Installment number 9

In the morning, Janet wasn't anywhere to be seen, so I got up, showered and dressed and wandered out looking for her. The man on reception, Tim, told me that she'd gone out for the day. I hadn't yet decided whether I liked my so-called guardian angel or not, but I didn't like being alone. Tim didn't really have time to talk to me. I wandered into the village. There wasn't much there: a small cafe, a pub, a shop that seemed more like a museum with its old trinkets and gadgets. The cafe seemed too open and public. I kind of wanted to hide away, so I entered the pub and ordered a cider. I had checked the clock and it was afternoon, so I decided that was ok, seeing as I was clearly on holiday. It came in a big old fashioned pint glass with a handle on the side and was a kind of greeny-yellow colour and cloudy. I sat at the bar sipping it. After about 15 minutes of sitting contemplating the decor, a man walked in and sat beside me.

"Evening," he said.
"Um... good afternoon."
"Yeah, whatever. You're new," he spoke in a very similar fashion to the woman who I'd met in the pub in Cardiff; it wasn't a question, but a statement.
"Yeah, I'm staying at the guesthouse down the road."
"Ah, Janet's new bit of stuff."
"Um... not really. I'm here with Janet, but not... not like..."
"I know how it is. Don't worry. We know all about Janet here. She's a regular part of the scenery here."
"It's not like that at all. I'm not involved with her."
"I don't care either way, love. Want another?"
I shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

He signalled to the barman, who brought another pint of cider and one of bitter over. We sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping at our drinks, gazing into the distance.

"When's Elena coming?"
"What?"
"Elena. She usually comes here when Janet brings someone here."
"But, then why did Janet bring me here?"
The man shrugged, "How would I know what goes on in that guesthouse?"
"You seem to know a lot more than I do."
"Janet brings someone here. They stay a few days, usually hardly leave the guesthouse, and then Elena comes and they all leave again. It's about the biggest drama Ogmore-by-Sea has, so we all know that much, but what goes on in that guesthouse - that, I'd like to know."
I shrugged, "Nothing so far. I slept."
"Well, you feel free to come back and tell me when you know. I could get many a free drink if I had that tale to tell."
"I'm really not sure there's anything to tell. I needed to get away. Janet brought me here."
The man grunted and both finished our pints in silence.
"I'm going to head back to the guesthouse, I think."
"Ok," he said, "You be sure to come back and talk to me another day."
"Um... yeah, sure, I'll try."
"Goodbye, now."
"Goodbye."

I took a long route back to the guesthouse. The cider had gone to my head and the cool sea breeze helped to refresh me. The scenery was beautiful. There were a few large white stones that had been imbedded into the earth and here, unlike any other place I had seen, they had managed to remain free of grafitti. They stuck up about a foot above the ground and I sat down on one of them looking out at the waves breaking. I completely lost track of time and by the time I returned to the guesthouse, it was nearly 7.

"Where the hell have you been?"
"I went for a walk. You weren't here. I was bored."
"Christ! I was worried about you."
"Why? I thought no-one could find me here."
"Well, that may not be entirely true, or not the whole story, anyway."
"So, what is?"
"It's complicated."
"Everything's complicated. Tell me."
"The police won't come here; you're safe from them. They'll never find you here. That's what you wanted, right?"
"Yes, it's what I wanted."
"Good. No problem then."
"But I have to stay in this room?"
"No, it's fine. Just tell me if you're going out."
"You weren't here. I told Tim."
"Ok, hon. I'm sorry. I was just worried. I am supposed to look after you, aren't I?"
"I guess so."
"Have you eaten?"
I wasn't terribly happy being fobbed off, but I didn't really want to argue either, "No."
"But you've been drinking?"
"What are you? My mother?"
"I'm your guardian angel, darling," she said, laughing slightly, "I just meant that you shouldn't probably drink on an empty stomach. C'mon, let's get some food."

We went to the dining room in the guesthouse and were served delicious food with a bottle of very, very cold zinfandel, which I assume Tim must have replaced a couple of times, because the wine kept pouring, but I never noticed if he did. I don't remember what we talked about, but the mood was light and I found myself totally at ease.

***

After dinner, I fell into bed and slept well. Once more I dreamt of Kelly, her arms around me, lightly running her fingers over my skin, making the hairs on my neck stand on end. Her touch energised me and, half-waking, I turned and kissed her gently, then fell back into a deep, contented slumber.