“Harry, your girlfriend was stupid and rude to break up with you because of the cancer,” Mary told him as they walked slowly along the platform to join the others.
“I thought so at the time but maybe she knew I would not handle it well. I guess she would be right.”
On the fifth day of the tour, the group arrived at Loch Lomand, the ancestral home of Gene’s MacFarlene clan. They all felt that the trip had been a good idea. Each one had found a way to get past the focus on cancer and recovery; each felt a new confidence in the future. They agreed that when they returned they wanted to stay together and support each other.
Their hotel was in the village along the lake with a steep bluff rising above it. After they unpacked they ate lunch at a pub then took a stroll around town. The buildings were all made of a gray stone with slate roofs. The setting would have been colorless except for the blue of the lake, the window baskets overflowing with flowers in full bloom, and the green heather on the bluff.