Part 24 (1/2)
”I wonder if she's mad at us for going a bit funny out there today.”
Sharon shrugged again and they continued to eat in silence. Holly had reacted unusually out there in the water, and it bothered her to think about why she had. After the initial panic of thinking she was going to die, Holly became feverishly giddy as she realized that if she did die she knew she would be with Gerry. It bothered her to think that she didn't care whether she lived or died. Those were selfish thoughts. She needed to change her perspective on life.
Denise winced as she sat down.
”Denise, what is wrong with you?” Holly asked.
”I'm not telling either of you or you'll laugh,” she said childishly.
”Oh come on, we're your friends, we won't laugh,” Holly said, trying to keep the smile off her face.
”I said no.” She filled her gla.s.s with more water.
”Ah come on, Denise, you know you can tell us anything. We promise not to laugh.” Sharon said it so seriously that Holly felt bad for smiling.
Denise studied both their faces, trying to decide whether they could be trusted.
”Oh, OK,” she sighed loudly and mumbled something very quietly.
”What?” Holly said, moving in closer.
”Honey, we didn't hear you, you were too quiet,” Sharon said, pulling her chair in closer.
Denise looked around the restaurant to make sure n.o.body was listening and she moved her head into the center of the table. ”I said, from lying out in the sea for so long, my b.u.m is sunburnt.”
”Oh,” Sharon said, sitting back in her chair abruptly.
Holly looked away to avoid eye contact with Sharon, and she counted the bread rolls in the basket to take her mind off what Denise had just said.
There was a long silence.
”See, I said you would both laugh,” Denise huffed.
”Hey, we're not laughing,” Sharon said shakily.
There was another silence.
Holly couldn't help herself. ”Just make sure you put plenty of sun cream on it so that it doesn't peel.” The two of them finally broke down.
Denise just nodded her head and waited for them to stop laughing. She had to wait a long time. In fact, hours later as she lay on the sofa bed trying to sleep she still waited.
The last thing she heard before she went to sleep was a smart remark from Holly: ”Make sure you lie on your front, Denise.” This was followed by more laughter.
”Hey, Holly,” Sharon whispered after they had finally calmed down. ”Are you excited about tomorrow?”
”What do you mean?” Holly asked, yawning.
”The letter!” Sharon replied, surprised that Holly didn't remember immediately. ”Don't tell me that you forgot.”
Holly reached her hand under her pillow and felt around for the letter. In one hour she would be able to open Gerry's sixth letter. Of course she hadn't forgotten.
The next morning Holly awoke to the sound of Sharon throwing up in the toilet. She followed her in and gently rubbed her back and held her hair back.
”You OK?” she asked worriedly after Sharon had eventually stopped.
”Yeah, it's just those b.l.o.o.d.y dreams I had all night. I dreamt I was on a boat and on a raft and all sorts of things. I think it was just seasickness.”
”I had those dreams too. It was scary yesterday, wasn't it?”
Sharon nodded. ”I'm never going on a raft again,” she smiled weakly.
Denise arrived at the bathroom door already dressed in her bikini. She had borrowed one of Sharon's sarongs to cover up her burned behind and Holly had to bite her tongue to stop herself from teasing her, as she was clearly in a great deal of pain.
When they arrived down at the swimming pool, Denise and Sharon joined the Barbie Brigade. Well, it was the least they could do, seeing as they were the ones who had called for help. Holly couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep before midnight the previous night. She had planned to get up quietly without waking the girls, sneak out to the balcony and read the letter. How she fell asleep in all her excitement was beyond her, but she couldn't listen to the Barbie Brigade any longer. Before Holly was dragged into any conversation she signaled to Sharon that she was leaving, and Sharon gave her an encouraging wink, knowing why she was disappearing. Holly wrapped her sarong around her hips and carried her small beach bag containing the all-important letter.
She positioned herself away from all the excited shouts of children and adults playing and stereo blaring out the latest chart songs. She found a quiet corner and made herself comfortable on her beach towel to avoid more contact with the burning sand. The waves crashed and fell. The seagulls called out to one another in the clear blue sky, flew down, dipped themselves into the cool, crystal water to catch their breakfasts. It was morning and already the sun was hot.
Holly carefully pulled the letter out of her bag as though it were the most delicate thing in the world, and she ran her fingers along the neatly written word, ”August.” Taking in all the sounds and smells of the world around her she gently tore open the seal and read Gerry's sixth message.
Hi Holly I hope you're having a wonderful holiday. You're looking beautiful in that bikini, by the way! I hope I picked the right place for you, it's the place you and I almost went for our honeymoon, remember? Well, I'm glad you got to see it in the end...
Apparently, if you stand at the very end of the beach near the rocks across from your hotel, and look around the corner to the left, you'll see a lighthouse. I'm told that's where the dolphins gather...not many people know that. I know you love dolphins...tell them I said hi...
PS, I love you, Holly...
With shaking hands, Holly put the card back into the envelope and secured it safely in a pocket of her bag. She felt Gerry's eyes on her as she stood up and quickly rolled up the beach towel. She felt he was here with her. She quickly ran to the end of the beach, which suddenly stopped because of a cliff. She put her trainers on and began to climb the rocks so she could see around the corner.
And there it was.
Exactly where Gerry had described it, the lighthouse sat high on the cliff, bright white as though it were some sort of torch to heaven. Holly carefully climbed over the rocks and made her way around the little cove. She was on her own now. It was completely private. And then she heard the noises. The squeaks of dolphins playing near the sh.o.r.e away from the view of all the tourists on the beaches beside it. Holly collapsed on the sand to watch them play and listen to them talk to one another.
Gerry sat beside her.
He may even have held her hand.
Holly felt happy enough to head back to Dublin, relaxed, destressed and brown. Just what the doctor ordered. That didn't stop her from groaning when the plane landed in Dublin Airport to heavy rain. This time the pa.s.sengers didn't applaud and cheer and the airport seemed like a very different place from the one she had left last week. Once again, Holly was the last person to receive her luggage, and an hour later they trudged gloomily out to John, who was waiting in the car.
”Well, it looks like the leprechaun didn't do any more work in your garden while you were away,” Denise said, looking at the garden as John reached Holly's home.
Holly gave her a friends a big hug and a kiss and made her way into her quiet, empty house. There was a horrible musty smell inside and she moved to the kitchen patio doors to let the fresh air circulate.
She froze just as she was turning the key in the door and stared outside.
Her entire back garden had been relandscaped.
The gra.s.s was cut. The weeds were gone. The garden furniture had been polished and varnished. A fresh coat of paint gleamed from her garden walls. New flowers had been planted and in the corner, underneath the shade of the great oak tree, sat a wooden bench. Holly looked around in shock; who on earth was doing all this?