Letting off steam
Sometimes a friendship has twists, turns and a dollop of truth
‘Isn’t this fab?’ purred Louisa, taking a sip of her iced water. ‘Just the two of us, chilling together?’ Kate nodded silently. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. ‘Chill’ was not the word she would use to describe it.
‘Sauna next,’ chirruped Louisa, pushing manicured toes into diamanté-encrusted flip-flops.
Kate swung her legs awkwardly off the sunlounger and caught sight of a network of protruding blue veins snaking up her calves. They reminded her of an Ordnance Survey map of England’s waterways.
As the sauna door thunked shut behind her, a hot dry wall of air hit the back of her throat. Louisa had already disappeared into the pine-scented darkness.
It took what felt like an eternity to grope her way round to where Louisa was perched. Thank God it was dark. No one would ever know that it was her buttocks that had briefly planted themselves on someone else’s lap en route.
‘So,’ whispered Louisa, ‘how long has it been since we last met? How’s that gorgeous family of yours?’
But before Kate could answer, Louisa continued: ‘You would not believe how busy I am. I’m up at six, pop into the gym for an hour before work – it’s so important to look after yourself at our age, isn’t it? – and then it’s non-stop meetings all day with clients. Half the time I’m living out of a suitcase. Travelling first class makes it easier, of course, but…’
‘Shhhh!’ shot an irritated voice out of the darkness.
Kate was glad of the silence that followed. But when they left the sauna five minutes later, Louisa’s babble started up again.
‘Do you know what I always do when I arrive in my hotel room?’ she was saying as they entered the steam room. ‘I empty out the minibar and fill it with skincare. Anything cold is perfect for de-puffing a tired face and smoothing those jet-lagged wrinkles.’ She gave Kate a sympathetic look. ‘You should try it. It works wonders.’
In the steam room afterwards, Kate reflected on this conversation. Her only recent encounter with a minibar had been a few months ago when her husband had treated her
and their new little family to a weekend away. She had opened the fridge door, gasped at the price list and then pushed aside the tempting miniature bottles of gin to make way for the formula milk.
‘I’m sorry, Louisa. I need to go.’
The words came out of her mouth before she realised it. Louder than she’d intended them to be, they had shocked the other occupants of the steam room into a curious silence. Consequently, there was no hope of hiding the embarrassing wet squelch as she stood up hastily from the damp seat. Face burning, she fumbled her way to the door.
Once she had showered and dressed, she headed back to the reception area. The cooler temperature there made her feel calmer. It was only fair, she thought, to say goodbye to Louisa; they’d been friends for a long time. She settled herself into an armchair and for the first time that day felt relaxed. She breathed in the sandalwood fragrance of the spa, let the whale song wash over her, and closed her eyes. The smell brought back to her the sweet smell of her new baby’s head. She thought of the scribbled pictures that her toddler would be bursting to show her on her return home.
When she heard Louisa’s stilettos stride confidently into the reception, Kate stood up to deliver her farewell speech.
‘Thanks for organising today,’ she began. ‘The thing is, I don’t think we have that much in common any more, so maybe we should just call it a day…’ Her words faltered as she took in Louisa’s mascara-streaked cheeks.
‘I’m sorry, Kate,’ spluttered her friend. ‘But it’s not fair. You have it all – the loving husband, the beautiful children, and you look great. All I have is a job that leaves me with no time for anything else, least of all my friends.’
Placing her arm around her friend’s shoulder, Kate was suddenly reminded of a moment many years ago when she’d been the one who needed the shoulder to cry on. It had been Louisa she’d turned to when she had failed her exams. And it was Louisa who’d mopped her tears again when her heart had been broken. She sighed and pulled her friend closer to her.
‘I think we just need to relax and start the day again. Let’s go somewhere and remember why we’re still friends. Excuse me, where’s the nearest wine bar?’