spoilt teenager. In the last year she had given up a well-paid job as a biology teacher at a rough comprehensive school in Preston citing ‘unrealistic levels of stress’ in order to teach yoga. But then she needed to undertake a week’s crash course in how to teach yoga – a course that cost me, not her – the best part of five hundred quid. And since then she had managed to pick up the sum total of three yoga classes a week each paying the princely sum of forty pounds a session.
I needed to calm things down a little. ‘So what brought all this on?’
‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while. But I only really made up my mind on New Year’s Eve.’ She smiled softly. ‘Look, I’m not saying we have to go straight away.’
‘But a year?’ I replied. ‘You want to go for a year?’
‘Anything less wouldn’t be worth it.’
‘But why a year? I’d have to give up my job and everything. I mean, are you serious about this? This isn’t just some sort of whim?’
‘You mean like all my other flighty plans?’
I didn’t rise to the bait. ‘All I’m asking is are you sure?’
Laura nodded. ‘I’ve checked the prices for the tickets we’ll need and we’ve got more than enough money saved to buy them and cover spending money for a whole year. Look, it will be one last blast of freedom and then we’ll come back to England and put down roots as deep as you like wherever you like.’
‘But my job . . . I can’t . . .’ my voice trailed off. ‘I’m not like you. I can’t make snap decisions just like that.’
‘And you don’t have to. All I’m asking is that you think about it. Seriously think about it. We’ve got the rest of our lives to settle down. But right now I feel like this is our last chance. Our last chance to do something fun.’
Melissa
Lying in bed watching mindless early evening TV on the portable that lived on top of my dresser I was thinking to myself how I was probably due yet another call from Vicky when my mobile rang. I looked at the screen and raised a small smile when I saw that it was indeed Vicky calling.
‘Are you dressed yet?’
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because nothing’s changed since our last conversation half an hour ago, or the one we had half an hour before that or the one half an hour before that.’
Vicky laughed. ‘But aren’t you sick of me calling you like this? I know I would be. I know for a fact that I can be really, really annoying when I want to be. Chris tells me I am all the time.’
‘Look, Vicks, I know you’re trying to be nice and everything but I can’t begin to tell you how much I don’t want to go out tonight and even if I did feel like going out, a fancy-dress party would so not be my thing right now.’
‘But it’s Cath and Simon’s birthday party. Cath loves you. She specifically called me this afternoon to make sure that I brought you along.’
‘But I’ve given you a card and a present to give to her – what more does she want?’
‘You, to come out tonight, instead of festering in that bedroom of yours like you have been all these weeks. I bet you’re even tucked up in bed right now watching one of those ridiculous celebrity talent shows that are always on.’
I picked up the remote and switched off the TV.
‘Look, none of this matters as I don’t actually want to come out. Why can’t you just let me be?’
‘Because I don’t understand why you’re still letting him rule your life like this. You aren’t coming tonight because you don’t fancy it, you’re not coming because you think that Paul’s going to be there. And it’s not like I blame you because it must be awkward. But things are always going to be like this when the two of you have so many friends in common. So what are you going to do to escape them? Move back to Swindon? Cath and Simon are your friends as well as Paul’s. He doesn’t own them so I don’t see why you’re handing them over to him on a plate.’ Vicky sighed as
I needed to calm things down a little. ‘So what brought all this on?’
‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while. But I only really made up my mind on New Year’s Eve.’ She smiled softly. ‘Look, I’m not saying we have to go straight away.’
‘But a year?’ I replied. ‘You want to go for a year?’
‘Anything less wouldn’t be worth it.’
‘But why a year? I’d have to give up my job and everything. I mean, are you serious about this? This isn’t just some sort of whim?’
‘You mean like all my other flighty plans?’
I didn’t rise to the bait. ‘All I’m asking is are you sure?’
Laura nodded. ‘I’ve checked the prices for the tickets we’ll need and we’ve got more than enough money saved to buy them and cover spending money for a whole year. Look, it will be one last blast of freedom and then we’ll come back to England and put down roots as deep as you like wherever you like.’
‘But my job . . . I can’t . . .’ my voice trailed off. ‘I’m not like you. I can’t make snap decisions just like that.’
‘And you don’t have to. All I’m asking is that you think about it. Seriously think about it. We’ve got the rest of our lives to settle down. But right now I feel like this is our last chance. Our last chance to do something fun.’
Melissa
Lying in bed watching mindless early evening TV on the portable that lived on top of my dresser I was thinking to myself how I was probably due yet another call from Vicky when my mobile rang. I looked at the screen and raised a small smile when I saw that it was indeed Vicky calling.
‘Are you dressed yet?’
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because nothing’s changed since our last conversation half an hour ago, or the one we had half an hour before that or the one half an hour before that.’
Vicky laughed. ‘But aren’t you sick of me calling you like this? I know I would be. I know for a fact that I can be really, really annoying when I want to be. Chris tells me I am all the time.’
‘Look, Vicks, I know you’re trying to be nice and everything but I can’t begin to tell you how much I don’t want to go out tonight and even if I did feel like going out, a fancy-dress party would so not be my thing right now.’
‘But it’s Cath and Simon’s birthday party. Cath loves you. She specifically called me this afternoon to make sure that I brought you along.’
‘But I’ve given you a card and a present to give to her – what more does she want?’
‘You, to come out tonight, instead of festering in that bedroom of yours like you have been all these weeks. I bet you’re even tucked up in bed right now watching one of those ridiculous celebrity talent shows that are always on.’
I picked up the remote and switched off the TV.
‘Look, none of this matters as I don’t actually want to come out. Why can’t you just let me be?’
‘Because I don’t understand why you’re still letting him rule your life like this. You aren’t coming tonight because you don’t fancy it, you’re not coming because you think that Paul’s going to be there. And it’s not like I blame you because it must be awkward. But things are always going to be like this when the two of you have so many friends in common. So what are you going to do to escape them? Move back to Swindon? Cath and Simon are your friends as well as Paul’s. He doesn’t own them so I don’t see why you’re handing them over to him on a plate.’ Vicky sighed as
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