Fireworks to Thailand

by J. R. Bonham

  Jan listened with interest. ‘I wonder where they went?’ She didn’t have long to wait because they continued to talk all about last year’s tour in California. She got bored after a while and switched off. She just ate her meal in silence.

  “Shall we just go to bed now? I’m a bit tired, I don’t know about you,” she suggested to Geoff. She was actually thoroughly fed up. No people to talk to and afraid to butt into other folk’s conversations. Too shy and afraid of a rebuttal. They got up to go and Pat reminded them of the time they had to put their cases outside their hotel room in the morning.

  “Goodnight,” Jan said to the assembled company in general on her table.

  “Goodnight,” said Mike, aware of how rude he had been talking across her to Pat.

  Jan saw that everyone else was deep in conversation. She was envious and wanted to be a part of this, but there was no way that was going to happen with Geoff being so antisocial.

  Chapter 26

  The phone by the bed rang with an alarming loudness that made both Jan and Geoff jump awake. It was on Geoff’s bedside table so he blearily picked up the receiver and said, “Hello.” He listened for a reply.

  “God! How rude! There was no one there, just a voice telling me it’s our wake up call. God, look at the time! It’s 6 am! I’m going back to sleep!”

  “I don’t think so! We have to get up now. We have to put our suitcases out and then go for breakfast.”

  “At this time of night! It’s still dark for heaven’s sake,” he complained as he dragged his legs over to the window, poked his head through the curtains and looked outside. “And it’s raining!”

  Jan managed to persuade him to stay upright and get washed and dressed, while she struggled with putting the suitcases outside the door without any help. The door kept shutting on its own, so she found a way of not getting locked out by putting the deadlock on to stop the door closing behind her. She felt very pleased with herself for working that out.

  They went down to breakfast where they found some of their party already tucking into a hearty breakfast. Jan found a table and she hoped that someone would join them. Unfortunately, there were lots of tables empty at that time in the morning. As people had already made friends the night before, Jan noticed them congregating towards each other and saving places for their new-found friends and leaving her and Geoff to breakfast alone.

  On the coach, Pat told them to look at the list on the door of the coach which indicated where they were seated. Jan went onto the coach first and found their seats without too much trouble. She noticed that Pat had put the foursome near them. Mike and Rosemary were immediately behind them with Maureen and Russell behind Mike and Rosemary. The whole idea was that each day they would move one seat, and that would enable everyone to have the front seat at some point.

  “It’s a really good idea that we move about. We are going to move forward and the ones on the other side will move backwards in an anticlockwise motion. That means we will have different people opposite us that we can talk to,” Jan suggested. Geoff didn’t say anything. He just huffed but Jan didn’t know why. Pat was just about to start her speech regarding the tour.

  “Today we have quite a long journey. I suggest we stop off at a supermarket so you can stock up with a sandwich and a drink for lunch. Kevin will then park somewhere suitable at about one o’clock, probably a picnicking area with tables etc. If you get hungry before then, at least you can start your lunch in the coach before we get there. After lunch, we are going to go into the Rocky Mountain National Park to the highest peak. When we get to the top, you will see it’s above the tree line and there may very well be snow still up there. We’ve been told that the road is clear so that’s OK. I have to tell you that you might get altitude sickness because it is over twelve thousand feet high.

  They had their sandwiches and stopped at a picnic area on the way, but it wasn’t very warm. They were already halfway up the mountain.

  “God, it’s cold here,” Geoff complained. Jan fished out a jumper for him from his overnight bag.

  She got out their food and tried to sit with another couple and start up a conversation, but they soon waved to another couple to join them. They continued to talk together, cutting out Jan and Geoff completely. Geoff wasn’t bothered at all, but it upset Jan that she had made the effort which was rebuffed. She would try again at some other stage.

  After lunch, as arranged, they climbed back into the coach and proceeded up the mountain to the top.

  “What fantastic scenery,” Jan told Geoff. “Look, you can see the tree line has stopped and there’s snow at the top. No wonder it was so cold when we had lunch. It’ll be even colder at the top.”

  The snow was very thick when they reached the top. The snow had been cut through on either side of the road to allow all transport to get through, although it was tight with their large coach. Jan got their coats out in readiness for getting off, although she wasn’t sure if that was what was going to happen.

  “I don’t feel very well. I think I’ve got altitude sickness!” he told Jan.

  ‘I knew it! I just knew he would say that,’ thought Jan. “I wish Pat hadn’t mentioned altitude sickness.’

  “Oh, well, never mind, I don’t suppose we’ll be up here that long, it’s too cold. That wind looks very strong.”

  “Right, out you get!” said Pat to an amazed audience of faces staring at her.

  “You must be joking! It’s freezing,” one person retaliated before Geoff had a chance to say anything. Something he was just about to do.

  Pat stood with her arms folded and stared back at everyone. They got the message and one by one they got their coats on and alighted from the coach to be almost blown over by the wind.

  “Where shall we go?” Jan asked Geoff. “I suggest we go into the shop. It’ll be warmer than out here. I’m not walking around for too long in this biting wind.” She was hoping that Geoff had forgotten about not feeling too well, by changing the subject.

  They rushed over to the shop where they could count several others from the tour in there, pretending to look at the souvenirs on offer. Jan and Geoff went in different directions and Jan started perusing some American ornaments of bison and wolves. Suddenly she heard a voice from behind some pictures, aimed at her, which took her by surprise.

  “Which one of these pictures would you choose, if you were going to buy one?” It was Mike from the foursome who had also taken shelter in the shop. He was the friendliest of the foursome; quite good looking with a tidy beard and about the same age as Geoff, she noticed.

  “Oh!” she said, but then composed herself before she replied. “I guess the one with the purple frame. It’s got a nicer picture of trees. I like trees.”

  “That’s interesting. I like trees too. And my favourite colour is purple,” he told her.

  Jan just smiled and nodded, not knowing what else she could say. His wife called him just then to go to the restaurant for a hot drink, and off he went. Jan caught up with Geoff who was looking through some postcards.

  “Are you really going to send a postcard to the kids telling them not to have a party?” she asked him.

  “Well, I suppose we’ll have to send postcards anyway so we may as well get them now. You can write them and post them off, then we need not have to think about them again. You choose them, I’m going to have to go and have a sit-down. My head is swimming. Don’t forget to include one for my Mum,” he told her as he went to find a seat.

  Jan duly bought four postcards and four stamps. One for each set of parents, one for the kids and one for Sheila at work. Jan always thought of Sheila as being at work, even though Jan wasn’t now working. Sheila had been a good friend to Jan, as Jan had been to Sheila in her time of need. They were both from away, without family in Devon, so they both had an affinity to each other.

  The coach left after all the complaining people
had got back to the coach early. They travelled about 60 miles to their next port of call. It was a very comfortable coach and Jan tried to start up a conversation with the people sitting opposite them, but they mostly slept after a few niceties. Every time the coach stopped, Jan tried to make conversation with people but it seemed they were avoiding her – or was it her imagination?

  Yellowstone Park was the next day’s trip. It took them nearly all day to get to a place called Artists’ Point where there was a look-out over the yellow valley, with a beautiful waterfall at one end. Everyone was glad to get out and stretch their legs. Pat was glad to see that her group was gelling nicely, with everyone talking to one another. She was a little concerned that people seemed to be avoiding Jan and Geoff. Jan seemed a nice lady, Pat thought. Maybe it was Geoff they didn’t get on with.

  Jan found the video camera was easier to use than Geoff did, as he was left handed. She took lots of footage at Artists’ Point, it was the best view she had ever seen. She asked around to see if someone could take some video footage of them with the waterfall in the background. Mike was the only person to come forward as he had a video camera himself. Most other people had ordinary cameras.

  Mike and Rosemary were sitting behind Jan and Geoff until after they had had the front seat on the coach and started to reverse the order, which was when Mike and Rosemary were then sitting in front of them.

  “What are you going to do on the options programme?” Mike asked Jan on the day after they had been to Artists’ Point.

  “Oh, I want to go white-water rafting when we get to Jackson Hole in a few days’ time. I’ve always wanted to do that, but I’m not sure if Geoff wants to. What are you going to do?” she asked him enthusiastically. She was so pleased that someone actually wanted to talk to her, but maybe he was just feeling sorry for her.

  “We’re going hot air ballooning. I’ve always wanted to do that! I wouldn’t do white-water rafting if you paid me,” Mike confirmed. He didn’t like to admit that he couldn’t swim, which was why rafting was out of the question.

  “I think it’s not really as unsafe as they make out, it depends on the amount of water going over the rapids. I really want to do it. We can’t do the hot air balloon as well as it’s too expensive.” She left it at that and went in search of Geoff to ask him about the white-water rafting.

  “I reckon I could do that. You book it up and we’ll do it. We can’t afford to do anything else, though.” He was feeling better after having come down from the mountains.

  Jan booked the rafting trip with Pat and realised they were the only ones doing it. She was hoping they would still be able to do it. Pat organised it and reassured them that they would be able to do it even though no one else had booked it. Jan noticed there were several people who had booked the trip to do the hot air ballooning. She had wanted to do that as well, but the timing was not convenient and nor was the cost.

  The next stop was the Grand Canyon.

  “The Grand Canyon! I can’t wait! I’ve wanted to see the Grand Canyon for as long as I can remember,” Jan enthused to Geoff. “As soon as I saw it in the brochure, I knew that this was the tour I wanted to do – if only for the Grand Canyon, and now we’re nearly there!”

  They were staying in log cabins on the North Rim. Before they arrived, Pat came around the coach with more optional excursions.

  “You could have a fixed-wing flight over the Grand Canyon or a helicopter flight tomorrow. There is also a flight over Monument Valley.”

  “Cor! Monument Valley!” Geoff said enthusiastically to Jan. “I’ve always wanted to see Monument Valley; it’s where they made loads of westerns with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood and others. It would be great to see it from the air!” Jan had never seen him enthuse so much about anything quite so much as this. It made her happy to see his eyes light up.

  “Well, I’d like a flight over the Grand Canyon!” said Jan. “Shall we push the boat out and do both? I’ll go over the Grand Canyon and take a video for you to see later and then you can take the camera for the flight over Monument Valley. We’ll only come this way once, we might as well enjoy it while we’re here.”

  “Well, OK, if you think we can afford it. We could put it all on credit card and worry about the cost when we get home.” Jan thought Geoff was being a bit rash, but she had suggested it in the first place so she agreed with what he said.

  “Helicopter or fixed-wing six-seater over the Grand Canyon?” Pat asked Jan. “Fixed wing is cheaper.”

  “OK, I’ll go for that,” Jan agreed.

  There was no choice for Geoff’s flight over Monument Valley and there were a lot more signed up for that flight so it was a larger plane.

  Jan had to get up early for her flight. Geoff was able to lie-in for another hour or so and have a leisurely breakfast. Jan came back, full of excitement about the flight.

  “It’s all on here,” she said, showing Geoff the video camera. “Here you are, you’ll need this for the flight over Monument Valley.”

  Geoff took the camera and went off with the others who were doing the flight with him.

  ‘I do hope he remembers how to use it,’ she thought with trepidation.

  Jan joined the coach and they travelled for about two hours to where the plane was going to land on the other side of Monument Valley.

  “I forgot how to record, but Mike here showed me what to do. Thanks, Mike,” Geoff said as Mike was walking past.

  “My pleasure,” said Mike.

  Over the next two weeks, they visited many beautiful places including Bryce’s Canyon, Zion Canyon and Mesa Verde. They went on a train ride up the valley from Durango to Silverton, on the biggest steam train they had ever seen. Silverton was one of the last silver mining towns that was just a tourist attraction now.

  Jan and Mike had found themselves many times in similar places with their video cameras and got to talk quite a lot over the time. At Silverton, Mike gave Jan his business card. When she looked at it, she saw his personal contact details written on the back and she thought, ‘that was nice of him. If I find a good photograph of him amongst my many photos, I could send it to him. Maybe he would do the same for us’. So she gave him their telephone number and address for reciprocation.

  Little did she know how that action would change her life forever.

  Chapter 27

  Their return flights from America did not go according to plan. They boarded the plane which was going to Minneapolis for a change of planes with an onward flight back to London. They waited in Minneapolis airport for what seemed like ages. Eventually, the pilot himself came through to tell them that the plane they were booked on was going nowhere! He wasn’t prepared to fly it because it had a problem; not only that, it was the oldest plane in the fleet and was due to be retired soon anyway. They were going to have to get another plane ready, but it was going to take several hours. The staff there handed out food coupons to everybody and apologised for the inconvenience.

  “Look at the queue! What a greedy lot waiting for free food.” Geoff was tutting.

  “Well, we are entitled to it,” Jan replied. “We could be waiting hours.”

  “You can wait here until the queue has died down before you go and get ours,” he told her. “I don’t want people thinking that we’re greedy for free food.”

  Jan waited until the queue died down and then went up – but by then there was very little choice. She was furious. She saw what was left: precious little. She picked up some biscuits and coffee and took them back to Geoff. He turned his nose up at what she brought back.

  “What about the pizzas and pies that everyone else got?” Geoff enquired.

  “They’ve run out, there’s nothing left! You made me wait and this is all there is!”

  “Disgusting! They’re taking the piss! I shall write to the company and complain. Get some money back from this.”

  ‘Oh
, shut up. It’s your fault there’s nothing left,’ she thought to herself. She just wanted to get home. She drank her coffee and ate the biscuits then took herself off to the ladies’, mostly to get away from Geoff. She noticed that Mike was hanging around. As soon as he saw her, he made a beeline for her.

  “You’re looking nice,” he told her.

  “Oh, thank you,” she blushed. “You too.” She had no idea what else to say or why she said that and was amused at her polite Englishness.

  “Have you enjoyed the holiday?” he enquired politely.

  “Oh, yes thanks, it was great. Not so keen on having to wait now, though, I just want to get home.”

  “Can I give you a ring next week?” he asked her. “Maybe we could meet up.”

  “But you live in Surrey and we live in Devon! Where would we meet up?” She asked him and then thought, ‘Why would he want to meet up anyway?’

  Mike thought, ‘Well, she didn’t say no and she didn’t exactly say yes. I hope she didn’t think I want to see Geoff too, how can I get out of that? Must make it clear I only want to see her.’

  “I’ll just give you a call for a chat. When is the best time of day?” he asked.

  “Well, I’m not working now because I was made redundant so I’m home most of the time.” She was most perplexed as to what he was saying and why.

  She thought no more about it as they were soon called back to the check-in desk.

  “Mr and Mrs Goodman? You have been upgraded because the configuration of the new plane is different. You are now in business class. Have a good journey.”

  “We will, thank you,” said Jan as she took the new boarding cards.

  “This is more like it!” Geoff was happy at last as he sat back in his bigger seat with lots of legroom while watching the other people from his tour take their seats further back.