She'd had enough for one day by now and was glad to undress and be in a bed ten minutes later . It was difficult to sleep as Dave (as he now was ) couldn't get Chris out of his mind.
It was all crazy but it felt so right ? Did that mean that he was gay ? And as for Alison . Was she mad ? What was she thinking ?
He couldn't sleep so he got up to make himself a tea . He couldn't fight the nagging thought in his head . He would book a flight to Brussels in the morning .
Was he crazy as well ? What was he thinking ? Just even thinking about it was nuts . Had he completely lost it ?
But once he'd made his mind up in his head he knew it was the right decision .
After that he slept well and even when he woke up he knew that it was still the right decision.
After breakfast of porridge and toast which tasted better than any food he'd tasted for days , he had a phone call to make .
First it was Vince Atkinson. He dialled the number but after a few rings it went to voice box . He was secretly relieved .
"Hi Vince , it's Dave . I know it's short notice but I'm gonna take a few days off to sort myself out . See the doctor that kind of thing . Maybe talk to someone . Ok, I'll speak to you later . Bye ."
He cursed himself a bit for saying about the doctor but it just gave the message a bit more scope .
Then he went online to look at flights . He'd done it a few times before . Once on a vice case which involved Interpol , where
he'd met some Spanish police after a paedophile had absconded .
"Damn ! " the 15.30 was fully booked . So he checked the one after that . It was at 18.05 . There were still spaces left , so he went for that .
When he'd finally booked if and filled all the details in , he leaned back .
Fuck I need a coffee .
Am I doing the right thing ? Perhaps I should cancel . What about Chris ? Fuck what a mess ?
It was the right thing to do . It felt right . He decided not to tell Chris , it would have to wait . Maybe going later in the day was better it would give him more time .
Oh shit . I'd better ring Alison before I forget .
"Hi Alison it's Dave ."
"Hi Dave . I'm really sorry but it's not a good time . I'm just starting to pack."
"I know I'm coming with you ."
"WHAT !"
"I'm coming with you. I'm booked on the 6 o'clock flight tonight ."
There was a silence on the other end of the phone and the sound of confusion. "But are you sure ? What about work ? What changed your mind "
"I know it's mad but I'm coming with you ."
"Do you think I'm right then ?"
"I don't know but sometimes you have to go with gut instinct and I could do with a holiday anyway ." he laughed . "Where are you staying then ?"
"Oh shit I hadn't thought of that ."
"I'll text you my hotel details later . See if you can get in there"
"Ok thanks . Speak to you later . Bye ."
"Bye."
And that was that he was going away with someone he hardly knew , looking for someone who might be or might not be a serial murderer .
He decided that he needed some time out for an hour or two. He made a quit mental note of what he needed to take . It wouldn't be much anyway . It was only for a couple of days anyway .
Phone chargers ? Got . Passport ? Shit were was that? . Was it still valid after brexit ? Fuck. Checking in times ?
He rushed around his flat .
Phew passport. It was in one of the drawers in the kitchen . Checking in times . He looked online 2 hours before -so 4 o'clock . Brexit . Still valid until next year, job done .
That still gave him plenty of time . He drove down the road and bought some flowers from the newsagents .
It was the second time he'd stood bye the grave in a week . Sometimes he didn't come for months . I wish you were still here mum . God I miss you .
His Mum used to come to the grave every week for years . He never really got it but now he did . Just arranging the new flowers and changing the other ones helped . The old ones were still in pretty good nick . So he kept the best ones and added them to the new ones . Cleaning out the flower vase container and adding fresh water .
There were a few other people tending graves , everyone in their own world . Seeking comfort in their own way . It was nice , nothing else mattered for that short time .
By the time he got back to the flat it was just after eleven .
If he'd have thought about it he would have got a take-away on the way back . So instead he went into the freezer and fished out some frozen chips and a couple of burgers . They could cook while he packed his case.
Two hours was a long wait , so he got packed his pocket radio and a book in his hand luggage . It was 'To the lighthouse ' his Mum had been a Virginia Woolf obsessive and as well as all her books , she had all her letters and diaries as well .
While he was eating a text from Alison came through with the details of the hotel that she was staying at . It was called the 'Novotel Ghent Centrum' . Dave got it up on his phone . He had a quick look and it looked OK . It had a swimming pool as well . Not that he'd probably get time to use it. He went through the booking site of the hotel -and was lucky so he booked a room for 2 nights . He could always stay longer if need be .
By one o'clock he was more than ready . He'd already been killing time , so he decided to make a move . The airport was only twenty minutes away but he'd rather be there early . It was a Saturday as well and United were playing in a friendly at home . Which was still bound to draw a big crowd .
He was glad of the book because he arrived with plenty of time to spare . It wasn't really his thing but it passed the time . It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday evening . Alison would be nearly there he thought to himself. At the airport he'd gone into Burger King and had a whopper meal .
Shit .
He didn't mean to swear out loud .He put his hand over his mouth, but it was too late . Several people looked round .
He cursed himself . In all the rush he'd forgotten to exchange his money.
I'm not gonna do it here , I'll get ripped off I'm a captive audience . I'll wait until I get there . I'll just have to use my card. I wonder if Alison remembered !
The plane journey was pretty uneventful , it was low budget air travel but it was fine . The journey only lasted an hour and twenty five minutes . He was on the outside, next to him was a young black girl in her twenties . She was friendly and they chatted for lots of the time . She was from Liverpool and was going to meet her boyfriend who was at the Odisee university and was doing a Batchelor of Business management degree, which sounded very impressive to Dave. She looked very proud and in love when talking about him. His name was Joel and he was from Newcastle.
During a spell of not talking with Dee . Dave had a look on his phone to find out more about Ghent . It had a population of 250,00 it had made its money on the manufacturing of cloth in the Middle Ages and that archaeological research had discovered human settlement going back to prehistoric times . Trying to work out what their next move might be he came right up to date , by looking at Ghent nightlife and possible places they might find Martin . One possible link was the Oude Beestenmarkt which was apparently for party animals and a club in that area that looked promising was club 69. Dave knew it was immature but he couldn't help sniggering . What went on their he pondered ? Dee looked at him but never said anything . Thank god .
Just before turning of his phone he took a look at the LGBT scene in Ghent. Apparently it was a rainbow city and 10th on the list of being LGBT friendly . Perhaps that's what had drawn Martin here ?
He enjoyed looking at the air stewardesses in their blue uniforms . They were a lovely blue and showed of their legs wonderfully . He imagined when they un-bunched their hair from underneath the hats they wore it would come cascading down over their shoulders. He'd love to have had a uniform like that of his own . Perhaps Chris would like it . God what was he thinking !
By the time that the plane had landed and Dave had collected his luggage it was getting on for half past eight . He stood on the tarmac outside the main entrance . Well he was here now . There's no going back . Alison would be there by now . She'd probably had dinner by now .
He looked around slightly confused as to where to go next . Luckily there was a tall man who looked like they worked at the airport, standing a few feet away from him.
"Where's the railway station to Ghent ? he asked slowly, but he needed of worried the man who looked to be in his mid- thirties spoke perfectly English and explained to him that he needed to go underneath the airport to the railway station.
He had to go down to level -1 via a direct lift which was easy enough and he found himself opposite the ticket office. Once again language didn't prove to be a problem and neither did using his debit card to buy his ticket, the woman behind the Perspex glass informed there was a train at 20-50 , which gave him about fifteen minutes .
To get down to the platform he had to go down another via a lift . Eventually he found himself on the platform waiting for the train to Gent-Sint-Pieters station .
He found a seat to sit down and while he was looking around he noticed a sign about being vigilant in the wake of a terrorist attack at the airport in 2016 .
While he was waiting he decided to give Alison a call . He wasn't sure if he'd have to pay more but hoped that it would be OK . He couldn't really think about that technically the U.K was still in the Eu for the moment , so he didn't think that it would be too much of a problem .
The phone rang a few times before he heard a female voice .
"Hi , where are you ?"
"I'm at the station at the airport. "
"Great ,the hotel is really nice ."
"Oh good . My trains due soon, it takes about fifty minutes . Oh how far is it from the station to the hotel ?"
"I got a taxi , it took about fifteen minutes ."
"Oh shit . I haven't got any euros ."
"Look don't worry . I'll wait outside and pay the driver when you arrive ."
"Really ! Are you sure. That would be a great help."
"No problem . See you soon ."
"Ok bye ."
"Bye Dave ."
Well at least that was one less thing to worry about . It wasn't long before he saw the welcoming site of the train . Once it had pulled in he got on and found a seat comfortably . He found himself sitting opposite an elderly gentleman who appeared to be wearing a trilby hat . The man smiled at him and spoke .
"I'm sorry but I don't understand ." he gestured with his hands embarrassed ."
"Oh you English ?" the man pulled himself up in his seat some what excitedly ."
"Yes I am ."
"Oh England of the green and pleasant lands , Winston Churchill , Shakespeare , Byron , Keats ." the man was gushing in enthusiasm.
Dave nodded not quite sure how to react.
"So which part of England are you from? "
"I live in Manchester ."
"Manchester how wonderful . George Best , Sir Alex , New order , The Smiths . " the older man was in his element .( Dave decided against telling him that he was a city fan . ) " I lived in England for four years in the 1970s and used to go back regularly .
"Where about's did you live then . ?"
" I lived in York . I went to university there . I saw The Who in Leeds , amazing . Best gig of my life ."he was beaming ."Good times ."
"Oh really ! " Dave was impressed . Although not a massive Who fan , he liked some of their stuff and new how important they were to the music industry .
"So do you live in Brussels?" asked Dave .
" About 25 kilometres outside . I live in a city called Leuven ."
"Really ! " Dave was genuinely excited ." I did a bit of family tree history and my great grandmother was