Hello! Just wanted to make a HUGE apology for this chapter, it is pants with a capital P! One of those awful short chapters were absolutely nothing happens .. hopefully this is the last of them … from now on it starts getting much more interesting!  Also need to say sorry for the appalling quality of writing … it was written under the influence of alcohol and so doesn’t really read very well, but I’m too tired to change it! SORRRRRRRRRRRY!!

 

Chapter 30

 

The man smiled a toothy grin at the large woman and placed his hand on her knee, she smiled back at him, her tattooed fingers intertwined with his.  Leaning in closer to him she whispered something and they both laughed together, the sounds perfectly complementing each other in a united force of happiness.

 

They were in love.

 

Leaning her head against the window Mel studied the couple opposite her with interest.  She had been sharing her train carriage with them for over an hour now, and so far all they had done was laugh and smile at each other, no matter how hard Mel examined them she was still to find a flaw in their perfect relationship.  They were so wrapped up in each other they hadn’t even noticed that she was looking at them so closely, they were just completely engrossed in each other.

 

Sighing Mel closed her eyes, not wanting to see it anymore.  The image in front of her was exactly how her and Christian were meant to be in a few years time.  They were meant to grow old together and enjoy each other’s company until they both died. 

 

And that was why she was now sat on the train headed for Bognor Regis, completely alone with no friends and no money and only her love for Christian to keep her going.  She was making this journey for him, because she had to make him hers, get Ella out of the way permanently and seal the future that was destined to be hers.

 

So far the journey down to the South Coast had been nothing short of a nightmare.  The train was far from comfortable, it was messy and the doors weren’t even electronic.  To get them open you had to put your bag down and pull them really hard and then run through before they shut on you.  Then finding a seat had been impossible, the carriages were all full of families with screaming kids all running around and wanting to be where they weren’t.  Yet despite all of this Mel was feeling strangely happy, Christian had that effect on her.

 

As she continued to gaze out of the window she started humming a little tune to herself.  She was looking forward to this holiday, it had been a long time since she had been to the seaside.  The last time had been back when her and Lucy had been little kids.  She had a vivid memory of them both building a huge sandcastle and then running back and forth to the sea to collect water for the moat, but never quite understanding why the water never stayed longer than a few seconds.  Memories of those days filled Mel with happiness, a happiness that she hadn’t felt for a long time, a happiness that she knew Christian could bring back.

 

“The next station is Bognor Regis, where this train terminates.”

 

The tannoy crackled above her head.

 

Her stomach jumping with excitement Mel stood up and picked up her small bag, moved towards the door.  Her bag was slightly heavier than it needed to be, she had crammed as much in it as she could, including her change of top for the evening, she really did want to impress Christian. 

She still hadn’t worked out where exactly she would sleep during her stay.  She hadn’t booked into any accommodation, but all that seemed so unimportant, all she wanted was to get nearer to Christian.

 

As the doors opened she was immediately met with a blast of strong wind that swept her newly cut hair up in the air above her.  She had visited the hairdressers before getting the train that morning, making sure that it was all straight and perfect before seeing Christian. 

 

The weather outside was awful, the rain was coming down in torrents and the strong wind blew it sharply into her face, most people were catching taxis to the Butlins resort but as Mel had no money she set off on the long upward walk.  The rain coming down so strong that she had to resort to wearing a WH Smith bag on her head to protect it from at least some of the storm.

 

It was a good 20 minutes before she staggered up the carpark towards the ticket barrier, her trainers full of water and little raindrops dripping off her nose.

 

“OK Mel, think,” she whispered to herself as she approached the man at the desk, she had no money to get in as a day visitor and she hadn’t booked herself in any accommodation either.  If she didn’t think quickly she wouldn’t even be able to get in the holiday camp, let alone anywhere near Christian.

 

Deciding on the day visitor option, she headed towards the gate, hoping that maybe she could slip past without any noticing.

 

“Excuse me Miss,” a voice boomed, just as she put her foot through the open gateway.  “Are you a resident?”

 

Putting on a strong confident voice Mel replied, “Yep.”

 

“Can I see your chalet key please?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Mel began to route through her bag, pulling out sticks of chewing gum and various lipsticks in her search for the imaginary key.  Eventually her hand clasped round something cool and metal, and giving a triumphant smile she brought it out and dangled it in front of the man.

 

Smiling back at her he stepped aside and she entered into the world of Butlins.

 

As she moved away she couldn’t help but smirk, she never thought that anyone would be silly enough to accept her house door key as a key to a chalet.

 

She looked around with interest as she moved through the vast complex.

 

 

 

She walked past various restaurants, a mini golf course, the funfair and loads of shops before she reached the main focal point, a huge tent, known as the Skyline Pavilion, she peered inside and was immediately greeted with a buzz of excitement.  It was full of restaurants, play areas and arcades and right at the very end stood Centre Stage, the main entertainment venue where a1 would play that evening.

 

Moving towards it, Mel leant her ear against the door, hoping to maybe catch a snipped of a1 sound checking, but there was nothing.  They obviously weren’t here yet and the show didn’t start for another 3 hours yet.

 

Turning back the way she came she found a bench and sitting herself down on it she started to carefully think through Plan C, the plan that would be put into operation that night.