But what I’d give to sketch him while he’s painting. Inside my head, I can already imagine the brush against the canvas as the sketch is turned into something alive and vibrant. Like a living flame, I’m a hapless moth dazzled by his brightness.

December 2018

17

Teamwork

As the winter chill starts to bite, first thing in the morning and late at night, there’s a real buzz in the air. The days are still quite mild, given the temperate climate here, and the sun is keeping the daytime temperatures very ambient. The retreat has only been closed to visitors for the last four weeks as the bookings kept coming in. We all knew that Nico needed the funds, because we’ve had to draft in two local builders to help with the conversions; so, it’s been a period when everyone had to work even closer together and we’ve become more than a group of peers, we are a family.

Every one of us has turned their hand to tasks that, quite frankly, none of us ever expected we’d have to tackle. I’ve climbed ladders to paint ceilings and also learnt how to spin wool so I can help Dee-Dee. Her textile workshops have been centre stage this autumn. I’ve also learnt how to bake bread and make chutney according to Margot’s strict guidelines.

The screen on my laptop lights up and it’s Aiden, Skyping me. We talk every Saturday morning as that’s when he has a few hours off, but we rarely text these days. Sure, we send photos back and forth as little updates, but we’ve both been so caught up with what we’re doing.

‘Hi, darling. You look tired.’ The words tumble out of mouth before I can stop them. Tired, but content, I see, and that cheers me a little. He’s in south-eastern Mexico on a twenty-four-week internship at a Save the Children Centre in Playa del Carmen. Volunteers pay to enrol on the programme and are involved in the continuing education of vulnerable and special needs children. They also assist local veterinarians as it’s part of a wider community project that fits with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It can be harrowing at times, he’s told me, but Aiden has thrown himself into it with great enthusiasm. At night he studies Spanish and he seems happier, more fulfilled.

We take a moment to just look at each other and I place my fingertips on the screen. Aiden does the same.

‘I’ve been helping to build a new boundary wall. A labourer’s job is physically demanding. Owen would be proud of me. I feel like I’ve completed the poor man’s boot camp.’