With an insight, we uncover ”
Janet and I were once again awed by Andy’s answer, and I felt with certainty that we were in for another very interesting few days.
Andy told us he felt that we had had enough talk for a while and suggested we take a leisurely walk through some of the castle grounds that we had not yet covered. We circled the castle enjoying the pleasant outlooks in every direction, including a distant view of the ocean. No wonder Andy and Emily loved to come here. Janet slowly turned full circle and declared that she was enthralled by the grandeur of the place. She had scarcely finished talking, when six deer appeared from the woods and started to browse right in front of us. On the other side of the bridge, three horses grazed peacefully in a manicured meadow. We stopped nearby at a park bench shaded from the afternoon sun by an aristocratic old oak. Sitting in complete silence and witnessing such beauty, a feeling of peace and serenity swept over me. After a long silence, Janet remarked that she had never felt so relaxed in all of her life.
We continued to sit in agreeable silence for some time, enjoying the stillness, our own thoughts and the quiet company of good friends. Once again it was Janet who broke the spell, suggesting that we return to town for a late lunch. We all suddenly became aware of how hungry we were and readily agreed.
Chapter Seven
About Listening
It was now Thursday and our visit to Devon and the gardener was nearing its end. Andy and Emily had invited us over to see their home, and when we arrived, I marveled at the picturesque old stone cottage with its thatched roof. Climbing roses and ivy partially covered the walls, providing a handsome backdrop to the bright spurs of delphinium, hollyhock and snapdragons that dominated the entrance garden.
As we approached the cottage, Emily appeared with a welcoming smile and invited us into her dream cottage. The living room was quite large, the polished oak floors accented with British India carpets and runners. The most striking feature was a large bay window framing a view of rolling, green meadows dotted with grazing sheep. On the left wall leading to the windows stood an oak bookcase with the rich patina attained only by age, filled with books, almanacs and periodicals. Dominating the other was a centuries-old stone fireplace with a heavy oak mantel. Janet could hardly contain her enthusiasm as Emily showed us through the house. “Oh, this is so beautiful! Wow, I love this space!” Janet exclaimed again and again as we visited each room. One wing contained a charming but very functional country kitchen with one wall almost entirely devoted to a display of trophies and pictures of Clydesdale horses.
After the tour through her home, Emily showed us outside to the patio where a table had been laid for tea and sandwiches. We sat and chatted and Janet explained to her that we were now partners in a clinic and that it had been our best year ever. Then she proudly showed Emily her engagement ring and told her that she was getting married next month, “to the most wonderful man.”
Emily smiled at Janet’s excitement, and offered congratulations and the hope that some day she and Andy would have the good fortune to meet him.
Janet, full of feeling, described to Emily how she sometimes couldn’t believe what had happened in her life during the past twelve months. “There are times when I think I should pinch myself. It has been the most memorable year in my life. I can’t believe my good fortune. Do you realize that in the past year, I’ve found the perfect place for my practice, with ideal partners and, as a bonus, I work with colleagues I both respect and admire? On top of that, I’m getting married to the man of my dreams.”
Eyes sparkling, Emily asked Janet to tell her all about this young man of hers. Janet was happy to oblige. “Well Jack's a very gentle person, the same age as me and I think he’s very handsome. He’s slightly over six feet tall, has blond, wavy hair, and big, soft, blue eyes I could just drown in,” she beamed. “Jack’s a pharmacist; he runs his own business and this weekend, he is opening up a second store. That’s why he didn’t come to England. The price you pay for success!” She sighed dramatically.
A moment later, Janet became very serious. “Emily, we’re getting married at the end of October. If I were to invite you and Andy to our wedding, would you consider coming?”
“My goodness, this is a surprise. How kind of you to even think of inviting us. I’ll certainly pass on the good news to Andy and tell him of your invitation. Believe me, I’m flattered that you came all this way to speak to us, and now you honor us even more by inviting us to your wedding.”
“I know it’s a long way to the United States, but if you could possibly make it, Jack and I would be honored to have you attend.
“Since the last time we were here in England, Eric and I have had incredible results at the office and we feel that whatever Andy said to us the last time we were here had a lot to do with it. That’s why we came back to England—to ask Andy for more details about his philosophy; and I really wanted to ask you personally if you would be able to come to my wedding.”
Emily sipped her tea and made no reply for a while. Finally she replied, “You must be a very proud and happy young lady.”
“I am, and I feel so fortunate. I really would like to go deeper into the philosophical beliefs that both you and Andy seem to understand so clearly.”
“I’m not so sure about my clarity,” Emily said, smiling. “Believe me, Janet, I still sometimes have trouble relating to what Andy is saying and I would never take it upon myself to imagine I could. As long as I’ve known Andy, he’s always had that mysterious quality of appearing to be just one step ahead of you.”
“Emily, what do you mean when you say Andy often appears to be one step ahead of you?”
Emily smiled sweetly. “That my dear, I can’t possibly explain to you.”
“Emily, there must be some reason for you to describe your husband that way. Couldn’t you have a go at explaining it to us?”
Emily sat in silence for the longest time and then said, “Since the very first time I met Andy, I could feel there was something different about him.”
“In what way?” Janet inquired.
Emily appeared to be deep in thought. There was another long silence as she pondered Janet’s question. Then she said, “Even when Andy was young he never said very much, but when he did, he always caught the attention of those listening. He was always very confident in what he was saying, but not in an arrogant way. Andy was always so—matter of fact.”
Emily’s eyes shone with love. “I knew the first night I met Andy that he was someone I wanted to share the rest of my life with.”
Janet clasped her hands and nodded. “You know that I’m a marriage counsellor, Emily, so I love to hear about happy marriages, and apart from that, I’m just plain nosey.” She leaned forward and pleaded earnestly, “So will you please tell me more about you and Andy?”
Emily set her cup down and sat up straighter in her chair. “Let me see if I can explain Andy. I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try. Not long after we were married, I started to notice that things always appeared to go right for him. At first I thought it was just sheer luck on his part, but it became more and more obvious over time that Andy knew a lot more than I was giving him credit for.”
“In what way?” Janet asked, still leaning forward, not wanting to miss a word.
Emily laughed, “Janet, you have met the man and I’m sure you understand the impossible task of trying to explain Andy to anyone.”
“Emily, just try! I’m dying to hear every little detail.”
“He was just different from everyone else. For some reason as young as he was, he always knew exactly what crop to plant and when to sell. I remember, during the Depression days of the Thirties, that farmers all over England were having a difficult time making ends meet. Few people had any money to buy what the farmers were producing. As a matter of fact, many farmers went bankrupt and lost their farms to taxes.