The Price to Pay

by Alys Abruzzo

  

"Fasten your seatbelts", flashed on the notice above the door in the corridor on the Air Tours 767 as we began the descent down to Paphos airport in Cyprus after our uneventful 3 hour flight. I looked across the rest of my fellow travellers, my Mum and Dad, the Oaf (as I christened Carwyn - my erstwhile holiday 'friend') and his parents, Mr and Mrs Thomas. It had been a huge shock when we had met up with our holiday companions. I had recognised Carwyn immediately as the defender who had hacked me for the whole 90 minutes of the game in which my team had won the league title, two years before, with my final minute free-kick.

I had done my best to suppress any sense of recognition when I had greeted him and he didn't seem to have noticed anything familiar about me. To be honest he was too busy trying to look down my dress to bother with my face. We had chatted casually for a short while before boarding the plane. Well mostly him telling me how wonderful he was at everything, especially sport. By the time it came to sit down in the plane, luckily I was on the opposite side of the seating to him, I had caught him out in so many obvious lies and distortions about match results and scorers that I had resolved to have as little to do with him as possible during the fortnight.

"Wow this is amazing", said my Dad, as we walked into the white walled villa an hour later after our airport transfer had dropped us off.

"What a view", said Mr Thomas. We all looked at him and then followed his line of sight down towards the harbour and Paphos bay packed with small ships with small flags and bunting flapping in the light breeze. The pale blue waters of the Mediterranean shimmered in the evening light. It was a breathtaking sight.

Half an hour later, after depositing our luggage in our respective rooms, we were sitting on the veranda drinking wine and soft drinks. I had made sure my room was as far away from the Oaf as possible, I noticed disapprovingly that his parents indulged him in a few glasses of wine, which he gulped like it was a soft drink.

After a pleasant evening meal I excused myself to walk over down to the harbour to take in the atmosphere of hustle and bustle but also the centuries old buildings and monuments. I noticed that the Oaf had got up soon after me so I quickened my pace away from the villa and took a few random side streets to get away from him. I was looking up at Paphos fort and not completely looking where I was going when I bumped into someone.

"Oh excuse me, I wasn't watching where I was going", I apologised to a pretty Asian girl about my height and age.

"It's ok", she replied in a London accent, "my fault too. This place is really amazing don't you think? Are you on holiday?"

"Yes I agree it is amazing and I am on holiday, what about you?"

She replied that she had arrived two days earlier for a fortnight, that she was with her Mum and Dad and her 10 year old twin brothers, that her name was Amarjit and that she lived in Southall. I gave her the same information about myself and we chatted and wandered about the shops and sights of the old town for a while. The sun settled towards the horizon and it began to get dark.

"I'd better get back to my folks they will be wondering where I am", said Amarjit.

"Me too", I said.

"Been nice to meet you Celyn", she added, "do you want to get together again on the holidays?"

"Sure that would be fun, what about tomorrow?", I asked

We arranged to meet the next morning near the beaches and exchanged mobile numbers.

I made it back to villa uneventfully and came across my parents still sitting at the veranda. I told them where I had been and about my new friend. My mother smiled.

"That should be fine, my dear, we had all arranged to go to the beach tomorrow, maybe you, Carwyn and your new friend can spend some time together", she said.

"Yes Mum that would be great", I answered diplomatically, knowing that I would do everything possible to avoid that.

The next morning I managed to slip away from the party, after they had found a nice place to camp on the beach, by suggesting that I had left something back in the villa. I met up with Amarjit and steered her towards a different part of the beach.

"That's a lovely dress you have on, Celyn", she commented, "I wish I could wear something like that", she continued wistfully.

"I prefer your shorts and T myself. Why can't you wear a skimpy summer dress like this?", I asked.

"My father feels that girls my age shouldn't expose their shoulders and boobs, we should keep those parts of our body private, except for our husbands and family", she replied.

"What do you think about it?", I asked.

"I think he is a bit old fashioned"

Suddenly I had an idea.

"Hey, you know, we could swap! I'm sure we're almost the same size", I said.

We looked around and found a public toilet. We both squeezed into a cubicle and proceeded to change clothes. It felt strange, but nice to be pressed up against another young girl. I couldn't help noticing how attractive she was, I felt my nipples begin to show a little arousal. I felt embarrassed and dressed as quickly as possible to get away from this strange situation.

We walked along the top of the beach. I was glad to be wearing the shorts. Although I appreciated the coolness of the dress in the hot weather in Cyprus and I understood my Mother's wish for me to get used to wearing them in public, something that I had not had a lot of opportunity to do at home, I still felt more comfortable being outside in a familiar item of clothing. Although the colour, pastel orange, was not one that I'd worn before.

A football came flying towards me

"Hey love can you chuck the ball back?", came a shout from one of about a dozen boys standing on a reduced size football pitch marked in the sand.

I trapped the ball in the air with my right foot, transferred it between my knees, head, shoulders and left foot before flicking it up with my left foot and hitting on the volley towards the goal, about 25 metres away. The goalie shaped to catch it but the curve I had put on the ball took it past him into the back of the net.

"Great shot, love.", said the boy who had asked for the ball back, "Want to join our game?"

"Sorry I can't now, maybe tomorrow", I called back, and continued walking on with Amarjit.

There was silence. I turned towards my new friend. She was staring at me with a strange expression on her face.

"What's wrong?", I asked a little concerned.

"Wow that was amazing. I've never seen a girl, well really never seen anyone do that trick before. Were did you learn that?"

"I play a bit of football", I replied, "it was luck really, half of the time I misjudge the distance or swerve"

At that moment we went past a little shop selling trinkets and came across a crowd of people congregating around a small area of sand where 2 pairs of guys were standing either side of a high net.

"Hey Beach volleyball", I said, "Let's take a look".

We watched the fast and furious game proceed. The crowd roared on their chosen team. Eventually the pair wearing the black bathing shorts was victorious over the pair in blue shorts.

"And it's a victory for John and Michael. Well done both teams for a well fought final", came the voice of the announcer. "Remember everyone tomorrow's tournament will start at the usual time of 10am. Only ten euros per team and competitions at youth and adult level. "

I looked at Amarjit.

"I would love to play beach volleyball. Have you ever played?", I asked.

"Yes a few times, but I don't have a bikini to wear", she replied a little sadly.

"I can help you out on that one. My Mother brought three months supply for me"

We agreed to meet the next day and after swapping clothes we parted. I made my way at a leisurely pace back to the villa.

The Oaf stood partly blocking the front door. As I pushed past him he pressed his body into mine, casually squeezing my bum. He lowered his head towards me and I smelt the beer on his breath.

"I know your secret girly-boy", he whispered into my ear as his fetid breath washed over my face. I walked a metre away, turned around, looked at him and assumed an angry posture.

"What are you talking about?", I demanded

"I saw you kick the ball on the beach. I have only ever seen one person a BOY, do that sort of trick before. I can see quite a likeness, so I don't know what sort of trick you're pulling. I like the goods on offer though", he replied with a bit of a drunken slur in his voice.

I dodged the hand trying to grope me and stepped towards him.

"For your information GIRLS play football too!", I said sarcastically, "and one other thing"

"What?", he asked vacantly

In the quiet and stillness of our villa the 'crack' of my hand hitting the Oaf's face was frighteningly loud.

"Don't ever molest me again!"

I walked away trying to look more confident and assured than I felt. How could my Mother's plan for me to be 'stealth' as a girl, as she had described it, succeed if I could be outed this easily. I turned the corner and ran into my parents' room. My Mother had just finished changing.

"Oh Mum, he knows, he knows all about me. What am I going to do?"

  

  

  

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