Starting Over

Starting Over - Chapter Two

By eight pm that evening Ellen was once again tucked away at the back of the patio when the now familiar voice of Jan boomed out his usual “Hah-low!” He was accompanied by Amelia and they burst into the usual four language dialogue in rapid and faultless tones, laughing with the children, dancing with the parents, they were a slick team. But it didn’t mean that she wanted a part of it. 

The thought of tonight’s “Pop force”, an act listed as “80’s Europop at its best” wasn’t the most inspiring, but she knew it was too early to head to bed; she didn’t get much sleep the previous night. 

Two men in their twenties were stood at the poolside bar buying cocktails, laughing loudly as they asked for lewd sounding versions; much to the young bar tender’s chagrin. Tutting she shook her head softly.

A deep voice whispered, “they’re just enjoying themselves!”

She spun around and came face to face with Jan, his dark beady eyes assessing her in a rather unsavoury manner. She raised an eyebrow in what she hoped appeared a questioning manner, but was really a defensive ploy. So he continued.

“This is a holiday time, it’s good for people to relax, laugh.” She felt herself flush dramatically, suddenly she was embarrassed, here was this man judging her. She floundered for words, and so he added, “I’m sorry to embarrass you, but you look so sad, and we in Animacion pride ourselves on making the guests here happy. When I see you sad, I feel like I’ve failed!” He waggled his eyebrows in a gesture that he hoped would lighten the mood.

She tried to smile, “some people are immune to singing and dancing...”

He shook his head, “Damn! I’ve made you even more sad now! I am sorry. Please stay, watch the show?”

“It’s ok; I’m going for a walk anyway.”

With that she ran away with her tail between her legs. 

Ellen scuffed her bare feet over the sand, her sandals hanging from her fingers as she walked. She was a contrary cow, she could see that now. She was scorning people who were enjoying themselves, just because she couldn’t. That only made her realise even more that she needed to break away, get away from these happy people, stop dragging them down. 

When she could hear the applause that signified the end of the show, she made her way back to the terrace, she fancied an Irish coffee, that would help her relax and maybe sleep, the alcohol would outweigh the caffeine. The barman raised his eyebrows in surprise at her order, but told her to sit; he’d bring it out to her. She took a seat at a table a little distance from the bar and relaxed, for the first time in days. Quite a few people were leaving the terrace, romanticised couples and families, as the music quietened she closed her eyes and waited for her coffee.

“Coffee senorita?” the soft voice of the barman dragged her from her moment of serenity. Thanking him she took a sip then watched a dozen people dancing in front of the stage. She chuckled at the taller of the two men who’d been ordering the cocktails earlier as he re-enacted Dirty Dancing with his partner, culminating with ‘the lift’.

“You see? I told you people were just having fun!”

She flicked her head in the direction of the voice and flinched as her eyes landed on Jan at the exact moment her mind placed the deep voice. She couldn’t put an age on him, he looked twenty, twenty one, with his youthful looks, but he seemed to have a maturity that belied that. She found in disconcerting not to be able to read him, but then she’d read Richard totally wrong.....