Starting Over

Chapter three

After lunch there was a round of ‘Jenga’ played with two foot by one foot pieces of wood. Ellen was flaked out on a lounger high above the beach, overlooking the sea. She had a large floppy sunhat the shade of which covered her eyes but her eyes were closed as she listened to an old Beatles album. She had hundreds of songs on her iPod, but for some reason she was listening to some melancholy from the masters of the sixties. She hummed along to ‘While my Guitar Gently weeps’, but when   ‘Yesterday’ came on, she quickly flicked to another playlist. Yesterday all her troubles had been so far away. And now? Ellen couldn’t think like that anymore. She had no money, no job and no home. She had to make the most of this retreat because there were only hard times ahead.....

Sighing she tuned back into the Crowded House track that now blasted through her earphones, she really was having an easy listening day today. As she chuckled to herself a splash of ice cold water hit her bare and sun warmed belly. With a screech she sat bolt upright fighting to see the culprit against the glare of the sun, there was no one around, other than two elderly couples who were also lounging, but now looking at her with bemusement.

Then she spotted it, the peak of a navy hat disappearing back around the waist high wall to her right. Jumping up she strode across the terrace and rested her elbows on the stone looking down at the crouching figure of Jan.

Sensing her above, he looked up with a grin, a water pistol in his hand, “sorry, I couldn’t resist it! You were asleep...” he rose to his feet, a good four inches taller than her, had she ever thought him average height? “And you refuse to join in....or smile....”

With that he gave her a huge beaming smile.

It floored her and diminished her anger, “low shot Jan, low shot!”

He chuckled, “but SO well timed. I don’t know your name...”

“Ellen,” she smiled, “and where I come from knowing the name should precede dousing someone with a water pistol!”

“Well I didn’t think that Miss Cold Shoulder would offer that information. Now can I interest you in a game of bowling?”

Ellen grinned but shook her head, “no, I’m relaxing thanks.”

Nodding knowingly he leaned in and added in a whisper, “I guessed as much, nice bikini by the way!” Turning before she could respond, he was bellowing in four or five languages and gathering up the competitive holiday makers and walking off into the distance. As she looked down she blushed, she’d chosen bikinis for a new husband, this one was a zebra print halter neck top with fairly sensible bottoms, but the soft cups of the top were struggling to contain her ample chest , it took a gasp and a jiggle to get herself back into position. 

She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes the terrace was quiet, most people having gone to dress for dinner, her watch told her it was six, she groaned, glad that she was in the partial shade. Pulling herself up, she was sliding her arms into a kaftan when a cough from behind alerted her.

Turning she saw Jan stood there.

“A better hello than cold water! Well done!”

He grinned, “I came to ask if you want to join me, and some of the other workers this evening? It’s Friday and we’re all heading to a town a few miles away. It’s a blast anyway, but tonight is a fiesta. You look like you could do with some party time?”

She froze, the last thing she wanted was a date whilst her heart was still paining from all it’s suffering the last few weeks. 

Spotting her hesitation he added rapidly, “I’m not suggesting a date. You’re on your own here, there are barely any other single people, you’ll like it. It’s a fun place.”