Page 71 of The Start of Something Wonderful

Luke nods from the piano in the corner, practising his repertoire.

I change into my costume (Rachel’s airline uniform) and study my reflection. Suddenly I’m back on board, pushing my trolley down the aisle.

‘Anyheadsetsanyrubbishlandingcard? Anyheadsetsanyrubbishlandingcard?’

I enter the kitchen where Francesco and the agency sous chef are busy preparing the starters, while listening to the football on the radio.

‘Ciao, bella!’ says Francesco, turning down the volume. ‘Come stai?’

‘Nervosa,’ I reply, rolling my eyes and patting my stomach.

‘Don’t worry. ‘Enjoy!Tutto bene!’ he says, shrugging his shoulders. ‘You look beautiful, by the way.’

‘Grazie.’

It’s high time I took a leaf out of the Italians’ book; they have such a relaxed and positive outlook on life.La vita bella– nothing to do with Armani or Gucci; they simply know how to enjoy life in the slow lane. Mindfulness seems to come to them more naturally, without thinking about it. I doubt very much their shelves are full of self-help books.

I glance at the clock. My tummyflips over. Just forty-five minutes until curtain up.

‘Emily!’ calls Luigi from the dining room.

‘Girls! Am I pleased to see you!’ I say, rushing over to the gang – and we all huddle together.

‘Look at us,’ says Wendy. ‘Back in uniform, just like the old days. Tea, coffee?’

‘You f’coffee, sir?’ we screech simultaneously.

I can feel the knot in the pit of my stomach start toloosen already.

‘Buonasera,’ says Rosalba, appearing on the stairs in the beautiful red dress she wore for the opening.

‘Rosalba! Meet Wendy, Faye, and Céline.’

‘Piacere. Nice to meet you.’

‘Piacere,’ they reply.

‘They seem like a great crowd,’ says Faye.

‘When do we get to meet the fabulous Francesco?’ whispers Wendy with a twinkly smile.

‘Shh. Later,’ I say, blushingin spite of myself.

We disappear upstairs to have a quick rehearsal and a group hug thing, a bit like the haka before a rugby match, though not as boisterous.

At seven-thirty on the dot, Luke opens the evening by playing ‘Come Fly With Me’, Luigi dims the lights and rings the bell, which is our cue to appear.

‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.Buonasera, signore e signori,’ we announce.‘May we have your attention please.’

We then perform a choreographed comedy emergency demonstration.

‘There are three emergency exits. They are located here, here, and here.’

This triggers unexpected laughter, which helps to settle my nerves a bit. They’re on my side. I just hope I can keep them there.

I’m tempted to scan the room for my reserved tables to check if there’s anyonethere, but decide against it. I’ve got more than enough to occupy my mind at the moment.

‘If there is a loss of electrical power, emergency lighting will illuminate,’ I say.