I’m on my way! See you soon!
Starting the engine, Verity switched on the wipers and set up the sat nav on her phone.
According to Google Maps she would reach her destination in just over three hours. Verity wasn’t a confident driver, and the furthest she’d ever driven before now was to the supermarket on the edge of the town, but she wasn’t going to let any doubts creep into her mind. She could do this.
Putting the van in reverse she took her foot off the clutch and started to edge out of the drive.
Bang!
‘Shit! What the hell was that?’ Verity slammed on the brakes, pulled on the handbrake and jumped out. The rain was coming down hard as she stood at the back of the van and stared in dismay at the black wheelybin now lying on its side. ‘Damn,’ she muttered, noting the dent in Hetty’s back, before hauling the bin upright again. So far there had been nothing quiet about this getaway. She glanced up and down the street. Thankfully, it seemed her little accident had gone unnoticed, but it wasn’t the start she wanted, and now she was sodden, the rain having soaked through her T-shirt. After jumping back into the van Verity turned up the heater before grabbing her jumper from the top of the rucksack.
‘Let’s try again.’
As she switched on the radio the lyrics of ‘I Will Survive’ rang out, and she smiled.
‘Got to love Gloria Gaynor!’
There was only one thing for it. Verity turned up the radio. It was her intention to live up to those lyrics and from now on live life to the max. Reversing off the drive, she took one last look at the house. She’d thought she might feel apprehensive about leaving, might question if she was doing the right thing, but all she felt now was excitement mixed with relief. Driving up the road, she sang at the top of her lungs and didn’t even glance towards number 50.
* * *
Three hours later, Verity had successfully navigated herself to North Shields and decided to pull over and get a bite to eat from the greasy spoon café parked in the layby, before entering the ferry port. Outside the glorified caravan stood plastic chairs and tables, each with a laminated menu standing between a ketchup bottle and a container full of plastic knives and forks. Most of the tabletops also came with free grease, or spilled salt.
Thankfully it had stopped raining, though the sky still looked threatening.
As soon as she stepped from her van, Verity was hit by an aroma of bacon, sausage, fried onions and coffee. Suddenly feeling a lot more than peckish, she joined the queue of bikers and truckers to the sound of wolf-whistles. Feeling a crimson blush upon her cheeks, she focused on the counter and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Amongst the hungry customers she spotted a man standing at the head of the queue who looked even more out of place than her, if that was possible. He wore a designer suit of navy twill cloth, with a contemporary fit, natural shoulders and pick-stitched lapels. He turned around, and she couldn’t help but stare; he was drop-dead gorgeous, looking as though he should be dining at an exclusive fancy restaurant, not a greasy spoon by a ferry port. His curly blond hair was wild at the top. She guessed he was in his early thirties – so, around her age. His eyelashes and deep blue eyes were to die for, his face was tanned and he had that unshaven thing going on. As he walked away from the counter, taking a bite of his sandwich, he caught her eye. He slowed as he approached her, saying, ‘And here was me thinking they were whistling at me.’ He gave her a wolfish grin and carried on walking.
Verity smiled and glanced back over her shoulder, watching as he climbed into a black four-wheel drive and finished his food before starting the engine. She was still watching him as he pulled out of the parking spot, and he glanced over in her direction again and paused. They stared at each other for a moment. Verity’s stomach gave a little flip – a feeling she hadn’t felt in a very long time. She wondered who the handsome stranger was and whether he would be on her ferry to Amsterdam.
‘Can I help you, love?’
‘Just a sausage bap, please. Oh, and a coffee?’ she said, hastily stepping up to the counter.
The assistant nodded and cut open a bread roll then walked over to the fryer that was bubbling with fat and fished out a sausage with a long pair of tongs. He handed her the roll in a napkin, along with a polystyrene cup of coffee. ‘There’s sauce and sugar on the tables.’
After thanking him and handing over cash, Verity walked back to her van, the handsome stranger still very much on her mind. From where she was parked she could see he’d driven the short distance to the ferry port. His car stood higher than the vehicles behind him and he was now queuing for passport control. As she juggled her keys to open the van door, her phone vibrated and flashed on the passenger seat. Quickly she balanced the food and cup on the bonnet and hastened to open the door.
Five missed called from Ava were showing on the screen and Verity immediately had a sinking feeling that something was very wrong. Returning her friend’s call, she waited for Ava to answer.
‘There’s nothing to panic about,’ Ava quickly reassured.
‘Thank God for that. I thought you were ringing to tell me you’ve changed your mind and were about to leave me stranded at the ferry port.’
‘Not quite, but there is a tiny blip. But don’t worry, all will be back on track in forty-eight hours.’
‘What kind of blip? Because your blips are usually quite catastrophic.’
There was a pause on the end of the phone.
‘Ava!’
‘I’m not going to be with you today or tomorrow, but I’m coming.’
‘What do you mean? Why not?’
‘I tripped over my rucksack at the top of the stairs, lost my balance, and chipped my front tooth as I fell. I have an emergency dentist’s appointment this afternoon and the next ferry I can get on is the day after next, but my ticket is confirmed.’
‘What am I going to do for two days on my own?’ Verity realised that the first words out of her mouth were not very sympathetic. ‘Sorry, Ava. Let me rephrase that, how are you?’
