“Probably not,” Sonya grinned back at him. “These holiday things never last once you’ve got back on the plane.”
“I should think not,” said Cheryl. “ You want to find someone with a good job. Perhaps there’s someone you could introduce her to at the car showroom, Paul?”
“I can find my own boyfriends thanks, Cheryl. I’m not quite up to having to rely on match makers, but Paul will be the first one I’ll ring when I do.”
“Mummy this is my new friend, Jade,” cried Annabelle excitedly, as she ran from the playground with a small dark haired girl, a little younger than her at her side. “ She’s come on the plane today from London and we’re going to dance at the Mini disco together. That’s her mummy over there. She’s looking over, wave to her, Mummy.”
Cheryl waved politely to a very slender young woman with her brown hair tied back in a pony tail.
“She works in a bank and Jade hasn’t got a daddy,” Annabelle continued confidentially.
“Nothing like a child to air your business in public,” Kate commented. “ You can trust a child to give all your secrets away.”
“Well, we’re going back to the suite now, Annabelle,” said Cheryl, suddenly gathering up her handbag and her cardigan, leaving her half finished drink on the table. “ Say goodbye to Jade and get Jack for me, will you? Are you ready Paul, I want to take a shower and wash my hair?”
“Was it something we said?” asked Sonya, as the couple and their children made their way to their quarters.
“No, it’s just Cheryl being Cheryl,” Kate replied tongue in cheek. “ She’s had a busy day.”
***
“That was an abrupt departure, Darling,” said Paul, as they all waited for the lift to come down to Reception. “Were you getting a little chilly?”
“No, it’s that man that Kate and Greg have got friendly with, Brian. Even with my clothes on I feel he’s leering at me.”
***
“It was so embarrassing, Lucy,” said Lesley, when both girls had come back to their table from the buffet selection that evening. “ Uwe said that there wasn’t going to be a lot of time before he and Heiko went back to Germany, so make the most of it.”
“He did, did he?” giggled Lucy “ and did you make the most of it?”
“Well, I decided to sit at the pool side and watch them having a swim. I have to admit that I hid behind my sun glasses and was surprised to see that Heiko has quite an athletic body considering he has an office job. And Uwe too, so they must both work out at a gym. Anyway, Uwe disappeared and Heiko came to dry off in the sun and we had quite a chat together. It seems when Uwe isn’t there, Heiko is quite a confident talker. So we chatted some more about their travel agency, their plans for expanding and then he asked me was I happy doing my job? I told him that I was as I’d never done anything different, then he excused himself, said he had to get changed for dinner and off he went.”
“Yes, I saw Isabelle, Sanchez’s daughter, taking them off as I walked through the foyer. They said to have a good evening and would see us tomorrow. We’ve arranged that they will sit in on the Welcome meeting.”
“Oh, rather you than me, Lucy. I think I would feel really nervous if they were hanging on to my every word.”
“Ah,” said Lucy, pushing her now empty plate away. “ I was meaning to ask you if you would help me out, I could do with a helper to give out the tour brochures.”
***
“ Hello, Jenni speaking.”
Miguel held his breath for a moment to savour the sound of her voice.
“Jenni, it is I, Miguel, have you not had my message?”
“Oh, Miguel.” His Jenni sounded nervous. “ Oh yes, my mother told me that you’d telephoned, but I didn’t want to ring the hotel in case you got into trouble.”
His sweet Jenni, didn’t want to get him into trouble.
“I have sent you a letter, I posted it this morning.”
“You did? I will count every day until I receive it.”
“No, Miguel, it is not the sort of letter you will want to receive. I’m sorry, but I’ve decided that such a long distance relationship will not work.”
“But I can come to England! You only have to say the word and I will pack my things to be with you.”
Even to himself his words were sounding desperate.
“I have decided to work for my entrance to university.”
She was not his Jenni anymore, she was a stranger, any love she had for him was gone.
“So is there no future for us, Jenni?”
His heart sank because he knew her answer. “I could come to Bolton, you could help me find a job.”
“No, Miguel, I won’t let you spoil your life because you think you are in love with me. You will find someone else who’s more deserving of your love.”
“Jenni.”
“I’m sorry, Miguel, I think I should go.”
The phone went dead and Miguel was left staring blindly into the telephone.
***
“ Can you come out to play tonight, Sonya?” asked Mikey, as he passed her by in the corridor as she came out of the Ladies.
“I think so, Dad hasn’t said I had to look after Evan, so maybe we can have a boogie.”
“I was thinking of more than a boogie, gorgeous, but I’ll wait until later before we go into that.”
“What was all that about?” said Kate, as she came behind her daughter still drying her hands on a piece of toilet paper. “ Was that Mikey, I heard you talking to?”
“Yes,” Sonya said casually, “ he was asking if I was up for a boogie later on?”
“I suppose it will be me that’s baby sitting Evan, then,” said her mother a shade gloomily. “ Since your father’s got to know that couple, you’d think they were joined at the hip.”
“He’s only being sociable and I thought that you quite liked Brian.”
“He makes my flesh creep to be honest with you. I think he’s got the makings of a dirty old man.
But never mind I could do with a little me time, so I’ll cuddle up to Evan and I’ll have an early night.”
***
“Would you mind if I joined you?” asked a man in his early thirties, tall, slim, with light brown hair and a confident edge to his voice.
“You can if you want,” said Jim Hunter, who was waiting for his son, Terry, to bring him something from the main meal selection. “ On your own, are you?”
“Yes, I arrived at lunchtime on the Gatwick flight. Bryce Lennox’s the name, how do you do?”
“Sit down then, Mr. Lennox, my son’s over there getting us dinners. He’ll probably be glad of meeting someone of his own age here, instead of bothering with an old codger like me.”
“Oh,” said a nonplussed Terry, as he came back to the table bearing two plates of food. “I see we have another guest for dinner.”
“Yes, sorry. I hope you don’t mind me muscling in, but I saw the spare seat and hoped you wouldn’t mind if I joined you.”
“Feel free,” said Terry, “ don’t mind do you, Dad?”
“Not at all, all men together, eh? Go and help yourself to food Mr. Lennox. It isn’t waiter service here, you know.”
“Yes, thanks for that. I came in at lunchtime and saw it was self selection, so now I’ve found myself some eating companions, I’ll go and get some food.”
“Seems nice,” said Jim, as he began to tuck in to the filleted fish, dauphin potatoes and petit pois, his son had brought him. “It would be good if you could find someone to knock about with instead of being tied to me instead. Like this evening for instance, you could help me into bed, then you could meet Mr Lennox in the bar for a drink.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Terry, quite liking the look of his fellow guest who was smartly dressed in a pale blue polo neck and navy blue chinos. “ I saw a poster early on with a comedienne advertised for this evening. I’ll go along to watch while you settle for the night with the T.V.”
***
“So what do you think of Heiko, then?” asked Lucy, feeling daring at asking Lesley such a personal question, but they’d had a bottle of wine between them at dinner and now they were on their first vodka and tonic, perched on stools at the bar in the entertainment room and she was just itching to know.
“At any other time in my life I would be pleased that he has made it clear he likes my company, but I’ve still got feelings for my husband and if there was the remotest chance he would come back to me, I’d probably have him back like a shot.”
“This is where you and I differ,” said Lucy tentatively, “ possibly because I’ve never experienced the kind of love you had for Geoff, but once a guy did the dirty on me he wouldn’t get a second chance.”
“We were married for nine years. We went through all the trauma of trying for a baby and nothing happening. Perhaps that’s where we went wrong, we never sat down and discussed our feelings.”
“Well, in your shoes I’d move on. What happens when you have to sell your house to give him his share, what will you do then?”
“I haven’t got that far in my thinking, Lucy. I suppose I’m hoping it won’t happen for a while.”
“Head in the sand syndrome, Lesley, you’ve got to make plans for the future.”
“Anyway, swiftly moving on,” said Lesley, feeling uncomfortable with Lucy’s delving into stuff that made her feel sick at the thought. “What about you and Uwe?”
“Oh, if Uwe indicated he wanted a relationship, I’d be there like a shot. But although we get on really well and sometimes he has let his guard down, I think he only sees me as his personal appointed tour guide. Still there’s always tomorrow, as my granny would be apt to say.”
***
“Look Mummy, Jade and I are learning some new steps together. Jade goes to disco dancing lessons at home.”
“Very nice dear,” said Cheryl, who was feeling uncomfortable sitting on her own as Paul was smoking a cigar at the bar. “ Where’s Jade’s mummy?”
“She’s over there on the other side of the stage. She looks a bit lonely, don’t you think?”
“Yes she does, why not ask her to join us? Ask her to bring her drink with her.”
Annabelle and Jade dashed off and a few minutes later, Roz was being introduced.
“It seems awfully forward of me coming to sit with you,” said Roz, after she and Cheryl had shook hands together. “Are you sure you don’t mind my company?”
“Not at all, it must be terrible sitting alone. Although even when you have a husband in tow, you can still be sitting alone.” She pointed meaningfully at Paul, who had got in conversation with a man Cheryl hadn’t seen before.
“This is the first time Jade and I have been abroad together,” Roz confided, happy that she had some adult company. “I’ve always taken her to holiday camps in Wales or the South of England before, but I was browsing on the Internet in my lunch hour one day and saw this really cheap late deal at the Valia. I plucked up the courage and booked it. Of course I had to chase around trying to get a passport for Jade. Luckily I had a ten year one, but we made it. By the skin of our teeth we made it.”
“And how old is Jade?” asked Cheryl quickly, not wanting the conversation to falter, as she had seen Brian and Anthea walking in with another couple and she didn’t want them to feel that they could join her. She had warned Paul that he had to ignore them, even if it meant they wouldn’t be sitting with Kate and Greg that night. Of course Paul in his usual obtuse way had told her that she was imagining things, the man was probably only giving her an appreciative glance, but she had threatened to go to the suite after dinner, so he had reluctantly taken her advice.
“She’s seven in May,” Roz replied, looking fondly over to her daughter. “ Is Annabelle seven already?”
“Yes, going on twelve though,” sighed Cheryl. “ Little Miss Independent, has been since she could walk.”
“And how old is your little boy?”
“Jack is four, a totally different character than his sister, takes more after his father. He’s easy going and quiet.”
“Not at the moment though,” chuckled Roz, as Jack had spotted Evan who had just walked in with his family, so the two boys had begun to hurtle around the room.
“No, not at the moment,” said Cheryl, still keeping her eyes averted. “ I like that top you’re wearing. It’s from Next, isn’t it?”
***
Bingo was over and two delighted guests sat reflecting on what they were going to do with their winnings, while Mikey chatted to a rather nervous Meggie, who was dressed in a voluminous blue kaftan, behind the stage. She had a touch of stage fright. Stupid she knew seeing she had been an entertainer for over a decade, but every audience was a new one and what if they didn’t like her show?
“Have yer got me backin’ tracks?” she asked Mikey for the second time, who nodded and she smiled in relief.
“Come on now, I’m goin’ to announce yer, take a few breaths. I’ll clear the kids off the dance floor and that’ll give yer more room to manoeuvre. Okay, ready?”
“Ladies and Gentlemen. Tonight’s act is a lady all the way from Lancashire. She’s never entertained an audience abroad before and she’s a little nervous, so please give a hearty welcome to Miss Maggie Mansell!”
“It’s actually Meggie,” she said, as Mikey walked off the stage. “ Meggie Mansell. You’ve probably never heard of me unless you’ve visited one of the working men’s clubs in my hometown of Blackburn. Is there anyone here from Blackburn?”
Terry put his hand up from where he was sitting with Bryce. He felt self conscious when all eyes turned to look at him.
“Ah, a young man from Blackburn. Have you ever seen my act in a Blackburn working men’s club?”
Terry shook his head.
“I didn’t think you would have had, you don’t look as if you’d be happy wearing a flat hat and braces.”
“My dad would be,” he said loudly, but Meggie chose to ignore him or didn’t hear.
“Anyway, is there anybody else from the North west? Come on there must be, I travelled over with some of you.”
A few embarrassed looking people put their hands up.
“Right then, me frock, what do yer think of me frock, ladies? Nice isn’t it, love?”, she said to a woman in the audience. “ It was the only one I could find to fit me in our Oxfam shop. Circa 1970’s. I think it was a cast off of Demi Roussus, but the colour suits me, it goes with me bright orange hair. Talking about my hair colour, this wasn’t the one I wanted when I went into my local hairdressers. Oh no, I thought I might go blonde, they say that all the blondes can get a bloke. She’s getting on a bit poor love, been there for at least fifty years, but won’t give the business up until they carry her out in a wooden box. I told her that I wanted to look a bit fruity, see if I could get meself a man before all me juices have gone. When I come out from under the dryer she’d made me look like an orange and I didn’t have the heart to ask her to put me back to my original black.”
There was a bit of a titter around the audience and Meggie carried on.
“Do any of you people from the North west understand the Lancashire dialect?” Most people shook their heads. “ I’ll try out a few sentences on yer and you can tell me what was meant.”
“Tha’s a feyce leyke a leyne a wet weshin”
“You’ve a face like a line of wet washing”, she explained to the puzzled faces.
“Tha’s bin eytin vinnigger offa kneefe.”
“That was rather a sharp remark.”
“So now you can understand a bit of the dialect, if any of youse venture into Blackburn. So moving quickly on, I’m going to dedicate this song to all those blokes I’ve met over the years who’ve given me the run around. It’s called “ I Will Survive.”
Mikey pressed the button for the recorded track and Meggie was on her way.
“She’s not bad,” said Mikey to Damion, as they listened to Meggie hitting all the top notes and belting out the s
ong. “ She’s as good as any other, especially considering her age.”
“Why what age is she?” asked Damion and whistled when he heard she was sixty two.
***
“I did have a husband once,” said Meggie, after the applause had finished and she got her breath back. “ Ee wos fair bowlegged wi brass, but tight as a duck’s arse with it. He were that tight he had all his Y’ fronts sewn up at the front. He went missing one day, took his biscuit tin with him and I’ve never seen him since.” Oh dear that didn’t go down well.
“Well you’re a right quiet audience this evening, not like the noisy crowd I’m used to, so I’ll sing you another song. Music Maestro, please!”
Her next song was “ My Way”, which brought much appreciative applause at the end.
“Now I’m going to take a short break, get some liquid down me to lubricate me throat, so I’ll see youse all later. Thank you.” Meggie waddled off the stage.
“She’s a bit down market for these kind of people,” said Nobby to his wife. “ She’d be better sticking to her singing, ‘cos her voice is very nice.”
“Better than nice, Nobby, there can’t be many people of her age that can carry a tune so well. She should stick to singing, because her jokes aren’t very good.”
“Perhaps she will, she may take the hint and do a few songs instead.”
***
“So, you’re from Blackburn, Terry,” said Bryce, as they both sat at the bar drinking gin and tonics. “Originally, yes, but I moved down to London after Uni’. I got a job with a big building developer, took more exam’s, had a few placements, then moved back to work with them.”
“Similar business to me then, I sell properties not build them. Got a small business in Milton Keynes.”
“Plenty of scope there then,” said Terry. “I once went up there with one of my then bosses and I was amazed at all the different buildings. I didn’t like the shopping mall, it was so concrete and soul less, but the private estates we went to were well planned and quite individual and I was amazed at the parks and lakes they have around there.”
“Yes, I make a good living in M.K and I’m hoping to open up another branch in Newport Pagnell, it’s going so well.”
Clouds Below the Mountains Page 43