A Good Runner: Part Nineteen

~ beetleypete

This is the nineteenth part of a fiction serial, in 749 words.

After two more nights in the hotel, Adrian was beside himself with boredom. He certainly didn’t want to travel alone to France, and the thought of going back to Kings Lynn and his parents was too dull to contemplate. But he knew he couldn’t just hang around wasting time in Dartford indefinitely. Angry at himself for being so weak as to let Sally use him like this, he advised the manager that he would be leaving the next morning, and paid his bill.

Back in the room as he was packing, the phone rang.

She was so casual, so innocent. He should have raged at her, but of course he didn’t.

“Hi, Adey. Hope you have enjoyed seeing Dartford. Pick me up early tomorrow and we can go to the travel agent and book the ferry for the following evening. We can get an overnight sailing, and arrive fresh”. He was confused. “But the ferry from Dover to Calais doesnt take that long, why do you say overnight?”. She answered in that way of hers, making him feel stupid. “We’re going to Normandy, so it makes sense to travel from Portsmouth to Cherbourg. That takes eight hours, but cuts down on hundreds of driving miles”.

Seeing her the next morning lifted his spirits. Her flowing dress and long wavy hair made her look so feminine, so desirable. The travel agent could get them on a car ferry the next night, but no cabins were available. they would have to do their best to sleep in the lounge, he told them. Before he could suggest an alternative route, Sally took over. “That’s okay, I can sleep anywhere. We will take it”. Turning to Adrian, she smiled. “I’ll wait in the car while you sort it out, can I have the keys?”

Although he had intended to pay, he thought she could have at least offered to contribute, so he could have gallantly turned down that offer.

Back at the house, she didn’t even invite him in. “You have your room until ten tomorrow? Okay, pick me up after that and we can have a slow drive to Portsmouth, stop somewhere for lunch on the way”. Not so much as a ‘thank you for paying’, or a kiss on the cheek.

When his car pulled up outside her house the next morning at ten-thirty, Sally must have been watching for it. She emerged from the front door carrying a huge rucksack, and Adrian opened the boot so she could dump it next to his suitcase. As they settled into the front of the car, Sally produced two ten pound notes. “My share of the petrol, that should cover us to Caen easily, and more besides”. For a second, he was going to refuse the money. But he thought twice, and slipped the notes into his blazer pocket.

Her choice of lunch stop was a cafe just outside the city of Portsmouth. It was a rough-looking place, the kind used by lorry drivers and men on motorbikes. As soon as they had sat down, Sally went over to the jukebox in the corner. She put the record ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ on to play three times. Smiling at Adrian, she asked, “Don’t you just love this?” He nodded, not bothering to tell her that he hated it, and preferred Classical music.

Sally ordered steak pie with vegetables, and though Adrian couldn’t really find anything to his taste on the limited menu, he settled for egg and chips and a cup of tea. They sat in that awful place for ages, Sally playing rubbish on the jukebox, and ordering an ice cream sundae and numerous frothy coffees. When she had finally eaten her fill and run out of music to listen to, she smiled at him. “See you in the car, Adey. Can I have the keys?”

He went up to the counter, and paid the bill.

On board the boat that evening, Sally bought duty free cigarettes and a bottle of vodka, then suggested dinner in the buffet restaurant. “Can you lend me the money please, Adey? I only have a little cash, and didn’t have time to get French Francs or traveller’s cheques”. That time, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. He felt a buzz from that, and paid up quite happily.

Sally slept soundly all night, her head in his lap.

But when they docked at seven the next morning, Adrian was exhausted.

40 thoughts on “A Good Runner: Part Nineteen”

  5. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…July 25th-31st July 2021…#Plastic Free July, Music, Tokyo, Cherry Blossom and Aime… … | Retired? No one told me!

  7. (1) “Adrian was beside himself with boredom.” That mirrors my situation, so I’m going to reflect on it.
    (2) To kill time, Adrian could visit Dartford Ford to check out the new Ford models.
    (3) It rains in Cherbourg. Bring umbrellas.
    (4) Bad citation: “Seeing her the next morning lifted his spirits. And if truth be told, her flowing dress lifted his libido.”
    (5) While Sally put on “A Whiter Shade Of Pale,” Adrian told the waitress that he preferred a darker shade of ale.
    (6) Adrian thought, “If she asks for the keys one more time, I’m going to sock it to her, and then lock her in the boot.”
    (7) “Sally slept soundly all night, her head in his lap. But when they docked at seven the next morning, Adrian was exhausted.” Do I really need to tell you what came to mind? #NC-17

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    1. I changed the destination from St Malo to Cherbourg just so you could reference that Deneuve film. Obviously, I am SO pleased you did!
      Sally asking for the keys all the time is deliberate, and is featured later.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Not good, lol. I’m going to have to miss the rest of your story, as I’m away tomorrow with no computer. There’ll be so many emails (probably around 2000) when I get back that I might have to delete them all.

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        1. Have a fresh start when you get back, that’s what I do. The serial will eventually be posted as a complete story, if you ever want to know how it ended. Have a nice break, Stevie. I hope the weather improves for you.
          Best wishes, Pete.

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