SANDRA
‘There’s Mary and Keith,’ Patti said, waving to Mary, dressed in a loose, brightly coloured top over three-quarter white leggings, who was leaning over the barrier, waving to them. Beside her was a tall, slim, almost-bald man with a smile just like Patti’s wearing a T-shirt and colourful shorts. They were both smiling and waving frantically.
‘So lovely to see you.’ Mary pulled Patti into a big hug. ‘And you look really well. Doesn’t she look well, Keith?’ She kissed Patti on both cheeks.
‘She does.’ It was Keith’s turn to hug and kiss Patti now and they both clung tightly to each other as Mary turned to Sandra.
‘Hello again, Sandra. Welcome, love.’ She gave her a hug then kissed her on both cheeks. Keith did the same.
‘That’s the Spanish way,’ Mary said, noticing Sandra’s surprise.
‘It’s so kind of you both to put me up,’ Sandra told them.
‘Nonsense, it’s no trouble at all. And we’re the ones who are grateful because this one would never have travelled by herself and we’ve been trying to get her over here for years,’ Maryreplied. ‘A holiday will do her good, give her chance to relax and have a bit of fun.’
‘How was the flight? Better than you were dreading?’ Keith asked, linking his arm with Patti’s, leaving Mary to follow with Sandra. Patti and her brother were obviously very close, Sandra thought. She was pleased that she’d accompanied Patti to Spain.
‘Actually, I even rather enjoyed it once we’d taken off and I’d calmed myself down. Sandra taught me some breathing exercises, and we took plenty with us to keep us occupied. Now I’ve done it once, you might not get rid of me,’ Patti said, glancing over her shoulder at Mary.
‘You’re welcome anytime. Both of you,’ Mary replied. ‘Now let’s get to the car, I’ll make us a spot of lunch at home, then perhaps you might like to relax for the rest of the day and we can do some sightseeing tomorrow?’
‘That sounds perfect.’ Patti turned to Sandra for confirmation and she nodded. ‘It certainly does.’ They’d had an early start and she was hungry. It would be nice to settle in and relax for the rest of the day.
‘Where exactly do you live?’ Sandra asked.
‘Just outside Cártama,’ Mary replied as they made their way over to the car park. ‘It’s only twenty-five minutes or so.’
They got into Keith’s sturdy estate car, Mary in the front with Keith, Patti and Sandra in the back, then set off. Keith pointed out various landmarks as they whizzed past the commercial area, then past mountains with white houses dotted here and there, some of them ridiculously high up.
They all chatted away and soon Keith was turning up a dirt track, and after a few minutes, they pulled up outside some white gates. A sign on the wall to the right of the gates saidCasa de Árboles.
‘What does that mean?’ Sandra asked as Mary got out to open the gate.
Keith looked over his shoulder. ‘House of Trees. And you’ll see why in a minute.’
Mary opened the gates to reveal a long drive lined with palm trees. At the end of the drive was a pretty white house with a roof terrace and white balustrading all around it.
‘Hey this is incredible!’ Patti exclaimed. ‘What a gorgeous place to live.’
‘It really is beautiful,’ Sandra agreed, gazing around in wonder.
‘Isn’t it? We fell in love with it immediately.’ Keith drove through the gates and into the huge garden, past the palm trees and onto a large, paved area to the left of the drive, just before the house. Mary locked the gates and walked up the drive towards them.
As they got out of the car, the heat and a heady mix of jasmine and citrus hit them.
‘Gosh, it’s hot!’ Sandra exclaimed. She and Patti put on their sunglasses and gazed around at the mountains in the distance, and the large garden with orange, lemon and olive trees dotted amongst huge succulents and cacti.
‘Oh wow!’ Patti gasped. ‘Your photos don’t do it justice, Keith.’
‘Wait until you see the pool area, that’s where we spend most of our time.’ Mary led the way along the path to the back of the house where there was a large, tiled terrace with a big wooden table and six chairs, plus a comfy sofa. A little brown and white terrier dog was standing in a fenced area with a kennel to the right, barking and wagging his tail.
‘That’s Rags. Let me introduce you to him, then he’ll settle down.’ Mary opened the gate and the dog bounded out, tail wagging. Both Patti and Sandra stroked him, then he settleddown by the sofa, leaving them to explore the rest of the grounds.
A few steps led down to a large pool. The water was shimmering blue, and several sunbeds were placed invitingly on the paved area around it.
‘The water is lovely and warm if you fancy a dip later,’ Mary told them. ‘It’s not that deep, you will be able to stand on the bottom and keep your head above water, so don’t worry if you can’t swim.’
‘Oh we can both swim,’ Patti told her, smiling at Sandra.
