The banging on the front door continued as Bevis wrapped a towel around her while stepping out of the shower. It could only be one person who would hammer away at the wooden panel relentlessly. Opening the door, Bevis smiled.

"So you've arrived," she gave her best friend a wet hug, "hello and one moment while I dry and dress."

"Did you have to hug me now?" Chelsea asked, picking up her bags and trudging inside.

"Oh no, you just arrived, and you broke rule one of the apartment," Bevis said, holding up a finger; silence followed her words as Chelsea frowned in deep thought, "I'm waiting."

"Oh yes," Chelsea nodded, "greet before you bleat. Hello Bev."

"Better now, go ahead and bleat while I dress," Bevis grinned and walked into the bedroom.

"Have you packed yet?" Chelsea called, "I only ask because you're notoriously late for everything, and it's usually due to leaving things like packing until the last moment."

"I'm almost done," Bevis called, "it was kind of your friend to give you those reservations. Are you sure we don't owe him anything?"

"Not a thing," Chelsea said, "after what happened between him and his girlfriend, he was happy to get rid of them. He didn't want them to go to waste."

"That is understandable," Bevis said, pulling her half-packed suitcase behind her, "see ... I'm almost done."

"Bev," Chelsea said, watching her friend lug the open luggage across the room, heaving it up and putting it on the sofa, "you realise you have to carry your own luggage on this trip. It's an adventure, with no bellboys or other services.

Bevis looked at her large case, "Then high heels don't need to come with either."

Chelsea shook her head, "Essentials only."

"Hmmm, what kind of trip requests essentials only," Bevis said, shaking her head, "I suppose to begin with, I'll need a smaller bag. There is no way I can carry this bag on my own."

"That would be a good start," Chelsea nodded, looking around the apartment, "has Brad called yet?"

"Do you see any of his things in the apartment?" Bevis asked.

"Come to think of it," Chelsea turned in a circle, "I don't see any of his things ..." she spun toward her best friend with a frown on her face, "did he move out?"

"This morning," Bevis grimaced, "this trip has come at the right time. Can you believe he told me I have no spirit?"

"He said that?" Chelsea said, as her brows puckered between her eyes, "you have plenty of spirit ... you just choose when to use it and ... show it."

"Are you saying I have a selective spirit?" Bevis asked, "that would mean he could be right."

"Bev, he didn't want to get to know the real you," Chelsea said, shaking her head, "this version of you is not really you. You have become ... complaisant with life and all this luxury."

"Another name to add to what I am," Bevis sighed, "I have hiking boots, trainers, socks, jeans, T-shirts and toiletries ..." she looked around, "oh and my hairbrush. Do you think a hair straightener would be useable?"

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"It's not essential," Chelsea said, "now hurry and pack," she glanced at her phone as a text message appeared on her screen, "the shuttle will be here in ten minutes, and then we have to get through the airport, fly out to wherever these tickets are taking us and arrive in time to have an adventure."

Bevis stared at Chelsea and then the tickets, "What kind of an adventure? You know I don't do well in high-stress scenarios."

"Jake didn't say, just that we are to be ready to have the time of our lives," Chelsea said, "oh ... swimsuit... I don't see one. Quickly pack at least two."

"Why do we need a swimsuit?" Bevis asked, worry settling in her eyes.

"No idea," Chelsea said, "Jake just said we needed to pack at least two."

"Fair enough," Bevis said, retreating to her bedroom before returning with swimsuits and stuffing them down the side of her bag, "anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," Chelsea said, "oh, there is the shuttle. Let's go."

"We need to go through the checklist," Bevis said.

"Tickets?" Chelsea said, holding them up.

"Check," Bevis responded, taking them and putting them in a side pouch of Chelsea's bag.

"Keys?"

"Check."

"Phones?"

"Check and check," Bevis said, pointing to both of their phones.

"Luggage?"

"Double check," Bevis sighed, "I hope I live through this ... you know I don't do well with walking into a situation without all the information."

"I know," Chelsea said as she stooped to pick up her luggage, "there is a lot you don't do well with but look at it this way; it's a chance to get to know yourself again. Perhaps this trip will be good for you ... perhaps it will be good for both of us."

Bevis watched Chelsea open the door and wave at the waiting shuttle, "You know something, and you're not telling me."

"I don't know any more than you do," Chelsea said, "come on, we don't want to keep the driver waiting."

Picking up her bags and looking around one last time, Bevis followed Chelsea, closing and locking the door. She pushed the keys into a side pouch, zipped it closed and traipsed down the stairs to the waiting vehicle. They would be back in a week. Glancing down at her bags, she felt completely out of her depth and wondered if she would make it through whatever was coming her way.

Panting, the women made it onto the plane minutes before it was to take off, stowing their luggage above their assigned seats and thankfully sinking into the luxurious large seats. They giggled like schoolgirls.

"We made it," Chelsea said, resting her head against the back of the wide seat, "and these are good seats."

Bevis looked around, "We're at the front of the plane," she murmured, "is this first class or business class?"

"I don't think either," Chelsea said, looking at the tickets, "it says something about a block booking for Adventure of a Lifetime."

"What exactly is that?" Bevis asked, "some sort of club?"

"I wouldn't know," Chelsea said, shrugging, "instead of questioning everything, why don't we ... embrace this week and enjoy every moment of whatever we will be doing."

"You know I don't mind trying anything at least once," Bevis said, "but I'm way out of my depth with many outdoorsy things. I just hope it doesn't become one of those weeks Brad was always harping about ... you know," Bevis sighed, "rock climbing to the top of a mountain and hiking all the way down again or swimming ten kilometres is four days ... that kind of thing."

Chelsea hummed absently as she looked around the area, "Do you notice something weird about this group?"

"Did you hear anything I said?" Bevis asked.

"Yes, you're insecure about the unknown and not brave like Brad to test your ability with that kind of unknown," Chelsea said, "look around us. What do you see?"

Bevis looked around in their immediate vicinity. She noticed everyone was in pairs, like Noah's Ark, "Is there a flood coming?"

"What?" Chelsea asked, staring at Bevis hard.

"I feel like I'm seeing the modern-day version of Noah's Ark, but with humans," Bevis said, "everyone is paired in female and male couples."

"Right," Chelsea said, "I wonder why that is?"

"Did you read up on this week of adventure before you said you'd take the reservations?" Bevis asked, unease settling in her gut; she frowned at Chelsea, who cleared her throat, "oh my word ... you didn't."

"We both need a break from our humdrum lives," Chelsea said, "we didn't have to pay anything for these tickets or the week ahead ... everything is waiting for us to enjoy something new."

Bevis stared at Chelsea, "If I end up doing something new that is embarrassing ... you're going to pay."

"Oh look," Chelsea said, grimacing, "the air hostess ... and we're on the move."

Bevis looked out the nearby window watching the world as she knew it pass them by. Would she make it back from wherever they were going?

She hoped so ... she truly hoped so.

The plane rose smoothly into the air levelling off. Suddenly, air hostesses burst into their area with trays will half-filled champagne flutes.

"Champagne," the air hostess said, grinning at them, "something to enjoy as you fly toward your week of experiencing the world and all the limits you thought you never had."

Sipping the champagne, Bevis asked Chelsea, "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Chelsea whispered, "it didn't sound encouraging at all. What is with the "limits you never knew you had"," Chelsea sighed, "there is nothing we can do about it now but move forward."

"Right," Bevis nodded, "if anything happens that makes me lose an item I have brought with me or my sanity ... you'll need to move forward very quickly."

"Now, that sounds like the Bevis that appeared in the past few years," Chelsea said, sipping her champagne, "where if the Bev I knew before then?"

"Who knows?" Bevis sighed, "perhaps she left for good or could be fortunate and see her break free and join the world again. We'll have to wait and see."

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About the author

Maggie Kerr

Maggie Kerr

08/01/2023 20:49 Melkbosstrand, Cape Town, South Africa http://www.maggiekerr.co.za/wp/

Bio: A passionate writer since she could hold a crayon, Maggie Kerr detoured through a career in Admin before writing novels.

She enjoys playing piano, keyboard among others, while dancing to her favourite rock artists energises her.

Her home in the seaside town of Melkbosstrand, Cape Town displays inspiring scenes created from puzzles the family work on.

Inspiration is never far for her as she enjoys walks on the beach,

writing at her favourite historical seaside restaurants right on the water edge and watching the people who are around her or playing board games with the love of her life,

her son and four energetic feline furkids who join in at the throw of the dice or simply want a cuddle.