Spank: The Improbable Adventures of George Aloysius Brown by Alan Daniels Read Free Book Online Page B

ticket to Bali plus a confirmed reservation at a five star hotel at Kuta Beach .
    " Oh my God, George. I can't believe it's been ages since I went back. Thank you, thank you. What a wonderful surprise. But only one ticket? Where's yours? "
    " Pem, I'm sorry, I can't go with you. We're redrafting the bylaw on wetlands development permit applications and it's going to be crazy busy at the office. This will be a chance for you to spend time with your family. Plus, you have a couple of months to get organized. We'll have our own special celebration when you get back. "
    " Oh, George. You're so sweet. I love you so much. " She refilled his wine glass and while he reclined on the bed she undressed slowly in front of him, a sexy and impromptu striptease for an audience of one. Then she gave him a long, loving massage. The marks on his bottom had already faded.
    They went together to the airport on the day she left. George felt it was better to be early than late and they stopped for coffee after she had checked in. In ten years of marriage they had never spent time apart except for a few short trips he had made on council business.
    " George, I've been thinking, " she said, using her spoon to scoop up the foam that had settled in the bottom of her cup.
    " Uh oh. "
    " We have a good life, don't we? We have it all, a nice home, jobs, we're healthy, we have pensions to look forward to. "
    " And we have each other. " George was wondering where this was going.
    " We need to give something back. "
    " You mean volunteer? " A life time of dealing with elected officials had taught George not to volunteer for anything.
    " I don't know. I was thinking. Something like Meals-on-Wheels. "
    " Hey, that would be perfect for you, just up your ally as a former flight attendant. " He laughed.
    " What's so funny about that? "
    " Half an hour after you take them their meals, you'll be back with the drinks trolley. "
    Pem smiled.
    " Then just when they're trying to get some sleep, you'll come clattering by with duty free. "
    Pem laughed, seeing the funny side.
    " Seriously, though, what do you think? "
    " I think it's a lovely idea. Tell you what, When you get back we'll look into it. "
    " Promise? "
    " Promise. "
    Pem looked at her watch. " I had better get going, the gate opens in thirty minutes. "
    They walked hand in hand to the entrance to security, the parting of the ways.
    They hugged for a long time, not wanting to let go.
    " Goodbye, Mr. Wheels. "
    " Goodbye, Mrs. Meals. "
    They laughed together.
    " See you in two weeks, " they both said it at once.
    " Safe travels, " said George and he turned away.
    It wouldn't be so bad, he consoled himself. He had a lot of work to do at the office, and time would pass quickly enough.
    Her birthday was the night before she was due to come home.
    Half a world away on the evening of October 12, 2002, on the beautiful island of Bali where she was born, Pem was getting ready to go out to dinner with her mother and two sisters at their favorite downtown restaurant. She wore traditional dress and a white orchid in her hair and at that moment she was as happy as she had ever been. She had had a wonderful time but tomorrow she would return to London and she was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed. Damn the traffic, she thought, as the taxi crawled along. It was moving so slowly that five blocks from the restaurant on Kuta's main thoroughfare she decided it would be quicker to walk.
    George's predictions about late nights at the office had proved correct and it was after 10 p.m. before he finally got back home. As it was her birthday he was hoping she might phone. He flipped on the TV to catch the news and poured himself a glass of wine, only vaguely aware of what he was seeing, the smoky ruins of a nightclub somewhere, people running, screaming, rubble everywhere. In a world gone mad, it seemed to George that the news was always bad.
    " A devastating bomb attack outside a popular nightclub in Bali has killed