The Missed Concert.

Sonia slowed the car to a halt. All around her were mountains with wooded slopes. The road she was on wound on as far as the eye could see. She put her hands on the steering wheel and laid her head on them. No sign of a town or even a house. She was completely lost and the headache that had started even before she left the motorway threatened to be a bad one. She took several deep breaths and reached in her bag for a bottle of water and some aspirin.

Vincent had been quite clear. Come off the motorway at exit 9, drive for about 2 miles until you come to a crossroads. Take the road to the left. St.Cyprian is about 3 miles down that road. She had done exactly that and here she was lost in the middle of nowhere with not a living soul to ask for directions. She got out of the car and sat on the low wall at the side of the road. No point in ringing Vincent, he was on his way to Canada. Vincent, the long time lover, who was a trouble shooter for a large international company. Theirs was a complicated relationship but it suited them both. The best thing to do was to turn round and go back to the crossroads and look for directions there. She looked at her watch, it was nearly 4pm. The concert started at 8pm. She had plenty of time to find the place, hope she could still get a ticket, have a meal and find somewhere to stay for the night. She decided to give the aspirin time to work before she headed back.

It was late summer. It had been hot in town when she had left at lunch time but here it was pleasantly cool. Sitting on the wall she looked around. To her right there appeared to be a narrow path. She got up to have a look. The path was steep and stony but she was curious to see where it led. Halfway down she stopped and stared. Just below her was a stonr house that appeared to have been built on a ledge cut out of the mountain. It was surrounded by a small garden filled with flowers. A woman in a blue cotton dress and wearing a straw hat was watering with a large metal watering can.

Sonia inched forward trying not to slip on the stones. When she felt that she was a reasonable distance from the woman she called out
"Excuse me. I wonder if you could help me I'm completely lost?"
Startled, the woman looked up
Sonia continued "I'm sorry to have startled you."
The woman smiled. "Yes you did a bit. It's not often that people use that path. Come on down but be careful."
Sonia skidded the last few metres until she reached the edge of the garden and the woman. She appeared to be in her early fifties and had soft brown eyes. She put down her watering can.
"You say you are lost. Where were you going?"
"To St.Cyprian. I wanted to go to this evening's concert there."
"Oh dear! St.Cyprian is the other side of that mountain. As far as I know all the seats for that concert have been sold but I suppose there could be a few last minute cancellations. You look as though you need a cold drink. There's a small path to your right among the flowers and a bench over there. I'll get you a drink."
Sonia found the path and the bench and sank gratefully on to it. A few minutes later the woman appeared with a couple of glasses filled with ice cubes and a golden liquid. She handed one to Sonia.
"It's a honey based drink. I make it myself from my own honey. I keep bees. My name is Emily Harding."
Sonia held out her hand "Sonia Russell. I have a few days holiday and I wanted to stay on in St.Cyprian after the concert and explore the region. It's a part of the country I don't know at all."

Sonia sipped her drink and lent her head back against the wall of the house. The stone was warm, the drink delicious and she felt the tension of the last week start to ease. She had worked long hours in difficult conditions and needed a short break. A few days to unwind. It was nice to spend a short while with what appeared to be a calm and competant woman. Past the garden the view was spectacular, a deep valley between two ranges of mountains. It all looked cool, inviting and restful. Emily continued her watering filling the watering can from a large water butt.The ringing of a mobile phone broke the silence. Emily fished a small phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen.
"Excuse me" she said to Sonia "it's my husband."
"Yes dear. Right. Will you be back in time for evening surgery or will you ring Mrs Martin if you are going to be late? Yes I'll do that." She closed the phone down.
"My husband's the local GP. He's had to see a patient in one of the outlying villages. Doctors are spread very thinly in these mountains and some of his patients are scattered over a wide area."
Sonia finished her drink, started to thank Emily for her hospitality and ask for directions to St.Cyprian when Emily's phone rang again.
"When was this? How long? At least until tomorrow. As far as I know you have got a full list this evening. I'll phone Mrs Martin, explain the situation to her, ask her to rebook the patients and to direct anything that seems serious to Dr. Bennett. I know he's in the next valley but what can we do? Keep in touch!"
Emily closed the phone, shook her head and sat on the bench next to Sonia.
"Would you believe it. There's been a rock fall on the road to the village where he is. It's too late to start clearing it today. They'll send a team in at first light tomorrow and try to clear the road as soon as they can. I'll phone our practice nurse Mrs Martin, explain it all to her and get her to cancel this evening's surgery."
Sonia stood up, still basking in the effects of the peace and calm of that afternoon. Her headache had gone and she felt much better. She turned to Emily and said "Perhaps I could help?"
"Well, not really, but thank you."
Sonia continued, "I am a doctor and I do locum work all over the country. I am quite used to taking a surgery at short notice. My credentials are in my doctor's bag locked in the boot of my car."
Emily stared at her "That's unbelievable. Could you? Would you? I'll ring my husband back and let him know. I'll ring Mrs Martin and tell her to expect you. Thank you very much indeed."
"Where do I go and how do I get there?"
"I take it your car is on the road above the lane you came down. Drive back the way you came. Four miles down the road on the right is a turning. Watch out for it as it is easy to miss.Carry on along that road until you reach the village. The surgery is the first house on the left as you enter the village. Evening surgery can end quite late so you'll need a place to stay. The top floor of the surgery is a small flat. My husband uses it in the winter when he finishes late and the weather is bad. You'll find everything you need there. But what about your concert."
"There will be another. This is far more important."
The two women shook hands. Sonia went back to her car and Emily made her calls.

Later that evening Mrs Martin rang Emily.
"Emily, where did you find Dr.Russell? She's wonderful. Evening surgery went without a hitch, all the patients were under her charm!"
"She found me. She lost her way and came down the little path to the house. She was there when Don rang and she took over. You can imagine how relieved I was!"
"Having seen her at work you could not have fallen better. She fitted in so easily. Good night Emily."
"Good night, thanks for ringing."

The screech of brakes and the sound of a collision woke Sonia at 2am. She flew out of bed, grabbed her bag and her jacket and ran down the stairs. On the opposite side of the road a car with 4 people in it had smashed into a lamp post. People started running out of neighbouring houses. Sonia called to one of them "I'm a doctor. Please call for an ambulance."
By the time the ambulance arrived Sonia had dealt with various injuries and had saved a life. She gratefully accepted the cup of tea handed to her feeling as though she had been part of this village's life for a long time instead of only a few hours. She liked it here and hoped she could come back.