Chapter Ten:  Monserrat 

 

Within thirty minutes of leaving the stadium in Barcelona she had taken a taxi to the station and booked herself a train ticket and a two night stay in what looked like a quaint and quiet B&B hotel in Monserrat. Then, via a QR code, she had ordered herself a gin and tonic and was in a bar at the station waiting for the train that would take her into the Spanish mountains.

The rectangular piece of metal genius she carried with her constantly made life so easy sometimes, but it had its downfalls, like the constant notifications she was now getting and the posts she was being tagged in. She didn’t want to see what the critics and pundits were saying about her performance against Barcelona, whether it be good or bad. 

After downing the gin, she vowed not to drink again for the rest of the weekend, and then made her way to the platform to wait for her train.  

 

The little hotel she arrived at a couple of hours later was old-fashioned but spotlessly clean. Her room was pretty; a hand-embroidered blanket was splayed across a dark wooden bed, and there was a small bouquet of wildflowers on the desk under a window which had a view out over the countryside. Eve left her bags where they fell, flung the window open and breathed in deeply before collapsing onto the bed. Kate would have hated this hotel room, would have whined and preferred somewhere shiny and sleek, somewhere with a spa. While, to Eve it felt so comforting and peaceful that she promptly fell asleep and woke up three hours later when the air had cooled and darkness had fallen. She jolted awake and grasped around for a light switch. As she was closing the window, her stomach gave out an enormous growl. What kind of an athlete was she? She hadn’t eaten since breakfast and had played ninety plus minutes of football. Food had to be the first item on her agenda; she could almost feel her leg muscles wasting away. Having quickly changed into denim shorts and a cropped t-shirt, she dashed down the stairs to the reception area. 

‘Ola.’ She smiled at the sleepy-eyed guy who was sat behind the counter where she’d checked in. ‘alimento’? 

‘You want to eat?’ he replied in perfect English. 

‘Si. Is there a restaurant nearby?’ 

‘There are a lot of good restaurants nearby.’ 

‘Excellent.’ 

‘But it is nearly ten, senorita, they will be closing soon.’ 

‘Right.’ Eve felt like crying and her stomach growled again, audibly. As she was contemplating whether food delivery apps had reached Montrserrat, an older, broad lady in an apron appeared from a door behind the counter and spoke rapidly to the guy behind the counter.  She punched his shoulder and chastised him in a way that suggested she might be an aunt or grandmother and he shrugged at Eve. 

‘She asks you want chicken, rice, tomatoes, is kind of...’ he jiggled his hands around searching for the right English word. Eve guessed it was some kind of one-pot stew, similar to what she had eaten at Greta’s house. It was probably the leftovers from their family meal. 

‘Si, yes, por favor. Gracias.'   

He pointed her in the direction of a table in the small bar. ‘Sit, sit, she will get.’ There was only one other guest at the bar, a young, lanky pale-faced guy who was slumped in a seat and looking broodily at a small television set that was showing a men’s football match. Eve presumed his side were losing and ignored him completely. 

The food arrived quickly and smelled delicious; the elder lady patted her arm as she put it down in front of her. Eve said her thanks in Spanish and asked about the bill but was waved away. ‘We have left.’   

‘Espanol?’ the guy asked, much to Eve's surprise, making her jump a little. ‘Or English?’ 

With a forkful of food between her mouth and the plate, Eve stopped to tell him she was English. 

He was handsome when he smiled and Eve noticed his nice teeth, floppy hair and broad shoulders. Turning in his seat, he motioned towards the TV. ‘Do you want me to turn the footie off?’ He waved a remote control in the air. The hotel staff had obviously allowed him control of it.

Eve took another mouthful of food while she shook her head. ‘It’s fine.’ 

‘Cool. Sorry, but can I be weird and join you?' He was moving before Eve gave an answer, his apology was just an excuse for his pushiness.  'I’m Tom by the way. I was going to have another cheeky glass of wine. Can I get you one?’ He asked as he sat down. 

Eve hesitated, having promised herself after her gin and tonic at the train station that she would go into full athlete mode, but Tom ordered two glasses of wine anyway with a click of his fingers. The young guy behind the reception desk raised an eyebrow at being summoned so curtly but went behind the bar anyway and returned with two glasses of red.  

‘Oh, is that alright,’ Tom asked as it was put down in front of them, 'do you prefer white?’ 

She did prefer white, but when in Spain and all that. Eve took a sip of the fruity dark red liquid and had to admit that it soothed her.  

‘Is okay?' The bartender cum receptionist asked. He was still hovering near the table. Eve understood immediately that he wasn't just referring to the wine, he was asking her if she needed assistance in removing Tom. 'I am Carlos.'   

Eve glanced up at Carlos and they shared a look of understanding. ‘Gracias Carlos.’ She could handle Tom.

‘London?’ Tom asked as Carlos moved slowly away. 

She nodded. ‘Born south but spent most of my life north.’ 

‘Me too. Born and bred in Crystal Palace.’ 

‘I know it well.’ Eve ate another mouthful. She'd almost cleared the plate and could have eaten another portion. ‘Why are you in Spain?’ she asked when she'd finished chewing. 

‘Oh.’ He ran his fingers through his floppy blonde fringe. ‘Just, I don’t know. Split up from my girlfriend. And, it was tough. I tried the dating apps, but I thought to myself, get away, walk, see the world, forget her. Meet other people. So, I decided to talk to you. I wouldn't normally barge in like that. I’m going to climb the mountain.’  

Eve’s attitude to him immediately softened. 'That’s rough. Know how it feels.'

‘Ah, yes. I thought I recognised another lonely heart. Are you going to climb the mountain - to forget some bloke?' 

‘No bloke. I haven’t thought about it much but I suppose I'm going up there. I had a few days off work and I didn’t want to go back to the UK. I've read about Monserrat, wanted to see it.’ 

‘You live here, in Spain?’ 

‘Yes, I suppose I do.' She raised her glass, took another sip. 

‘Cool,’ Tom replied, though he seemed far too old to be saying, ‘cool’ all the time. Despite his handsomeness, he was a bit nerdy but was actually nice to speak to someone who understood everything she said.

On the television behind them, someone scored a goal. Tom glanced up at it briefly.

'Your team?'

'God no. I don't even really like football, more of a rugby man,' he said.

Eve laughed. 'Yeah, actually, I could have guessed. You have that look about you.'

'Should I be offended.? The match on the television was now at half-time, and the studio presenters began to round up the rest of the day's results, in both the men's and women's Spanish leagues. 

'Is you!' Carlos exclaimed. He ran in from the reception area and pointed up at the screen and then at Eve. 'You play Real Martinez.'

Eve wanted to hide under the table as the tackle that had led to the free kick was replayed twice on the television. Carlos ran away again while Eve's cheeks were reddening and Tom cocked his head at her. She had made some good passes and interventions in the game but it was her foul that had led to the Barcelona goal that the presenters had focused on.

'Not my finest hour,' she mumbled. Carlos had returned with his phone and was asking for a selfie. 'With me?'

'Si, si,' he insisted, and because he had been kind and sweet, Eve leaned in for the photo.

'Oh, can i get a copy of that, just to say I've met the famous Eve Middleton,' Tom asked.

Carlos, in his excitement agreed, and sent the photo to Tom.

Eve got to her feet. 'I'm really tired and lots of walking tomorrow.' She wasn't actually tired, she had just had the mother of all naps, but she didn't want to be the center of their attention and her social battery was empty.

'Of course.' Tom escorted her to the bottom of the stairway that led to her room. 'So, maybe I'll see you tomorrow on the way up to the monastery?'

'Maybe,' she replied as she climbed the stairs. 'Though, I kind of want to do it on my own.'

'Of course, of course,' Tom replied as he ran his fingers through his floppy fringe once again.