Take a Chance on Me (24 page)

T
he 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.

‘I thought it was the end of the world and I was going to die,' said Jake as the girl undid his harness.

It took considerable effort and coaxing to remove Jake from his seat and pull him out of the hole. He felt queasy so he dropped down onto the grass by the side of the run to recover.

After a few minutes, he smiled weakly at Charlie. ‘You okay?' he asked.

She had not expected such a chivalrous response. She had anticipated a rant from him and some macho aggression. ‘I'm fine. Bit wobbly though.'

‘I've never felt so weak,' he declared. ‘I've clearly shown my true colours. You now know that I am a wuss. Toby was right when he teased me on the roller coaster. I wasn't keen at all. It was only because you played the kazoo, and were obviously even more scared than me, that I held it together. But this – this was horrible. Being thrown about upside down. Totally helpless. Feeling sick. Awful!' He paused for a moment, palms against his trousers. He looked over at her. ‘Would I do it again? Yes. If you were there opposite me, I would.'

He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You're quite something, Charlie Blundell.'

Charlie was flabbergasted. She had just tormented this man and he was not angry with her. More confused than ever, Charlie pushed herself to her feet.

‘I set you up, you know,' she admitted. ‘I wanted to pay you back for what you did to Rob.'

‘What is it with you and this Rob character? I thought he was an idiot. Why are you so angry with me? This seems a harsh punishment for my actions.'

‘You think so?'

‘Yes, I do,' he retorted, now annoyed. ‘You made me go through that dreadful ordeal because of what I did to Rob?'

‘Yes. And you deserve worse.'

Jake shook his head in disbelief. ‘You are quite… mad.'

‘I'm mad? You're… you're a testosterone-fuelled bully!'

Jake looked at her in disbelief. ‘You've got to be kidding. You clearly don't know me.'

‘No, I don't, and I don't think I want to. Let's keep this a purely professional relationship. If you decide you can't write about my experiences any more, I completely understand.'

‘What about the radio station? If I refuse to write this feature and keep you in the public eye, you'll not get the money you need.'

Charlie just shrugged.

Jake attempted to storm off and raised himself from the ground. He managed only a few paces before he suddenly wobbled over to a patch of grass where he vomited. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve then looked disgusted for having done so.

‘Hope you're satisfied, Ms Blundell. You've certainly got your revenge.'

Charlie placed her hands on her hips and willed herself to not feel sorry for him. She was going to give him a catty reply when he leant over and was sick again. She decided he had endured enough. She walked back down the slope and left him. He could find his way home without her.

T
he poem
, such as it was, came in an envelope marked with her name. It had been delivered by hand. She read it again. It was unsigned and had been typed in decorative font.

Jake was definitely some sort of Jekyll and Hyde character. No wonder his wife had left him. She tore up the poem and dropped it in the bin in the kitchen without giving him another thought.

She browsed through the brochures she had picked up at the travel agency. There was a whole world to explore. She had wasted enough time. She fancied taking a trip somewhere exotic once she had completed
Challenge Charlie
. She had a list on the table in front of her. It was to be her new bucket list. So far she had added:

Ride on a Gondola in Venice

Try a Bollywood class

Have a champagne lunch on the London Eye

Visit every capital city in Europe

Take a ride in a hot-air balloon

It seemed that there was so much she should try and so much she could still accomplish. Mercedes would be more impressed with these choices than those she had written at the beginning of the year. This new Charlie was ready to tackle life. She blew a kiss at a photograph of Amy on the wall. She hoped her daughter would have been proud of her.

She considered studying for an Open University degree in marketing. However, there were other degrees she could tackle. She was overwhelmed by the choices. Charlie sat back and wondered why she had not thought about this before now.

Her phone rang. A withheld number.

‘Hello?'

No answer. This was the third time this had happened this evening. She hated cold callers. They were a complete nuisance.

‘If you are not one of those stupid machines that randomly selects numbers then bugger off. I'm not buying anything, I don't have a PCP and I've never felt tempted to buy a timeshare.'

The phone went dead. Obviously not a machine, she decided.

She carried on flicking through the travel brochures. Several minutes later, the phone rang again. She snatched it up.

‘If you ring me once more, I'll come round there and shove your phone up your…'

‘Please don't finish that sentence,' said a quiet male voice. ‘I called to say that the last piece I wrote about you zorbing will be in tomorrow's edition of the
Evening Gazette
. I hope you like it and you get further donations for the radio station.'

‘Oh, Jake, it's you. Sorry.'

‘No need to apologise. And just to let you know, I spoke to the editor, but they have no other staff free to write about you so you're stuck with me. Mercedes told me to where to meet you for your next challenge. I'll be there. I'll maintain a healthy distance though, in case you feel you want to carry out your threat about the phone.'

So he was sticking by her no matter what she said or did to him. He was quite nutty, but as she rang off, she was glad he'd agreed to carry on with the feature.

She picked up the phone and dialled Mercedes to find out what her next challenge was to be.

‘You timed that right. I was about to phone you. This is a corker of a challenge. I've been sent an invite by a flying school. They saw you on television. They're willing to take you up in an aerobatic plane and let you perform some stunts with their pilot. How mega-cool is that? I would kill to do this challenge.'

Charlie was surprised at her response as she punched the air with her fists. She was genuinely excited. This was not the same woman who balked at riding a roller coaster. That woman had been replaced with this new, improved version.

‘Are you doing one of those stupid victory dances?' Mercedes asked.

‘How did you know?'

‘I just know, that's all.'

‘When am I going up?'

‘At the moment you're booked in for a flight three weeks Saturday, weather permitting. If it looks no good you'll get a call and they'll reschedule the flight. Chocks away!'

After the call, Charlie checked out the flying school's website in order to learn more about the company and their aerobatic stunt plane, the Cap 10. It was going to be an outstanding challenge and an opportunity to raise lots of money. She reflected on how far she had come. She may be a middle-aged woman but her confidence had reached new heights. Yet, a small voice inside reminded her that her body was not twenty years old, even if her mind had decided it might like to be. Once the stunt challenge was over what would she be prepared to do next? There was a limit to how many wacky activities she could attempt.