Olivia #2
‘Ooh, it all must still feel so new and exciting! Are you away for a long time?’
‘It’s about three months in total.’ To even say it out loud felt like a life sentence. ‘How about you?’
‘Well, this is our last stop before flying home. We’ve been here two weeks.’ A flicker of sadness rippled through the lines of her crepe-paper face. ‘And if I’m being honest, I’m rather jealous of your adventure. Oh, what it must be like to be young and have time on your side!’
‘You’re not dead in the grave yet,’ Peter grouched.
Olivia nearly choked on her spinach curry as she tried to stifle a laugh.
‘I think three months is a good amount of time.’ Alison tried to wrestle the conversation back on track. ‘Are you in between jobs or do you have an incredibly awesome boss letting you take that much holiday?’
Olivia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She hated the thought of lying, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure talking about her mental breakdown with this group of complete strangers on her first night was appropriate.
‘I had a lot of holiday saved up.’ She smiled falsely. ‘And yes, a very nice boss.’
Piggy Phil and his dirty shirts.
‘Good! That’s what I like to hear.’ Tracey raised her fist jubilantly. ‘I’m sick of all these young people being forced to work all the hours God sends with zero rewards. Especially
young women.’ She shook her head in dismay. ‘Life’s too short to be spending it at a desk.’
‘Hear hear!’ Andrea cheered.
‘And what made you decide to come to India?’ Alison asked. ‘Sorry, you must feel like you’re being interviewed. It’s just that you’re new and exciting.’
‘And what? We’re all old and boring?’ Andrea teased.
‘Speak for yourselves, girls. There’s plenty of life in this dog yet,’ Tracey announced proudly, causing Peter to mutter something derogatory under his breath, earning him yet another swift slap from Betty.
‘Anyway, Olivia’ – Alison took the reins once again – ‘why did you choose India? Have you always wanted to visit?’
‘Not really,’ she mumbled.
‘Is it part of a bigger tour or something?’
Olivia was reminded of the back-and-forth she’d had with Jacob. Why did everyone always ask so many questions? Sweat started to glisten across her forehead, and suddenly her stomach felt far too full and extremely uncomfortable.
‘Nope.’
Alison’s brow furrowed. ‘Surely it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision? I don’t imagine India is a place you wake up one morning and suddenly decide to visit.’
Olivia felt the pressure mounting behind her forehead. How could she tell the truth without actually
telling the truth?
‘It was a present.’
‘A present?’ Peter barked. ‘Who on earth gives someone a trip to India as a present?’
‘Peter!
’ Betty struck him again, but to no avail.
‘What? Back in my day you’d be lucky if you got a slap round the ear, let alone a holiday to the other side of the world.’ He crunched down hard on a samosa. ‘This world is going crazy, I tell you. Absolutely bloody crazy.’
‘Who was the present from, dear?’ Betty cooed, now switching to the technique of ignoring her husband completely. ‘It must be a very special someone.’ Her eyes twinkled and Olivia’s heart dropped an inch in her chest.
‘It was from my sister.’
‘Goodness me.’ Betty’s hand flew to her chest. ‘How wonderful is that!’
Olivia felt the tears prick her eyes, hot and salty. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it seemed to be growing larger with every passing second.
‘Uh-huh,’ she managed, her throat tightening around the words.
‘Jesus, the best thing I got from my sister was a freaking BHS voucher. Two months later they went into administration, so I couldn’t even use it.’ Alison laughed, her tight blonde curls shaking with the force.
‘And what do you plan to do while you’re in Agra?’ Betty continued the interrogation, extending her bony elbows across the table so that her husband was all but blocked from view.
Olivia’s mind drifted upstairs to the reorganized agenda that lay on her bedside table.
‘I’ve decided to visit the red stone town tomorrow morning.’
‘Ah, Fatehpur Sikri.’ Suki surreptitiously placed two samosas on to Olivia’s plate. ‘It’s breathtaking.’
‘That’s the one.’ Olivia placed her hand over her food in an attempt to stop any more being added. ‘And then I was going to try and squeeze in the Agra Fort and the Tomb of Akbar, then a quick stop at the Taj Mahal in the afternoon before my train in the evening.’
‘Jesus Christ, kid, are you trying to kill yourself? I’m exhausted even listening to that,’ Peter groaned.
‘That’s probably because you’re old and decrepit.’ Tracey grinned, leaning back in her chair and patting her swollen
stomach. ‘You don’t have the stamina of a young buck like Livvo.’
‘I’ll give you old and decrepit in a minute—’
‘Hey! Hold on a second …’ Andrea interrupted. ‘Did you say you’re seeing the Taj in the afternoon?’
‘That’s the plan, yes …’
‘Because I would recommend seeing it at sunrise if you can.’
‘Ooh yes, you’ve got
to see it at sunrise,’ Angela chimed in. ‘It was amazing!’
‘They say it’s the only way to see it,’ Suki added.
‘I did read that.’ Olivia fiddled with her fork, trying to push away her building irritation.
Didn’t they know how much time had gone into meticulously scheduling every detail of her day to perfection?
‘But I also wanted to do the furthest thing first and work backwards. Logistically, it made more sense.’
‘Screw logic, it’s a Wonder of the World!’ Tracey threw her hands in the air.
‘We’re heading there first thing tomorrow morning if you’d like to join us?’ Betty chirped.
‘No, no, don’t be silly. I don’t want to hijack your plans.’ Olivia tried to hide the mounting tension in her voice, but she could feel the words straining as they came out.
‘Honestly, you’d be doing me a favour, dear.’ Betty jerked her head towards Peter, who was still troughing his way through more servings of food. ‘Company would be a welcome addition at this stage. Helps dilute his moaning.’
‘I may be old, but I’m not deaf.’
‘No, that much is clear,’ she sniped back. ‘Come on! It will be fun. Besides, you don’t want to be looking around by yourself, surely?’
Olivia felt the entire table’s eyes on her face and the flush of heat creep up the back of her neck.
Betty gave her hand a little squeeze. ‘It really is the best way to see it, dear. That’s what everyone says.’
Before she knew what she was doing, Olivia’s head gave a small but definite nod. Her resolve buckled under the weight of their stares.
‘Oh hell, why not.’ Tracey slammed her fists on the table. ‘I’ll come too! We can make a real adventure of it.’
‘Wonderful!’ Betty cheered, before Peter could even think about uttering a retort. His face, however, said exactly what Olivia was feeling. ‘Shall we all meet down here at half past five?’
‘Sure.’ Olivia nodded, her mouth suddenly very dry and her stomach extremely tight. ‘That sounds good.’
‘Good? It sounds better than good, Livvy.’ Tracey raised a piece of paratha in the air triumphantly. ‘It sounds great
!’