Holiday On Wheels
It might not be an extravagant getaway, but it was just what mum and I needed...
It was brilliant, mum starting her new job as a classroom assistant. Because she finished at three o’clock now, the same as me, I could go straight home after school, instead of going to club.
I mean, club wasn’t so bad, but I’m not keen on people organising my life more than necessary.
At club, I could hang out with friends, but Dorothy who runs it was always making us go outside with the skittles and skipping ropes when we wanted to sit indoors and chat.
Or she insisted we stay in and make plaster-of-paris moulds when we felt like playing football in the field.
Walking home with mum meant we could make ourselves soup-in-a-cup and toast fingers, lie on the sofa and watch TV for a while, choosing between getting creative or just being lazy.
It was wonderful.
It also meant that, come the summer holidays, mum would be there every day. No club, then, either.
We could bake, play games, look around the shops or have friends over – a complete break from routine.
I was looking forward to it.
“Will we be going away this summer?” I asked mum over dinner one evening.
“I was going to talk to you about that,” she replied. “I was thinking of hiring us a campervan and doing a tour of relatives – what do you think?” “I’d love it!” I cried.
Mum’s family are scattered all over the place, but when we see them it’s like we’ve all grown up together.
Plus, the travel would be an adventure.
“That’s settled, then.” Mum smiled. “I’ll book the campervan tomorrow.”
“For how long?” I asked, thinking a week wouldn’t really be long enough.
“A month,” mum replied. “That should give us time to see everyone, but also see some local places of interest.” “A month!”
I jumped out of my seat in excitement and threw my arms around her. This was going to be the best summer ever.
Mum insisted on spending everything in the clothes fund on me, for new things for our holiday.
“What about you?” I asked.
“I still fit my old clothes,” mum insisted.
We picked up the campervan and had
a bit of a jumpy start as mum got used to driving it. “It won’t be like this all the way,” she promised.
After half an hour, it felt like the van was made for us. We had our music on, the windows down and we were in the holiday mood.
Mum had decided that we would spend a few days on a campsite at the seaside. It was only about 20 miles from our house.
As we neared the town, mum put me on alert.
“It’s called Sunnyvale and it should be on your side of the road, Tyger, so keep your eyes peeled.”
“It’s here!” I cried, spying the tall metal archway.
Mum indicated and pulled into the car park.
Reception was a lovely static caravan, with its own garden in full bloom. Mum and I went up to the open door. “Hello?” mum called.
“Hello?” I echoed.
A man appeared from the other side of the van.
He smiled. He had very nice teeth. “I think you’re looking for me,” he began.
“We’re booked in for the next three nights,” mum informed him. “We’re in the two-person campervan. Name of Wilde.”
“Ah, yes. I have a nice spot for you, overlooking the dunes. I’ll show you the way. Then, if you park up, I’ll get you hooked up to some electricity.
“I’m James. And you are . . .?”
“I’m Hattie, and this is my daughter, Tyger.”
“Pleased to meet you both. Tyger – that’s an interesting name.”
“It’s with a ‘y’,” I explained. “I was very sick when I was born, and very small, so mum says I had to fight like a tiger to survive.”
James nodded, as if he heard explanations of this sort every day.
“I was named after my grandfather,” he said.
Mum and I had the campervan set up to our satisfaction and were sitting on two deck chairs we’d brought, reading our books and enjoying the sea air before we made a plan of what to do.
“Hi, there.” It was James, again. “I don’t know if you had any thoughts about an evening meal, but there’s a mobile pizza van that calls once a week and tonight’s their night. They have a wood-fired oven and the pizzas are terrific.”
“That sounds fab,” mum replied, pushing her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose. “We like pizza, don’t we, Tyger?”
“We do,” I agreed.
“Some campers like to get together at the picnic area and eat al fresco,” James continued.
“A couple bring instruments and we have a bit of music. You’re welcome to come along.”
I looked at mum.
“We’ll have a little think,” she said. When James left, mum asked me what I thought.
“I know your feelings about people organising things for you when you just want to chill,” she said. “This is your holiday, so say what you want to do.”
It was true that I’d been looking forward to doing things our own way, but pizzas and live music sounded exciting.
“Let’s go,” I replied. “We can always do our own thing tomorrow.”
The pizza was amazing. I’d never seen a wood-fired oven before.
We were opening up our box at a bench, devouring the smells of hot peppers, ham and melted cheese, when James appeared, carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Can I offer you a tipple?” he asked.