Free Remember Remember by Alan Wade Page B

go.”
    “Surely you’re entitled, nowadays everybody gets at least three weeks.”
    “Yeah, but it is short notice. What date do we fly?”
    “The twenty first of July, in three weeks time, surely that’s enough notice for the old fool, do you want me to have a word with him?”
    She walked over to a couple who had strolled into the bar, took their order and proceeded to pull a pint and half of lager. Turning to Alan she shook her head and said, “Don’t you ask him, I don’t think he’s totally on your side and if he knows too soon that you’re taking me he may get bloody awkward. I’ll need this job when I get back won’t I, or will you support me forever?”
    “Not likely love is it?”
    Cyril shuffled in, at over eighty getting slow in movement, but still very able when quaffing Robinson’s mild and it seemed that as his body and mind grew older his taste for beer and talking grew stronger.
    A van was noisily manoeuvred into the back yard, a five point turn ensuring it faced forward for exit down the narrow passage. John the driver entered and strode round to the snug rubbing his hands and stroking his beard, his ruddy complexion foretelling the beers he had consumed over the years.
    Alan ordered their beers and with this began an amiable chat between friends, about all the goings on in the world. Pink lamb chops were eaten and more pints were consumed; Robinsons bitter really did go down well when on form and sometime later the deal was done; with Donald the landlord being in glum agreement that Jacky could go to Turkey with Alan.
    She was happy with the outcome but in no doubt that her leaving with Alan on this trip would be all the gossip in the pub. She knew there would be knowing smiles, innuendos and generally disgusting discussion about the two of them, between the regulars.
Chapter 4
    July 21 st , Terminal Two, Manchester Airport.
    “What a dirty filthy place terminal two is and the colour scheme is so depressing,” thought Alan, “who could have decided on lilac and blue”. The seat arms and metal chairs were covered in filth, there were crisps, cigarette ends, sweets, empty crisp packets and discarded newspapers strewn about. No cleaners were seen and there were no waste bins either. He supposed, “It’s because of the terrorist threat, an excuse the British use for many of their dirt strewn public places. Still, the queue to the check in wasn’t too bad, only four or five people were in front.”
    He paid extra for two legroom seats and the three cases were deposited onto the conveyor. Then came what he thought was a charade as various questions were asked about the luggage and who packed it.
    Eventually though they were allocated their boarding passes and they moved away from the check-in desks toward the next obstacle, passport control and as they strolled along Jacky linked arms with him and asked, “Why do they bother with all those silly questions, I mean a terrorist isn’t going to say, “yes, I have packed the Semtex disguised to look like a tube of toothpaste; which took some expertise and time to make, but because you’ve asked I’ll tell you.” she smirked then continued, “What I did was fit the Semtex into the tube in the correct conditions and then covered it with the correct spray which makes it very difficult to detect when in an SR toothpaste tube. But having done all that my nerve will go when politely asked silly questions by a twenty year old working for the airline, I mean that wouldn’t happen would it.”
    “No love,” he whispered,” but I don’t think we should discuss it now, walls have ears you know in airports.”
    “What do you mean walls have ears,” she replied.
    “They have cameras and listening devices everywhere my love and that’s why they ask those questions to see if there is any change in your body language or behaviour when asked, they have you on camera as soon as you walk in, so let’s please change the subject or we may never get on