Taking Off
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Katie woke up with pins and needles in her right arm. She pulled it towards her from under Céline’s shoulder but Céline stirred, forcing her to halt half way through her manoeuvre. Céline groaned and yawned a couple of French words while Katie extracted herself from under Céline and started rubbing her limb to bring the blood back into it.
“Bonjour,” Céline said.
“And bonjour to you. Did you sleep well?”
“Very well, thank you. The last thing I remember is kissing you and… and…” Céline’s eyes moved upwards, as if she tried to decipher some writing on her own forehead. “Oh no, did I fall asleep? I’m so sorry.”
“Yes, you did but don’t worry about it, I dozed off too. Too much alcohol I guess.”
“Yes, my head is in my ass today.”
“Pardon?”
“My head is in my ass.”
Katie laughed. “I’m guessing that’s a French expression?”
“That’s what we say when you have drunk too much the night before. Isn’t it what you say?”
“No. Hangover, that’s what we say. You’re hangover and I am as well.”
“Have you got any coffee? I could do with a big cup of strong coffee.”
“I’ll nip down the shop. Stay in bed, I’ll bring back coffee and croissant in ten minutes.”
“I’d rather a pain au chocolat if they have any.”
“Pain au chocolat it is then.”
“I’ll have breakfast then I’ll have to go home, my husband will wonder where I’ve been.”
“Your husband?”
“Yes. It was only for the night, no? You’re going back to London in four days anyway.”
“Sure, no strings attached.” Katie gathered her clothes that Céline had scattered around the floor a few hours before, dressed herself and went to the bathroom. “Use me, be my guest.”
“What? Did you say something?”
“Nothing.”
“What are you doing in there? I need coffee.”
She sighed, brushed her hair and left her holiday studio flat.
***
Katie wandered down the aisle of the local supermarket, picking up a box of biscuits, a tin of instant coffee, a pack of four pains au chocolat and a bottle of Coke. Two women exchanged business cards in front of the fridge with all the cheeses and salami and Katie leant over the shortest one to fetch a bunch of mini-Babybels. While in the queue waiting for her turn to pay, she played with the red fishnet wrapping, driving her little finger through three holes before twisting it. As she reached the counter, she searched for her wallet in her jacket. She couldn’t find it but retrieved enough loose change from her various pockets to cover the cost of all her items.
“Are you OK madam?” the shop assistant asked.
“Yes I’m fine, thanks. I can’t find my wallet, that’s all.”
“As long as it’s at your home, everything is OK.”
“Yes, I’m sure I’ve left it there.” Katie stared at the white wall behind him, trying to visualise her wallet. Two people commented impatiently in French behind her but she ignored them, her eyes riveted to the images her memory threw at her. “Shit! I forgot my bag at Sarah’s!” She grabbed what she had bought and made for the door.
***
After Céline had eaten her breakfast and left, Katie walked to Sarah’s. The heat reddened her cheeks and she stopped at the train station to freshen up in its public facilities. Her hair had curled up from the humidity in the air and she brushed it twice. She then ran a comb through it and winced as it pulled out a few hairs, which she rolled into a ball between her fingers and tossed into the bin in the corner.
The woman at the sink next to her was cleaning her teeth with toilet paper. A sour smell filled up the whole room. Katie looked away as she splashed some water underneath her skirt and dried herself with an old towel she took out of a plastic bag with a broken handle.
“Il n’y a rien à voir,” the woman said.
“Pardon?”
“You American lady?”
“British.”
“There is nothing to look at. I clean myself, you don’t look, OK?”
“Yes. Sorry.”
Katie put her comb back in her handbag and unpeeled a five Euros note which was stuck to her lip gloss. The woman glanced at it through the mirror, blushed, gathered her belongings and rushed out. Katie put some perfume on to cover up the smell that lingered. She put the money in her jacket and zipped up the pocket.
Outside, on a bench, the old woman stretched her legs, her eyes closed, and a man next to her sang Indian music. As Katie walked by, the man called out to her.
“Vous aimez la danse?”
She didn’t understand and picked up her pace. He got up, ran past her, stopped a few yards further down the path and forced his body into the shape of a cup. A few seconds later, he morphed into a flower. He slid his legs over the ground like a snake and pivoted his arms around his torso like a wine bottle opener. Then he laughed. Someone behind Katie clapped. Katie put the five Euros note into the hat he passed around the crowd.
***
“Are you sure you’ve left your backpack here?” Sarah asked.
“Yes. I took my bottle of wine out and I dumped it next to the pile of coats in your bedroom.”
“You were quite drunk, maybe you brought it back home and forgot all about it.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I didn’t. When we left, we only meant to go to the shop to get more booze. I wouldn’t have taken my bag with me.”
“No offence mate, but it wouldn’t be the first time that you’re losing something while drunk, only to find it safe and sound a few days later.”
“It’s different, I know what I’m doing now.”
“But you were pretty wasted last night.”
“Yes but not enough to have a blackout. I know what I did and I’m telling you, I left my bag here.”
“We‘ve looked everywhere, it’s not here. How do you explain that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe someone took it?”
“My friends aren’t thieves!”
“That’s not what I meant. Someone could have taken it by mistake.”
“Have you checked with Céline?”
“She was still with me when I realised I had left it here. In fact, I was buying her breakfast.”
“You slept with her?”
“So what? I’m on holidays, where’s the harm in that?”
“You know you can’t risk going down that road again.”
“I know and I won’t. I’ve got it all under control now, trust me.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Katie and Sarah finished clearing out the mess from the party. Half empty glasses, crisps sticking to the furniture, a couple of broken wine bottles in the kitchen. Sarah swore she would not host such a big party again while they ate a chocolate cake they found in the fridge.
