Chapter 5.

Mia sunk slowly into the warm water and washed any trace of the past few hours from her body. It still amazed her that she had never even been close to being caught and nobody ever suspected her. To anyone that was lucky enough to know the other side of Mia she worked for a huge corporate company that redeveloped large areas for commercial use. People always commented on how lucky she was to have such an amazing job that allowed her to travel all over the world. Mia didn't get too close to people and she kept herself very much to herself making sure she never gave anyone the chance to ask questions.

Her training had been disciplined and Mia knew what was at stake if she didn't follow the rules. It had been hard in the beginning and Catherine as she had been known then fought them every step of the way. "The Associates" as they were known had been clear from day one, follow the rules, do as we say and ask questions only when necessary. They had been responsible for all her facial changes and had nursed her back to health afterwards when she had been in the worst pain of her life. The Institute had been enormous and she had felt completely overwhelmed in the first few months of her induction there. She had been one of 20 to arrive on that cold and wet day, most of them were her age and all of them looked terrified to death.

The programme had been laid out in front of them on the second day. It was quite simple and involved a lecture by a stern looking woman called Elaine. They had all been chosen for their own safety and if they wanted to pull out of the programme they were on their own and no help would ever be offered again to them. Mia  sat and listened as Elaine read out all of the kids stories. Some were drug related with no hope of ever getting clean on their own and some were that of abuse. After 40 minutes it was her turn ....."Catherine S" Elaine said "Yes Miss" Mia replied. "You are here for your own safety, you have been involved with one of the biggest drug cartel families in Europe. You are now in imminent danger as are those of your family. We can help you to gain a new identity and keep you and your family from harm. You will undergo surgery and completely forget the old Catherine, a new name will be allocated to you and your family will be forgotten."  Elaine read from a piece of paper as if she was reciting an article in a magazine. Mia remembered attempting to put her hand up and defend herself at her lack of knowledge about Greg's family but was abruptly interrupted.  "Your death will be faked and your family will grieve for the loss of Catherine but you..." she stared coldly into her eyes "Will be saved".

And that was how she had become Mia Campbell, as simple as that. Little did she know that The Institute would want much more in return for her silence and safety.

Mia jumped as the door buzzer sounded, she sat on the bed for a while trying to figure out who on earth could be at her door. It buzzed again and she swung her legs round ready to run into the hallway, suddenly a noise that she didn't recognise rang out through the apartment.....A key in her front door.....Yes...A key. What on earth was going on she thought? Mia leapt into action and grabbed her gun, she left no sound as she sprinted to the other side of the room. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest she could barely hear anything else, she had to regulate her breathing before she had a full on panic attack. Footsteps approached her bedroom and they were definitely men's footsteps. Mia crouched behind the curtains and waited. It seemed an eternity before the handle twisted slowly and the door opened. Mia squinted at the figure that appeared in the doorway, he was about six foot and dressed in black, black coat, black hat and gloves to match. A voice pierced into her quiet state "Mia, Mia I know you can see me, show yourself my child".

Mia slowly rose from her hiding place and stood firm staring back at the man all dressed in black, "what the hell are you doing in my apartment?" she asked. “You haven't been answering any of our calls young lady and as you well know in circumstances like that we have to check in personally." He replied.

Mia flushed a deep shade of red as she remembered turning her phone onto silent in  the car park and forgetting to turn it back on once home. This was a cardinal sin and one that would not go unpunished. The man in black sat on the end of her crumpled bed and smiled a dark sinister smile before saying "you had us all worried you know. If it hadn't been for the news coverage we would have assumed you had been caught". Mia apologised and wrapped her robe around her already freezing body "I don't know what to say, there is no excuse for my lack of communication and I will understand if you want me to leave my post ". The man sneered ”There will be no need for that Mia, just make sure it never happens again, there will be no second chances. Do you understand me?" He said . "Yes Sir, I understand and I promise it will never happen again" she replied.

He left as quickly as he had appeared and Mia sat for what seemed like eternity thinking about what had just happened. She was left under no illusion that they could get to her whenever they wanted and wherever she was. Mia was well and truly a kept woman and they were in charge of her destiny.

Chapter 4.

The next morning she waited for the limo to arrive and paced up and down the lobby area impatiently. She had packed light and needed only one bag which she could take onto the plane without even have to check it in. The car arrived and she sat in the back quietly as they drove to the airport.

Once her passport had been approved she made her way to the departure gate to await her flight. She had a travelled so many times now that even some of the staff seemed to recognise her and gave her smile as she waited to board. Mia never travelled first class; she couldn't stand all the crap that came with it. Instead she chose business class which just seemed to be a bit more low key. Her employers always reserved her the same seat and nobody ever sat next to her. She hadn't worked this strange anomaly out yet but somehow they managed to pull a few strings and that was how it had been for years.

The flight was a seven and half hour one and she was dreading it, every minute made her anxious and even when the plane was as smooth as a car on the road she still didn't relax. Mia looked around at all the families and business men sleeping peacefully and wished she could do the same but she just couldn't. It wasn't by want of trying but she just couldn't relax enough to nod off. It didn't make sense for a girl who did what she did for a living to be so afraid of a little thing like flying but it just wasn't natural. A massive tin can filled with people being hurled through the air and god knows what speed was one thing you could never call natural. When she thought of all the sticky situations she had been in this should have been a walk in the park for her. Mia watched the air stewardesses faces the whole time and as long as they were smiling she was kind of alright herself. She sat at stared out of the window watching the clouds beneath her, the sky was so blue up here and she wondered if heaven looked this beautiful. Was there even such a place as heaven? She wanted there to be so that she could think of Greg and feel he was at peace. What would he think if he saw her now? He wouldn't even know her, he would have no idea he was even sitting next to her.

 

When she had been with him her hair had been blonde, short and curly and now she was dark, long and polka straight. She had lost about 3 stone and had the body of a toned athlete. But the biggest change was her face........Reconstructive surgery had been painful, emotional but totally necessary and she had been given no choice in the matter. If she didn't have it then she would be next, if she stayed Catherine she and her family would be put on the same hit list that Greg, his brother and father had all been on. She often caught sight of herself in a mirror or window and it made her do a double take every time. She had thought that once all the operations were over she could just be left alone to grieve but no.....This was just the start of her long journey, her long almost unbelievable journey.

The plane touched down at JFK airport smoothly and Mia felt an overwhelming sense of relief flood over her. She loved New York and felt strangely at home there. The apartment was an half an hour journey from the airport and had been Taylor made to suit her every need. She queued up at Security and watched as they pulled a passenger over to search his bags. The poor guy looked so nervous that she was surprised he hadn't burst into tears at his experience. Soon it was her turn and she calmly walked forward to the kiosk. The man behind the desk was huge and looked like he could have snapped you in two if he felt like it. He surveyed her face for a while then looked at her passport..."Hmmmmm, seems you are here quite a bit Miss...Miss Campbell" he said sounding suspicious. "That's right" Mia said as cool as a cucumber,” I come over here on business at least 8 times a year, it's like my second home". The man mountain smiled at her ” you like it here Mam?" he asked ” oh yes, I just love it. In fact I prefer it here to England but don't tell anyone" she said whilst laughing and giving him her best Mia Campbell eyes. He laughed with her and wished her a successful trip before remarking what a beautiful smile she had.....Mission accomplished Mia.

New York was the most beautiful city in the sun, the light reflected from every window and she strained her neck up to see the tops of the buildings. Everyone looked happy here, not like at home where people seemed sad all the time. Here it was different, people were on a mission and marched everywhere. The hustle and bustle made her feel invisible, no one paid any attention to her as she walked the last few blocks to her rented apartment. The concierge recognised her straight away and his face lit up as she came through the door "well, well, well, hello Mam" he said happily. "Hello Harry, and how are you?" she replied. They chatted easily for a good ten minutes and Mia asked how his family were and whether or not his daughter had had her baby yet.

She put her key in the front door and opened it and the wonderful smell of her Manhattan apartment swept over her, for the first time in months she smiled a real smile. The apartment was beautiful in every way and had been set up just for her. The wardrobe was stocked with gorgeous clothes and bags and the fridge was full of her favourite things. She did a lot of cooking here and sat on the balcony watching the city below. The most important room was well stocked too and had every conceivable weapon you could imagine. It made James Bonds stash look positively lame.

Mia's moment of joy was interrupted by the mobile on the table buzzing, "yes" she answered. "The envelope on the desk has your next job inside, read everything carefully please" the voice on the other end instructed her "It is important that you do not carry out anything until all the players are in place on this one." he said. " I understand" she replied. She had the impression he was going to say something else but silence followed by a small beep told her he had gone. Once again Mia went through the same pattern destroying the SIM card and replacing it with a blank one. The envelope  was exactly where he had said it would be and after reading the contents she set about getting rid of anything that may incriminate her.

Once dressed appropriately Mia hailed a yellow cab. The driver was not the slightest bit interested in her or what she was carrying and she sat quietly in the back watching the New York skyline whizz past her. He pulled over 4 blocks from her destination and she paid him the total amount before grabbing her bag from the back seat. As she watched him disappear out of sight she wondered if he liked his job or was it just a means to an end. She had only ever had a few cab drivers over here that had been chatty and most of the time they just ignored her.

The car park stood tall and grey in front of her and she found the back entrance easily, the instructions had been very clear and Mia followed them to the letter. As she reached level 15 she was careful to check her surroundings before leaving the elevator. The deserted construction area was sealed off with heavy plastic sheeting and Mia noticed the strong smell of dust mixed with soldiering metal. She pushed quietly through and the fresh air hit her full in the face, she scanned the scene in front of her and found her bearings easily. The sound of her bag being unzipped broke the silence around her and she carefully lifted her long, sleek weapon out of its home. She lined up the scope and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds to prepare herself mentally before beginning.

The target was exactly where he should be and she could see him clearly through his window from across the water below her. He looked so relaxed and as the instructions had said there was a girl beside him who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but by his side. He lent over and grabbed the back of her hair forcing his lips onto hers, she winced in pain but he carried on regardless of her obvious discomfort. Mia hated men like him more than any type, those men that thought they could buy and manipulate others to suit themselves.

The girl could not of been much older than 18 and she looked terrified and confused. The door opened and a second man came in with a tray placing it in front of the pair. He lifted a syringe and waved it in front of the young girl as if teasing her, the men laughed as the girl attempted to stand up. It was at this point Mia realised she was tethered to the chair and there was no escape. The second man plunged the needle into her arm and she flopped forwards like a rag doll that had been used and disposed of. As she raised her head the man smacked her hard across the face and once again laughed, the young girl stared as he started to unzip his flies and the realisation of what was about to happen flashed across her eyes.

Mia had seen enough, she always watched for a few moments as if attempting to justify what she was about to do. She had a clean shot and she focused completely almost disappearing into her own world. And then.........It was all over........The man almost gracefully fell to the floor, the girl let out a silent scream and the door burst open to reveal several burly bodyguards. Mia laughed to herself......"Call yourselves bodyguards" she said out loud. She wanted to stay and watch the shock in their faces but knew what had to be done next.

As she exited the car park she carefully pulled off her wig and discarded it into a bag and then into the river making sure she wasn't seen. "Right" Mia said to herself "time to vanish". And that was exactly what she did.......Vanish......Right into the crowds.

Chapter 3.......

CHAPTER 3

The train station was cold and bleak, Mia watched as the other commuters jostled for a good position. She wondered if they all had homes and families to go home to, warm cosy homes full of love and life. A man in his thirties looked at her and smiled, he wasn't bad looking but she had already noticed he was trying to hide his wedding ring. He started towards her and she felt herself physically tense, he smiled again and then asked her if she had the right time. Mia shook her head, she did have the time but she also knew a chat up line when she saw one. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a tube of mints "want one?” He asked, again she shook her head. Mia wondered how quickly he might change his mind if she was to tell him what she had just done.

His mobile rang and he fumbled to turn it off, he wasn't quick enough for Mia, she had already memorised the name and number on the screen. What is wrong with these men, why couldn't they just be satisfied with what they had? Time to teach him a lesson….

The train pulled in and as predicted in her mind he followed her onto the carriage, she sat down and he placed himself directly opposite her casting his eyes hungrily up and down her long legs. Mia looked around before leaning over and putting her well-manicured hand on his knee slowly moving it up his leg. For a second he looked surprised at her sudden forwardness but that changed to a familiar look of arrogance.

"I wonder” she said seductively whilst taking her phone out and dialling "what Claire would think if I was to tell her what I was doing to her husband ". Mia continued to dial purposely showing him that she was dialling a familiar number. "Oooooo look, it's ringing" she whispered. His face dropped and he stood up so quickly he banged his head on the luggage rack. "You bitch" he spat “how on earth did you get that number?”. Mia smiled to herself as he scurried off to another carriage mumbling under his breath, he wasn't to know part of her new skills were a photographic memory now was he.

The train carried on its journey and Mia allowed her mind to wander back...Back to this time last year. Her wedding day was a blur, a haze of people crying and putting their hands over their mouths in horror. Her name had been Catherine back then and she had loved practising her signature as the new Mrs Catherine MacArthur. She had never got to actually use it but still remembered how it had looked. Her mother had done her usual thing of taking over completely and had deconstructed the whole wedding without even breaking into a sweat. The following few months had been the strangest times ever, a mixture of emotions ranging from despair to anger to emptiness. Greg’s family or what was left of it had taken her under their wing and let her stay at their family home to come to terms with what had happened. She would never come to terms with it only learn to accept it.

At the inquest the coroner delivered an open verdict meaning his death could have been suspicious but there had been no proof. How utterly stupid did they think people were, nobody just falls from a balcony 26 floors up. There was no way Greg would have taken his own life and as for all the drugs in his system well that was just nonsense. He hated any type of drug even refusing paracetamol when he had a headache. His death was as much of an accident as his brothers was. And she knew it.

As they arrived at her stop Mia waited for everyone to get off before she herself departed the carriage. She watched as the commuters filed out of the exits like ants scurrying away on a mission. A sudden urge to shout out who she really was and what she actually did for a living took over. She managed to control herself and walked steadily through and out into the darkness. She loved the dark; it made her feel safe, secure and invisible. There would be people looking for her now, complete pandemonium would be taking place at Mr Turner’s residence and that made her smile. One day she would rid the world of all these drug lords who thought they could push people around and ruin innocent lives, one day she herself would be free of these revolting humans. But until her end goal was reached she would just carry on exterminating and ridding society of men like Adam Turner.

Her apartment was dark and cold but and she shivered to herself as she took her jacket off. The usual routine of checking the security cameras were done and she took comfort that everything was secure. It had to be this way; she had had no choice in the matter really and was in a way kind of thankful for it. The phone rang..............."Hello” she answered; “Well done Mia" a familiar voice came down the speaker. “You did very good work today and all loose ends have been tied up”.  Mia didn't reply and a long pause followed, "do you have any questions Mia?". "No" was her answer. “Your next job is in New York and the details are in the envelope on the desk. Please read them carefully Mia, it is vital that no mistakes are made” the phone went dead and she stared at the screen.

She remembered the first time she had heard that man’s voice and a shiver went down her spine. He thought he was her saviour but she knew differently. It had been just after Greg's funeral and a man in a dark coat had approached her advising her.....No...Telling her to call the number on the card if she wanted to know the truth about Greg and his untimely death.  She hadn't  taken much persuading and called the number the very next day, part of her still wished she hadn't but then again she wouldn't be here today if she had ignored it.


Come back on Monday for the next instalment. Thanks for reading so far xxxx

Chapter 2....

I was blown away with all of your positive, lovely and totally overwhelming messages last week at my first chapter. I know many of you wanted the next one straight away so I have decided to publish one on Monday and another on Friday. So......Here it is...Chapter 2.

Thank you so much for being so supportive as I have a go at being a bit of a grown up.

 

CHAPTER 2.

 

She found the car easily and climbed inside out of the cold. Her mind drifted again and she thought about all the signs that had been right in front of her. The late night phone calls the Sunday meetings and the way he watched her as if she may break if he took his attention away from her. He hadn't wanted to inherit the family business but had felt he had no choice and with his brother dying the year before tragically in a car crash he had stepped up to the post. It had finished his father too and he died of a massive heart attack six weeks later. She had felt like her heart could break for Greg but he had dealt with it all surprisingly well.

The night before the wedding was the last time she had spoken to him and she could still replay it word for word. "Hello Catherine it's me” he had said, "hello you" she had replied. “I’m so sorry but I can't make dinner tonight, something has come up and I have to get it sorted" his voice sounded soft but concerned. “It’s OK really, I understand. You will just have to wait until I walk down the aisle before you see me" she had said trying to sound seductive but failing miserably.

And that was that, the last time she had heard his voice and the last time he had used her old name.

The phone startled her back to reality and she shook her head to jolt her brain back to the here and now. "Yes" she said. "The address is 24 Lynmouth Road, I repeat 24 Lynmouth Road" a man’s voice replied. The screen went blank as he hung up; she removed the SIM card and destroyed it. This was all necessary and she did it like a robot that had been programmed to do so.

The drive there was uneventful and she paid no attention to her surroundings until she reached the destination. The road was one of the more affluent ones for around here and it struck her that she could have been living here if things had been different.

With the car carefully parked she retrieved her belongings and made one last check of her appearance. The house was a couple of streets from where she had parked and she made her way blending into the surroundings making sure she didn't draw any attention to herself. The house was big, white and ostentatious with private gates and two burly bodyguards stood like soldiers either side of the door.
This was where her training came in invaluable and she scaled the back wall like a cat landing softly without a sound. The first two shots had meet their targets and both men fell to the floor, two more appeared from behind the wall and they too were shot twice in the chest. One of them looked so surprised it almost made her laugh. Suddenly her real target was in front of her “WHAT THE......” he screamed... "Goodbye Mr Turner" was all she said and then pulled the trigger once more. He had only needed one bullet and she was satisfied the job was complete.

She disappeared into the distance leaving the car which would have been retrieved by another of her associates by now. Mia Campbell, as she was now known had finished for the night and she felt nothing ……nothing but emptiness...................

 

................................................................................................................................................

 

Come back on Friday for the next instalment xxx

My first attempt...Chapter 1

Not many people know this but I have been taking part in a writing course on line. I love writing my blog and enjoy all the feedback and comments I receive. However.....What I really want to do is have a go at writing a book.

Here is the first chapter from my Mini Book Project......Be warned though....It is not in my usual style of writing.

I will publish a chapter each Monday until you have read them all. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it and would love to hear your comments............Please be kind and remember these are mini chapters not full ones. xxx

Chapter 1.

The day started innocently enough with the sun streaming through the window attempting to wake the sleeping girl. Light beams reflected off of the bottles on her dressing table and formed strange patterns on the ceiling. She awoke with a yawn and a stretch and lay there for a while remembering where she was. Today was going to be an interesting one that was for sure.

Her life was unrecognisable from 2 years ago, and she thought about the past every day. She looked at the calendar....24th September; this was the day 12 months ago she should have been getting ready for the biggest, happiest day of her life. She remembered looking at her dress hanging in front of her and the hustle bustle of the others racing around downstairs.

She also remembered that life changing moment when she heard the phone ringing. Her mother had answered it and she heard the cheery "hello" change to a gasp. Then footsteps, her mother’s footsteps slowly coming upstairs. The door opened and the woman who had bought her into this world stared at her in disbelief...."Catherine...I'm....I'm....so sorry......it's Greg....there's been an accident". And in that moment her world had crashed around her ears.......................................

She dragged her mind back to the present day the reality hit her like a door slamming in the face. She swung her legs out of the bed the floor was cold and she quickly pulled them up tucking them under her chin. She had to get going and get ready, a busy day lay ahead. No more time for dwelling on the past today.

The shower was hot and steamy and felt like a haven of peace as well as being like a double espresso shock to the brain. The water ran over her body and she winced as it touched a healing scar. As she sat at the mirror looking at her reflection she came to the conclusion that she liked herself better than she used to. She had changed beyond recognition and that pleased her as well as making her feel secure.

Her outfit had been chosen well and consisted of jeans and a polo neck. She had decided on flat boots today in case she needed to run or issue a blow to the ankles. The last part of her assemble was the most important, this accessory had to be right. The door clicked open and the array of options stood in front of her. "Hmmm" she said out loud “which one shall I use today ?" It needed to be small enough to fit into her bag but not so big that it drew any attention to her. The little black one was the obvious option but it needed something else, “there" she said as she found it “the perfect thing".

One last look in the mirror, a quick adjustment to her hair and she slipped the gun and silencer into her bag....

I Am Going To Brit Mums Live This Year.

I am going to Brit Mums Live this year.........................Are You????   Come and introduce yourself be linking up with this introduction linky

Name: Samantha (only used when I am in trouble with my mum) You can all call me Sam or Sammy.

Blog:The 40 Year Old Domestic Goddess

 

Twitter ID: @sthurley49

Height: 5ft 6ish depending on how high my ponytail is that particular day.

Hair: Mid length brown hair usually worn up but could be down depending on wind strength and if I am wearing lip gloss or not.

Eyes: Swamp green.

 

Is this your first blogging conference?
Yes it is and I am very excited indeed.

Are you attending both days?
Absolutely.

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2013?
I cant pin point one thing but I guess if I had too it would have to be meeting lots of new people who will hopefully become friends in the future.

What are you wearing?
Oh don't get me started.........Hmmmmm......Probably casual smart and something glittery for the evening..... No dresses for me as I have legs like a footballer.

What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2013?
Looking forward to getting some top tips from those who have been blogging a long time and generally having a catch up and a giggle with some lovely people.

Tell us one thing about you that not everyone knows.
Sometimes I snort when I laugh.....But.....You really would have to make me laugh to hear that, its quite an acquired skill.

Flat Tyre.

Today was one of those days when I probably should of either stayed in bed or at the very best stayed indoors. I began the morning yelling at the kids and then feeling guilty, emotional and dreadful as they left for school.....Bad Bad Mummy

Then I managed to smash not 1 but 2 glasses on the kitchen floor putting the dog into a near nervous breakdown as he ran around the house shaking violently and crying in terror.

Next on the agenda was my inability to walk down the stairs carrying a pile of washing without falling off the bottom step. CRASH!!! I went as I landed with a thud on the floor...."Woof" went the dog as he tap danced around me whilst still shaking.

Then came the headline act .....I dragged myself off to the gym to try and do some good and felt quite happy with myself as I not only managed the gym but then went for a swim as well. As I left I stupidly commented to the Manager "Phew...I feel more human now, hopefully my day will get better now"..........WRONG.....WRONG.....WRONG!!!

As I reached the car I noticed a little yellow snail on my passenger door and thought how I should put it somewhere safe so that it didn't get thrown off as I whizzed down the bypass .Suddenly a voice said "Oh...Glad you've seen it, I was just about to come over".........A man had approached me and I realised he wasn't talking about the snail....I did in fact have a very, very, very flat tyre........................

I then had a complete feeble woman moment and had no clue what to do.......I sat for what seemed like ages trying to figure out who I should ring...........The Husband was less than sympathetic as he quizzed me on how I had done it and why hadn't I noticed it. I left him to ring the AA and sat in my car feeling like I might have a little tantrum any minute.

Just as tears started to spring to my eyes a face appeared at the window "Hello...You alright" The manager of the gym said. "Ermmm....Not really.....I've got a flat tyre and have no idea what to do" I replied feeling like a total prat. "Don't worry" he said "I will get some of the maintenance men to come and put your spare on" it was at this moment I wasn't sure whether it was appropriate to kiss a gym instructor or just say thank you....I decided on the latter and watched as he radioed in an emergency call to my rescuers...................................................... I watched as a blur appeared in the distance.....Could it be van filled with hunky men in small shorts with tool belts.......Was it a car with guys like the one from the Diet Coke advert all glistening with sweat from working so hard................No..............It was not......................It was a golf buggy with 3 blokes young enough to be my son with dreadlocks and baggy trousers on....................My fantasy was short lived but I was so incredibly grateful that really I wouldn't of cared if The Chuckle Brothers had arrived.

They very kindly changed my wheel and even put all my reusable bags back in the boot for me. I waved them goodbye as they sped of at 2mph and thanked them again feeling very lucky that I had been parked and not driving when it had happened.

The Husband was less than impressed at having to cancel the now on route AA man and continued to lecture me on the art of avoiding punctures in the future   Blah Blah Blah........

I in turn wound him up by telling him that I had left the punctured wheel propped up against a hedge and hadn't realised that I needed to bring it home with me.....................Haven't managed to tell him I was only joking...............................Whoops!!!!!

I'm off to take a course in car maintenance

Lots of Love

Me

xxxx

Happy Tears.

Have you ever been in a really sad situation and suddenly something so funny happens it changes your whole outlook on the day. Well, last Friday was one of those days.................Very sadly The Husbands father passed away a couple of weeks ago and last Friday was the funeral. The first part was in a very large church followed by a cremation at a much smaller chapel about 20 minutes away. The service was sad and happy all at the same time as lots of friends and family members that we hadn't seen in ages turned out to pay their respects.

After the first service we shook hands, hugged and chatted to all the lovely people that has gathered there. Then it was time to head off to the chapel for the cremation.............This is where it all went slightly wrong.......I should tell you all at this stage that we had moved away from the area 13 years ago to East Sussex so our sense of direction was a little hazy.

As The Husband and I held hands and walked back to our car we talked about how the sun had come out in time and the rain had stopped. He was visibly shaken by the whole experience and I held his hand tightly not quite knowing what to say. Once in the car the reality of getting from one church to the next in 20 minutes took over and here is what followed.......

The Hubby (TH)..."Which way do we go?"
Me.."Ermmmmm......Oh my god...My mind has gone blank....Ermmmm...try that way"
TH..."Are you sure?"
Me..."No"

We then engaged it what I can only describe as a scene from The Streets Of San Francisco, weaving in and out of traffic, flying over speed bumps and generally driving very erratically. After 11 minutes we were still no nearer to where we needed to be and it was looking very much like we were going to miss the whole thing.

TH..."I am NOT going to miss this...We ARE going to get there" he said
Me.."OK...OK....Just slow down a tiny bit" I replied trying desperately to hang on to the contents of my stomach. I declined to tell him at this point that I needed a wee as we flew over the sleeping policemen.

Suddenly a familiar road and then "There...there...go down that road...its just there" I screamed. He followed my instructions and we turned into the Cemetery with 1 minute to spare......"Crikey" he said "We've beat everyone else...even the hearse".

It was at this point that it all came flooding back to me........This didn't look anything like the place we had cremated my Grandparents "Noooooooooooooo.....Nooooooooo....This is wrong....This is the cemetery not the crematorium"I nervously said. It wasn't that we were the first to get there or that we had missed it, it was in fact that we were at the wrong place. "Its the next road down" I cried. As we wheel spinned out of the cemetery, it felt like an episode from Only Fools And Horses which was his dads favourite show.

I cannot repeat what The Hubby said to me at this point other than it wasn't very polite.

However, we did make it with 30 seconds to spare and the tears that were shed afterwards were ones of laughter as we sat back in the car in hysterics. "My dad would of loved that" he said "I can just imagine him laughing his head off at the pair of us".

At the time when I thought I was going to either throw up or wet myself it seemed to be a complete disaster but now when I look back it was probably the best thing ever to happen. The Hubby got through the rest of the day smiling and chatting about the old times spent with his dad and I looked on with love and pride at my gorgeous brave man.

As we raised a glass later we started to laugh again at how a very sad day turned out to have such a funny ending. I guess its what often happens in those situations, my Mum says its a mixture of being overwhelmed and relieved all at the same time.

One things for sure though.........I don't think The Husband will be asking me for directions any time soon.

Lots of Love
Me
xxx

This blog is dedicated to My Father In Law and My Husband for being the best Dad and Hubby ever.

New York Diary....The Final Day.

Day 6.....Our Final Day.

As we opened our eyes it struck us all that this was our last day and in 11 hours we would be in the air on our way back to England. The kids were excited about having another week off, The Husband was excited about giving his wallet a rest and I was .........Well, I was........Dreading the flight home. However we still had all day and I was going to try and put it to the back of my mind for as long as I could. The hotel had been super nice and said that as they weren't busy we could leave the room at 2pm instead of 10am.

We decided to go for one last big breakfast at what had become our favourite diner "Astros". A family run Italian/American place just down the road which served the best pancakes I had ever tasted.

The Teenager wanted to take some more photography and the boys were desperate to make their breakfasts go down before the taxi ride to the airport.


We took one last walk down 5th Avenue and marvelled at the rich doing their shopping with actual people/personal assistants carrying bags and boxes to cars for them. "One day" the Hubby said "When we win the lottery, we will come back here and have a good shopping spree" he teased.





All too soon it was time to go to the airport and we began our taxi ride to JFK. I have to say it was a better ride than the first one but that was mainly down to me telling the driver that the kids would throw up if he drove to fast. Once at the airport I was relieved the plane was on time and before I knew it I was sitting on the jumbo jet waiting to take off.

The plane journey was going well....Too well.....And at approximately 2 hours from our final destination my worst nightmare happened.....The captain put the seat belt sign on.....Oh my god....Oh my God....Calm down....Get a grip.

The Husband woke up as the air hostesses ran about waking people up and checking they had their belts on. I grabbed his arm and shut my eyes awaiting what was about to come, luckily the kids stayed asleep as the plane bumped around through the turbulence. After about an hour I noticed the hostesses getting up and carrying on as if nothing had happened "Is that it?" I asked the Hubby "Looks like it" he replied. "Well done you for not freaking out" he reassured.

I had done it.......I had taken a deep breath and conquered one of my biggest fears. To say I was slightly proud of myself was an understatement and I felt like I had climbed a huge mountain. We cruised into Heathrow without any other incidents and touched down beautifully with a slight bump as the wheels met the tarmac.






And that my friends is that....Our New York adventure was over and we were home safe and sound. I will never forget the looks of amazement on the kids faces as we took in the first sights of America and the smell of Manhattan. We have laughed until our sides hurt and felt incredible sadness at Ground Zero as we read all the names of the poor souls that died. I asked everyone to name one lasting memory of their holiday and this was what they said.......

The Husband......Looking down 6th Avenue for the first time and thinking how it looked like a slice had been taken out of Manhattan.

The Teenager.......Meeting Lady Ga Ga albeit a wax one.

The Whirlwind.....Finding a burger bigger than his head and seeing a Red Panda.

Mine......Mine was easy....It wasn't a place or a memory, it was a simple one really.....Mine was just being on a great adventure with my 3 favourite people in the whole world.

Thank you for following our journey and I hope you have enjoyed it.

Lots of Love
Me
xxxxxx

New York Diary..Day 5.

Day 5.


After Larry and Clare had checked out we hoped and prayed nobody else would check in.....WRONG!!!! We now had a family of 4 from the deep south who sounded like the family from The Nutty Professor. In fact I was convinced Eddie Murphy was in there doing all 4 voices. They were even louder than Larry and Clare and proceeded to whoop and howl at the basketball they were watching. Instead of getting stressed about it which I would of usually done I figured that there was no way there would be any "Special time" as the kids were in there and just laughed hysterically at the whole situation. They sounded like a family I would of loved to of met and hung out with and anyone who knows me will tell you that within 20 minutes I had their voices off to a tee and proceeded to mimic them for the rest of the day. The best bit was when we met them as we left and they were every bit as brilliant as I had imagined. What a shame they hadn't been in there for our whole holiday I reckon we would of opened the adjoining door and had a great laugh. Turned out they were in New York as they belonged to a gospel choir and even joked that they must of sounded like The Klumps to us.

Anyway, today was my day and I had chosen a place I had always wanted to go to but had not had time when I had come before.This place had been on my bucket list and I was determined to make it this time......We were off to.......Central Park and more importantly The Zoo.




We headed off to the park (managing to dodge Johnny Cash who was still yelling at us to have a free ride) and immediately felt a sense of space and trees once we were inside. What a totally beautiful place it was, I couldn't take the smile off of my face the whole way round. We found the fountain from the opening sequence from Friends and watched as a man proposed to his girlfriend on one knee. Everyone cheered and clapped and I honestly had a tear in my eye as we watched on.

After a good couple of hours we decided to find the zoo........This proved a bit tricky as we couldn't find the entrance. Little did we know it was back where we had come in and a long walk followed.The Whirlwind began to get Denim chaffing and The Teenager moaned that she couldn't feel her feet.

As we walked a man approached us trying to sell us his CD, it was at this point reality left the building and we found ourselves in the tricky situation of being confronted by a rather large man holding a stack of Cd's. We tried to say no thank you but we were alone in a street with 2 kids and he was very persistent. I must admit my imagination ran away with me and I had visions of being mugged, shot and ending up on Fox News at 10.


However what actually happened was very different, he was a real a character and thought he was the next Puff Daddy, he referred to me as Muma Luv and The Husband became Big Daddy which the kids found hysterical. We somehow ended up giving him $10 and making a hasty retreat as he shouted after us what a great family we were.

Once in the zoo we wandered around still laughing at what had just happened. I was slightly disappointed that there was no lion, zebra, hippo or giraffe like in Madagascar but the animals that were there were super cute. The Whirlwind made friends with a Red Panda and remarked how it liked him because they were both ginger which made the whole crowd laugh. It was quite strange how it only looked at him and followed him around as he walked round the enclosure but this anomaly was solved as we realised The Whirlwind had a bag of pretzels hanging out of his backpack.

Big Daddy and the kids went into the 4D theatre and I waited outside as they give me a right headache. I sat in the sunshine watching the world go past and wondered what it would be like to live here. My mind wandered and smiled to myself as I thought of all the funny people we had met here, then..........."Hey....Its Muma Luv" a familiar voice dragged me out from my dream state.......It was him again....The man with the Cd's. He was walking past the zoo and had seen me sitting there "Oh..Um...Hi" I replied. He then stood the other side of the small fence chatting away to me for what seemed like an eternity before suddenly grabbing his bag and running off with a cheery "See Ya Muma, have a good day". I saw the reason for his quick departure......2 Police officers........I pretended to be on the phone just in case he was one of Americas Most Wanted and they thought I was associating with him..............Alcatraz here I come.

After all the excitement of the day we walked to FAO Schwarz and had our picture taken with Iron man....Not the real Robert Downy Junior one.........But never the less Iron Man. The kids got a teddy each which were adorable and we even managed to get a few sweets we had never heard of over here.

We walked home and laughed as the kids played hide and seek in the trees..."Love you Muma Luv" The Husband said, "Love you too Big Daddy" I replied with a wink.

Come back tomorrow for the last instalment.

Thanks for reading
Lots of Love
Me
xxxxx


P.S Here is the adorable Red Panda who loved The Whirlwind pretzels or not.