Sunshine and Second Chances

by Kim Nash

  The girls all cackled loudly, and Debs flushed bright red, remembering the events of a holiday when they were in their late teens. Debs had met a handsome Greek guy called Tomaso, who had been down at the beach with a couple of his friends. Liv and Debs were in the sea, and Fiona and Samantha had stayed on the beach. Debs clearly hadn’t realised at the time how much her voice was carrying.

  ‘God, Liv, have you seen the body on Tomaso? Oh, I could smother cold Greek yoghurt all over those abs and lick it right off. He’s bloody gorgeous. That body!’

  Fiona and Samantha had started coughing in an attempt to cover for her, but it hadn’t worked. When Liv and Debs got back to the beach, Tomaso offered to go and fetch some ice creams. He then winked at Debs and asked her if she wanted some Greek yoghurt instead. Debs had flushed bright red and wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. Luckily everyone had found it funny and it was one of the many things from that fabulous holiday that was always mentioned when they’d met up over the years.

  It was the promise that they’d made to each on that holiday, that had brought them to Portugal. A promise made, as they sat on the beach one morning after a night out, watching the sun rise above the ocean, when they held hands and vowed to be together when they celebrated their fiftieth birthdays too, even though in those days, their fiftieth birthdays had seemed like a lifetime away.

  Time seemed to fly by so quickly as they sat on the sofas on the terrace chatting easily; laughing and reminiscing over that holiday while the aroma of sweet wood smoke mixed with garlic wafted over from time to time.

  A subtle cough drew their attention to Josep, who informed them that dinner was served.

  As they approached the outside dining areas, Fiona gasped out loud. Modern lanterns flickered all around the terrace and pool area and fairy lights covered the canopy under which the huge marble table was laden with a mountain of food. A paella pan full to the brim with rainbow rice and giant prawns sat as the centrepiece, with mouth-watering mussels resting against the outside rim of the metal pan. Steam rose from a plate of traditional Piri Piri chicken and vegetable skewers adorned another platter. A chopping board was overflowing with a variety of cheeses and crusty bread.

  Debs smacked her lips together, practically salivating at the food. ‘This looks absolutely delicious, Josep. Thank you so much.’

  ‘A magnificent feast for magnificent ladies. Let me get you some wine.’

  Liv winked at the others as he filled their glasses.

  ‘How on earth did we get all this for five hundred pounds, Liv?’ Fiona asked.

  Samantha and Liv exchanged furtive glances.

  ‘Well, George did make a generous donation towards keeping his wife and her friends happy,’ Liv admitted. Her friends smiled.

  The four women raised their glasses.

  ‘Cheers, George.’

  Twelve

  Sunlight streamed through the bi-fold doors as the clattering of cups woke Debs. Through half-closed eyes, she could see that Liv was creeping around in the kitchen, trying to make as little noise as possible while she made coffee. Debs felt quite discombobulated when she looked down and noticed that she was still fully clothed and was lying on one of the huge sofas in the lounge. Someone must have covered her with blanket. What on earth was she doing here? She groaned as she realised that she may have had too much to drink last night and had passed out.

  Liv placed a tray laden with china mugs, a milk jug and a large cafetière on the coffee table next to the sofa. The smell of strong coffee nearly made Debs heave.

  ‘Morning, beautiful. Coffee?’

  Debs certainly didn’t feel very beautiful. Her hair was matted to her head in clumps and her mouth felt gritty. She looked totally confused to be on the sofa.

  ‘You passed out, mate. We tried to wake you to get you up to bed, but you were having none of it. So we decided to leave you.’

  ‘Bloody wine is strong over here,’ Debs grumbled. She put her hands to her head and winced.

  ‘Yes, and the tequila shots you drank afterwards may have had something to do with it too.’

  ‘I don’t even like tequila!’

  ‘That’s what you said in Corfu twenty-nine years ago. It didn’t stop you getting drunk on it then, and it certainly didn’t stand in your way last night!’ Liv laughed.

  ‘How come you look so fresh and glowing this morning?’

  ‘I’ve been up for hours, hon. I stopped drinking after dinner and moved on to water. Been for a run around the marina and sat on the beach and watched the sun rise. I’m making the most of every minute I’m here.’ She flung herself on the opposite sofa and alternated between sipping a glass of iced water with lemon and a mug of coffee.

  Fiona tottered into the room in a black silk kimono and matching slippers and stretched her arms above her head. ‘Oh, what a lovely night. The food was divine. How great it was to catch up properly after all these years. Oh my bed was sooo comfy. I’ve slept like a log. I think not having to keep one ear constantly listening out for Mum has done me the world of good.’

  Debs burped loudly. ‘Oh God! I’m so sorry, but I have awful indigestion. It must have been all the cheese.’

  Fiona laughed. ‘And the bread and the garlic prawns and the meat, and everything else you ate.’

  ‘Oh God! I remember now! I was a right pig, wasn’t I? I wish I could control myself when it comes to food. I just can’t say no.’

  ‘You just have to say NO, Debs.’ Liv laughed.

  ‘I honestly feel like I’m not in control. Since Dave went off with Perfect Fucking Penny, I really don’t know what to do with myself. All I seem to do is eat and drink, and that makes me unhappy, so I eat and drink more. Morning, Samantha.’

  They all smiled at Samantha as she floated into the room in a multi-coloured kaftan and reached over to the tray to pour herself a coffee. She flung herself on the sofa next to Debs, who winced at the sudden movement. Her head hurt like hell.

  ‘Who fancies going into Vilamoura today? We could have a wander round, have a late brunch, then spend an hour on the beach.’

  ‘I’m up for that. I went for a run around there this morning. It looks lovely. Although nowhere was open then. I spoke to a fisherman who was taking a boat out and he said that it didn’t start to come alive until around eleven-ish when the bars and restaurants open up,’ said Liv.

  ‘Chatting men up already?’ asked Samantha.

  Liv laughed. ‘To be honest, I’d be happy if I didn’t see another man for a while. My three needy males have put me off for life. I do miss the dog though. I love my Hector. He’s the least needy in the whole family! All he asks is to be loved, fed, walked and have a belly rub from time to time. A bit like me really! He’d have loved a run along the marina this morning.’

  ‘I could murder a full English breakfast to soak up all that booze.’ Debs stretched and stood up.

  ‘Shall we head in around ten thirty, then? We can walk from here. It’ll take about fifteen minutes to gently stroll in.’

  ‘Perfect,’ they all replied in unison, although Debs wished they were going in a taxi.

  Mikey had already told them on their trip from the airport that Vilamoura was purpose-built as a golfing centre in the 1980s. As the ladies walked to the town they passed a number of exclusive golf courses and large hotel complexes. When they reached the marina they could see it housed a variety of boats, from small fishing dinghies to million-dollar yachts with staff and jet skis on the back.

  ‘Wow. Look at the size of that. Who could possibly own a yacht that looks like that?’ Debs was seriously impressed.

  Outside the Tivoli Marina Hotel, the most stunning sleek black yacht was moored. While the girls swooned over it, imagining another life where they frequented this type of boat every day, the rumble of a throaty engine got nearer. When they turned to see what the noise was, a Ferrari, painted to match the boat, both bearing the name on their sides, pulled to a stop right next to the yacht.

  Out of th
e car, the most elegant couple they’d ever seen appeared. The man and woman were dark-haired and tanned, and dripping in designer clothing and accessories, which Debs thought probably cost more money than her house.

  Debs’ jaw nearly hit the ground. ‘Woooooooow! Who are they?’

  Liv tucked Debs’ arm into hers. ‘Someone way out of our league, darling. Come on, let’s get some brunch.’

  As the friends meandered around the marina looking for somewhere suitable for brunch, they joked around, taking selfies and laughing loudly. They spotted a bar that overlooked the moorings and decided that they’d stop there. They ordered café au laits while they chose what to eat. The marina was the perfect place to people watch.

  ‘Oh, it’s lovely, isn’t it?’ Fiona said, and then she sighed. ‘How the other half live. Although I’m surprised your George hasn’t got a yacht out here, Liv.’

  Liv laughed. ‘Oh God, don’t give him more ideas of how to be a pretentious nob. He’s doing pretty well on his own!’

  ‘Is everything OK at home, Liv?’ asked Fiona. ‘You’ve said a few things that make me think that all is not rosy in the Pemberton house.’

  ‘Oh, we’re OK, I suppose. I’m sure every mum gets fed up of her family from time to time.’ She looked around at her friends in turn. ‘Don’t they?’

  There was a moment or two of hesitation from her friends. ‘Of course they do.’ Fiona patted her hand.

  Liv snatched it away.

  ‘No need to be patronising. At least I have a husband and don’t hide away behind my mother.’

  A loud collective gasp went around the table.

  ‘Shit. I’m so sorry, Fiona, that was totally unnecessary. Please forgive me!’

  Fiona smiled tightly.

  ‘I’m going to the toilet,’ Liv announced.

  She slammed the ladies’ room door behind her as she stepped towards the wash-basins and looked in the mirror. What on earth made her say that to her friend? She was totally and utterly mortified. Fiona had enough going on in her life, caring for her mum full-time, and now Liv had been vile to her. For no real reason.

  Although if Liv dug deep enough, she knew the reason. And it was because Fiona had been so very close to the mark with what she had implied. She knew they’d be talking about her and that she’d have to go back out there and face them. And, at some point, probably admit to why she had been so eager for them all to get together on this holiday.

  ‘Come on, Liv. You’ve got this! Put your big-girl pants on and get back out there before it gets to be a bigger thing than it really is,’ she scolded herself in the mirror.

  As she headed back to the table, her friends’ voices went quiet. She stood next to Fiona.

  ‘Please, please, please forgive me. This is not about you. This is about me. You may have gathered that I’m going through some stuff right now and it’s been really getting to me. I will share it when I’m ready, but that’s not right now. But if I could take back what I said, and not see that hurt in your face, then I would. Please can we start over?’ Liv reached out to take Fiona’s hand. Her chin quivered.

  Fiona held her head up high. ‘Do you know what, Liv? We’re all going through some shit right now, but we haven’t taken it out on our friends. That’s not what we do. Of course I forgive you, you daft cow. But do it again, especially when I need food, and I will slap you. You really shouldn’t mess with me when I’m hangry.’ She grinned and Liv’s shoulders slumped in relief and they all laughed nervously.

  After a hug, Liv whispered in Fiona’s ear, ‘I really am so sorry.’ Fiona squeezed her hand and nodded.

  The situation was diffused even further when the waiter came over to take their order. They filled the time before their food came with admiring two very handsome men in linen shorts and shirts, and matching mirrored sunglasses, who walked towards one of the larger yachts moored right by their restaurant and climbed aboard. There was a sign on the back of the yacht giving prices for morning, full-day or evening charter. Liv raised her eyebrows as an idea popped into her head.

  ‘Good morning, ladies! Beautiful day.’

  ‘Morning,’ they chorused back.

  Liv, who had always had a photographic memory, clocked the website for the charter company and logged onto the marina WiFi to get more details. She’d give Mikey a call later and ask him to negotiate a good rate. After all, that’s what she was paying him for.

  Brunch was served and it was absolutely delicious – though pricey.

  ‘Bloody good job it was a nice meal,’ Fiona grumbled as they shared the bill. ‘It’s geared up for the rich here, that’s for sure.’ Of all of them, Fiona was the most frugal, in both her younger years and since she’d had to quit her job to look after her mum. Luckily she had a certain amount of savings to live on, along with the sale from her mum’s house, and a small carer’s allowance would start to come into force soon too, now that they’d started to get things moving with a diagnosis. But she still needed to watch her pennies.

  ‘Come on, let’s head off to the beach and have a lie in the sun for a bit, then we can head back to the villa for the afternoon.’

  ‘Good idea, Liv, but can we get a taxi back? I don’t think I could possibly walk anywhere after eating that full English.’ Debs patted her stomach. ‘I won’t be able to eat anything till next week.’

  On the way to the beach they walked past an ice-cream shop, and Debs was the first in the queue. ‘Surely we can squeeze just a scoop in.’

  ‘Debs, you’re terrible.’ Samantha laughed.

  ‘I know. But you love me, right?’

  They all giggled. It felt so good to be together and Liv hoped that the earlier episode could be forgotten. She was still feeling incredibly guilty about being so rude to her friend. What had she been thinking?

  Thirteen

  Twenty-five missed calls, ten voicemails and forty-seven text messages. And she’d only been gone for one and a half days. When Liv had turned on her phone to look at the yacht website, she noticed her call register and her heart sank. At that point, she’d thrown her phone in her handbag and tried to ignore it, but it had been eating away at her all the time she was lying on the beach – she couldn’t switch off and relax at all.

  The first thing she did when she got back to the villa was to go to her room. She took a deep breath and got out her phone. She started to read the messages and felt sick to her stomach.

  Mum, where is my Barcelona shirt?

  Olivia, the dog has been sick…

  Mum, James keeps being nasty to me.

  Olivia, how am I supposed to work and look after the kids?

  Mum, I don’t like what Dad has ordered from the takeaway…

  There wasn’t one message asking how she was and whether she was having a nice time. She felt that she had become invisible to her family as a person, and was just their skivvy. And she’d had enough. She had to have a plan for when she got home. She couldn’t go back to the same life she had left behind. She wouldn’t be able to face it.

  She couldn’t bring herself to read one more text, so she deleted them all, wiped the call history without listening to any of the voicemail messages, switched her phone off and threw it in the top drawer of the chest in her bedroom. She knew that shutting the problem away wasn’t going to solve anything, but she had to think about how she could change things to make life better.

  She hoped that chatting with the girls would help her.

  She tied back her long platinum, highlighted blonde hair with a sparkly clip, grabbed a sarong from the wardrobe and headed to the terrace. She needed some sun and some time to think.

  When Fiona got back to the villa, she also shot up to her room. She desperately wanted to speak to Brenda so called her on her mobile. It was lovely of Brenda to give out her personal number, knowing how anxious leaving her mum behind had made Fiona feel.

  ‘Hello, Fiona, my lovely. How are you getting on?’

  Brenda had such a wonderful way with people. Her soothing
voice immediately made Fiona feel better; she could feel the stress melting away. Fiona thought Brenda should do her own meditation recordings.

  ‘Oh, it’s lovely, thank you. Lovely to spend time with the girls again. But how is Mum? I can’t stop worrying about her, to be honest.’

  ‘Fiona, you need to trust that she’s safe and she’s well. We’re looking after her and she’s enjoying her time here. When I finished work last night I went in and sat with her for an hour before going home. I sat and held her hand, and we talked about all sorts of things. We sat with the radio on and she was singing away.’

  Fiona placed a hand on her heart. ‘Oh, how fabulous. Mum loves to sing. It’s amazing how she can remember the words to songs but can’t remember other things.’

  ‘Yes, it is. It’s because a different part of the brain is used for singing. Like how a different part of the brain holds long-term memories to that which holds short-term memories. The brain is so complicated, but it’s good to keep it active. Singing is really good for dementia patients. And they sometimes get up to have a dance too, like yesterday. It’s so lovely to see them enjoying themselves.’

  ‘That sounds wonderful. Thank you for being so kind to Mum. You don’t have to spend your own time with her. I’m sure you have enough to do.’

  ‘I do, but I know that you’d want to know that she’s being well cared for, and it’s important for you to feel that.’

  ‘Thank you, Brenda. You really are one in a million. I don’t know how to repay you for your kindness.’

  ‘I’m sure we’ll think of something.’ Brenda laughed. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, but I really have to fly as I’m supposed to be doing a tea run right now and I’ll be getting told off if I’m late. It’s really good to talk to you, Fiona. Call any time. I mean that. In fact, why don’t we do a FaceTime call with your mum one of the days. Then you can see for yourself just how she’s getting on. Bye, lovely. Enjoy your holiday.’