Clouds Below the Mountains

by Vivienne Dockerty

  ***

  Vicky pushed Chantelle through the foyer, around the water feature and up and down the floor near the patio doors. She had just given the child a dose of Calpol, along with Bonjela gel rubbed onto her gums. The baby had started screaming just as Denise had come out of the bathroom ready to rest her weary bones and hopefully catch up with a goodnight’s sleep.

  “I’ll take her down to the foyer Mum,” Vicky had said. “It will be quieter there and she won’t be disturbing the other guests.”

  “Are you sure?” her mother had asked doubtfully. “ Maybe it would be best if I took over and let you have some rest.”

  “No Mum, I’ll take her,” said Vicky firmly. “ I’ve got the key and I’m sure to be safe down there. It’s not as if I’ll be wandering around the gardens.”

  Vicky took the child into her arms and began to rock her, as she paced up and down the tiled floor. The night porter looked on sympathetically. He knew what it was like to have a fretful baby, although his children were all grown up now.

  Another pair of eyes were watching. Juan, who was on his way back to the room he shared with Miguel was looking over at the girl with something akin to adoration in his eyes. What a lovely tableau of mother and child. He aimed to get to know the senorita better.

  Chapter Eighteen.

  Mikey whistled to himself, as he got three tennis racquets out of the equipment room. A Mr. and Mrs. Christian had booked him for a bit of coaching for an hour. They were to meet him at half past ten at the tennis courts, according to the woman on Reception. It was meant to be a free service, but usually a guest would tip him at the end.

  He felt as if he had a stupid grin on his face this morning, as he stood waiting for their arrival dressed in his navy blue track suit, checking that Susanne was doing her job chivvying the guests for stretching and Damion was touting for his aqua aerobics.

  What a night they’d had last night. What a success his Abba show had been and what a little belter Sonya had turned out to be! What a risk she’d taken, shushing him through her bedroom door at two o’clock in the morning, then pushing him out again when her alarm bell went off at seven. He couldn’t believe his luck, when she’d started draping herself all over him as the music started to wind down a little and Susanne began to play smooching music instead. Something had begun to stir within his crotch, as Sonya started caressing his buns and he wondered if she was just a tease, or had she meant to give him a quivering prick? It seemed it was the latter.

  ***

  “Is there anything you fancy going on, Betty?” asked Nobby, as he and his wife looked at the booking form that Lucy had handed out at the Welcome meeting.

  “I don’t think we’ll be able to go on any of the boat rides,” she replied. “They’re probably not wheelchair friendly and I don’t think I would balance very well. Besides, I thought you wanted us to have a rest and get a bit of sunshine while we’re here.”

  “I do, but I wanted to give you a bit of treat. Could you manage sitting in the coach if we had a half day tour up Mount Teide?”

  “I think so. It says here that we’ll drive up through pine forests, past lava flows and see a dormant volcano and then we’ll go on a cable car up to the summit. Yes, that’s the excursion I would pick if you’re making me choose one.”

  “Would you like to rest for a couple of days and then we’ll go on Friday? It’ll be a bit rushed if we book for next Monday, because there’ll be the souvenirs to get and packing to be done before we go back home.”

  “Ever the planner, Nobby,” smiled Betty. “ I don’t know what I’d do without you, my love.”

  ***

  “I think I’m in love,” said Juan in his native tongue to Miguel, after they had tidied the dining room, then started to set the tables for lunch. “There is a beautiful guest here with her baby. Did you see her at breakfast?”

  “You mean the girl who sat with her mother, at the table near the coffee machine?” Miguel replied, not very interested, because he was still worrying whether Jenni would contact him. “I saw that you lifted the baby from its high chair and yes, I agree the girl is beautiful. But what happened to the girl named Sonya, I thought that you and her were getting it together?”

  Juan made a dismissive gesture with his hands. “Compared to Vicky, Sonya is what the English call a slapper. I would not touch her now with a very long pole.”

  “So do you know her name, do you think she might be interested in you?”

  “I know her name is Vicky, because her mother has said it and the little baby is named Chantelle. But no, all I can do is put myself at her service. I think she does not know how beautiful she is.”

  ***

  The recipient of the waiter’s praise sat with her mother and baby in the Sunlight Bar. They had listened to Kath, as she spoke to the new guests about health and safety, facilities in the hotel, what was included in the All Inclusive package and was there anything she could do to make their stay more pleasant? Kath had sighed with relief when there was not a murmur and passed the job of excursion selling to Lucy.

  “The thing is, Mum, we’ll have to be very careful in what we choose to go on,” Vicky said, looking carefully at the list of excursions. “If we settle on something outdoors it could rain and we don’t want Chantelle getting pneumonia. We can’t go on any of these fancy trips to cabarets and restaurants and then we have to look at the money situation too. A lot of these trips look expensive for the three of us.”

  “You do worry unnecessarily, Vicky,” Denise said, frowning at her daughter. “It’s supposed be warm and sunny on Tenerife at this time of year, I can’t see it’ll be raining while we’re here. But yes, the evening do’s are out and although we’ll probably get our Chantelle free on the tours, they do look a bit expensive. Tell you what, we could leave booking anything until we’ve had a look around the area. We might find enough to do without resorting to excursions.”

  ***

  “Mr. and Mrs. Christian? Hi, my names Mikey and I’m your tennis coach for the next hour are so. Are you experienced players or beginners?”

  “Intermediates,” said Anthea, looking very fetching in a very short white pleated skirt, white sleeveless cotton blouse, white plimsolls and a pink sun visor hat.

  “Yes, we play a bit in our spare time down in Bournemouth,” said Brian, who was dressed in a white polo shirt, white shorts and white plimsolls too.

  “Oh, then you’ll probably be more experienced than I,” said Mikey, not really bothered, because he usually let them get on with it and shouted a few encouraging words if they were better than him.

  “Well, here’s your equipment. Two tennis racquets, four tennis balls and the third racquet is for demonstration purposes.”

  “So what about you, Mikey?” asked Anthea, looking the young man up and down whilst surveying his equipment, before following her husband onto the tennis court. “Are you a class A player yourself?”

  “Hardly,” he laughed, running his fingers through his well gelled hair, trying to tease it up in peaks again, “I picked it up off the cruise ships. It was part of my job to help lone travellers get the best out of their holiday. I did all sorts. Tripped the light fantastic at the tea dances, played bowls with the old boy’s, escorted the ladies to dinner, pushed the disabled around in wheelchairs, even gave advice to the punters in the casino. So, after a few games with people who were really into it, I picked a couple of tips up along the way.”

  “Well you can pass them onto us then,” said Anthea, letting Brian walk beyond the net so that she could continue eyeing Mikey “ and while you’re about it, you can be our ball boy too.”

  ***

  “Are we going on any of these excursions, Phil?” asked Cindy, sipping at her second welcome drink that she had asked her husband to get her. “Ooh, this Buck’s Fizz is lovely, we’ll have to see if they serve it at breakfast when we go in tomorrow.”

  “You made enough of a pig of yourself this morning,” said Phil, moving a little
away from her chair in case she batted him with her handbag. “I’ve never seen you eat a cooked breakfast before, you usually have toast or muesli.”

  “It’s All Inclusive, isn’t it?” said Cindy. “Although I’ll tell you what miffed me this morning, a waitress came and asked me to show her my plastic bracelet.”

  “When was that, I didn’t see any waitress this morning? I only saw two waiters and they seemed as harassed as hell.”

  “It was when I was by the hot buffet, she came up and said, “ could you show me your wristband, Madam?” I had to pull my sleeve back and show her that I had one. I wondered why she was asking when we’re all on the same tariff here?”

  “Very strange,” Phil dismissed it quickly. “ So, you were asking if we are going on trips, that’s up to you, my love.”

  ***

  “So, you have experienced the role of waitress, Isabelle,” said Ralf Sanchez to his daughter, who was sitting in her father’s office drinking a cup of coffee with him. “Maybe this afternoon you would like to help on Reception. As you know I will be busy with my important visitors, but I am sure Dania would be pleased to have a helping hand.”

  “I quite liked working in the dining room, Papa,” Isabelle replied, “ but do you know that there is a great danger of people coming in from the apartments across the road and helping themselves to breakfast. Or any meal if they want to. Do you not think that we should issue our guests with badges with their photographs on?”

  “I see you are taking the job of becoming my assistant very seriously,” Ralf replied, looking at his daughter fondly, from across his desk. “So you are enjoying this hotel management course that I have sent you on?”

  “Of course, Papa, but I hope you won’t mind that I make suggestions for the benefit of the Valia, when I eventually complete my training here.”

  “Not at all. It is good to have a different view and I will welcome your perception, but for the moment you must keep your counsel and be my eyes and ears.”

  ***

  “I think we could do with a nice long walk this morning,” said Greg, as the family came out after breakfast. “Do you agree, Sonya or do you want to put Evan into Kid’s club?”

  “To be honest Dad, I’m shattered. I didn’t get into gone two this morning, ‘cos we had a bit of a celebration drink after you’d gone to bed.”

  “I thought it was quite late,” said her mother. “I got up to go to the bathroom and I could hear you moving about next door.”

  “Did you?” Sonya replied, her heart jolting suddenly. “I suppose with only a wall separating the two bathrooms, you can hear everything that goes on in there.”

  “Not really, only a chain flushing or someone letting the plug out of the bath,” Kate laughed. “Don’t worry, I don’t stand there with my ear against the wall.”

  “Thank heavens for that then. Anyway would you mind if I lounge about this morning, Dad? If you’re right about the weather tomorrow, I need to top up my tan.”

  “What would you like to do this morning, Evan? Do you want to come with us or go to the Kid’s club?” Kate asked.

  “I want to play with Jack.”

  ***

  Sonya lay back on the sun lounger after her parents had dropped Evan off and then gone on their way. She looked over to where Mikey was dashing about with a couple on the tennis courts. What a randy stud he’d turned out to be. It had been a cocktail of booze, intoxication of her performance and his wicked sense of humour, that had made her mind up that she’d like to go to bed with him. And the thought of the danger involved in getting him into her room, was the cause of much of her adrenaline. She toyed with asking her parents to baby-sit for her again that night, but then Mikey would think that sex with her was on tap.

  ***

  “That went quite well, Lucy,” said Kath, as they tidied up after their Welcome meeting. “Although not everyone bothered to come and those who did, seemed most reluctant to fill out their booking forms.”

  “It’s different each time though, isn’t it?” Lucy replied. “Sometimes we haven’t put enough chairs out and everyone wants to book an excursion there and then, and other times we feel we’re talking to ourselves and we don’t get any bookings. Perhaps they’ve heard about the weather, it’s supposed to be unsettled for the next couple of days.”

  “It won’t be good for you then, will it? I hear that Mr. Sanchez has you earmarked for showing his visitors around. Did you know that I’ve been asked to take the passengers back on Friday and do your job as well?”

  “Well, no I didn’t, Kath, this is all news to me. When he spoke to me regarding his two German visitors, I assumed I would be just showing them around the hotel.”

  “I think that’s a little naïve, Lucy. Mr. Sanchez is quite capable of showing them around his hotel himself. From what I understand, you are to be their mentor while they are here.”

  “Gosh, I’m honoured, but I’m sorry it’s going to ‘cause you inconvenience. I was surprised really that he didn’t ask you.”

  “We only have to stand together in front of a mirror, Lucy, to find out why.”

  ***

  Lesley walked along the sea front, looking at the waves that were beginning to crash on the black sand of the shore. She sat on the wall for a few moments, dangling her bare legs over the parapet, thinking that her mood swings since Geoff had gone, were like a temperamental sea. It could be calm, which she was when taking tranquilizers, stormy which she had been when he came to sort his things out, fickle on a warm and sunny morning when the waves seemed to lick the shore line, then ebb away again. Was she being fickle, she wondered. Would she take him back now if she had the chance, or had her deep seated wounds started healing and she quite liked her feeling of space?

  Too early to tell, she thought flatly and got herself up again.

  ***

  “Hey, you two, what are you up to?” asked Greg, as he spotted Paul and Cheryl pointing at some pictures in an estate agent’s window, though Paul was looking quite annoyed about it all.

  “Oh, it’s Cheryl,” said Paul, coming to stand beside the couple, who had walked as far as the Las Americas centre, but were considering walking back again. “She’s got it into her head that she would like a villa or apartment and once my wife decides she wants something, there’s no shifting her.”

  “Tell me about it,” said Greg quietly, looking at Kate who had joined Cheryl at the window display. “We nearly broke up last autumn over a place in Cyprus.”

  “You never.”

  “We did and somehow it seems to hang between us, all the time, every day. Our relationship has gone to the dogs because of it.”

  “You know, Greg, I don’t understand women. I work my fingers to the bone trying to give her and the kids everything they need, but I never seem to attain exactly what Cheryl’s after. There always seems to be something I just can’t reach for her and there’s this air of disappointment from her. I just don’t know what to do.”

  “Join the club, but you have to put your foot down sometimes and Kate knows what side her bread is buttered. She can have a place in Cyprus, but she’d never see Evan again.”

  ***

  “Thanks for that mate,” said Mikey, salting the money that Brian had just given him into his jacket pocket. “ Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  He walked over to where Sonya was sitting and threw himself down on the sun bed next to her,

  “Get us a drink will you, love, I’ll have half a beer with a lemonade top.”

  “You can get one of the waiters,” said Sonya, lethargically, “I don’t do the little woman bit.”

  “I’ll get it meself,” he said frowning at her attitude, because he thought she’d be all over him like a rash.

  “I’ll have a white wine spritzer while you’re over there. Make it chilled and ask for a straw.”

  ***

  “Oh hello, dear, aren’t you from our hotel just up the road?” asked Rita, when she saw Lesley looking at some swim wear th
at was hanging up in one of the souvenir shops. Lesley nodded to both the women and started to look at a few sparkly tops.

  “I thought you were. I said to you, didn’t I, Maureen, it’s that nice young woman who came in yesterday? We saw you sitting with the rep’ last night at dinner, but you were on your own this morning at breakfast time? Did you not go to the Welcome meeting?”

  “To be honest I forgot, but I’m sure I can ask Lucy if there’s anything I need to know.”

  “That’s right, dear, but we’ve been here since a week last Friday, so if you don’t want to bother the rep’ come and find us.”

  “I will, thank you.”

  “We’re just buying a couple of souvenirs to take back with us. These are last minute as we go home the day after tomorrow. We got most of our presents in Santa Cruz. There’s a very good duty free store there, but you have to be careful about how much you try to get through Customs in your suitcase. Well, I’m sure you’ll want to get on, don’t let us stop you. Perhaps we’ll see you this evening in the bar.”

  “Poor girl,” said Maureen, as the two women walked along in search of a cafe with a toilet. “Did you see her eyes, they looked full of misery. She’s probably been crossed in love”

  ***

  “You know, Gary, we could have gone back to that timeshare office and seen the man ourselves, instead of dragging me all this way to find a Post Office.”

  “It has to be done formally, Darling. We’ve written our letter on hotel headed note paper, so the owner of the company will realize we have the full might of Mr. Sanchez behind us.”

  “Then I think we should get a taxi back, I’m not used to all this walking, as you know.”

  “While we’re here, why don’t we go over to that shopping mall and find something that will bring a sparkle back into your pretty eyes? A pair of naughty panties, maybe?”

  “I’ve told you before, Gary, I won’t have any of that smutty talk. Now I see a taxi over there. You can go and tell the driver to come over and get me.”

  ***