Page 32 of Lost in Translation
Chapter 27
The first dayof camp went well. Alastair and Robson greeted Charlotte with enormous sweaty hugs, bubbling over with enthusiasm. ‘I won two matches in the tennis tournament!’ declared Robson.
Alastair proudly displayed a papier mâché mask he’d made during craft hour. ‘It’s meant to be Egyptian,’ he said. ‘Miss Kirkwood said it was excellent.’
‘That’s fantastic,’ said Charlotte, delving into her bag for juice boxes and Laughing Cow cheese sandwiches. ‘How was lunch?’
‘Meh.’ Robson pulled a face. ‘It was fish, and I don’t like fish except for tinned tuna.’
‘Hey, guys.’ Sadie appeared, fanning herself with the local newspaper. ‘Who fancies a barbecue back at ours?’
The children shrieked with delight. ‘Have you got sausages?’ asked Alastair. ‘I love sausages.’
‘Are you sure you want us to come over?’ asked Charlotte. ‘I don’t want to put you to any trouble.’
Sadie shook her head. ‘Rick’s home and he loves nothing more than donning his apron and wielding his tongs. And, yes, we have sausages: British ones!’
Out of the corner of her eye, Charlotte spotted Jürgen making his way up the path. Marcus, along with a bunch of older students, was acting as a volunteer helper at the camp. She gave Jürgen a brief wave, and he returned the gesture.
Just then, Pamela strode out of the chalet, a sobbing Elspeth clinging to her side. ‘Bloody hell, it’s not the end of the world,’ she hissed at her daughter as Rebecca shuffled out behind them. ‘I’m sure it was an accident.’
‘What’s up?’ asked Charlotte, passing Elspeth a pack of tissues.
‘Oh, they were doing some painting thing, and Rebecca tipped a cup of water over Elspeth’s “masterpiece”,’ Pamela replied.
‘She did it on purpose,’ gulped Elspeth, blowing her nose vigorously. ‘Cos mine was better than hers.’
‘You’ll join us for a barbecue too, won’t you?’ Sadie gave Elspeth a quick squeeze. ‘I’ve made banoffee pie for afters.’ She turned to Charlotte, and whispered, ‘Should I invite Jürgen and Marcus too? The more the merrier, but…’
Charlotte wasn’t sure how to answer. Based on Pamela’s loathing of Jürgen, she didn’t think it a good idea. Then again, they only had Pamela’s version of events, and doubt still niggled in Charlotte’s mind.
‘Too late. They’ve gone,’ said Sadie. Sure enough, Jürgen and Marcus were heading back down the path.
Rick greeted the group with a jug of Pimms and non-alcoholic fruit punch for the children. ‘I promise it’s not lethal strength,’ he said, pouring the concoction into highball glasses.
‘Missing Dom?’ asked Sadie, fishing out a strawberry and popping it in her mouth.
‘Hardly. He’s only been gone one night,’ replied Charlotte. He’d rung to say he’d arrived safely, and that his dad was on excellent form, his mum less so. Relief swept over Charlotte when Dom said he couldn’t stay on long. He’d talked briefly to the boys, then ended the call.
‘I’m rubbish when Rick travels,’ said Sadie. ‘Even though we’ve an alarm system, I’m always convinced some random lunatic will break in and steal all our valuables.’
Crime rates weren’t particularly high in the area, but there had been a recent spate of burglaries. A family at the school had revealed that thieves had broken in during the night and taken an expensive bracelet from the bedside cabinet as they were sleeping.
‘I don’t worry about stuff like that,’ joked Charlotte. ‘I keep an axe by the bed, and one look at me in my nightie and eye mask would be enough to scare anyone!’
Talk turned to summer holiday plans. Sadie and her family were embarking on a week-long sailing trip around the Greek islands. ‘Miranda gets seasick on a pedalo, so I’m hoping the anti-nausea bracelet things work,’ she said. ‘It was Rick’s idea. He’s always fancied himself as an old sea dog, but he’ll be in charge of mopping up the vomit!’
‘We’re taking the girls to Disneyland Paris, then for a week in Provence,’ said Pamela. ‘Can’t say I’m a theme park fan, but it’s only for two days. What about you, Charlotte?’
Charlotte shrugged. ‘No plans at the moment. I’ve been checking out a few last-minute deals for Spain and Portugal, but pinning Dom down on dates is a nightmare.’
Their plates piled high with sausages, home-made coleslaw and cheese-stuffed mushrooms, the women took up residence on the comfy outdoor sofas in the corner of the terrace. Rick was entertaining the children with an impromptu badminton competition, faking spectacular falls to their delight.
Pamela put down her Pimms and dropped her voice a notch. ‘A little bird told me that Alicia’s having problems.’
‘What kind of problems?’ Sadie demanded. ‘Is there an international shortage of civet-poo coffee? Is she having to slum it with supermarket own-brand?’
Charlotte snorted at Sadie’s response, although a bit of her felt sorry for Alicia. She didn’t appear to be friendly with many people at the school. Mind you, her imperious attitude probably didn’t help.
