Don't Call Me Baby

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Koala and Kangaroo

It was a very bleary eyed Lola who turned up at Heathrow the next morning. I wasn't a regular traveler. In fact the only time I had been on a plane was when I was at uni and there was a field trip to Florence. Otherwise I had never been abroad. Girls like me were not born to be jetsetters, and when I entered the terminal I was immediately confused as to what to do and where to go. I was relieved when Julian found me standing in front of the flight display clearly looking perplexed.

"This way Lola," he instructed, taking my elbow to guide me forward, with a bemused smile on his face, sensing I was bewildered.

Joe and Pam had got there slightly earlier and we joined them in the queue. Pam was standing very close to Joe. It looked like she was holding his hand surreptitiously and, as I was grumpy having to wake up extra early this morning, I was not happy to see this. We handed over our passports to the ticket attendant and waited for our boarding passes.

The flight was short, only an hour and by 10:00am we were at the hotel ready to check in when disaster struck. Inexperienced at booking travel arrangements online I had apparently only booked two hotel rooms and not four. Everyone turned around to glare at me. Apparently there was a banking conference in town and there were no extra rooms, not in this hotel or any other nearby. One of the rooms was a double and the other a twin. Dilemma time!

After conferring, in which I was not allowed an opinion suddenly being in everyone's bad books, it was agreed that Pam and I would share the double and the men would take the twin. Well, duh, that really was a foregone conclusion as heterosexual men are rarely in agreement to share a bed!

We had about an hour to freshen up as Bernhard was meeting us down in the lobby to take us to lunch before our tour of his stores started. When we got to our room Pam couldn't miss the opportunity to poke fun at my organisational skills. Whatever! I thought rolling my eyes, get over it. Like I really wanted to share a room, let alone a bed, with Miss Pneumatic. I quickly washed my face, tied back my hair and left the room in a mood.

As I was down in the lobby early I met Bernhard first. As usual, he was at his most charming, gentlemanly self, kissing my hand in greeting. At last, someone to cheer me up. I warned him the others were a bit annoyed and when I told him why he laughed. He told me the costumes had arrived safely at his office and were giving his staff some amusement when they unpacked them and hung them up.

"You got them specially made?"

"Yeah, someone Julian knew. Thank goodness as I was having a hard time sourcing them."

"I thought so when I saw them."

"They are good aren't they?" I smiled in amusement.

"Very good. And remind me Lola, who is the Koala?"

"Julian,"

"Ah, well, I am sure he will be... very happy to wear it." We laughed again.

The others joined us and we went off to lunch. The afternoon went slowly. It's not very exciting touring supermarkets. I was in an especially bad mood as Pam insisted on holding hands with Joe when she thought no one was looking. It didn't pass me by, or Julian either. "Don't worry Lola, it's just a job," Julian reassured me as we watched them touring an aisle of soft drinks.

"Yeah, so you both keep saying," I said uncharitably, stomping off to be on my own. Julian was the last person I wanted to discuss my jealousy with.

There was a dinner that evening with the top sales people in Bernhard's company so I wore the red dress again. I really should have shopped for more evening wear and not just underwear I thought. However, I was pleased that Pam and Joe were separated at dinner and when we returned to the hotel we all had a quick nightcap in the hotel bar and then decided to have an early night.