ourselves one of them pedal-things and whizz down the promenade—’
‘Woah! For now, let’s just concentrate on getting a parking place.’ Anne laughed.
‘No worries. We’re early enough, so there’ll be plenty of space on the front. Look!’ She drew Anne’s attention to a second sign. ‘Parking, turn right.’
‘Good. But it’s Saturday, don’t forget, and it’s looking a bit busy already.’
Anne turned right, only to find that this particular car park was full. ‘Let’s drive along the front. You never know, we might just be lucky.’
She drove the entire length of the front, and there was not a parking place in sight.
‘Dammit!’ Sally groaned. ‘I expect we’ll have to park miles away.’
Then she had an idea. ‘Why don’t we park in that hotel car park?’ She brought Anne’s attention to the newly refurbished Victorian hotel opposite the beach. ‘Perfect!’
‘We can’t park in there.’ But Anne smiled at her friend’s mischievous idea.
‘Why can’t we?’ Sally was not easily put off.
‘Because all the places are allocated for guests, look.’ She pointed to the large white-painted numbers in each parking place.
‘But half of them are empty.’
‘That doesn’t matter. They could turn up any time, and anyway, with our luck the manager’s bound to turf us off.’
‘Worth a chance, though.’
‘Hey! Who’s driving this car?’
‘You are, more’s the pity. If it were me, I’d have been in there like a flash!’
‘Then it’s a good job I’m the driver, isn’t it?’ Anne’s gaze roved along the seafront. ‘Hey! Look! There’s a fella pulling out of a parking place … up there, d’you see?’
‘Where?’
‘There, right in front of that little café.’
Sally began to panic when she saw the driver backing out. ‘Hurry up, Anne, before somebody else nicks it.’
Anne manoeuvred into position, but as they drew close, the driver of a black Austin Morris tried to edge in front of them from the other direction. ‘Cheeky devil!’ Sally wound down the window. ‘Hey, you! That’s our place, so back off!’
Seeing the whites of her eyes, the man backed off, and Anne shot in quick. As the irate driver pulled away he made a rude sign at them.
‘And you!’ Sally did the same back.
Anne started chuckling, then Sally was sniggering, and now the two of them erupted in laughter.
‘You’ll get us arrested,’ Anne told her.
‘Huh! If the arresting officer is tall and handsome, and extra kind with his truncheon, you won’t see me putting up a fight.’
‘You’re a liability, and with a doting husband at home!’ Anne was beginning to relax. It was so good to get away for a day.
The next few hours were filled with non-stop fun.
Their first ride was in the caterpillar.
‘I hope they don’t roll the roof over,’ Sally whimpered as they climbed in. ‘I don’t like closed-in spaces. They make me nervous.’
‘Let’s get out then,’ Anne suggested. ‘There are plenty of other rides we can go on.’
‘Not likely!’ Sally was adamant. ‘We’ve paid our money and we’re staying on.’ She yelled out to the fairground attendant, ‘They won’t roll the roof over, will they? I don’t like it.’
‘Naw!’ Skillfully throwing his chewing gum from one side of his mouth to the other, he assured her, ‘We don’t roll the roof down unless it’s raining.’
‘There you are!’ Anne said.
Sally settled into her seat and tried to relax. ‘I hope they don’t go too fast … I get giddy when they go too fast.’
Anne climbed into the seat beside her. ‘Let’s just enjoy the ride. Oh, look! We’re off already.’ The ride started slowly at first, then it gathered speed, and as the caterpillar flew round and round the tracks, they held onto the bar, laughing and giggling, and occasionally screaming with delight.
Sally noticed it first. ‘Can you hear that?’ she yelled above the screams and laughter of other
‘Woah! For now, let’s just concentrate on getting a parking place.’ Anne laughed.
‘No worries. We’re early enough, so there’ll be plenty of space on the front. Look!’ She drew Anne’s attention to a second sign. ‘Parking, turn right.’
‘Good. But it’s Saturday, don’t forget, and it’s looking a bit busy already.’
Anne turned right, only to find that this particular car park was full. ‘Let’s drive along the front. You never know, we might just be lucky.’
She drove the entire length of the front, and there was not a parking place in sight.
‘Dammit!’ Sally groaned. ‘I expect we’ll have to park miles away.’
Then she had an idea. ‘Why don’t we park in that hotel car park?’ She brought Anne’s attention to the newly refurbished Victorian hotel opposite the beach. ‘Perfect!’
‘We can’t park in there.’ But Anne smiled at her friend’s mischievous idea.
‘Why can’t we?’ Sally was not easily put off.
‘Because all the places are allocated for guests, look.’ She pointed to the large white-painted numbers in each parking place.
‘But half of them are empty.’
‘That doesn’t matter. They could turn up any time, and anyway, with our luck the manager’s bound to turf us off.’
‘Worth a chance, though.’
‘Hey! Who’s driving this car?’
‘You are, more’s the pity. If it were me, I’d have been in there like a flash!’
‘Then it’s a good job I’m the driver, isn’t it?’ Anne’s gaze roved along the seafront. ‘Hey! Look! There’s a fella pulling out of a parking place … up there, d’you see?’
‘Where?’
‘There, right in front of that little café.’
Sally began to panic when she saw the driver backing out. ‘Hurry up, Anne, before somebody else nicks it.’
Anne manoeuvred into position, but as they drew close, the driver of a black Austin Morris tried to edge in front of them from the other direction. ‘Cheeky devil!’ Sally wound down the window. ‘Hey, you! That’s our place, so back off!’
Seeing the whites of her eyes, the man backed off, and Anne shot in quick. As the irate driver pulled away he made a rude sign at them.
‘And you!’ Sally did the same back.
Anne started chuckling, then Sally was sniggering, and now the two of them erupted in laughter.
‘You’ll get us arrested,’ Anne told her.
‘Huh! If the arresting officer is tall and handsome, and extra kind with his truncheon, you won’t see me putting up a fight.’
‘You’re a liability, and with a doting husband at home!’ Anne was beginning to relax. It was so good to get away for a day.
The next few hours were filled with non-stop fun.
Their first ride was in the caterpillar.
‘I hope they don’t roll the roof over,’ Sally whimpered as they climbed in. ‘I don’t like closed-in spaces. They make me nervous.’
‘Let’s get out then,’ Anne suggested. ‘There are plenty of other rides we can go on.’
‘Not likely!’ Sally was adamant. ‘We’ve paid our money and we’re staying on.’ She yelled out to the fairground attendant, ‘They won’t roll the roof over, will they? I don’t like it.’
‘Naw!’ Skillfully throwing his chewing gum from one side of his mouth to the other, he assured her, ‘We don’t roll the roof down unless it’s raining.’
‘There you are!’ Anne said.
Sally settled into her seat and tried to relax. ‘I hope they don’t go too fast … I get giddy when they go too fast.’
Anne climbed into the seat beside her. ‘Let’s just enjoy the ride. Oh, look! We’re off already.’ The ride started slowly at first, then it gathered speed, and as the caterpillar flew round and round the tracks, they held onto the bar, laughing and giggling, and occasionally screaming with delight.
Sally noticed it first. ‘Can you hear that?’ she yelled above the screams and laughter of other
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