Chasing Rainbows (27 page)

Olivia nodded. She looked ahead and saw Doug and George a few seats in front with their heads bent deep in conversation.

Olivia had not seen Doug for over twenty years and now he was on the same plane as her.

He would not know that she knew why he dumped her.

It was four years after Doug put the phone down that she found out what really happened.

Out of the blue Olivia received a phone call from an old family friend who lived near Doug. “Hello Molly, what's up?” Olivia asked.

Molly replied, “Nothing really, have you heard from Doug recently?”

“
Why would I? That bastard disappeared years ago.

Molly continued, “I need to tell you something and you need to listen. Perhaps it's not good to come over here for a while. I know you like to shop at Enterprise 6.”

Intrigued Olivia asked, “Why what has happened?”

Molly went on to say that Doug and his wife Mary had split up. She didn't know the full story but Mary's best friend told Molly that Mary knew about her and Doug's affair.

Molly couldn't tell her any more but warned Olivia to be careful for a while and lay low.

They both chatted for a while, caught up with each other's lives and promised to meet soon for a drink, knowing that they probably wouldn't.

Olivia sat for a while absolutely stunned by the news.

Four years, it was four years ago, why surface now?

She laughed, “So he did it, I wonder who the lucky woman was?”

The next day Olivia drove over to Brenda's, she would know. Curiosity got the better of Olivia, she needed the full story.

Olivia had not seen Brenda in four years either.

Brenda was pleased to see Olivia and they chatted for a while about life and what they had been doing since they last met.

Brenda finished her coffee and returned to her task of trimming the Christmas tree when Olivia said, “I hear that Doug and Mary have split up. A little bird tells me that Mary knows about me”.

It didn't take much for Brenda to gossip, Olivia knew this and sat back to listen.

Brenda told Olivia that Mary told Doug that she was leaving him. She was having an affair with a man from the village and was moving in with him.

Doug went nuts, he was so angry and he told her about every woman he had been with, including Olivia and Mary's youngest sister.

He really did the full 'monty' and wanted to hurt her.

Mary left him that night, she was in bits.

Olivia was finding it all hard to take in.

Why could he not have left her off his list of women?

So, he was a betrayer as well as everything else she had called him four years ago.

“
So where is he then, now? Has he moved in with Gerry?”

Brenda looked across at Olivia asking, “Whose Gerry?”

Olivia shook her head, “Never mind,” she said, “it isn't important”.

Brenda carried on with what she was doing and Olivia sat in silence coming to terms with the news of Doug's messy split.

Brenda broke the silence by saying, “ For a moment there I thought you heard about me and that is why you came”.

Olivia came out of her thought cave and said, “What do you mean?”

The veil slowly lifted as Olivia said, “Oh no, Brenda, you aren't having an affair are you? You aren't cheating on Steve? He is so lovely. No way!”.

Brenda stopped what she was doing and looked down at the bauble in her hand . She did not move. She was frozen in embarrassment.

The veil lifted some more as something dawned and Olivia hoped that she was wrong.

In sheer horror Olivia slowly said, “Oh no, not you? You went with Doug didn't you? How could you? You were there right through my affair with him. How could you do that to a friend?”

Olivia didn't know whether to cry or get up and hit Brenda. She felt sick to her stomach.

“
I was right, all those years ago when I asked you if you fancied him and you lied to me. Wasn't I right? I knew. I knew it”.

Brenda did not move, she was like a frozen statue across the room.

Olivia had not finished, “So when was this? I know, oh my God I know now why he was so cold to me, why we didn't go on that weekend. He was already seeing you wasn't he?”

The thought of Doug kissing Brenda, touching Brenda was just too much to bear.

“
Did you sleep with him? Did you?” Olivia shouted.

Olivia stood up as Brenda looked at her, “That I am not telling you. All I will say though is that you came between us.”

“
Wow that is some consolation then?” Olivia threw back over her shoulder as she made for the door.

She could not breath, she had to get out, away from this woman who had betrayed her, or she would not be responsible for her actions.

Olivia drove home talking to herself all the way. “How could they do that to me? She was my friend and he was my lover. I would have left my life behind for him. I really loved him.”

She couldn't find the words to express her feelings.

The feelings that she had on the day of the phone call returned and by the time she arrived home Olivia was sobbing and needed a drink.

A few drinks later and after a hot bath, Olivia felt calmer and began to laugh, “Well you bastard, you got your comeuppance. Well done Mary”.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Olivia sipped the drink that Shaun left on the table, she had not noticed he had put one down for her as she was staggering about in her thoughts.

She could not believe the journey to her future would be crowded with her past.

She could not believe that Doug and George were sitting together chatting like best buddies.

She could not believe that she winked at them both.

Hardest to believe was that George came and tried to put right what he did wrong over twenty years ago.

Olivia spent her life chasing rainbows only to see them disappear as quickly as they came.

She laughed. The cheek of the man giving her his card and expecting her to have a drink with him!

Her experience on the plane since taking off from Manchester, hours ago was, indeed, surprising.

Two ghosts from her past revisited.

The two men she had written about in her book. Just unbelievable!

The flash back of memories that flooded Olivia's mind, hurt. The pain going deep.

She hid the tears behind the in flight magazine and wallowed in her regrets that were filled with sadness.

Feelings too long repressed hit her in waves of despair.

All Olivia ever wanted was someone to love her. Someone to take care of her and love the person she was.

Her soul mate never appeared. He never happened.

She was not going to delve into the list of men that came and went in her life, now was not the time.

As her tears dried and she composed herself, Olivia looked at the magazine seeing that it was open at the page that was about her.

Olivia had achieved her lifelong dream to be a writer. She never expected to find someone to publish her or to win an award.

She had initially written the book for her friends. She serialised it on Facebook.

It was her motivation to continue as the readers kept asking for more.

Now Olivia had an appointment with someone in Los Angeles to discuss a film. Wonders never ceased.

She smiled as she thought back to the days at her kitchen table and the scribbles in exercise books and on bits of paper.

She smiled as she remembered the nights when she woke up at the witching hour and wrote until she fell asleep.

As the undercarriage of the plane came down, Olivia felt an excitement about the future.

She was already writing the sequel to her first novel.

It was a work in progress and was evolving slowly.

Olivia was going to write about the disappointments in life, the laughs that could be had and all the memories that a person stores as they move onwards to the end of their journey.

Memories fade and they need to be recorded.

The book might be called 'Fading Rainbows' as the sequel to the book that was her pride and joy. She wasn't sure yet.

The touchdown completed without a bump.

Olivia rose out of her seat and was one of the first off the plane as she was eager to meet her future.

Doug and George did not look back to see where she was as they swapped numbers and agreed to meet for coffee soon.

Little did George know that he had more in common with Doug than just football and boats.

It was so tedious watching the carousel going round and round with everybody's cases on but yours.

Always wondering if yours might be the one that is lost.

George's case was one of the first out and he bid Doug farewell. As he shook Doug's hand he gave him a man hug.

“
See you soon,” he said as he left the crowd.

While Doug waited he searched amongst the crowd for the face he never expected to see again.

Surely she had not left the luggage hall already?

A suitcase passed by and caught his eye.

The colours were bright and reminded him of the hippy days of the 60's.

That would be Olivia's, he knew it. It went round and round without being picked up.

Where was she?

He looked away into the hall thinking he might see her. It was too crowded.

When he looked back he saw the case was no longer there.

Disappointment and panic began to weave their way into his heart as he realised his loss. He might never get a chance like this again.

Doug began to walk around the hall.  He might get lucky.

He would pick his case up later.

He could not see her and decided she must have gone out through customs.

Doug turned quickly on his heel to go back for his case and looked straight into the eyes that had haunted him for years.

He almost fell over her. “Olivia, what a surprise!”, he said.

“
No it's not,” she replied, “You saw me on the plane”.

Olivia had to hold it all together so he could not see the effect he was already having on her.

The tears began to prickle at the back of her eyes and she looked away.

“
It can't just be a coincidence that we meet like this. How have you been?” Doug was spluttering as he realised how stupid it sounded.

Doug knew how much he hurt her, Brenda told him.  Olivia had come between them, that was true.

All Doug did was talk about Olivia when they were together and Brenda did everything he asked.

At times he wondered why he was with her. There was no satisfaction.

Brenda was subservient and she bored him very quickly.

Doug had no respect for Brenda, how could she do that to her friend?

Doug never took responsibility for what happened and convinced himself that it was all Brenda's doing. The bitch!

As usual Doug never took responsibility for any mayhem he caused. It was always someone else's fault.

Olivia began to walk away, “Why should you care how I have been” she grunted, then said, “OK, in fact I have been very well”.

Olivia could not see any point to this and carried on, “I'm sorry I really must go, haven't the time for this. Someone is waiting”.

Doug didn't ask her who might be waiting for her, he assumed it would be a man.

Olivia had aged well and no way would she not be with someone now.

Doug began to feel embarrassed and said, “Oh yes of course, I read the article on board.”

He had rehearsed all the words he might say to her after she winked at him but now they seemed to be hiding. Where were the words that would make it right?

Doug began to feel really stupid and fumbled in his pocket.

He produced a card and pleaded, “Please Olivia, call me, let's have a coffee for old time's sake?”

Doug could not lose her again, he just couldn't.

Olivia took the card from him, looked at it and thrust it into her coat pocket.

She reached out her hand to shake his and said, “We never did say goodbye properly did we Doug?”

Olivia sighed and needed to get away from this man who stirred up feelings in her, that she didn't want to have.

With all the strength she could muster she turned and walked away. She did not look back.