Off The Cretan Track chapter 6

A Chapter by Repgreece

Nick opens up to Sal about his father.

As Nick and Sal approached Mardi Gras, Boycie watched them with interest.

"Hey," he shouted out to Nick, "I'm telling Jen of you if you don't put her down. Leave us single guys a chance with her."

Nick's grip on Sal's legs tightened as she clung to the back of him.

"Oi, I'm her best mate Boyce, and I'm not leavin' her in you're lecherous clutches so forget it!" Nick grated back.

Nick kept hold of Sal as they moved through the entrance door and he threw Boycie a steely glare as they passed him.

"He'd better stay away from me," Nick growled, setting Sal down on a bar stool.

"Hey, calm down tiger. You need a drink," Sal stated, catching Dan's attention and ordering them some beers.

They drank their beers and watched the bar staff encouraging tourists to dance on the bar, until the song changed and Sal turned to Nick enthusiastically.

"Yay, it's the conga! Let's join in," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him off the stool.

They joined the row of people that were forming in front of them and followed them as they snaked around the bar and eventually through the front door and out into the street. The people chanted and sang as they moved and some passers by even squeezed in amongst the line and joined in. The people finally turned back on themselves and began to re-enter the bar, but before Sal could make it back inside behind Nick, Boycie grabbed her around the waist and redirected her away from him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked in confusion as he bent his head towards her.

She pushed him away and looked up nervously to see Nick fast approaching them with a furious expression on his face. Nick took hold of Sal by the arm and yanked her away from Boycie, pointing an aggressive finger in his face.

"I'm warning you, leave her alone!" he threatened, marching Sal back into the bar.

"Listen," Sal began, handing Nick his beer, "it's partly my fault that he thinks he can act like that. I was stupid; I let him walk me home once."

Nick swung his head back to her. "You did what?!"

"Calm down, I got rid of him when I realised that it wasn't my welfare that was uppermost in his mind!"

Well that didn't help much to calm him down! He looked more furious than ever now! What was it with him and Boycie?

Moments later Nick felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder and he turned to see Boycie standing behind him.

He put his face close to Nick's and growled, "Don't even think about threatening me because..."

Before Boycie could finish his sentence however a muscular arm came between them as Pedros appeared and leant his hand on the bar, separating them both.

"Is there a problem here Boycie? Because anyone who works for me and has a problem with this man will find themselves looking for another job," Pedros warned.

Boycie narrowed his eyes and looked from Pedros to Nick and back again, eventually growling with anger and storming back out of the door.

"Get these two another drink on me," he said to Dan before following Boycie out of the door.

Sal sat beaming at Nick, however his mood hadn't seemed to improve much.

"I didn't need his help, I could sort that piece of s**t out any day," he said angrily.

"Come on," Sal said, trying to dispel his mood. "Pedros respects you a lot after you saved those tourists from the explosion last year and helped him to catch the culprits. You were a hero," she smiled at him, proud to be his friend.

"I'm no hero," he argued. "Anyone would have done the same. And I just ran from the men; I don't see how that helped Pedros to catch them."

"Well, you're a hero in his eyes anyway...and you're a hero in my eyes too," she added.

He gave her a weak smile.

"What's wrong Nick? Why do you look so sad all of a sudden?" she asked with concern.

He shrugged and turned his attention back towards the activity behind the bar. She frowned and watched him for a moment before gesturing to Dan and saying something into his ear. He nodded and produced two shots of alcohol minutes later. She picked them up and offered Nick one.

"I had a brainwave, you know what they say," she giggled, proceeding to sing," Tequila, it makes you happy!"

He smiled, taking the drink, clinking glasses with her and downing the shot.

"Did it work?" she asked.

He shrugged and she watched him again thoughtfully.

"Nick, can I ask you something?" she began.

He turned to look at her. "Go on."

"What made you unhappy back in the UK? Was it that you almost split up with Jen?" she pondered.

"Partly," he admitted. "We argued a lot, but then we always argue a lot and then make up pretty soon afterwards."

"But you are happy with her, right?" she asked.

"Kind of," he said vaguely.

"Well, that doesn't sound so certain Nick. You have to end up with a mind shattering girl you know. You can't settle for anything less," she said firmly.

"And where am I going to find this mind shattering girl then Sal?" he said, looking directly at her.

"I don't know but you can't give up on looking," she replied.

"And what would this mind shattering girl be like then Sal?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "Not sure. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes?"

He shook his head. "Not my type."

"Oh," she looked surprised, "I thought that kind of girl was every man's type."

He laughed.

"So what is your type then?" she asked.

He had to be careful there; he was on dangerous ground!

"Someone who makes me laugh, someone who's not afraid to say how she feels. Someone opposite to me I guess," he concluded.

"Ah, opposites attract. Right?" she smiled.

"Yeah. But we'd have to have some things in common too," he added.

"Of course," she said, looking around the bar as if to find him someone there and then.

She turned her head back to him however as a thought hit her. "But you said 'partly.'"

"What?" he frowned.

"You said that Jen was only partly the reason why you were unhappy back in the UK," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he replied, giving no more away.

"So? What was the other reason?" she pushed.

He sighed. "Well... my father isn't very well."

Her face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry Nick. What's wrong with him?"

"He has liver problems and he's quite bad at the moment."

She put a hand on his shoulder and watched him with sympathetic eyes.

"I feel a bit bad coming back here and leaving him to tell you the truth, but we don't get on that well, we never have," he admitted.

She nodded and waited for him to expand on that. He struggled to get the words out but eventually spoke after another couple of swigs of beer.

"He used to drink a lot when I was a kid and, well, that led on to worse...drugs and stuff," he said, pausing to judge her response. She sat, listening and waiting for him to share more. He finally went on, "I can't remember a time when he wasn't off his head. I was kind of left to my own devices...which was fine with me," he said, trying to convince himself, "I just used to play all day and night in the fields with my mates."

She watched him closely; processing the information and making him feel a little awkward, so he stood up to order another drink.

"Where was your mother when you were young then Nick?" she asked suddenly, surprising him with the question.

"I'm just moving down here for a moment Sal to get a beer off Dan," he said, avoiding her question.

She halted him for a second though with a touch on his arm and a questioning look.

"She left me with him when I was five," he said casually shrugging before moving away.

Sal's heart suddenly felt like a rock as she tried to imagine how Nick coped with his childhood. She turned to search for him through the crowds and slid off her stool when she caught sight of him further down the bar.

As Nick waited to be served by Dan, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his middle from behind as Sal held him closely and kissed him on the back.

"I think the world of you Nick, and I'll never let you down," she said to him.