Whirl (2 page)

“
Hi Toni!”

“
Hey Lexy...” She's developing a really strong American accent these days. Even her language is changing subtly too. I suppose that's to be expected.

“
Guess what? I'm single again...”

“
Oh for God's sake! What happened this time?”

“
The usual, he went off with someone else.”

“
Now listen to me, it's not you Lexy, it's the guys you choose. Don't start getting paranoid.” Unfortunately it's a little too late for that, I already am. 

“
It's okay. I'm not that bothered.”

“
Don't lie. You are. I know what you're like. Look, I know the flight's expensive, but can you get some time off and come out to visit? I'm dying to see you. It'll be good for you as well, having a change of scenery. D'you think you can come?”

Now I know I really can't afford it. I've got loans and a mortgage and bills...  but something makes me say, “Yes, I'd love to,” before I think about it any further. My inner self is spurring me on. I hope and pray I've got enough credit left on my Mastercard or I'll have to beg Mum and Dad for a loan.

“I have nearly five weeks holiday left. I think I can take up to four in one go. Is that okay with you?”

“
Sure, stay as long as you like.  Try and get a flight this Friday or Saturday, or the same next weekend. I can spend a few days showing you around before I'm working on Tuesday. Maybe I'll be able to get some time off too. Email me back when you know, okay?”

Oh my God! I have four days to do all this. It's a bit of a rush, but what the hell... I'm going to try.

I'm suddenly so excited to be going to see her and having a long holiday after three years without one. Because that's exactly what I need.

* * *

Four days later, after a lot of running around, begging snooty Amanda, my boss, for time off work, and arranging everything, I find myself standing in the middle of the airport concourse at Heathrow saying goodbye and thanks for the lift to Mum and Dad. They're planning to fly out to see Toni sometime in autumn themselves.

“Have yourself a lovely time won't you, Alexandra.” My mum and I have a hug and she kisses my cheek.

“
Don't you worry Mum, I plan to.”

“
Remember to give Antonia and Brendan our love.” My dad takes his turn for a tight bear hug.

“
Of course I will. 'Bye then. I'll call you tomorrow. Love you both.” I pick up my hand luggage and make my way towards security and passport control, smiling and waving a cheery goodbye to Mum and Dad once more, over my shoulder, as I go through and out of sight.

I've never travelled abroad alone before. I've always been away with my sister or Kelly but I find the experience quite pleasant. I sit in the plane looking out of the window at the grey overcast skies of England that I'm thankfully leaving behind. My matching grey mood is lifting already. I am so looking forward to this. Hopefully there will be lots of sunshine and fun for four whole weeks.

We taxi down the runway and I smile to myself inside and out. My holiday has begun.  I have a small amount of cash to spend, and spend it I will. I've already treated myself to some duty frees. Some expensive make up, a big bottle of perfume, one for my sister, and aftershave for Brendan. If that wasn't enough, I had to buy a couple of bottles of spirits, some wine and a box of special chocolates for them too... And we haven't even left the UK yet... At this rate I'll be through my spending allowance in a week.

I thoroughly enjoy most of the eleven hour flight; the movies are fun, the meals tasty and my two glasses of red wine are more than passably good. There's very little turbulence and I have a lovely snooze as we cruise along above the perfect fluffy white clouds, the sunlight streaming in the window. When I wake I try to read a magazine, but sadly discomfort sets in from that point on. For the last three hours I ache and feel so uncomfortable I could cry. Being five foot seven with long legs means I can't move much in the tiny economy class space allotted to me. God knows how six foot plus men manage this torture. The large woman in the seat next to me miraculously sleeps for the last five hours of the journey. I wish I knew her secret. I thank God when we finally start to descend to San Diego International Airport mid afternoon local time. My body has just about had enough of being cramped like a sardine in a can.

After the queues and tedium of US immigration, I retrieve my suitcase and make my way out to the airport arrivals area, scanning the crowd for Toni. She spots me straight away and jumps up and down waving like an idiot in front of a crowd of surprised people. My heart flips over, back and forth. A sudden tide of emotion washes through me. I have missed her so much.

“
Lexy!” She pushes her way through the crowd around her and rushes around to the end of the barrier to meet me.

“
Toni!” I make my way towards her quickly with a massive smile on my face. She clasps me against her in a tight hug and the tears start to fall unchecked. After a couple of minutes of our emotional reunion scene, we have the strength to break apart, smiling, sniffing and snuffling, wiping our eyes.

“
Come on. Let's get out of here. We'll pick up something to eat on the way back if you like. She links her arm through mine and leads me off.

“
I could do with a little something,” I admit. “A big coke, burger and fries would be nice.” I'm on holiday and definitely not on any kind of diet. I'll detox and deal with the effects of excess when I get back home.

We make our way to her car for the forty minute or so drive ahead of us and leave the parking lot five minutes later. We're soon chatting and giggling together like a pair of naughty schoolgirls as we race along the I-5 freeway to Cardiff-by-the-sea. I feel so much better already. Toni is a naturally cheerful person. I can never feel down for too long when I'm in her company. 

The heat out here is wonderful and so relaxing as it hits my face and body through the opened windows. It raises my spirits even more. I love this weather already. I can't wait to wear my new shorts, skimpy tops and flip flops. In fact I've brought very little else with me. There's not much opportunity to wear that type of thing back home. It's usually way too cool or rainy most of the summer to walk around half dressed.

After a while, we drive into Jack In The Box,
a McDonald's like clone born in San Diego
,
for a delicious cheeseburger and fries. I'm sure I've arrived in food heaven as I tuck into my sizeable meal. I hope I don't pile on too much weight in a month. The food out here is going to be the undoing of me.

I have a sudden thought as we continue our journey home. It's strange, considering how much I thought he meant to me, but Chris already seems like a distant memory. Such an unimportant, irrelevant part of my life. Hopefully, a soon to be completely forgotten part.

I wake the next morning, at 5am. I lay there until 6am with my mind drifting but can't get back to sleep again for the life of me. My body is too out of synch with the time zones. I turn the light on and take a look around my sweet lilac and purple room. Toni is into "theming”.

Everything has to match from the shades at the windows, the duvet cover, to the rug on the floor. It's a good job I like purple because just about everything in here is a varying shade of it. I get up and slip on a t-shirt and shorts and quietly make my way downstairs to get a drink from the fridge. Joey, their cute little black and white cat, says good morning in his own sweet way, purring, meowing, and rubbing himself in between and around my legs. I pick him up, unlock the back door, and go outside into the small but pretty decked yard with its pots of bright red and pink geraniums. I sit at the table and stroke the cat on my lap, admiring his beautiful pale blue collar decorated with diamanté. He hums like a little engine with the attention he's getting at my hands. It's still a little cool outside, but it's pure bliss watching the sun rise higher in the sky and feeling the warmth start to filter down to the ground. I sip my orange juice and daydream until I hear some movement inside. Brendan is up and making himself breakfast. He's at work today, even though it's Sunday. He does odd shifts, ten days on, 4 days off and all sorts of hours. It must be so confusing. “Hey, what are you doing up so early?” He asks from the doorway, making his way out from the kitchen to sit opposite me at the table with his bowl of cereal. I love Brendan like a real brother. He's a lovely, kind, good looking guy. My sister couldn't have found a better man to marry. He's a Gunnery Sergeant, in charge of a crew of six engineers and chopper support. I take in his uniformed broad shoulders, the fuzz of his crew cut mid brown hair, handsome tanned face, and his dark fringed grey eyes appreciatively.  Brendan is really nice to look at.
Toni's a very lucky girl.

“
My body clock is still on UK time. It'll take a few days to adjust. I'll probably pass out in my dinner tonight.” He chuckles a little at the idea of that.

“
Yeah, well lucky for you today's a quiet day, to settle you in. Toni's taking you around town and out for lunch, that's about all I think... so you can crash after that if you like. Tomorrow's gonna be fun though. We're going out for dinner, then to our local bar for a good 'ole welcome party. I'm guessing one or two of my pals will be
real
interested in you.”

Now it's my turn to laugh. “Strangely that sounds very appealing, even though I've gone off men lately.”

He flashes me a mildly irked look, munching his cereal. “Toni did mention you've been having a rough time on the dating front. But give us a break, we're not all shits y'know. My buds are mostly good guys.”

“
I know. And it's probably my fault. I'm drawn to the wrong sort obviously.”

“
Or maybe they're drawn to you?”

“
What d'you mean?”

“
You're a hot looking girl Lex. Bad guys are always on the lookout for new arm candy.”

“
Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

“
Just telling it as I see it. Be more careful. More choosy perhaps.”

“
I will when I get back home. But I'm on holiday and I want to have some fun while I'm here. Maybe I'll chat up one of your lovely friends tomorrow. Any good looking ones?”

“
There's a couple.”

“
Well that'll get me started, I suppose.”

“
Make sure you don't break their hearts, eh? I don't want to pick up the pieces when you're gone.” He grins and gets up.

“
I'm off to work in a minute. See you tonight if you're still up Lex.” He goes back inside and I sit for a while longer in the warmth, mulling over what he said. I really don't go for the stereotypical bad guys. Chris wasn't like that. Jack was more that kind of mould.
Yeah, I can imagine he had his hand permanently in the cookie jar.
Pete, no... definitely not.

I spend a half hour hanging up my clothes and putting things away in the pine furniture in my room. Then I lie back on my double bed with my phone, checking in with Mum and Dad and sending Kelly a quick text before I get showered and ready for the day.

By eleven o'clock we're both dressed and off in Toni's car for my tour of the town. I'm driven by the local shopping mall and lots of good places to eat. We pass by “1950” the bar we will be going to tomorrow and various other evening hotspots that Toni and Brendan like to hang out in with their friends.

I'm taken to a lovely lunch at the eatery called the 'Rib Rack' for lunch and we both get thoroughly sticky nibbling the big pile of deep red, BBQ baby back ribs we are served. We chat away as usual. My sister and I are never lost for words. I can tell her anything and she feels the same way about me. She tells me she has made friends with quite a few women since she arrived here and we're meeting one later at the mall. All too soon the chat gets around to my sad old love life.

“I've been thinking about your man problem.”

“
Oh yeah, and...?”

“
I think you need someone stronger minded.”

“
What d'you mean by stronger minded?”

“
Someone who can handle who you are.”

“
Oh come on, I'm not that much of a handful.”

“
You might not think so, but humour me for a minute. You've got a good job, you mix with famous people, you have a smart new car, your own apartment, the perfect figure, you're tall and beautiful...” I snort at her 'beautiful' description. She holds her hand up in protest. “… Yes Lexy, you are. And if that isn't enough, you sing professionally too. You might be too much for your average Joe to cope with. He might feel a little lacklustre in your presence.”

“
You really think so?”

“
I hope you don't mind, but I discussed it with Mel, the friend you're meeting later. She's a kindergarten teacher.”

“
No, I don't mind. But don't tell every one of your friends about my pathetic track record, will you?”

“
Of course I won't... I wanted a second opinion, that's all. She thinks you need a guy who doesn't feel overawed by you. Someone with an equal standing in life perhaps? I think that's the problem too.” My mind began to spin into action. I think my sister's on to something here. This really could be the reason everything goes wrong in my love life. Yes, for some reason I seem to attract or be attracted to guys who become, in some way, put off, overwhelmed or threatened by me. Not that it helps much knowing this. How the hell do I determine who is strong or weak minded from the outset?

“
Well I'll keep it in mind for later, but while I'm here, I don't care who I meet or go out with. I'll take the weak with the strong. I'm on vacation!”

“
You'd better behave yourself Miss,” She laughs, giving me a warning look.

“
Oh no, no, no, I'm making sure I don't.”

“
You'd better not show me up too much. Remember I've got to live here when you go back.”

“
When have I
ever
shown you up, hmmm?”

“
I can remember one particular time you did.”

“
You can't mean my 21
st
birthday, surely?”

“
Yes I do, that particular night remains stuck in my mind for ever.”

“
It wasn't my fault my friends got me blasted. They fed me doubles all night. I didn't know I was molesting every man in the club.” We both laugh at the memory. Thankfully, I don't have any real memory of it, only what I've been told after the event.

“
They didn't seem to mind being molested much, whatever you did.”

That's enough of that sordid tale.
I change the subject.

“
Tell me about '1950', the bar we're going to. Bren says he has a few hot pals to introduce me to.”

“
Oh he has. Two lookers and one stunner.”

“
This is sounding better and better.”

“
And I'll tell you something else that'll float your boat... They've got a karaoke night tomorrow as well. You can entertain us all with your whacky singing. That should hook a looker at least.”

“
We'd better get off to the mall. If I'm going to be the main attraction at 1950 I want a new stunning stage outfit. And perhaps I can get my nails done too, like yours.” Toni's beautiful false nails are miniature works of pink and silver art. I have to have some like it.

“
Sure, let's clean up and go.”

***

We spend a fabulous hour shopping. I buy a black sequin edged skater skirt and a matching stretchy sequinned camisole top. I chicken out of the false nails because they would have taken an hour and a half to do. I can't be bothered. I'm not very patient with things like that. I settle for a quick and posh looking French polish for my finger and toenails instead.

We meet up with Melanie in the café and have a coffee and a long rambling chat about our respective jobs. I never realised how stressful it could be being a kindergarten teacher. The things the little tykes said and got up to... And the parents too... Very protective about their little darlings, despite their misdemeanours.

Toni works in auto insurance, on the front line, in sales. She has us in stitches with some of things people wanted insured for the road. A motorised sofa and a ride on jacked up lawnmower. I never realised how amusing insurance could be either.

I add my piece of fun to the conversation, telling them about some of the little quirks celebrity guests have revealed during hospitality at our events. One very well known female singer requested her drinking water to be served at exactly 4 degrees centigrade. She carried a thermometer around with her to test it. Another well known guitarist liked to have strawberries covered with hot cheese sauce. I'm careful not to mention names. I don't want to get sued for breach of confidentiality.

I start to flag a little as we drive home in the late afternoon. My body clock is playing me up. I'm determined to make it through dinner and see Brendan before I crash, and I do, lasting out till after 7 pm when my poor little brain takes over my tired little body and shuts it down.

The next day is a lovely laid back day, a visit to the beach at La Jolla in the morning, a sub and coffee in a beautiful shady little cafe for lunch, and a movie in the afternoon. I'm chilled and as happy as pie as we make our way home. We get out of the car at the exact same moment that Brendan draws up behind us in his.

He strides over hooking his arms around our waists and practically carries us both inside. I get a quick hug and Toni a smoochy, lingering kiss. “How are my two lovelies doing?” 

What an affectionate, loving pair they are, all touchy feely and sweet. One day I hope this will be me, with my 'as yet unmet' love of my life.

“Great.” We reply together.

“
How was your day?” I ask him.

“
Pretty busy. We're doing a full strip down, across the board.”

“
Gosh, that sounds hot... Can I come and watch?”

“
Don't get too excited. He means the whirlies, not the engineers.” Toni explains with a grin.

“
Civilians aren't allowed on base without prior approval anyway. But lucky for you Lex my love, I've already arranged a visitor pass, it's valid for a week. I thought you might be keen to take a look around sometime?” Brendan offers generously.

“
I'd love that Bren, really I would. D'you think I could possibly go up in one, in a whirly?” I use my sister's cute term for a helicopter.

"It depends if there's a flight planned on the day we choose, maybe. I'll check for you later.”

We go inside and get ready for our hot evening out. I take a while with my hair and make up. First impressions count. It's seven when I arrive downstairs in my new finery, complete with my black high wedge sandals on my newly pedicured feet. I give them a twirl.

“
Wow, look at you!” Toni gasps.

“
Thanks, and Toni, I just love that dress.” I admire her sweet short pink and black floral dress and black high heels. It all suits her figure beautifully. Toni's bigger than me. Not overweight particularly, although she's certainly not skinny, but she's a different build. She's shorter and larger boned. Add to that her lighter coloured hair and there's not much similarity between us except our facial features and brown eyes.

“
You're looking nice tonight Lexy...” Brendan smiles broadly, giving Toni a reassuring hug at the same time.

“
I made an effort, as it's my US singing debut.” 
And I'm meeting those good looking pals of his too.

We set off soon afterwards for a steak grill supper, my favourite, next to burger and fries.