Excess All Areas (3 page)

It was Tracey’s monotone voice that woke her up some time later, but on this occasion it was unaided by a microphone and Freya felt her shoulder being gently shaken.

‘
Freya, we’re about five minutes away from the harbour. I thought I’d better wake you,’ Tracey spoke.

‘
Oh thanks, thank you. God I’ve slept through the whole journey? That’s usually my favourite part. You know, going through Sidari and Roda and entering the municipality of Kassiopi,’ Freya answered, sitting herself up and rubbing her eyes.

‘
You looked like you could use the sleep. Is Emma meeting you?’ Tracey queried.

‘
Yes at the C Bar,’ Freya responded.

‘
Ooo well don’t be surprised if you bump into Nicholas Kaden. I hear that’s one of his favourite haunts for a late night drink,’ Tracey informed her.

‘
Oh right, well perhaps he’ll buy us one,’ Freya answered and she picked her bag up from the floor of the coach.

The coach stopped right outside the C Bar, as Sun ‘n’ Sea’s Arcadia Apartments were just a few yards up a steep incline to the left of the building.

Freya followed two couples off the coach and then she saw Emma waiting for her, looking amazing as ever.

‘
Freya! Oh my God, your hair!’ Emma exclaimed and she threw her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly.

It felt nice to have a cuddle after a rotten day and there wasn’t a person in this world that Freya felt more for than Emma. She was the only constant in her life.

‘
Never mind me! Let me look at you! You look fantastic,’ Freya said, holding her friend’s hands and taking in everything about her appearance.

In complete contrast to Freya, Emma was a tall, super-slim, blonde-haired twenty something. She was the type of woman that turned men’s heads, although the majority of the time she was completely oblivious to it. She was the sweetest, most generous person Freya had ever known and she felt lucky to have her as a friend and unfailing confidante.

‘
Yiannis says I’ve lost weight and need feeding up. Although Mr P is doing his best with those meatballs of his,’ Emma replied, talking of Mr Petroholis senior.

‘
I don’t expect he’ll say I need feeding up, but the meatballs will go down well nevertheless,’ Freya told her.

‘
Right, well, let’s get your bags and we can have a drink,’ Emma spoke and she headed towards the boot of the coach where Spiros was getting cases out.

‘
I don’t have any bags,’ Freya called out to her.

Emma stopped in her tracks and turned back to face her friend.

‘
No bags this time! Freya, you are getting worse! What did you bring?’ Emma queried.

‘
Just myself. To be honest there wasn’t anything else worth bringing,’ she answered.

‘
I think we have a lot to talk about, particularly that hair colour. I’ll just thank Tracey for getting you here in one piece,’ Emma said and she went over to the woman in mint green.

Freya took a deep breath and couldn’t quite believe she was back in Kassiopi. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. The harbour, the boats bobbing about, the street lamps giving everything a warm glow, the bars with people sat down outside enjoying the warm night air. A shiver ran up her spine. It felt wonderful to be here standing in a place she adored. She didn’t regret getting on the plane now. This moment now, when she could feel the Corfiot air on her skin, smell that fantastic sweet aroma in the breeze, and see the vast expanse of sea in front of her, were the best minutes of her birthday so far. She only wished she had her cameras to capture it. She did have one small Nikon in her handbag, but it really deserved something better.

‘
Come on you! Let’s get some drinks and have a chat. Fancy Sex on the Beach?’ Emma asked as she linked arms with Freya.

‘
A cocktail first I think,’ Freya answered with a smile.

Three

Before long, the two women were sat at a table outside the C Bar, under a cream parasol, with two large drinks in front of them. The C Bar was located on one side of the picturesque harbour, and from the seats outside, there was a wonderful view of both the water and the crumbled ruins of the fort which overlooked the bay.

‘
I hope I didn’t mess up any plans you had for tonight,’ Freya said, sucking on her straw and enjoying her first taste of Greek alcohol.

‘
It’s quarter to one now, the only plan I had was going to sleep. I’ve got a shopping trip to Corfu Town tomorrow which leaves at eight and it’s nearly fully booked,’ Emma informed her.

‘
Sorry, I always was good at timing wasn’t I?’ Freya replied.

She called to mind one of her unplanned visits when she had burst into Emma’s apartment yelling ‘surprise!’ only to be confronted with the sight of Yiannis and Emma minus their clothes.

‘
Don’t be silly, it’s your birthday for God’s sake and something must have happened for Russell not to be with you,’ Emma said.

‘
Mmm, so tell me what you’ve been doing since we last spoke. I want all the details, leave nothing out,’ Freya ordered, trying to avoid Emma’s question.

‘
Freya, you can’t travel all this way and not tell me what happened. Come on, tell me. You can tell me anything remember, and you know I won’t stop asking until I know. So much better to get it out of the way now,’ Emma continued.

‘
It was stupid, thinking back on it. I probably overreacted,’ Freya began.

‘
Go on,’ Emma urged.

Freya recounted the tale of what Russell had said about her at the restaurant. However, she didn’t stop there. The floodgates opened and Freya told Emma all the details of the past six months of their relationship. Details that somehow hadn’t seemed important enough to mention in any of their phone conversations.

‘
Well you know, I’ve been put down by everyone for most of my life and in that restaurant, when I heard him describe me like that, I just knew I couldn’t and shouldn’t take any more,’ Freya finished, having regaled her friend with the tales of the nights at the all you can eat Chinese, Russell’s preoccupation with racehorses and their sporadic sex life.

‘
Oh Freya,’ Emma spoke, reaching out to pat her friend’s arm consolingly.

‘
But before today, I thought things had turned a corner. That’s why I haven’t told you any of this before. Just lately he was back to being the Russell I fell for - all romance and impromptu acts - I thought things were going to work out, I…’ Freya started, her voice tailing off as she felt a surge of upset in her chest.

It was now that the tears really came. Freya could do nothing but let the emotion go and big fat tears came rolling down her cheeks. She sobbed, bent over in her chair, her face on her knees.

Emma hurried to the chair next to Freya and enveloped her friend in a hug, holding her tightly as she cried.

‘
It’s OK, you cry and let it all out. You’re here now, in beautiful Kassiopi, with me and a large cocktail. What could be better than that?’ Emma asked her.

‘
Two large cocktails?’ Freya replied feeling able to lift her head up from her lap. She took off her glasses and wiped at her eyes with her fingers.

‘
I’m pathetic aren’t I? God I’m thirty years old, I ought to be able to cope with a few insults. I should have stayed and faced him and told him what an arse he was. I just didn’t know what to do and I panicked,’ Freya spoke, picking up her handbag and looking inside for a tissue.

‘
You shouldn’t have to hear what he said from anyone, let alone your own boyfriend. And that, on top of all the other stuff you’ve just told me about, I think you did exactly the right thing. It sounds like he’s turned into a complete pig and I’m surprised you put up with that for so long,’ Emma responded and she passed Freya a serviette from the holder on the table.

‘
I know the answer to that one,’ Freya spoke, blowing her nose.

You didn’t put up with snide remarks and knock backs because it was fun, you put up with them for one reason and one reason only.

‘
Because who else is going to look twice at me?’ Freya answered plainly.

‘
Freya, now you are being silly,’ Emma exclaimed.

‘
I’m not, come on Em, look at me! I’m a size twenty, there I’ve said it. No point denying it to myself any more. A size twenty with double d boobs and thighs any rugby player would kill for. My waist is non-existent, it seems to blend into my bust more every day and I have bingo wings. That might be mildly amusing if I actually played bingo,’ Freya said and she snatched up her drink and sucked furiously on its straw.

‘
Freya…’ Emma began, trying to protest against her friend’s words.

‘
I’m surprised Russell stayed with me as long as he did. My God, he must have been so ashamed. People probably thought someone like me was all he could get - how embarrassing,’ Freya continued.

‘
Freya, please stop this,’ Emma begged her.

‘
The reason hearing what he said upset me so much was a) because I could see the venison steak I’d envisaged eating disappearing from the agenda and b) because what he said was true. I
am
large and I
am
ordinary. In fact why am I angry with him for telling me how it is? I should have just shrugged it off and ordered a salad,’ Freya carried on as she thought back.

‘
Freya! Stop it! If he can’t see you are beautiful, then he isn’t worth a second thought, let alone tears in your cocktail! You have the most amazing eyes; you have a fantastic smile and more importantly a brilliant sense of humour. And if we are being really honest with each other here, I always wished I had half the confidence you have. You always know what to say in every situation, I’m just not like that and I wish I was,’ Emma said to her friend.

‘
Now I know why you’re my best friend and that was exactly the right thing to say in this situation. Oh I don’t know, I just never seem to be able to get it right. Or should that be I never seem to be able to get
Mr
Right. Before today, before finding out how Russell really sees me do you know what I did? I looked at one of those Weight Watchers adverts in the newspaper. I picked up the phone and I almost dialled the number,’ Freya spoke.

‘
Freya, you hate diets and not only that, you are the absolute worse dieter I know,’ Emma remarked.

‘
And doesn’t it show?’ Freya commented.

‘
I didn’t mean that like it sounded,’ Emma added hastily.

‘
No, it’s OK, you’re right. I’m a great eater and lousy on nutrition. I still can’t walk past a bakery without sampling a sausage roll just to see if it tastes as good as it should - in fact often they call to me,’ Freya told Emma.

‘
So why even think of Weight Watchers?’ Emma queried.

‘
Because perhaps trying to find someone who takes me as I am isn’t going to work. Maybe I need to change things. Perhaps I need to face up to who and what I really am and take control of that,’ Freya suggested.

‘
Absolutely not! There’s nothing that needs to be changed apart from your attached status and the offloading of that creep! Freya, after all you’ve been through I am not going to let someone as superficial as Russell make you feel bad about yourself. And while we’re on this subject, why haven’t you mentioned any of this in our phone conversations?’ Emma demanded to know.

‘
I told you, it didn’t seem important. Anyway there always seemed to be other stuff going on and, like I said, over the past month or so he’s been so attentive it made me reconsider whether the relationship had really got The Stutter,’ Freya spoke.

‘
Do you think there was someone else?’ Emma asked bluntly.

‘
Female or equine?’ Freya enquired.

‘
He isn’t still betting is he? I thought you said he’d stopped that.’

‘
Do gamblers ever stop betting? I think it’s a permanent disorder rather than a learned habit. All I know is he would rather sit and watch Frankie Dettori pushing out an outsider at Newmarket than spend time with me, up until very recently. Unless you’re right and it was just me, perhaps a different, thinner female was distracting him,’ Freya spoke, pondering on the thought.

‘
I don’t really think we need to waste another minute talking or thinking about Russell. In fact I forbid the mention of his name for the rest of the night, or should that be morning? Now are you going to order us both another drink? I’ll just have an orange juice because I’ve got that early start,’ Emma said passing Freya her glass.

‘
Making me drink alone? I’m not sure I can allow that,’ Freya said, standing up and preparing to go to the bar.

‘
Hang on! Hang on, wait! Look, look!’ Emma exclaimed as she became animated in her seat.

‘
What? What exactly am I looking at?’ Freya questioned as she looked across the harbour to where Emma was pointing.

‘
Nicholas Kaden! There! With Bob Crosby and Gene Bates, just leaving the nightclub. You can’t tell me you can’t see them, there are about fifty people taking photographs,’ Emma said leaning over as far as she could to get a better look.

‘
Hmm cool, I’ll go and get the drinks,’ Freya said and went towards the bar.