Tom, not having entirely grasped the humour intended by their use of the word continental, said, 'Mark's already told you, a Chinese boy is an oriental, not a continental.'
'Ah - and if he's an oriental, what does that make me, an occidental?'
Not understanding, Tom shrugged and pulled a face. 'What d'you mean, doesn't make you anything, does it?'
'I'm no accidental, my parents intended me, I was planned.'
'What about Darren?' I asked. 'Did he get back all right?'
'He was having a great time. He's got a lovely way of moving his limbs around, that boy, last we saw he was dancing with someone. They probably left together.'
'You took him to the club; you should have made sure he got home safe,' Tom said, irritated.
'He was enjoying himself. We weren't going to spoil his chances. What are you, his godfather?'
'If he'd been with me I'd have took proper care of him.'
'Well take him to the club yourself next time then.'
We assumed Darren had returned during the night and gone safely up to bed. After giving them breakfast we ate our own lighter meal in the kitchen. They finished and went up to their rooms long before anyone else came down. The well spoken couple from room four came down at the latest possible moment, a heavy fug from over indulgence the night before robbing them of their customary polished manners. They knocked a full glass of orange juice over the table, lamely trying to dab the spillage with serviettes until I brought them a clean table cloth.
Sundays can be tiring because clearing away after breakfast can take until eleven, leaving only a couple of hours free before preparations begin for the main meal of the day in the afternoon. With the cook and a part-time waiter hired in for the afternoon, the main meal was just manageable. I helped out as needed, showing people to their tables and going round later to ask if the food was all right. Tom, Andrew, and - when he was not at the burger bar - Darren, sat down with me to eat at what we called our 'family table'.
That day Tom was working in the morning because he wanted to finish off tiling a bathroom wall. He went home to change out of his working clothes and collected Andrew from Biddulph Mansions. At one o'clock I rang Darren's room but got no answer. If he was not back in time for dinner Andrew was sure to ask what had happened to him. Half an hour later, puzzled more than worried, I went up to check, letting myself in with my pass key. Everything in the room was tidy, the bed made and the curtains open, the only evidence of life coming from the terrapins. I gave them a little food from the tub next to the tank and watched them paddle around excitedly in their few inches of water.