Fireworks to Thailand

by J. R. Bonham

  “Thank you so much for taking Hamish. I’d much rather he was in a nice house than in a kennel and I know he’d rather that too. I’ll bring all his toys and bed and enough food and I’ll pay you for having him.”

  “Don’t be daft. I don’t need the money. I’m glad to have him. Just bring me back something nice from Florida.”

  With a week to go before they left for Florida, Geoff put a spanner in the works.

  “I’m not going!” he exclaimed.

  “What on earth are you talking about?” Jan asked him, puzzled.

  “I’ve found out that there are only two engines on the plane! Two engines isn’t enough. It’s too small. I’m not going! And what’s more, you’re not going either.”

  “Don’t be so ridiculous. Of course we’re going, all of us,” Jan tried to placate him.

  Jan thought ‘What can I do to stop this silly train of thought?’

  “You don’t want to disappoint the kids. Of course two engines is enough. They fly over the Atlantic all the time. How many did you think the plane would have?”

  “They should have four, and then if one fails there are still three to keep it going.”

  “Don’t you think they’ve thought of that? Surely if one fails then the other one will keep it up. Do you really think that pilots would take a plane up if they didn’t think it would be safe? Don’t start scaremongering, you’ll frighten the kids. And me! Why don’t you go to the travel agents and have it out with them? They should know what to do.”

  Geoff went straight down to the travel agents and they gave him all the details to set his mind at rest.

  “All OK now?” Jan asked him on his return.

  “Well, I’m not happy,” he said.

  ‘You must be Grumpy then!’ Jan smiled to herself.

  The children never knew of his outburst and the following week they went off to Florida. They stayed at a motel near Orlando where there was a good bus service to all the attractions.

  “We need to plan the time we have here otherwise it will go by all too quickly,” Jan announced. “We can go to SeaWorld one day, that’s the one with the big whale called Shamu which does all sorts of tricks. Then we have Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Wet and Wild with the water slides, Universal Studios, Walt Disney World and Animal Kingdom. They seem to be the most popular. Then there’s that one with a beach and pirates etc, I can’t remember what it’s called. We won’t have time for them all anyway. We’ll have to decide what we want to do. There’s enough to do for a month but we only have ten days.”

  “Can we afford to do all those you suggested?” Geoff asked Jan.

  “We’re only here once so we will push the boat out. One a day and then we can have some rest time too, around the pool. How does that sound, kids?”

  “Yeah!” they both chimed.

  “Come on, cheer up,” Jan said to Geoff who had gone to sit in a corner to read his book. “You’re on holiday now, see if you can just enjoy it.” Jan was hoping he would go to the attractions with them. ‘You might just enjoy yourself, fancy that!’

  “Every day we’ll have something to do. Better than being on the beach just sunbathing,” Steven enthused. “Ben’s gone to Benidorm! How exciting is that?!”

  “Well, at least the name suits him well!” Jan mocked. “Don’t forget, not everyone can have a nice holiday in Florida. We are very fortunate to be able to afford it. We can’t do it every year, but once in a while is good.”

  “This is probably our last family holiday,” Geoff chipped in. “You two won’t want to come with your parents much longer and we quite understand that. You’ll have your own friends/boyfriends/girlfriends you’d rather go with, I’m sure.”

  Louise was thinking along the same lines although Geoff was only thinking of the cost of four adults. She was rather wishing that Olly could have come along. She missed him like crazy. However it was only ten days away, so not life-changing. The time would go by in no time at all, and she was determined she would enjoy it. Her parents had forked out a lot of money and so she felt she must be grateful.

  Wet and Wild was disappointing to Geoff. He didn’t really like those big slides into the water pools, but Steven was very keen and Jan wanted to try every one. Louise was happy just lazing by the pool there and so Geoff joined her there for most of the time. Every so often, Steven would come back with tales of bigger and better flumes and ones that went into the dark. He was in seventh heaven.

  Magic Kingdom was magnificent with its huge castle dominating the area. All the Disney characters paraded up and down Main Street talking to the small children – but keeping away from teenagers as much as they could; sometimes they could be quite cruel by picking on them and pulling their tails or kicking them.

  Epcot was a dream attraction with all the rides around the different Future World Showcases. Then in the evening there was the most amazing firework and light show with laser beams. This was the best part for Geoff, he had seen nothing like it before. They were all mesmerised.

  “I never want to leave!” Steven intimated to everyone. “This is the most fab place I’ve ever been to. When can we come again, Mum?”

  “I don’t know,” said Jan. “Your father said this was the last family holiday we would have. I expect he meant that you would want to come here yourself one day, with friends. When you’ve saved up your pennies!”

  “Oh, that’ll take ages, I can’t wait that long!”

  “You’ll just have to, won’t you!” Geoff interjected.

  Life carried on for the family. Louise passed three ‘A’ Levels and started to look for work. She had no aspirations of going to university like Olly. Olly had passed four ‘A’ Levels the year before and was in his first year at the University of Liverpool.

  Jan had an interview at a bank. She passed the interview and they told her she would need to go to night school for her banking exams.

  “What are we going to give Louise for her 18th birthday?” Jan asked Geoff one day. “She’s hinted about having a special party, but we had also talked about giving her her own car. What d’you think?”

  “What! She wants both? That’ll cost a bit won’t it?”

  “Well, it is her 18th. Can we get a cheap car that she can use for work? She’ll need some sort of transport. I’ve got a bit put by. Will you help me look for one?”

  “I suppose so. What are we going to do about a party? Does she really want a party? I don’t think we can have too many people here.”

  “I think she’ll expect something a bit better than a party at home. We could hire a hall and get in caterers. I’m not sure how many she wants to invite, but at least then we could also invite John and Vera and Clare and Jamie too. Make it a proper family affair.”

  Arrangements for Louise’s 18th birthday were in place. It was to be on the Saturday after her birthday.

  “I know of a car that could be up for sale,” Geoff told Jan one day. “It belongs to the wife of a man at work. It’s a Ford Fiesta, 18 years old. The same age as she will be. They don’t want much for it even though it’s low mileage. It seems they just want shot of it.”

  “That’s perfect!” Jan confirmed. “Well done!” She tried to show her appreciation even though he hadn’t put a huge amount of effort into it. It fell into his lap as he had mentioned it at work and someone came forward with the offer.

  “We could go and pick it up the night before,” he suggested.

  “Yes OK, and I’ll get a huge ribbon and get up early on her birthday before she gets up. Then that’ll be a nice surprise. She hasn’t any idea she’s getting a car. She’ll be delighted. Well done for getting one that’s 18 too! John and Vera and their two are coming to the party, but not Clare and Jamie. We can put them all up in our room. We can crash in the sitting room for one night.”

  “I don’t think so! Put them in the sitting room. I’m not giving u
p my bed for them.”

  When John heard about the furore it was going to cause he agreed that his family would go into a B&B for one night.

  The night before Louise’s big birthday arrived, Jan and Geoff went to fetch the car. Geoff drove it back and parked it in the road in preparation for the next day.

  Early next morning he drove it into the drive where Jan put on the ribbon. It was all very ‘cloak and dagger.’

  Louise got up ready to go to work. She hadn’t been working at the bank very long and she didn’t want to be late.

  “Surprise!” Jan and Geoff said to her in unison when they heard her get up. “Happy Birthday! There’s something outside we want you to see.”

  “Oh!” she managed, still a bit bleary-eyed with sleep. She followed them out of the front door and into the garden, still in her dressing gown. Then she noticed the big ribbon bow on a strange bright red car.

  “Wow, is that for me?” she said, but knowing the answer. Who else would it be for? Who else’s birthday was it that day?

  Jan dangled the keys in front of Louise’s face which then confirmed her suspicions.

  “Oh, what a surprise! Thank you so much. Can I use the phone? I must tell Olly all about it.”

  “Isn’t it a bit early? His mum won’t thank you. Why not wait for him to phone you. Play it cool,” Jan confirmed. “He’s bound to phone you today, there’s no hurry. You have to get off to work soon. Will you be taking the car? All the insurances are sorted out and it’s ready to go, if you’d like to.”

  “Can I? Cor, yes please. I can’t wait!” With that she rushed inside to get dressed and have her breakfast. Then she was off.

  “What’s all the fuss?” Steven said, rubbing his eyes. “Can’t anybody sleep?”

  “It’s your sister’s 18th birthday. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

  “Of course not! I’ve got her a card and a pressie. Where is she?”

  “She’s gone off to work now. In her new car!” Geoff was pleased that he managed to get that car. With Jan’s gentle persuasion he came good.

  “What! A new car? The lucky thing.” Steven was envious. “I can’t wait to drive. Maybe Louise will be able to take me out in her car like your brother and sister did for you, Mum?”

  “I expect so, you’ll have to be nice to her and then she will,” Jan confirmed.

  “I’m always nice!” he exclaimed.

  Jan had arranged for the hire of the local hall and the caterers. Louise had helped Jan with the invitations and it was all going according to plan.

  A few days later, it was the day of the party. John, Vera, Dan and Natalie arrived in plenty of time. Louise was very happy to see her cousins.

  “The caterers will be here soon,” Jan told everyone. “I’ve got the keys, so who wants to come and see the hall? I’ve got some balloons that need blowing up and all these flower pots are for the tables. And decorations too. I shall need some help so, we’ll all go, shall we?”

  “I’ve got to wash the car,” Geoff said as he tried to get out of blowing up balloons or indeed, helping in any way.

  “Yes, and I’ve got to help him!” John tried.

  “No, you haven’t! Come on! Come and help us. The more there are then the quicker it’s done. Many hands and all that.”

  Louise had invited forty of her friends from school and thirty three had accepted. This was the amount that Jan had told the caterers to cater for – plus the family. Steven had agreed that he would organise the music, but Louise was specific about what she wanted. He used the loudspeakers that were already in the hall and wired into his own ghetto blaster. Compact Discs were fairly new, and he didn’t have that many – but he asked his friends and Louise asked her friends if they could borrow some.

  There was a lot of food left over. Had she overdone the catering, she wondered?

  “That was a great success.” Jan was pleased with herself afterwards.

  “Yes it was. Thank you so much for giving me the best birthday ever. Look at all my presents!”

  “Aren’t you the lucky one? Maybe something for the music maker, d’you think?” Steven said hopefully.

  “Don’t worry, Steven. When it’s your 18th, I expect Louise will do the same for you,” Jan intimated.

  Louise brought home her first wage packet and so Jan broached the subject of contributing towards her keep, now that she was earning.

  “Oh, Mum! I thought I was going to be able to keep it all to myself. I’ve got expenses you know,” Louise moaned.

  “Yes I do know, but if I let you keep it all you would never know the value of it. I was thinking of a few pounds a week towards food wouldn’t go amiss?”

  Little did Louise know that Jan was going to save that money into a separate account. Then when she was older and needed to buy something big, Jan would present her with a lovely big amount. It was a way of saving for her, but she wasn’t going to tell her that.

  Steven passed five GCSEs and left school without going on to do ‘A’ Levels. He started to look for work and was accepted for a Youth Training Scheme as an apprentice within the local council and then he passed all their exams.

  “Now I’ll be able to concentrate on passing my driving test as soon as I’m 17. I’ve applied for my driving licence already and so it should come soon. D’you know where those L-plates are that Louise had?”

  “Crikey, you’re keen! I’ll look them out and let you have them,” Jan told him.

  Jan wasn’t going to ask Steven for any money for his keep while he was just an apprentice. He wouldn’t be earning enough anyway, but as soon as he was earning a decent wage she would do the same with him as Louise, by putting it aside for when he wanted to buy a house of his own or something equally important.

  “Mum, Dad,” shouted Louise one day when she came home from a date with Olly. “Olly and I are going on holiday together. We hardly see each other now he’s at uni, so we decided we’re going to go to Majorca in the summer holidays.”

  “Cor, lucky you!” Steven had been listening at the door.

  “That’s nice. Have you both saved up enough?” Jan enquired. “Can he afford it on his student grant?”

  “Just about. I think his dad has given him some money. It’s a make or break time for us. We either get on and have a long distance relationship or we will call it a day.”

  “I hope it works out, he’s nice boy.” Jan really approved of Olly, she liked him very much.

  “Is this a good time to tell you that I’ve met a nice girl?” Steven surprised them all. Geoff and Jan looked at each other in utter shock. They had no idea. “I had been seeing her at school, but now I’ve left it’s more difficult. We haven’t actually had a proper date yet, but I’m hoping to be able to ask her out.”

  “Does she have a white stick?” Louise said to her brother, laughing.

  “Oh, that’s a bit cruel, Lulu. Don’t be so mean. Give your brother some support,” Jan said to Louise. Then to him, “I think that’s a lovely idea. Where were you planning on taking her?”

  “I don’t know, I was hoping Dad would give me some ideas. What d’you think, Dad, on my first date with a girl? Where did you take Mum?” Steven asked his father.

  “I can’t remember! It was a long time ago. I think we went to the pub in Shaleham, but we were friends before we went out on any dates. We didn’t actually date for a long time, did we?” Geoff asked Jan for confirmation.

  “No, I was too young and my father was very strict. He gave your dad definite instructions of do’s and don’ts,” Jan told Steven. “One thing he was very strict on was that your dad didn’t take me pillion on his motorbike.”

  “Oh, well there’s no chance of that, is there!” Steven cried.

  “No. My father hated bikes of any sort. He always told us that we could have a car when we were old enough if we kept off bikes. T
here were a couple of boys who lived next door to us when we were small. Both those boys had bikes, but one of them ended up under a bus and was in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. At least my father thought he was doing the right thing in keeping us safe, and I reckon he was probably right.” Jan remembered this so clearly of her past life. She had begged her father for a bicycle but was turned down every time.

  “Is that why you never offered us bikes?” Steven asked.

  “Yes, partly. I don’t think it would have been very suitable here with all the hills around anyway. Luckily you and Louise never really wanted a bike.”

  “Well, I did want one but was too afraid to ask for one,” Steven admitted. “I thought you might have said no because it would have been too expensive. Anyway I don’t mind because now I can learn to drive and you can all take me out.”

  “In your dreams!” said Louise.

  “Anyway, enough of that! What I want to know is, who this girl is? Does she have a name?” Geoff asked his son.

  “Oh, yes, she’s called Sheryl,” said Steven confidently. He hadn’t liked any other girl until he met Sheryl and he was really smitten with her.

  “And are we going to meet her?”

  “I hope so, and then we can tell her what you’re really like!” Louise exclaimed.

  “Louise, stop that!” Jan chided her daughter.

  Chapter 23

  “Happy birthday!” Jan and Louise both crashed into Steven’s bedroom before he was awake. He looked up, bleary eyed.

  “Oh, thanks. Can I go back to sleep now?”

  “No! You’ve got to get up to go to work now, anyway,” Jan told him. “Would you like a special birthday breakfast before you go?” She couldn’t quite believe her son was 17 already.