My love of the east coast was only beaten by the fun I enjoyed at the hands of a very wild Scottish flower, never did I think that a short break in Scotland could have been so much fun. I wanted to take myself off for a weekend to clear my head and get things straight in my life, so I thought I would get away from it all and head for Scotland to do some soul searching.
The best way I find for doing this, is to walk along the waters edge and allow the wind and sea spray to work its wonders. Therefore, that is exactly what I did. It was on my first venture out on the holiday that it happened – in no time at all, my weekend changed for the better.
I had walked just over a few miles from my hotel, working my way closer and closer to the beach. That day the weather was typically Scottish and I felt energised as I marched onwards in the bracing and blustery elements. As I climbed over the crest of the sand dunes, I was thrilled to see the huge expanse of beach spread out in front of me like on enormous door mat welcoming me home. A sight that always excites me yet calms at the same time.
I stopped to take in the breathtaking view and that is when I saw her. She was alone, standing at the waters edge, her beautiful brown hair blowing in the wind. She looked as if she were part of an enormous oil painting. Lost in thought and waiting for the return of her long lost lover to return from sea. I was mesmerised by the sight and could only stand and stare, captivated by the canvas in front of me.
As if sensing that she was being watched, she slowly turned and looked straight at me and I felt as if time had stopped. Casually, she withdrew one of her hands from her pockets and brushed away the hair that had been blowing onto her face. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
I sensed, rather than saw her smile, before her eyes looked shyly down to the sand at her feet. The spell broke as she then turned and walked away, heading down the beach to the village.
I remained rooted to the spot and watched the brown haired beauty stroll away from me. I felt warm inside as if someone had just shared a secret with me and I stood for an age simply staring at the white horses galloping towards me as the waves crashed against the rocks and cantered up the shore.
Starting to feel the cold seep into my bones I decided it was time to find some warmth and set off in the same direction as the mysterious woman had. Realising it had been a while since breakfast I decided to pop into a small café, which looked out over the bay.
As the door opened a small brass bell hit against it and announced my arrival to everyone already seated in the warm, fire lit room. Small wooden tables were dotted all around, in the centre of each was a single purple headed thistle in a little porcelain vase. The small windows and large stone walls made the café feel small and welcoming. The fire blazed away in the grate and gave off a welcome heat, in contrast to the chilling breeze from the beach.
As I gazed around the room I was pleasantly surprised to see the woman I had spotted earlier. She was sitting on her own enjoying a cup of coffee. I caught her eye as she sipped from the hand-made pottery mug and our eyes lingered for what felt like an eternity but could only have been a second. I finally broke my stare and order a pot of tea from the waitress who hovered in front of me.
A quick glance back around the room made me realise that there were no vacant tables and I immediately made the decision to approach the striking looking woman who had caught my attention twice already that day. Taking a deep breath I plucked up all the courage I could muster, "Do you mind if I join you?"
To my surprise and delight she smiled and motioned to the chair next to her. Her shy smile made my stomach flutter.
As I sat down into the chair she had noddeded to, the waitress arrived holding a small tray with my order. I waited until she had placed the cup and pot of tea on to the table in front of me and then spoke to the beautiful stranger I was sitting next to.
The words, "Can you pass the sugar please," emerged from a dry throat and sounded squeaky and high pitched.
She laughed at my voice as if she could sense my discomfort. Although I am sure I turned a deep shade of red, my croaky voice gave us the opportunity to share a giggle and to break the ice.
"You obviously have quite an effect on me," I admitted, hoping that my embarrassment was not so apparent on my face any more.
"It would appear so." Her Scottish accent was heavenly on my ears and if I hadn't already fallen in love with her on first sight, it was the sound of her voice that clinched the deal. I could have listened to her for ages.
As it turned out we did sit and chat for ages over that first coffee. My initial awkwardness soon disappeared as we discussed everything from music and films to primary schools and pensioners. I soon discovered her name was Mhairi and she had recently moved into a flat in the next fishing village up the coast. When it was obvious we could not accept any more refills we agreed to leave and retrace our steps along the beach.
As we walked, we talked and as we talked, we laughed. At one point I teased her with a little joke and she gave me just the slightest nudge with her shoulder. It was the closest that we had been so far and I swear I could feel electricity spark between us as our bodies touched.
As soon as this had happened a silence developed and we walked on again conscious of the hush that now surrounded us. Hesitatingly, I reached out and took her hand in mine. It was warm and soft and it felt to me as if a jigsaw piece had just been slotted perfectly into place. I waited for her reaction but instead of turning to me or pulling back, she just gave my hand a tight squeeze and we continued along the sand as if it was the most natural thing to do.
As we neared the end of the beach, the rocks tried unsuccessfully to protect the shore as the sand was being eaten away by the waves. We left the shoreline and wandered over to the car park where she had left her car earlier. It soon became clear that she was going to leave but I somehow had the feeling that she did not really want to go. I let her hand go as she retrieved her keys from her pocket and unlocked her car. She turned, standing between the open door and the car and smiled at me. However, although her lips looked happy, her deep brown eyes appeared doleful and sad. It felt odd to be on the receiving end of the look and I could only return a confused half-baked grin accompanied by a silent shrug.
She then got in her car and started the engine. I could see her stretching for her seat belt as I watched the woman of my dreams drive out my life. I stood transfixed. My tongue clung to the top of my mouth as I remained motionless and dumbstruck. But then suddenly the car door opened and she got out. I could feel my pulse starting to race as she came towards me. She then went on to her tiptoes and kissed me gently on the side of my face. Her soft lips felt red hot against my cold, wind blown cheek.
"Can I see you again?" I managed to splutter out before she disappeared into the Scottish mist.