Left for Dead

by Paul J. Teague

‘Heck, we’re getting old!’ Will laughed. ‘Look, you go ahead - there’s nothing that can’t wait back home. I’ll do the cash and carry, so long as you can be back to see Isla when she pops in. Is that okay?’

  The plans were made. After three hours of making up beds, adding soaps, towels and toiletries to rooms and writing a list of the final purchases that needed to be made at the cash and carry, Will and Charlotte headed off in their separate directions.

  It was bracing walking along the sea front. The sea was out, and her walk took her past the Sailing Club building, the town hall and the bingo. She and Will used to love a game of bingo in the arcades further up the promenade. She still had a toy rabbit tucked away in a cardboard box somewhere, won in the arcades on one of their visits to the resort on a day off.

  Will was probably right; they’d forged so many happy memories in the area, it would be good for their marriage. God knows, they certainly needed it. Things had been tense enough, what with the anxiety, the kids and the money stress. No wonder they were feeling under pressure. Things would even out soon, she was sure of it. And meeting Jenna would be part of that process. It would feel like a fresh start, even though Jenna was part of their past.

  As she passed the RNLI building and saw the clock tower in the distance, Charlotte began to feel the slightest hint of a flutter in her stomach. She was actually nervous about seeing Jenna again. They’d shared a room at the holiday camp for a short time, then drifted apart when Will arrived on the scene.

  ‘You haven’t changed a bit, you old cow!’ Jenna said, rushing over to give Charlotte a hug. ‘Look at you! Great tits still, no grey hairs and still a complexion to die for. I hate you already!’

  They laughed and hugged. It felt good to see her again, as if her very presence rolled back the onward march of time, taking her back to a period in her life when everything had seemed much simpler. Had it really been simpler, or did it just seem that way in hindsight? She wasn’t entirely sure.

  ‘How about me?’ Jenna asked. ‘How am I wearing? Choose your words carefully!’

  Charlotte took a look at her old college friend. She looked worn out, her roots were showing and she had bags under her eyes. She looked terrible.

  ‘You look just like the Jenna I remember,’ Charlotte replied diplomatically. People often said she and Will looked younger than they were. They’d been lucky like that.

  ‘You lying cow,’ Jenna teased. ‘What are you having? Espresso, Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Cortado or Flat White? Jesus, do you remember the old days? It was so much simpler then. Tea, coffee or water. Like it or lump it!’

  ‘Me and Will used to go to one of the bigger arcades near the old amusement park,’ Charlotte began.

  ‘I can’t believe you and Will are still together!’ Jenna interrupted. ‘After all these years. You always were two lovebirds - you fancied him from the minute he walked into the dining room with… what’s his name?’

  ‘Mickey,’ Charlotte replied.

  ‘You’ve got a good memory,’ Jenna replied. ‘Anyhow, what were you going to tell me about Will?’

  ‘We used to go to an arcade towards the far end of the sea front on our days off. They used to have a sign outside. A nice cup of tea or a good cup of coffee - only 10p. Can you believe that? It costs a fortune to drink in these places. And it was a nice cup of tea, too. We used to watch the guy making it. He would squeeze the tea bag to death; God knows how many cups he managed to get out of one bag.’

  ‘It’s great to see you, Charlotte. Where the hell did you go? We just lost contact…’

  ‘I thought I had your address. And you changed your name - you got married.’

  ‘Twice!’ Jenna said. ‘I’ve been married twice. I had none of your luck in that department.’

  ‘Are you still teaching?’ Charlotte asked. She was genuinely interested.

  ‘No, I gave it up years ago. The paperwork just ground me down. That and an eviscerating relationship with a man called Alan…’

  ‘One of your husbands?’

  ‘No, the married head teacher of the school I was working in. It all went bad, and I had to leave. It just seemed to be a good place to stop. I’d never really enjoyed the job, so I decided to walk away from it.’

  ‘What are you doing now?’ Charlotte asked.

  ‘A bit of this and a bit of that,’ Jenna replied. ‘What do they call it, a portfolio career? That’s what I’ve got these days. But what about you? You’re property owners now, you must be loaded! I read the article online, I couldn’t believe it was you and Will.’

  ‘Well, it looks more impressive than it is…’ Charlotte began.

  ‘You always were modest!’ Jenna teased.

  ‘No, seriously. We had a little money left in our place in Bristol, enough to buy an old guest house on the sea front. They’re honestly not that expensive when you compare them with the property prices further south. And we’re living there too, it’s our home as well.’

  ‘If you ask me, you and Will did alright,’ Jenna replied. ‘To think we all started in the same place… and look at you now!’

  Charlotte decided not to protest the issue too much. Instead, they ordered their drinks and took a table, eager to catch up with each other’s news. They were chatting for over two hours, laughing about college life, their time at the holiday camp and some of the antics they used to get up to as young adults. It was only when Charlotte was walking back along the sea front, having connected with Jenna on Facebook and entered phone numbers into their mobiles, that she realised she still didn’t know that much about Jenna’s present life. She hadn’t a clue where she was living, what work she was doing or even if she was in a relationship at that moment in time. She hadn’t even found out if she had any children.

  When she reflected back on everything they’d said, Jenna had said lots but told her nothing. The entire conversation had been one way. Why she’d left teaching, how Will was making his living, what the kids were like and where they went to school. Jenna had barely told her anything that she didn’t know already. And there was that issue with her debit cards when it had come to settling the bill – she’d ended up paying for both of them.

  She reached the front door of the guest house and paused a moment before walking in. There in the porch were Will’s shoes, the ones he’d been wearing when they went their separate ways earlier that afternoon. Only now, they were caked with mud. They were so filthy, there was no way the cash and carry could have been his only destination that afternoon.

  Chapter Nine

  1984 - Sandy Beaches Holiday Camp

  Will was surprised by the knock at the door. He’d been fortunate so far; he had a room to himself with two single beds. With the holiday season getting busier now, it wouldn’t be long before he’d be forced to share his room with some unknown staff member, much like inmates thrown together in a prison. He was making the most of it while it lasted.

  He walked towards the door through a mist of Blue Stratos deodorant. He wasn’t expecting anyone to knock. After finishing the evening shift, they’d arranged a place to meet up at eight o’clock.

  Will was put out to discover that they didn’t get private facilities in the chalets. In fact, the last thing he’d call his accommodation was a chalet. Having lived a privileged, middle-class life up the point where it was necessary to start paying his own bills, Will was inclined to describe the facilities as being more akin to social housing. As for sharing a bath and toilet, he hadn’t banked on that.

  The chalets were configured so that the doors to the rooms were opposite each other. Two rooms shared one toilet and one bath, and the doors to those facilities separated each neighbour. The chalet blocks were built over two storeys and Will’s room was based on the upper level.

  He opened the door. A stunning woman with long blonde hair, immaculate make-up and a flesh-revealing top was standing across his doorway, one arm stretched above her head, displaying the curves of her cleavage with no attempt whatsoever at concealm
ent.

  ‘Hi, you must be Will?’ she grinned.

  ‘Er… yes,’ he replied, taken aback by this sudden force of nature. He dropped his hand to conceal the red mark from the burn. Cold water had taken away the worst of it, but it still hurt, and he didn’t want anybody asking what had happened. If they did, he’d lie. He still wasn’t sure quite what had happened with Bruce in the kitchen. It had come from nowhere.

  The woman made a melodramatic smelling motion and reached out to touch his arm.

  ‘That’s Blue Stratos isn’t it? It’s one of my favourites. Very nice - very sophisticated.’

  She steered him gently to one side and walked into his room. Will had barely had any time to unpack. He was picking clothes and toiletries out of his suitcase, one at a time, on an ‘as-needed’ basis.

  ‘Excuse the mess in here,’ he apologised.

  ‘I’m Abi,’ the woman said, holding out her hand. ‘Abi Smithson. Pleased to meet you!’

  Will took her hand to shake it. She gave it a gentle squeeze, then placed her left hand over his. He was locked in and she held it that way for slightly longer than was comfortable.

  ‘Will Grayson,’ he replied, gently trying to remove his hand from her clasp. ‘But I think you know that already?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Abi replied, releasing him now and taking a good look around his room.

  ‘No roommate, I see. Rooms like this are at a premium in this place. You just can’t get any privacy in these chalets.’

  ‘No, I got lucky. Sounds like it won’t be long until I have to double up though.’

  ‘The best strategy is to come as a couple,’ Abi continued. ‘Get one of the double beds and hitch up for the summer with somebody you’re happy to share a room with.’

  Will had been trying to figure out what the marks were on Abi’s neck. At first he thought she might have some sort of rash, though quite what it was, he couldn’t work out. Then the penny dropped. They were love bites.

  ‘So, I take it you’re my neighbour?’ Will asked, trying not to count the love bites. Four. Four and a half if you counted the half-bite peeking out the rim of her vest top.

  That must hurt.

  ‘Yes, I’m just across from you,’ Abi replied, sitting on one of the beds. ‘We get to share a bath every day. You can’t say that about most jobs!’

  Will felt his cheeks colouring. He would not have classed himself as adept with women; in fact he could be positively awkward. But even he could tell what Abi’s game was. He felt like a wildebeest being manoeuvred across the plains by a hungry lion.

  ‘I don’t think I saw you in the dining hall, did I?’ Will asked, anxious to steer the conversation to safe ground.

  ‘No, but I saw you!’ she smiled. ‘I’m what’s called a nippy. We work at the other side of the dining hall, for the self-service customers. We’re a bit of rough compared to you waiters. That’s if you like a bit of rough, of course?’

  ‘Yes, Mickey explained about the nippies,’ Will picked up, feeling like he was trying to steer the boat one way while the tide had other things in mind.

  ‘I’m hoping to join you sometime soon,’ Abi said. ‘This is the third year I’ve worked here. I think they like you students working as waiters because you all sound so posh and educated. For people like me, we have to do the shit jobs because they don’t think we’re up to serving on tables.’

  ‘Is that what you’d rather be doing?’ Will asked.

  ‘I’d rather be singing as a Purple Coat,’ Abi replied. ‘But the chances of that are almost zero. I’m not the right kind of person to do that sort of thing.’

  ‘You sing?’

  ‘Yes, when I can,’ Abi answered, standing up now. ‘But I’ll settle for being a waitress in the meantime. It adds another ten pounds to my wage packet every week. God knows, I need it.’

  For a moment, Will glimpsed sadness in Abi’s eyes.

  ‘Where are you from Abi? Is this your main job?’

  Abi laughed at him.

  ‘You students! For you this is just a way of paying off an overdraft so that you can clean the slate to spend the next academic year pissed out of your brains. Yes, this is my main job. If you don’t work hard at school, this is how you end up, Will. No choices. I work all summer while my mum looks after my daughter, and that way I can keep my benefits for the rest of the year. For some of us this is living, not just a nice way to save up some money over summer.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Will said, chastened. ‘I’d never thought of it like that. You’re right, we are a bunch of tossers, us students. Compared to everybody else, I mean. How old is your daughter?’

  ‘She’s two,’ Abi replied. ‘I miss her every day, but it has to be done. I go and see her on my days off. If I’m out the door after the evening shift, I can be home by midnight, then back in time for my shift when I need to be.’

  ‘Well Abi, I’m pleased to meet you. I can see that things can be a bit hostile here between the regular workers and the students. I know we might seem like privileged snobs sometimes, but please give me the benefit of the doubt. I’m not all bad!’

  ‘I’m sorry Will,’ Abi said, now looking sheepish. ‘I got a bit heavy there. I like you students, really I do. One day I’d like to go to university myself. Once I’ve got my ‘O’ level in maths out the way, that might be a start!’

  She laughed at herself, as if the idea of somebody like her bettering herself was preposterous.

  ‘Don’t rule it out Abi,’ Will tried to reassure her. ‘There’s no reason why you can’t do a degree. Peoples’ lives are different, and sometimes you need to take a different path. I’ll be happy to help if you want?’

  ‘Would you?’ Abi asked. She seemed taken aback that something might be offered out of kindness rather than the desire for a romantic interaction. This was clearly not the relationship currency she was used to dealing with.

  ‘I’d love that,’ she replied softly. ‘I’ve tried three times to pass that exam. I go to evening classes in the autumn, when this place closes down for the season. But it’s just so intimidating. Everybody seems so clever compared to me.’

  ‘Next time you visit your daughter, bring your textbooks back with you. I’d be happy to help with some tutoring, if I can help. It’ll be no problem.’

  ‘I’m off out!’ came a voice from just outside Will’s door.

  A red-headed woman with a thick scouse accent appeared. She was wearing black high heels, a skirt so short that it was just possible to see her crotch, and a tight T-shirt on which was emblazoned the wording Frankie Says Relax.

  Will watched as Abi transformed in front of his own eyes. She’d softened - just for a moment - but now she was back to full force, a whirlwind of personality and suggestiveness.

  ‘Alright darlin’, where are you headed?’

  ‘Over to the family bar - they’ve got a disco on after the kids piss off to bed. You comin’?’

  ‘Maybe later,’ Abi replied, looking towards Will.

  ‘Oh, you’re welcome to tag along with us tonight,’ Will suggested. ‘I’m going out with Charlotte, Jenna and Sally.’

  ‘You’re a fast mover, sunshine!’ Abi’s mate laughed. ‘Still, you’ve got plenty of beds in here to go around. Give us a knock if yer lookin’ for anyone to make up the numbers.’ Her shrieks of laughter could be heard, even as she made her way along the landing and headed off into the night.

  ‘Your roommate, I take it?’ Will asked.

  ‘Yes, that’s Reese. She’s a great laugh. But she makes a racket when she’s shagging blokes in our room.’

  For a moment, Will considered that she didn’t appear to be guilt-free in that department, but he admonished himself. Abi was not quite what he was used to, but he liked her, and he felt sorry for her.

  ‘She’s from Liverpool. The girl’s a scream on a night out. A real man-eater too!’

  ‘So, do you fancy tagging along this evening? I don’t know if you already know the other girls. You won’t know Sally
, I suspect - she started the job with me, earlier today.’

  ‘Yeah, I’d love to,’ Abi replied, touching his arm gently. ‘Just give me five minutes to tart myself up a bit more and I’ll be back over, ready to go.’

  Will smiled at her, walked with her to the door and shut it gently behind her. It was turning out to be quite a day. He hadn’t even spent a first night at Sandy Beaches Holiday Camp and here he was making friends already.

  Chapter Ten

  Present Day - Morecambe

  ‘Where did that mud come from?’ Charlotte asked, before she’d even had time to exchange pleasantries about the day.

  ‘Isla’s here,’ Will replied from the downstairs kitchen, a hint of a warning in his voice.

  Charlotte could tell he was letting her know that Isla Thomas was in the building and that anything of a domestic nature might be best getting parked for half an hour. She softened her tone, picking up on his cue.

  ‘Oh, hi Isla, sorry I’m a bit late - I’ve been catching up with a friend.’

  Isla Thomas was the blessing that had made the purchase of the guest house possible. Charlotte and Will hadn’t a clue how to run an establishment like that. Sure, they’d worked in catering while they were students, but the day-to-day running of the place was a mystery to them. Thanks to the kindness of the previous owners and the reluctance of Isla to retire, they managed to secure not only a key member of staff, but also a complete blueprint as to how to run the place on a day-to-day basis. What with some free business support from the local Chamber of Commerce, they felt good to go - the rest they’d have to learn on the job.

  Charlotte joined them in the kitchen, where Isla was sitting on a wooden stool and Will was perched against the metal counter of the food preparation area. He’d unloaded the cash and carry purchases from the car and broken into a catering pack of five thousand tea bags to make them both a brew.

  Charlotte gave Isla a hug, already being on familiar terms.

  ‘So, D-Day tomorrow!’ Charlotte announced.