Charlie Fox, my university crush, is now divorced. A little birdie (Instagram) tells me he’s back at his parents’ house in Kettering until he gets back on his feet. He’s also grown a wispy little fart of a moustache. It’s ridiculous.
Workwise, it’s been stressful but worth it. I was headhunted by JY Marketing. I’m now head of marketing at their big, shiny impressive offices in Harrow. The last Friday of every month is bring your dog to work day. My rescue Pug, Pasha, enjoys this as much as I do. Kieran has also been offered a position. I hope he takes it. I miss him.
Most importantly, it’s been two years since a handsome man with dark brown eyes and stubble picked up my room card and we’ve been inseparable since. I’ve even met his kids and it’s all going rather swimmingly.
I point my camera at Naomi. She stops pouting for three seconds while I take a photo. Naomi has the type of face where she could be running from a swarm of bees and still look photogenic.
‘Five days of sun, sea and all the cocktails your liver will allow,’ I tell her. ‘Five days of sleeping as long as you like. Five days where you don’t have to be a stressed-out mum.’
‘It doesn’t work like that,’ she informs me. ‘My children still exist and they will call me continuously to remind me of this fact.’
‘Fair point.’
She follows me to the pool bar.
‘Philip will be miserable while I’m gone,’ she says, her flip-flops slapping against the pool deck. ‘His mother is coming to help with the kids. She’ll be trying to feed them turkey dinosaurs and chocolate cereal. She’s also terrified of chickens.’
‘He’ll handle it. I know you’ve never spent a week away from them but everyone will manage,’ I assure her. ‘Philip, his mother, the kids, the dogs, the chickens, even those foxes you feed discount meat to– ’
‘Bill and Hilary.’
‘– will be absolutely fine.’
There’s a small part of me that understands how she feels. Even though I know the owner of Woofy Kennels will take excellent care of Pasha, it still pains me to leave him.
‘I understand the concept of getting married in the place you fell in love but did it have to be Italy?’ she asks. ‘Somewhere like the KFC in Whitby is far more geographically convenient for me. . . but I guess it makes sense. You fall in love in Italy, you get married in Italy.’
‘Exactly,’ I say. ‘And who doesn’t love a good wedding?. . . Margarita?’
‘You ready to go?’ Naomi asks, fiddling with the hem of my dress. My cabin looks like a bomb has gone off. Clothes, make-up, toiletries strewn everywhere.
‘Yep,’ I reply. ‘Naomi, you’re going to rip it if you’re not careful.’
‘Sorry,’ she replies, still fussing. ‘Weddings are stressful and it was sitting all skew-whiff. You’ll be glad it’s only a civil ceremony, otherwise we’d all be tripping over each other in traditional stuffy gowns.’
I nod, admiring my newly straightened hem in the mirror. ‘Simple is better, right? Mum thinks so too.’
‘You seem nervous,’ she says, nudging me out of the way to admire her own half-braided updo.
‘I am a little,’ I reply. ‘I’m happy, of course. . . I just keep thinking about my dad, you know. If he was here and—’
‘If he was here, it would be weird because he’s dead.’
As inappropriate as it is, I can’t help but laugh.
‘This is a good thing,’ she softly assures me. ‘A happy occasion. Remember that. OK. We’re done. Is your mum good to go?’
‘She’s on her way.’
‘OK then.’ Naomi grabs her bag. ‘See you in the Chill Lounge!’
One last look in the mirror and I head out to meet Mum.
Once the place of disastrous singles’ mixers, I find myself back at the Chill Lounge. Everyone is here. Mum’s sister Jean has come over from Spain with my cousin Ali, Paul’s younger brother Alexander and his wife, Bridgette, Mum’s closest friend, as well as some others I haven’t been properly introduced to yet.
They’ve placed white-linen-covered chairs on each side of the room, leaving a small aisle in between. I spot Ellis in his uniform. Goddammit, he looks handsome. I feel very lucky.
I take Mum’s arm and we begin to walk. Ten short steps later we reach the end of the aisle. I turn to Mum and hug her.
