“Should we put them in the middle?” the man who called to us before asks, standing up and joining, and slowly we shift as a few others follow him.
My father and Maggie clasp hands in the center, and there are about seven of us now holding hands in a circle around them.
And Jacob was right. The chorus comes to me quickly.
You’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road
And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye
Where me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
But then the tempo increases, and Jacob looks toward me, a cheeky grin spread wide across his face.
“What is—”
And suddenly, everyone in the circle is running toward the bride and groom. I’m yanked by Jacob and the man holding my other hand, following them.
You’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road
And then we run back.
And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye
Maggie and my father laugh, their faces bright, and we rush back toward them, all of us forming a tighter circle, the strangest sort of group hug.
Where me and my true love will never meet again
And then we’re back.
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
A verse kicks in, with words I don’t know, and then the chorus returns, and we’re running. A laugh breaks out of me, and Jacob turns my way, his hair whipping around his face, his smile so wide that crinkles form near his eyes.
The cycle repeats, and I find myself out of breath from both the laughter and exertion, and slowly, after a little while, the tempo comes down.
We stop running, singing out the chorus for what I believe will be the last time, but on the second to last line, Maggie breaks away from my dad.
Where me and my true love will never meet again
She stretches her hand out, reaching for me, tugging both Jacob and me into the middle of the circle.
My dad takes my hand, and Jacob takes Maggie’s, the four of us forming a circle again.
And then, the final words.
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
As the song fades, I look at Jacob. His face is flushed, his eyes shining as he watches me in return.
I know this is the end of my time in Scotland. I know I’m going back home tomorrow, but nothing about this feels like an ending.
The circle falls away, and I watch my father and Maggie embrace just as Jacob pulls me toward him. I laugh again, falling into his arms, and he leans down. His glasses are off-center from all the dancing, and I reach for them, fixing them back in place right before he kisses me.
And as I sink farther into him, I know this isn’t an ending, but the beginning of something scary and wonderful. A life and love I never believed could be mine.
Epilogue
