Chapter 9
Aileana
She felt right at home, living in her seanmhair’s cottage and with Scotland as her new address. Scotland had actually always been her second home. It was going to take only a small amount of time to get acclimated to her new living arrangement and the Scots’ way of life.
Aileana decided she should take a walk into town to see if any of her friends might be out and about. It was a magnificent sunny day, now that the morning mist had burned off. As she walked along the sidewalk in town, the smell of the ocean and green hills made her feel so wonderful and content. She could genuinely appreciate the splendor of the country here, she loved that she was able to see the rolling hills and rocky creags. It was so different from the San Fernando Valley, where she had always called home. The valley was wholly housing tracts and asphalt streets. Where one town left off, another started. There were no open spaces anymore unless one counted the small pocket parks that were an afterthought in the city planning. At least in northern Scotland, she felt her heart could mend from the betrayal she’d suffered.
Up the street, she could see the local pub. She was hungry; she hadn’t eaten that morning. Aileana walked into the lively pub. There she was, surrounded by loud laughing men filling the pub. The pub had a rich dark aroma of flowing beer. She was aware there was to be a shift change out on the oil rig. The pub sure appeared as if it had already taken place. The animated tavern was nearly filled with what she thought were the single guys. Aileana hoped all the married men would be home enjoying their off time with their wives and family.
The testosterone level was quite high in the pub as the men were all bragging about one thing or another. She could hear a group of rowdy men laughing about some off-color story one of the oil riggers was revealing. The room had a friendly vibe, lots of beer drinking and cheerful men.
She walked over to the bar to place her order for the sampler platter of shrimp, scallops, and mussels in white wine, butter, and garlic broth. The platter was served with a chunk of warm, dark Scottish oat bread with a generous portion of soft creamy butter. She decided to go with a white wine since her seafood platter came in a wine broth.
She thought it was a good thing she had been getting her walks in the morning and surfing an hour or so in the afternoons. Or else she wouldn’t be able to get through the pub doors. Just as she got ready to take a seat toward the back of the pub so she could watch all the local action. She noticed one of the men who was the size of a mountain and as solid as a block wall, who played a mean game of darts with his cohorts and seemed to fill the tavern. Dart Man backed-up and bumped her glass of Sauvignon Blanc, which splashed down the front of her green plaid woolen Pendleton shirt. The big beast of a man had been laughing with his buddies and was unaware she walked behind him. He spun around and started to apologize when his mouth quirked into a wicked smile.
She sputtered. “What’s so funny, dude?”
“Nothing is funny, I just smiled because I ken ye!”
Aileana took a closer look at him after she started to wipe the Sauvignon off her chest.
“Oh my God, Kendrick, is that you? You look exactly the same as you did when we first met. Damn, you’ve got some good genes, and I am not talking the jeans you have on.” She laughed.
“Thanks.” He laughed. “It runs in our family, lucky I guess. Aileana, yer a wonderful sight to behold, ye’v grown up to be a bonnie lass.”
“Thank you; it’s been a long time. What are you up to now?”
“I finished mah twenty-eight-day shift on the oil rig. Decided to come into town and blow off some steam with mah friends. Are ye staying with yer seanmhair for a visit?”
“Yes, I am at her cottage for the time being. I am here for more than a visit, though, I plan on staying at least a year if not more. I only need a computer and an internet connection to do my job.”
“What type of work are ye doing?”
“I work for a magazine that does various types of news stories. In fact, the piece I am working on now is about offshore oil rigs in Scotland. Maybe I can pick your brain and get various inside information,” she replied.
“Sure, although I’m nae certain what I kin tell ye, I’m simply a roustabout.”
“Excellent! You just never know what information I will find useful.”
“Why don’t ye let me buy ye another glass of wine, and we kin catch up some.”
“That sounds wonderful, I would love to catch up, and you can help me finish my seafood platter. I’m sure my eyes are bigger than my stomach.”
“Now, that is a temptation I won’t say nay to ye. Mah favorite food is shellfish.” He laughed.
“I took you for a steak and potatoes man.”
“Aye, I enjoy them also, but shellfish and any seafood are mah favorites. So what have ye been up to, lass? Are ye breaking all the men’s hearts back home?” He grinned.
“After high school, I went to the University of Southern California and got my degree in Journalism. Now, I earn my living working for All News Magazine. I love my job because I enjoy the freedom to go where I want, and write about anything that is newsworthy.”
“What brought ye to Scotland to stay a year or so, lass?”
“Well, I needed a change of scenery. I had a nasty break up with a lying, cheating dirt bag of a boyfriend,” she replied with a grimace.
“Weel, ye sure don’t sugarcoat yer feelings toward this man. Do ye need me to pound him to dust for ye, lass?”
“No, the dipshit is not worth the effort, but thanks for the offer.” She smiled back at his grinning face. “What are you doing besides working on the oil rigs? How is your family?”
“Besides the work on the rig, I also help mah athair, my father, learning the family business, basically to serve our clan. Mah family is doing all right, except for the loss of our oldest brother.”
“Kendrick, I am so sorry. I can’t imagine the loss of a sibling. My heart goes out to you and your family; I have no words to express what it must be like to lose someone so close.
“It’s been five years now, and yet it feels like only yesterday. Callum and I were tight; I lost mah brother who also happened to be mah best friend. We’re a close-knit family, but brothers always have a tighter bond. I am sure ye share the same attachment with yer sister. What was her name?”
“Adaira.”