Clouds Below the Mountains (42 page)

“I wondered if you would see us off,” smiled Harry happily, as he straightened up to greet her. “Rita and Maureen are already on the coach, I think they're over there.”

He waved his arm in the direction of the coach, then put his hand in his jacket pocket to bring out a scrap of paper.

“I hope you won't mind, my dear, but I've written my address and telephone number on here for you. I know we are generations apart, but I'd like you to think of me as a kindly uncle and should you ever need someone to talk to, I'm your man. I'd like to think we got on very well together in the short time we had, but my dear, I think you've got a lot of courage and I admire you for it.”

Harry went rather pink after he had made his speech and Lesley mindful of being watched by a captive audience in the coach, gripped his hand and squeezed it slowly.

“Thank you, Harry, I also enjoyed your company and I will keep in touch.”

Kath murmured that they had a plane to catch and so with a continental kiss on Lesley's cheeks, Harry made his farewell.

***

Lucy's mobile rang as she opened the door of her apartment. She had returned on Uwe's instruction to change out of her uniform and put something on more suitable for sight seeing. Of course she had obeyed that instruction like a shot. She would have felt silly really walking about in her white short sleeved shirt and tight fitting skirt. She needed to look as cool as Lesley, who was wearing a round necked summer dress in lilac floral with a lovely white sequined cardigan. Surprise, surprise, timid Heiko had asked her to accompany them.

Lucy wondered who could be ringing her mobile, as she put her key in the lock? She had passed Kath in the foyer when she had been on her way to breakfast, so if Head Office had anything important to say, they would have sent a message with Kath. It was Adam.

“Hi, Lucy,” he said, his voice sounding very upbeat. “ I know you've been busy so I haven't rung before, but I wondered could we have a coffee together when you get to the airport?”

“Oh, Adam,” said Lucy, trying to put on a disappointed voice. “ I'm not at the airport today, Kath my supervisor has that duty. I've been on a special assignment for the last couple of days.”

“Really?” he said, his voice going down an octave or two. “ Anything interesting, will it mean promotion in the long run?”

“No, I'm accompanying some Germans on a fact finding tour. They have a travel firm in Hamburg and they're here until Sunday afternoon.”

“So maybe we could do something together on Sunday evening then?” Adam sounded hopeful.

“I don't think I can, Adam, I have to be on duty after their flight leaves. Perhaps we can meet on Tuesday when I'm back at the airport.”

She switched her mobile off, then quickly flicked through her meagre wardrobe. It was going to be a problem trying to compete with Lesley, she thought. She couldn't wear her georgette dress as it was more for the evening, shorts were out, jeans were too warm. There was only a pair of cream coloured linen trousers suitable and a pink floral low cut blouse that she liked to keep for best. Still they'd do, her granny would have said “it's what's on the inside that's important” or “ fine feathers never made a lady”. She liked to remember her granny's words, a lot of them were true.

So, what was she going to do about Adam, she wondered, as she hurtled back over the courtyard to meet Uwe. Because compared to him, Adam was so boring that she didn't think she'd want to waste her time on him.

***

“You know, Mum, I could hardly believe my eyes last night when that waiter brought you to the door, carrying Chantelle,” said Vicky disapprovingly, as she dressed her child in a pretty white smocked frock with pink flowers embroidered upon it. “ Hand me her cardigan, will you?”

“I know,” said Denise in a chastened voice, as she passed over a pink fluffy cardigan to her daughter, where Chantelle lay calmly on the bed. “ I just don't know what came over me. It's those free drinks you get with All Inclusive and I swear that the waiter was giving me triple measures in the glass.”

“Well, we'll say no more about it, but please Mum, take it easy. You never used to be a drinker, not before, well you know what. Anyway you must be starving, you only pecked at those sandwiches I got through Room service last night. We've time to get you a proper breakfast if we hurry downstairs now.”

“I don't think I can face a cooked breakfast,” said Denise, as she pulled on a pair of navy calf length trousers and slipped her feet into a pair of floral flip flops. “ I'll just have some toast. Anyway, at least Chantelle had a good night's sleep for once after I rubbed that whisky on her gums. I didn't hear a peep out of her once you'd given her some milk.”

“Well, don't make a habit of that either,” said Vicky shaking her head in mock despair. “ You'll have her an alcoholic before she's much older.”

“I used to rub whisky on your gums when you were teething. Not that me and your dad we're drinkers, we used to have it in for folk when they visited. It never did you any harm.”

“Let's go down, Mum and then we'll decide what we're going to do today. The weather looks nice so perhaps we can play with Chantelle in the kiddies pool. I don't think I can face another walk on the promenade again.”

***

Andrea and Brian came off the tennis court, dressed in their whites and brandishing their rackets, flushed with their exercise in the heat which was gathering momentum, as the day wore on.

“Morning everyone,” Anthea trilled, to the row of people on the sun loungers in various states of dress. Kate in her purple one piece swimsuit was looking very attractive in Brian's eyes; there was hardly any cellulite at the top of her legs and didn't she have a perfect pair of ankles. Greg was looking very fit in his khaki shorts and yellow polo shirt, but sadly spoiling the effect in Anthea's opinion, by wearing grubby trainers.

Sonya was paddling with her little boy in the kiddies pool, mindful of her father's words that she had hardly been spending any time this week with Evan. They were accompanied by Jack who was splashing water everywhere gleefully.

“You won't have met Paul and Cheryl. They've been out and about looking for property,” said Greg introducing the couple who were sat with a pouting Annabelle, who had refused to go to Kid's Club as everyone she knew had gone home.

“Pleased to meet you,” said Brian, eyeing Cheryl, who was looking very sexy in a peach bikini with high cut legs. “ I'm sure we've seen you around the hotel.”

“I think we ought to go and change Brian,” Anthea cut in, as she saw the lascivious look on her husband's face. “We'll take a shower together, then we'll be back to join you later.”

They loped off, leaving the two couples wondering had she really meant that they would both be going into the shower at the same time?

***

“Anyone for stretching?” asked Susanne, as she walked around the swimming pool looking at the mostly empty sun loungers, as a large majority of the guests had checked out that morning. She glanced wanly over at the row of occupied chairs, thinking that she may as well give up now, as the couples there looked as if they were intent on soaking up the sun's rays, not wanting to participate in even a mildly form of exercise.

She wondered yet again what she was even doing in Tenerife? She would have been far better taking up a place at teacher's training college in Esjberg, than taking a gap year like this. What fun had there been in lying in bed at her apartment yesterday, listening to the rain as it drummed against the window, then venturing out to eat in a cheap little cafe, where she made a cup of coffee last, so she didn't have to spend so much of her day off in her chilly room? She hated the job, hated the two obnoxious men she worked with and couldn't wait to board her flight home at the end of next month.

“Fancy doing a spot of stretching?” asked Kate, feeling sorry for the girl who didn't seem to be having any luck finding eager participants.

“Who me?” said Cheryl, yawning delicately behind her hand, then pulling a face when Annabelle jumped up excitedly.

“All of us,” said Kate encouragingly. “I think we've all put on a bit of weight since we got here. I know I have, with all the food I've been eating. Come on, we'll have a laugh together. Sonya, are you coming with us to do a bit of stretching? Oh, I might have known you men would duck out. So Greg you look out for the kiddies, while us women get up and go.”

***

“Have you heard from Jenni, yet?” Juan asked Miguel, who had brought a tray of clean glasses over to the pool bar, as Juan was setting up for the day.

“No,” Miguel replied sadly. “I think she has forgotten me already or decided that her love is not strong enough.”

“I am also feeling sad today,” said Juan dramatically, as he stacked the glasses on the shelf under the beer pumps. “My heart is broken for the beautiful girl that I told you I was in love with, there cannot be a future for us.”

“Oh?” said Miguel, sensing some intrigue in his colleague's statement. “ What has happened to make you say that?”

“I cannot tell you. I am sworn to secrecy and I have taken a solemn vow.”

In truth he had felt distaste when Denise had told him Vicky's story and had spent most of the previous night trying to justify his conscience on why he should feel the way he did. He realized to his shame, that he was a very shallow person and didn't want to pursue this girl who had lost her innocence in the way that she had.

***

“It's a pity that couple went home just as we were getting to know them,” said Phil as he and Cindy sat at a table by the pool bar, enjoying the sun on their faces.

“She was so precious though, wasn't she, Phil and she treated her husband like he was a lapdog?”

“Serves him right though,” said Phil, looking in Juan's direction to see if he was ready to serve the first drinks of the day. “Catch me waiting on your every whim as if you were some bloomin' princess.”

“Maybe that's why you're on your third marriage,” Cindy replied sourly. “ A bit of cherishing on your part wouldn't come amiss, you know?”

“Oh, come off it. If I jumped to your beck and call every time you snapped your fingers, you'd soon get sick of it and don't go casting aspersions on my last two marriages. You don't know the half of what I had to put up with them.”

“Then aren't you lucky I rescued you?”

***

“I don't suppose we could leave Jack and Annabelle with you for an hour this afternoon?” said Paul to Greg, as the two men sat up in their sun loungers, whilst keeping an eye on their two boys, who were sitting on a small lilo that some other child had left behind.

“I don't really like to ask, but we have to go to some office to meet the bloke who sold us the property. I believe there's some papers to sign in front of an Official and I know that the children won't keep quiet and it's rather an important occasion.”

“Can't see a problem,” Greg replied, “ we hadn't got anything planned as far as I know.”

“Great, that'll give me and Cheryl chance to savour the moment. Annabelle's been so excited she's been getting on Cheryl's nerves.”

“It's a big step though buying property in a foreign country,” said Greg frowning. “ I got cold feet when we were in Cyprus. Seems a lot of money to lay out when it won't be used more than two or three times a year.”

“Oh, Cheryl's had her heart set on it and unfortunately if I want to keep my wife sweet, I have to go along with her. Anyway, it's only money and the chap was saying we could make some money by renting the apartment out.”

“I don't envy you the responsibility Paul, but go on, I know you're dying to tell me. What's the apartment like?”

***

Denise and Vicky came out onto the patio with Chantelle in her push chair. They were piled up with baby paraphernalia, in readiness for their day by the pool. Vicky was wearing a long white cotton dress and a pair of brown sun shades.

“It's awfully quiet here, Mum,” she said, looking around at the mostly vacant sun chairs and the few women and a little girl exercising by the tennis courts. “ A lot of people must have gone home today.”

“Better for us then,” said Denise. “There won't be so many people to get annoyed if our Chantelle kicks off.”

“Oh, Mum, she's fine today. She only needs some good night's sleep like she had last night. I'm sure there's another tooth on its way through. Anyway, you go over with Chantelle to those palm trees so she'll be in the shade and I'll go to the pool bar and get a bottle of water. Will you tie those straps on her sun hat, they're dangling down again?”

“No, Vicky, I'll go and get the water,” said Denise hastily, as she had spotted that Juan was tending the pool bar. “I'll not be few minutes and I'll get us a drink as well.”

“As long as it's not alcoholic,” Vicky said, smiling to herself as set off with the push chair.

***

“We have finished now, Ladies,” said Susanne, letting her arms go limp at her side, feeling her adrenaline fading after the twenty minute workout.

“Good thing too,” muttered Kate, who had found she wasn't as fit as she thought she was, after all the positions Susanne had instructed them to get into.

“That was great,” said Sonya, “ will you be here tomorrow, Susanne?”

Susanne nodded and said. “ Yes if it is not raining.”

“Can I come too?” asked Annabelle, beaming all over her flushed face, as she was prone to plumpness. “ I'd much rather be doing this than having to go to Kid's Club.”

“We'll have to see what your father says,” Cheryl replied, tying up her peach sarong again as it kept working loose during her workout. “ We might be going back to the apartment, as I want to have another look at it again.”