What if.....

“Here take this,” Jake said pushing his favourite leather backpack into my hands. He leaned across and pushed open the door of his beloved red mini. Not one of the new ones, but a beat up original that had seen more years than either of us. “Get out,” he nodded towards the busy airport terminal beyond.

“Jake. What the…?”

“Please,” he growled and sighed at the same time. “I’ll tell you later. Take the bag. I’ve written notes in the book. Read it when you reach your destination. There will be someone there to pick you up.”

“Huh. What’s going on?”

“Trust me Soph. By tonight you’ll understand. I’ll try and join you if I can. I need to know you’re safe.”

Through gritted teeth I spoke slowly, enunciating every word. “I am not leaving this car without you.”

‘Beeeeepppp’ A yellow Ferrari sat revving its engine behind us.

“Go around mate,” Jake yelled.

Softening his voice Jake turned his chocolate brown eyes toward me. Eyes that I had known for nearly twenty seven years.

“Please. Will you trust me? I’ve organised for Ethan to escort you through the terminal and get you onto to the plane.”

My fingers itched to rip open the bag, but Jake never did anything without a purpose and meticulous planning. I trusted him, even though right now I wanted to shake him and find out what was going on. I nodded my head in teetering agreement.

“Your tickets are in the front pocket with your passport. Ethan will be waiting at the check in desk. Under no circumstances is that bag to be out of your sight.”

Mutely I nodded wanting to ask at least one of the hundred questions that was running through my mind. Instead I leaned over and kissed him on the lips. A deep passionate kiss. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I trust you.”

Jake sighed his body slumping heavily against the steering wheel. “I love you. I’ll call you tonight. After,” he said leaving the rest cryptically and annoyingly unsaid.

If I didn’t know any better I would have thought he had killed someone, but Jake was the boy who would get out of the car to help an old lady cross the street (which thankfully didn’t happen very often). I slumped out of the car and closed the door loudly. Moments later I watched as Jake drove off without a backwards glance. What the f… was going on?

Stepping inside the terminal I unzipped the front pocket and pulled out two boarding passes. London to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to Stornaway. I smiled and shivered. At least I knew where I was going. The Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The place Jakes’ Aunt Penelope had lived for most of her eighty or so years. I had no idea why he was sending me there. Maybe there was something wrong with the house that had sat empty for the last year? I shook my head. There was no use trying to work it out now. I trusted Jake. We had known each other since we were three and he had moved next door. Best friends for years and then one summer half way through our university degrees (me to study literature and Jake to study virology) we had kissed and then….. Well you get the picture. I’m sure I don’t need to explain the birds and the bees.

“Soph, there you are,” grinned Ethan capturing me in a big bear hug. He held me tightly not letting go immediately as most people did. Ethan knew how to hug.

“Hey,” I said my voice muffled by his uniform.

Pulling me at arms length he studied my face. “How you doing?”

I smiled. “I’m ok, knowing he meant my heart. I had undergone a heart operation only a year before due to a genetic condition. It had been touch and go, but now I was starting to feel like my old self. “Hopefully I’ll be able to go back to work soon.”

“Ooh that’s good. I bet the publishing house misses you.”

I shrugged. “Who knows. I certainly don’t miss the office politics.”

Ethan smiled. “Urgh. It’s everywhere. Even I have office politics and I’m in the air most of the time.”

“Come on Ethan asked if I could escort you through and bypass security.”

I frowned. “Is that allowed?”

“Not strictly. But you’re on an internal flight, so it should be ok.”

“Any bags to check,” he raised his eyebrow at my backpack.

I shook my head. “Nah. Just carry on. I’ve got most of the stuff I need at the house.”

Ethan looked off into the distance. “I’m jealous. The last time I was at Aunt Penelope’s house was that trip we took three years ago. I miss her. She was like a second mother.”

I nodded my head. “She was a wonderful woman. Visiting her every summer was the highlight of my year.”

“Are you going to clear out the house?”

Nodding my head I smiled weakly. That’s interesting I thought. Ethan doesn’t know what’s going on either. “Yeah just the last of the bits.”

“Is old man Peters picking you up from the airport?” Ethan said smiling widely. “That man is character,” he continued so I didn’t have to answer. “His accent is so broad that I can only understand half the words that he says.”

I laughed loudly, well more like a snort as I thought about Old man Peters, Aunt Penelope’s next door neighbour.

It had taken me years to understand him. Every holiday the first three days were spent nodding my head and looking at him blankly. The longer I spent in his presence the more and more my ears became attuned to his thick island accent. Thankfully age and six months spent living with Aunt Penelope at the end of university meant that I could now easily understand him and the other island residents.

“Here we are. I’ll leave you in the safe hands of Reena,” said Ethan stopping in front of an impeccably dressed woman. I looked around at the empty terminal. I hadn’t even noticed where we he had taken me.

Ethan hugged me quickly as Reena smiled and asked for my boarding pass and passport. “The plane has boarded. You’re the last passenger Miss Dumont.”

My face brightened a beetroot red. “Sorry,” I answered feebly.

Noticing my embarrassment she patted me on the shoulder. “No worries. Ethan let us know you were running late. We have a seat for you up the front in case you need our assistance.”

“Thank you. I should be ok.”

“Well, well, well. There she is.”

I looked around for the person the thick Scottish accent belonged to and smiled widely when I spotted Old man Peters leaning against his dark green Landcruiser.

“Lassy. What do you think this is? Summer?” He said frowning his thinks grey bushy eyebrows turning down fiercely.

I shivered and nodded. “I’ve got clothes at the house. I packed in a hurry.”

“I assumed. When Jake rang frantically this morning and asked if I would pick you up.”

That was interesting. So this had been last minute. “How is the house?” I said getting in the warm car.

“All’s fine. She’s still standing strong as she has for the last two hundred years. I checked the roof myself before the beginning of winter.

Shaking my head I bit back telling Old man Peters that he shouldn’t be climbing up ladders at his age, but I knew it would fall on deaf ears. He would be working until the day he died.

“Thanks for picking me up.”

“Any time lass. Anytime.”

Comfortable silence stretched between us as the car rumbled and groaned around me. I looked at my watch and was surprised to find it was only 2pm. It had been just over three hours since Jake had left me at the airport and with this mystery sitting in my lap. During the flight there had been a number of times when I had unzipped the backpack only to close it immediately.

“Here we are,” said Old man Peters pulling the car to a stop. ‘I’ve left the keys by the front door and I’ve put bread, milk and eggs in the kitchen. Dina knows you are here and is expecting your call.”

I turned and smiled at Old man Peters touched that he left the local store know I was here. With Aunt Penelope’s house out of town, getting the local store to deliver groceries was perfect.

I opened the car door and stepped out into the chilly March weather. Tomorrow it would be a week until Spring. It certainly didn’t feel like it. Racing to the front door I was relieved to feel the warmth of central heating. Leaning against the door I locked it and walked into the wide open kitchen. My hands shook as I placed the backpack on the bench and unzipped it. Pulling it as wide open as it would go I pulled out a plastic bag and unwrapped it.

A sharp breath later I gingerly touch the contents and pulled my hand back immediately. In front of me was bills of money wrapped in rubber bands. Notes in 5, 10, 20 and 50s. Quickly wrapping the plastic bag around the bundles of money and looking around to see if anyone had seen me. I shoved them deep into the bag. I knew it was a silly reaction since the house was in the middle of nowhere and the closest neighbour was old man Peters a five minute walk away.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to call Jake and ask what the heck was going on. Bundles of money? Where had he gotten it? Then I remembered Jake’s words at the airport, ‘I’ve written notes in the book.’

Looking inside the bag I couldn’t see anything other than the bag of money almost blinking at me. Placing my hand inside I felt around the edges of the bag. My fingers felt the edge of a book laying flush along the bottom. Pulling out a small black hard covered notebook I flicked opened the first page to see Jake’s handwriting scribbled hurriedly across the pages.

As I started reading my face filled with horror, fear and a strange relief.

‘Soph, that virus you’ve been hearing about. It’s worse than everyone thinks and has affected more people in the UK than anyone realises. I need to know you’re safe. In the side pocket I’ve placed hand sanitiser and face masks. Whenever you go anywhere you might meet other people, wear it, but try not to go out. Tonight Boris is going to announce a ban on travel and I wanted you to the safest place I can think of. I’ll try and join you, but this is my area of expertise. We’re racing to create a vaccine. I’ll call you this evening. There is a lot I can’t tell you. But know I love you and I am doing everything I can to keep you and others safe. This virus is dangerous. Don’t believe anyone who tells you it’s not. Love you, Jake. P.S there is $20,000. Hopefully that’s enough. Don’t worry I didn’t rob a bank. I cleared out my savings. I know most of the shops up there only take cash.

I placed the book down on the table and slumped heavily against the kitchen bench. It couldn’t be true. I knew the virus wasn’t just the flu like some of my friends had been saying, but I hadn’t realised it was as bad as this. Banning travel was serious. If they were working on a vaccine, hopefully it would only be a couple of months and life would be back to normal soon. A couple of months at the most. Surely?