Twenty-seven
The next morning, before Beth even had the chance to think about breakfast, Charlie appeared in her dorm and asked if she minded moving to a smaller room with him. ‘There’s a guy in my dorm who has a snore like a fucking Harley-Davidson. If I have to spend another night in there, I’m most likely going to kill him. They have rooms for four people. Fancy sharing with me and a couple of strangers? It should cut down the odds of a snorer.’
Beth had every sympathy, she could still recall, with ease, the night she’d spent listening to the frog chorus. ‘Well, as much as I’m tempted to tell you to suck it up, buttercup … I guess it might be nice to share.’ She smiled.
After a quick word with reception, they grabbed their stuff and moved. Their new room was empty. Charlie threw himself onto one of the bottom bunks. ‘Hey, Beth, what’s it called if you murder your mother?’
‘Pardon?’
‘It’s a joke. What’s it called if you murder your mother?’
‘Oh right, I see. Um … I don’t know.’
‘It’s called matricide. What’s it called if you murder your father?’
‘Oh, blimey, Charlie. I don’t know.’
‘It’s called patricide.’
‘Right …?’
‘Tell me again, what did I say it was called if you murder your mother?’
Beth sighed. ‘Um … matricide?’
‘Wrong. That’s what it’s called when you murder your mattress!’ He gave a giant snort and began pummelling his bed.
‘Wally! Your jokes haven’t improved.’
Gesturing over towards the empty bunk, Charlie noted, ‘Looks like it’s just us, Wifey.’
‘You can stop that now. Your mate from yesterday isn’t here.’
‘Oh yeah. Still, it’s nice to have a room to ourselves, isn’t it?’
‘Yes. Like you say, less chance of encountering snorers. Unless …?’ She raised her eyebrows, questioningly.
‘Uh … not as far as I know. You’d have to ask some of the girls I’ve slept with.’
It was a throw away comment, more to do with snoring, than boasting, but it evoked a feeling of jealousy that surprised Beth. ‘Do you think they’ll put someone else in here with us?’ She asked the question and held her breath.
‘I hope not.’ He reached out and slapped her playfully on the bottom.
She hoped not too.
They were silent for a second, before Charlie got off his new bed and yawned. ‘I’m knackered. I could’ve done with a better night’s sleep last night.’
‘Shall I head out to the shops and get us something for breakfast?’ Beth thought she ought to volunteer. ‘Or do you fancy more sausage and chips?’ She squinted at her watch and eventually declared, ‘Actually, make that lunch. We’ve faffed about so much, it’s nearly twelve. I think!’
‘Um …’ Charlie considered her suggestions. He was clearly swayed by the idea of chips.
‘Well?’
‘I could murder a good old plateful of hot food, right now, Campbell. But I’m going to refuse. These bloody shorts are already way too tight.’ He removed the back of his shorts from their resting place, right up in his butt crack, muttering, ‘Nobody likes to see a hungry bottom.’
‘OK. So, what would you like for breakfast?’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll go. I need to pop out. I’ll bring something back. Croissants or rolls. OK with you?’
‘Yeah, great. I’ll have the tea bags ready.’
He was gone a good while. So long, in fact, Beth began to worry about him. She was just making her second mug of tea, when he waltzed into the kitchen with a soppy grin on his face. Dropping a bag of croissants onto the counter top he asked, ‘Can I have one of those, please, Campbell?’
‘Only if you stop calling me Campbell. We’re not in the army.’ Beth flicked the kettle back on.
‘OK. I promise I’ll try.’ He handed her a croissant. It was still warm.
‘Lovely. How did you manage to get warm ones? You’ve been gone ages, I would’ve thought they would be stone cold and hard.’
‘I only just got them. From that place around the corner.’
‘Where the hell have you been, all this time?’
The soppy grin doubled in size. ‘Booking us on a trip for tomorrow.’
‘A what?’
‘A trip.’
‘What kind of trip?’
‘On a boat. We’re going to try a bit of scubbbaaa.’ Charlie pulled an excited face.
‘Oh … I … I …’
‘It’s just for the day, we get to have a go at it. See what’s down there. It’s going to be amazing.’
Beth busied herself making his tea. Her heart had begun hammering in her chest the minute he’d uttered the word scuba. She placed the mug in front of him and watched as he took a croissant from the bag and ate it in three bites.
Tugging his shorts out of his bum, Charlie said, ‘Bloody hell. I need to get a bigger pair of these before tomorrow!’
As they made their way around the shops, Charlie chatted excitedly about the next day’s activity. He tried on a couple of pairs of swimming shorts and Beth gave her opinion as to which were the nicest. But her heart wasn’t in it. All she could think of was the fact she absolutely didn’t want to try scuba diving.
‘Are you going to tell him how you feel?’
‘I don’t know, Lisa. He’s arranged it all now.’
‘He deserves to know you’re crapping your pants.’
‘Look how excited he is though.’ Beth looked over at Charlie, who was trying on sunglasses and posing in front of a mirror. Realising he was being watched, he blew her a kiss and asked, ‘Do you fancy me in these?’
‘Of course,’ she replied.
‘He’s all right to look at, isn’t he?’
‘Lisa, is this like Mario all over again? Are you going to tell me he’s not too bad if I squint?’
‘No. This is nothing like Mario the Muppet. I’m just saying … you know … Charlie’s different, now he’s grown up.’
‘You said he was still an idiot.’
‘He is still an idiot. But he’s not bad company. I like him.’
Beth looked over at Charlie, who was now sporting a large panama hat. Turning his head, he asked, ‘Too much?’
She called out, ‘You wally!’
He made his way to the till to pay for the shorts and the sunglasses but, fortunately, not the hat.
Beth resumed her conversation with her sister. ‘I can’t tell him I don’t want to go scuba diving. He’ll be disappointed. He’ll think I don’t want to spend time with him or something.’
‘Yeah, maybe.’
‘I wish we’d talked about it before. Like I did with Michelle. She knew I’d be scared under the water. I don’t want to upset Charlie, but the thought of breathing through a tube. Bloody hell, Lisa, it’s awful. I’m surprised he can contemplate doing it, especially after what happened at our party.’
‘I do have a suggestion …’
‘Oh, let me guess? You’ll do it for me.’
‘Wait. Hear me out.’
‘Go on, then.’
‘Yes, I was going to say I’d do the dive for you. It doesn’t scare me. When you live in hell, nothing scares you. But there’s more …’
Beth tried to ignore Lisa’s reference to hell. She knew if she thought too much about Lisa’s life, she’d be riddled with guilt and likely to agree to just about anything. ‘And …?’
‘If you let me out for the day, voluntarily, I mean, agree to let me have the whole day out with Charlie on the boat. Then …’
‘What? What will I get?’ Beth had an idea what Lisa was going to say, but she daren’t hope she was right.
‘I’ll tell you why James left without saying goodbye!’
‘Ready to go, Campbell?’ Charlie appeared before her, he was wearing his new shades, the price tag dangled comedically over his nose.
‘Huh? Um … yes. And I thought I asked you not to call me that,’ Beth snapped her reply.
‘All right. Just messing with you.’ He ripped off the price tag. Putting his arm around her shoulder, he guided her out of the shop.
Beth was distracted. She had a huge decision to make.
‘Fancy a quick drink, before we hit the hay?’
Their evening meal had been more sausage and chips, Charlie had decided it would be OK, now that he had a pair of shorts with a bit of wriggle room. His hand was on the door of the pub.
‘Well … it looks like you’ve already made your decision.’
He dropped his hand. ‘We don’t have to go inside. I just thought …’
‘OK. But not too many. Not if we’re going to do the dive tomorrow.’
‘What do you mean if?’
‘I just meant … oh, for God’s sake, Charlie, just push the door.’
‘OK. Great.’
They entered the pub, and Charlie boldly strolled over to the bar, closely followed by Beth.
‘Don’t worry about tomorrow. It’s not late yet, is it?’ He grabbed her wrist to check the time. ‘Fuck me, Campbell, what a useless watch!’
They got chatting to a group of people who were also planning to go diving first thing in the morning. There was great excitement hanging in the air. Beth wished she could share in it. Without much thought for the consequences, the rest of the group drank way too many beers. Beth was the only one who didn’t get drunk. She merely indulged in a few shandies. Repeatedly declining anything stronger, she watched with eagle eyes as every one of her drinks was poured. I don’t trust that bloody sister of mine.
With each beer Charlie downed, his teasing asides became cheekier and Beth found she rather liked it that way.
As the evening progressed, she noticed a shift, she’d be laughing at one of his jokes and she’d suddenly catch him looking at her in a way that sent shivers up and down her spine. When he spoke, she watched his mouth. It was the strangest thing, but the more she looked at him, the less she saw little Charlie Morris and the more she saw an entirely new, charismatic man. One time he approached to ask if she’d like another drink, and touched her gently on the arm. It was just to get her attention, nothing more. But, inexplicably, that touch gave her goosebumps.
Beth twirled her hair around her finger.
‘You’re flirting with him?’
‘I am not.’
‘Yes, you are.’
‘I just think he’s funny. I do quite like him, but …’
‘Have you decided about tomorrow?’
‘I don’t know, Lisa. I wish I could trust you.’
‘You can. I just want to try scuba diving.’
‘And you’ll swap back?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you’ll tell me …’
‘I said I would, didn’t I?’
‘I need to think about it some more.’
‘OK. But I would just like to point out you don’t have long to decide. If you don’t believe me, take a look at that Mickey Mouse watch of yours.’
They made their way back to their room, still giggling at the jokes from the bar.
‘So, I told her to flash her thingamabobs at him …’ Charlie was finishing a story from earlier. ‘Then, I said, “I meant your headlights, stupid!” ’ He threw his head back and laughed. Beth joined him.
Despite their obvious humour, there was something of an expectant air between them, and, with every step towards their room, it became more palpable.
Standing outside their door, Charlie asked, ‘Do you think they’ve put anyone else in our room?’
Beth swallowed. ‘Let’s find out, shall we?’