| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 04/09/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 59 |
| Copyright: Other |
Girlfriend strikes the wrong note as enraged wife pulls the strings
Pretty blonde’s plans to spend a romantic week in Ibiza with her new man are almost scuppered when the guitar-destroying wife steps in
Hell hath no fury-Booking a last-minute week’s holiday for a couple on a limited budget is a sufficiently great challenge in my book, without throwing nightmarish domestic spanners into the works. It fell to me to untangle the knots long enough to book such a couple this week.
A pretty young blonde came in and asked if I could find a last-minute break for herself and her boyfriend. She briefed me on the two dates they could travel, explaining that her man was a “big wheel” in his job and had to be around to organise the “cogs” he’s in charge of. I tapped away at the computer to see what I could find to suit.
While I was occupied in the task, the girl chatted away, telling me happily that this would be their first holiday together as they’d only been seeing each other for a few months. I smiled and added a few pleasantries as she twittered on.
JMC had a week in Ibiza at the right price and that seemed to appeal.
“I’ll give him a quick ring and see what he thinks,” she said and, although I’d offered her the use of my phone, she went outside to use her mobile. Clearly she wanted to discuss the financial aspects privately.
A few minutes later, she returned beaming and told me to book it, giving me the boyfriend’s credit-card details. There were two seats left on the screen and I was faced with a dilemma. Should I clear the card first and risk losing the seats or book the holiday and risk the card being declined?
Being the professional that I am, Nigel’s (my boss) accounts were at the front of my mind and I decided to clear the card first. I’m glad I did – it was declined!
The girl’s face fell as she dialled her boyfriend on my phone. A brief conversation ensued before she handed the receiver back to me so I could speak to him myself. He gave me another card number but this would only allow me to take a third of the monies needed.
The difficulties overwhelmed the poor girlfriend who launched into an explanation of how it was possible that her boyfriend’s wife had cleared their joint account.
Wife? Wife? Alarm bells rang in my head. I awaited the next chapter of the story with bated breath.
“She’s already ripped his clothes up,” continued the girl, “and put her foot through his computer screen, snapped the strings on his guitar and worst of all-” her eyes grew wider, “she burst his football!”
Jeepers, I thought, if she’s done all that to him, goodness only knows what I’ve got coming to me when she discovers I’ve booked the other woman a holiday with him!
After some further thought, she popped out to the bank and withdrew the rest of the money needed to complete the booking. I bade her farewell and she left clutching her ticket-on-departure letter.
Within an hour, she was on the phone to me asking if it would be possible for her boyfriend to get another passport at short notice as his wife was withholding his and was this legal?
Had it been a Friday, I would have suggested that she rang the legal beagle on the Jimmy Young show but I was obliged instead to assume my mostauthoritative, judge-like voice and declare it was undoubtedly unjust for one person to withhold another’s passport.
“Furthermore,” I added, getting a little carried away with my Rumpole act, “strictly speaking, I think that it could be regarded as theft!”
The next day I received another call from the girl to tell me the passport had been returned and the couple could travel at last.
“So my remarks were heeded?” I asked smugly.
“Oh no,” replied the girl, “his wife took him to the bank and insisted he took out two months’ maintenance before she’d give him his passport back!”
I suppose there’s some kind of justice in that.
In search of summer
With the stop-start kind of weather we’ve had, plenty of people are thinking about giving up on our summer and travelling Down Under where their weather will be pretty much guaranteed. That’s how it seemed at our recent Wessex World Australia and New Zealand evening held in conjunction with Travel 2 and Australian Pacific Tours.
Once again, The Coppleridge Hotel at Motcombe was the venue for the 80 or so prospective clients who turned up.
Jonathan MaCrae from Travel 2 opened the evening and explained to an attentive audience how best to organise a trip to the Antipodes. His special fares went down almost as well as the Australian wine on offer!
Australian Pacific’s Sarah Bonner conjured a land of contrasts combining excitement and tranquillity through the APT tours available and bookable in advance in the UK.
Leanne Longton of Tourism Holdings, representing Maui Motorhomes, rounded the evening off with a talk on the freedom of holidaying in a motorhome. Those in the audience whose thoughts turned immediately to cramped caravan accommodation and chemical loos were invited to inspect the vehicle Leanne had parked outside. It was the same model I had inspected on the Travel 2 educational in Cairns last year and was every bit as impressive in terms of size and comfort.
The evening had been highly successful and when the last of the audience had drifted off into the night, Leanne readied herself to drive the motorhome to her in-laws’ house in a nearby village.
She was rather concerned that as it was dark and there’d been a lot of illegal parking by New-Age travellers in the area that neighbours might mistake her for a transient tree dweller and alert the police.
She smiled nervously as it was suggested that she switch the engine off as she approached the house and let it roll the rest of the way. They don’t have this problem Down Under!