Mum was in a state when we got there. Her boss had sent her home early, and she was frantically packing and looking for passports. Joe and Mark sat in the sitting room, watching the news, and Angus went and joined them. Their bags stood just inside the door, packed and ready to go. Mum clutched three passports in her hand, and was desperately searching for the fourth.
"Rebecca, do you know where your passport is?" she asked.
"I'm not going Mum. I have too much work to do for my exams. I missed a lot of school this week already. I can't afford to miss any more." I was impressed at how glib it all sounded. I was becoming an accomplished liar now. Amazing how good it didn't feel.
"Are you sure, baby? I think you need a holiday."
"Definitely Mum. And I'm getting married in just over a week. I've got a lot to do."
Her eyes glazed over slightly at the mention of it, as if she was expecting the whole event to just disappear out of my future. Poor Mum.
"I'll help you pack, though. I've got a new bikini that you can borrow too." She smiled gratefully at me, and I felt bad again about lying to her. And then I thought about what could happen to her if she stayed and one of those vampires got hold of her, and I knew this was for the best. She'd be safe in Barbados, and she needed a holiday.
We went upstairs together and spent a pleasant half hour giggling and packing what few summer clothes Mum had. We supplemented her wardrobe with a few of my things; Mum and I were more or less the same size. For a few minutes she looked quite excited about the trip, and I knew that once she'd arrived there and settled in, the sunshine would eventually start to dissipate the stress that cluttered my mother's life.
We eventually finished packing Mum's suitcase, and went to join the others in the sitting room. Angus looked up from his usual armchair, and smiled at me.
"Mrs Harding," he said. "Do you have a lift to the airport?"
Panic crossed Mum's face. "I knew I'd forgotten something!" she wailed.
"I'll take you," he offered. "I'm sure Rebecca would like to see you off at the airport."
"Thank you so much!" Mum was looking flustered again.
"What time is your flight, Mum?"
"Nine thirty. We're supposed to pick up the tickets there. Virgin airlines."
Angus looked at his watch. "If we leave now we should get there with a few minutes to spare."