Clouds Below the Mountains (31 page)

Lucy in comparison was an asset, with her ready smile, her professional manner and her smart appearance. Perhaps she'd been too hasty, too sharp, too over bearing. Wouldn't she have walked off in a huff when she had been younger and hadn't she taken risks, made mistakes and taken gambles on not being caught?

Meantime Lucy had sat on the toilet, wondering what her next move was to be? She was in between a rock and a hard place. Did she want to go home and lose face with her friends and family, especially her doubting mother, or should she go back to Kath and apologize? Could she face the next few months under Kath's authority, having to watch every move she made? Well, sitting here isn't going to solve my problem, she thought, her common sense beginning to return. Just continue on as if nothing has happened and leave it to Kath to take the lead.

***

“Are you alright, Lucy?” asked Adam, as they nearly collided with one another when he walked towards the coffee bar and she lost in thought, headed in the same direction.

Oh, Adam,” she smiled, “ twice in one morning. I was just on my way back from the Ladies to join my supervisor over there.”

“Pity you can't come and have a coffee with me,” he said wistfully. “ It doesn't as look as if I'll ever get to know you, the way things are.”

“You're right,” Lucy said, suddenly making up her mind. If Kath wanted to talk to her she would know where to find her.

Kath looked over to where Lucy and Adam were sitting. She felt worried and nibbled on the end of one of her perfectly manicured finger nails. What had Lucy been doing at the desk of Fortuna Villas anyway, could it be that she already had another job lined up? She sipped her lukewarm coffee, then checked her watch again for the flight arrivals. Surely Lucy would join her to escort the new passengers to the Mini coach?

“Must go now, Adam,” said Lucy, after ten minutes of listening to a young man full of woes. How he'd had a lot of different jobs before seeing this one in the paper. “ I'll ring you, I can see from the monitor over there that the aircraft we're expecting have just landed. I need to look at the lists to see who I'm responsible for.”

“I'll await your call,” said Adam flatly, as Lucy pushed back her chair and took a last gulp of her coffee. He could tell he hadn't impressed her, he should have listened to what she had to say instead.

“Lucy,” said Kath evenly, as she and her rep' both made their way to the monitor at the same time. “We'll just have time to check the lists while the guests are waiting at the carousel.”

***

Ralf Sanchez, liked to have a wander around the grounds of his hotel most mornings, before he had a word with his staff then settled down to his paperwork. It was satisfying to see the contented faces of his guests, listen to the children singing as he passed the kiddies club, see his grounds men working hard at their chosen tasks for the day and watch the maids, as they diligently carried out their duties.

It was going to be a pleasant day, he thought, as he looked up to see the clouds being blown away above the horizon and felt the sun gathering heat in the sky. So Ralf was quite taken aback when he rounded the corner of the hotel by the tennis courts and saw a young man staring bleakly into space, as he lounged against the wall.

“Good morning, Senor,” he said in greeting, intending to pass him by and go in search of a coffee.

“How do,” said Gary morosely, moving aside, as the pathway was narrow for two of them to be there.

“Why the long face young man, I cannot help but notice your downcast look. You should be happy to be staying at my wonderful hotel and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face?”

“Oh sorry,” said Gary, aroused from his unhappy thoughts and suddenly noticing that the speaker was a Spanish looking gentleman, dressed in a smart pin striped suit. It sounded as if he was the owner of the place, from what he had just said.

“ I am happy to be staying at your hotel, Sir, but I seem to have few problems.”

Ralf thought longingly of the cup of coffee that could be his in only a few minutes, but also thought of his eighteen year old son who looked a little like this young man, when something was troubling him. He had a duty, didn't he?

“I'm just on my way to get a cup of coffee, why don't you join me? As they say in England, “ a trouble shared is a trouble halved.”

“That's right,” agreed Gary looking hopeful, “ but I'm sure you have other things to think about though, without me troubling you.”

“Nothing that can't wait,” Ralf assured him, hoping that the young man's problems could be solved easily, as he had a meeting with the housekeeper at eleven o' clock.

***

“Mum, Dad, final rehearsal this afternoon at three o' clock,” said Sonya, as she joined her parents on the sun loungers after putting Evan into Kid's club. “ Gosh it's quiet in that place today, there's only a handful of children. Anna's helping Tina out because she only had Annabelle.”

“I dare say they'll be another influx of kids later,” said Kate. “ I wonder what Paul and Cheryl are doing this morning?”

“I don't think it would be wise to ask,” said Greg, turning a page of his book over. “ I suppose we'll have to think of something to amuse Evan, Sonya, if you're going to be busy after lunch.”

“I'll make it up to you, Dad, I promise. I know we said we'd share the baby sitting but somehow you always end up doing it. As from tomorrow, I promise I'll do my share.”

“It's not a problem, is it Kate? We love looking after the little chap and as long as you're enjoying yourself, that's all right with us.”

Kate nodded in agreement, but couldn't help thinking that it would nice if Greg would love her company as much.

***

“Darling, how much longer is that washing machine going to go on for?” asked Cheryl, getting really fed up having to sit on a wall up above the public launderette, waiting for the last load of their washing to finish.

“Ten minutes I think, my love, its gone on final rinse,” shouted Paul, from the basement room where he was standing watching the washing machine. “ Why, do you need a drink or something, because I can watch over the dryer if you want to go to the supermarket?”

“I'll go and get us some cokes. You know I'm staggered that the owner hasn't got a washing machine in his private apartment.”

“A man that hasn't got everything then,” Paul shouted back amusedly, “ but why would he need one, his villa is only up there in the hills.”

“You know after lunch, I think we'll all go for a ride in the Espace,” said Cheryl, checking in her handbag that she had enough pesetas for the drinks. “ I quite fancy having a look at how the other half live.”

***

“So, that's pretty much it, Mr Sanchez, we didn't really bother to check the contract as we believed all his lies.”

“Are you sure they were lies, Gary?” Ralf Sanchez asked gently. “ Maybe misunderstandings on the behalf of you and your wife.”

“Well possibly,” Gary said hesitantly. “I must say we got quite carried away when we saw the amazing apartment and the way it looked out to sea, but you would think for the three thousand pounds we paid, we would get two weeks in that place, not up a mountain in Switzerland.”

“I believe Switzerland is a very nice place to visit,” said Ralf. “ But yes, I agree you probably feel rather cheated.”

“And then there's the maintenance money that we have pay annually and on top of that of course, there's the flights. I said to Tracy, for the money we've paid we could have had a new three piece suite, a change of car and another holiday this year.”

“And that didn't go down too well with your wife, Gary, after you had both just signed the papers?”

“No,” said Gary forlornly.

“Well, I must get on my way,” said Ralf, standing up and proffering his hand to Gary. “ I'll make a few inquiries about this company on your behalf, but mean time I'm sure you'll be hearing soon from the credit company. Rome wasn't built in a day young man. If I was you I would go and sit by the ‘phone with your wife.”

***

Lucy and Kath walked together to the coach park. There was a coolness between them, neither of them up to now had met each other's eyes whilst communicating. Though there hadn't been a lot said in the twenty minutes they'd had, before the first arrivals had come through the automatic doors.

“Periquito Travel?” Lucy had asked, as a man pushing a lady in a wheelchair came up to her.

“Yes love, Mr. and Mrs. Walsh. Is it far to the coach from here?”

“I'll take you over,” said Kath, glad that she could escape for a few minutes from the tension between her and Lucy. “ I can show you where the ramps are and push the trolley for you, that should make things easier. Lucy, direct everyone to the mini coach, it has number 27 on the window.”

“Periquito Travel?” asked Lucy, as a woman in her early forties and a girl in her twenties pushing a baby in a fold up pram', arrived through the doors.

“Yes, Mrs. Reilly, Miss Reilly and Chantelle Reilly bound for the Hotel Valia,” the woman informed her.

“Oh yes,” said Lucy, consulting her list then smiling at the baby girl. “ If you go to the coach park, which is a right out of the door, your coach is number 27.”

Lucy continued directing the clients until every name on her list had a tick against it, then Kath arrived and told her that she would be going back to the office and Lucy would be escorting the coach alone.

“I have quite a few things to catch up on after my day off yesterday, Lucy but I'll ring you later on.

As for your behaviour, I think for the moment we'll draw a line under it and hope that in future you will be more circumspect in your thoughts.” She walked away to the visitors car park, leaving Lucy in shock at her supervisor's words.

Lucy stood outside the mini coach, taking a breather before she got on and wondered what had changed Kath's mind over giving her a written warning? She had been so sure that her job at Periquito Travel was under threat, that after she had dismissed the idea of booking a flight back to Manchester, going home with her tail between her legs as it were, the thought had crossed her mind that perhaps Fortuna Villas might have a vacancy? Escorting clients to a variety of rental properties on the island seemed quite exciting, if it meant she only had to drop them there and there was no welcome meetings or rep's desk to man. Though she had back tracked a little in that idea, after she had listened to the lack lustre conversation of Adam Bradshaw, there were other villa agencies that might have taken her on. Still, now it seemed she had a stay of execution, providing she kept her nose clean until the end of the season.

***

“Are you comfortable, Betty?” asked Norman Walsh, known as Nobby to his friends. “Everyone's been very helpful, haven't they? From the chap at the airport who escorted us to the plane, to that nice woman at Arrivals.”

“You're right, better than I expected, Nobby. It's just a pity I'm still having to use a wheelchair, three months on from my accident.”

“A week in the sun will see you right, love and we can still have little walks together as long as you take it easy. You had a nasty shock, Betty and the nerve ends in your muscles are still recovering.

You see, in a few more months we'll be able to go to those dances classes you've been on about.”

***

Lesley Walker, a woman in her mid thirties, sat in front of the couple and couldn't help but overhear their conversation. To have a husband who treated her so lovingly, well, just before Christmas that is what she thought she had. Geoff had been the perfect husband, attentive, kind, sad like she was that they hadn't managed to conceive a baby, but looked at the positive side, saying that at least they could pay off their mortgage on their large rambling Victorian house. He had a good job as General Manager of a transport depot, while she was a teacher of Year 3 kids. Life had seemed good for both them, but then he dropped his bombshell, just as she had begun to talk to him about who they would invite for their usual Boxing Day open house; quipping happily over inviting Aunty Marion and who would be picking her up from the Old People's home.

***

Anthea and Brian held each other's hands romantically, pleased that they would soon be on their way to a week relaxing in the sunshine. It was hard work running a small guest house in Bournemouth and when Brian had seen the Periquito Travel website, extolling the virtue of online booking after he had uploaded the week's takings onto his Sage Accounting software, he decided there and then that he and Anthea would take a break. Mandy, who was Anthea's nineteen year old daughter from her first marriage, and lived with them while she was taking a course in hotel management at the local college, was quite able to look after the place with the help of their part-time general assistant. Now they could enjoy a little socializing with people they wanted to keep company with and not have to play the part of genial mine hosts, as they usually did.

***

Cindy and Phil Hatfield were not talking to one another. She being annoyed that the first thing her husband had done, after being shown to the mini coach was to telephone his ex-wife on his mobile and ask if Sukie, his little daughter had gone to school that day? She had been sick apparently, probably because Phil had stuffed her with sweets when he had gone round to read a bedtime story to the little girl, which he did most nights on his way home from work. Well, she felt sorry that Sukie had been sick, nobody liked to hear of a child suffering, but did he have to ‘phone as soon as he got off the plane? Surely she'd every right to tick him off and tell him that he could have waited and ‘phoned when they'd got to the hotel bedroom. He'd only just got his international signal ten minutes ago.

Cindy hoped that this wasn't going set the scene for their first ever foreign holiday, Phil had other kids as well that he might want to phone!”