Page 10 of You Lied First
The man shrugs. ‘She’s okay.’
‘No police,’ she says, miming her words at the same time. ‘Okay?’ The man grunts, and Celine hands him the money. ‘Deal? All good?’ The man nods. Celine turns to Margot. ‘Right, come on. Let’s go.’
Margot is blindsided by how quickly Celine solved the issue. It’s obvious that money would sort it, but in the heat of the moment it hadn’t crossed her mind. And Guy wasn’t much use, hiding in the car.
‘Thank you,’ Margot mutters faintly.
‘No worries,’ Celine says with a little smirk.
Back in the car, Margot starts the engine, but she’s still trembling.
‘All okay?’ Guy asks.
‘Yep.’
Margot pulls away forgetting to check her mirror. Behind them, there’s the blast of a car horn, and she slams on the brakes as a car speeds by, too close for comfort. She desperately needs a coffee.
She pulls away again and says, ‘Can you direct me on how I turn around and get to the car park behind the fish market?’
‘Do you want me to drive?’ Guy asks, but Margot shakes her head. ‘I’m fine. Just tell me where I can turn around.’
‘You know the road! Surely you remember?’
‘Just tell me!’ Margot snaps.
‘I’ve got it on Maps. Keep going straight for now,’ calls Sara from the back. ‘Then take the next U-turn. It doesn’t look far.’
Margot hears Celine telling the kids what happened on the corniche.
‘I gave him fifty riyals not to call the police,’ she’s saying. ‘About a hundred quid. There’s not much money can’t buy in life.’
‘But what if he still does call the police?’ Flynn asks.
‘He won’t.’
‘So it’s like a scam?’ Liv says. ‘Like those moped riders back home? I’ve seen them on TikTok. They fake an accident so you give them money.’
‘Dunno,’ Celine says. ‘I don’t think it’s like that here. They probably didn’t plan it but just seized the opportunity to make a little cash. I always tell the new teachers when they arrive, “you’re not playing in your own backyard now”. Things are different here. Things that are okay at home can get you into so much trouble here.’
‘It’s like I was telling you,’ Sara says to Liv. ‘And like with your shorts this morning. You just need to be aware of where you are and be a bit respectful of the local culture. I don’t want you going to jail for holding hands.’
‘That’s a bit dramatic,’ Margot says. ‘You’re not going to go to jail for holding hands. Though I wouldn’t advise you to do it in a traditional place like a souk out of respect, that’s all. But you’ll be absolutely fine doing it in a hotel or around the pool at home.’
‘Always err on the side of caution. Just to be safe,’ Guy says,swivelling his head before turning back to Margot. ‘Here’s the U-turn, Mar. Then go back along the corniche and the car park is on the right after the roundabout.’
‘But that bloke just now – could he have taken our number plate,’ Flynn says. ‘What if there really is something wrong with that woman? Will the police come after us?’
‘What’s done is done,’ says Celine. ‘Let’s not think the worst. Okay?’
Behind the fish market Margot pulls into a parking space and closes her eyes for a moment as she inhales with relief. She’s not enjoying the driving today – it feels different to when they lived here. Then she used to zip around town confidently, from school run to supermarket, play date to tennis lesson. But the first day driving in the city was never going to be easy. She could let Guy take over, but that would be worse. He’s an aggressive driver and lane weaving doesn’t make for a relaxing passenger experience.
‘If anyone’s hungry we could have some food here,’ Celine says, already walking off past the fish market towards the corniche. ‘Have you ever tried Omani food?’
‘No, but I bet it’s lovely,’ Sara says.
They walk straight past the coffee shop that Margot thought they’d nip into and head along the corniche towards one of the local restaurants, the type where the menu is a book with plastic pages that Margot wants to cleanse with antiseptic wipes. She growls inwardly. Celine stops outside one that has a patio. She reads the menu enthusiastically and starts pointing things out to Sara, and Margot sees once more that she was absolutely right when she thought that their holiday would be different because Sara and Liv were joining them. Had it justbeen the three of them, they’d grab a coffee here then eat at one of their old haunts. She has a list of places she’s missed since they moved back and she wants to visit them all. She nudges Guy and they hang back from the others.
‘What?’ he asks.
