The trip had been on their to-do list – but was Gilly ready to spread her wings and go it alone?
BY JANE CORRY
A spring break.
“That’s what we both need,” her friend Pam had said in February when the rain refused to stop, both outside and also in Gilly’s heart.
“A dose of Spanish sunshine would do us the world of good.”
“I don’t know,” said Gilly doubtfully.
Spain was one of the places on The List that she and Ken had drawn up for his retirement when his pension came through. They’d had so many plans.
But then he’d got ill…
“He’d want you to do it, love,” insisted Pam.
Gilly knew she was right, but it had only been a year. Besides, she’d never travelled on her own before. In the past, they’d had the odd weekend away at a B&B in Sussex because, as Ken said, they needed to save up for rainy days.
Enjoyable as it was, she’d always yearned to go abroad.
“Promise me to do The List,” said her husband towards the end. “I want you to enjoy life.”
But how could she? Ken had been her rock.
“Look,” said Pam handing her a holiday offer leaflet in the coffee shop they’d taken to meeting up in to get her out of the house. “Costa Blanca looks lovely, doesn’t it?”
Her daughter was enthusiastic, too. “You need a change of scene, Mum.”
It seemed everyone was determined to send her packing.
Then, the day before they were due to fly out, Pam’s daughter rang. “Mum’s broken her leg getting the suitcase down from the wardrobe. She’s just come out of the op, but she’s asked me to say that she wants you to still go to Spain.”
“On my own?”
“She also said that Ken would want you to.”
Her daughter agreed. “Dad certainly wouldn’t have wanted you to lose the money by cancelling the holiday.”
So, with a beating heart and butterflies in her stomach, Gilly found herself getting the coach to the airport.
Goodness! There were so many people here and so many machines to go through. Then a sign flashed up to say the flight had been delayed. Oh no!
“Does that mean something is wrong with the plane?” she heard herself ask.
“They wouldn’t take off if they were worried,” said the young man standing next to her.
“But how can you be sure?” she said.
“Because I’m a steward. I’m not working today, but I can tell you that we all take safety very seriously.”
It turned out th
