by Carol Wyer
‘Or bonkers,’ replied Charlie.
She hurried back into the room in time to see Sam winding up the microphone lead and preparing to leave.
‘I’ve got the onesie. Is the man who bought it still here?’
‘No, he had to rush off. He said to leave it at reception and he’d send someone to collect it later. Did you want to thank him?’ asked Sam.
Charlie really wanted to tell Jake to clear off and stop trying to be nice. ‘Yes. It was good of him to buy it. I expect he only bought it to help the hospital.’
‘Oh no. He bought it for himself. He said he was a good friend of yours.’ Sam winked in a knowing manner. ‘He told me that in confidence, of course. He said he’d be able to think of you every time he wore it. It would almost be like having you there with him. How sweet. Have you been with him for long? You are a dark horse, aren’t you? I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.’
‘No time at all,’ spluttered Charlie and changed the subject. ‘Thanks for being such a great compere. You really got them all bidding hard.’
‘It was very enjoyable. You know me. I love the radio station. I’ll help in any way I can to keep it going. Now, I have to go back home. Brenda wants me to erect some sort of swing and climbing frame ensemble in the garden for the grandkids. Better get on it. They’ll be around tomorrow.’
Charlie thanked Sam again and headed back to the studio. It was almost time for her show but she couldn’t get her thoughts off Jake. She could not fathom out what he wanted. One minute he acted normal but the next he was quite odd. Men were becoming a complete mystery to her.
Fifty-Six
That night, Charlie was curled up in her chair. She was dozing in front of a reality television show and dreaming of Jake dressed in the knitted onesie sitting beside a log fire. He made the garment look very attractive. He ran his hand through his hair and gazed at her. He indicated she should get in it with him. There was plenty of room for two. It stretched as she climbed in with him then held them together like a tight blanket. Logs crackled on the fire. A wine bottle stood uncorked next to two glasses by the fire. Charlie wrapped her arms around his warm body and smelt his citrus aftershave as she nuzzled his neck. The doorbell woke her from her slumber.
She stumbled to the door. Peggy was standing on the step. She waved her veiny hand at Charlie. A small diamond and sapphire ring sparkled in the light from the doorway.
‘Oh Peggy! He did ask you!’
‘He most definitely did. He went down on one knee at the restaurant. It was a brave thing to do – especially with his arthritis. He got stuck and a waiter had to help pull him back up. It was hilarious. And, of course, I said yes.’
‘Come in. We’ll celebrate.’
‘I can’t. We’re going down the club to announce our engagement and then we have to plan the wedding. We’re going to have a civil ceremony in the city as soon as possible and a week away for our honeymoon. At our age there’s no point hanging around. I went to Bognor Regis in a bed and breakfast with Dennis. We didn’t have much money for a honeymoon. This time, Gordon is booking us a cruise to the Caribbean.’
‘Oh goodness! That’s incredible. You’ll love it.’
‘I’m sure we shall. However, I have one big problem. Actually, it’s a little problem. It’s a chatty, lovable problem.’
‘Bert?’
‘The very one. I hate to ask but…’
‘Of course I can. I love Bert. You can tell me what to do and I’ll look after him.’
‘That’s such a weight off my mind. You are so good to me. And to Bert. He’ll be very pleased to be with you. I wouldn’t trust him with anyone else. I’ll make sure he has all his toys and his perch and so on. Do you want to have a trial night with him to see if you’re sure?’
‘I’ll definitely have him, but maybe I’ll have a trial night, in case there’s anything I’m unsure about. We’ll sort one out and he can come and have a sleepover here. That way it won’t be so strange for him. In fact, we should arrange a couple of sleepovers before his proper holiday with me.’
‘You know, you’re just like a daughter to me? I’m so glad you live next door.’ Peggy’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I’d better go before I do something silly and start crying. I’ll talk to you again about Bert and the wedding. I’d really like it if you could come and be one of the witnesses.’
‘I’d be honoured to. Thank you.’
‘That’s settled then. I’d better go and get Gordon. I left him examining a box of Just For Men hair dye. I told him he didn’t need it, but he seems to think he does. He brought it from his bathroom. I think the sell-by was about five years ago. I ought to make sure he hasn’t tried it out. I don’t want to marry someone who looks like Gomez from The Addams Family, do I?’ Peggy tittered and with a merry wave scurried back up the path to her house.
Charlie went back to her chair with thoughts of Peggy and her new beau. Life was full of surprises. Her phone vibrated three times, indicating a rush of messages:
‘Baby Oliver born eleven o’clock.’
‘Eight pounds two ounces.’
‘Mother and baby doing well. X’
So, Gavin was a father again. She sent a message of congratulations. Yes indeed, life certainly could surprise you.
Fifty-Seven
‘The challenges haven’t been pouring in as thick and fast and we hoped,’ announced Andrew Carnegie. Mercedes, Charlie, Sean and Vivienne were all cramped in his office. ‘Thanks to the publicity from the newspaper and the television interview we’ve got a quarter of the money we need to build the new studio. We’re still a long way off our target and we need to widen our net. Most people associated with the hospital have given money and so we need to reach out to businesses and members of the community who may not have heard of us. I don’t know if we’ll reach the target yet, in spite of all the marvellous ideas. I hope so. Sorry to put a dampener on the Challenge Charlie idea, but I thought it important to be honest. If we’re going to do this we need to keep coming up with bigger and better challenges.’
‘Some of the challenges that people have suggested are ridiculous. Even I would balk at them,’ said Mercedes.
‘What have you got?’ asked Andrew.
‘Running with bulls in Spain, wingsuit flying, completing an Ironman Triathlon, swimming the Channel and shaving your head.’
‘I suppose I could shave my head,’ began Charlie.
‘Absolutely not,’ interrupted Mercedes. ‘It would take forever to grow back your beautiful hair. I can’t let you do that.’
‘There was one that came in this morning,’ said Vivienne. ‘Zorbing.’
Andrew Carnegie scratched at an itch on his nose. ‘What the heck is zorbing?’
‘It’s when you climb into a giant see-through inflatable ball and roll down a hill or onto water,’ replied Sean. ‘It’s like being in a human washing machine. I had a mate who did it – he said it was crazy but quite good fun. He screamed a lot on the way down and ended falling out of the ball upside down and confused.’
All eyes turned to Charlie. ‘Where can I do it?’
‘My friend went to the site near the M25. I remember he posted some photos on Facebook. The zorbing venue is located in some picturesque woodland at the top of Salmons Lane. There’s a great viewing area so your friends can watch you. I think there’s one at Nottingham too.’
Andrew Carnegie tapped at his computer and found the website for the event. ‘It looks quite interesting. Wait a minute. This looks even more exciting. What about this?’ He read the description from the website: ‘Adrenaline junkies will love our Harness Zorbing which involves two people getting strapped in face to face and zorbing down hills at speeds of up to thirty-five kilometres per hour. Watch as your fellow zorbonaut laughs and screams their way down the run and the sky and grass blend into one blur of exhilaration. Nothing can quite describe the sensation of hurtling down a steep hill in a ball, but that’s what makes zorbing so unique!’
Charlie put her hands behind her head seemingly excited by the prospect. ‘Sign me up. I’m doing that.’
‘I’m not going to be able to do it with you,’ said Mercedes, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
‘I suppose I could join you,’ offered Sean.
‘That’s very kind of you, Sean, however, I know exactly who’s going to do the challenge with me. Book it up, Mercedes.’
Fifty-Eight
The following Saturday, Charlie followed her satnav’s instructions to Southwell and parked her car beside Jake’s.
‘Hello Charlie. Not seen you since the catwalk. Glad to see you’re not wearing the onesie today,’ he chuckled. ‘Still, you managed to make it look glam.’
She gave him a cool stare. ‘Thanks. Although, I wonder what type of man would buy a onesie for himself.’
‘Well, it was for charity. I expect whoever it was bought it to help the cause, not to wear to work.’
She nodded. That was the response she expected. He was not likely to admit he bought it so he could think of her whenever he wore it. She was not sure how she felt about that.
‘So, zorbing,’ he continued. ‘That’s a real craze these days. I see you’ve chosen another brave challenge.’
‘It’s not that brave.’
‘Rather you than me. I think I’d be sick if I had to do it.’
‘Really?’
‘Yep. I reckon so. Anyway, thanks for inviting me along to cover the challenge. It’s going to make a great story. What made you decide to do this one? You weren’t frightened by a guinea pig as a child, were you?’ He looked at her expecting her to laugh. ‘Sorry, that was feeble. I was only trying to lighten the mood in case you were feeling nervous.’
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ she replied. This was one challenge she was determined to complete and nerves would play no part today.
They climbed up the hill side by side, Jake chatting away.
‘I meant to tell you. I unearthed some information that might interest you.’ He continued, oblivious to the determined look on Charlie’s face, ‘It’s all about a shark god. In Fijian legends the fierce sea-monster Dakuwaqa was the guardian of the reef entrance of the islands. He was fearless, headstrong and jealous. He frequently changed himself into the form of a shark and travelled around the islands fighting all the other reef guardians.
Another shark god told him about the great strength of the gods guarding Kadavu Island. So, Dakuwaqa, being the ferocious warrior that he was, sped off towards Kadavu to battle it out with those gods and, on nearing the reef, found a giant octopus guarding the passage. The octopus had four of its tentacles securely gripping the coral and the other four were held aloft. Dakuwaqa charged at the octopus but soon discovered he was being squeezed to death by the octopus’s four free tentacles. He begged for mercy and told the octopus that if his life was spared he would never harm any people from Kadavu wherever they may be in the Fijian waters. The octopus released him and Dakuwaqa kept his promise, and the people of Kadavu have no fear of sharks when out fishing or swimming. Even today, when local fishermen go out for a night's fishing, they reverently pour a bowl of yaqona, a plant that is made into a drink, into the sea for Dakuwaqa. So if ever you want to go swimming with sharks again, you need to go to Fiji.’
Charlie was, in truth, interested in his story and impressed that he had taken time out to read about it and tell her, but she was also cross that Jake had the ability to turn on his charm at will. She highly suspected that in a few moments, the other side to his personality would emerge.
They walked through a wooded area and emerged into a clearing. In front of them was an enormous net. They climbed up the slope to one side of it. Jake had gone quiet. Charlie noticed a frown on his brow.
‘Something up?’ she asked although she was not too bothered if there was.
‘I was glad to see there was a net. I read about a Russian man who was killed zorbing in Russia. It was tragic. His inflatable ball fell off a snowy cliff and he broke his neck and spine.’ He looked thoughtful.
Charlie was shocked. ‘That’s dreadful,’ she said, shaking her head.
‘It was really sad.’ He was silent for a moment and paused to examine the slope. ‘Denis Burakov. That was his name. He was married with two young daughters. His companion, Vladimir Shcherbov, was hospitalised with concussion and multiple lacerations to the head and body, but miraculously survived. The report makes for grim reading. So I’m glad there’s a large safety net here. The slope isn’t as steep as some, either, and I don’t think you’ll bounce too much. And, I see they’ve erected safety barriers to prevent the ball from going off course. It seems safe. If only there’d been some safety measures for that young man. Some of these companies want closing down.’ He moved off back up the slope.
Charlie was surprised at how much he seemed to be concerned for her safety.
‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that the accident was so needless and preventable. But you’ll be fine here.’
Charlie agreed. They continued up the slope along a track strewn with wood chippings. It was a warm morning and birds were singing above them in the canopies of the trees. They passed a couple of areas for picnics. Jake pointed them out.
‘Could have brought the smoked salmon and champagne celebration breakfast.’
Charlie nodded. She was perplexed. Jake was being kind and interesting and thoughtful. This would be easier if he were being obnoxious. Jake took her silence for anxiety and maintained the silence, plodding up the slope beside her. They approached two more wooden safety rails running either side of what was undoubtedly the run for the zorb. There was a viewing area above where a couple of people were observing the team’s preparations for the experience. A large zorb was being placed at the top of the run.
Looking back down, Charlie noticed more people making the ascent. She could also make out small red-jacketed figures standing by the net. They were no doubt staff members. Two young athletic-looking men also wearing red jackets appeared from behind the zorb to greet them.
‘Hi!’ they chorused. ‘You must be Charlie and Jake.’
‘Yes, that’s us,’ said Charlie.
‘You’re first up today. No need to hang about. We’re all ready for you, so jump in, and have a ball!’ he grinned.
One of the men opened up the entrance hole into the ball, big enough for a person to clamber through. Charlie launched herself in and onto the floor of the zorb. It was extremely bouncy. She could not get a grip and tumbled backwards, landing in a seat.
‘That was lucky,’ she said brightly. ‘I might have been ages trying to get into this.’
‘Make yourself comfortable,’ said the agreeable chap who was holding the ball ‘door’ open. ‘Settle back into the seat and I’ll strap you in.’
Charlie wriggled into position. She was facing forwards, looking directly at another harness opposite her. The man leaned through the hole and attached the strap buckle around her waist. She watched as he then strapped down her feet.
‘Don’t want them lashing out and harming your husband.’
Charlie was about to protest but the guy smiled brightly. She let it drop.
‘Comfortable?’
‘As much as you can be, strapped tightly inside a huge inflatable ball,’ Charlie said with a nervous laugh.
‘It’s good fun. Wait and see. Okay, Jake. It’s your turn. In you go.’
‘Oh no, I’m not going in. I’m just here to write about the experience for the newspaper.’
‘You can’t write about it if you’re not here to see what it’s like,’ called Charlie smoothly, a smile playing across her face. ‘How will you know what I went through? You can’t see my face or hear what I say, unless you’re beside me,’ she continued.
‘She’s right, mate,’ said one of the men. ‘Go on. It’s only a ball. Hop in. It’s as safe as safe can be. Hope you didn’t eat too much breakfast though.’
‘No, I don’t think so.
I think I’d rather wait outside.’
‘You’ll be fine. You’ll enjoy it,’ the man encouraged, easing a reluctant Jake towards the entrance to the zorb before giving him a firm push through the hole. Jake bounced, landed on his back staring at the top of the ball, and then scrambled about until he flopped into the seat opposite Charlie.
‘Charlie, I’m not that convinced about this,’ he mumbled as the young man secured his harnesses and closed up the gap in the zorb before Jake had a chance to protest. His face had turned pale.
‘Are you ready, guys?’
‘Er…’ began Jake.
‘Yes,’ shouted Charlie.
The men pushed the ball off the platform. Charlie and Jake were rotated upside down and the ball gathered momentum. It bounced and shook and rolled them over and over and over.
‘Argh!’ yelled Jake as they bounced down the hill.
Charlie tried not to scream as she was propelled upside down and back upright then upside down again. Charlie could not see the expression on Jake’s face. It was all a blur. Her stomach somersaulted and she was aware of the taste of regurgitated orange juice.
Over and over they went, tossed about wildly, straining against the harnesses. Charlie became completely disorientated. Was she upside down or the right way up? She was thrown about like a rag doll and grateful that she was strapped in. Jake moaned loudly as if in pain.
Suddenly, the ball halted. It had landed in the net and the staff rolled it so Jake and Charlie were seated upright again. Jake’s hair was at all angles and he was white-faced.
‘Did you enjoy that, folks?’ asked a girl, sticking her head through the hole in the ball.
‘Huge fun,’ said Charlie although she was not too convinced she could walk out of the ball. She felt very dizzy.
