Chapter 4

Lauren left the house with her parents just before eight in the morning the next Friday, an ungodly hour for anything in Lauren's mind. The fields were dew-filled and the tinkling of cowbells was the only sound that could be heard in the village that Sunday morning. She sat in the front while her mother took the back seats, nursing the suitcases that contained everything that Lauren thought should could possibly need.

"Now, did you pack your socks?"

"Yes mum"

"What about jumpers and cardigans, I don't remember seeing any of those go in"

"Yes mum. Look, I've got everything, honest." She stared out the window at the little flower beds as the car reversed out of the driveway. A black crow at the side of the house was banging a snail on the ground, teasing it out of it's little house.

"What about addresses, did you remember your address book?" asked her father. "Passport, visa, letter of introduction, money"

"Yep, all together in my hand luggage."

"OK, let's go then" said her father, his enthusiasm as thin as the morning sunshine. She glanced at him, aware that he was visibly moved by the occasion. They traveled in silence to the airport, acutely aware with every kilometer that passed their time together grew shorter.

They parked and made their way to the International departures building, checking in two hours before the scheduled flight time as required. Lauren felt miserable, even more so as she saw tears welling up in her mother's eyes. They passed under the replica of a bi- plane as they made their way to a small cafe, fussing over the menu while her father hurried off to buy her newspapers for the flight. A hour before departure, she decided that she had to say good-bye, before she sobbed in front of them. They made their way to passport control, where she dropped her hand luggage and hugged her father and mother in turn. As she strode up to the clerk, she turned and waved, then went through the gate, disappearing out of sight.

Following the signs for Duty Free, she went down the escalator and grabbed a basket. Loaded up with several bars of Swiss chocolate and a presentation case of German wine, she paid and walked to her gate. Her spirits had lifted considerably by the time she sat down and watched the planes taking off. Half an hour later she was strapped in to seat 55F. She was somewhat pleased to find a young man in the next seat, and stared nervously out of the window as the plane gathered speed and she took the first airplane ride of her life.

It lifted effortlessly into the air, banking almost immediately to the right. She gripped the armrests tightly and looked around in a panic as a loud grinding noise came from below.

"Just the undercarriage. It'll stop soon, don't worry!" He had a soft voice, but with an edge of authority and knowledge. About twenty- five, thought Lauren, no wedding ring, nice looking. Big brown eyes. Needs a shave.

"Oh, that's what I thought" she replied, her voice betraying her.

"It's more worrying if you don't hear it just before you land!" he said, laughing.

"Hmm." Lauren forced a smile. His knees dug into the seat in front of him, squashing the in-flight magazines and sick bag.

"First time?"

"Yeah." Lauren turned nervously to the window and saw the tiny villages below her growing smaller as the plane climbed. The plane banked hard to the right again and Lauren gripped the arm-rests, the wing dipping as though trying to touch the ground for reassurance. Then the view was lost, replaced by swirling grey cloud, and almost as quickly, the plane burst through into the open, the sun shining brilliantly across the mountain tops, glinting against the snow and almost blinding Lauren with the beauty of the panoramic view.

She settled in her seat, glanced obliquely in the direction of the young man, and pulled out a magazine. He was tall, probably six or seven inches taller than her, broad- shouldered, confident in his actions and the mysteries of international flight. She leafed through the pages idly, glancing occasionally at the cabin staff as they bustled with the pre-lunch drinks. As they ate, their conversation began again. Lauren had relaxed, assisted by the wine, and discovered that he was a journalist, on his way to cover the elections in San Falino. He seemed to have traveled to many countries in the past few months, Beirut, Baghdad, Columbia, all on what he called special assignments.

"They pay more. There's an acknowledged degree of danger for a journalist because you have to get right up to the front line, so to speak."

"So who buys your story?" asked Lauren, enamored by the profile he presented of a super sleuth in search of the truth.

"Oh, it depends. If it's current events, then the news wires use it. You know, Reuters, Dow Jones, Associated Press. Otherwise, anyone who wants to buy it. It gets syndicated out as a full blown story. If you're lucky"

"San Falino isn't exactly full of news though, is it?" suggested Lauren.

"Nope, not today. But if the Nationalists do well in the election there could be trouble for the government. There's always been a divide between the north and south of the country, between rich and poor. The south has traditionally been concerned with banking and finance, while the north is the workhorse, manufacturing and farming. Now there's a recipe that I've heard a hundred times before. This is the first election that they've allowed in over thirty years, ever since the military took over back in the early sixties.

Lauren looked at her food and wondered if her father had known this before she left. She thought he probably did because he was in touch regularly with the San Falino Foreign Office.

"You'll be OK, you're going to be in the south, pretty close to the capital. That's some of the best countryside as well. Beautiful beaches!"

"Have you been there?"

"Sure. I took a holiday down there after an assignment once. Very nice. That was maybe five or six years ago - it was ridiculously cheap."

"They've got things like electricity, and water, right?" asked Lauren frowning.

"Of course. Just some of the areas are slums, very poor people there. Not the sort of sight you'll find in Switzerland, believe me. What are you going there for?" he asked.

"I'm going as an au pair to the Swiss Ambassador to San Falino. Well, more sort of a nanny for his children."

"Oh, I've seen him, now what's his name, er, Gustav Rivera, right?"

"Yes, you're right" said Lauren happily. "It's Emma and Jamie that I'll be looking after."

"My names Peter" he said, offering his hand.

"Lauren." She shook his hand and they ate again in silence.

She managed to get an hours sleep after the film but woke after her blanket fell off with a pain in her shoulder from being squashed up against the window. She looked behind her, checking that the toilet was vacant, and tried to step over Peter who was slouched down in the seat. She trod on a bag between the seats and almost lost her balance. He woke and steadied her, gripping her waist as she hopped over into the aisle. He was fully awake when she returned, and curled up in the seat to let her pass. She looked down at his trousers and wondered if the bulge was a sign of endowment or a bad tailor. She smiled to herself as she sat down and glanced at his nose. Nikki had said that some people thought that a nose indicated the size of a man's penis, and some others said their fingers were also a good measure. Lauren looked at his fingers, and wondered who she should compare them against. Dismissing the thought, she pulled the blanket around her, poured the remainder of her wine into the plastic glass, and took up her magazine again.

"Anything interesting?" asked Peter.

She turned to him and smiled. Somehow he must have been able to shave because the stubble that she had noticed before had gone. He was refreshed and alert as he looked at her, waiting for her response. They chatted for a long time, exploring each other's backgrounds at high speed, cutting corners and giving details that would normally take several encounters. The subject came up of leaving home, and family and friends, something that they both had in common. A little of Lauren's sadness returned.

"I'm not going to be gone for long. Six months maybe" she said.

"Yeah, it's tough on them as well. They've no idea really where you are or what sort of environment you're in. On the phone you'll say things are fine, but you'll miss home. What about Nikki, will she come and see you?"

"Oh God, I hope so. I'm going to miss her the most!"

"More than your boyfriend?"

"Well..." Lauren started to explain. Her words got caught somewhere on the way and she looked down, acutely aware that with every passing millisecond the real answer was being conveyed. She gulped from her wine glass.

"You have both?"

Lauren smiled with a cheeky grin as her eyes lit up in affirmation. "God, I can't believe I told you!"

"That's because it doesn't matter." he said, shrugging his shoulders and looking away. "In four hours time you'll go out of the airport exit and I'll transfer to another flight. I think you're very brave." he

said, touching her arm. He waited before adding "Do they both know about the other?"

"Oh yes. For years. Oh God, that sounds awful, doesn't it?" she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Why can't you just have your fair share like anyone else?" he said with mock irritation.

"Peter, it's like two different worlds. Nikki is so gentle and it's like

she's an instant expert because she knows instinctively what to do." Lauren sat up in her seat and turned to the young man. "What about you?"

"Just one girlfriend." he said, smiling at his joke. "I've only known her six months."

"You don't sound too enthusiastic"

"It's difficult to have a sensible relationship when I'm away all the time. I was thinking about it last week, and I really believe I try and find girls that I don't really like so that when they write and say 'au revoir' then I simply shrug it off and carry on". She saw his eyes wander from her lips down to her breasts. Chemicals stood to attention inside her.

"Did you sleep with her?" Lauren heard the words come from her mouth with disbelief.

"Sure, a couple of nights ago, but it was awkward. We only did it because I was leaving. There's never any time to learn about what each other likes and dislikes."

Lauren exhaled, suddenly realising that the rules of the conversation were so simple. There were no rules. Except to keep the volume low.

"Have you ever done it with another boy. Or man" she said clumsily.

"No, everyone in school seemed to check everyone else out, making sure we all had the right equipment, but that was it. The idea of playing with another man doesn't interest me, and as for having something like that inside me, well, no thanks." he said, staring at his lap. Lauren knew that that avenue of conversation was firmly closed. Her eyes followed his gaze down to his lap. She thought the bulge was larger. "What about you, did you say good- bye to them both at the same time?" he asked.

Chapter 5 »