me tonight? I know a great pub, or if you'd rather, some really good Indian food."
John cocked his head and what started as a sneer quickly became a smile, "Yes, sure. That sounds like fun. Tell me, how do you decide who and what combinations to join for dinner?"
Chris kind of blinked, "Well you know John, it's really mostly just who I run into. I put you on the top of my list for tonight since I said no last night. But I ran into Bill and Jane first thing and they asked. So, I thought it might be a good group of four?"
"Ah, I see, well great then. I assume we'll just walk from here?" They concluded the logistics and Chris headed to the hotel.
***
As the group walked together to Evensong, Chris caught up to Kate, Meg, Kristin and Martha, who walked together a little ahead of the rest of the group. "Hey ladies, did you have a good afternoon?"
Kate heard Chris's voice and couldn't help smiling. "Hi, Chris," she turned. "Yeah, we shopped and,'' she giggled, "are you allowed to go to Evensong after a gin and tonic?" She quickly added, putting up her hands, "Asking for a friend."
The other ladies burst into giggles and shushed her jokingly. "Don't tell all our secrets!"
"I will admit to nothing, but let's just say if having a drink before evensong is a sin, I might need some absolution."
The ladies all laughed conspiratorially.
"What's so funny?" John interjected from a meter or so behind them.
John's interruption dampened the mood for moment, until Meg said, "It's lady talk John, and like a lot of other things having to do with ladies, you won't get it."
Chris tried to contain his laughter. The four women laughed hysterically. Clearly, they had consumed a lot more than one gin and tonic that afternoon. Their infectious laughter spread easily. Controlling himself, Chris sidled over to John just as they passed through the gate and headed toward the Cathedral entrance.
Chris hid his own laughter and said quietly to John, "Why don't we sit together. The music's fantastic and I think I know a good seat choice."
Chris sat next to John and pointed out some of the lesser-known features about both the building and the service. John showed interest, despite appearing on edge, and defensive. Nothing could ruin the fantastic experience of Evensong in Canterbury though. Chris considered it one of his favorites.
***
Chris enjoyed a pleasant dinner that evening. He learned about Bill's long career as an engineer in the auto industry and Jane's career as both a stay-a-home mom and middle school teacher. As long-time golfers they planned to stay in Scotland after the tour and play at St. Andrews and a few other courses, along with some other sight-seeing.
"I think you all might be more excited about golfing than the thin places," Chris joked. "Scotland is gorgeous, and the golf courses are special. If you need any advice on other parts, I actually just bought a house in Scotland and know it pretty well."
"Tell me more about thin places," John interrupted. "Honestly, I kind of think it's a bunch of hokey nonsense."
Jane responded quickly, "I really felt something profound that first day, and I know others did too. And Canterbury feels special."
Chris smiled and even chuckled, "You know John I'm a bit of a skeptic myself. My analytic brain always looks for alternatives and so I've given this a little thought. I first really experienced God's presence at about age fourteen on top of a rock formation called The Tooth of Time."
Bill interrupted with, "Philmont." Chris nodded in reply before continuing.
"We climbed The Tooth early in the morning and watched the sunrise filled the valley below us. It's difficult to describe the special feelings of those moments, except magnificent and divine. A lot of the other guys with me felt something special too."
John jumped in, "But why is it a 'thin place'." His tone more of a statement than a question.
"Well, that's just it. We all experienced something. We'd been on the trail together for nine days, and long story short, we hadn't really had much food the last day, and very little water too."
Bill interjected, "It's dry camp, right?"
"Yeah, and the well we counted on earlier in the day was dry." Chris continued, "We woke up early that morning so we were tired too. I think those kinds of conditions lead us to be sensitive and vulnerable. Cultures all over the world have used things like fasting, sweat lodges, isolation, self-flagellation, you name it, to find that openness."
"And that's the thing, like my experience on the Tooth of Time, because a bunch of us were there and sensitive and vulnerable it became a shared experience. So, we go back and say, 'wow, that's a special place' and others will visit too. Not everyone will have an experience, but more will, and pretty soon, it has a reputation."
"So, all just, what? Hallucinations?" John smiled like the Cheshire cat.
