Where Seagulls Cry

by Yvonne Whittal

  Armed with a hammer and nails, she closed up a crate containing most of her personal possessions. The other things could be sold with the cottage, she decided as she hammered in the nails. Adam Granger's lean face came between her and the crate, and she aimed a vicious blow at the last nail before going through to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

  'Kim… please come again,' his voice haunted her, and with an angry exclamation she switched on the kettle and stared out through the kitchen window. The wind had subsided during the night, but the rain continued its steady downpour. 'Please come again.'

  On the crest of the hill Adam Granger's cottage stood in complete isolation. Her eyes had sought it out on several occasions throughout the morning, and not without a certain amount of guilt. Now, as the afternoon progressed, Kim's guilt overflowed into self-recrimination. She could have paid him a visit earlier in the day. There had been nothing to stop her except her own indecision, and unwarranted reluctance.

  She switched off the kettle without waiting for it to boil and hurried from the kitchen. From the hall cupboard she pulled out her raincoat and galoshes, slipping them on before she ventured out into the driving rain. It was a long steep climb up to Adam Granger's cottage, but if she hurried she could be there within fifteen minutes. With her head bent she almost ran up the hill, and not even when his cottage was in sight did she slacken her pace. It was not until her hand was resting on the small wooden gate that she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, her heart pounding in her ears and her cheeks flushed from the exertion. Why this desperate hurry? she wondered to herself as she stepped through the puddles to the front door. She lifted the brass knocker and brought it down sharply before opening the door.

  'Hello there!' she called into the silent cottage.

  'Kim!' He appeared in the lounge door and came towards her, his hands reaching out and touching her wet raincoat. 'I didn't think you would come.'

  She removed her coat and hung it on a peg against the wall before pulling off her galoshes. 'I did say that I would try.'

  Adam Granger stood before her, tall and thin in his slacks and sweater and leather jacket. 'I know what you said, but I'm not exactly marvellous company for any young woman as I am.'

  'Stop that!' she snapped angrily, the softness of the carpet beneath her feet as she looked up into his lean face. 'Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You're not the only person in the world to have lost his sight.'

  There was a deafening silence while he assimilated her surprise attack. 'You're an extraordinary person, Kim Harvey. Your attitude is refreshing, and quite intriguing.' He reached out and miraculously touched her arm with his hand, gripping it tightly. 'Come into the lounge.'

  He seated himself in the same chair he had occupied the previous day, while Kim seated herself opposite him, her bare feet curled in under her. With her slender figure clad in slacks and thick polo-necked sweater, she looked almost boyish, except for her hair which hung straight down on to her shoulders, and which she occasionally flicked away from her face with a small, slender hand.

  'I'm glad you came,' he said unexpectedly, and Kim could not prevent the rush of warmth that swept through her, leaving her slightly light-headed.

  'Are you, Dr Granger?'

  'Yes.' He hesitated briefly, biting his lip. 'I like you, Kim. You don't pity me, or smother me with sympathy. I couldn't stand that.' His taut features relaxed into a smile. 'I'm sure that if I stumbled over something and fell flat on my face, you would tell me, in no uncertain terms, that I should get up and behave myself.'

  Kim laughed outright. 'You're most probably right, you know.'

  'What is it that makes you so different?'

  Russet-coloured hair veiled her face as she lowered her head. 'Perhaps it's because I've had previous experience.'

  'I don't think I understand?'

  Kim shifted restlessly in her chair. She did not want to talk about herself, but what she had to say might offer some encouragement to this man who found his blindness inacceptable. 'If you feel like listening, I'll tell you a little about myself.'

  'I'm listening,' he said, taking out his pipe and lighting it. He was improving, she noticed with a measure of amusement, for he succeeded in lighting it after the fifth match.

  'My mother died when I was very young and my father's unmarried sister insisted that we should come and live here with her at Heron's Bay. My father didn't seem to care very much what he did after my mother's death, and besides that, his eyesight was failing and there was absolutely nothing the doctors could do for him.' Kim hesitated a moment and stared hard at the dark lenses hiding his eyes, experiencing the most peculiar desire to know their colour. 'It was my father who taught me so much. He couldn't stand being pitied, and he absolutely hated it when someone showed sympathy. He always maintained that he was not an invalid or a freak, as he called it, and he preferred to be treated like an ordinary person. He was a very astute person, despite his blindness, and there was very little one could hide from him.'

  'You speak of him in the past tense,' Adam Granger remarked, sucking thoughtfully at his pipe.

  'He died when I was seventeen, and after his death Aunt Freda's health deteriorated rapidly. For the past two years I had to nurse her.' Kim bit her lip to stop its trembling. 'She died last month.'

  'I'm sorry.' He clenched his pipe between strong teeth. 'Is there no one else?'

  'I have no other family, if that's what you mean,' she replied, recovering her composure and glancing at her watch. It was getting late. 'Shall I make us some tea?'

  'Would you?' he half rose in his seat. 'I sent Solomon down to the village to get a few things.'

  Kim placed her hands on his shoulders and unceremoniously pushed him back into his chair. 'Stay here and smoke your pipe. If there's something I can't find, I'll call you.'

  The kitchen was small but tidy and Kim had no difficulty in finding what she needed. Solomon was either meticulous about putting everything in its proper place, or he had already discovered that a blind person liked to be able to lay his hands on whatever he wanted without having to search for it. Nothing irritated her father more than to discover that something had been removed from its usual place, and the furniture had to remain exactly as it was to allow him to walk about freely in the cottage.

  'Do you need any help?' Adam Granger called from the lounge after some time had elapsed.

  'No,' she called back, setting the tray. 'With a little more patience you'll have your tea in a moment.'

  He was pacing the floor when she entered the lounge, her bare feet making no sound on the polished floor boards. It was as she placed the tray on the table that he turned towards her. 'I get so tired of sitting about,' he complained irritably. 'If the rain would only stop, then I could at least walk about the garden and listen to the seagulls as they fly over.'

  He ceased his restless pacing while she poured the tea and sat down once more. 'You shouldn't be here alone,' she said abruptly, placing his cup in his hands. 'You need someone who could talk to you, or read to you. Instead of which you sit here all day brooding about your blindness and becoming your own worst enemy.'

  His lips tightened into a thin line. 'Perhaps you're right.'

  'I know I'm right,' she told him bluntly. 'And another thing… does Solomon cook for you?'

  Adam Granger rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'Well… yes. He grills the most delicious meat, and fried eggs are his speciality.'

  Kim's green eyes widened in dismay. 'Good heavens, if that's all you ever have to eat then it's no wonder you're so thin!'

  'We have sufficient to, eat,' he argued stubbornly.

  'Probably,' she sighed exasperatedly, 'but you're not eating the right kind of food. It seems to me that both you and Solomon need looking after.'

  They drank their tea in silence and Kim wondered nervously what reaction she would get from him, She did not have long to wait, for as he emptied his cup and placed it on the table, he turned slightly towards her.

&nb
sp; 'You would qualify excellently for the job,' he remarked, his face expressionless.

  'I wasn't aware that I was applying.' She faced him tensely, watching the tightening of his lips with a new ache in her heart, and to her own astonishment heard herself saying: 'But if you're serious, and if you think you could bear to have me around, I'll accept.'

  Several expressions flitted across his face and Kim watched in fascination as his mouth relaxed into a smile that altered his features entirely. He brushed the thick strands of hair from his forehead, but they fell back again as if they knew no other place to be, and then he leaned forward in his chair. 'Kim, would you really? I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to.'

  His hand was groping towards her and she caught it between her own. 'You will still discover, Dr Granger, that I never say anything I don't mean. As long as you remember that I shall be leaving Heron's Bay within a few weeks.'

  His fingers tightened about hers. 'Yes, you did say that you were selling up and moving to the city, but until then I shall be grateful for your company.'

  Kim was not sure whether she had done the right thing at all, but she did not have the heart to leave him to his own devices any longer. If no one else cared enough about him to offer assistance, then she would. She could not bluff herself into thinking that she would be intelligent enough to converse with him on his own level, but she would at least be someone to talk to, and someone who could read to him. Once he was able to adapt himself to his blindness, he would no longer need her assistance, or that of anyone else. He could, if he wished, become totally independent, but it would be entirely up to himself.

  The rain was still pelting down when she returned home late that afternoon, but there was a certain lightness in her step which had not been there earlier in the day.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kim was concerned at first that Solomon might take exception to her presence in the cottage, but his beaming face at meal times soon told her that he thoroughly enjoyed his banishment from the kitchen. Adam Granger seemed to thrive on her cooking as well, for after a week had passed she noticed a definite improvement in his pallor.

  'I have a sneaking suspicion that you're trying to fatten me up,' he remarked one afternoon after enjoying one of her dinners.

  'You could do with a little more flesh on you.'

  'Do I look that awful?'

  Kim eyed him critically, ignoring the odd flutter in her heart. 'You don't look awful at all, but I would like to see you grow into your clothes again.'

  He took this calmly, acknowledging that he had lost a lot of weight after the accident. 'What's the weather like?' he asked.

  Kim glanced through the window. 'There's a clear blue sky and the sun is shining. It's really a marvellously warm autumn day.'

  Adam bit his lip. 'Do you think we could go for a walk?'

  'Why not?'

  With her arm hooked through his, they walked for some distance along the cliff before he spoke, and his voice was tinged with bitterness. 'I used to go down to the beach every morning for a swim, or just to walk along with my feet in the water.' He turned his face towards her and it was difficult to believe that he could not see through those dark lenses. 'Occasionally I went out to sea in my motorboat.'

  'I know,' Kim laughed. 'I used to wonder who the reckless fool was who took such chances with a rough sea.'

  'I can't think why we never met before,' he remarked, frowning thoughtfully.

  'If you'd remained here long enough instead of just coming down on the occasional week-end, you would have found me trespassing on your private beach.' She laughed softly at the look of surprise on his face and flicked her hair across her shoulder in a careless gesture. 'I used to go for a swim or just lie on the beach soaking up the sun. Perhaps the thought that I shouldn't be there made it so much more inviting. Silly, isn't it?'

  'Not silly,' he smiled down at her. 'It's understandable and I think I might have done the same.' His face became taut. 'I wish I'd met you then.'

  Kim's eyes widened with surprise. 'Why?'

  'I would have known what you look like.' This simple statement sent a stab through her heart, and she thought it better not to linger on the subject. 'Would you like to go down to the beach?' she asked.

  He stiffened beside her. 'No, I—I don't think so. The steps—'

  'You seem to have no difficulty in going up and down the steps at the cottage, so why not these?'

  'What if I stumble and take you down with me?'

  'Oh, don't be such a pessimist!' She gripped his arm tighter and led him to the path leading towards the steps. 'There's a safety rail for you to grip as well as my arm, and once you've accomplished it you'll feel enormously better.'

  After his initial nervousness he took the dreaded steps in his stride and, as their feet touched the sand below, there was a glow of triumph on his face. 'I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, but it feels good all the same.'

  'Of course it does,' she said abruptly. 'Let's take our shoes off and walk along the edge of the water towards those rocks at the furthest end of the beach.'

  It was fun walking hand in hand with Adam through the ankle-deep water, with their slacks rolled up to their knees. The seagulls swooped low over them, their plaintive cry as much a part of the sea as the taste of salt on one's lips.

  'It's a perfect day,' she told him, automatically reverting back to the days she used to describe everything to her father. 'The sea is a deep blue and perfectly calm as it lies shimmering in the sunlight, with the waves lapping the shore very gently. The sand is so white that it hurts your eyes, and the seagulls are hovering in anticipation above the fishing vessels as they bring their catch home.'

  'We can't be far from those rocks now,' he commented.

  'No, we're almost there.' Kim glanced at him with swift concern. 'Have I tired you by taking you for such a long walk?'

  He pressed her hand reassuringly. 'Stop worrying. I was merely trying to judge the distance for myself.'

  Kim found a low rock for them to sit on and for a time they sat in silence, digging their toes into the warm sand and listening to the waves breaking on the shore. Adam's hand, resting beside hers on the smooth rock, moved suddenly as his strong fingers curled about hers. Kim closed her eyes for a moment and remained perfectly still as his thumb stroked the back of her hand, sending unusual little tremors up the length of her arm.

  'Your hands are so small and soft,' he said eventually, almost as if he were talking to himself. He reached out suddenly and gripped her shoulders with his hands, turning her towards him. 'What do you look like, Kim?'

  'I'm really very ordinary,' she laughed shakily as his hands moved against her shoulders, but she did not move away from him.

  'I can't believe that you're ordinary,' he said firmly. 'May I see you my way?'

  'You may,' Kim swallowed nervously.

  She sat absolutely still as his fingers moved lightly along the column of her throat towards her face. With gentle fingers he explored her forehead, her eyes with their unusually long lashes, her high cheekbones, and her small tip-tilted nose. They lingered for a moment on her quivering lips and then, unexpectedly, he pushed his fingers through her hair and twisted several strands about his hands. Her father had often touched her face and hair like this, but never once had she experienced these peculiar sensations surging through her.

  'You're beautiful,' he said at length, his hands still stroking her hair. 'Your hair is so soft and silky. What colour is it?'

  'Reddish-brown.' Her words were clipped with the effort of controlling the tremor in her voice. 'And I'm not beautiful, Dr Granger.'

  'Adam,' he corrected her. 'Please call me Adam.'

  Kim expelled the air from her lungs and obliged. 'Adam, I'm not beautiful. I wouldn't like you to be under a misapprehension.'

  'I don't believe you,' he stated bluntly. 'Someone with your character can't be anything but beautiful. What colour are your eyes? Green?'

  'Yes.'
>
  'I thought so,' he nodded. 'You're actually rather small.'

  Kim laughed then. 'You're actually rather tall.'

  Adam smiled suddenly and, as always, it transformed his features into something much less stern. 'My mother always threatened to put a brick on my head if I didn't stop growing.'

  He released her then and she sighed with relief. She could see her own reflection in the dark lenses shading his eyes, and curiosity made her bold. 'Adam… will you do something for me?'

  He inclined his head towards her without saying anything, but she knew then that he would not object.

  'Will you remove those sunglasses just for a moment so that I can see your eyes?'

  His lips twitched slightly as if he were amused by something and then he slowly removed his glasses. Kim drew her breath in slowly as she found herself staring into crystal clear blue eyes that seemed to be looking directly into hers as though they were probing deep into her very soul. It was startling, and alarming. His eyes were fringed with dark lashes and if she did not know that he was blind, she would have sworn that he could see her at that moment. He had the kind of eyes that most girls would go crazy about, and even she had to admit that she felt rather weak as she stared into them.

  'Well?'

  The blood rushed into her cheeks at the sound of amusement in his voice. 'You have very attractive eyes, but perhaps it's just as well that you hide them behind those dark lenses. If you looked at other women the way you're looking at me now, you would have them blushing to the roots of their hair.'

  For the first time since she had met him, he threw back his head and laughed heartily. Kim stared at him in absolute fascination. He was a most extraordinary man. 'You should do that more often,' she said.

  'What?' he asked, his laughter subsiding as he replaced his sunglasses and turned to her.

  'You should laugh more often.' She faced him seriously. 'Do you know, this is the first time I've heard you laugh? Really laugh, I mean?'

  'A slight error, my dear Kim,' he smiled blandly. 'An error which shall soon be rectified in your pleasant company.'