by Peter Martin
‘I doubt it. She’s been in hospital for the past twelve months with brain damage. She got injured in a terrible car crash, and is unable to move or speak a word,’ Alan said, raising his brow.
‘How awful,’ Garry commented. ‘Is there nothing they can do?’
‘Apparently not. She’ll be a vegetable for the rest of her life.’
Unable to comment Garry finished his sherry and said, ‘We’ve taken up enough of your time.’ Then turning to Delia suggested, ‘Are you ready to make a move eh Deel?’
She nodded, and they both stood up.
After saying goodbye to Aunt Joyce, Alan showed them to the door, pleading with Garry to keep in touch. He promised faithfully he would, before saying their final farewells.
Outside as they walked away from the house, Garry felt a little crestfallen, he’d pinned all his hopes on what his uncle might be able to tell them about his parents. And after a few minutes said, ‘Looks like it’s been a wasted journey, doesn’t it love? We’ve come away with nothing. I was convinced Uncle Alan would know something.’
Delia squeezed his hand saying, ‘I suppose it’s all a matter of how you look at it. From what Alan said about your parents’ actions, and putting two and two together, I’ve come to the conclusion you were adopted and under shady circumstances at that!’
Garry would normally have joked about Delia’s melodramatic viewpoint, but this was too serious, and turning into the street where the car was parked he said, ‘Tell you what, though, this has to do with that holiday they went on to Montriga back in 1964. It points to it.’
‘You don’t know that for certain.’
‘No, I don’t, but it’s funny those shares are dated just after that – a bit too much of a coincidence, don’t you think. So I guess there’s only one way to find out.’
‘You mean we should go over there.’
He nodded. ‘Exactly. We could do with a holiday after what’s happened these past few months. Why not go to Montriga? We can afford to now we’ve got that money. Let’s combine the two, have a holiday and do some research into my adoption? What do you think?’
‘Sounds great to me. I’ve heard lots of things about the place, that it’s the most beautiful island in the West Indies. Many celebrities go there, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it’s expensive.’
‘Well, as I said, money isn’t a problem anymore after what we inherited from mum,’ Garry smiled.
‘So what are we waiting for?’ Delia laughed, her mood appearing to improve.
‘Right, let’s get the same two weeks off from work, book the holiday, and then we’ll be on our way. It should be fun.’
‘Fantastic, as long as we don’t spend the whole holiday traipsing around looking for clues about your supposed adoption.’
‘Not a chance, love.’
On the way home, Garry found his initial disappointment lessened. He now looked forward to a glorious holiday in the sun and felt there was no better destination. Delia even talked about the places she’d heard of and wanted to visit on the island. Garry just hoped his other reason for going wouldn’t be overshadowed.
That night, Garry phoned Tom and Cassie with the news of how they’d got on with Uncle Alan. They both seemed interested and were envious when Garry mentioned their planned visit to Montriga.
Later in bed, while Delia had dropped off at once, Garry felt too excited to sleep. He couldn’t wait to get over to Montriga and delve into the past and possibly discover the identities of his real parents - maybe even meet them face to face. Now, that would be something?
<><><>
A few days’ later having made arrangements at work for them to take their annual leave, Garry phoned several travel agents. He found an ideal hotel close to the beach, for the middle of November, said to be the most pleasant time of the year in that part of the world, and was lucky to find a suitable flight from Birmingham Airport.
In the lead up to the holiday, their lives settled down to something resembling normality. They were both enthusiastic about their trip of a lifetime. But while Garry couldn’t stop thinking about investigating his adoption, whenever Delia spoke of their impending holiday she always referred to the shopping trips and the beach, she’d seemingly forgotten about the original reason for their trip. Her mind obviously focused on other things. He imagined she wouldn’t want to dither around looking for his real parents.
In no time at all the holiday was upon them. The luggage had been packed for quite some time, so after a final check, the only thing needed was to pack the last bits and bobs such as toiletries.
To get on top of the preparations, Garry had taken the Friday off as an extra day’s annual leave and planned to get their evening meal ready for when Delia came home from work. He was surprised when she arrived back at three-thirty, an hour earlier than normal; nevertheless, he was pleased to see her.
‘Delia!’ he exclaimed, as she came into the kitchen. ‘Why didn’t you let me know you were coming home early?’
‘It was a last minute thing. I wanted to get away, after all, we haven’t got much time to spare.’
‘No worries, I won’t bother cooking now. If you like later on, I’ll fetch us fish and chips? Anyway, everything’s done. And even if the flight leaves on time tonight, we’ll get to the airport in plenty of time.’
Half an hour later, Garry spoke to his children promising to phone straight away from Montriga should anything important turn-up. He wished the whole family were going, but in reality, it would have been impossible to make all the arrangements in such a short time.
After Delia had packed her final items, Garry put their suitcases in the car and having checked and secured the house, they were on their way. At nine o’clock they arrived at Birmingham Airport, giving them an hour and a half to spare before the plane was due to take off. Owing to an hour’s flight delay, however, they didn’t get on board until midnight.
Delia seemed tired, and leaning her head against Garry’s arm, before long she dropped off to sleep. Garry smiled to himself but wasn’t surprised as she’d worked almost a full day and had hardly sat down since leaving work. He felt relaxed now and looked forward to the two weeks ahead.
Once the plane had taken off, Delia continued to sleep, while Garry watched a movie. He nodded off a time or two himself but found it difficult to get comfortable in his cramped seat. In the early hours of the morning, he was wide awake and looking out of the window saw dawn breaking. Through the clouds, he could just make out the outline of the blue sea against the land. His mind soon wandered back to what he might find in Montriga. This would be the holiday of a lifetime; and while he hoped to find something out about his adoption, he intended enjoying the luxury of the island as well. They would eat in the best restaurants, visit the sights, and sunbathe on the clean golden sandy beaches. Absolute bliss – thanks to his mother’s money and her last few words to him.
Chapter Five
Delia had slept through the night, and woke around nine o’clock the following morning, amid the noise of the flight attendants busily serving breakfast to the other passengers. Garry, who’d been watching her, saw her smile then yawn.
‘Aren’t we there yet?’
‘Another hour or so,’ Garry told her. ‘You’ve woke just in time for breakfast. Are you hungry?’
‘I suppose – how about you?’
‘Not very hungry. It must be the excitement of the holiday – we’ve never been anywhere as exotic as this before.’
‘True. I’d rather your mum was still alive, but it’s some consolation knowing we can afford to go somewhere like this thanks to her.’
He grinned, and when the flight attendant came ordered a continental breakfast for Delia, and a cup of black coffee for himself. While Delia ate her toast and marmalade, she stared out of the window, a pensive look on her face.
‘Something wrong Deel?’
‘No, it’s just that there’s nothing to see except the sky.’
He smiled at
her comment, saying, ‘It won’t be long before we land and then prepare to be amazed.’
‘Let’s hope Montriga is all they say it is, it should be, considering how many rich folks keep going there.’
‘Yes, I’m expecting a lot. Don’t forget, though, we’re not just going here for the sights and the weather.’
‘No need to remind me. Don’t worry, we might have a couple of hours to spare to fit in your adoption business, in between shopping, sunbathing… and, of course, clubbing it!’ she said with a mischievous grin on her face.
Garry shook his head glad she was only joking.
After the breakfast trays had been cleared away Delia lay back in her seat and closed her eyes again. While Garry still couldn’t relax, so much had happened in the last few weeks. Whatever they found out, surely nothing could dampen their spirits on such a holiday as this.
Not long afterwards they were told to fasten their seat belts and the plane began to descend. Finally, as the plane touched down its tyres screeched on the runway, and Delia clasped her husband’s wrist nervously saying, ‘So we’re here then? I always hate that bit, coming down.’
‘I know you do.’
‘God, I thought the journey would never end.’
A comical expression appeared on Garry’s face, ‘Well, you’ve been asleep for the most part of the journey.’
Slapping him on the thigh, she said, ‘Very funny.’
Slowly, the aeroplane came to a halt just past the airport’s terminal building. A hive of activity ensued as everyone released their seatbelts, collected their minor possessions and got ready to disembark. Garry and Delia waited until the initial rush had gone, before following the rest of the passengers down the steps and onto the tarmac.
The sun blazed down upon them as they walked towards the airport buildings. Garry was struck by the breath-taking views of the hills to the rear of the airport, reaching high into the cloudless sky. Directly to the right of the building was the town of Thame with its big hotels standing close to the beach.
‘It’s a pretty imposing place, and it’s a bit hot for November, don’t you think?’ Delia commented fanning herself with a magazine.
‘Yes, but better this than being stuck in some freezing cold resort in England.’ To which Delia grinned.
After going through the ‘palaver’ of customs, they hailed a taxi outside the airport to drive them to their hotel. Now they were here Garry felt odd, almost as if the whole situation was surreal. Whether it was the long journey without any sleep or the place itself he didn’t know. And as they travelled past the large, immaculately kept, what could only be described as, mansions, he wondered how his parents had ever come to take a holiday here. This was a world apart from his uncle’s house where they’d been only a few weeks ago. An area where his parents had been brought up.
They were driven into the town, passing a sizeable shopping precinct and on towards a hotel complex. Theirs was the Hotel Palmero, the second in the line. The taxi driver stopped directly outside, helping with their luggage. At reception, they signed in and received a warm welcome by a smartly dressed member of the management team. Who arranged for a porter, an olive-skinned man, to help with the luggage and show them to their room.
Stepping out of the lift on the fifth floor their first impression was of sheer luxury, which heightened further, on entering their room.
After the porter had gone, Garry walked over to the double doors leading onto the balcony to find it overlooked the beach. Delia made a beeline for the bedroom, past the super-king size bed, and on to the bathroom to see what extravagance it contained.
‘We’re certainly getting our money’s worth here.’ Garry shouted to her.
‘Well, it is costing us a lot.’ Delia said, coming out of the bathroom.
‘Yes, but we can afford it now.’
‘I suppose so, but I think this will be a ‘one off’, although we may as well enjoy ourselves while we’re here.’
‘There is the other reason we came on holiday. We still have to investigate that, don’t we love?’
‘So long as it doesn’t take up the entire holiday,’ she warned.
‘God, perish the thought. Anyway, let’s have a wander around the town afterwards – ok?’
‘Yes, that would be nice,’ she said, leaning over to kiss him on the lips.
Unbeknown to Delia, however, Garry intended to keep a lookout for official ‘looking’ buildings where local records might be stored, and perhaps hospitals and the police station.
Later that afternoon strolling out of the air conditioned hotel to take a walk on the beach, there was a stark difference in temperature as even at this time of the day the sun kept some of its ferocity.
‘Phew – I never imagined it would be this hot,’ Garry admitted walking further onto the beach, still full of people of various shapes and sizes, wealth and power being their only common denominator.
‘Well, it’s better than being stuck back home in the freezing cold,’ Delia smiled, repeating his earlier comments. Then added, ‘What do you say about checking out the private beach which was keenly advertised in the brochure.’ When he nodded his agreement she took his hand to guide him back towards the hotel and pointed saying, ‘I saw a sign at the back of the hotel.’
A short pathway led to the secluded beach, a feature which had attracted them to this hotel when booking the holiday in the first place. And it was indeed every bit as striking as the brochure had depicted.
The sunbeds, although provided by the hotel, were all taken. So taking off their shoes they walked to the sea’s edge and paddled in the cool water, looking out at the calm blue sea stretching out into the distance, where it met the clear lighter blue sky.
‘Garry, this is the most beautiful place. I think I’m going to like it here.’
‘Me too, it’s a paradise of sorts.’
‘Shall we have a look around Thame shopping centre, I’m not really in the mood for sunbathing after such a long journey?’
‘Why not, it’ll be nice to see what else the resort has to offer,’ Garry said, relieved – as the beach held no special charms for him.
So they walked back, past the luxurious hotels, and into the town. At first, passing quaint gift shops containing locally made items, and a few clothes shops, intermingled with all manner of small cafés and restaurants. Moving on from there through a large market square containing numerous stalls, which were now empty, Garry imagined on market days the whole area would come alive with traders selling their wares. On the far side of the market, he noticed a number of authoritative-looking buildings from which at some point he hoped to get the information he needed. Further on they came to what looked like a new shopping complex. The names listed on the hoarding suggested the shops originated from Europe and America, and would undoubtedly be selling the most expensive goods. Delia gasped at the grandeur of the shops and their merchandise while Garry shook his head and smiled; secretly hoping she wouldn’t spend money for the sake of it.
After a while, he and Delia moved on to an older part of the town where older houses were interspersed with still more restaurants, some of which looked tumbledown, but nonetheless still brimming with customers. He suggested they eat in one of these to sample the local cuisine, thinking the food might possibly taste better than in an expensive restaurant. After walking on a little further they settled on ‘Giselle’s Grills’, a tumbledown place in need of more than a lick of paint. But as everyone appeared to be having a good time, when an outside table became free they took it. Within minutes, a dark- skinned waiter approached them, who when he spoke revealed a gold tooth. He took their order, and disappeared into the building, returning soon afterwards with a bottle of French Bordeaux, promising their food in about twenty minutes. The aromas coming from inside the building were mouth-watering, and although their food didn’t arrive until forty minutes later; when it did come it was worth the wait. Two portions of red snapper, a fleshy white fish with caper sauce were served
to them. Garry said he’d never tasted a meal so good, and Delia agreed.
Having drunk the bottle of wine, they had fresh tropical fruits for dessert. An extra sparkle was added to the evening when two local musicians serenaded them. To Garry, it felt like being on a second honeymoon rather than just a holiday. So much so that any thoughts about his adoption were put to the back of his mind.
Later, back at the Hotel, they made love, eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms. Garry woke early, and being unable to go back to sleep, decided to go for an early morning dip in the sea. On returning to their room he opened the bedroom door to find Delia sitting up, awake now as well.
‘How you doing love?’ he said, remembering the night before. ‘I’ve been for a swim, and let me tell you the sea is so cool, the most exhilarating experience – it’s definitely got my circulation going. I’d have asked you to come, but I didn’t like to wake you.’
‘That’s all right,’ she smiled. ‘I wouldn’t have had the energy for swimming this morning - after last night.’
His eyes widened with glee; he went and kissed her gently on the lips.
‘I’ll just have a quick shower and we’ll go down for some breakfast, shall we?’ He suggested.
‘Yes, why not. I’ll take a shower after you.’
‘Don’t mind me, love, you can join me if you wish.’
But Delia just laughed and shook her head.
Within five minutes he was back in the bedroom getting dressed. So she quickly got out of bed and rushed into the bathroom.
Everything imaginable was available for breakfast, but Garry always conservative about food settled on a dish of fruit, and a cold orange juice. As they ate, they gazed at each other across the table like two love-struck kids, the spell only broken when Delia spoke.
‘So what shall we do today?’ She had a cheeky smile on her face.
‘Much as I’d like to carry on enjoying the holiday, would you mind very much if we tried to look into my adoption. I know it’s a pain, but if I find something out quickly, we could spend the rest of the holiday sunning ourselves.’
