The Holiday Swap

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The Holiday Swap Page 6

by Zara Stoneley


  ***

  As the plane banked to the right and started to make its way along the coast, Daisy was glad that Anna had insisted she sit where she had when they’d checked in for the flight.

  ‘You need Seat F, the window seat.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because that way you will see the whole of Barcelona as we come in to land. It’s dead impressive; you can see everything.’

  Of course she would. Anna knew, because Anna had, of course, been to Barcelona before. Everybody had been everywhere apart from her.

  ‘Oh wow, look Anna, it’s like a grid. All the streets go across or down.’

  Anna grinned. ‘Apart from that diagonal one.’ She giggled. ‘It’s called Diagonal.’

  ‘Funny.’

  ‘I’m being serious. Honest. And that’s the Torre Agbar,’ Anna, peering over her shoulder, pointed, ‘there, like that gherkin thing in London. And the Sagrada Familia is up there, and that hill is Montjuic. We need to go there.’

  ‘Do we?’ She had spent the last couple of days wondering if she wanted to do this at all. But she had to. She had to prove to, well to herself, yes definitely to herself, that she wasn’t a dull-as-dishwater failure heading towards a hermit existence before she even hit thirty. And she wanted to. And now, as the plane started to descend towards the runway, it was as though a switch had flipped inside her and she couldn’t stop the smile that was tugging at her mouth.

  She was finally doing something.

  ***

  ‘Come here, we don’t need that.’ Anna grabbed the map from Daisy’s unresisting fingers and crumpled it up with a look of glee. ‘Don’t look so horrified.’ Then dropped it into the bin they were passing with a flourish.

  Daisy frowned and was about to complain when the Aerobus they had just stepped off pulled away – and she saw it.

  The fountain that she’d seen in the guidebook. Two fountains in fact. ‘Wow.’

  ‘God, you are so easy to impress.’

  ‘They’re massive.’ She took a step off the kerb, she just had to see these close up.

  ‘Hang on,’ Anna grabbed her arm, ‘unless you can tell me how to say “call an ambulance” in Spanish?’

  It wasn’t just that the fountains were big; everything was. When the traffic lights changed and Anna let her cross the road into the massive square she found herself spinning on the spot trying to take everything in. Fields were one thing, I mean she expected space in the country – but in a city? Kids were squealing as they chased enormous bubbles, and an… ‘Is that really an Apple store?’ Anna nodded. ‘Wow, Jimmy would have a field day, he’d never come out.’

  ‘Stop thinking about Jimmy, look,’ Anna took her by the shoulders and turned her round to face the way they’d come, ‘an enormous Corte Ingles – you know handbags, clothes, shoes.’

  ‘I’ve got a handbag.’ She whirled back round at the sound of flapping wings to see a black leggy dog scoot across the wide-open space, scattering the pigeons. It reminded her of Mabel; Mabel loved chasing birds. She missed the big lolloping dog already, they’d never been apart since she’d got her as a gangly out-of-proportion eight week old pup.

  ‘Stop thinking about Mabel.’

  ‘I’m not.’

  ‘You are, so.’ Anna stuck her tongue out.

  ‘It’s amazing.’ Changing the subject was always a good idea when Anna got into uber-bossy mode.

  ‘This is just the start, welcome to the big wide world, Daisy Fischer. Fancy a beer?’

  ‘I thought we were going to Flo’s? You do know where she lives?’

  ‘Kind of.’ Anna grinned. ‘Chill, who needs maps? I’ll sort it out, it just looks different to last time I came. Or maybe I’m thinking of Madrid.’ The grin slipped into a frown.

  ‘Anna!’

  Anna laughed.

  ‘Maybe we should ask somebody?’

  ‘Rubbish, that’s cheating. Maps are for wimps. Come on, it’s this way I think.’ And before Daisy could object, Anna had straightened her rucksack on her shoulders and was marching back the way they’d just come.

  It was only when they got to another square – this time with a large cathedral at one side – that Anna’s confident march slowed down. Which was actually quite a good thing, as Daisy felt she was in a fast-forward film.

  ‘That isn’t supposed to be there.’

  ‘Well it doesn’t look like anybody’s moved it for a few hundred years. What do you mean, isn’t supposed to be there? Can we go in?’

  Anna frowned. ‘I think we’re going in the wrong direction. We’ll have a beer here while I work it out.’

  ‘So we can’t go in?’

  ‘Tomorrow. Beer. Beer and tapas, then my brain will work better.’’

  Daisy raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you sure you should have binned the map?’

  ‘I’m just popping to the ladies, then we’ll go and find Flo’s place.’

  ‘Fine.’ Daisy was only half listening – there was a map on the next table, left by a couple who’d been too busy arguing to remember it, and any second now it was going to get whisked away by a waiter.

  Anna turned her back and Daisy made a grab for it.

  ‘I can’t believe you came without a map!’

  Daisy jumped guiltily, in very much the same way that Mabel did when she’d stolen a chicken leg off the table and still had the evidence in her mouth, then looked up. Straight into a pair of grey-blue smiling eyes.

  A tall blonde girl, with the kind of tousled beach-babe look that on Daisy would be more ‘I need to wash my hair’ than ‘I need sex’, was looking down at her quizzically, one eyebrow raised. Which was exactly the look she gave Mabel when she caught her in the act, as it were.

  ‘Wow, Flo, is it really you?’ She scrambled to her feet. ‘What are you doing here? I didn’t think you were meeting us. Gosh, you look fabulous. That hair colour really suits you.’ It did; it looked sophisticated and casual all at once. But it only partly detracted from the dark circles under her eyes, and the slightly haunted look. ‘Are you okay? I can’t believe—’

  ‘I’m good,’ Flo swatted away the concern, so Daisy bit back all the questions. There was plenty of time to talk later, when she was ready. ‘All the better for seeing you. I reckoned I should come and meet you half way.’

  Daisy raised an eyebrow. There were coincidences and…

  ‘Well actually, Anna just text me from the loo and said you were lost.’

  ‘We were lost?’ Daisy grinned. ‘She’s terrible. She threw my map away.’

  ‘I thought it was weird, you’re usually the organised one.’ She grinned. ‘The one with the tidiest pencil case, and you never forgot your homework.’

  ‘She convinced me she knew where she was going. You know Anna.’

  Flo laughed. ‘I know Anna.’

  Daisy pulled a chair out. ‘Sit down. Are we having another drink, or heading to yours?’

  Flo shrugged and sat down. ‘I’m easy, this is your weekend away. I didn’t know Anna had been before.’

  ‘Years ago I think, her family went all over. I’m the clueless one. I’m so glad you came to meet us, she hasn’t got any idea where we are. I thought we’d end up turning the rest of the day into a bar crawl, and I really need to shower and get out of these smelly clothes. And to be honest, I’m dying to get these shoes off.’ And ring Jimmy – just to check Mabel was okay and Barney hadn’t escaped.

  Flo laughed, it was the same laugh Daisy remembered, but now she had perfect, sophisticated honey-streaked blonde hair to flick back. ‘Ahh. I’m so glad you’re here though, you’re a lifesaver. We can plan loads of exciting stuff, you’ve never been to Barcelona before?’

  ‘I’ve never left the UK.’

  ‘Never?’

  ‘Nope, never. And I’ve got three days to discover my wild side.’

  Flo’s smiled broadened. ‘You’re kidding, Daisy? I never realised! You should have come before.’

  It hung between them, the unspoken forc
e that was Oli. Flo had always been too busy to see old friends, or so it had seemed. Daisy shrugged. ‘To be honest, I never thought I was that bothered until now.’ She hadn’t, not until Jimmy had changed everything.

  ‘A bit of a tall order to uncover your wild side in a long weekend, although you have got Anna and me to help.’

  ‘Anna said I’d find it in Ravel, she said that’s the plan for this afternoon.’

  ‘She did, did she?’

  ‘She was winding me up?’

  ‘Well I don’t want to be funny, but it wouldn’t be my first choice, some areas of El Raval are still like the worst part of the city. You know, one of those places where you double-lock the doors and put your spare money in your bra.’

  ‘You’re kidding? But the bit she showed me in my book looked nice, and,’ Daisy’s stomach was started to do a shimmy, so much for the big adventure, she was getting the wobbles before she’d started, ‘it can’t be that bad. Can it?’

  ‘Well,’ Flo frowned, ‘it isn’t terrible, terrible, if you know what I mean?’

  So not double-terrible, just one.

  ‘But honestly? It really isn’t a place for a travel virgin. I think we’ll re-plan Anna’s itinerary.’

  ‘Please, or I’m going to be getting the next bus back to the airport, maybe I never was meant to travel outside Cheshire.’

  ‘More like you were never meant to let Anna make the decisions. You’ll love it here, I promise.’

  ‘What’s this about not letting me do things? I’m fab at decisions, wow it is so good to see you again, we’ve missed you.’ Anna wrapped Flo in a bear hug and then plopped down in her chair. ‘So what’s up, and where,’ she glared at the map that Daisy was clutching to her chest like a firstborn, ‘did you get that from?’

  ‘I found it.’ She glared back, sending a ‘don’t mess with my map’ message. ‘Flo says El Raval is a dump, it’s pants.’

  ‘I didn’t exactly—’

  ‘Terrible, but not terrible, terrible.’ That was probably like Barney getting out of the field, but not invading Hugo’s food store. Or was Flo’s ‘terrible’ these days more on the scale of chipped nail varnish, and her double-terrible like breaking a nail? She looked pretty chilled though, so terrible could mean…

  ‘We’ll survive it.’

  Oh God, she hated Anna’s optimism and positive outlook at times. She didn’t want to ‘survive’, she’d signed up for a city break, not the Bear Grylls’ survival academy. ‘No we won’t Anna, we’re not going there. You’re out-voted.’

  ‘Stop frowning Daisy, you two are such spoilsports. It’s an adventure, I want to go to places I’ve never been.’ She turned to Flo. ‘So were me and map-girl heading in the right direction?’

  Flo, looked bemused. ‘Sure, if you were heading to my place, but if you were supposed to be exploring El Raval you’re going in completely the wrong direction, it’s kind of straight across in that direction, until you hit La Rambla, then keep going on the other side.’

  Anna grinned, completely unperturbed.

  ‘You could come back to my place now to dump your bags if you like, then spend the afternoon exploring your dodgy spots on your own. Meet up later for drinks?’

  Daisy lifted her face to the sun. It would be fine. Calm. ‘I don’t do dodgy.’

  ‘We’ll have another beer first, then decide.’ Anna wriggled her way deeper into the seat and looked at Daisy. ‘I’m not moving until you’ve chilled a bit. However many drinks it takes, and I’m starving, can we eat?’

  With her mouth wrapped inelegantly round a very large baguette, Daisy began to feel much more confident. For one brief moment she’d wondered if Anna coming with her had been such a good idea after all, but they’d have fun. The three of them had always had a good time together. ‘So what’s on the agenda for tonight?’

  ‘Well, if you fancy it I’ll take you to this fab little bar? Only, of course, if you want to. I don’t want to tell you what to do – it’s your weekend.’

  ‘Well if you don’t decide, somebody else will.’ Daisy grinned in Anna’s direction. ‘Won’t you?’

  ‘Somebody has to. But fine by me.’

  ‘Here, give me the map and I’ll show you where you are and where my place is. It’ll help you get your bearings.’ She looked at the map. Daisy put it on the table reluctantly, as far away from Anna as she could. ‘We’re right here in this square, here’s my place,’ she put a cross on the map, ‘then tonight, after you’ve done your exploring, I’ll meet you here,’ she circled a spot on the map, ‘it’s called El Xampanyet, it’s by the Museu Picasso, which is right here, you can’t miss it.’ Daisy wondered if she’d be able to decipher all these lines later.

  ‘Just ask anybody, or there are plenty of signs.’ Flo added, no doubt reading her dubious look. ‘It’s a great bar, tapas, cava okay?’

  ‘Fab.’ She reclaimed her map. ‘But are you sure you’re not doing anything else? I mean we can manage if you’re busy.’

  ‘Nothing.’ There was a flicker of expression that Daisy couldn’t quite pin down, but looked a bit like she felt. Wobbly. ‘It’s fab you’re both here, I can’t wait to catch up on the gossip.’ She smiled, but it was one of those not-quite-happy, not-quite-sad smiles. ‘I get dead jealous of you pair together having all that fun.’

  ‘Jealous?’ Daisy stared at her hard. ‘You have got to be kidding. You’ve got all this,’ she waved an expansive hand, ‘it’s amazing.’

  ‘Yeah, amazing.’ Flo sighed. ‘It is, I know, I’m lucky. Shall we make a move, go back to my place so you can freshen up?’

  ‘Sure.’ Flo, Daisy decided was definitely below par, she’d always been so bubbly and positive. ‘Come on Anna, let’s go before we’re plastered. Then I’ll pick a place to explore, I’ve got a map.’ She grinned and waved it, rather unwisely, in the air, just out of Anna’s reach.

  Chapter 6 – Flo. Another kind of proposal

  Flo stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and thought, not for the first time, how bloody amazing decent make-up could be. It almost looked natural – like she was a normal, pre-non-proposal-Paris happy person.

  She peered a bit closer, until her nose nearly hit the glass. Well, obviously it didn’t actually work miracles, her eyes were still puffed up so that she looked like one of those poppy-out-eyed goldfish, but it was a vast improvement – her face had been rescued from the totally yuk broken-heart look. Now she just looked like she’d had a bad night, or been punched. Which she had, well the bad-night bit, the punch was purely mental. It just felt physical. She rested her forehead against the glass.

  Bugger Oli. She had to get a grip. He was a completely useless, two-timing wanker who didn’t deserve another second of her life.

  She needed to block his phone number, shred his photos. Oh God, there were so many happy, laughing-couple photos, and the ones when he was looking into her eyes like some dashing prince about to…

  STOP.

  Flo scrunched her fingers into fists and counted to ten. Then looked down at her make-up bag.

  She could do this. She could be single again and bloody enjoy it.

  The make-up had been a gift from a local business that she’d run a spread on. For their magazine. Their joint magazine. Oh stuff him and his stupid magazine. Concentrate on concealer, foundation. She would obliterate him from her life, wipe every trace away, including the bloody dark smudges under her eyes. And they were because of the copious amounts of alcohol. Nothing to do with him and the fact she couldn’t stop crying.

  She’d thrown all the expensive products into the bathroom drawer and laughingly wondered who the hell needed stuff like that.

  Now she knew.

  People that went out with cheating creeps.

  Most of the time Flo stuck with a quick flick of eye-liner, a coat of mascara and smear of lip-salve, but she’d just discovered there were times that demanded something more drastic. Like right now.

  The red-eye look wasn’t quite so in-you
r-face when your blusher and lipstick were several shades darker, and the concealer had almost obliterated the dark smudges under her eyes. She could probably explain everything away as a bad dose of hay-fever. Except it was winter. Hangover, they’d accept a hangover as a good enough reason.

  Flo wasn’t sure that she really wanted to go out. But no way was she staying in and thinking about Oli.

  When she’d got back from Paris she’d felt wiped out, and crashed into an alcohol-and grief-induced coma. And it didn’t seem to get easier as the days went on, even knowing that her friends were coming to stay – and take her mind off him. Off the whole fiasco.

  Today, despite a bracing walk along the beach, shopping therapy and a quick chat to Anna and Daisy, she was still fidgeting inside. She needed to do something that didn’t involve throwing things he’d bought her at the walls.

  And going out with old friends was far better than an evening with Spanish friends. As in ‘their’ friends. That was the trouble with being a couple, wasn’t it? Who had custody of the friends? At some point she’d have to face the inevitable questions from the Oli-appreciation fan-club – which all her mates seemed to belong to – but right now, with the memory of Oli’s bare bum partly covered by another woman’s hand still fresh in her mind, she’d rather try and think about something else.

  She wasn’t quite sure what had got into her when she’d practically insisted Daisy and Anna come out to Barcelona, it wasn’t like her at all. But maybe that was how she’d get through this – by being less like her normal self. No hanging about waiting for him to turn up to meet her, no dropping everything to answer his calls, no working until midnight to meet his deadlines. Maybe it would help. Maybe it was time to do what she wanted, and not just try and please some self-satisfied idiot.

  Flo stared at her image in the mirror. That’s what she’d just wasted the last few years of her life on. The reality hit her. Oli had been the centre of her universe, she’d actually morphed from the girl she used to be into the woman he demanded. She hadn’t stopped to think about it until now, but he’d gradually got under her skin, and, because she loved him she’d wanted to please him. Like some pathetic lap dog.

 

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