Parallel
Planes
‘Ti quiero. Qedate aqui!’
I smile, wondering how many times he’s brought a girl to the airport, told her he loves her, asked her to stay.
With one last kiss, he turns and slowly walks away, his shoulders hunched in despair at my leaving.
I look at the departure board.
I watch Carlos go.
Home, job, security, boyfriend?
Here, no job, no security, maybe no boyfriend?
Responsible Rebecca or Brazen Bex?
Colin or Carlos?
A coach has just pulled up, spewing its contents of homeward bound holiday makers onto the pavement outside the airport. I’m frantically pushing my way through the throng of people. I have to find Carlos. I race around the car park. Just as he’s putting the key into the lock of his Fiat Panda, I call his name.
A grin spreads, uncertainly, over his face as he sees me running towards him.
‘Bex? You stay?’ he asks.
‘Yes,’
‘I am happy.’
We both fall into each other’s arms, laughing and crying at once.
Reason takes over and Rebecca knows that by Tuesday Carlos will have found another girl, maybe English, who knows? Next week he will be acting out exactly the same charade as he’s just played with her.
‘Let’s find the bar.’ Laura, Rebecca’s friend, says impatiently, ‘We’re wasting valuable drinking time.’
Obediently, Rebecca trots along at Laura’s side.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing Colin. The fling with Carlos was great, but…’
‘Yeah, Jose was good fun, but I can’t wait to see Nick. Anyway, a few snogging sessions doesn’t make a fling. Um, it was only a few snogging sessions wasn’t it? If not, I want all the sordid details. Don’t worry; your secrets are safe with me.’
‘They’d be safer if I broadcast them on News at Ten.’
‘I’m a teacher; I’m expected to pass on information.’ Laura pretends to be hurt at the accusation, knowing she is incapable of keeping gossip to herself.
‘Hola Bex.’ Says Carlos arriving home after his shift at the restaurant where he waits on.
‘Hola’ I reply,
this is one of the few Spanish I feel confident using. Tonight is the fifth
evening in a row Carlos has been working. He seems to be later getting home
each evening, it’s usually after
‘Manana, no trabajo.’
‘Good. We can go out, to the club where we met.’ I feel the excitement bubble up inside me. A night out. Dancing. Drinking.
‘Hable Espanol!. We stay in. We save money.’ Yet again, he reminds me that I am not paying my way. If only I could find a job, and have some money of my own.
I know he is working hard, to earn money for us, but I need to go out. I have stayed in for the past five nights, on my own, in this dingy, airless flat, looking at four walls, suffocated by the heat. I want to mix with people, have a bit of fun. Carlos turns towards the bedroom. It is useless to argue, my Spanish is inadequate and Carlos doesn’t know enough English.
‘Rebecca, just ringing to confirm the arrangements for Friday night. Steph and Sarah are coming too. We’ll meet in the wine bar at eight, have something to eat, and then make our way to the club. That new Boy Band is playing, can’t remember their name, but you know who I mean. I’m looking forward to a really good Girlie night out, catch up on all the goss, get pissed and enjoy ourselves. Have you heard about Kate? I’ll tell you on Friday. How did you enjoy that film you went to see with Colin? It had some good reviews, if it’s any good, I might get Nick to take me. Speak to you soon.’
Rebecca presses a button on her phone to retrieve her next message.
‘Rebecca, Colin, I’ll be there at half past seven with a Chinese takeaway and a bottle of wine. Bye.’ She smiles comparing his brief message with Laura’s long winded one.
She is looking forward to a night in, watching a film with Colin; it will be the first night in this week. There are a couple more messages, but she ignores them knowing they’ll be from Charlotte, who’s just been dumped by her first serious boyfriend and in need of lots of TLC. Rebecca wants to unwind and have a shower before Colin arrives, without having to listen to the hysterical weeping of her younger sister.
As I’m putting on my yellow tee-shirt, Carlos scowls at me. I hesitate, sensing his disapproval.
‘Too small,’ his tone is clipped, but that is because he does not have such a good command of the English language. Realising he means it is skimpy I take it off and he pulls me close.
‘Bex, I love you, I will not have other men looking at you. Many men are in the bar. You are mine.’
Reluctantly, I put on a tee-shirt that covers up more of my body. I know I will be hot, especially working in the Citrus Bar, but it will save another argument with Carlos. After all he has been so good to get me this job, and he walks me there at the start of my shift and waits for me when I’ve finished. I quite enjoy the work, but when I get more fluent in Spanish I might be able to find some sort of admin work like I’ve been used to. I’m toying with the idea of giving English lessons, just a thought.
The envelope is sitting on Rebecca’s desk. She picks it up, not daring to open it. Worriedly, she chews her bottom lip.
Her boss, Rob, walks up to her. His face is not giving any hint as to the content of the letter. She feels sick.
‘I understand congratulations are in order.’
‘I haven’t opened it yet,’ replies Rebecca, still fingering the envelope.
‘In that case, forget I spoke, but open it.’ He turns and walks away.
Reading the letter, she gasps when she sees what her new salary will be, punching the air she shouts ‘Yessssss.’ Suddenly everyone is laughing, congratulating her, wishing her well, saying how she deserves the new job, more responsibility.
‘You have reached the voicemail of Laura, please leave a message.’
‘I’ve got the job, Friday night is on me. I’m so excited. Ring me when you can.’
She taps another number into her phone.
‘Colin, how do you fancy going out for a meal tonight? It’s my treat, I’ve got the job.’
‘Well done, love, but not tonight, I’ve got a meeting. Tomorrow should be alright. I’m a bit busy at the minute, I’ll ring you later.’
Deflated, Rebecca puts the receiver down. She has never known Colin to have a meeting in the evening before, but then again, she only sees him a couple of times a week, so she doesn’t always know what he does the rest of the time. Her mind is so full of the spending spree she is about to have, she misses the brusqueness in his voice.
‘Bex, cervazas por mesa dos.’
I pick up the drinks and take them to table two.
‘Two beers, there you go.’ I say, hoping they will start up a conversation with me. I’m desperate to hear something in my native tongue.
‘What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?’ A clichéd chat up line, but very welcome nonetheless.
‘I came here on holiday and never went home.’ I reply laughing. It is the first time in days, if not weeks, I’ve laughed out loud.
The two young men, Matt and Greg from Birmingham, stay in the bar most of the afternoon, flirting with me and Maria, the other waitress.
As usual Carlos is waiting for me. His face darkens in temper when he sees me chatting to Matt and Greg. Carlos strides over and talks rapidly to Pepe, the owner of the bar, before taking my hand and pulling me away from my new found friends. Not a word is spoken until we get back to his flat.
‘You are not to work there again.’
‘Why? I thought we needed money.’ His black mood is a mystery to me.
‘I do not like men talking to you.’
‘Carlos, you have no reason to be jealous.’
I stagger back as the palm of his hand makes stinging contact with my face.
I sit, looking round the small dismal flat. It has lost its appeal; if it ever had any. I’d been so blinded by the thought of being in love. I wonder what Colin is doing, how Laura explained my non-arrival to him. I watch Carlos and wonder what would have happened if I had got on the plane and left when I had the chance.
As the two girls enter the crowded wine bar Laura stops in front of Rebecca.
‘I don’t think we should go in here. Let’s go somewhere else.’
‘It’s my favourite place in the whole world; I love it here.’
Laura is trying to block Rebecca’s entrance, but Rebecca can see what Laura has already seen. Pushing Laura out of her path, Rebecca, with a determination Laura hasn’t seen before, strides inside, towards a secluded table.
‘Hi Colin,’
‘Hello Rebecca, this is Hannah she works in accounts, we were just discussing er..um.. something. Hannah, this is Rebecca.’ Colin blusters.
‘So work discussions always involve your tongue down your colleague’s throats, do they? By the way, Hannah, I’m Colin’s girlfriend.’
Colin turns bright red, squirms in his seat.
Without a further thought, Rebecca picks up Colin’s drink and pours it into his lap.
‘You were right Laura, I don’t think we’ll stay here. The place has lost its attraction.’
‘Rebecca, it’s not what it seems. I know what it looks like, but…’
With her head held high, Rebecca walks towards the exit, until Colin’s protestations blend into the music playing in the background.
Laura catches up with Rebecca in the street.
‘I never kidded myself that Colin was The One, but I didn’t expect this.’
Both the young women stand and look at each other.
‘It’s OK Rebecca. You’ve had a shock. Cry. Scream. Stamp your feet. Anything that’ll make you feel better.’ Says Laura with sympathy in her eyes.
‘You know what this calls for don’t you?’
Laura nods.
Later, back in Rebecca’s flat, they sit eating a family size tub of Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate ice cream, drinking their second bottle of chilled pinot grigio. The phone keeps ringing with annoying regularity, but it remains unanswered.
Unexpectedly, the image of Carlos pops into her mind, the gorgeous, sexy Spanish guy she met on holiday. Thinking of the torment at the airport when he asked her to stay, she wonders what her life would have been like if she had.