A Seaside Escape Perhaps you can go back

Debbie needed time out from her stressful life – but did Fate play a hand in where she booked that holiday?

The sun slouched low on the horizon. Stepping out of the car at this familiar seaside town, Debbie nostalgically breathed in the fresh salty air.

Along the shoreline greedy gulls still circled overhead, holiday makers collected up their buckets and spades, and the white tulles of blue water lapped gently onto sand. It felt good to return.

Although in some ways, Debbie thought, she’d never really left.

The move to the city had evoked her senses in every possible way over the years with its bright lights and noise, tantalising food offerings, and comforting chaos. It had offered a haven of anonymity too. She could disappear into a sea of strangers; no one knowing of her sadness. Something that home, her seaside town, had never quite afforded her.

It had been nearly ten years since she’d been here, and twice that time since she’d last seen Matt. But as the years passed, she’d always harboured a feeling her heart belonged in this little place by the sea.

She stared up at the hotel’s whitewashed frontage, a smile wavering at the corners of her lips in recollection. Its name, The Sailor’s, was tattooed in gold ink over the main door. Debbie took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Her hectic city life had slowly been mutating into loneliness and work pressures over the past few months. Despite a phone buzzing with social contacts, she only occasionally got a call from a friend. Any parties or events she got invited to were usually for business.

However popular her diary made her appear, in her heart she mostly felt alone.

She knew she needed to reassess her lifestyle. Sooner rather than later.

“Why don’t you go away solo?” a work friend suggested over lunch, after Debbie confided that she really needed a break.

Debbie was reticent. “I’m not sure. It might make me feel even lonelier.”

“Going away on your own, doesn’t have to mean being alone. I went on a single traveller’s cookery retreat last year and made some great friends,” her friend challenged.

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Debbie weighed this option up. It did seem like the perfect recipe; whisking herself away to a tranquil destination. She longed for some time to enjoy good food and drink, and socialising that didn’t circle around work.

As Debbie surfed the internet later that day for short cookery breaks, her eyes rested with surprise on one of the coastal listings. She clinked on the photo, and there he was… older, a little more rugged, but there was no doubt it was him.

Matt, her first love.

Matt, the website stated, was now Head Chef running a cookery school from a new boutique hotel in their home town. Out of nowhere Debbie felt a sudden surge of happiness for him. He’d achieved his dream. Her heart did a swan dive. Should she book a place on it?

Matt was nowhere to be seen. A confidant young woman in chef’s attire, her blond hair swept back into a sophisticated chignon, glided to the front of the room, beaming.

“Good morning everyone. I’m Claudine, the sous chef here at The Sailor’s Arms, and I will be helping you to create some delicious dishes this morning… hopefully.” She raised her sharp eyebrows with humour.

Ripples of laughter sliced through the nervousness in the room.

Debbie’s chest tightened with panic. Why wasn’t Matt taking their class? Had he seen her name on the attendee list and now made himself unavailable to teach, out of embarrassment?

Her face flushed red. The heat of the kitchen already affecting her, and they hadn’t even started cooking yet!

During the morning, Debbie slowly started to relax. She reminded herself that was her primary reason for actually booking this retreat – to take some time out of her hectic city life to just be her.

As she carefully copied Claudine’s demonstration for a Mediterranean style loaf, her knuckles kneading out the dough, she felt the tensions of the last few months dissipating. As loaves started rising in the ovens, the comforting aromas sent Debbie into a peaceful state of mind. There was something about the smell of baking bread that made her feel at home. As the class enjoyed the fruits of their labour over a lunch of chunky bread, fresh dips, cheese, and ham, Debbie fell into easy conversation with her fellow cooks.

In fact, she’d almost forgotten all about Matt, until Claudine informed the class that Head Chef Matt would be taking their afternoon session.

As the clock ticked 2pm, Matt promptly strode into the kitchen, almost bumping into Debbie as she wrestled with an apron which was refusing to untangle from its wall peg.

“Debs, wow! It really is you.” Matt’s eyes smiled warmly. She immediately felt her anxiety about seeing him melt away.

He grinned. “It’d be good to catch up later, if you don’t have plans?”

“We could go for a walk along the beach – it looks like a nice evening for it.”

“Perfect.” He made his way to the front of the room, and Debbie felt her heart flip. Something just felt right this time.

“OK,” he said, clapping his hands commandingly. “This afternoon we’re going to be creating a five course meal which will require your extensive knowledge of fine dining cuisine.”

A gasp whooshed around the kitchen like a ghost making people’s eyes pop.

Matt grinned. “Just kidding! We’re cooking fish and chips from scratch, and chocolate mousse for dessert.”

As chuckles and sighs of relief bounced between the faces of her fellow amateur cooks, Debbie and Matt shared a secret smile across the room.

They’d arranged to meet on the pier. When Debbie arrived, she found Matt playing on the old arcade claw machine trying to win a teddy bear.

“Aren’t you a bit too old for teddy bears now?” she said, gently nudging him over and taking charge of the control. Skilfully she manoeuvred the claw, clutched the bear and dropped it into the hatch.

Matt lifted the bear out, smirking. “Thanks, though this was meant for you.”

A light evening blue powdered the sky, the fairy lights entwined along the pier rails twinkling like stars. They wandered along the pier for a while, chatting, laughing, catching up on old times, and eventually found a couple of deckchairs left out on the beach. They sat down.

“Great name choice for the hotel,” said Debbie, her eyes sliding to meet his.

Matt smirked. “Seemed appropriate. Reminded me of someone special.”

She smiled. It felt like it was only yesterday since they sat here together, happy. Yet so much time had passed.

“I never stopped missing you, you know,” she said softly.

He reached out for her hand. “It was the same for me, with you.”

A moment passed.

“Do you think you could be persuaded to sign up for another of my cookery classes and a beach walk next weekend?”

Debbie’s eyes met Matt’s hopeful gaze. Still holding hands, she could feel a lost hope finally returning to her heart.

She nodded, smiling again. “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”

BY LISA ALLEN