Lil's Bus Trip

by Judy Leigh

  Lil nodded. ‘That would be good.’ She grasped Albert’s hand in a gesture of affection. ‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’

  Albert nodded enthusiastically although Lil thought he probably had no idea what she’d said to him, but his complicity was a gesture of pure trust. Lil kissed his cheek and offered him more soufflé.

  Maggie waved a hand through her freshly washed hair. ‘I didn’t tell you all – I’ve heard from Brian.’

  ‘He’s phoned you?’ Lil was suddenly interested.

  ‘He texted me.’ Maggie brandished her phone.

  ‘How many times have you texted him since you’ve been on this holiday, Maggie?’ Lil frowned. ‘And he’s just got around to replying now?’

  Maggie protested. ‘He wrote me a beautiful text. It was romantic.’

  ‘Brian’s being romantic?’ Lil raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s really good news. I hope he’s going to treat you like a goddess now.’

  ‘Oh, everything is going to be so much better.’ Maggie turned to Cassie. ‘Read what he put, what he texted to me. Real words of poetry.’

  Lil squeezed Maggie’s hand in support as Cassie took the phone and began to read.

  ‘He begins “Dearest Maggie…”’

  ‘Dearest – that’s a good start,’ Lil agreed.

  Cassie continued. ‘“I miss you very much. Come home from Germany soon. I’ll be waiting for you with the kettle on. Love, Brian.”’

  ‘Germany!’ Lil frowned. ‘He’s not very good at Geography. But really, Maggie – this is perfect. Going away on holiday and leaving him behind was such a good move. He’s started to appreciate the wonderful woman that you are.’

  Cassie’s voice was serious. ‘I think that’s really lovely.’

  ‘I thought so too.’ Maggie folded her arms. ‘He hasn’t really ever texted me before and he hasn’t made me a cup of tea in years.’

  ‘Well, let’s hope he’s a changed man.’ Lil put a thumb up in triumph. ‘When you get home, he’ll be on his knees with a red rose between his teeth… or his buttocks.’

  ‘I hope so…’ Maggie sighed. ‘I’ve bought him a present too. I hoped he’d start to notice me again when I came away on holiday. And I’ll make sure he does.’ She reached for her wine and drained half a glass, holding it out to Cassie to refill. ‘I don’t think he’s said anything romantic since we moved to Clover Hill…’

  ‘Maggie, this is the turning point.’ Lil squeezed her hand again. ‘When you’re back at Clover Hill, Brian has to accept that there are new rules and he must promise to change. He can’t slip back into bad habits.’

  ‘I know.’ Maggie thumped the table defiantly. ‘I’m a new woman now, with new needs and expectations.’ She met Lil’s glance anxiously. ‘Will you help me to stay strong when we get back, Lil?’

  ‘Of course I will. And so will Cassie.’ Lil smiled. ‘That’s what friends are for.’

  ‘Friends.’ Tommy was on his feet, clanking a spoon against a wine glass. ‘My friends. I want to say a few words.’

  Jake, all in black, and DJ, lean in a smart suit, groaned in mock-horror. Tommy’s face was an exaggeration of seriousness and responsibility. ‘Friends, it falls to me, as the organiser of this holiday, to do several things. Firstly, to say thank you to Ken and Sue and Denise…’

  Sue patted Ken’s hand; Ken looked uncomfortable. Denise was cross; the order of names had offended her. Tommy continued, oblivious. ‘… for hosting this wonderful meal.’

  Duncan was on his feet. ‘Friends, we won’t forget this holiday. Some of us started as strangers and we all got to know each other so much better. We have had good times. We had a football match – and lost. We’ve been to many and various places. There have been a few ups and downs…’

  DJ called out, ‘Pat fell in love and went back to Boom.’

  Jake yelled, ‘You ran into that woman’s car before we even left the car park, Tommy.’

  ‘Yes, well…’ Duncan gazed around him. ‘There have been some incidents, but it’s been a really lovely time. We’ve all got to know each other so well.’

  Denise placed a hand over Ken’s; Sue, at exactly the same time, grasped his other hand. Ken shuffled in his seat. Tommy turned to Cassie. ‘Come on, Cass – we need a song.’

  Cassie rolled her eyes. Tommy, who had drunk several glasses of wine already, showed her his most earnest expression. ‘Please, Cass – a song about friendship. You can do it.’

  ‘You want me to make up a song on the spot, just like that? I haven’t brought any instruments.’ She gaped. ‘Honestly, Tom—’

  ‘Please. Pretty please.’ Tommy clasped his hands together. ‘A song about friendship? Just for us? For tonight?’

  DJ and Jake chorused, ‘Friend-ship, friend-ship,’ their fists rhythmically pounding the table.

  Cassie sighed, muttering, ‘I’d have preferred some advance notice,’ then she smiled good-naturedly and stood up, sweeping her gaze around the table, already in performance mode.

  ‘Right, if I’ve got to do a song extempore, then you all have to learn the chorus first and sing it with me later.’ She scratched her head, thought for a moment and then launched into a cheerful song.

  There is nothing else like friendship

  An inspiration, that’s friendship,

  Unite the nation with friendship,

  We’ll always be good friends.

  Hands clapped in applause, deafening cheering, then Cassie yelled, ‘Okay– you have the tune now. I’ll do the verse and you can all follow me in the chorus. All right?’

  Each face at the table shone with happiness; a jolly clapping accompanied Cassie as she sang:

  Although love may often come and go

  Friends are there when we feel low

  We’re best of friends so let it show

  We’ll always be good friends.

  Whatever life may send our way

  However hard the working day

  However far we all may stray

  We’ll always be good friends.

  Cassie hollered, ‘Now the chorus – it’s your turn.’

  Every voice rose, each person swaying from side to side in unison, as hands were joined around the table.

  There is nothing else like friendship

  An inspiration, that’s friendship,

  Unite the nation with friendship,

  We’ll always be good friends.

  A huge cheer exploded, echoing around the room. Faces were glowing and the room was full of laughter. Maggie was suddenly emotional, wiping away a tear; Lil and Albert kissed; DJ and Jake thumped each other’s arm. Sue was in awe as she whispered to Ken, ‘Did she really just make that up on the spot?’

  Tommy rose to his feet. ‘That was wonderful, Cassie. It hit just the right note.’ He guffawed at his own joke. ‘And, on a serious note, I’d like to thank everyone for such a wonderful time and also express our huge thanks once again to Ken and Sue and Denise, who treated us to this wonderful meal.’

  Ecstatic applause rang out, along with more cheering. Maggie, her handkerchief still in her hand, was smiling and clapping. Only Denise seemed sombre; as she rose to stand up, she was hesitant, a little apprehensive. ‘I have something I’d like to say.’

  Someone shuffled their feet; someone coughed, then the room was silent. Denise glanced in Ken’s direction and then began to address everyone else. ‘I know that now may not be the best time, but then, when is, with these things?’

  She laughed, too high and too loud, the effect of nervousness and two large glasses of wine. The expressions around the table were puzzled. She tried again.

  ‘We were all talking about friendship – singing about it together…’ Denise glanced warmly at Cassie. ‘And we’ve all become close on this trip – people I wasn’t so sure about at first, I have come to admire and – to count as friends.’

  Denise held up her glass and smiled in Cassie’s direction, then she took a breath. ‘However, it has to be said – some of us have becom
e very close indeed.’

  She gazed at Ken, who was wiping perspiration from his brow, his shoulders hunched uneasily. Denise continued. ‘As I was saying, very close. I wasn’t looking for love, on this holiday.’ She tittered softly, then became serious. ‘I’ve been let down badly, as some of you may know – my ex-husband cheated on me with another woman –and, in truth, it’s made me a little cynical, a little dour, in fact. But someone has come along in my life since we came away on this holiday and changed all that forever.’

  Sue was frowning deeply; her mouth had turned downwards. Ken had blanched to the colour of the tablecloth.

  ‘Ken,’ Denise cooed. ‘My own darling Ken. Thank you for making me so happy, for finding me, for loving me, for saving me.’

  Ken squeezed his eyes shut. Sue rose to her feet slowly to face Denise. For a moment, she couldn’t speak, then she thundered, ‘What on earth are you talking about?’

  ‘Ken.’ Denise was ecstatic. ‘He and I are lovers.’

  ‘What did you say?’ For a moment Sue’s mouth hung open. Her eyes were missiles, forcing Denise to blink. ‘What did you just say?’

  ‘Ken and I are—’

  ‘I heard what you said.’ Sue bared her teeth. ‘But that’s complete rubbish. Ken and I are lovers.’

  Denise blinked again, swished her hair in a gesture of defiance, then she retorted, ‘You can’t be. We’ve been lovers since Zandvoort.’

  ‘Oh, well, that’s easily resolved.’ Sue huffed and folded her arms. ‘Ken and I first made love in Boom. Undoubtedly, I have the earlier claim, Denise.’

  ‘I don’t think so, Syoo,’ Denise retorted. ‘Since then, he’s obviously changed his mind.’

  Ken slumped over the table, his head on his arms, as Sue and Denise squared up to each other on either side of him, their cheeks scarlet. For a moment, it seemed that they were going to hit each other. In the moment’s silence when everyone was watching, gaping in disbelief, suppressing the beginnings of a smile, Lil reached out to a basket where soft bread rolls were piled. She took one in her fingers, holding it like a cricket ball. Her hand flew behind her head and she launched the roll towards Ken, missing him completely, yelling, ‘Time to change up the mood – time for a bun fight!’ The roll bounced onto the table.

  Jake grabbed a roll and hurled it, shouting, ‘Buns away!’

  DJ threw a hunk of bread through the air, screaming, ‘Rock and roll!’

  Maggie caught a flying piece of bread in her palm; she lobbed it towards Duncan, yelling, ‘Fore!’

  As Sue and Denise began to shriek insults at each other, many pairs of hands reached across to bread baskets and rolls began to soar into the air, hurled at anyone who was in the way, as chaos descended. Screams of joy, laughter and raucous howling accompanied each fling. Suddenly Emily rose from the table and rushed out of the room.

  Cassie glanced at Lil, who was having the time of her life, her face contorted in mischief as she caught flying bread in the air with one hand and flung it back to the other side of the table. Cassie moved quickly from her seat and across the room, through the open door.

  She found Emily leaning against a wall in the hallway, pallid, clutching a mobile phone in her hand, breathing deeply. Cassie watched her for a moment, then grabbed her arm. ‘Emily. Are you okay? What’s happened?’

  Emily turned slowly, tears in her eyes, and held up the phone. ‘It was a call from the camp near Baghdad.’

  For a moment Emily couldn’t speak. Cassie squeezed her shoulder. Time stood still. Then Emily inhaled and collapsed into Cassie’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. She gulped another desperate breath, raised her head and muttered, ‘It’s Alex. He’s… he’s all right.’

  32

  The next morning, at quarter to twelve, Cassie lay on the bed in her hotel room, her eyes closed, thinking. Lil was on hers, in the same position, doing the same thing. On the third bed, Maggie had fallen asleep. Three hours ago, breakfast had been almost funereal; Ken had not been there, neither had Sue, Denise or Duncan. Albert had been the most talkative person at the table, passing plates of bread, asking, ‘Anyone for a roll?’ and bursting into wicked laughter.

  Lil and Maggie hadn’t felt particularly hungry; they’d drunk black coffee, both lost in their own thoughts. Tommy, DJ and Jake had eaten everything they could find: yogurt, cheese, bread, jam. Emily had been serene and smiling, sipping tea: Alex was safe and well, although she’d explained sadly that his troop had been involved in the skirmish that had been reported in the newspaper and the details about what had happened would emerge later.

  Cassie opened her eyes and sighed, without moving her position, her head resting on two thick pillows. She muttered, ‘Are you awake, Lil?’

  Lil murmured softly, ‘I’m resting. Worn out. Last night was – what’s the modern word DJ and Jake use? Epic.’

  ‘It was a memorable evening. It’s a good job we cleaned up the mess. By the time the manager came in to close up, the place was as pristine as when we first arrived.’

  ‘The bun fight was good fun,’ Lil murmured, smiling. ‘It’s a shame this holiday’s ending. Mind you, I felt so sorry for Sue and Denise. It was an awful way to find out that you’re being two-timed.’

  ‘There may be some fallout on the bus today,’ Cassie observed. ‘It’s not all over yet.’

  Lil nodded. ‘Poor Sue and Denise. Ken turned out to be a bit of a cheat, stringing them both along like that.’

  ‘I’m not so sure.’ Cassie was thoughtful. ‘Things can often be more complex than they appear on the surface. All three of them are lonely. In situations like this, it’s usually just all about human beings trying hard but getting it a bit wrong.’

  ‘Yes, you’re probably right, love,’ Lil agreed, and began to think about Herman and Albert and whether she would have a proper romance with one of them, neither of them, or even both. There was a case for each option, she thought. Lil was sad for a moment; she had no real experience in these matters to help her. Perhaps her feelings would change when her life returned to normal back in Clover Hill. Maybe she would ask Cassie what she thought about it all.

  But Cassie was deep in her own thoughts, recalling her conversation with Jamie on the phone yesterday. Who was the mysterious David who had come to visit her? Was someone from her past about to rear their head? Cassie would have to sort it all out when she returned to Salterley but for now it was an enigma, an itch she couldn’t help but scratch. She was shaken from her thoughts by a sharp knock on the door.

  Lil called out, ‘Come in,’ but her voice was too feeble to carry so Cassie leaped up and opened the door. She was surprised to see two women standing together, both holding out cardboard cups of coffee.

  ‘Sue, Denise. I didn’t expect to see you,’ Cassie murmured.

  Denise seemed anxious. ‘Hello, Cassie – may we come in?’

  Cassie nodded and stood back, ushering them inside the room.

  Lil greeted them warmly. ‘Well, I didn’t expect to see you two here together. I hope we’re not going to have Catwoman versus Wonder Woman round two. Come in. How are you both?’

  Maggie sat up slowly, blinking. ‘Denise, Sue – are you all right? Where’s Ken?’

  Sue handed a cardboard coffee cup to Cassie and Denise passed one each to Maggie and Lil. Sue shrugged awkwardly. ‘We’ve come to apologise…’

  ‘For ruining your evening,’ Denise completed her sentence. ‘And for being a complete cow to you in Belgium, Cassie.’

  ‘Oh, you didn’t ruin the evening. Quite the opposite.’ Lil beamed. ‘Although I’m glad to see you’re both friends now. I was worried…’

  Maggie was puzzled. ‘I thought you’d hate each other – given that you’ve both been having an affair with the same man.’

  Sue and Denise glanced at each other uneasily. Cassie put a hand on Denise’s shoulder. ‘Sit down for a moment. Thanks for the coffee.’ She indicated her bed. ‘How can we help?’

  Sue sank onto the soft mattress and rubbed a ha
nd over her face. ‘Denise and I have been talking.’

  ‘You might even say we’ve been comparing notes,’ Denise added, flopping down next to Sue.

  ‘We went for breakfast together in town this morning…’

  ‘So that we could talk things over, woman to woman We had a lot to discuss, didn’t we, Syoo?’

  Sue nodded. ‘We’ve decided – we come first and women have to stick together. Men are nothing but trouble, my dear. Ken’s a player and he played us both off against each other. But he won’t get away with it.’

  ‘My ex was a scumbag.’ Denise seemed rather pleased with herself. ‘And Ken’s no better than he was. We have learned a valuable lesson. Syoo and I are now the best of friends.’

  ‘I’m glad.’ Cassie sipped her coffee. ‘Have either of you spoken to Ken about this?’

  ‘Oh, no, we wouldn’t do that.’ Denise’s lips clamped together firmly.

  Sue agreed. ‘We wouldn’t give him the time of day again, to be honest.’

  ‘Or the time of night?’ Lil asked with a smile.

  ‘He’s let you both down.’ Maggie frowned. ‘I expect he’s really embarrassed.’

  Sue shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea how he feels. And I honestly don’t care.’

  ‘Syoo and I have decided to sit together on the bus,’ Denise said. ‘And we’ll ignore him.’

  ‘I see.’ Cassie was thoughtful.

  ‘So, we wanted to apologise, Cassie. And to say how good your entertainment was last night, my dear.’

  ‘Thanks, Sue.’

  ‘We’ve apologised to everyone else already – and bought them all coffee,’ Denise explained.

  ‘So, we’ll be leaving the hotel at half one – we have to be at the ferry port around three thirty.’ Cassie made a soft humming sound. ‘Is anyone going to speak to Ken about this before we go, to clear the air? It might be awkward on the bus…’

  ‘I don’t care about Ken at all,’ Sue snapped. ‘I hope he does feel awkward.’

  ‘I despise him now, after what he’s done to us,’ Denise added.