Indigestion in Cadiz

“All that sugar isn’t good for you, especially in this heat,” Alison snarls.

Susan is just finishing off her second double chocolate Cornetto. Susan was coping with the heat so far. Even though a 42-degree temperatures was much more usual in Spain than in Hatton-upon-Thames, it just meant that small sweat drops would continually trickle down between her shoulder blades down her back. She could deal with that.  

Susan arrived last week Monday, together with her neighbour Alison, in the summery city of Cadiz. A heat wave just hit southern Spain and the next days were looking just as sweltering as the previous ones.  

“I bet you’re going to be sick before dinner”’, Alison adds and flips on her back to even out her tan. Susan doesn’t reply but deep down she resents her remark. 

Even under an umbrella, Susan finds it difficult to make sure every inch of her body is out of the piercing sun rays. Weighing just under 95 kilos doesn’t make it any easier. She’d gladly have another Cornetto just to spite her neighbour, but she resists the temptation. 

Alison on the other hand, has it all under control. Slim, sporty, blond and with a Tourism graduate, she leaps through life like an agile rabbit through a carrot field. Whatever she wants, she takes and whoever annoys her, regrets it. She thrives under the glaring and burning sun, her tan just seems to glow. 

Susan and Alison met about 3 years ago when they became neighbours. Susan had been living on Botham Crescent since her childhood. Her parents were hard-working, middle-class clerks at the local Barclays Bank branch.  

Alison and her parents moved from Oxford. Just like Susan’s parents, her parents were also active in the banking sector. They had been posted in Singapore and Hong Kong and after successful careers, they decided to settle down for an early retirement in Hatton-upon-Thames. Their house was the biggest one in the entire row.  

Susan couldn’t have been happier to have a trendy neighbour like Alison.

Susan had always struggled with self-worth. Mental issues, obesity, bad school results and loneliness were an integral part of her teens. But Alison, on the other hand, was first in class for just about everything. From Pilates classes to rowing competitions, she strived for perfection. Her impeccable looks gave her a feeling of control. 

They both turned 20 on the same day, so their parents sent them off on a week of sun and sea in Cadiz. 

Alison and Susan didn’t seem to have much in common, but that all changed six months ago. 

Alison came home early one evening after her Pilates class. She threw her sports bag on the kitchen floor and opened up the fridge for the salad that her mother would always prepare. She couldn’t find the salad, which really annoyed her. She then heard someone knocking upstairs. The noise was so loud she thought her father was finally installing her vanity table. However, when she peeped inside her bedroom, she saw Susan’s mother sitting on top of her father. Both of them were naked. She hastily and silently retreated, just like an agile rabbit. She quietly closed the front door and tried to catch her breath. She was gasping for air.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Susan was standing on the sidewalk next door. Alison looked even more startled. “Indeed, I just saw 2 of them”, she replied and ran into the supermarket opposite their house.  

Susan was just finishing an onion and beef pie and went back indoors to get another one. She was wondering where her mother was. 

… 

“Let’s go for dinner soon,” Susan decides with a broad smile on her face. The sun was getting too low for a decent tan anyway, so Alison decides to just tag along. They collect their beach gear, fold up the parasol and they both stroll off towards the apartment building right in front of the beach. They both have a quick shower and change into freshly ironed dresses.

“That red silk looks stunning on you,” Susan remarks. “I know,” Alison replies and gives her a twirl. She had just managed to lose another 2 kilos so she felt that she was on track for an even smaller size. “And here I am in my frilly parachute dress,” Susan adds with an awkward twirl of her own. Alison giggles. 

They dine every evening in the same restaurant. It is a simple, Spanish themed affair. The owner, Derrick, is an ex-colleague of Alison’s father. He decided to cut short his banking career and to emigrate to Spain 15 years ago. “Hello girls, you are early this evening,” he remarks. “Well, Susan here seems to have worked up an appetite after her 2 Cornettos and 3 slices of banana bread”, Alison glances at Susan who tries to look away. “I honestly don’t know where she puts it all,” she smiles and sits down at their front row table with a full view of the sea.  

“I think I will have the Tikka Masala tonight,” Susan says. She actually doesn’t feel particularly hungry, but food always has a calming effect on her. She remembers a tense episode about 6 months ago when her parents were constantly arguing, she would just delve into the fridge to get a quick snack and she would instantly feel better.  

“I’ll have the Waldorf salad please, but without the croutons,” Alison puts in her order. “And of course, two small alcohol-free beers,” Derrick adds. The girls both nod. 

Susan also developed allergies over the last 6 months. Endless doctors’ visits and tests didn’t pinpoint the cause. One of the specialists just suggested it could all be stress induced. One night she binged on salted peanuts. She loved the crunchy shell around the nuts. After the second pack she started to feel nauseous. She looked in the mirror and saw how her face was turning red and looked swollen. She couldn’t swallow anymore, and her heart started to throb. Two hours later she woke up in a hospital bed, her mother next to her. “I was lucky to get home on time,” she said. “Just 10 more minutes and those peanuts would have killed you’, she added while putting her hand on Susan’s.  

… 

“I’ll just go and powder my nose,” Alison says and leaves for the bathroom in the back of the restaurant. Alison always makes sure that she looks her best in case any of the sporty and handsome boys on the local swimming team show up.  

Susan sighs with despair and starts on her beer. She notices Alison talking to Derrick over the bar. 

Alison comes back after 10 minutes followed by Derrick carrying their order. “Bon appetite,” he says cheerfully. Susan notices he has some smudged lipstick on his chin. 

“Well cheers, here is to us and our everlasting friendship,” Alison raises her glass and flashes her best smile to Susan. Slightly bewildered, Susan takes another sip. 

She delves into her curry as if it were her last. It tastes delicious. But this time there is an extra flavour she didn’t notice when she ordered the dish before. Was it the roasted garlic or the red onions, she wonders. 

“How’s it?” Alison wants to know. 

“It’s just gorgeous, even better than before,” Susan replies. She grabs the spoon to fully enjoy the deep brown sauce. 

“Well, I asked Derrick to make it extra special tonight,” Alison says. 

“That is so nice of you,” Susan replies. 

“I just want to make sure that you know I am your best friend,” Alison insists. 

Susan smiles back, maybe Alison really is the lifelong friend that she has always wanted and needed, she thinks. 

“O, if you would just excuse me,” Susan says, “I think my Cornettos are acting up,” and hastily retreats to the back of the restaurant.

… 

It is a dark and dreary day in Hatton-upon-Thames. “And such loyal friends you were,” Alison’s mother says. They are both wearing freshly ironed black dresses. Their TV room is even darker than the weather outside. 

“Such a fright you must have had when they found Susan dead on the floor in the horrid bathroom of that scruffy restaurant,” her mother looks at her with pity. 

Alison turns to her mother, “it was just so awful for me,,” she replies. 

(all copyright E. Sohl - Illustration: Nirina - Editor: C. Hommez)