Clouds Below the Mountains (18 page)

Her mind was still occupied on the forthcoming travellers, when the coach began to turn slowly around a small roundabout and onto a narrow dual carriage way, bringing the bank she dealt with suddenly into view. Hell, Jenni's father's bank draft, she thought, when was she going to be able to check that out?

She leapt to her feet, causing Ramon to put his foot on the brake. “Do you think you could drop me off here for a moment?” she asked quietly. “I'm sorry, but there's something urgent I've got to do.”

Ramon looked at her in puzzlement, glanced meaningfully at his watch, then applying the brake again came slowly to a standstill. The sound of angry motorists behind came to Lucy's ears, as she waited for Ramon to open the automatic door.

“Two minutes,” she said quickly. “Could you drive up to the next roundabout, then come back on the other side? I'll be waiting for you there.”

“Si,” he said politely, as he pressed the button on his dashboard to allow her to jump off.

“Now what?”, said another passenger, annoyed that there seemed to be another delay. “The way we're carrying on, we'll be missing that bloody ‘plane.”

Lucy rushed to the A.T.M, pressed the button for English language, keyed in her pin number, then checked her balance. Fifty pounds had been credited to her account, so she went back to the menu again. She withdrew the equivalent in pesetas, then putting the money into her handbag, she ran across the zebra crossing to wait for the coach. She hoped that Kath wouldn't hear about the cause of the coach's diversion, or she'd be in a spot of trouble with her again!

***

“Shall we take Evan on that little train today?”, asked Sonya, as the family finished their breakfast and walked out to the patio overlooking the swimming pool. “I don't think it's warm enough for him to paddle and the sun isn't out yet, so we'd look silly sitting on the sun loungers.”

“Do you not want to go to Kid's club today, Evan?,” asked Kate, kneeling down so that she could be on her grandson's eye level. Evan shook his head.

“It's probably because he knows Jack has gone out with his family for the day,” said Greg. “They're going up to Mount Teide I believe.”

“Well, should we go on the train then?” asked Sonya. “We'll be able to have a look around the area instead of walking it.”

“We can go along to the stopping point and have a look at the timetable,” said Greg, “ but I'm not hanging around waiting if there isn't one due. We can walk by the sea front again.”

“O.K. then,” Sonya replied, glad that she had put jackets on herself and Evan because the morning air was a bit chilly. “ Evan, do you want a wee wee before we go?”

The child shook his head again, but Greg said he would take him to the Gents anyway, as he didn't want any mishaps on the way.

Kate and Sonya visited the Ladies before they set off. Kate was dying to hear what had happened on the previous night.

“Nothing,” said Sonya, as the two women washed their hands later. “I danced with the girls most of the time and then I came up to bed.”

“Well, I'm surprised that waiter called Juan, wasn't chatting you up. I thought he was very taken with you.”

“I'm not bothered, Mum. I've come here for a rest and to spend some quality time with Evan. You know Dad would go mad if he thought I was having a fling.”

She felt rather bad at deceiving her mother, but it was no good telling her about Juan, as it would probably get back to her dad anyway.

***

Jenni walked slowly along the road to the roundabout. She had put on her black and white flowery sun dress; piled her hair up into a silver bobble and wore her pretty sandals with the silver flower decoration. She carried a short sleeved white cardigan over her arm as the morning still felt chilly, although the sun was beginning to appear occasionally from behind the clouds.

She was looking forward to her date with Miguel, he didn't pose any threat to her like Simon had. She had always felt a little intimidated, insecure, worried where their relationship was taking them, whereas Miguel was so courteous and gorgeous looking with it, she could relax in his company and feel she had made a friend.

Her heart skipped a beat, as she rounded the corner and saw the young waiter sitting patiently on top of a low stone wall. He was wearing a white polo shirt with navy blue denims, his dark eyes lighting up in pleasure as he saw her walk along.

“Buenos dios, Jenni,” he said, as she reached him. “How are you? You are looking very pretty today.”

He felt anxious though as he gazed upon her, she was so young looking, although she had told him she was nearly eighteen. She looked childlike, innocent even, though Miguel knew she wasn't, seeing she had arrived on holiday with her boyfriend. But then, that was the English way it seemed, they didn't wait for a ring on their finger before sleeping with a man.

“Would you like to walk along the promenade for a while, Jenni?” he asked, as he linked her arm into his and began to walk in the direction of Playa del Duque. “I don't mind where we go,” said Jenni happily. “It's nice of you to ask me to come along.”

“The sky is looking brighter,” said Miguel. “So maybe we can sit by the playa, there are some seats near the old castilla which look out to the island of La Gomeras.”

“Sounds wonderful,” said Jenni, increasing her steps, as Miguel had long legs. “That will be very nice.”

***

“Are you coming in for a spot of lunch, Mavis?”, asked Fred, as he found his wife sitting on a sun lounger reading by the swimming pool, wearing blue track suit bottoms and a lighter blue thin fleece jacket.

“You go in if you want, I'm not bothered. I might wait until the pool bar starts serving snacks and I'll get a beef burger.”

“Are you sure? All that exercise I've been doing has made me hungry. I saw you doing that stretching, hasn't that made you hungry too?”

“I'll get a beef burger,” Mavis said firmly, turning over a page in her book. “Oh, for goodness sake Fred, can I not have a bit of peace once in a while?”

“Suit yourself,” her husband said huffily and walked off to the dining room.

***

“I must say that hairdresser has done you proud, Jean,” said Milly, as the three ladies sat on their sun loungers, sipping fresh orange juice from plastic glasses. “If it wasn't that we are going home on Tuesday, I might have booked an appointment too. As it is they're only open tomorrow and they're shut on Monday.”

“They might have a free appointment tomorrow,” said Jean, feeling pleased with the results of the young hairdresser's efforts. Instead of curling her hair into a frumpy shape, making Jean feel that she looked like the Queen Mother, she had given her a more sleeker look, with a bit of a fringe instead of brushed off her forehead like the hairdresser did back home.

“I'd say she's made you look ten years younger, with that modern cut she's given you,” said Doreen. “We'll have to watch you tonight in case you get pulled by some handsome Adonis.”

“I don't think so,” Jean gigggled. “More likely someone with silver hair, false teeth and a beer belly, if there's any spare men going begging. Anyway, are either of you putting your name down for the Karaoke or are we going to watch everyone else making a fool of themselves?

“I think I'll pass,” said Doreen. “Not everyone wants to hear my rendition of “the hills are alive.”

***

“I enjoyed that,” said Kate, as the family alighted from the cream coloured carriage, pulled by a motorized train. “Did you like going on the train, Evan?”

“Yes Grandma, choo choo, choo choo, it was very exciting.”

“Perhaps we could buy you a bedcover with Thomas the Tank Engine on it when we get home,” she continued. “You like those story books too, don't you?”

“I don't like Gordon,” Evan said, “ sometimes he gets angry.”

“What shall we do now?”, asked Greg. “Perhaps we could have a late lunch and treat Evan to an ice cream now, at that kiosk down on the sea front.”

“Okay by me,” said Sonya. “Can I have one too?”

“If you must,” smiled Greg.

They sat down on a bench overlooking the black sand, while Evan, having finished his ice cream in double quick time, ran around the little playground nearby.

“Coo-ee,” shouted a female voice from across the grassy area behind them.

“Is someone shouting you, Dad?”, asked Sonya, as they all turned around to look at the people who sauntered along by the beach front shops.

“Look, over there, some woman's waving at you.”

A plump, blonde streaked haired lady, dressed in red shorts and a white T' shirt, looked very excited about something as she waved gaily in their direction.

“I don't think she's trying to attract our attention,” said Greg turning away. “Who do we know over here anyway?”

“Well, she's coming over Dad, so she must know you”, said Sonya, as the woman in her early fifties began to grin wildly as she neared their bench.

“I thought it was you,” she said breathlessly, addressing Greg. “Remember me, Brenda from Cyprus? Me and Stan met you and your wife in Pathos in 1991, we stayed at the Phaethon. What are you doing in Tenerife?”

“On holiday, same as you,” Greg replied coolly. “ Well, well, it is a small world. Is Stan with you?”

“Yes, he's having a look at some shorts in that shop over there. He'll be tickled pink when he sees you,” Brenda answered, undeterred by the lukewarm reception.“He often says he wondered what happened to you and your family, seeing as you didn't reply to that letter he sent.”

“What letter was that?”, asked Greg innocently. “Do you remember getting a letter from Stan, Kate?”

Kate just smiled and shook her head. There had indeed been a letter, asking would they like to spend a weekend in Scunthorpe with the couple, as they had a caravan there. Greg had chucked it in the rubbish bin, saying he had no time for holiday friendships.

“Kate,” said Brenda. “You've not changed a bit. Still smart and elegant and looking younger than your years. Not like me, eh, Kate? I've piled the weight on, haven't I? Must have put on two stone since I last saw you. It's the change that does it, but it doesn't seem to have affected you. And who's this, let me think, it's Sonya, isn't it? Your Mam told me all about how you left home to live with your boyfriend. This will be your little boy then, have you been married long?”

Without waiting for an answer, Brenda started suddenly waving madly at her husband, who had just appeared from one of the shops.

“Coo-ee, Stan, I'm over here and look who I've just bumped into!”

Her husband, a large sandy haired fellow with a beer belly jutting out of his blue Caribbean short sleeved shirt and resting on his khaki pedal pushers, came sauntering across the grass holding a plastic bag that contained his purchase.

“Well I never Bren', who have we got here? Kate and Greg from Manchester, isn't it? Well, I'll be blowed, fancy meeting you here. What are you doing in Tenerife then?”

“Same as you,” said Greg patiently. “We're on holiday with our daughter and grandson.”

“Where are you staying?”, Stan asked. “We're up at Playa de las Americas in the Paloma Park hotel. Quite nice, but I have to say it's not a patch on the one we stayed at in Cyprus. Are you here for the week?”

“No, we're booked in for a fortnight,” said Greg. “Hardly seems worth flying all that way just for seven days.”

“Yes, we agree with you there, but we've just had a cruise around the Caribbean islands. Well before Christmas anyway, so we can't be greedy, can we, eh? So, have you told Bren' where you're staying so we can catch up with each other? What about meeting one night before we go?”

“Well, we have to consider Evan,” said Greg, trying to find a reason for not meeting the couple.

“We like to get him to bed early if we can.”

“That's the ticket,” Stan agreed. “ Best to keep them in a routine when they're so little. Well, what about if you come over to our hotel during the daytime? The lad can splash about in our kiddies pool, while we sit and have a few beers together.”

Greg groaned inwardly. They were a nice enough pair, but he really didn't want to renew their acquaintanceship with them, holiday friendships could be very taxing as far as he was concerned.

“Perhaps we will,” he said. “Where was your hotel again, the Paloma Park in Las Americas? We'll wander up one afternoon and see if you're there, shall we? Anyway, we must be off for lunch. Our hotel is All Inclusive, so seeing we've paid for it we may as well get our money's worth. Nice to see you again.”

He took hold of Kate's arm and began to walk the way they'd come, expecting Sonya, who was now carrying Evan, to follow them.

“Oh, sorry Greg, where are my manners? said Stan, doing a shuffle alongside so he could delay them. “This must be Sonya, your daughter and what's the name of this little chap?” He patted Evan on the shoulder, who looked the other way shyly.

“It's Sonya's son,” said Brenda. “Do you remember, she was living with her boyfriend and Kate was very upset?”

“Oh yes, it all came right then in the end, eh, Kate? Did you have a big do for your wedding, Sonya?”

“We really must be going, Dad,” said Sonya stiffly, feeling annoyed that her dirty washing had been aired in public by her mother. “ Evan will be wanting a snack before he goes down for his afternoon nap.”

“Well, what if we go to that cafe over there and get something for him?,” said Stan, not willing to let the family go, now that they had met up again. “We can get him a pizza, most kiddies like a pizza, don't they?”

“I really think we should keep him to his routine,” replied Sonya.

“OK. then, never mind, we'll catch up with you later. By the way, did you ever get that villa in Pathos you were after, Kate? You did say you would write and let us know.”