My Dinosaur Era Chapter 43

 

I stand at the top of monte igueldo

looking out over la concha bay

where we have been on the beach most of the day

it looks vast from up here

ginny waltzed and pirouetted her way to the railway entrance

I’d imagined that she would be screeching all the way to the top

a recalcitrant toddler full of adrenaline and beer

yet, as we stepped into the ticket hall, she fell silent

as if we had entered a cathedral mid-eucharist

as we queued for the train, she stood quietly

patrycja cradled her head

ginny’s skull fitting neatly into her armpit

when we boarded the train she stepped on, not a sound

all the way up, she stared out of the back window

looking back to where we had departed from

it was only now, atop the mountain

that she whooped, ran amok

fucking hell, that was epic, says ginny

it’s a good funicular, I say

I know you are taking the piss, timmy, but that is a good funicular and I’ll thank you to respect that, says ginny

sorry, I say

petula squeezes my hand, we giggle like kids ourselves

three hundred and twenty metres, fucking hell, says ginny

yeah, it’s a bit longer than that one you showed me in margate, I say

pff, that’s like twenty metres, what a waste of time that was, says ginny

where’s margate, says petula

where’s margate, jesus, are you from the moon, says ginny

no, leicestershire, says petula

ok, so kinda the same thing, so margate is on the east kent coast, it has sandy beaches like here does, though the food is not quite as nice, it’s where I’m from, says ginny

yeah, ginny has taken me there a couple of times, there’s that one beach that is so beautiful, I say

botany bay, says ginny

isn’t that in australia, says petula

we have one too, our one has worse weather but no sharks, says ginny

oh, well, it sounds lovely, says petula

we’ll all go there, when we’re back, ok, says ginny

sure thing, I say

ginny takes petula’s hand, they run off to explore

patrycja joins me, we look out at the view

I bet you never get tired of this view, I say

this is the first time I have been up here, she says

seriously, how come, I say

until now I never really saw the point, this silly little railway, why is that, she says

christ, don’t let ginny hear you being rude about her funicular, I say

but you know, she’s right, it’s cool, the train, how it goes up, I like it, she says

we stand and look out, the people so small

the sky still so blue

how long do you think you’ll stay in england, I say

I don’t know, as long as it feels right, she says

you do know that ginny is totally in love with you, right, I say

yes, I know this, she says

I’ve never seen her like this before, I say

you’re concerned that I will abandon her when I am bored of england, she says

I don’t know, maybe, yeah, I say

it’s ok, you are her best friend, you should check these things, she says

I dunno, it’s none of my business really, I say

yes it is your business and no, I will not abandon her, if I need to go some place else one day, I have four wheels and she can come too, ok, she says

ok, that’s good, I say

I like that you worry for her, she is too crazy to worry for herself, she says

I have been saying that for years, I say

 

we turn back to the view, stand in more silence

ginny comes careering back into our arc

petula flailing in her wake, hands still attached

we are so fucking high up, says ginny

well spotted, I say

look, sunshine, any more lip from you and I’ll ask patrycja here to chuck you off this mountain, ok, says ginny

oh, you’re brave now you have a security team, I say

patrycja grabs me by the elbows, her face right in mine

for a second, I feel her strength

she could easily pick me up

I wilt in her palms, she relaxes her grip

looks me dead in the eye, I think it’s a smile

ginny screams with laughter

oh, timmy, your face, did you shit yourself, says ginny

fucking hell, I say

what you don’t trust me, says patrycja

I smile at her, petula detaches from ginny

comes to me, wraps herself around me

oh baby, I’ll protect you from the wicked witch, says petula

ginny jumps into patrycja

they entwine, their arms meshing together

we all look out again across the bay

jesus, twenty nine hours on a boat with you lot, I say

yeah, lucky you, says ginny