Clouds Below the Mountains (33 page)

“Of course, you know all about their dilemma. Gary said you'd been most sympathetic towards him and his wife. As you know I'm quite an influential person in this area and I had a conversation with the company owner, who thoroughly agreed with me that the Greenwoods should have had a cooling off period. Ergo, they only have to put their request for the annulment of the contract in writing to the company and Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood's credit details and papers will be torn up.”

“Oh that's splendid, I am pleased for them” Lucy said delighted, as she collected her handbag and accompanied Mr Sanchez to the patio doors.

“You know Lucy, this is why I want you of all the people, to help me woo our German friends, I like your personality and gentle approach.”

“Thank you, Sir,” said Lucy blushing. “ I shall do my best to help you out.”

***

“I can't believe it, Gary,” said Tracy, squeaking with delight once Mr Sanchez was out of earshot. “We must celebrate. Two glasses of champagne, Juan and if you are allowed, have one for yourself.”

“I am not allowed to drink when I'm on duty, thank you, Senora,” said the waiter morosely, taking a bottle of cold champagne out of the chill cabinet and proceeding to scrape the gold coloured wrapper off.

“Well never mind, just be happy for us, my husband and I have just been let off the hook!”

“Cheers then, Senora, Senor,” he said, pouring out the sparkling liquid into two fluted champagne glasses, not knowing what “off the hook” was, but it seemed to have the woman excited. “ I need your room number, Senora, as these drinks are not part of the All Inclusive package.”

***

“Have you met Damion?” asked Mikey, looking at Sonya speculatively, wondering if she would resist him making any moves on her. A single girl with a beautiful voice really rang his bell as it were.

“I've seen you around,” Sonya replied, walking up to Damion who was standing on the stage peering at a piece of sound equipment. “ How do you do, pleased to meet you?”

The young man smiled shyly, shook her hand then carried on with what he had been doing, oblivious to the other three, as Susanne had just joined them.

“Doesn't have a lot to say for himself,” Mikey said in a low voice, “ but he's a good engineer, loves messing around with electrics and pitches in with all the other things that the Animacion team has to do.”

“Hmm,” said Susanne, raising her eyes to the ceiling behind Mikey's back. Sonya smiled, there didn't seem to be a lot of love between the two of them.

“Ready,” said Damion, jumping down from the stage looking pleased with himself. “ Where do you want me, Boss?”

“You stand behind the keyboard and look as if you're playing it and I'll strum a few chords on the guitar. Nobody will hear if we muff it up, ‘cos the girls will be singing and I'll jack up the backing tape.”

“What are you wearing, Sonya?” asked Susanne, as she hadn't been informed that the other part of the duo had to wear her own clothes. “ Because as far as I know, we only have the satin costume.”

“Oh, I have some stuff that will fit in with the part of Freida, though I think you'll be warm in a pair of patent leather boots.”

Susanne shrugged, she had tried on the outfit earlier and though the hot pants were slightly loose around her hips and the fitted jacket sagged a little under the armpits, the overall appearance had impressed her quite a bit. With her white blonde hair curling to her shoulders and the tiny blue cap perched above it, perhaps her future lay with a tribute band.

“O.K, so we'll start with “Money,Money,Money,” you two. Damion, press that button now!” said Mikey.

***

“I really enjoyed that day out, Dad,” said Joanne, her normally pale skin looking flushed with the buffeting wind, as they had stood on the deck of the island ferry on the way back.

“I'm happy to hear that, love,” said Ray. “ It cost enough, but I suppose with lunch thrown in and that guided tour we had it, was good value for money.”

“I didn't know that Columbus had sailed from there,” broke in Tricia, who liked a spot of history.

“1492 they said he sailed from San Sebastion. For some reason or other I thought he were Portugese.”

“I liked the whistling language,” said Ray, as they began to walk along the promenade from the harbour. “Listen to this,” and he started trying to ape the Gomerans, the way they had whistled at the demonstration that had been put on as part of the excursion.

“Give it up, Dad, you sound like a strangled parrot. My favourite bit was looking inside that volcanic eruption”, said Joanne. “Just imagine how horrible it would be to have that lot coming towards you?”

“You wouldn't live to tell the tale,” said Tricia. “ I'd like to visit Pompeii one day and have a look at what that volcano did.”

“Afternoon folks,” said a young woman jumping out in front of them, making Tricia flinch in surprise. “On holiday are you, or do you have a villa on Tenerife?”

“We arrived last Friday,” said Ray. “We've just been over to the island, now that's an amazing place.”

“I just wondered if you would like to have a go at one of our scratch cards. I've got a peseta, ‘cos you've got to scratch at the silver bits?”

“Oh, can I have a go?” asked Joanne, snatching one of the cards out of the promotion woman's hand.

“No, sorry love, you have to be over eighteen and part of a married couple.”

“We'll pass, if you don't mind,” said Ray, handing back the card that he had taken from his daughter.

“Oh, I get fifty pence a card, Sir. Just scratch this one for me.”

“Sorry pet, it all sounds a bit suspicious, wanting a married couple like. Next thing you'll be saying I've won a villa on Tenerife!” He laughed at his own joke and started walking away.

***

Anthea and Brian having finished unpacking, had eaten a light lunch and were sipping gin and tonics at a table near the pool bar, while they looked around at the other holiday makers who were sprawled about enjoying the sun.

Brian had changed into a pair of beige bermuda shorts and Anthea had on a pale yellow bikini top and saffron coloured mini shorts. Both wore their Jasper Conran sunglasses.

“Been here long?” asked Brian, when Greg came to the bar to replenish his and Kate's drinks and get an orange juice for Evan.

“Since last Tuesday,” said Greg, stopping politely for a moment, thinking he must get a tray this time, as he was apt to splash himself if he carried more than two drinks down the steps.

“We've just arrived,” said Brian. “ Came in on the Gatwick ‘plane, it made good time too. What's the weather been like since you've been here?”

“Not bad, not too clever when we first got here, but usually if it's cloudy in the morning it picks up by the afternoon.”

“It'll make a change from Bournemouth, then,” Anthea who not to be excluded, quickly chipped in. “The weather's been terrible since January, which isn't good when you run a guest house for a living.”

“Oh, that must be interesting,” Greg replied, wondering if there would be guests wanting to stay in Bournemouth at this time of year. “ Though I imagine this must be your quiet time, thus giving you the chance to take a holiday.”

“You'd think so,” said Brian, leaning forward on their table confidentially, “ but we get a lot of weekenders. You know, Mr. and Mrs. Smiths' and the odd self employed business people during the week, who can't afford a posh hotel.”

“Yes, I can imagine,” said Greg, suddenly feeling uncomfortable though he wasn't sure why. “ I must get on or I'll have the wife and grandchild hollering for their thirst quenchers, perhaps we'll see you later on.”

“Mmm, not bad,” said Anthea quietly, as Greg nodded pleasantly as he passed them by with his tray. “The strong silent type, Brian, don't you think?”

***

“We had a right good day out, Lucy,” said Ray, when he and his family passed the rep's desk on their way back to the bedroom. “ Glad to hear it, Sir, did you enjoy yourself, Joanne?”

“I did,” said the young girl, looking pleased to be included with the grownups. “We actually saw a dolphin, just as we were coming into land at San Sebastion.”

“I think you mean dock,” said her father, smiling indulgently. “Airplanes land, don't they, Lucy?”

“Whatever,” said Joanne scowling, as she felt she was being shown up. “ Anyway, are we going or what, because I want to see what my friends are up to?”

“Oh, hang on Joanne, we had such a good time today, I thought we'd ask Lucy if she's got anything we can go on tomorrow?” Ray said quickly. “ We're going home on Friday, so it seems a shame to sit about when we could be going on a tour.”

“You've changed your tune,” said Tricia, thinking of the conversation they'd had before they came on holiday. “Just getting her away for a week on holiday, away from his clutches. We don't have to spend much money as long as we get her away from him,” he had said.

“There's nothing tomorrow,” said Lucy, thinking to avert a family argument. “ The next excursion that has free seats is on Thursday morning.”

“I wanted to get my packing done on Thursday,” Tricia said doubtfully,while Joanne looked happy and began to punch the air.

“We'll take them,” said Ray, “ how much do you want for the tickets?”

“You haven't asked me where you're going,” said Lucy, smiling at his eagerness.

***

Lesley sat on a sun lounger, after eating a salad and fries from the snack bar, feeling the sun warming her slim bare legs and trying to get into the second book she had brought with her. She had read the first book, an Anna Jacob's novel that had kept her attention during the flight, as she hadn't wanted to strike up a conversation with her fellow passenger. Not that he'd seemed bothered, pushing his seat back as soon as the air hostess had finished acting out the safety information and snoozing most of the way. Only waking when breakfast was being handed out.

She felt better now after another release of pent up tears, a quick shower and a change of clothing. Her hurt was slowly mending and three months on, life had taken on a different slant, although she knew that it had been the tablets that had helped her.

It was the loneliness that had hit her most, rattling around in that big house had totally daunted her, waiting for Geoff to put his key in the door had been the highlight of her day. She had always got in first from work, the school she taught in being only a walk away. It gave her time to prepare a meal, while she marked a few books or tidied their rooms.

Her headmaster, Stuart Lyndhurst, had been marvelous with her, when summoning up the courage on the first day of the new term, she had haltingly explained over the telephone the catastrophe that had prevented her from appearing in the staff room.

“Take your time,” he'd said, “ have a rest and don't come back until you're feeling better.”

Her doctor had been marvelous too, listening while she poured her heart out, supplying tissues when the tears ran down and supplying the antidepressants that were supposed to take the hurt away. It had been Dr. Birch, who had suggested that she take a holiday, cut herself down on the happy pills, get a little sun on her body, meet a few people, then go back to school.

And she would, thought Lesley, as she gazed at her manicured peach painted toes, noticing that there was a smudge on her big one, from when she had put on shoes after the beautician had told her that the varnish was dry. She'd go back to school after she'd had this holiday and after she'd been to the estate agents, put the house up for sale.

***

Phil went up to the snack bar and ordered burger and chips for himself, and salad with fries for Cindy. He was starving. Sex always made him feel hungry and that had been almost a permanent state for him since he and Cindy had got together. She was a little goer, always ready to please, eager to satisfy his every need. Totally different from his two ex-wives who had turned into shrews when they'd got married. He wondered how he did it. He wasn't handsome, wasn't loaded, although he did own a bookies in Tunbridge Wells and all his wives had been pretty, though Cindy, he believed, was the most attractive up to now. He had met her when his last wife had asked him to drop a dress for shortening into Cindy's shop, where she had an alteration room at the back of the boutique she owned. He had fancied her straight away, with her lovely brown eyes and her cute feline nose, though he had to admit she was inconsistently volatile. He never knew what hit him sometimes when she suffered her changeable moods.

“You were on our mini coach,” said Brian, on his third gin and tonic as Phil passed the table. “ What do you think of the place, eh?”

“Not bad,” said Phil, continuing to the table where Cindy was sitting waiting. “ Nice room and comfy beds.”

“Know what you mean,” Brian replied, giving a sly grin in the direction of Anthea.

***

“Oh Mum, you gave me a fright,” said Vicky, as her mother gently shook her after she had fallen asleep on the bed. “Is Chantelle awake?”

“No, she's still snoozing, it must have taken a lot out of her, having her routine upset like she has.”

“You and me both, Mum. You were still working at the dry cleaners until four remember and I didn't pick the baby up until six from the nursery.”

“It's a long day for the child being cooped up in the nursery, Vicky. I wish you'd find something with fewer hours.”

“Like what, Mum?” she said, getting up to go to the bathroom now that her mother was back. “ If I didn't work the hours I do at the call centre, we wouldn't be here having this conversation. We'd never be able to afford new clothes and holidays. We'd be existing on the dole.”

“It wouldn't be like this if your Dad was still alive, he'd be the one who was bringing the money in and you could have stopped at home.”