Aunt Bessie's Holiday (5 page)

“Ms. Moore, welcome to Lakeview Holiday Park,”
one of the girls called as Doona approached.
 
As soon as Doona stopped the car, the
girl began to speak.
 

“Congratulations on winning a week’s holiday
here.
 
I’m Mai Stratton, the guest
services manager, and I’ll be coordinating your stay.
 
I know you’ve already pre-booked a
number of activities, but if you want to change anything or add anything or
just want questions answered, please don’t hesitate to ring me directly.”

She handed Doona a business card.
 
“My mobile number is on the back.
 
I’m at your service twenty-four hours a
day while you’re here.”

Doona and Bessie exchanged looks again.
 
This sort of VIP treatment felt strange
to Bessie.
 

“I have the keys to your lodge just here,”
the young woman continued.
 
While
she passed keys, maps and brochures to Doona, Bessie studied her.

As far as Bessie was concerned, Mai didn’t
look old enough to be the guest services manager.
 
In her Lakeview Park uniform, with her
long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she looked like a teenager getting her
first work experience.
 
She couldn’t
have been any taller than Bessie herself, only a few inches over five feet, and
she was almost unhealthily thin.
 
Bessie couldn’t imagine the girl dealing with irate customers like the
man they’d seen on the ferry.
 

“If you’d like to move your car into the car
park, I’ll have your bags taken to your accommodation for you,” she told Doona.

The car park was behind the check-in area
and Doona quickly found a space near the park entrance.
 
It seemed as if everyone else was driving
into the park rather than parking.

“I thought cars weren’t allow inside the
park,” Bessie commented as they got out of the car.

“They aren’t,”
Mai
told her as she joined them.
 
“Except
for a short time on check-in days.
 
Everyone drives to their accommodation to unload their belongings and
then returns their car to the car parks for the rest of their stay,” she
explained.

“I see,” Bessie said.

“They’ll be driving back in at the end of
their break as well, to pack everything back into their vehicles, but we’ll
arrange to collect your cases for you and deliver them to your car,” she added.

“That’s very kind of you,” Doona said.
 
Bessie could tell that her friend was
feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the special treatment.

“Do you treat all of your contest winners
this well?” Bessie couldn’t help but ask.

Mai shook her head.
 
“Every contest is different,” she said,
not meeting Bessie’s eyes.

Doona pulled their suitcases from the boot
of her car and set them on the ground.
 
A young man in a golf cart pulled up next to them and quickly loaded the
cases into the cart.

“They’ll be waiting for you in your lodge,”
he said before he quickly drove away.

“Most guests rent bicycles,” Mai told them
as they headed down the path to the park entrance.
 
“They’re an easy way to get around the
park quickly.”

“I don’t think so,” Doona replied.
 
“I haven’t been on a bike in years.”

“I’m definitely not interested,” Bessie
chimed in.
 
“I’m quite happy to walk
everywhere.”

Mai nodded.
 
“Well, bicycle rental is, of course, included
in your prize.
 
If you change your
mind, just stop at the bike centre any time and they’ll sort you out.
 
We do have adult-sized three-wheeled cycles
if that sounds more tempting.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Doona replied.

“So I’ll just walk you to your lodge, then,”
Mai said.
 
“You’re at number eight,
Foxglove Close, one of our premium accommodation areas.
 
I want to make sure everything is
suitable for you.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Doona told
her.
 
“And I’m sure you have other
things you could be doing.”

Mai flushed.
 
“Check-in day is always busy,” she said
vaguely.

“We have a map,” Doona said.
 
“I’m sure we won’t have any trouble
finding our way.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Mai said
hesitantly.
 

“We have your card,” Bessie pointed
out.
 
“We can always ring you if we
need something.”

Mai looked relieved.
 
“Thank you,” she said.
 
“But please do ring if you think of
anything I can do to improve your stay.”

“We will,” Doona told her.

“There’s a special champagne reception at
five o’clock in our premier restaurant,
L’Ex
périence Anglaise
,
”
Mai added.
 
“All of our VIP guests
are invited.
 
The reception is at
five and then a special five-course welcome meal will be served.
 
I do hope you’ll be able to attend.”

Doona turned to Bessie.
 
“Champagne and a five-course
dinner?
 
How does that sound?”

“Lovely,” Bessie replied.

“We’ll see you around five,” Doona told the
young woman.

“Excellent,” Mai beamed at them.
 
“Have a wonderful afternoon.”

The two women watched the girl as she
hurried away.
 

“I didn’t realise you’d won a full VIP
package,” Bessie remarked.

“No, I didn’t either,”
Doona
replied.
 
“And all this attention is
making me quite uncomfortable.”

“I promise I won’t give you any special
treatment,” Bessie told her with a wink.

“I hope not.
 
It already seems like it might be a long
week.”

The pair made their way down a long path
through the woods.
 
They could hear
the steady stream of cars making their way into the park, but they couldn’t
actually see them.
 
After several
minutes they came to a crossroads.

“It’s very well signposted,” Bessie
remarked.
 
They turned, following
the direction of the arrow that pointed towards the small cul-de-sac where
their cabin was located.

“It’s such a lovely day for walking,” Doona
said, after a second crossroads that was equally well marked.

“It really is,” Bessie agreed.
 
For the middle of October, it was
surprisingly mild, but not at all hot.
 
The skies were somewhat overcast, but it didn’t feel like rain.

A few minutes later they emerged from the
woods into a small clearing.
 
In
front of them was a small lake with a few kayaks tied up on one side.
 
A path led around the lake, with several
short roads, dotted with cottages of different shapes and sizes, coming off of
the path.

Bessie and Doona walked slowly towards their
accommodation, enjoying the views.
 
Beyond the lake, at some distance away, they could see the huge indoor
swimming complex and several groups of small shops and restaurants.
 
The buildings were centred
around
a large grassy area filled with tables and
chairs.
 

As they got closer to the cabins, they could
see the road that ran behind them.
 
There were dozens of cars parked along it and people seemed to be
rushing about in every direction, unloading their things and chasing after
children.

Bessie and Doona were grateful that they’d
been able to avoid that part of the experience as they found Foxglove Court
between Daisy Drive and Heather Lane.

As they approached number eight, Doona had a
key in hand and she quickly unlocked their door.
 
“Ta-da,” she announced as she pushed the
door open with a flourish.
 
Bessie
walked inside and Doona followed quickly behind, pushing the door shut on the
noise and commotion outside.

The door opened into a short corridor and
Bessie was quick to open every door she came to.
 
The first door revealed a small closet,
where Bessie found that their bags had been tucked away.
 
The next, on the opposite wall, opened
into a large bedroom.
 
The windows
gave her her first look at the much larger lake that was just past the road that
ran behind them.
 
A number of
sailboats were making their way around the lake and Bessie stood and watched
for a moment while Doona kept exploring.

“The kitchen is pretty well stocked,” Doona
told Bessie, when Bessie joined her a moment later in the large and comfortably
furnished sitting room.
 
Bessie
looked out more windows that showcased the lake.
 
Sliding glass doors led out to a
spacious patio that was furnished with a table and six chairs.

Now Bessie peeked into the kitchen.
 
There were biscuits and snacks in the
cupboards and not only cans of fizzy drinks, but also several bottles of wine
in the refrigerator.

“Did you order the wine?” Bessie asked.

“No, but it’s my favourite white and one of
my favourite reds,” Doona told her.
 
“And there’s a bottle of very expensive champagne in there as well.”

“They really are giving you the VIP
treatment,” Bessie said.

On the other side of the sitting room was
the second, much larger bedroom.
 
The en-suite had a jetted tub and a huge shower.

“This one should be yours,” Bessie told her
friend.

“Are you sure?” Doona asked.

“The other bedroom is lovely,” Bessie
answered.
 
“And the last thing I
intend to do while I’m here is have a bath in a jetted tub.
 
You’ll enjoy it, though, won’t you?”

“I’d really like to try it out,” Doona
admitted.
 
“I’ve never been in one
and they always look so lovely on telly.”

“So I’ll suffer in silence in the bedroom
that’s twice the size of my room at home, and put up with only having a shower
that could accommodate three of me comfortably.”

Doona laughed.
 
“It is all very luxurious, isn’t
it?
 
I’m not sure I’ll ever want to
leave.”

They opened a bottle of wine and sipped glasses
of it while they unpacked.
 
Then they
sat on their patio and finished the bottle while they watched the other new
arrivals.
 
Their boxes of books for
the book club sat unopened on the dining table.
 
Bessie was curious what they had been
given to read, but not curious enough to interrupt her people watching.
 
It didn’t seem long before they needed
to get ready for the reception.

“What do we wear?” Bessie wondered.

“I’m just going to wear nice trousers and a
light jumper,” Doona told her.
 
“Sort of exactly like what you’re already wearing.”

Bessie laughed.
 
“I think I’ll change into more of the
same, then.
 
Having travelled a long
way in this outfit, I’ll feel fresher if I do.”

The walk to the centre of the park, where
the shops and restaurants were clustered, took only a few minutes.
 
Bikes whizzed past them occasionally, carrying
their riders back and forth around the site.

“I think walking is much better,” Bessie
said after a large group pedaled past them.
 
“It isn’t far and it’s the perfect night
to take things slowly.”

“I agree totally,” Doona replied.
 
“Besides which, I never learned to ride
a bike.
 
I certainly don’t intend to
start now.”

The large French-style restaurant was at the
end of a row that included a toy store and a shop that seemed to sell nothing
but bathing suits.

“I think ‘The English Experience’ is a
strange name for a French restaurant,” Bessie said as Doona pulled open the
large glass door.

“It is rather,” Doona agreed.

Mai was standing at the front desk and she
rushed over to greet them.
 
“I hope
your accommodation is everything you were expecting,” she gushed as she ushered
them into the large and empty dining room.

“It’s really lovely,” Doona replied.
 

“Let me get you some champagne,” she said, dashing
away.
 

“It looks like we’re first,” Bessie
murmured.

“Ah, Doona, there you are,” a loud voice
shouted from the back of the restaurant.