Short story

When her son goes off on his gap year, Angie begins to wish he hadn’t taken his mobile phone!

Angie placed her phone close to her on the table next to her armchair. The second it pinged she picked it up eagerly to read the text message, ‘Arrived safely. In hostel for the night’.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing that her son Will and his best mate Fred had landed safely in Bangkok and found a place to sleep for the night.

She realised that sending your only child on a gap year starting in Thailand was bound to be traumatic, but she hadn’t been prepared for the wave of emotion that had swept over her as she saw her son off at the airport. Will’s figure had seemed to diminish as he walked through to security with Fred, both laughing and chatting excitedly without a backward glance to where their parents stood waving goodbye.

Turning away from the barrier, Angie had a flashback to the day he had first started school, looking tiny and vulnerable as he walked through the big gates. She and her husband, Dave had brought Will up to be independent, and she believed they had succeeded – he had worked hard to save the money to pay for at least some of his travel expenses.

But however independent and savvy her son appeared to be, Angie couldn’t help dwelling on the pitfalls that might await him on the other side of the world. You heard such dreadful stories; snake bites, malaria, illegal drugs, earthquakes. “Stop it!” she told herself sternly. “He’ll be fine.”

At least she now knew they were actually there, about to have some big adventures. In some ways, she felt a pang of envy. It was many years since she had gone backpacking when she was young and carefree. In those days, there had been no mobile phones or internet cafés, no way of communicating with her parents unless she reversed charges – and that was only as a last resort if you were able to find a phone in some remote town or village.

Angie had gone travelling with her

She had made Will promise to text her regularly and he had taken her at her word... messages came thick and fast

friend Tina and it never occurred to either of them how much their parents must have worried, not knowing where they were exactly or how to contact them in an emergency. She shuddered at the thought, thankful that technology had moved on since those days. It made all the difference, just so long as Will didn’t lose his mobile – another worry!

“Don’t even think about it,” Dave said soothingly. “They are both sensible lads and communication is so much better these days.”

“Yes, but things can happen,” Angie replied anxiously, thinking back to her own trip, especially that time in a bar in Singapore when someone had spiked her drink. Luckily, Tina had spotted what had happened and got her safely back to their hostel. She had never told her parents about that night. They would only have worried. Better for them not to know.

She had made Will promise to text her regularly and he had taken her at her word. The messages came thick and fast, although exasperatingly brief. ‘Leaving Bangkok and on way to Chang Mai. All well apart from food poisoning. Probably street food’.

How many times had she warned him? Hygiene! Don’t drink tap water, don’t have ice in your drinks. Only eat cooked food – no salads.

‘Arrived Chang Mai. Lousy hostel.

Got insect bite, swelling up’.

Angie panicked. Blood poisoning? Sepsis? She was relieved to read the next one, ‘All well. Swelling gone down’.

Her relief was short-lived; the following day’s message was, ‘Partying with new mates last night. Worst hangover ever!’

Sinking into a chair, Angie stared at her phone, imagination running wild. It was probably some homemade local brew that could cause alcohol poisoning at the very least, brain damage or paralysis at the worst. She felt as though she was on a rollercoaster, plunged into anxiety one day and giddy with relief the next.

‘In Hanoi. Fred has lost phone. Please tell his mum’ was followed by ‘No worries – got new one. Leaving Hanoi. Twisted ankle, hobbling but OK’.

‘Keep it strapped up,’ Angie instructed, imagining a torn ligament or damaged Achilles tendon.

Whatever next...? Perhaps it had been better in her day when you were out of touch most of the time

But there was no further mention of the ankle, instead, ‘On the Mekong. Very smelly!’.

‘Don’t swim in it!’.

“As if!’.

Angie almost began to dread the next text. She jumped every time her phone pinged. Will reported that Fred had lost his rucksack, but it was okay as his phone and passport had been in another bag. Angie had considered Fred to be sensible but he seemed to be rather accident prone. Whatever next, she wondered. Fred in Vietnamese jail? Fred abducted by aliens?

Perhaps it had been better in her day when you were out of touch most of the time. She had a long chat with Fred’s mother, Paula, who felt the same.

“Too much information! You would almost prefer not to know every detail, wouldn’t you?” Paula said. “The sleepless nights we’ve had since we saw them off at the airport!”

“Still, they seem to be dealing with all their disasters,” Angie replied in an effort to reassure them both.

“And there’s been nothing too serious, touch wood.”

“Don’t speak too soon!”

Sure enough, the next text announced, ‘Fred lost passport. What should we do?’.

Dave said: “They are supposed to be proving they can stand on their own two feet. Let them sort it out themselves.”

Angie texted, ‘Go to the nearest Embassy or Consulate’.

Will replied, ‘Will cost us money we don’t have’.

Fred’s dad sighed and sent money. Back came an unusually long text, ‘Have bought amazing rug. You’ll love it. Real silk, handwoven. Gave man the money for postage and he promised to send it’.

Angie’s heart sank. No way would she ever see that rug. Silk? Handwoven? Huh!

After three months in the Far East, Will and Fred were heading to Australia. Suppressing thoughts of venomous spiders, Angie felt she could stop worrying so much once they’d arrived in Oz. Then she remembered sunburn – and sharks.

She texted, ‘Don’t swim far out to sea, stay near the shore. Remember Aussie saying, slip on a T-shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat’.

Her phone pinged. Another text. She sighed. What now? She almost didn’t pick up her phone, dreading the latest bad news. Will’s text read, ‘On beach, fabulous sunset. Don’t worry about us. We’re fine. Having a ball. Love you lots’.

Just then the doorbell rang. A delivery man handed Angie a parcel containing a beautiful handwoven silk rug. For the first time since she’d waved her son goodbye at the airport, Angie relaxed.

About our author Penny belongs to two book groups and enjoys going to the theatre, concerts and art exhibitions as well as holidays in Italy with her Italian husband.