A Far Away Look.

Today we travelled to Ullapool. There is a super market here so it was a good chance to stock up on a few things, so Jan and went off shopping while George stayed in the van. I'm not sure what he got up to, he just said that he wouldn't come as he had a few things that he needed to take care of.

After lunch we all took a walk round, taking a look at what shops there were before checking out the harbour. George was hoping there would be a ferry in but there wasn't unfortunately. Before retuning to the van we called in and had a drink at the café were I had waited for the bus on my way up last year. I was telling George and Jan about arriving here just as a storm was starting.

"So, when you were last here you would be sixteen, is that right?"

"Yes."

"and you travelled here all the way from Coventry by yourself?" He asked.

"Yes, that's right, I met Irene on the train to Edinburgh and she  made sure I caught the correct train to Inverness where I was met by Mr Scott at the station and he took me to his B&B for the night and then put me on the right bus for Ullapool the next day. I met the bus driver here who was to take me for the next part of my journey to meet grandfather. This bus driver was really nice and looked after me, he even bought me a drink just here in this cafe. Apart from that I was alone."

"Weren't you worried?" George asked.

"I was worried about getting the right train or bus but as I say, I seemed to get lucky and always found someone to help me."

"I find it hard to understand how your own parents could put you though that ordeal."

"It sickens me really to even think about you having to do that." He added.

"I'm not always a nice person, I think I shamed my mum more than pleased her, I don't recall her ever having a lot of love for me anyway. I don't feel that I am a great loss to them to be honest."

"From your point of view or theirs?"

"Both really, I don't miss them and I don't think they will be missing me."

"In what way aren't you a nice person?" He then asked.

"What I did with Dave mainly but also I sometimes say things in a way that isn't very nice."

"Dave was just part of growing up, you appear to have learnt your lesson from it and I'm impressed how you've taken onboard some of the responsibility for it when really he was the one old enough to know better. As for your sharp tongue, you're just spirited and it's not a bad thing that you make your point clear, at least everyone knows were they stand. You've just got to think on that it can hurt someone, but I think you know that," He said.

He now got a look about him that I hadn't seen before, sort of very thoughtful and far away if that makes sense. He didn't speak for a while after that, it was quite strange. Jan broke the silence by asking which storm it was when I was here last but I couldn't remember the name of it.

After this we walked back to the van and then went to the near by campsite for the night.