| |
––––––––
SARA PAUSED IN DUTY Free to give herself a heavy-handed spritz of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle.
Michelle put down the sunglasses she was trying on and sniffed the air. ‘Lovely. Now I feel like I’m on holiday.’
She smiled at the thought of ten whole days away from work, memories of Dan and Fermín’s harassment. Even the Vicious Moron issue had died down since she’d seen his Aunty Ivy. She wondered if Ivy might have put in a good word because there had been no further mention of unions or disciplinary action. Hopefully, the whole thing had blown over. If it had, this time she was never going to step out of line again.
Judy dumped her bags on the floor next to a window table in the bar. ‘I can’t believe it cost me thirty-six pounds for three extra kilos. I weighed my case at home, it was under twenty. It’s a scam.’
Gemma gave her mother a sideways look. ‘Mine weighed the same here as at home.’
‘That proves my point. I saw the pile of stuff you were trying to force into your case. For a start, those whopping great platform sandals must weigh a tonne...’
Sara looked at Gemma and sniggered.
Michelle set about brushing crumbs onto the floor and cleaning the table with a Wet One. ‘You’d think at these prices they could afford to employ a decent cleaner.’
The waitress stood scowling behind her until she’d finished, then clattered down a plate in front of her.
‘Oh, er –’
‘Mam, for goodness sake, sit down,’ said Sara.
The waitress shot Michelle a stony glare as she set the rest of the food and drinks down without a word and left.
Michelle pulled out tissues to mop up the spillage.
Gemma tucked straight in.
‘I can’t wait to get there,’ said Sara. ‘I might make a photographic diary to print out and send to Riya, so she can find out more about the world. Wasn’t that a lovely letter she sent us?’
‘Yes, it certainly makes me grateful for everything we have,’ said Michelle.
Sara smiled at her mother. ‘I know I can be a bit selfish sometimes, but I do appreciate what you do for me.’
‘I would have loved to have given you more, and not to have been too tired to play games with you when you were little.’
‘You used to read to me every night. And I loved our little sing-a-song before I went to sleep.’
It dawned on Michelle that she’d spent so much time chastising herself for all the ways she’d failed Sara, she hadn’t stopped to consider she might have gotten some things right.
‘We’ll dump our cases, have a look around and then go down to the beach,’ said Gemma. She caught sight of a stag party sitting at the bar. ‘Maybe check out the local tavernas.’
‘There’s no rush,’ said Judy. ‘I’d like to unpack and get sorted first. Michelle, those caramel highlights really suit you.’
‘Thanks.’ She laughed and straightened her hair with her hand. ‘Holiday hair-do.’ She’d been dismayed when she first saw the colour. Much brasher than the shade she’d chosen, but rather than confront the hairdresser, she’d thanked her and given her a good tip. ‘They probably give you a glass of Cava when you check-in. I’ll have that while I disinfect the bathroom.’
‘I thought it had four stars?’ Gemma said, flicking her long blond hair off her face.
‘Yes, but I don’t want to risk coming home with a fungal foot.’
‘Ignore Mrs Mop, Gem.’ Sara turned to Michelle and Judy. ‘There’s no need for you two to trail around with us.’ She nudged Gemma and nodded towards the stags, drinking beer and getting into the holiday mood.
Gemma sat up and pushed her shoulders back.
‘So, all you wanted us for was to foot the bill?’ said Michelle.
‘Of course,’ Gemma said with a coquettish giggle.
Sara leaned across and hugged Michelle. ‘Thanks for bringing us with you. My dad never offered to take me on holiday. Unless you count the times he threatened to abduct me.’
Michelle’s eyes widened in shock. ‘I had no idea you knew about that.’
‘I knew a lot more than you realised. There’s only so much you can cover up when you’re dealing with a nutcase like my idiot father.’ Sara kissed Michelle’s cheek. ‘You did a good job with me, Mam. Thank you. Now that’s enough praise for you, let’s get back to normal.’
Michelle’s heart swelled with love and pride for Sara.
‘Actually, without these two tagging along, we might find ourselves a couple of good-looking Spaniards,’ said Judy. ‘I could do with a holiday romance.’
‘I once met a hunky blonde Finnish lad on an eighteen-to-thirties holiday in Arenal,’ said Michelle, a faraway look in her eyes.
‘Nooo...’ said Sara. ‘That’s enough. Change the conversation. End of.’
Reminiscing about the Finnish boy reminded Michelle of Dan. He had a Scandinavian look about him – tall, strong and Viking-esque. No doubt Penny did too – with her long slim limbs and blonde hair. Perfect bloody pair.
‘Right,’ said Judy. ‘Let’s set some ground rules. This is going to be a fantastic holiday. Fun, chilled and a good laugh.’ She turned to Gemma and Sara then pointed at the stags. ‘Stay away from drunken yobs.’
Michelle’s phone pinged. She glanced at the first part of the text, ¿Qué demonios...? Wohat hav yoo doon...? and deleted it without reading further. ‘And we won’t let any crap from our exes spoil things. Let’s have a toast.’ She held up her coffee mug. ‘To fun in the sun.’
‘Fun in the sun,’ chorused the girls.
***
THE SPANISH CABIN CREW greeted them with sunny smiles and accents. Michelle was transported back in time to Pamplona – the magical place where her dreams turned to ghoulish nightmares. Her failed marriage and unpleasant memories might have stopped her from returning to Spain for many years, barring the gammy ankle holiday to Calella, but she was determined not to let Fermín influence her any longer. It was time to make new memories.
‘Sara turned to wave on the top step, like a young Jackie Onassis. ‘Hasta lluego, Newcastle. See you next week.’
Gemma rubbed her hands together, a cheeky grin on her face. ‘Malaga, here we come.’
‘Sara, you sit with your mam, and Gemma, you’re with me,’ Judy said, clicking open the hand luggage locker.
Gemma walked over towards Sara’s seat. ‘Oh, we thought we’d sit together, let you two –’
Judy pointed to the seat next to hers. ‘Over here, now.’ She looked down the aisle at the stag group. They were already pressing their call buttons for bar service.
Michelle rolled her eyes at Judy. ‘This might turn out to be more like Benidorm than Malaga.’
Sara flopped down into her seat. ‘Gem,’ she called across the aisle, ‘do you think those seats down there are empty?’
Gemma craned her neck to look down the plane, to where the stags were causing havoc.
‘Fastened your seatbelt, please,’ said Michelle. ‘Here, have a Werther’s. Do you want an antiseptic wipe to clean your tray? People change babies’ nappies on them.’
‘No, it’s fine.’ Sara crunched her Werther’s and scrutinised a stain on her tray. ‘Pass me the Wet Ones, please.’
The plane began to taxi down the runway for take-off, the roar of the engines drowned out by the cheering stags.
Michelle relaxed into her seat and allowed her mind to wander back to Dan. Malaga was supposed to have been their special holiday – where they could be a proper couple.
Her thoughts were interrupted by an announcement from the captain. ‘Would all passengers please remain seated and with their seatbelts fastened. There will shortly be a safety demonstration by the cabin crew.’
A perturbed young air stewardess pointed out the emergency exits and showed them how to put on the neon-yellow lifejacket. It was difficult to hear the cabin manager’s instructions over the speaker system because of the high-spirited banter from the stags.
Michelle’s nervousness increased. What if they were on drugs? she wondered. They could turn irrational and dangerous. The girls, how would she and Judy protect their girls? If only they hadn’t confiscated her nail scissors at passport control.
‘I hope we don’t have to put up with this all the way there,’ Judy called from across the aisle.
The lads settled down long enough for the plane to take off before starting their shenanigans again.
‘This is a no smoking plane,’ warned the cabin manager over the speaker system.
‘Oh God, there’ll be oxygen canisters on board,’ said Michelle. ‘We’ll go up like blue touch paper.’
Sara gritted her teeth. ‘It’s like having the Angel of Death on my shoulder. You’re going to ruin our holiday with your wittering on about the slightest thing.’
‘I didn’t used to worry this much until I had you,’ said Michelle.
Sara shot her mother a vicious look. ‘You should never have had a child.’
After her earlier gushing appreciation, Sara’s comments made Michelle laugh.
‘Abuse of other passengers or staff will not be tolerated,’ announced the captain. The seatbelt sign lit up again. ‘For the rest of this flight passengers must remain in their seats with seatbelts fastened. If this request is ignored, we will be forced to land at the nearest airport.’
‘Oh great,’ said Sara, as boos erupted from the back of the plane. ‘We’re going to crash or blow up and die.’
‘Stick in your ear buds and listen to your music. Don’t worry, they’re going to calm down and we’re going to get to bloody Malaga.’
Michelle asked a steward if they sold manicure sets from the duty-free trolley. She was disappointed to be told they didn’t. She nudged Sara. ‘Do you remember what Sensei Brian used to say?’
Sara pulled out one ear bud and shook her head. ‘About what?’
‘If you get attacked.’
Sara looked at her, puzzled. ‘No.’
‘Forget about Judo. Stick your fingers right into the eye sockets or up the nose. The police won’t prosecute a woman defending herself.’
‘Get a grip, Mother.’
‘I’m just saying –’
‘Yes, I remember now.’ She rummaged in her bag. ‘But, if I had time to grab it, I’d stab this into his eye first.’ Sara was brandishing a six-inch metal nail file.
‘How did you get that through? Quick, hide it.’ Michelle tried to cover the file with both hands.
Sara snatched the weapon away and shoved it into her bag. ‘You’re such a wuss, Mam.’
The atmosphere on the plane felt heavy and miserable. Michelle yawned. She wished Dan was there, he’d have sorted out those louts. No doubt he’d be packing for a luxury holiday with Scandinavian Penny and Tamara. She drifted off into a fitful dream. Penny was sitting on a ruby red velvet cushion, smiling like the cat that got the cream. She was holding a miniature Dan, attached by his foot to a fine wire, and dangling him over a metal rubbish bin. He wasn’t aware he was on a wire, or that he was hovering over a bin. He waved and smiled at Michelle from the distance.
She awoke with a start as the wheels bumped onto the tarmac. The stags were up and out of their seats before the plane had even come to a standstill. The other passengers sat in silence as the captain gave a last command to remain seated. Thirty minutes later they were still trapped in the red-hot cabin. The stags wouldn’t quieten down. Someone was crying. Suddenly the aircraft doors burst open, and a squad of armed policemen stormed down the aisle. The stags’ trainers barely touched the floor as they were dragged off the plane, to the whoops and applause of the other passengers.
‘Gemma, Sara, please stay away from riff raff like that. You could so easily be going with them.’ Michelle imagined the toes of their wedged sandals scraping along the aisle carpet as the girls were manhandled, weeping and wailing, off to jail.
As the police vans disappeared across the tarmac and the sound of their sirens faded into the distance, Spanish air wafted into the plane. Michelle calmed down. She loved that familiar, sweet fragrance. To her it was an exquisite perfume. In reality, it was probably a mixture of hot air and aviation fuel.
She stepped out into the glorious sunshine and made her way down the aircraft steps, relieved they’d arrived safely, and delighted to hear the familiar sound of Spanish chatter among the ground crew.
‘Right ladies,’ said Judy. ‘Let’s put the shaky start behind us and have a bloody good holiday. Onwards and upwards.’
‘Vamonos!’ said Michelle.
Gemma and Sara looked at each other.
‘It means “let’s go”.’
‘Vamonos!’ they chorused.
