Free Romance: One Fine Holiday by Amy McAdams Page A

constantly.  He would tell me that I wasn’t doing enough to look attractive for him.  He would call me ugly and then make comments about how good other girls looked.
    I felt worthless when I was with him.
    Thankfully, he ended the relationship.  Well, he ended it when he decided to sleep with another girl in our bed.  I later found out that it wasn’t the first time he cheated on me. 
    He began to tell me how many other women he slept with, but I stopped him.  I didn’t want to know.  I already felt bad enough.
    Over the next week I want to forget about all that. 
    I want to leave it all behind.
    The next week is about me, my two closest friends and a tropical holiday resort.
    Mel and Kate have been my closest friends since our school days.  We have always been there for each other, and although our lives have taken different paths, we will always remain close friends.
    This trip is our collective celebration of hitting our thirtieth birthdays.  It is our chance to leave our lives behind and disappear together for a week. 
    It is our time to forget.
     
     
     
     

 
    Chapter 2
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
    “Ella!”
    “Mel!” I shout in surprise.
    We embrace with the emotion of two best friends who have not laid eyes on each other for over a year.  It feels good to hold her again.
    “It is so great to see you in person, Ella,” Mel smiles.
    I can feel the tears in my eyes welling up.  Although I still talk to Mel on the phone every fortnight, I have not found time in my busy work schedule to see her. 
    Mel moved out of the city to her husband’s small farm, where he runs cattle and sheep.  I never imagined Mel leaving the city but she said she would move anywhere for her man. 
    And a farm wouldn’t be a bad place to raise her three rowdy boys.
    We hold onto our hug for a long time – it feels so nice to embrace this beautiful woman.
    When we finish hugging, I can see the tears in her eyes, which only makes my tears flow stronger.  With emotion flowing out of us, we embrace again.
    I would usually be embarrassed by this amount of public affection, but at an airport, people are used to this.  There are people hugging and crying all over this place. 
    “Have you seen Kate yet?” I ask.
    “Not yet.  She said we would see her at the boarding gate.”
    Kate is our other best friend who is coming on this trip.  She is the loud, opinionated and brave one of the three of us, and she always sends Mel and I into fits of laughter with her lack of fear.
    “When was the last time you saw Kate?” Mel asks, as we drag our bags towards the boarding gate of the international airport.
    “It must be at least eighteen months since I have seen her.  That’s when she left New York,” I try to remember the last lunch I had with Kate, “You?”
    “Two years.”
    “Two years?”
    “Yep.  Ever since I moved out to the farm, life has been all about family.  When you have kids, they take over your life.  Everything I do now is about them.  But I really, really miss you guys.”
    I smile, “I really, really miss you too.”
    “Excuse me, ladies,” the voice comes from over my shoulder, “Can you please tell me the boarding gate for a plane to the Bahamas?”
    “Kate!” Mel and I yell collectively.
    Our hug is more like a football tackle.  We are filled with emotion and it is so wonderful to have these two people back in my arms.
    “The two most beautiful women in the world,” Kate comments as a tear drops down her cheek, “It is so good to see you.”
    Truth is, Kate is the beautiful one of the group. 
    She spent time modelling in her early twenties when we all left high school but has since gone on to start a successful photography company, moving from New York to Florida to chase her dream.  
    Tall, blonde and very pretty, Kate was always the one to fill our group with confidence.  She is a no-nonsense, straight-talker but she is also very confident and very fun.
    Wow, I have missed these