Judy handled the large bus expertly as we bowled along down the old roman road towards the south coast. Being the middle of May, with the schools still in session, there wasn't too much holiday traffic and we made good time. Judy passed me a map, gave the name of a small seaside place in Dorset, and asked me to navigate.
"Lorna will just follow us. When we get near, she knows of a site that we can use. She's got a map that the regular travelers pass around, but she won't let me or anyone else see it."
We stopped at Crediton to do a supermarket shop, and by five o'clock we were within a couple of miles of our destination. Judy pulled over, allowed Lorna to pass and we followed her along the narrow lanes until we found ourselves driving down a steep hill between two rocky headlands. As we drove, tantalizing glimpses of the sea came in and out of view, until we found ourselves at a dead end. The road was blocked by a sturdy gate, leading on to a track, that was chained and padlocked shut and there was a hand painted sign warning that trespassers would be prosecuted. Lorna climbed down from her bus and asked Judy to keep an eye on her kids whilst she walked in to see what the score was with parking up.
I joined Judy as she walked across to Lorna's bus and as we climbed in, I saw two children aged about three and four dozing gently in child safety seats. Lorna returned with a key, unlocked the gate, and we drove through. Locking up behind us, we drove down an unpaved track, which led down until we came to an open area, where there were two buses and a camper van parked in a rough circle. The area was sandy, and there were sand dunes covered in sea grass, indicating that the sea was not far away. There was a water standpipe, and what looked to be a covered well.
As we swung in, a tall dark haired man with beard and ponytail waved to indicate where we should park on the other side of the area from the others. After we parked, he nodded at us, and returned to the area occupied by the other vehicles. We all climbed down, and as we stretched after the journey Lorna's children started to run around. She told them to stay close to the bus, as the man from the other group didn't seem too friendly.
Lorna unloaded a grill from her bus, and whilst we waited for it get hot enough to cook, we sat around on folding chairs. Judy took the opportunity to introduce me to Lorna, who gazed at me from below black eyebrows. Her dark hair, held back in a loose ponytail, had a few streaks of grey in it, and her suntanned face showed a few lines that seemed to more from care than laughter. She asked my story, which I told her, and this time managed to get through without becoming over emotional. Judy held my hand, and tightened her grip as I started to tell about Mary's departure. Lorna put her hand on my knee, and said, "You're welcome to stay with us for a while. Judy's a great healer, and I can see she has you down as her other project for the summer."
"Other project?"
"Yes, other project. She's working on me, too. I hope you don't mind sharing."
I glanced at Judy, and asked, "Do you use different techniques for men and women?" She looked at me blankly for a second before laughing to cover up her blush. "There may well be a fairly major difference in the way I approach things, yeah." Lorna looked quizzically at the two of us, and laughed.
"Oh, I think I've got it. Oh, well, I'm sure it'll all work out."
Lorna called her children over, and started loading the grill with burgers, sausages and chops whilst Judy and I got the salad ready. As this consisted of emptying a couple of bags of pre-washed supermarket salad into a big bowl and adding bottled dressing, it didn't take long, so we considered it our duty to ensure that the wine was suitable as we waited. Lorna called her kids over, and we enjoyed a cozy meal by the light of the setting sun. As Judy and I put the few leftovers in a garbage bag, Lorna went to put her kids to bed.
As we sat down again, Judy put her hand on my arm. "I need to give Lorna some Reiki. Do you mind baby-sitting her kids? They're tired out, so it ought to be straightforward."
"Of course," I said, "Just let me get something to read."
Lorna came out of her bus, and looked quizzically in my direction. I grabbed my book, the latest Dick Francis, and walked towards her bus. "They should be fine; they're fast asleep, as the journey really tired them out." She showed me where their drinks were, and their favorite soft toys just in case they woke up, and I sat down to read my book. Lorna's bus was laid out in a similar way to Judy's, except that the children had beds either side at the very back, and there was a curtained off area above the driver's and passenger seating area that I assumed to be Lorna's bed. A quick peek confirmed this.
An hour or so went by, and I had nodded off with the book in my lap when I woke with a start. Lorna had come back in and woken me up. I started to apologize for falling asleep "on duty" but she waved me to silence. "If either Tarquin or Matilda had woken up, you would have woken up yourself quick enough." she said, as she went to check each sleeping child. "OK, head on back to Judy, she's waiting for you."
I walked the short distance, and climbed into the bus. Judy was lying back on one of the long sofas, with her head on a pillow and her knees up. She had her hands on her chest and was breathing deeply, so I assumed she was sleeping and didn't like to disturb her. I quietly sat down on the other sofa, and resumed opened my book when she spoke.
"It's OK, you don't have to creep around. I sometimes get a bit tense after a session, and I find that this Alexander technique position really helps to relax my shoulders and back."
"Is there anything I can do?" I asked.
"You could rub my shoulders and neck for me, if you don't mind."
"You mean like a massage? I've never done that before."
