Page 101 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure
‘Enough to feed an army,’ Atticus replied. ‘Erik sent us the buffet excess from last night and, as you can see, the cavalry has arrived.’
Trooping along the beach, arms laden with bags of food, came Cheryl and Ruby.
‘Cooee!’ Cheryl called out. ‘Feliz Navidad!’
Cheryl was dressed as an elf, and her bright red-and-green costume hugged her frame. The bells on her shoes jingled with every step, and the bright red pom-pom on her hat matched her heavily rouged cheeks. Ruby, meanwhile, wore a more sedate outfit in stretchy brown Lycra, complete with bouncing antlers on her head.
‘By heck, the gnomes have arrived!’ Arthur panted as he joined them and looked anxiously around.
‘Relax, my friend,’ Atticus said, handing Arthur a beer. ‘It’s only Cheryl and Ruby.’
‘Whew! For a moment, I thought Shirley had found me.’
‘Happy Christmas!’ Cheryl said and greeted them all. ‘We thought we’d dress up as a treat for the kiddies.’
Atticus thought the kiddies might be traumatised at the sight of the two pensioners in their party wear, but he returned the greetings and handed his friends a beer.
‘Erik and Sophia aren’t far behind,’ Cheryl said. ‘They’re rollerblading.’
In the distance, travelling in harmony along the boardwalk parallel to the beach, two figures dressed as Mr and Mrs Claus came into sight. Sophia, her lengthy hair cascading, wore a sequinned, fur-trimmed mini-dress that caught the light as she glided, followed by Erik in scarlet Speedos and a Santa hat. ‘Feliz Navidad!’ they called out.
‘I wouldn’t mind a pair of those Speedos,’ Arthur said, wide-eyed.
‘Grandad, can I get some rollerblades?’ Jake asked and stared at Sophia as she joined them.
‘Here, Jake, try these,’ Erik said as he unbuckled his boots and gave them to Jake, then reached into the cooler for a beer. Moments later, Jake, gripping Sophia’s hand, stumbled falteringly along the boardwalk.
‘He’ll soon get the hang of it,’ Arthur mused as Jake tumbled head-over-heels onto the beach.
As night closed in, the terrace at Casita del Mar was a peaceful retreat, the air carrying the woody scent of a distant beach bonfire and the faint sound of waves lapping against the shore. Everyone had returned, tired but happy, to their accommodation. Atticus sat on the swingwith Britta, her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, as he remembered the bustling family Christmas Day.
Candles in lanterns flickered as he recalled the games they’d played with the children. Everyone joined in for beach cricket, and Atticus smiled when Cheryl collided with Arthur as they reached up to catch a ball.
‘I’ve been elfed!’ Arthur called out as he tumbled beneath Cheryl, and they fell onto the sand.
Atticus, encouraged by Britta, had gone for a dip and, once in the water, called out for everyone to dive in. The children squealed at first but soon began to enjoy the gentle waves. Mary, braving a bikini, produced a ball and, with Declan on her shoulders, threw it for everyone to catch.
The twilight blue of the night reflected the stars overhead, and Atticus watched their light bouncing off the sea’s surface and thought of Mary and Mungo.
How he wished that Mary could find a partner who adored her. Her heart had been broken and her trust destroyed, but she deserved to be loved and appreciated. Any man in his right mind would snap her up.
On the other hand, Mungo lived in greyscale and seemed trapped in a cloud of gloom. How Atticus wished that his son could wake up and realise that the life he’d created was wonderful. His wife was a diamond, and he had two fantastic kids. The business would sustain them all, becoming a pot of gold at the end of Mungo’s retirement rainbow.
But as Atticus stroked Britta’s hair, he thought he was the luckiest man alive, and tonight was the end of a perfect day. Kissing her forehead, he gently closed his eyes and whispered, ‘Feliz Navidad.’
Chapter Forty-One
Boxing Day at Solma Vacaciones was a time for the campers to get together and celebrate with an afternoon party around the pool. The management laid on a barbecue and buffet for their guests and with games for the children and activities for adults, the happy campers all joined in.
Sophia, wearing her bright red one-piece, was encouraging her senior squad to work off their Christmas excess in the pool. ‘Sí! Hagámoslo!’ she yelled, kicking her legs and waving her arms. ‘Let’s do it, get moving!’
Arthur, in a pair of Speedos borrowed from Erik, his Santa hat at a jaunty angle, was knee-deep in the water as he raised his leg and waved his arms. Atticus, comfortable on a nearby sunbed, prayed that Arthur wouldn’t need ‘gnome-ing’ back together when he took the tumble that was imminent and ended up flat out in the pool.
‘You’ve got this Aqua-Gnome!’ Jake called out. ‘Showthe water who’s boss, Uncle Arthur!’
‘You’re crushing it, Hydro-Hero,’ Maeve joined in. She held her phone in her hand and was shooting an Instagram reel with the hashtags: ‘#PensionersPaddle at the #SeniorSplash’.
In the children’s pool, Britta held Declan’s hand and guided him to the slide on the hippo. She clapped her hands as he sped into the water. Nearby, Finn was enjoying a game of water volleyball with children from Spanish families.
