1
MCDONALD’S, WINCHESTER STREET, SALISBURY, WILTSHIRE, UK
Hayley Walker had quit her job. She hadquither job. What had she been thinking? Escape was the answer to that one. Finally ridding herself of sweaty Greg and his desperate attempts to fold and pressherat the dry-cleaning firm. But now, an hour after the deed had been done, she was starting to realise she should have thought a lot less about escape and a lot more about money. Or rather, her lack of it. And exactly what she was going to do after Christmas. Throwing in the towel had been a knee-jerk reaction. A desperate leap. Was she going to live to regret it? Part-time party planning wasn’t going to bring home the bacon or the expensive cereal with the free books.
‘Do they have Yorkshire puddings?’
Hayley looked up from her phone-tapping and faced her nine-year-old daughter, the eater of the expensive cereal with the free books. Angel had half a cheeseburger hanging out of her mouth and she was trying to ram in the straw of her Diet Coke too. Hayley hadn’t heard exactly what she’d said: something about pudding. She was too busy wondering if she had time to search the job section of the local paper before they left the country whilst alsorunning through the whole travel itinerary in her head. Bang went her hopes of new clothes for them both for this trip. What was going to be on-trend this winter? She’d never really believed in the tweed phase. Maybe, if she didn’t sleep, she would have time to make alterations on what theydidhave in their wardrobes. She put the lid on her thought box and focused on Angel.
‘Angel, manners in a restaurant, please.’ Hayley pulled the cardboard cup away.
She watched Angel’s eyes spiral upwards, then around, taking in every inch of the McDonald’s. No matter what her daughter’s look was saying, itwasa restaurant. Serviettes made it so and it was the only restaurant Hayley could afford right now. Even more so after today. She sighed. This McDonald’s wastheirplace, mum and daughter bonding over burgers. It was a constant, familiar, and familiar was comforting when she was about to throw them both halfway across the world.
‘Well? You haven’t answered my question.’ Angel exaggerated the words for all she was worth. ‘Are. They. Going. To. Have. Yorkshire. Puddings. In. New. York?’
Hayley put her phone on the table. She didn’t know the answer. But it was obviously important to Angel. More important to her daughter than the fact she had never been on an aeroplane before and she had to sit still for eight hours and she was about to discover a whole new country. Who would have thought Yorkshire puddings could be so critical?
‘I don’t know,’ Hayley said. ‘But I can find out.’ She smiled at her daughter.
‘Google it,’ Angel came back.
‘What, now?’
‘Free Wi-Fi in McDonald’s. You always say that.’ Angel sucked at her drink, eyes bulbous like marbles.
At the moment, there was nothing better thanfree. A bubble ofpride bounced off Hayley’s insides. She watched Angel biting down on the straw with her perfect teeth, her cheeks a little reddened, her mousey-brown hair set in two pigtails with tinsel woven into the bobbles. Angel was the best thing she’d ever done. The only real, satisfying thing she’d achieved and she’d done it, for the most part, on her own. She swallowed down a knot of emotion and sucked at her own drink.
‘I can’t wait to meet Uncle Dean’s new boyfriend,’ Angel said.
Hayley started to choke on the liquid in her mouth and dragged the straw out. Her phone fell out of her hand and into the cardboard tray of chips she hadn’t touched yet. ‘What?’
‘We Skyped last week when you were staring at those forms on the internet forhours.’
Angel was right; all Hayley had done the past few weeks was fill in forms. She thought she needed a visitor’s visa. From what she’d read, it would have been easier to send them the blood of a unicorn and spoilers for the next season ofGame of Thrones. If only someone had mentioned ESTA to her before her head had got so close to exploding. New York – a Christmas holiday to Angel and an important mission to Hayley. She had spent the past two months straining her eyes to burning point on late-night internet searches. Now it was time for the hunt to get up close and personal.
Hayley swung her attention back to Angel.
‘He’s called Vernon. Vern for short and they met at some really cool party Uncle Dean got invited to.’ Angel flicked one of her pigtails. ‘Will we get to go to really cool parties?’
Hayley’s mind was working overtime. Her brother had a new boyfriend he hadn’t mentioned. Did they do Yorkshire puddings in America? Could she get hold of a unicorn? Luggage scales – she definitely needed to get some luggage scales. SHE HAD NO FULL-TIME JOB!
‘I don’t know, Angel. We’re going to have a lot to do when we get there and?—’
‘That’s pretty close to a yes.’
‘Are you going to finish that burger?’
‘Are you going to eat your chips?’ Angel put her tongue into the bottom of her mouth and poked it forward, tilting her chin.
‘You know making that face is like swearing in America,’ Hayley warned.
Angel changed her expression and looked at her mother with only slight scepticism.
Hayley pointed a finger and grinned. ‘Gotcha!’
‘That’s not fair!’ Angel screeched. She reached across the table and stole a chip from Hayley’s tray, popping it into her mouth.
Hayley smiled, picking up a chip herself and dunking it in ketchup. Fries were about as uncomplicated as you could get.
