Destination Chile

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‘Oh, okay.’ I paused. ‘Erm, Rahul also said that maybe we could meet the other guests?’

Jerry shook his head sadly. ‘Ah, well, until contracts have been signed I can’t reveal who you’ll be travelling with. But I can tell you that I’m sure you will have six new friends by the end of it all.’ He smiled at me.

I blushed slightly before asking the next question, ‘Rahul also mentioned something about a cash prize?’

‘Yes! Our sponsors for the show have agreed to give quite a healthy sum of £25,000 to the couple who win the most challenges, with the idea that it will go towards investing in their business, but how the winning couple spends it is up to them!’

‘Wow!’ Before he finished speaking I’d instantly banked the money into the Lonely Hearts Foundation, the charity fund Ben and I had set up after my trip to India, knowing how it could help such a valuable cause as getting children off the streets, and maybe bringing about some decent PR, my business side nudged me. ‘What sort of challenges are we talking?’

‘Oh simple things, just to add a bit of colour to the show really. Between you and me, this cash prize is just so the sponsor gets more shout-outs in the show. It’s all about building that special viewer–brand relationship.’ He rolled his eyes as if it never used to be like this in his day. ‘I can’t imagine they would be expecting the contestants to go above and beyond the call of duty.’ He waved his hand dismissively and glanced at the sheets of paper on his lap. ‘So, I think that’s a short overview. Can you tell me about your relationship with Ben? I know it feels weird to be talking about something so personal but what you tell me in this room stays in this room. It will just help shape the interview questions that you’ll be asked once you’re away.’

I nodded. ‘Erm, sure, okay, well Ben and I met in Thailand –’

‘Ah yes, you travelled there after being jilted, didn’t you?’ he interrupted me.

I felt my hackles rise like they had with Blaise. I had to put a stop to this angle they were clearly looking to go down. I cleared my throat and sat upright. ‘Yes I did. But honestly, Jerry, I don’t want to be known as “the jilted bride”.’ I made inverted commas with my fingers and cringed. ‘I was dumped, and yes that was the catalyst for going away but that is all in the past now. I’ve made something out of what was a horrible time and I couldn’t be happier.’ He was nodding along and making notes as I spoke. I felt really hot all of a sudden. ‘I don’t want this part to be a big element of the show. Rahul told me it would be more looking at how Ben and I manage our time working on the business, and our passion for travel. Is that okay?’

‘Mmm. I just have to ask these silly questions,’ he said gently. ‘I’m sure it won’t be the main focus of things.’

‘Okay, well if you could note that down please, I’d be really grateful.’

Jerry leant forward and put the papers to one side. ‘Georgia, we’re thrilled to have you both here today and we only want you to feel happy. Please trust me that you honestly don’t have a thing to worry about when you’re away, well apart from maybe applying sunscreen and mosquito repellent!’ He laughed.

I smiled along with him. Jerry looked like someone my dad would hang out and have a beer with in his local. There was no way he’d stitch me up. Stop being so dramatic, Georgia. They just need to cover all bases to check you haven’t got any nasty skeletons hiding in your cupboard, I tried to tell myself. Then a thought hit me: I wondered what Ben was talking to that glamorous woman about. What questions was she asking him? See, this is going to be great, you can finally learn more about each other without feeling like you’re nagging him, my subconscious said smugly.

The next hour or so passed quickly as Jerry moved on to less interrogative questions about running a business, the skills needed and time-management difficulties, then touched on how dating and working together with Ben was. He was apologetic about asking tough questions and made me laugh as he told me about his wife and how they’d tried to work together once but it had almost ended in a divorce.

‘So.’ He glanced at his brown leather watch. ‘I’m conscious of time so if you could sign this form and then we can get started on sorting out the travel arrangements, your passport details, dietary requirements and all of that.’

‘Oh, well I wasn’t actually planning on signing anything, not until I’d at least spoken to Ben about it all first, sorry.’ I winced feeling very awkward.

Jerry nodded politely and got to his feet and rummaged in his desk, ‘Course. I just need to get the paperwork, that I know I put in here somewhere, so you can have a read of it all.’ I nodded slowly and watched him banging open drawers. ‘Ah, here we go!’ Just then, the phone rang.

‘Hello? Excellent. I’ll let her know. Yep we’re nearly all done here. Great okay, bye.’ Jerry hung up and flashed me a heartfelt smile before putting his thumbs up in a cheesy dad style. ‘That was Anna, who was with Ben. She just wanted to let me know that he’s just signed the contract and will be waiting for you in reception.’

‘Oh right. Okay.’ He’d signed it already?

Jerry handed me over a stack of papers that had been stapled together at the top. ‘It’s just your basic contract that covers things like insurance and some boring legal jargon.’ I must have hesitated before taking it. ‘Don’t worry, Anna has run through it with Ben who must be happy with it all. It’s all kosher. The reason we need to move quite quickly on all of this is that the filming is set to take place in the next few weeks. I only found out this morning that Channel 4 have let us know of an unexpected slot in their scheduling so everything has been bumped forward to give ourselves the best shot to fill it.’

I smiled weakly and took the forms. I couldn’t believe that Ben had just signed it. But isn’t this what you wanted? I asked myself. You were the one who suggested taking Rahul up on his offer in the first place. Maybe Ben knew how excited you were and wanted to make you happy by showing you that he was on board with the idea? I tried to shush the prickling feeling that I was about to sign a contract without running through it with a fine-toothed comb.

‘Have you got a pen?’ I looked up at Jerry. He nodded and fumbled in one of the messy drawers for a fancy ballpoint pen that glided across the pages where I scrawled my signature.

‘Excellent.’ Jerry beamed and took the papers from me. ‘I’ll get these sent off to the legal department and ask them to forward you both a copy for your records and all that stuff.’ I nodded as he cleared his throat and leaned forward. ‘I know that you and Ben are going to have a wonderful time, be incredible contestants, and I have no doubt that the nation will warm to you and what you’re trying to achieve with your business.’

‘Thanks, I hope you’re right.’ I gave a light laugh. Forget about stressing that you didn’t get to fully read every line of that contract. Trust Ben and remember that both lovely Rahul and Jerry here just want to make a light-hearted show. I mean, it’s hardly going to be question time with Jeremy bloody Paxman, is it? I could have laughed about how sensitive I was being. We get a free holiday and get to promote our business. What could possibly go wrong?

‘So, Georgia, someone will be in touch regarding travel arrangements and what things you’ll need to bring with you et cetera, et cetera. You will need to keep the seventeenth free. Which I know is very soon, but like I said, everything has been shifted forward. Is this still going to be okay?’

I mentally ran through my diary. January was set to be our quietest month, Conrad and Kelli were perfectly capable of being in charge for less than a fortnight, Jimmy and Shelley didn’t leave until next month and Marie still had three weeks left until her latest mini-me entered the world. ‘Yep, I can’t see there’s going to be any problems.’ I got to my feet as he suddenly seemed quite keen to get me out of the room.

‘Great, well it was so lovely to meet you and I’m sure we’ll see you again soon. We’re thrilled to have you both on board for what’s guaranteed to be a fun and memorable experience! I’m just jealous that I’ve not been asked to take part with my wife!’ He let out a deep laugh and then picked up the phone once more and asked for Dog Lover Dana to escort me back to the main room before shaking my hand again. ‘Good luck, Georgia!’

I said goodbye and followed Dana who was chatting excitedly about the fantastic concept and how lucky we were to be involved. I half tuned out, feeling like I’d emerged from some strange comforting bubble, and now that I was back in the bedlam of the hipster courtyard I had this strange sinking feeling that I’d been way too hasty.

It was all going to be fine, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?

CHAPTER 7 (#ulink_b1ba07cb-063a-5434-981f-23440dd3163a)

Inveterate (adj.) – Confirmed in a habit; habitual

‘Well, that was different,’ Ben said smiling, as he pulled out a pair of gloves from his coat pocket. We’d left the television studios and had managed to hail a black cab. Thankfully we had snuck out without getting Blaise-d once more. Please don’t let him be part of the actual filming, I said in silent prayer. Although nothing could put a dampener on travelling with Ben, it certainly would be a lot harder with Jazz Hands McJazz Face there.

Ben seemed in a really great mood, whereas I felt a little confused and dazed by what had just happened in that room with calm Jerry and his kind eyes.

‘I was a little sceptical when you first mentioned this TV show thing, babe, but actually I’ve been thinking and I reckon it’s going to be great for the business.’

‘And us?’ I pouted.

He laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. ‘Yeah, and us, of course. Although, I think we’re pretty spot on. They say you can’t beat perfection.’ He let out a bark of a laugh as I pretended to fake vomit. Although inside I felt like that too.

‘You did look over the contract properly?’ I asked for the third time since we’d left.

He gave me a look. ‘Yes. I’ve told you, Georgia, we have nothing to worry about. It was just your basic agreement, like I’ve said. Trust me, it’s fine.’

I nodded and told myself to do just that.

‘Where to, folks?’ the cabbie interrupted us as we pulled out of the courtyard.

‘We’re done earlier than I thought, so we’ve got a bit of time to kill before our train back,’ I said to Ben, glancing at the clock above the meter.

Ben leant forward to speak to the driver. ‘Can you take us to Belvedere Crescent please, mate,’ he asked and squeezed my knee.

‘You’re the boss,’ the cabbie replied and turned right onto the busy London streets.

‘Where’s that?’

‘My dad’s place.’

‘Really?’ I blinked in surprise.

‘Yeah, you mentioned it earlier and I just thought maybe it is time you met him.’

I self-consciously fidgeted with my dress and pulled at my tights that were bagging at my knees.

‘You look great.’ Ben planted a heavy kiss on my forehead. ‘It’s going to be very relaxed; you’ve got nothing to worry about.’

‘Oh okay. But maybe we could stop off on the way so I can pick up a bottle of wine or something? I don’t really want to walk in empty-handed…’

‘No,’ he interrupted sharply. ‘Sorry, I mean, let’s just go and see if he’s even in first,’ he said more softly.

‘Sure.’ I nodded and tried to stay cool, calm and collected. I settled back into my seat, enjoying the weight of Ben’s arm slung over my shoulder. Inside, I felt a fizz of excitement. We were going to get to travel together and I was about to learn loads about my boyfriend from his dad. I bet he was just like him, but older and well, more cockney! Today was shaping up to be a very good day indeed.

However, as the journey continued and the buzzing centre of London faded away so did Ben’s good mood. It was as if this strange cloud had passed over him as we crossed the ring road. I remembered Marie once telling me about letting men go off into their man cave, something she’d read in Men Are From Mars, Women Are from Venus. That no good can come from women trying to get a man to talk when they so obviously want to be left alone to stew on whatever it is on their minds. Luckily the driver had the radio on loud so the gravelly tones of Rod Stewart filled this strangely uncomfortable silence.

‘You sure you want to do this? Have you called him? Maybe we should have met in a coffee shop? I could do with something to eat as it’s been ages since we had breakfast,’ I babbled ignoring Marie’s relationship advice. We turned off a main road and headed down what looked to be a much rougher part of town, judging by the graffiti-scrawled street signs and the stained mattresses piled near a high-rise block of flats.

‘It’ll be fine,’ he muttered, absently staring out of the window. Ben was fidgeting with his hands and a sheen of sweat had broken out at his temples. What was the big deal? My vision of being shown adorable baby photos of Ben and laughing at childhood stories with his loving father felt like it had faded into a clench of anticipation and nerves at what a physical reaction introducing me to him was obviously having on him.

Maybe this was a stupid idea? Maybe I should have let this meeting happen organically, without me forcing it. What if he hated me? What if he was as snooty as Alex’s parents had been? Why was Ben getting so stressed? I too felt like beads of sweat were showing on my forehead.

‘We can turn back if you like?’ I said, in a voice that didn’t sound like my own. The cabbie was oblivious to this new tension in the back of his black cab and was having an animated conversation with someone about last night’s footy match via a Bluetooth headset.

Ben shook his head and gripped my knee, giving it a tight squeeze. ‘No. We should just get this over with.’ God, why was he making it sound so bloody torturous? He seemed as clenched with anxiety as if heading to get his first smear test.

‘Oh. Okay,’ I mumbled.

He finally turned to face me. ‘Georgia, it might be better if you manage your expectations – my dad isn’t really like your family. Or like me to be honest. He…he…’ Ben trailed off and was cut short from finishing his sentence when the cab pulled up to a stop.

‘Belvedere Crescent,’ the driver said, clicking the meter off. This spurred Ben into action as he rummaged in his pocket to pay and then got out, letting in a cold whoosh of winter air that jolted me like a slap in the face.

We were in a large cul-de-sac of a council estate. Three teens wearing hoodies and walking like Liam Gallagher after a lengthy horse-riding session sloped past us as the taxi driver made a speedy exit. One sucked his teeth, looking me up and down, a slow leery smirk breaking out on his pale, acne-marked cheeks. I felt exposed, despite wearing so many layers, and pulled my coat even tighter. It was the damn high-heeled shoes. It had to be.

‘Come on, let’s do this.’ Ben glared at the lads and took my hand, leading me up a litter-strewn path to a large set of doors outside one of the identical blocks of flats. One of the windows had been kicked through and replaced with a scratty piece of plywood on which someone had artistically daubed an angry-looking cock. Wiry pubes and all.

‘Home, sweet home,’ he sighed, thankfully not catching the shocked look on my face that I knew I was doing a crap job of hiding.

Oh, this was going to be interesting.

Ben took a deep breath and pressed some numbers into the sticky keypad by the graffiti-scrawled front door, clenching his jaw as an irritating ringer buzzed.

‘Yeah?’ a man’s drowsy voice croaked through the intercom.

‘Hey, Dad? It’s me. Ben. I was in London for a meeting and wondered if you were free for a cuppa. I’ve…I’ve got someone here I want you to meet.’ I noticed a deep red flush climb up his neck that he rubbed self-consciously.

The line went silent apart from an angry, white-noise type of buzzing. I suddenly wished we’d called ahead and not doorstepped him like this.

‘Ben?’ There was a millisecond pause. ‘Right, well… er…yeah, come up.’ The door buzzed and we made our way into the junk-mail-strewn foyer. The lift was out of service so we took the stairs. I held my breath at the stench of stale urine and pulled my sleeves over my hands so as not to touch the grimy banister. Neither of us spoke. Any attempt at forming a sentence had vanished in shock at the state of this place. This was where Ben had grown up? I was literally speechless.

‘Here we are,’ Ben said, after two flights of stairs and my heels twice skidding on dubious stains. The front door to his dad’s flat was ajar so Ben nudged it open with his foot.

‘Hello?’ he called out, not looking at me.

My eyes took a moment to adjust to the gloom, even though it was a surprisingly bright winter’s day outside. Smells of greasy food, fags and stale beer drifted past us, making my stomach turn.

‘Dad?’ Ben called out again. His voice sounded distorted and echoed off the bare walls.

‘In here, son, mind how you walk. I wasn’t… I wasn’t really expecting visitors.’

We followed where the flustered-sounding voice was coming from and walked down the dim, narrow corridor to the closed door ahead. As Ben turned the handle I felt my stomach knot with a sense of anxiety at what was on the other side. With a heavy shove the door burst open and inside the equally dark room was the kitchen-slash-lounge. In the centre, looking as if he’d just heaved himself up from the sagging sofa, was his dad, dressed in a tatty dressing gown and little else. He had brown hair, a lighter and dustier colour than Ben’s, which had tufted into strange peaks, and a lit cigarette dangling from his wrinkled lips. He was nothing like the father figure I’d imagined. I hoped my intake of breath was muffled by the blaring noise coming from the television.

‘All right, son! I was just about to start cleaning.’ His dad quickly took the three strides to the tiny kitchen and began hastily chucking empty cartons and glass bottles into an already overflowing bin. The washing up hadn’t been done for a very long time. Congealed sauce marked chipped dinner plates that were piled haphazardly next to a couple of takeaway boxes near the greasy tiles.

‘Hey, Dad.’ Ben’s voice was flat and I could tell he knew it. I suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here. I wanted his father to still be a figment in my imagination. What is it they say about men turning into their fathers? The thought seemed as alien as Katie Price becoming Prime Minister.