‘I don’t need that,’ says Keera immediately. ‘I can go to Corfu Town on my own.’
‘Nonsense,’ says Rose, smiling calmly.
She’s running this group and the person who looked most shocked at this very human sign of real life is Bernard. Without noticing he was doing it, he wrinkled up his old nose.
Bernard still feels superior to everyone. She’s really going to have to figure out a breakthrough. Or is that an impossible task?
‘Bernard,’ Rose says in a voice that brooks no dissent, ‘in place of the meditation, you’re offering service to the group. You’re accompanying Keera tonight. Christos will give you a light snack at five, you’ll get the taxi at five twenty, and then when you find the place, you can have a wander around the Old Town while Keera does her stuff.’
Bernard looks outraged and Rose is sorry that she’s dumping a grizzly Bernard onto Keera. But she knows that Keera understands the theory behind rehab whereby people are made to do things they don’t want to do.
‘There’s often coffee afterwards,’ says Keera apologetically to him. ‘So it goes on a bit longer than the standard hour.’
‘I don’t see why—’
Rose cuts Bernard off with a steely gaze that says she is not finished with him yet but that he won’t like it when she is.
‘Even better. Bernard will be fine. We’ll keep your dinner for you.’
Rose has a stare that can cut sheet metal. Under it, even Bernard begins to quail.
He subsides. ‘Yes,’ he grumbles. ‘I’ll be fine.’
‘I can go too,’ says Grazia eagerly but Rose holds up a hand.
‘No you won’t,’ she says softly. ‘I’m postponing evening meditation. You and I will have a walk on the beach before dinner. Marvellous,’ Rose finishes.
This is all working out extremely well.
‘This morning, we’re going to talk to Dianne.’
‘No, you’re not,’ says Dianne quickly. ‘My life is boring,’ she adds. ‘I’m not sure what I’m doing here, really …’
‘Indulge us,’ says Rose.
Dianne glares at her. ‘No,’ she says.
‘Will you speak to me alone?’
Dianne looks out past Rose’s shoulder to the trees covering the hills.
The silence seems unending.
‘Yes,’ says Dianne finally.
Rose waits a beat.
‘Bernard and Grazia,’ she says, ‘how are you doing?’
‘Fine, fine,’ says Bernard. He waves a hand in the air. ‘We can get through anything,’ he adds. ‘Young people today don’t realise what people of our vintage …’ here, he gestures to Grazia and Dianne, who are both younger than him, ‘are capable of. Resilience, that’s the key.’
Just before Rose screams at someone for the first time in her therapeutic practice, Dianne speaks.
‘Bernard, you’re a total arse and you don’t deserve Grazia,’ she says unexpectedly. ‘He’s convinced himselfthat he can do what he wants. You’re better on your own, Grazia.’
‘I object strenuously,’ roars Bernard, getting up from his seat.
‘Please, Bernard,’ says Rose gently.
