by McAdams, Amy
So wonderful and funny.
As a young woman still finding my way in the world, I fell in love. Nick was my first real love. My only love.
I was geeky, but hard-working throughout school. I never had the pleasure of being the object of attraction for men, and so when a skinny, long-haired, older and wise philosophy student showed interest in me – wow! I was hooked.
My parents never liked Nick. In fact, my father hated him. My mother thought he was scruffy but she would support me even if I started dating a frog. She would support me through anything.
My parents raised me to be an independent woman. They taught me how to be smart. They showed me how to be successful. And I am all that and more.
But I’m lonely.
Nick and I had been distant for over a year. We barely talked, and when we did, he would shout about how my job was corrupt and a part of the evil corporate beast.
He sapped my confidence bit by bit over the past year. I was never overly confident but now, I doubt myself even when ordering coffee. I feel down more times than most.
Nick would tell me how bad my clothes were and explain how dumb I was. He would yell that because I hadn’t read all the works of the philosopher Nietzsche then I couldn’t possibly understand the world.
I held onto that relationship because it was all I had to stop me from being alone at night.
He used to make me feel good. He used to make me feel sexy. But after the years past, he would belittle me constantly. He would tell me that I wasn’t doing enough to look attractive for him. He would call me ugly and then make comments about how good other girls looked.
I felt worthless when I was with him.
Thankfully, he ended the relationship. Well, he ended it when he decided to sleep with another girl in our bed. I later found out that it wasn’t the first time he cheated on me.
He began to tell me how many other women he slept with, but I stopped him. I didn’t want to know. I already felt bad enough.
Over the next week I want to forget about all that.
I want to leave it all behind.
The next week is about me, my two closest friends and a tropical holiday resort.
Mel and Kate have been my closest friends since our school days. We have always been there for each other, and although our lives have taken different paths, we will always remain close friends.
This trip is our collective celebration of hitting our thirtieth birthdays. It is our chance to leave our lives behind and disappear together for a week.
It is our time to forget.
Chapter 2
“Ella!”
“Mel!” I shout in surprise.
We embrace with the emotion of two best friends who have not laid eyes on each other for over a year. It feels good to hold her again.
“It is so great to see you in person, Ella,” Mel smiles.
I can feel the tears in my eyes welling up. Although I still talk to Mel on the phone every fortnight, I have not found time in my busy work schedule to see her.
Mel moved out of the city to her husband’s small farm, where he runs cattle and sheep. I never imagined Mel leaving the city but she said she would move anywhere for her man.
And a farm wouldn’t be a bad place to raise her three rowdy boys.
We hold onto our hug for a long time – it feels so nice to embrace this beautiful woman.
When we finish hugging, I can see the tears in her eyes, which only makes my tears flow stronger. With emotion flowing out of us, we embrace again.
I would usually be embarrassed by this amount of public affection, but at an airport, people are used to this. There are people hugging and crying all over this place.
“Have you seen Kate yet?” I ask.
“Not yet. She said we would see her at the boarding gate.”
Kate is our other best friend who is coming on this trip. She is the loud, opinionated and brave one of the three of us, and she always sends Mel and I into fits of laughter with her lack of fear.
“When was the last time you saw Kate?” Mel asks, as we drag our bags towards the boarding gate of the international airport.
“It must be at least eighteen months since I have seen her. That’s when she left New York,” I try to remember the last lunch I had with Kate, “You?”
“Two years.”
“Two years?”
“Yep. Ever since I moved out to the farm, life has been all about family. When you have kids, they take over your life. Everything I do now is about them. But I really, really miss you guys.”
I smile, “I really, really miss you too.”
“Excuse me, ladies,” the voice comes from over my shoulder, “Can you please tell me the boarding gate for a plane to the Bahamas?”
“Kate!” Mel and I yell collectively.
Our hug is more like a football tackle. We are filled with emotion and it is so wonderful to have these two people back in my arms.
“The two most beautiful women in the world,” Kate comments as a tear drops down her cheek, “It is so good to see you.”
Truth is, Kate is the beautiful one of the group.
She spent time modelling in her early twenties when we all left high school but has since gone on to start a successful photography company, moving from New York to Florida to chase her dream.
Tall, blonde and very pretty, Kate was always the one to fill our group with confidence. She is a no-nonsense, straight-talker but she is also very confident and very fun.
Wow, I have missed these women.
“Looking good Kate,” Mel comments.
“So are you.”
“Thanks, but I’ve pushed out three boys!” Mel laughs.
The laughter only makes us hug again and it feels magical.
I squeeze the ladies tight as it has been so long since we have all been together. Life throws up a lot of challenges but none more so than trying to stay in contact with your best friends from school as lives travel in different directions.
“A week in the Bahamans…”
“Oh yes! All sun, surf and sand!”
“Not for me,” I state, and the girls look at me confused, “For me it will be Margaritas, Daiquiris and Pina Coladas!”
We laugh heartily, “And hopefully some nice men to look at.”
“Don’t get a lot of good looking men out where I am,” Mel comments, “It’s mostly country lads.”
“Travis was always a good looker,” I comment, referring to Mel’s husband.
“I love him to bits but Travis has gotten older, and he’s put on a few kilos.”
“Haven’t we all,” I add, jiggling the small layer of flab on my side.
“Don’t be silly,” Kate adds, “Women are supposed to be a little bit curvy. We are in our thirties now - we don’t want to look like a twelve year old girl. We want to look like women. And real, sexy women have curves!”
“I’m not thirty yet,” Mel states, “My birthday is not until next month, remember.”
Although we all grew up together, we have branched off to different life stages. Even though Mel is the youngest, she is the most advanced in life of the three of us.
She is married to a nice man, has given birth to three energetic boys, and owns a house in the country. Life is good for Mel.
As it happens, none of our birthdays occur on this trip. Kate, the eldest, had her birthday two months ago and mine was three weeks ago.
Not that I would have noticed. I was in the middle of a case and worked through the night. I received a ten minute phone call from my parents but that was it for me. No cake and no celebration.
And that’s ok.
I’m using this one week trip as my celebration that my twenties are over. Hopefully, that also means all my stupid life decisions are behind me.
We had to juggle my busy work schedule, Mel’s home life and Kate business needs to book the right time for the trip.
But we always make time for each other.
No matter what is happening, we ar
e there for each other - through thick and thin, through disagreements and fights and through love and lost. Although we might not see each other as regularly as we would like, we still talk a lot and whenever trouble pops up, we are there for each other.
They have listened to me cry about Nick many times over the past year, and I could hear the joy in their voices when I told them that it was finally over.
“Yes!” Mel yells as we start to walk onto the plane, “I’m free.”
That sort of boisterous enthusiasm could only come from a woman who knows the confines of handling three young boys - day in, day out.
“Woo!” Kate and I join in the excitement.
“Where are you sitting?” I ask.
“Does it matter?! I’m free!” Mel begins to dance an embarrassing little happy dance on the plane, “And look, it says we are going to the Bahamas.”
“Yes Mamas – we’re going to the Bahamas!” the enthusiasm is infectious.
I don’t think I’ve been this excited since we went on our first school camp together all those years ago…
Romance: One Fine Holiday
Amy McAdams
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