An Unexpected Trip

The great Silver Jumbo jet with a tremendous thrust of its supersonic jets, tested the
runway for length, lifted its nose into the air and launched its huge bulk into the
clouds.
Michael breathed a thankful sigh of relief and let a little smile play on his lips. He was
free.
Michael was 47 years old and married to Amy, a have to have. She had to have this
and she had to have that. This had resulted in a new kitchen, new carpets, new dining
room suite, new lounge site, new bathroom, and various other new things which they
couldn’t afford.
Michael worked as the manager of a big London Insurance Company. He had a good
position and he had a good salary, but with Amy’s voracious needs, not good enough.
He travelled every day on the 7.40am. up train and back at 5.25pm.on the down train,
for twenty years he had done this, but now every day he wanted less and less to catch
that down train.
That particular morning Amy had decided she wanted, or as she put it ‘had to have’ the
bedroom fitted with units, wall to wall. Michael had quaked. The money he had saved
before they were married was gone, and they were in debt. He had no idea how he was
going to pay for new units, or for the week’s groceries for that matter.
As Michael sat at his desk, trying hard to concentrate on the job in hand, and not
succeeding very well. His mind was everywhere, all over the place, trying to come to a
conclusion of how he would manage to satisfy Amy and still be solvent. He got up
and paced for a while, perhaps movement would clear his brain. It didn’t. He sat down
again and tried to do some work. Something constructive, that was the answer he
convinced himself.
He started by checking through some accounts on his computer, as he did, he noticed
£185,000 was adrift. It had somehow floated into a dead account.An account which
was finished but had somehow managed to stay open. No one had closed it. It was
obviously an oversight. It belonged to no one. Well, not yet anyway. He glanced
furtively around his empty office.
Pressing the keys on his keyboard, his fingers feeling like wooden stumps, he added
his bank account number to the dead account and watched as the screen flashed and
rolled figures around. They stopped and the screen read ‘Account activated – transfer
complete’.
When the blood had stopped roaring in his ears and he felt he could breath again, and
making sure no one was within earshot, his voice husky, he telephoned to Heathrow
Airport and arranged a flight for 3pm that day to Buenos Aires. He paid with his credit
card and waited with bated breath, this was the telling time, because there certainly
wasn’t enough in his account to cover a trip to the seaside never mind South
America..The attendant at the airport reported all was in order.His ticket would be at
the desk. ’ Please arrive at least one hour before take off’. He breathed a sigh of relief.
It had gone through.!
At 12 o’clock he went for lunch as usual , telling his Secretary he had a dental
appointment and would be late back. He left, taking with him his empty briefcase.
His first stop was the Bank where he closed his account. The cashier was a little
surprised he wanted all of the £185,000 out, but he explained it was for a business
deal. Not that it was any of her business, he thought, but he felt he had to make an
explanation of some kind. He was so used to being accountable to Amy that it became
second nature to be accountable to all women.
He placed the money carefully in the briefcase, trying very hard not to hurry or look
as flustered as he felt. He smiled and thanked the cashier and walked for the door. As
he reached the door he felt a hand on his shoulder. His heart sank and he felt sick. It
was the Security Officer.
‘You dropped this sir’ he said, handing Michael the cashiers slip. Swallowing hard
Michael thanked him and with legs that wobbled considerably and which would
barely move, he left the Bank.
After a brief lunch to settle his stomach, which it didn’t, he headed for the airport.
As he waited for a taxi he saw a boy in a doorway with a dog. The boy had a sign
which read ‘Please feed my dog’. Michael’s heart went out to him, and opening the
brief case he took out a fifty pound note and handed it to the boy. The boy just stared.
Too shocked to even thank his benefactor. Michael raised his finger to his lips and
said ‘Sshh’ and smiled ‘For the dog’ he said.
As he jumped into the Taxi he could still see the boy with his mouth open, still
holding the money he had given him
.For the first time Michael felt his stomach muscles relax. He hoped the boy spent
some of the money on himself and not all of it on the dog. Then he laughed. It was a
wonderful feeling to laugh. He hadn’t laughed in a long time. He suddenly felt it was
going to be alright.
At the Airport he had to wait in a queue, and he felt his stomach muscles contracting
again. He felt he was going to be sick. The girl behind the desk smiled at him as he
collected his boarding pass, . His passport was in order. It was fortunate it always
resided in the briefcase at the ready. He felt everyone was looking at him, he could
feel the colour rising in his face. Everywhere he looked Security guards seemed to be eyeing him up, appraising him. Did he look as guilty as he felt? He wondered.
Someone bumped into him and he gave a guilty lurch. A Security guard came up to
him ‘Are you alright sir?’ he enquired. Was it Michael’s imagination, or was the guard
looking at him suspiciously? He managed to stammer a reply ‘I’m fine, thanks. Been
a bit under the weather lately, that’s all’ he felt the colour now drain from his face as
he hastened away from the penetrating eyes of his Inquisitor. They all seemed to be
watching him. Even the Policemen seemed to have him in their sights.
He felt ill. He didn’t know if he could go through with this.In theory it was fine,but in
practice it was something else.
The walk along the stairway to the aeroplane was the longest he had ever walked. He
felt as if he was walking to the gallows, and expected any minute a hand to be placed
on his shoulder, but it didn’t come.
He handed his boarding pass to the smiling Stewardess and took his seat, carefully
stowing the briefcase in the locker first.
As they waited to take off, Michael thought about his life and what he was leaving
behind. Nothing, he decided, absolutely nothing but a nagging wife who was never
satisfied. Not with him or anything he provided.
It had been different at first. When he had met Amy she was sweet and amusing.
Kittenish and sexy. Bubbly and loving. She had been by far the prettiest girl he had
ever gone out with. Her short bobbed curling brown hair bounced as she walked. She
was small and petite with a fabulous figure.Always wore the latest gear and looked
ravishing. She laughed a lot and gazed into his blue eyes, played her fingers through
his blonde hair. Told him how much she loved him. They had had a ‘posh’ wedding
with all the accompaniments, two hundred guests, three Bridesmaids all dressed in
blue velvet and She had worn a long White Designer dress and had looked adorable.
He had paid for the wedding, she said her parents couldn’t afford it and she so
desperately wanted to look nice for him and make him proud of her. He had been
proud of her. He had loved her so much and she had told him she adored him.
Once they were married all that changed. All she was interested in was the house. Her
house she called it, even though he had paid for it with money left him by his parents.
She wanted it perfect, and perfect it was. Not homely and comfortable, but perfect like
a museum is perfect.; but still she wasn’t satisfied. Then even more of the Have to
Haves started. He had expected that they would have children, that she would want
children, but the house was her child and that was all she wanted.
He couldn’t understand why they had to have wall to wall bedroom. They only slept in
it after all. Nothing else ever happened there, not now.
Michael settled back in his seat, and allowed himself a quiet smile Two things were
certain, he would not be on the 5.25 train tonight; and a spot of quiet would not go
amiss.

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