Page 48

NINETEEN

Suzie

A thing. That’s what Charlie called it. A thing and I quite like that.

If things involve good sex in squeaky bunk beds, stolen moments on rooftops and falling asleep on each other on airplanes, him stroking my arm under a scratchy airline blanket, then I like the idea of a thing.

Maybe that should be a new definition for the kids to use.

I would like to be responsible for that and have people make TikToks in my honour.

We sit at opposite ends of the coach now and flash passing smiles at each other, in between trying to get teens not to take pictures of their friends sleeping and listening to their inaudible mumble rap where everyone seems to know the lyrics despite there not being any words.

I haven’t minded this trip at all but it will be a relief to deliver these children home to their parents, to forget the responsibility you have and the fact their energy levels fluctuate from apathy to bouncing off the walls.

‘COME ON, MISS! DANCE WITH US!’ one of them shouts.

I am not a performing monkey but I’m also game if the moment allows.

I move my shoulders up and down and everyone cheers.

Further down the coach, I see Charlie laughing.

But not dancing. I shake my head at him.

I wonder what to suggest when we get back to school.

Shall I invite him back to mine? Is that too much?

I don’t even know where he lives but I’ll assume his siblings are there.

I’d like to meet them, but that feels too soon.

It’s late on a Monday. Maybe I should suggest something casual.

Shall we go and get a pizza? Shall we see where this thing goes?

I would text him if I had a phone. Damn you, Paul.

But at the same time, it’s also a relief not to be dealing with that, to have had space from his constant interruptions.

The coach finally rolls to a halt outside the school and out of the window, lines of cars and anxious parents wait to collect their little darlings.

‘DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING ON THIS COACH! I will not care!’ Lee bellows down the aisle, and I laugh.

The students all line up patiently, there are mumbles of thank yous as we all clamber off and I step outside.

I already felt that burst of cold autumn air at the airport but to see the familiar buildings of the school and the dark sitting in the air, it really lets me know that we’re home, this isn’t Seville anymore.

‘Suzie, I don’t know how to tell you how much we appreciated you coming on this trip. We are so incredibly grateful,’ Lee tells me, still clinging to his clipboard.

‘It was my pleasure,’ I tell him, putting a hand to his arm. ‘And it was very well organised. Go home and have a rest.’

‘And a stiff drink?’

I’m surprised his body can take on much more alcohol but he reaches round and hands me a bottle of wine in a gift bag. I return the gesture with a hug. We’re family now, bonded by this experience for life and I will be forever grateful that he took on all the shouting on this trip.

‘SUZIE QUATTRO!’ Mark says next, as he disembarks the coach with numerous used drinks bottles and food wrappers.

‘ We will always have Seville,’ he says, in earshot of his wife.

Jackie rolls her eyes. I scan down to their slightly larger than normal suitcase wondering what other paraphernalia they have in there, admiring how they treated this school trip as their own little sex weekend away.

‘How is Charlie?’ he asks me, in exaggerated tones.

Jackie nudges him. ‘Leave the poor girl alone.’

‘I’m just curious as a member of staff in a school with limited parking. If you twos are lift-sharing now then that helps me.’

‘Lift-sharing, is that what we’re calling it?’ I laugh. ‘I’ll see you after half term.’

He blows me a kiss and I watch as he puts his arm around his wife as they go in search of their car.

Meanwhile, I get lost in the melee of assorted children reuniting with their parents and bags.

Why has that boy got all his belongings in two plastic bags?

A girl gives her dad a full flamenco guitar that he looks at curiously.

Excited mums hug less than enthusiastic teenage sons.

We ensure the boy who came with a full camping rucksack and sleeping bag and didn’t read the packing list takes home all his things.

‘SUZIE KATHARINE CALLAGHAN!’ I turn to see that the voice is Beth, standing there, waving at me. Her presence is a strange relief. It’s nice to have a welcome party of sorts amidst all these reunions. She comes to give me a huge hug and I fall into it.

‘You’re here?’ I ask her.

‘Oh, you stopped chatting on the group so I wanted to come here and be the first one to get the gossip, give you a lift back, make sure you were OK. Be the good cousin,’ she says, studying my face. ‘Hun, you’re glowing. I’m so jealous.’

‘That’s the sun.’

‘Yeah, yeah…’ she says. ‘Let’s go get some fish and chips and catch up.’ I nod because a little stop like that with conversation, no rmality and a bit of a debrief sounds perfect. She stops to say hello to a student who recognises her while I stand there watching the rest of the crowd disperse.

‘Your middle name is Katharine?’ someone familiar says behind me, carrying a similar gift bag of wine.

‘I didn’t want to say,’ I explain, with a grin. ‘My mum loved The English Patient too. It was the name of Kristin Scott-Thomas’ character.’

‘Niche reference,’ he says, repeating my words.

I guess I didn’t want to read too much into all those little things about coincidence and stars aligning and things that indicated that we were meant to be.

Because I didn’t want to sound flighty, with my head in the clouds.

But there’s a flash of intensity between us, a moment where I can hardly breathe to look at him, to know that we could have a future.

I notice Beth looking at us from the corner of her eye.

‘Do you want to…’ he asks.

‘Yeah…’ I reply.

We can’t do anything, not in front of inquisitive student eyes but yeah, I want to.

‘CHARLIE!’ a voice sounds from the other end of the car park and a teenage girl comes running over from a car and gives him a hug.

Her hair is curly and wild and she’s in a hoodie and UGGs.

She’s followed by a more chilled teenage boy who punches his arm in greeting.

I think I know who these people are but I let them have a chance to reunite and stand back as Beth re-finds me again, threading her arm through mine and also looking on.

‘What did you get me?’ the girl asks.

‘A shower cap,’ Charlie replies.

‘Seriously?’ she grumbles, looking genuinely repulsed. ‘Stingy git.’

There is a warmth and a humour there and I’ll admit it makes him more attractive to see that look in his eyes, a look which tells me how much he loves them, how they are his home.

‘Why did you come here?’ Charlie asks them, grinning.

‘Because we missed you?’ the girl replies. ‘We got the bus. Also…’ she says, looking around before finding me. ‘Are you Suzie then?’ the girl asks me, boldly bouncing over.

I stand there for a minute feeling ambushed, Beth laughing that she was not the only one to come on down here and get a peek at the brewing romance.

‘I am…You must be Brooke.’ I see Charlie slightly mortified by her brazen approach, Sam hanging back looking at me from afar. ‘How do you know?’ I ask her.

‘Oh, Charlie sent us pictures and updates and stuff.’ She turns and puts a thumb up, flashing an excited face to her brother who shakes his head.

‘I’m sorry about her. And this is Sam,’ Charlie explains.

I wave to him in his hoodie and big jeans, watching as Charlie puts a reassuring hand to his shoulder.

I try and tuck my hair around my ear to make myself look presentable, knowing the hours of travel are going to make me look frazzled but I’ll admit to feeling a bit emotional too.

Charlie has shared so much of himself with me, he’s obviously hugely protective of his siblings and he just introduces them to me so casually. These are my people. Meet my people.

‘We’re going to Nando’s, you want to come with?’ Brooke asks.

‘Oh, I was going to get food with my…’ I explain, pointing to Beth.

‘You know what?’ Beth says quickly, ‘I just got a text from home and my husband’s said one of my little boys isn’t too well, so we will raincheck,’ she says, smiling. ‘Go get some chicken…’ she mumbles to me.

‘OK then…’ I announce.

Behind us the crowds of people move on, the coach driver closes the doors and Lee puts his clipboard away in his bag, looking up to the sky and taking a deep breath. The trip is over. We are home.

‘Suzie?’

I don’t recognise the voice at first because I’ve not heard it for a really long time.

Six months to be exact. The last time I heard this voice was in a voicemail telling me not to be such a bitch and pleading for me to come home.

I can’t quite understand why that voice is here though.

Why can I hear it now, in this very moment?

Paul?

I see him come around from the other side of the bus to approach us and a feeling of horror goes through me. I can’t seem to move but the sight of him seems to trigger Beth into action. ‘Whoa. No. What the hell are you doing here, Paul?’

He walks past Brooke and Sam who are watching him curiously and then stands there alongside Charlie, who’s grimacing, looking him up and down. I can’t quite cope at the hell and agony of this situation, frozen to the spot.

‘Beth is right. What are you doing here?’ I mumble quietly. Maybe he’s a hallucination. He looks no different to how I left him, all that time ago, in what seems like another life.

‘You’ve ignored all my texts and emails! You gave me no choice.’

‘How did you know I’d be here?’ I ask him weakly, trying to move him away from the action.