Fight to the Top

by S. L. Gape

  Erika laughed. “You have no idea,” she said, laughing. Shaking her head at Georgia’s innocence on not realising that kids will take everything literally, “You really need to watch what you say to a five-year-old,” she said questioningly. “Just saying!”

  “What? She could buy a lot worse. Okay, I’m kidding,” she said, holding her hands up in mock defence. “I think you are having a different conversation than your daughter and I are having. You’re okay, you don’t have nowt to worry about,” she said simply.

  “Nowt? What the heck is ‘nowt’”? she said, pulling a face.

  “Nothing, it means nothing. You have ‘nowt’ or ‘nothing’ to worry about. Okay, let’s just get Frozen back on,” she said in defeat, smiling over to Dulcie and rolling her eyes.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  They arrived at the hotel at a little after two thirty, which was good going, considering they had stopped a couple of times. It looked like a nice place to stay, and Erika was overly relieved and impressed that it had a pool and spa facilities, which meant that both her and Dulcie could be entertained through the week. She most definitely needed to get a day in the spa, thinking she could get her mom to look after her, for sure.

  They checked in and were issued room keys and directions to their rooms. They had been booked interconnecting rooms, which Erika was not happy about. All she needed was Dulcie thinking it was okay to just wander into Georgia’s room when she felt like it, but she could keep that locked. Georgia didn’t seem concerned, unless she was just very good at not showing her pain.

  Each woman went into their respective rooms. Erika figured she would leave Georgia alone, since she had spent the last five hours with her daughter. If her friends and family were anything to go by, she would now be going to bed with a couple Tylenol and maybe a very large bottle of wine.

  Georgia unpacked her case and hung up everything, annoyed she didn’t bring her bikini. She could have got up and enjoyed the pool and spa every morning before work. She would have loved to have done that. Picking up her phone, she Googled to see where the nearest shop was that would sell them. A big Debenhams or John Lewis type store or a sports shop would suffice.

  Georgia found what she needed and could get there by foot. It was still early, and she didn’t want to just sit in a room and do nothing for the next three hours. She went to the interconnecting room and didn’t know whether to knock on that or whether to go to the main door. She leaned her head against it listening…to what exactly, she didn’t know. “Well that aint weird at all, you freak,” she mumbled to herself, as she listened to Dulcie chattering away in the room. She knocked quietly on the interconnecting door, and within a few seconds Erika stood there with the door open, a frown on her face. Dulcie rushed to her side, stupefied by the door and Georgia. That was it, she was in and going through Georgia’s room.

  “Erm, I’m sorry I didn’t know whether to knock, apologies,” Georgia said embarrassed.

  “Don’t apologise to me, I was just trying to avoid this,” she said, pointing to her daughter and the distance between the doors. “Good luck is all I can say to you; I am taking absolutely no responsibility for this. Even if she is my kid,” she said, shaking her head.

  “It’s fine,” Georgia said. “I just wondered if you wanted anything from the shops, or if you wanna come. I don’t know if Dulcie has a sleep or what?”

  “Shops? Why? Where are, you going?” Erika asked inquisitively.

  “Just to a couple of shops. I want a bikini. I want a swim and sauna, and it means I can enjoy the pool each morning before I go to work,” she said enthusiastically.

  “Yayyyyyy, I wanna go swimming with Georgia,” Dulcie was saying excitably, coming over to the women. “Can we, Mommy? Puhleeeaaaasssseee?”

  Georgia was feeling incredibly awkward, looking at Erika, unsure of what to do.

  “Now, look what you’ve started. You are going to have to learn to start speaking quieter through the week. Dulcie, how about you and I go and have a swim now and let Georgia have some time alone? Some grownups need some time out, baby. We may see you as we crossover for a short while,” she said with a faint smile.

  As they said their goodbyes and returned to their respective rooms with a disappointed Dulcie, Georgia left the hotel in her search for swimwear.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Erika plonked Dulcie watching the TV as she quickly checked in with Taylor.

  “Hey? How goes it? How was the ride?” Taylor asked.

  “Hi. Yes, it was okay. Dulcie made a new best friend. We got here like thirty minutes ago, and Georgia just knocked and said she was going out to look for a bikini, since the hotel has a sauna and pool and stuff. Lady here heard, and so now we’re going to the pool,” she sighed lightly.

  “Hmm,” she laughed.

  “Don’t hmmm me. We aren’t going with her. Dulcie and I are going now, and she’s gone out to find a swimsuit first. We need to be getting a grip on the work stuff, but for today she has spent enough time with us.”

  “Wow, sounds like you have it all figured out.”

  “Hardly, but it’s only a week. Anyhow, I should probably get Dulcie to the pool. I’ll check in, in a few days. Lemme know if you find the man of your dreams in the meantime,” she laughed as she hung up on Taylor.

  ***

  “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go swimming,” Erika said, making their way down to the pool.

  A short walk later, they had filled a couple of sun loungers with their belongings and made their way to the steps of the indoor pool. Over on the corner of the pool was an attached Jacuzzi. She planned to make use of that and the other facilities when Dulcie was with her mom. She could use it right now. Within seconds Dulcie had jumped in and Erika was apologising to the few guests around, who were looking at her like she had no control over a ‘bratty’ child. She shook her head to herself, wondering if they should leave already.

  “Hey, Dulcie, you gotta be careful okay? People are here to swim. It’s not like back home okay?”

  “Okay, Mommy,” she said politely. “Can I swim up to the top?”

  God, she loved her daughter more than anything on this planet, “Sure, sweetie. I’ll swim right behind you,” Erika said, following her daughter as she swam up to the end of the pool. It was always Dan who had wanted the massive house and a pool. She had lived a somewhat different upbringing to Dan, and while her parents weren’t necessarily short of cash, they didn’t live in the big fancy houses with pools and stuff. But Dan was adamant, more so for the pool, so that they could teach Dulcie to swim from a young age, which she was now glad for. The child could certainly hold her own in the water. Erika was of course like any parent, maybe overprotective a little, but she didn’t like the idea of leaving Dulcie to swim by herself. She was only five, regardless of how well she swam.

  They both reached the end of the pool and Dulcie was up wiping her face of the water. “I beat you, Mommy,” she said excitably. She certainly was like a fish in water. She adored the water and just hoped that that love would maintain and she didn’t end up just being addicted to technology like so many other kids.

  “You sure did, baby,” she said, noticing the glares of the elderly women and men who were now leaving the pool, and making her feel like it was all her fault for bringing a child there.

  “Blimey, who did you annoy?” Erika heard, nearly going under as she turned one eighty to see Georgia standing before her in her new two piece. You could tell she worked out, more importantly you could tell she didn’t have any kids. Erika suddenly felt more insecure than ever, rubbing her tummy over her bathing suit. She worked out, always had, and always had taken pride in herself. But this woman had an incredible physique, and height that only accentuated it.

  “Georgia, you came. Are you coming in? It’s real nice. I just beat mommy at a swimming race. You wanna race me?”

  “Okay, okay, one question at a time. Do all kids do this, or is it just you th
at’s mastered the art of asking seventy-four questions in one breath?” she said, sitting down on the side of the pool next to Dulcie.

  “All kids, but she is particularly good at it. Baby, how about you give Georgia a moment to settle in. Why don’t you show her how you swim?” Erika said, trying to get Dulcie to give Georgia some breathing space.

  “Okay, watch me, Georgia?”

  “I’m watching, kiddo,” she said, laughing at the little girl.

  “I’m sorry about this. If it’s any consolation, she’s very fickle, and you’ll be forgotten about when Frozen gets mentioned or some toys and stuff,” Erika said, without even looking up as she watched her daughter.

  “Nothing to apologise for. It’s all a bit strange, but I’m not going to lie, I’m not used to this. I suppose none of this is normal, so I may as well make the most of it, for the next nine months. So, what was the crack with the golden oldies? Geez, if looks could kill, you’d be dead several times over,” Georgia laughed.

  “Nine months?”

  “Yeah. I figured, if we are as amazing as what they both keep alluding to, then we’ll have this done and dusted in nine months.”

  “Ahhhh, right, good way of thinking!” she said. “Ummm, yeah, I guess they don’t like kids so much. Apparently, I wrecked their world by bringing a child into a communal pool,” she sighed, shaking her head.

  Georgia checked that Dulcie couldn’t hear. “Bollox to em. They can deal with it. I wish I had been here, I would have done my very best, ‘new swimmer’ swim, to piss them off even more,” she said, lowering herself into the water.

  Erika couldn’t help but notice her muscular arms and core. Jesus, she was in good shape, making Erika feel insecure all over again. “You’re what?” she said, laughing.

  “My ‘new swimmer’ swim,” she reiterated. “Watch,” she laughed, before engaging Dulcie in a race and proceeded to swim with all arms and legs flailing and splashing about into the water, making more water come out of the pool than was staying in. Erika couldn’t control the fits of laughter as she watched her daughter, confused by the comical scene going on around her.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  They spent over an hour in the pool. Georgia was even kind enough to entertain Dulcie for a while to allow Erika to enjoy some time in the Jacuzzi, which was incredibly peaceful. As she enjoyed that time, Georgia and Dulcie sat at the edge of the Jacuzzi and were talking over the separator to her.

  Dulcie had always been full of personality and very outgoing, so it was no surprise that she’d found a new best friend in Georgia and wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. Which was fine for Georgia, but was making Erika feel increasingly more uncomfortable. A week ago, this woman was about to leave the country on the basis that Erika was making her feel bullied. Now, she was probably thinking what a useless mom she was and pissed that there was a five-year-old on a week-long work trip. A five-year-old who was now imposing on her perfect, little, single life. She was probably hoping that both Erika and Dulcie would shove off so she could enjoy some swim, spa and Jacuzzi time, then go out and hit the town.

  Fort Worth was kind of a decent place to hang out. She would be able to meet people, and if she hit up a couple bars or clubs, she’d get plenty of attention and could get almost a free night out. Instead, her five-year-old daughter was making plans for every minute of every day, resulting in her having to keep reigning Dulcie in.

  They walked up to their rooms together and Dulcie was hyperactively filling them in on her favourite parts of the ‘pool fun’ today.

  “Do you actually ever come up for air, missy?” Georgia asked, laughing at Dulcie. “So, do you want to eat together tonight? If you don’t want to or have plans then that’s fine, I thought I should ask.”

  Erika was taken aback by the question. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to spend every second with us, Georgia. If you would rather go out and enjoy the sights, Fort Worth is pretty awesome. They have Sundance square with some pretty cool restaurants and bars,” Erika said.

  “To be honest, I’m not too fussed on going out, it’s not really my thing. I very much tend to steer away from stuff like that. However, if you would prefer some time to yourselves, I get that,” Georgia said quietly as they arrived at Erika’s room.

  “No, not at all. I figured you would just want some peace and quiet. If you’re sure, and you don’t mind an early dinner, we could head over there now and grab a bite, so you can at least say you’ve seen it. I’ll drive so you can have a drink, but I kind of need to go fairly soon-ish to get Dulcie to bed on time.”

  “Excellent, that’s a plan Stan.”

  “Mommy, who’s Stan?” Dulcie said, suddenly aware of what was going on.

  “I’m Stan,” Georgia said.

  “No, you’re Georgia,” she giggled.

  Georgia laughed at Dulcie, “Ok, how long will it take you two to get ready? And I’ll knock on,” she continued.

  They agreed to meet in half an hour. Georgia got into her room and put the radio on through the TV, dancing around the room enjoying the music as she got ready. She couldn’t help but think about how surreal the situation was. She could have been, she should have been at home now, in her own apartment, possibly without a job. But here she was in a hotel in Texas, with the woman who contributed to making her life difficult, plus her daughter, getting ready to go out for dinner with them. She didn’t do kids, nor going out, and yet here she was. It was random and she picked up her phone and text her mum to let her know she was ok and things were improving slightly. Georgia knew her mum would be keeping Alexandra and Joshua in the loop, too. After styling her hair and doing her makeup, she searched for something to wear. Unsure of what type of clothes she should be wearing, she figured if a five-year-old was going with them then it wouldn’t be anything too smart, so she decided on a casual look.

  A short while later, Georgia had opted for some heeled sandals, black jeans and a sleeveless coral and grey blouse with buttons down the back, which stopped half way down, allowing visibility of her lower back. It was one of her favourite tops, and luckily the weather in Texas allowed for it. Georgia was messing with her hair and clothes, unsure why she was so bothered about what she looked like. It’s not like she was going to a gay bar or something, but equally, she didn’t know that there wouldn’t be a gorgeous waitress or customer nearby. She heard the soft knock at the door, and assumed it was Dulcie. Spraying perfume on herself, she made her way over to the door and opened it up to the sweet little girl. “Hey up, kiddo. You’re looking beautiful,” Georgia said to Dulcie, who had a little pair of sandals on and a cute little dress with a cardi over the top.

  “Thank you, you look very pretty,” she said coyly. “Look, you got shoes like mine,” she said more enthusiastically.

  “So, I do.” She smiled.

  “Sorry about the little lady, she was being too impatient,” Georgia heard from inside the room. She stepped in, following the voice. “Hey, no worries, I was just faffing anyway,” she said as she spotted Erika at the mirror. She took another glance and shook her thoughts away. She was wearing heels and a wraparound lime dress that accentuated her dark skin tone and defined body. Given the fact this woman had had a baby, you certainly wouldn’t have ever known from looking at her.

  Erika smirked at Georgia’s words, making fun of more sayings that nobody had ever heard of before.

  “So, you ready?” Erika asked her.

  “Sure am,” she said, grabbing her bag and locking the door behind them.

  Chapter Fifty

  “You’re right, this place is stunning,” Georgia said, animatedly taking it in.

  “Very easily pleased, huh?”

  “No, not at all. Well maybe, but this is amazing,” she responded.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to poke fun at you. I guess it’s just difficult for me, because I grew up close by, so I’m used to these types of areas. Although, it has evolved incredibly now
though.”

  “Yeah, I bet. Look, thanks for this. I’m sorry I keep crashing time with you guys, I guess it must be pretty important right now, so I really appreciate it.”

  “You’ve gotta be kidding, I love my daughter more than anything, but a week with no adults is a bit of a killer. I’m completely grateful, and you may just become my sanity.”

  Georgia was laughing as she drank some of her speciality cocktail. “God, you can tell you don’t know me. I can assure you, I’m nothing close to sane,” she said.

  “Georgia, what does sane mean?” Dulcie asked.

  “It means you’re not crazy,” Georgia said simply.

  “So, you’re not crazy?”

  “Nooooo, I’m very, very crazy,” she said, shaking her head energetically in front of Dulcie, causing her to laugh uncontrollably.

  “Hmmm, yes I see your point,” Erika stated, as she moved her arms out of the way so the server could put the food down.

  The conversation was limited throughout the dinner, aside from the numerous appreciative grumbles. Erika was right, this place was gorgeous. She felt like she was on holiday. The smells of food wafting through the street, the outside seating, the sun still burning through, the flow of cocktails and alcohol amongst other things. It was actually her best night here, even topping the nights that Emily and John had given her. The extraordinary thing was she didn’t expect that a night with her arch nemesis and a child was partially the reason for it.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  “Do you want to come in and play a game or watch Frozen with me?” Dulcie asked.

  “Baby, ya know how I explained before about this not being a vacation? Georgia is not here to be with you and I, okay? We just need to remember that. Tomorrow you’re going to Nonna’s and we must work,” Erika explained softly.