Uncanny Love Tales – (15) Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

 

As the coach pulled into the campsite Gavin Newman was half out of his seat and craning his neck to look for her, as he hadn’t seen her for four weeks and he had missed her terribly.

Gavin had only been going out with Lisa for little more than three months before she had to leave for her summer job.

They were both students and had just finished their first year when they met at Clapham Junction railway station.

Lisa was only tiny, a smidge over five foot in her stocking feet, providing they were thick socks, and she was struggling to get a case up the stairs that was bigger than she was.

Gavin happened to be behind her at the time and came to her assistance and as they both had to wait for a connection, they had coffee together.

And that was how it all began, while they were waiting for a connexion, they made one.

 

While Gavin was at six form, he worked weekends at Homebase and before he went to University his manager had said if he ever wanted work during the holidays he only had to call, so he did, and whenever he was home, he was always able to pick up shifts, so that was what Gavin had sorted for the summer holidays.

 

His new girlfriend Lisa Toms had a similar arrangement with a local café restaurant, however that particular summer she had arranged for 8 weeks work at an outward-bound resort, which paid better, and she even managed to get a bit of a holiday out of it into the bargain.

What she hadn’t bargained for though, was meeting and falling in love with Gavin, which under normal circumstances wouldn’t have been such an issue had it not been for the fact that the resort she had signed up to work at was in Scotland.

Which was why it was that July they stood at the coach park and kissed goodbye before she left for the summer.

Gavin was to follow her after a month and spend two weeks with her and then he would have to leave her again and she would remain for another two weeks.

 

She wouldn’t look up as the coach pulled up into the car park; she had volunteered to work the breakfast shift in the marquee, as it was right next to where the coaches stopped.

So, she would be able to watch when the coach arrived on the camping ground.

She had missed him so much while she had been there without him, but she didn’t want him to know just how much she had missed him, Lisa was worried it might scare him off if he knew how desperately she loved him.

The other reason she didn’t look up was that she thought she might cry when she saw him, and she didn’t want to him to see that either.

 

Gavin could see her, and his heart soared, he had no idea she would be in the marquee, but why didn’t she look up?

He had been chewing his fingernails on the way up as he had missed her so much, and after 12 hours on that bloody coach, desperate to see her again and she wouldn’t even look up.

He thought Lisa must have heard the coach arrive, everyone else was looking, but she just picked up a tray and went inside the marquee

“Where is she going now?” he said to himself

He quickly walked down the steps and went in search of his pack.

 

Lisa almost weakened and looked up, but she kept her head down and carried the tray she was holding inside the tent.

She really wanted to see him, she was desperate to see him, she dreamed of the moment she would see him again.

She had been looking forward to that day for a month, she wanted to see him so much, and she hadn’t slept a wink the night before because she was looking forward to that day so much.

Once inside she dumped the tray on the nearest table and positioned herself by the flaps of the opening so she could see out without him being able to see her.

“Is that him?” she said to herself, “the one looking out the window? No, it’s the driver”

She searched among the faces in the crowd.

“He isn’t there”,

“Why isn’t he there?”

“Where the hell is he?”

She stood on tiptoe and looked again, not that that helped much it just elevated her from five foot nothing to five foot two as her eyes scanned the group milling around the pile of back packs and cases.

“He isn’t there”

“Why isn’t he there?”

The crowd slowly dispersed and there was still no sign of Gavin

“Where is that bloody man?” she said aloud

“I’m behind you” Gavin said, and Lisa turned around and launched herself at him and showed him exactly how much she’d missed and loved him and she cried too.