Chapter Eight
‘There she is, the birthday girl!’ Ed calls to me as I approach the diving hut an hour or so later. ‘All ready for your first dive?’
I tilt my head. ‘Do you know what, Ed? I think I just might be.’
‘Excellent. Let’s get you suited up.’
Five minutes later, I’m in the ocean again and we’ve walked until I’m almost out of my depth.
‘Now, it’s a piece of cake, I promise,’ says Ed. ‘Just follow my lead. I’ll operate your air for you this time, so you don’t need to worry about a thing.’
I give him a half-smile. Be brave. You can do this. You’re thirty now. You’ve always wanted to do it. Think adventure. But what comes to mind is Aidan’s negativity around the possibility of me diving, as if I couldn’t do it. And that spurs me on.
I follow Ed deeper into the water, put my regulator in my mouth, and practise a few breaths underwater before making a loop with my thumb and forefinger, giving him the OK sign.
We swim out into the aquamarine ocean and suddenly it’s like a whole new world has opened up to me. A whole new continent. I knew the marine life was spectacular here, but I didn’t expect to see it so close to shore. We can’t be more than eighty metres from the beach. Not that I can see that from under the water; it’s just my gut instinct.
I want to cry with happiness. Joy radiates from my every pore as beautiful fish of every size, shape and colour swim around me. It fascinates me how they know to move out of my way. It reminds me of the scenes on TV of traffic in India, where eight lanes of cars jostle to negotiate a roundabout, yet somehow don’t hit each other. Incredible.
A yellow and black stripy fish, the bee of the marine world, swims past. Its colours are so vibrant, so beautiful, it’s hard to put it into words. I’ll have to try to remember all these fish and ask Ed their names, if he knows, or google them, or check my guide book. I want to remember every aspect of this, my first dive, because already I know it won’t be my last. I have the bug, and it took me all of, ooh, two minutes.
Oh God, there’s an ugly grey fish ahead and it’s huge, well, compared with the pretty yellow and black one of a moment ago. Its mouth is massive. Is it a shark? I bloody hope not. I didn’t think to ask Ed if these were shark-infested waters, although I do recall reading that Costa Rica has sharks. Hopefully, this isn’t one of them. I may have pulled on my big-girl pants to dive today, but I don’t fancy becoming a shark’s amuse-bouche.
Ed swims alongside me, between me and the ‘shark’. He makes the OK sign and I sigh inwardly. I guess he wouldn’t do that if it were a shark.
He smiles through his mask and gestures behind me. I turn to see a ray slicing through the water, or rather flapping its wings, as it heads towards me. It’s black with white polka dots. Being down here is so humbling.
We continue to swim along and the rhythmic action of moving my flippers is so soothing. I also love the sensation of being completely weightless. Somehow that really appeals right now. Perhaps because I have a lot of baggage in my life currently. Could be my subconscious, or subliminal messaging, but whatever, I’m prepared to go with the flow.
I’m glad Ed’s handling the air. I’d be panicking otherwise. Usually, I like being in control of my own destiny, but knowing I’m in the hands of an expert reassures me. From behind a cluster of coral, a skinny bright blue fish appears. It’s so razor-thin it’s almost unreal, and it has a long nose, or whatever fish have. God, since I’m going to live here, I had better brush up on my marine knowledge, or I’ll look a complete idiot.
Ed points upwards, in the gesture he taught me for time to go to the surface.
When we break through, I wait for him to take off his mask and give me instruction, just so I know I’m doing the right thing. I mimic him and he grins. ‘So, what did you think?’
After inhaling a deep breath to clear the stale air from my lungs, I say, ‘When can I do it again?’
He bursts out laughing. ‘Anytime, Kat. Anytime.’
My words come out in a rush as I enthuse about today’s dive. Once I draw breath, Ed says, ‘Do you want to grab a birthday drink? Diving can make you thirsty.’
Funny how he knows what I’m thinking before I think it. He’s like the brother I never had. I always wanted a brother, a little brother, and if I’m right, Ed’s a couple of years younger than me. I might be cheeky and ask him later. Ask him if I can adopt him as a brother. No, that’s borderline stalker, and his wife might get the wrong idea. Hopefully, I’ll get to meet her soon. She’s probably already heard all about me and my sorry love life.
As we sit at the side of the pool in our shorts and T-shirts again, Ed tells me of all the really cool places to go. Some of them I’m familiar with, from my guide book, or from having googled them before I came to Costa Rica; others are undoubtedly locals’ best-kept secrets. I don’t care. I can’t wait to explore them all.
‘So, how are you feeling about starting at the sanctuary tomorrow? Sure you’re ready to leave the luxury hotel behind?’
‘Being honest, I baulked at throwing away this holiday after the cost of it, but I can’t wait to start. Anyway, I feel the whole Aidan debacle sullied the holiday experience, plus I’m already missing Flash and Ferdinand, and Bolt and Zoom.’
‘Ha! They have a way of getting under your skin. Literally, sometimes, with those claws.’
I smile. ‘So, how many times have you been to the sanctuary?’
His eyes widen and he blows out a breath. ‘Honestly, I have no idea. More times than I can count, though. Costa Rica as a whole is a laid-back country, but when I step across the threshold of the sanctuary, it’s like entering another world.’
I nod, knowing exactly what he means, as I had the same impression myself.
‘And once I met Nicolás and he took me there on one of our days off, I was hooked.’
I sip my guaro sour. ‘Have you ever thought of working at the sanctuary?’
He laughs. ‘Me? Work there? No. I don’t have the experience. You’re good with animals from what Dexter tells me. Plus, I have a family to support. I can’t work as a volunteer. I need the money too much. The diving gig pays well, and I can largely make my own hours.’
‘That does sound like a good deal,’ I concede.
‘The best.’ He pauses before saying, ‘Anyway, you couldn’t have landed in a better place, with better people. Sofia and Carlos are like my surrogate mum and dad.’
‘Yeah, they do give off that caring vibe.’
‘Don’t they just?’ He sets down his drink. ‘I have some things I need to do at home. Nicolás is having a barbecue later. Do you fancy coming?’
My heart lifts. I won’t be spending the evening of my thirtieth alone after all. Yay. ‘I’d love to.’
Ed smirks. ‘Good, but don’t try to take the barbecue tongs from him as he gets kind of territorial.’
I laugh. ‘He has absolutely nothing to worry about. Even though I’m a pretty good cook, I’m too afraid to barbecue my own food in case I poison myself.’ I refrain from saying that it’s a similar sentiment I have towards regulating my own air when I’m underwater. He doesn’t need to know that… not yet anyway.
‘So, will I pick you up about six?’
‘Perfect.’
That’ll give me time to make myself presentable. I have a few little dresses with me, one I’d specifically bought to wear on my birthday. It’s white with red roses all over it and it’s cute. And since I’ve decided that thirty’s the year I’m going to suit myself and do exactly what I like, that’s what I’m wearing.
Ed saunters off, but I stay for a while, enjoying the sun on my face. It would be so easy to just drift off, but I need to focus. My argument with Mum pops to the forefront of my mind, but I toss it away. Nope, not ruining my birthday for me. I can’t believe she didn’t text me to apologise, or at least wish me happy birthday. Damn, I’m thinking about it, and that wasn’t part of the plan.
I know. I’ll video-call Becca. It’s around ten there now. She picks up on the second ring.
She starts whistling the nursery rhyme ‘Five Little Ducks’, and her volume picks up at the part about ‘over the hill and far away’.
‘Ha bloody ha. I’ll over the hill, you. I’m only three months older than you. Wait until it’s your turn.’
‘I’ve decided to age backwards. Thirty is the new twenty, remember?’
‘Yeah, keep telling yourself that. What are you up to? How’s the leg?’
She lets out a dramatic sigh. ‘Nothing. Missing you. I’m sitting here with my cocoa, pining for you.’
‘Yeah, right. Perhaps if you’d replaced the cocoa with wine, I might almost have believed you.’
‘Are you saying I’m a lush?’ She puts her hands on her hips and her mock indignation makes me smile.
‘A lush, no, a partygoer, yes. A cocoa drinker, most definitely not. Anyway, isn’t there someone there to help you drown your sorrows?’
She tuts. ‘It’s surprisingly difficult to pull when you’re laid up. Or should I say, surprisingly difficult to get laid when you’re laid up.’ She chortles at her own joke.
‘Becca, that’s awful even for you. Don’t ever give up the day job.’
She snorts. ‘I don’t intend to. I love my job. But never mind me, you look amazing, all sun-kissed and sexy.’
‘Why, thank you,’ I say, but Becca continues. ‘How has your birthday been? Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Kat, happy birthday to you.’
‘Thanks, Becca. God, I wish you were here.’
‘Me too, Kat. But we’ll make up for it when I come over.’
My heart stutters. ‘You’re coming over? Really?’
She frowns. ‘Seriously? Do you think you’re getting all the fun? My bestie moves to Costa Rica, and I have to stay home in Glasgow? I don’t think so. Once this leg is mended, I’m checking the deals for a cheap flight.’
My soul purrs in response to her comment. How good it would be to have Becca here, even for a week. Everything has happened so fast, I haven’t had time to get my head around it. I haven’t even started the job at the sanctuary yet, but my whole life feels like it has been put into a cement mixer and turned on, with all my thoughts thumping around inside it.
‘Becca, that would be fabulous. Oh, I love you.’
‘I know. I’m amazing. So, how was your dive?’
‘It was incredible. The fish were absolutely gorgeous. The colours have to be seen to be believed. You’ll need to see for yourself when you come.’
‘That I will.’ She pans her camera to her leg. ‘As soon as I can get this bloomin’ thing off.’
‘Yeah, you won’t be able to go swimming with that cast on.’ I can’t curb my enthusiasm any more and return to my previous topic. ‘Did you know that when you take fish out of water, they lose their colour, and it’s the water that makes us see them as those colours?’
‘I did, actually. Well, they’ll just need to stay in the water then. What time is it there now?’
‘A little after three.’
‘And are you meeting Ed later?’ She flutters her lashes, pouts and gives me a little knowing smile.
‘I am, but not in the way you mean. Remember, he’s married with two kids.’
‘Ah, right, so he is. So, how come you’re meeting up then?’
I stretch out my back, which is becoming stiff from sitting so long. ‘Nicolás, his friend– one of the three amigos as I’ve now nicknamed them– is having a barbecue and Ed invited me. I guess he felt sorry for me spending my birthday alone.’
‘Probably. You’re a total pity case.’
She laughs as I mimic slapping her across the face.
‘Just be glad you’re not closer or I’d give you a Chinese burn for that comment.’
‘Torture, hey, your new man might like that.’
I laugh. ‘I don’t have a new man, and even when I eventually do, that won’t be on the agenda.’
‘You say that now…’
‘Right, I’m going to go, as you’ve evidently been drinking a lot of that cocoa. Your brain is fried and you’re talking absolute nonsense.’ I pause for a second. ‘Not that there’s anything new with that.’
‘Har de har. You’re so funny. OK, have a fab time. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and if you meet any hot guys, or rather any more hot guys, send me pics.’
I shake my head. ‘You’re in a league of your own, you know that?’
She winks then blows me a kiss. ‘You know it. Bye, hon.’
I smile at the phone as Becca’s face disappears, then I finish my guaro sour and go to put my affairs in order.