The Empty Room Read online

  Punching me in the arm,

  “Hey cut that out or I’ll ask you here,”

  “No, Phil no,” Karen said, starting to panic.

  “Hey calm down I was just wondering if we should get the scarf as well,” I commented.

  As Karen took a deep breath and looked at me with teary eyes.

  “Oh thank god,” Karen replied.

  “No, I don’t think we should get the scarf,” Karen slowly added.

  “Hey, let’s head up, the elevator is just here,” I said.

  Taking Karen’s hand, I noticed when she wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “Hey, what did you think I was going to ask you?” I asked.

  “I thought you were going to be stupid,” Karen remarked.

  “Oh okay.”

  Hugging her as we walked into the lift. Heading up it’s was a great way to end our last day in Paris before heading to Spain. Still having dinner to look forward to, we laughed as we purchased the MC Hammer pants outfit and continued laughing all the way to the hotel.

  “Thanks for today,” Karen commented.

  “Yeah, how are you feeling,” I asked.

  “Better, I was struggling up the Eiffel Tower, but happy you came back,” Karen insisted.

  “Okay, I’m gonna have a shower and then get changed,” I said.

  “All right, I’ll be right here,” Karen replied.

  As I grabbed my suit bag and headed into the bathroom, followed in by Karen as I’ve been in the shower for a while.

  “Hey what’s in the suit bag?” Karen asked.

  “Oh a suit I bought for when we go out to dinner, it’s just a shame,” I said smiling.

  “You know I have a really nice dress I could wear for tonight,” Karen Suggested.

  Taking off her clothes and stepping into the shower trying to attempt to change my mind about the tube top.

  “Nope, I think you’ll look great, I phoned the restaurant while you were trying it on and we are all good to go,” I said.

  In a bit of a huff, Karen relents and suggested I get out so she can finish showering and get ready.

  “Yeah okay,” I said.

  Kissing her on the way out and heading back into the room to dry off and get ready.

  Followed closely by Karen who’s now sporting the outfit.

  “Wow, you look amazing,” I said, trying not to laugh.

  “You suck, you big meany,” Karen angrily remarked. Trying not to laugh also.

  “Well, let’s get sorted and head off, I’ve rung down stairs to organise a taxi,” I said.

  I didn’t tell Karen that I had organised the most romantic dinner of all time in Paris, she just stared at me all night, praying that I didn’t pop the question I’m guessing. Karen wouldn’t tell me but she was really-struggling with her health, but was enjoying the time we were spending together.

  We had a lot of fun the whole time we were in France, but had a lot more to see. We jumped on a train and headed to Spain, where we spent a fair bit of time in Barcelona, it wasn’t my first choice but Karen had heard about the cathedral of the holy cross and Saint Eulalia.

  “Hey slow-mo, let’s get moving,” Karen insisted.

  Trying to shake me awake.

  “Hey we don’t have to be up for ages, what’s the rush?” I asked.

  “We’re in Barcelona get up!” Karen yelled.

  We only got in last night and found our hotel, with no help from the locals,

  “We’ve got plenty of time,” I said.

  Rolling back over for only five minutes before making the effort.

  Twenty minutes later I saw a side of Karen that I had never seen before. Her, strange burning inexplicable hatred of people with red hair, I’d never even heard of it before. But she refused outright to take a photo for them cause, she didn’t want to touch their camera. So, I grabbed the camera and took a few snaps for them, Karen just looked at them with distain. When I went to hold her hand she made me wash mine. I never asked her where this hate came from, but I had forgotten about it till we got to China and Hannah told me; it had shocked her. So, for now we continued our trip around Barcelona. Me laughing from time to time and Karen telling me to calm down,

  “They’re god’s mistakes,” Karen said.

  “You can’t call them that,” I said, still laughing.

  “Let’s go have some lunch and a couple of jugs of san gria,” I said.

  “Yeah sounds good and some tapas?” Karen asked

  “Oh hell yeah,” I answered.

  Laughing down, La Rambla, looking for a place to eat and drink, or trying to decide.

  Lunch was incredible, so was our time in Spain if I’m being honest. But, I really-wanted to get back to Italy, I promised myself I was gonna have the gelato this time around and spend a few more days in Rome.

  “Hey what are you thinking?” Karen Asked

  “Thinking about the gelato in Rome I can’t wait for you to try,” I said.

  “Oh so the gelato,” Karen said, staring at me smiling.

  “Yeah I had it in Croatia and want to try it in Italy,” I said.

  “Yeah I know,” Karen remarked.

  “Hey what’s up?” I asked. Taking another sip of san gria.

  “I don’t know I’m just being stupid, I’m probably tired,” Karen replied.

  “Well, let’s finish this up and head back to our room for a siesta,” I said.

  “Yeah that sounds great,” Karen agreed.

  Wanting to say more to me than she was letting on, as we finished up lunch and headed back to our room, on the way there I asked.

  “Hey how are you feeling, if you want to slow down and just hang out in the room, we can,” I said.

  “I know it’s not that, I’m just being silly, I think I just need a nap,” Karen said.

  “Okay,” I said. Wrapping my arm around Karen’s shoulders.

  She just looked at me smiling.

  Not realising at the time how bad Karen’s health actually-was; but was blinded by the amount of fun we were having. I should have known better.

  It wasn’t long till we were back in our room and Karen had jumped straight into bed and crashed out. Which gave me enough time to sort out the next leg of our trip and check a few emails.

  I didn’t open-up Drew’s, but went straight to Hannah’s and Audrey’s.

  Hey douchebag,

  I’m all sorted and got time off to meet you both in China, also heard from Devin, he’s doing really-well. Hope your enjoying your trip, what’s the go with the lime green bag, huh? Good luck with that.

  Hannah

  Hi Phil,

  Great news with the book, we have a publishing date, so will have to organise a party when your back. Oh, when are you back? Anyway, pass on our wishes to Karen, Meredith and I are thinking of you both.

  Audrey

  Before I heard Karen get up and head towards her bag, bringing me a bunch of postcards to send to her family and some of mine and Hannah, just to rub it in.

  “Hey when are we meeting up with Hannah?” Karen asked.

  “When we get to China,” I said

  “What we’re going to China?” Karen asked.

  “Yeah, but not for long,” I replied.

  “Then back to Europe through Russia and then off to Holland and Belgium or the other way around, I’ll have to check. Before heading back to London,” I added.

  “Okay sounds good, I’m going back to bed,” Karen remarked, laughing on her way to bedroom.

  I turned back to the computer and quickly read through Drew’s message, before turning off the computer. Writing a few postcards then jumping into bed with Karen for a nap. Waking up a few hours later when Karen rolled over and sneezed into my mouth.

  “What the hell?” I said.

  Laughing at my own stupidity, I shouldn’t have yawned.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Karen replied laughing.

  I just rolled back over and tried to get back to sleep for a little bit longer. />
  Just as Karen tried to big spoon me,

  “Hey, are you okay?” Karen asked.

  “Yeah of course just give me a few more minute’s sleep, then we can get sorted for dinner,” I said. Yawning again.

  “Yeah but while we’re in bed, do you want too?” Karen asked.

  Rolling back over to face Karen.

  “Yeah, lets piss off the neighbours,” I said smiling.

  “Yeah, try and keep the noise down this time,” Karen replied smiling, leaning in.

  Just as we get a knock on the door,

  “You did put the, do not disturb sign out, didn’t you?” Karen asked.

  “No, I thought you did,” I said.

  “All right, get off me and go and see who it is,” Karen said.

  “What if we’re quiet they might go away?” I asked.

  “Get off and go sort it out,” Karen said laughing.

  “Yeah all right, I’ll grab a bathrobe and go and see who it is then,” I remarked.

  “Yeah, grab a condom on the way back,” Karen commented laughing.

  Slapping me on the ass as I walked over to the wardrobe.

  I made my way out to the door, where I got the surprise of a lifetime when I opened it up and Karen’s older sister is there with her partner.

  “Oh hey Lisa,” I said.

  Rather loudly as I heard Karen jump out of the bed and run to the bathroom.

  “Hey you must be Phil, is Karen here?” Lisa asked.

  “Yeah she’s around here somewhere,” I replied.

  “Come in,” I added.

  As Karen walked out to lounge to greet her sister.

  “Hey what are you doing here?” Karen asked.

  “We’re just here for the weekend, before heading up to Madrid for work,” Lisa answered.

  “Oh cool, do you want to join us for dinner tonight?” I asked.

  “Yeah come to dinner tonight,” Karen also added.

  “What’s happening with your hair?” Lisa asked Karen.

  “Cut it out, what’s happening with yours?” Karen asked Lisa back.

  “Well,” I said. Wishing I hadn’t.

  Quickly turning around and heading back into the bedroom to grab some clothes and have a shower. I didn’t hear all the yelling coming from the living room area. Till I popped back out and meet Lisa’s partner.

  “Hi man, how’s it going? I’m Phil,” I said.

  “Yeah, hi Phil, I’m Jeff, Lisa’s husband,” Jeff said.

  “Hey Phil, I’m just gonna have a quick shower,” Karen remarked.

  Getting up and heading in to the room, brushing my shoulder with her hand as she walked past.

  “So where do you both want to go for dinner tonight?” I asked.

  “You know Karen shouldn’t be here right, she should be with her family,” Lisa said staring at me.

  “Have you spoken to your mum?” I asked

  “Yeah but still, she should be,” Lisa said, before stopping.

  “But we understand and she seems really-happy,” Lisa added.

  “Thanks Lisa,” I said.

  “Well, we’re gonna head back to our hotel and we’ll meet you both down stairs in a few hours before we head to dinner, it’ll be on us tonight as well so come prepared to eat,” Lisa insisted.

  “I’ll try,” I said.

  “Yeah, good to meet you Phil,” Jeff said.

  Getting up, and leaving with Lisa.

  I walked back into the room and sat at the end of the bed getting some clothes ready for tonight and setting some clothes a side for housekeeping to clean for us. As Karen comes out and sits next to me.

  “What’s going on here then?” Karen asked

  “Just getting some clothes sorted to get washed later,” I said.

  “Oh good idea, then we can stay indoors all day and eat room service tomorrow before we head off,” Karen said.

  “Hey, do you think I’m being selfish?” Karen asked.

  “Yeah, I think you are being selfish, spending all this time with me after we’ve known each other for years and I’m so happy to be with you on this trip, yeah I think you’re being really-selfish,” I said, smiling at Karen.

  She stood up in front of me as I stood up facing her, holding each other in our arms.

  “Thanks Phil, I’m not ready to go home yet, this trip has been amazing, but my sister, well she said I was being selfish,” Karen commented.

  “Hey it’s okay your mum understands and so does everyone else, let’s just go out for dinner and have a good night,” I remarked.

  “But hey, we’re up and ready, let’s go have a few san gria’s or a coffee before tonight,” I added.

  Agreeing Karen grabbed my hand and we left the room together.

  Meeting up, with Lisa and Jeff when we got back to our hotel a few hours later.

  10

  Pass the Bill

  “Wow, I’d hate to be Georgia, how did you find out she met her partner on a dating website?” I asked Lisa.

  “I think Mum found out and we caught up for dinner before trying to track you guys down here,” Lisa replied.

  “Oh wow, so you knew when you met up with us at the hotel?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I think she might want to keep it a secret though,” Lisa replied.

  “Well good luck with that now,” I said

  Just as Karen got back and joined us at the table.

  “I’m not sure how I feel about Georgia dating this dude,” Karen said

  “Can’t do anything about that now and she seems happy,” Jeff said.

  “Well, alright let’s order and get some food to go with these drinks,” I said.

  “Hey Phil have you tried the spirits in Spain?” Jeff asked.

  “Yeah man and not keen on trying it tonight,” I said.

  “Yeah fair enough,” Lisa said.

  “So how did you meet my sister?” Lisa asked

  “Oh we met online as well sis,” Karen said.

  Typically, without blinking, in manner that said stuff you and spoke volumes around the table.

  “I don’t care how Georgia met who ever she met. As long as she’s happy, who are we to judge?” Karen added.

  “Well, we are her family for one,” Lisa said.

  Before I added.

  “I agree with Karen, it’s not how they met, but it’s how they get along, ha, so there Lisa.” I said

  Poking out my tongue to everyone around the table, including Karen.

  “I see how you two get along so well now,” Lisa remarked.

  “So you both met online while you were in London,” Lisa asked

  “Um, no. We’ve been talking to each other for year’s sis,” Karen replied.

  “Hang on, Phil, holy shit, you’re that Phil, Jeff its Phil,” Lisa remarked.

  “Oh that Phil?” Jeff said. Looking at me shrugging

  “I thought you were made up,” Lisa said.

  “Actually, what?” I replied

  “We all thought you were made up, an invisible friend that our sister use to run and talk too,” Lisa joked.

  “Well, okay. That’s probably how my friends thought about Karen, though I never mentioned her unless I had a couple beers in me,” I replied.

  “Hang on, most of my friends knew about you,” Karen added.

  “None of them thought you were real though,” Lisa said, before laughing.

  Which must have felt a little uncomfortable due to the fact she was the only one laughing.

  “I was a little over protective when it came to our conversations I guess,” I said.

  “Yeah, well that’s fair enough, we had some pretty indepth dodgy talks some weeks,” Karen commented.

  With a massive smile on her face.

  “Do you remember that time my then boyfriend tried to soop up his car and it blew up, well the engine did at least, do you remember what you said?” Karen asked.

  “It can’t have been anything good.”

  “No, but it was really funn
y, it’s those moments that I look back on fondly, I never thought we’d ever meet, let alone do this,” Karen remarked.

  “So what are you two doing then?” Lisa asked.

  As Jeff looked on as Karen and I just stared at each other for a moment.

  “I guess we’re running away for a while,” I said.

  “We’ve got a huge amount of travelling to go,” I added.

  “Well, let’s meet up in Rome when you two are heading there and I’ll try and get Georgia along,” Lisa suggested.

  “Yeah, that’ll be great Lisa if you could,” Karen replied.

  Just as the waiter came up to the table and we all ordered our meals with a lot more Sangria and just for that night I mentioned where we were going and what we were planning so Lisa and Jeff had a fair idea for when we would be in Rome.

  The meal was amazing the food in Spain was on point again I thought to myself, I thought any second now, Lisa and Karen were going to start yelling at each other. For some reason Lisa thought she was being self-absorbed but after the meal she understood, her sister’s illness and the fact I wanted to travel with her, she understood the messages from the past, the ones she had sent to herself from her sister’s email address. She was snooping but she had learnt more from her little sister that way than when she would ever ask her, which meant for me, she had known all about me, and in her eyes, I was okay. Not that Karen cared, she hated it when her older sister would snoop through her things.

  “So Jeff, what are you guys planning on doing for breakfast tomorrow?” I asked.

  “Well, we’ll probably just have a lie in then meet you guys for lunch, when do you head back up to southern France?” Jeff replied.

  “Ah, tomorrow afternoon, but we should be able to do lunch before hand, if you want to meet at our hotel around Elevenish?”

  “Yeah sounds good,” Lisa remarked.

  With Karen agreeing, finally feeling like she could get along with her sister, her mum had understood from the moment we mentioned it. We had emailed her nearly every day and I’m sure the nurses would have mentioned the Disneyland incident to her anyway.

  She would have found that one incredibly funny.

  “Oh man, this meal has been great, if we had known you guys were coming we could have organised something a little bit better,” I remarked.

  “No, this has been great,” Lisa insisted.

  “Yeah, I don’t think we could have planned anything better Phil,” Karen agreed.