Chapter 22
Theo had taken charge of the wheel, and we spent the rest of the drive in relative silence. Daylight had turned to darkness and while he was probably too exhausted to talk, I didn’t see the point in idle chit-chat. I’d learned all I needed to know at the service station.
The roads had been hectic and progress slow thanks to the amount of traffic here, there and everywhere and the port itself wasn’t any better.
The lines to the check-in booths were long with cars and vans sitting bumper to bumper.
Assessing passports and issuing boarding passes took forever, which was hardly surprising considering we were towards the back of a queue.
While I silently questioned if anyone stayed home for Christmas these days, Theo seized the opportunity to snooze, only opening his eyes when it was time to nudge his little Smart car forward.
I took in my soon-to-be fellow sailors. With little else to do, some scrolled on their phones, while others walked their dogs, no doubt, hoping their four-legged travel companions would empty before embarkation.
A trio of eager children raced around playing tag while their parents called out, warning them not to stray too far.
I sighed, wondering why Mum and Jackson couldn’t have delayed their trip until after the festive migration.
‘Passports and booking reference, please,’ the operator said when we at last reached her booth. Having tied her ponytail up with tinsel, the young woman clearly wasn’t letting work get in the way of her Christmas spirit.
I rummaged in my bag as Theo produced his phone and brought up our booking information. Handing him my passport, he gave the young girl everything she’d requested.
‘Christmas in France…’ The young woman’s dangly Santa earrings swayed from side to side as she tapped on her computer. ‘…very romantic.’
‘It certainly is.’ Theo turned to me and smiled. ‘Isn’t it, darling?’
I tilted my head. ‘You wish.’
Theo was still chuckling when the booth operator finally handed back our travel documents, including boarding passes and a window card which Theo hung on the rear-view mirror.
‘Have a safe journey,’ the young woman said with a big grin.
‘We will.’ Theo replied. ‘Merry Christmas.’
He restarted the car and as we drove in search of the next line, a member of ferry port staff thankfully waved us straight on.
We wound our way towards the boat and up the ramp into the vehicle deck where a worker in a fluorescent jacket and hard hat guided us into place.
He put a hand up telling us to stop. Theo hit his brakes and switched off the engine, ready for the next leg of our journey.
Climbing out of the vehicle, the bottom of my spine felt numb from being sat for hours. I stretched out my back and looking forward to something to eat and a comfy bed, I was glad to be out of the car for the night.
Theo opened the boot and grabbed our overnight bags. ‘Ready?’ he asked, slinging them both over his shoulder.
We made our way to the stairwell.
‘After you,’ Theo said, gesturing me forward.
Step after step and flight after flight, my leg muscles burned. My heart pumped and with our ascent taking forever, I wasn’t sure I’d make it to the upper deck where the sound of ambient Christmas music replaced the whirring of the ferry’s mechanics.
Theo checked the noticeboard against our tickets and while I tried to recover, a young woman gave me a sympathetic smile as she passed by. I understood why. Standing there huffing and puffing in my mother’s slacks and boots, she probably thought I was about seventy.
‘This way,’ Theo said and before I could properly catch my breath, we were on the move again.
Despite struggling to keep up, it was nice having someone else take charge for once. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had organised something on my behalf to the point I didn’t have to think, I could just do as I was told.
Passing through reception, ferry staff wore Christmas jumpers over their uniforms and all smiles, they appeared full of festive cheer.
We walked straight past the blue and yellow decorated Christmas tree, next to which sat a bright red post box in which children could put their letters to Santa.
Personally, I’d have dropped our bags off in our cabins before going on a tour of the boat, but I was still too breathless to complain.
He led us into a dimly lit room, filled with nothing but lines of chairs and while I was glad of the chance to sit down for a moment, I had to wonder why we were there.
‘Here we are,’ Theo said. Stopping at a particular row, he indicated the first two seats. ‘Take your pick. Left or right?’
‘Neither,’ I replied.
Theo let out a laugh. ‘It’s either one of these or you’re on the floor.’
‘What do you mean?’ I didn’t see the point in sitting around for the sake of it. ‘I just want a bite to eat and then a good night’s sleep.’
The room doors slid open and a family of four entered, every member carrying a pillow and a blanket.
As they found their places and settled in, I looked from them to Theo. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ I said.
Unfazed, Theo shrugged. ‘Like I said, left or right?’
‘Why can’t we sleep in a bed like normal people?’
‘Because there aren’t any. All the cabins are taken. We’re last-minute passengers, remember? We only booked this morning.’
The door opened again and yet more people entered and just like the others they’d come prepared, except this time with duvets. Whispering amongst each other, they searched the rows until they found the right one.
‘I’ll never forgive you for this,’ I said. Plonking myself down in one of the assigned seats, I heard the doors swish open for a third time and another lot of passengers enter. ‘I bet they’ve got bedding too.’
I wondered if Theo thought I was being snotty.
I wasn’t, of course. I was thinking ahead.
In my late teens, I’d readily roughed my way around Europe.
Planes, trains and automobiles, I’d slept on them all.
I’d also slept on worse and had had the itchy bedbug bites to prove it.
But back then, I was young and agile and having to doss down had been part of the fun.
In recent years, it didn’t matter how much vitamin D, K, and omega-3 fatty acids I took, I still woke up with aching hips and a stiff neck.
After a day in the car and a night in a chair, come morning there was no guarantee I’d be able to walk.
Unlike me, Theo appeared more than happy and sitting down, he made himself comfortable. He pressed the button on the side of his armrest and just like on an aeroplane his seat reclined.
I rolled my eyes. ‘Like that’s going to make a difference.’ Feeling sorry for myself, I hoped Hattie and Joyce were having a better time of things. Hattie might not be looking forward to Christmas with Gideon’s family, but at least she’d have a bed.
As for Joyce’s cruise… the comparison between the ship she would soon be on and mine was too stark a contrast to think about without whimpering.
Even the two absconders were probably more comfortable.
‘I bet Mum and Jackson aren’t stuck in a room with strangers.
’ I glanced around. ‘What about food? And where am I supposed to brush my teeth?’
Theo got to his feet. ‘Let me go and check things out. There might be a shower room somewhere.’
Left to my own devices, I took off my coat and draped it over my legs like a makeshift blanket. Snoring sounded from behind me and throwing my head back in my seat I groaned. ‘Merry Christmas to you too,’ I said.
With nothing else for it, I pulled my phone and earbuds from my bag and signed into Mum’s TikTok. My heart skipped a beat. There was an update.