“Th…that sounds good, and I….”

As she firmly pushed the telephone receiver against her ear, Shona struggled to understand Rory’s mumbled response. “What did you say? I’m sorry, but I can barely hear you. We’ve got a terrible connection.” Rory sounded like a very old and exhausted man.

“Yes..ah…ah…I started to say that I’ll be arriving in Halifax tomorrow afternoon. I’m really concerned about Peter and would like to see him. Of course…um…I am worried about him, but I’d also like to spend some time with you and…ah…pick up where we left off. I’ve missed you and this is the first time we’ve had a chance to talk since Vicky died and…um…I think it’s about time we got to know each other much better.”

While he waited for Shona to express what he knew would be unbridled excitement regarding his news, Rory reached for a bottle of painkillers that was sitting on his desk. The 5 pills, however, that he’d downed over the past two hours had failed to eradicate the throbbing in his head brought on by an ocean of Scotch he’d tortured his body with last evening. The searing memory of being thrown out of Cynthia’s apartment, during the night, was also contributing to his present state of malaise.

“Rory, I don’t know if that’s a good…”

As thoughts of Cynthia’s rejection of his lies stabbed his embattled mind with an outrage of anger, he uttered, “ Huh? What did you…ah…er…give me a minute, Shona. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to get a glass of water and take an aspirin. I had a rough night and my mouth feels like I’ve been gargling with an avalanche of cotton balls.”

“Okay, Rory, but I’ve only got a minute or two. I’m having a very busy morning and have to get back to work, so don’t be long.”

“Yes, I understand, Shona. I’ll…I’ll be right back and then we can talk about getting together. Oh, and I’m glad to know that Peter is doing okay. When I called his office, this morning, his assistant gave me the news. I couldn’t reach him at the hospital, so I called you. Now that I know he’s going to be fine, we can talk about us.”

“Rory, I’ve got to go, so…”

“No, no, Shona, hold on. I’ll be right back.” Rory put the receiver down, swallowed a pill, and reached for a glass of water.

Shona closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was exhausted and her patience was strained from having been up all night, but she knew that her disgust with Rory’s attitude was the reason her stomach was churning. He was apparently much more interested in trying to set up a date with her, versus talking about Peter. “God,” thought Shona, “how could I ever have wanted to be in his arms? Why did I fail to see through this man?”

“Okay, Shona, I’m back. Look, I’ll be arriving at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon. I’ll stop by your office and then we can go to the hospital. After that, we can cozy up in a restaurant or maybe a bar and then…well, take it from there.”

Suddenly, the rancid and smarmy repugnance of Rory’s words caused Shona to erupt in an outburst of disgust. “Look, you…you…miserable, self-centered son of a…I have no intention of spending any time with you whatsoever. Damn it, Rory, you are supposed to be Peter’s friend and yet you don’t give a…a…about his condition. For God sake, Rory, he had a heart attack and all you care about is you and…oh damn. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Sh…Shona, I…I…am worried about Peter, but you’ve told me that he is doing fine and I know he’s a strong guy, so he’ll make it through. Look, I know you’re upset, but I think I’ve got the cure. I wanted to tell you this in person, but you should hear it now. Shona, I love you and you are all I’ve thought about since I left town. I want to be with you and…look, hon, we’ll have a great time when I arrive in Halifax. We’ll really enjoy ourselves and….”

“Rory, you visit with Peter if you want to, but don’t call me tomorrow or ever again. Don’t come to my office. I never want to hear from you again. Now listen to me very carefully! I deserve better than you and, to be frank about it, so does Peter. He’s your friend, Rory, and that is his problem to work out. Peter is the most compassionate, gentlest, and honest man I’ve ever met and I’m falling…I’m…. Rory, we both deserve better than you. You, however, probably deserve yourself. Goodbye!”

“What? What? Shona, are you there? Damn.”

Within the gloom-encrusted silence of his apartment, Rory’s body slumped over in his chair. The telephone receiver remained clasped in his hand as the disconnect tone droned on and on sounding like a vicious swarm of hornets bent on the destruction of whatever was in its path.

He suddenly reared his head back and screamed out, “Why, why, why did this happen?” Deep, however, inside the tattered remnants of his heart, a voice whispered to him, “You know why. You know why.” The voice was that of Cynthia, Shona, Vicky, and so many others whom he had used over the years

“Shona, are you okay?” asked Ginny as she walked into the clinic’s private office. “I didn’t mean to listen in on your conversation, but couldn’t help it. You were so upset and I…well, I heard what you were saying. Shona, I’ve never heard you talk like that, but am so very proud of you for standing up for yourself. I knew that Rory wasn’t right for you. I couldn’t interfere, but….”

Shona motioned for her friend to take a seat beside her on the couch. “Yes, yes Ginny, I guess I’ve known the truth since the night Vicky died. While he and I were in the office, after Peter had gone after Vicky, Rory just didn’t seem to care about what was troubling her. He…he just didn’t care and at her funeral, I could tell that he was more interested in trying to get close to me than…than feeling terrible about what had happened. I could see it in his eyes. I knew the truth, I knew it.”

Ginny handed Shona a tissue and then said in a voice softly coated in sweet, tender affection, “Dear, your heart is somewhere else. I know you and I can tell that you are…well, you are falling in love with Peter, you are, Shona, and I think its been growing for a long time.”

Silence filled the room as Shona bowed her head and tried to restrain what she had long held captive and secretive within her heart. Too many years, however, of wrestling with her desperate yearnings had taken their toll. She couldn’t hold back the floodwaters of truth any longer.

“I…I, oh God, Ginny, I have been, but I…I couldn’t tell him, I…. He was married, but every time he visited the office, my heart…my heart was so…but I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t. Oh God, Ginny, I’ve, I’ve wanted him, I’ve wanted him. No one knew. I didn’t even tell you, but secretly I dreamed that he…that he was in Brigadoon with me and that we’d…but I fought it, I fought it and wouldn’t let it take control of me. I…I wanted to believe that Rory would take Peter’s place in my heart, but he never could, never.” Shona turned her head as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Ginny reached over and put her hand beneath Shona’s chin. Then she gently turned her friend’s head back towards her own. Ginny’s eyes were also misted over with a well of tears as she said, “Talk with me, sweetie, tell me everything. Come on.”

Shona tried to take a deep breath, but her chest vibrated in a series of quick gasps as she sobbed and collapsed into Ginny’s outstretched arms.

Finally, when her shudders had ceased taking control of her body, Shona whispered, “Ginny, I could never have been with Peter while he remained married. I couldn’t do to his wife what my husband had done to me. I would rather have remained alone forever. I tried to convince myself that I didn’t love him. I really tried, Ginny, and for a time, was able to bury my feelings under a cloak of work and other things, but when he went after Vicky, I….” Once again, Shona’s eyes filled with a river of tears and her voice fell silent.

“Shona, it is going to work out. I know it will. Come on, sweetie, talk it out.”

Shona felt Ginny’s warm and comforting hands gently rubbing her back. As she struggled to stop her flow of tears, Shona fought to regain composure. Within a few minutes, she felt strong enough to continue.

“Ginny, when Peter ran after Vicky, I was overcome with love for what he was doing. He was trying to help her. He raced off into the night without knowing where she was. He tried to help her, Ginny, and I loved him for it. I loved him.” Shona stopped for a moment and tried to catch her breath. She had never dared dream that those words would be spoken out loud.

“And the day after, when he told me how desperately he had tried to save her, but was unable to stop her from falling off of the…the…I could see such horrific pain in his eyes. Oh, God, Ginny, I’d never seen a look like that before. I never knew that someone could have such passion, such care. Ginny, I felt so terrible about what had happened to Vicky, but Peter was consumed with pain and need. I wanted to hold him. I just wanted to hold him.”

“I know he was, Shona. When you told me about it, I could see the same pain and need in your eyes. They told me the story. They told me how much you loved Peter and wanted to soothe his pain.”

“Ginny, last night, Peter told me why Vicky had been so angry with me. My husband had hurt her terribly and used her so viciously. She blamed me for it, Ginny, and all because he returned to me. And she hated the fact that somehow Rory was falling in love with me, but he wasn’t, Ginny. I know that now. But, I was using Rory to try and forget about my love for Peter. I was wrong too, Ginny.”

“No, sweetie, you can’t feel that way. You had to protect your heart. I understand why you tried to find love somewhere else. But, Shona, I can’t even imagine how horrible it was for you to find out why Vicky was so angry with you. You must have been terribly upset when Peter told you.”

“I was, but Peter told me with such perfect compassion and gentleness that the truth didn’t hurt me as much as it could have. He is so full of love, honesty, and decency, Ginny. I do love him, I do. I think he feels the same about me, but if he doesn’t, Ginny, I…I don’t know what I’ll…I don’t, I don’t…Oh, God, I hope he loves me. I hope…I”

“Well, sweetheart, there is only one way to find out. You’ve got to tell him. You’ve got to show him what is inside your heart. You’ve got to do it.”

“Oh, but if he…he doesn’t feel the same, I…I’ve never even let on that I…. Shona closed her eyes, once again, and let out a huge sigh.

“Bu…but, you are right, Ginny. I’ve got to tell him, but not just yet. Not yet, Ginny. I’ve got to wait until he’s fully recovered. I can’t give him any additional pressure to deal with. I won’t do that to him. I’ll take care of him and make sure that he follows his doctor’s orders. In time, perhaps I’ll be able to tell him what I need to.

“You will, Shona, and just think, Dr. MacKenzie, you don’t have to give him a rabies shot! You only have to make sure that he follows a good diet and exercises properly.”

“Thanks, Ginny,” said Shona as she raised her head and showed her friend a smile that brightened the office with a glow of startling brilliance. Within a moment, however, her smile had turned into a look of concern. “Ginny, I feel very badly about the way I treated Rory. I shouldn’t have yelled at him and said such harsh things. I just couldn’t go on listening to him and letting him think that we might end up together.”

“Shona, I have a feeling that it is time for Rory to find out where his heart truly is. Perhaps he’ll still discover his own Brigadoon, but it is up to him to open his eyes and get on with his life. I don’t know what his problem is, but he’ll work it out. Now, get out of here and go visit Peter. It is time to start taking care of that man.”

Two days later, he managed to reach Peter and, during a very emotional conversation, told his friend how sincerely worried he was about his health. Even though Peter was in a very weakened condition, he began to feel stronger when realizing how concerned Rory was about him. Peter had only heard Rory sound that sincere when delivering a motivational speech to the franchisees of Peter’s company.

At one point, Peter asked, “Rory, you sound troubled. You sound different, somehow. Are you okay?”

Rory responded, “Peter, I’ve had a heck of a wake-up call. It was one that was a long time coming. I’ve got a great deal of thinking to do. I’m also going to have to spend a great deal of time apologizing to a certain lady. Oh, and by the way, she doesn’t live in Halifax.” Rory could feel the warmth of Peter’s smile coming through the telephone wires and directly into his heart.

“Rory, that sounds like an excellent idea. As you know, I’ve also had a darned good wake-up call and it is one that I intend on heeding. Oh, and by the way, there is a certain lady in Halifax who will make certain that I pay attention to my doctor’s orders.”

“That’s great, Peter. I’ll give you a call in a few weeks and we can figure out what sort of work you might like me to do for your firm in the future. Perhaps I’ll even take you up on that offer to establish your proposed Edinburgh office. But, for now, you concentrate on getting better. Take care, my friend.”

Rory closed his eyes for a moment and thought about Shona one more time. The pain was difficult to bear, but he knew that Cynthia was the lady he was meant to be with. He’d always known that, but had allowed the mists of Brigadoon and his own insecurities to cloud the truth.

Over the next few weeks, Rory tried to contact Cynthia on many occasions, but she wouldn’t accept his calls. He knew that she must be extremely hurt over what had happened in her apartment the night that he screamed out Shona’s name in his sleep. After she had awakened him, he had confessed his past love for the lady in Halifax, but claimed the relationship was over.

Earlier that evening, Rory had promised Cynthia that he hadn’t been close, following their separation, to another woman. It had been a lie and Cynthia had caught him, just as she’d done so many times in the past.

Following his disclosure, Cynthia demanded that he get out and never contact her again. The next day, Shona also rejected him. Those two shocks to his heart caused Rory to finally begin analyzing his life and concept of love.

Rory had always realized that he was a deeply insecure man who couldn’t believe that anyone would truly love him. Throughout most of his adult life, he had desperately tried to find someone who would permanently fall in love with him, but when they tried to give their hearts to Rory, he found it impossible to trust them and would begin to search for someone else.

When he and Cynthia were living together, she would, from time to time, become moody and apparently disenchanted with him. Even though her problems were career-oriented, Rory convinced himself that she no longer loved him. During those times, he desperately sought the company of someone else. “Perhaps, Rory hoped, “this woman will be the one to fully love me and help me to love myself. Each affair had ended in failure and Rory would quickly retreat to Cynthia.

Unbeknownst to Rory, Cynthia had been fully aware of his trysts. However, her own lack of self-love had caused her to look the other way, but not forever.

A short while ago, Cynthia had decided to give Rory another chance, but his lies about what had happened during their long separation helped her to locate her long-buried sense of self-confidence and pride. She was now finally strong enough to realize that she no longer needed Rory in her life. Rory would soon discover this to be true.

It had only taken a few days for Rory to begin realizing the error of his ways and recognize the pain that he had inflicted on Cynthia. He also came to believe that he had hurt Vicky and thrown her away like so much chaff. Shona’s rejection, however, had been the most severe shot to his heart. Shona had proven to him that she had managed to see through Rory’s “smoke and mirror” show. His magic had finally failed.

One month after Shona rejected him, Rory finally spoke with Cynthia. He poured out his heart to her and explained what he’d learned about himself and was in the process of correcting. He begged her to give him another chance and to please accept his apologies for all of his past crimes of the heart.

When she had finished listening to Rory’s impassioned speech, Cynthia said, “I believe everything you’ve told me, I truly do. Rory, I hope you find someone who’ll love you, but, I’m not her. Not anymore.”

Rory finally realized that he and Cynthia would never be together again. He knew that it was time to leave that part of his life behind. Not long after his final conversation with Cynthia, Rory accepted Peter’s offer to move to Scotland and open an office for his franchise system.

Perhaps, in time, Rory would find the lady of his destiny and she would know that his heart was true. Perhaps she lived in Edinburgh and would teach him that Brigadoon was a place in the heart, not a mist-enshrouded, fabled village in Scotland. If so, then Rory’s search would end and he would love his dear lady forever. He would also be true to her forever.

After departing the hospital, Shona continued to spend a great deal of time with Peter and made certain that his diet was being respected and his exercise program was followed to the letter. In fact, three times each week, they worked out together at the local health club.

Buff was now the owner of The NordicWorld Gym, but had stopped using the phrase, “Full pain! Full gain!” to spur the members on to physical glory. Now he stated with great sincerity, “Don’t overdo it! Work out smart and live!”

As long as he had known her, Peter had been enchanted with Shona, but had not pursued a relationship with her. Even during the darkest days of his marriage, he had refused to entertain any thoughts of a future with Shona, but it had been a very difficult task.

In the days and months following his release from the hospital, he knew that he could no longer order his heart to remain locked to Shona. Still, however, he would wait and make certain that what he felt was true and that she wished for the same.

During the six months, since his heart attack, Shona’s love for Peter grew even more deeply than she thought possible. Everything about this wonderful man was a gift to her soul and she constantly dreamed of spending the rest of her life with him.

Even so, she told herself that perhaps he needed more time to fully recover before being presented with what she so desperately needed to tell him. “One day,” thought Shona, “I’ll tell him, but not now.” Throughout the next year, Shona and Peter learned virtually everything about each other. Each revelation was yet another article of confirmation that they indeed were destined to be together. Neither had ever had so much in common with another person. Neither had loved another so fully and passionately.

On a magnificent sunshine blessed day, fourteen months after Peter’s brush with death, Shona and Peter were strolling, hand in hand, along a wind-kissed beach. As Duchess played chase with the lapping waters of the surf, both knew that the first moment of the their eternal love commitment was upon them.

Shona turned to her gallant knight and said, “Peter, I’ve waited for a long time to tell you this. The time is right. I love you with all of my heart, my darling, and I….”

Peter embraced his lovely lady and said, “Let’s do it together, my beautiful, precious Shona.”

Their lips were just a sigh apart from each other’s as they asked, “Will you marry me? Yes, forever,“ they replied in unison as their hearts became one.

“Let the heavens cry above, Brigadoon, Brigadoon, in my valley, there’ll be love.”

(Gary loves to hear from his readers so please email him)

Brigadoon Home Page