Ally, Jo and I glanced at each other. ‘Indigo?’
‘Yes. She was chosen to be one. It meant giving everything up.’
Ally let out a deep breath. ‘That wasn’t the Mitch we knew. Yes, she was endlessly curious about life, vibrant and open to experiences, but she was the last person on earth I would have said would go the way she did. She was a boy magnet at school, and way ahead of the rest of us in terms of experience; always in love or dating someone, which is why we could never understand why she cut herself off from mainstream life and gave up so much.’
‘I think we know why now,’ said Rosie. ‘Losing Jack, and then whatever happened with her child must have hurt her badly. I guess the Rainbow Children provided a safe haven for her, and a purpose in life. And yet, you must believe it wasn’t all sacrifice. Yes, it appeared we gave up some aspects, but there were years when things were buzzing, the communes were happening places to be, and I don’t think I have ever laughed as much as I did in those years. We were going to change the world, were having great experiences; we were young and inspired.’
‘And there were no men she was interested in?’ Jo asked.
Rosie laughed. ‘Only one, but nothing came of it because he was a Casanova with a capital C, the kind of man who likes the challenge and the chase, then would lose interest. She did consider him for a nanosecond but she wised up pretty fast as to his true nature. Will you tell her about her daughter?’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘But where is she? We’re dying to know.’
‘South Africa. Stellenbosch. She’s been living there since 1977. She was sent out there as an indigo just before the movement folded. She grew to love the country and stayed on.’
‘South Africa?’ said Ally. ‘No wonder we couldn’t find her.’
‘And of course she goes by her married name now,’ said Rosie.
‘She got married?’ asked Ally.
‘Yes, to a lovely man, Rob. She met him on her flight out to Cape Town, then bumped into him again just as she was about to leave. Great timing! Her husband’s family had a hotel and vineyard in the Stellenbosch area which he inherited. I’ve been over there to stay a few times …’
‘How is she?’ asked Jo.
‘Great, really happy. She loves it out there and, I have to say, I have been tempted a few times to go and live there myself, but I’m not sure I could deal with the political unrest.’
‘Children?’ I asked.
‘Two boys, all grown-up now with kids of their own.’
Jo laughed. ‘So she’s a grandmother. I don’t suppose you have any photos?’
‘Loads,’ said Rosie. ‘Want to see them? The place where she lives is absolutely beautiful and the hotel so much more than that. With Mitch’s input, it’s a centre for well-being and they run all sorts of courses where people can go and stay, either to chill in the spa or do various classes; and her gardens, wow, you should see those. The centre has acres of land so, as well as the grape growing, Mitch has herb gardens and vegetable plots; everything’s fresh when you stay there.’ She got up, found her laptop and we all gathered round. Moments later, we were looking at photos of an attractive couple standing in a sun-filled garden with two yellow Labradors by their side.
Jo’s eyes filled with tears. ‘She looks fantastic. To tell the truth, we had even considered the idea she might have died, so it’s so good to see her looking so … so alive.’
‘She does look good, doesn’t she?’ said Rosie. ‘The location and lifestyle out there suits her. All the knowledge of planting and the land that she’d learnt while with the Rainbow Children was put to good use. She fell in love with Rob and he with her and they were married a year after they met at the airport.’
‘It’s a real happy-ever-after story,’ said Ally. ‘I’m so glad things worked out for her.’
‘Me too but … how are we going to do this?’ I asked. ‘Will you tell Mitch we’ve been here?’
‘Of course,’ said Rosie. ‘But whether to call her … or maybe, if she agrees to it, we could set up a Skype or FaceTime call so you can all see her and she can see you.’
‘Or do we go over there in person?’ Jo asked. ‘And what about Lisa? At what stage do we tell Mitch that her daughter has been looking for her?’
‘And how’s she going to feel about that?’ I asked. ‘We still don’t know what happened, nor if Mitch wants to reconnect.’
‘And how’s Lisa going to feel when she finds out she has two brothers and nephews?’
‘Nathan and Leigh and their kids Callum and Josh,’ said Rosie.
‘If Mitch does want to meet Lisa, it might be better for them to meet in person,’ I said.
‘Ask her what she wants,’ said Jo, ‘then we can take it from there.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ I said. ‘I can’t wait.’
Chapter Forty-Eight
Ally
Present day, May
Rosie tried to reach Mitch a few times but the phone just rang and rang. In the end, we had things to do. I was going to watch the filming of the Long Lost Friends series so far with Sara, and Jo was meeting Gary for a drink. Rosie promised she’d keep trying and call us all as
