Free Romance: One Fine Holiday by Amy McAdams Page B

women.
    “Looking good Kate,” Mel comments.
    “So are you.”
    “Thanks, but I’ve pushed out three boys!” Mel laughs.
    The laughter only makes us hug again and it feels magical. 
    I squeeze the ladies tight as it has been so long since we have all been together.  Life throws up a lot of challenges but none more so than trying to stay in contact with your best friends from school as lives travel in different directions.
    “A week in the Bahamans…”
    “Oh yes!  All sun, surf and sand!”
    “Not for me,” I state, and the girls look at me confused, “For me it will be Margarita s, Daiquiri s and Pina Coladas!”
    We laugh heartily, “And hopefully some nice men to look at.”
    “Don’t get a lot of good looking men out where I am,” Mel comments, “It’s mostly country lads.”
    “Travis was always a good looker,” I comment, referring to Mel’s husband.
    “I love him to bits but Travis has gotten older, and he’s put on a few kilos.”
    “Haven’t we all,” I add, jiggling the small layer of flab on my side.
    “Don’t be silly,” Kate adds, “Women are supposed to be a little bit curvy.  We are in our thirties now - we don’t want to look like a twelve year old girl.  We want to look like women.  And real, sexy women have curves!”
    “I’m not thirty yet,” Mel states, “My birthday is not until next month, remember.”
    Although we all grew up together, we have branched off to different life stages.  Even though Mel is the youngest, she is the most advanced in life of the three of us. 
    She is married to a nice man, has given birth to three energetic boys, and owns a house in the country.  Life is good for Mel.
    As it happens, none of our birthdays occur on this trip.  Kate, the eldest, had her birthday two months ago and mine was three weeks ago. 
    Not that I would have noticed.  I was in the middle of a case and worked through the night.  I received a ten minute phone call from my parents but that was it for me.  No cake and no celebration.
    And that’s ok.
    I’m using this one week trip as my celebration that my twenties are over.  Hopefully, that also means all my stupid life decisions are behind me.
    We had to juggle my busy work schedule, Mel’s home life and Kate business needs to book the right time for the trip. 
    But we always make time for each other. 
    No matter what is happening, we are there for each other - through thick and thin, through disagreements and fights and through love and lost.  Although we might not see each other as regularly as we would like, we still talk a lot and whenever trouble pops up, we are there for each other.
    They have listened to me cry about Nick many times over the past year, and I could hear the joy in their voices when I told them that it was finally over. 
    “Yes!” Mel yells as we start to walk onto the plane, “I’m free.”
    That sort of boisterous enthusiasm could only come from a woman who knows the confines of handling three young boys - day in, day out.
    “Woo!” Kate and I join in the excitement.
    “Where are you sitting?” I ask.
    “Does it matter?!  I’m free!” Mel begins to dance an embarrassing little happy dance on the plane, “And look, it says we are going to the Bahamas.”
    “Yes Mamas – we’re going to the Bahamas!” the enthusiasm is infectious. 
    I don’t think I’ve been this excited since we went on our first school camp together all those years ago…   
     
     

 
     
    Chapter 3
     
     

 
     
     
     
    “Are you coping since Nick left?” Kate asks as we snuggle into our plane seats.
    “I’ve been too busy at work to notice that he’s not there.”
    “You need to slow down, Ella.  You need to give yourself a chance to enjoy life and find the right man to sit by your side.”
    “I don’t need a man right now.  I’m… happy.”
    My statement is unconvincing and I know that Kate can see right through it, but I am determined not to bring this holiday down.  I