Ice Creams at Carrington's, Part 3, Chapters 16–22 of 26 by Alexandra Brown

Author:Alexandra Brown [Alexandra Brown]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2014-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

20

It’s Saturday morning when I eventually make it home. The journey consisted of a five-hour train journey from Toulouse to Paris, then the 07.13 Eurostar was the first one with available seats on – seems everyone stranded in France had the same idea; then I got a train from London to Mulberry-On-Sea. I’m shattered beyond belief and my iPhone packed up somewhere between Toulouse and Bordeaux as I didn’t even think to fully charge it before I said goodbye to Nancy, figuring I’d be home in just over an hour or so on the flight, but how wrong was I? Never again. And if I never leave this island again, then it won’t be too soon … so much for wanderlust and adventure, I’ve had enough to last me a lifetime. And there’s only so much French countryside one can admire from a train window with a loud woman called Patti in one ear belting on about the ‘European Union’ and how ‘this fiasco would never ever happen in America’. Although Patti was very sweet when we got to Paris, and lent me a pair of her ‘easy-fit pants’, as she called them – I had dumped the velour joggers before I left Andorra as they were making my thighs itch, and the buffalo shorts were near on freezing my legs off it was that cold through the middle of the night while we waited to board the Eurostar. Or maybe it was the stress and lack of sleep that had made my body temperature drop; but whatever it was … never again. I repeat, never again! Just in case I hadn’t made it clear.

As I drag my weary body along the landing, I’m welcomed by my suitcase, considerably more battered than when it left, all bound up with US Homeland Security tape and abandoned outside the door to my flat. I’m turning the key in the lock when my neighbour, Frank, pops his head out from behind his front door. It creeps me out; it’s as if he’s been standing there waiting for me. Eeeek!

‘Oh, it is you, just making sure. I signed for the suitcase.’

‘Yes it’s me, and thank you. Really appreciate it,’ I quickly say, trying not to be rude, but I’ve got like one minute to be at the regatta.

‘Right you are. And just so you know, your phone hasn’t stopped – been ringing and ringing all morning; I can hear it through the wall. I’d say somebody is desperate to get hold of you … you know these walls are paper thin, I can hear everything, especially at night.’ He pauses to pull a weird face. ‘You might want to bear that in mind next time one of your gentlemen friends stays over.’ Whaaaat? Err, excuse me. I open my mouth, I close it, I open it again, wishing I could think of a suitably witty comeback, but nothing comes. I close my mouth, figuring whatever, I really don’t have time for this.

‘Um, yes, thanks Frank.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.