The Gypsy's Warning

By Annabelle Lilly

Friendspage: Arianna is not inspired :-(

Arianna had been sitting at her laptop in the study for over an hour now trying to muster up some inspiration for her latest feature on Travelling to the Isle of White by train. She had only been there once and thought it was incredibly dull, she couldn't understand who would want to go there on holiday. The pressure from her Editor at Romantic Breaks was huge, he had extended the deadline two days ago till today and still she had only written two lines. She had been on the tourist board website and all she could find as an attraction was the dinosaur museum, her curser blinked away as she took a sip of coffee and clicked onto her e-mails, there was a message from her mother, Arianna opened it.
'Subject: THIS IS YOUR MOTHER. Message: PLEASE PHONE, MUM xx P.S. WHAT IS FRIENDSPAGE AND DO I NEED ONE?' Arianna rolled her eyes smiling a little. She popped another jelly baby in her mouth, they were far too sugary and moorish, she had eaten way too many and felt sick now.
James had had the day off and had left her to finish the article while he went food shopping.
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James was seven years older than Arianna and a successful lead guitarist in The Nineties Lighter B Plan Tragedy. Arianna had fallen in love with his music and his ability to play almost any instrument. He was incredibly talented and had written several songs that were played regularly on the radio, which now basically paid his salary each year in royalties. Arianna would sometimes hear the guitar playing and think it was the radio, it always amazed her how beautifully he played and how modest he was about it. She would often go and watch him play at gigs - the tunes and words were so beautiful and he always played and sang with all his heart, which only made her love him even more.
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Arianna heard James' key in the lock, 'damn have I really written nothing since he left at ten?' She said under her breath as she checked her watch, it was twelve, she closed the jelly babies packet and put them in her desk draw. 'Done it yet?' James shouted through the flat? 'Erm, not exactly....' Arianna mumbled back. He appeared in the doorway. 'Well you had better hurry up! I've done a bit more than food shopping.' His handsome face was grinning. Arianna looked slightly confused. 'What do you  mean?' He raised his eyebrows and pulled out a brochure from behind his back. 'We are going to Jamaica !' James grinned excitedly. He still had shopping bags on his arms that looked as if they might burst open. 'But er, why?' Her puzzled face looked over his face for answers. 'It's for your birthday' James said quietly. 'So? it's not a special one or anything.' Arianna heard herself sounding ungrateful. James was frowning a little. 'So when exactly do we go cause my birthday is in three days time...' James grinned again, 'I know! We go tomorrow night,' he said matter of factly. 'Two whole weeks of pure luxury and I get you to myself for once.' 'What! But I can't go tomorrow what about work?' Arianna exclaimed, with a panicked look on her face. 'It's OK I've cleared it with them, they said they'd rather you had a break now than when the deadlines really hit at the end of the month. And my band isn't touring till April so it's now or never!' 'So maybe I don't have to finish this stupid Isle of White article!' She said hopefully, 'I'll call John and see if I can get out of it with a bit of begging...' She picked up the phone.
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Arianna had moved to Brighton three years earlier to live with her best friend, Emily. Emily had made life sound like one long holiday in Brighton and Arianna had thought living in such a place might move her a step closer to writing for a travel guide or magazine in the town, so she left Cardiff where she had studied Journalism four years to live with Emily.
Arianna had been a strugg lin g freelance travel writer for what seemed like a hundred years it appeared everyone wanted to be a travel writer. She often fantasised about being in far-flung places no one had heard of or could pronounce, but she was beginning to think that she would never make it, untilone day when she got home and noticed James had left her a message saying that a guy from a national travel magazine, 'Romantic Breaks' had called. She phoned him back immediately. The editor, John Riverdale, had loved her proposal for an article on Spas in Thailand . He told her not only would they publish it, but they'd pay her two hundred and fifty pounds for it;she couldn't believe her luck. Soon after the article had gone in she had another call from him - offering her a regular column in the magazine and a proper salary to match. She'd made it!
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After a difficult phone call with her boss, in which he had eventually agreed to let her off the Isle of White article, Arianna thought she would pop to the shops for last minute essentials for the holiday. Arianna loved to find bargains in second hand and charity shops, 'one womans trash is anothers treasure' She always said. She reached for the phone. It rang twice before the receiver was picked up. 'Emily, hi, it's Arianna.'
'Hi mate, how are you?' Emily replied.
'You are never going to guess what,' said Arianna as she tried to control her excitement.
'What?' Emily sounded intrigued.
'James is taking me to Jamaica for my birthday!' Arianna was lying on the bed, twisting the phone cord round her hand.
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Emily was a hippy with long dreadlocks which were currently green but changed colour quite often. She always wore long, flowing skirts with tiny mirrors all over them and tops that never matched, which she picked up from Magpie, a rag and bone truck. She didn't care. Her main love was her 1968 split-screen VW campervan that her uncle had given to her. It looked so human with its 'sad eye' headlights and strategically placed eyelashes. Emily often slept in the van, preferring it to her bed in the house she used to share with Arianna, she told Arianna 'because it's the first thing I've owned and feels like home.' Arianna always admired Emily's life philosophies, they were always so wacky and made perfect sense after a couple of drinks. Emily worked as an administrator for a 'Calm Sea's' who saved Whales and Dolphins' she was paid next to nothing, but she loved it. She had been single most of her life and wasn't quite sure if she even liked men, mainly since they hadn't treated her too well so far. However, there was one man that she secretly did like. She had met him one day while picking out a top from Crows, a recycling establishment, but she was so afraid of being hurt she didn't bother pursuing anything. His name was Luke. He also had strong moral and political views and regularly went on peace marches, chaining himself to trees in protest. His ambition was to get onto the Greenpeace boat and save the Whales in the South China seas. Emily thought this was a fab ambition and thought she might want to do it as well, but she didn't tell Luke as he may think she was copying him.
Emily was a bit of a psychic and believed in tarot, she hadn't had a wrong reading yet, she was so good that she often made people cry at the accuracy.....that was except Arianna who thought it was nonsense.
During a hot summer exactly three years earlier, Emily and Arianna decided to go for picnic on the beach. Arianna was dying to try out her new digital camera, which she had bought for herself with some birthday money. She thought if she didn't make it in journalism she could always try being a photographer, her second ambition, except she had done nothing about trying to learn any techniques and found reading instruction manuals boring, preferring to discover things by trial and many an errors instead.
The girls had been on the beach most of the day, by now they had had a couple of bottles of wine. 'Want me to read your future?' Emily was shuffling a deck of tarot cards. Arianna shrugged 'You know I don't believe it....wouldn't it be a waste of psychic energy?' Emily grinned, 'Well you don't have to believe....you afraid it might come true? Emily teased. 'No, OK go on then.' Arianna sounded indifferent. Emily looked at her wisely 'OK you shuffle them then and think of a question.' Arianna took the pack and shuffled them thinking carefully. 'Now put them into four piles. Emily continued. Arianna put the cards into six uneven piles. 'Now pick out four cards and put them face down onto the rug.' Arianna did this. 'OK now turn them over.' Arianna did as she was told. 'Right this one is really good luck, The Wheel of Fortune.' Emily read from a book, 'A card of good fortune, effortless success and karmic change, luck and the beginning of something new.' Arianna smiled. 'The Fool' Emily pointed to the next card Arianna had turned over. 'This card represents the beginning of something new, like a love affair.' Arianna laughed, 'well that's bollocks, I've met all the men in this town now.' Emily pointed to the next card. 'The Ace of Pentacles, this card represents a financial change for the better, material and physical comfort and well being, wealth in possessions and unlimited luxury.' Arianna smiled, 'Well I like that one!' 'Ok the last one, The Sun, represents contentment and happiness on attaining success, good health, marriage, an abundance of energy and achievement.' Emily raised her eyebrows, 'I have never got The Sun card before!' Arianna smiled 'Marriage hey! They are having a laugh, unless of course I'm going to marry you!' She laughed. 'Well don't scoff too much, you never know, what's wrong with marrying me.' Emily winked.
The following week the girls decided to take a walk on the hills just outside the city. Arianna had taken her camera as usual and had stopped on their walk to take an arty shot of the cow through the fence, she lost her balance and fell head first into the mud. Emily nearly choked on the cider she had been drinking and was spitting it out laughing. Arianna flailed around, shouting to her for help, as she was getting quite panicked not being able to see anything. Then she felt a cloth wiping her face and water being poured into her eyes and then more wiping. 'Well it's about time young lady, had your kicks then?' Arianna said as she opened her eyes to see a gorgeous blue-eyed man staring back at her whilst wiping her face.
'Are you all right?' he asked. She nodded slowly and looked at Emily, who had stopped laughing and had her jaw open, staring. The gorgeous stranger had a bike at his side and had taken his T-shirt off to wipe away the mud.... Arianna noticed his six-pack looked very good even with muddy eyes.
'I'm James,' he said, holding out his hand. Arianna shook it. She went bright red as she thought what she must look like.
'Don't worry, my flatmate usually looks worse!' he said, joking as he helped her up to her feet. Arianna made a mental note that he didn't live with a girlfriend. He walked the girls back to the bus stop. When the bus arrived he asked for Arianna's telephone number. 'Told you!' Emily said smiling as she sat down on the bus next to Arianna. Arianna was in shock. 'I doubt he'll call.' She said eventually.
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Emily laughed. 'Wow, that boy spoils you, you lucky thing!' She said  a little jealously. 'When are you going?'
'Tomorrow night,' Arianna said with a sense of urgency. 'So do you fancy an excuse to meet for a little bit of shopping?' Arianna was habitually biting her nails.
'Yeah sure,' The phone went silent for a second. Arianna had chewed so much off her thumbnail it was beginning to hurt. 'I suppose I could meet you in the North Laines near 'To Be Worn Twice' in about an hour?' Emily continued.
'Shall I see if Jen can come? It's always good to have a few opinions.' Arianna suggested. Emily hated Jen, she was fake and couldn't see why Arianna liked her, but she never told her Arianna how she really felt, as perhaps it was just 'cause they were so different and she really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, she hated it when people did that to her.
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Arianna had known Jen since she was two. She remembers the day they met because Jen bit her while they were playing at the swimming pool where they were staying on holiday. It had made Arianna cry, but Jen then came over with a drink of orange juice and gave it to Arianna and from then on they were friends. As the years went by Arianna and Jen's very different lives had made them grow apart, but Arianna had always felt a little sorry for Jen as she seemed to be her only genuine friend, so guilt kept her in touch. Jen was a real life 'It Girl'. She had oodles of 'old' money, her parents were related to royalty. Although she didn't really speak to her father as he had abandoned her and her mother when Jen was twelve. Her father had tried to compensate by buying her things. She got a Mercedes for her thirteenth birthday, even though she obviously couldn't drive (her father got her a driver to take her where ever she wanted to go). On her eighteenth her father bought her a flat with panoramic sea views in Brighton as a retreat from her house in the West End . Jen was a naturally good-looking girl, with perfectly straight, white teeth that had never needed any dental work in her life. She had thick long, blonde hair with not even one split end and striking green eyes. She was a natural size eight and had never been on a dietin her life and shehad an impeccable dress sense. She always had men dropping at her feet, usually just as beautiful as her, but she treated them like employees rather than boyfriends; amazingly, this seemed to make them keener on her.
Jen was fiercely independent to an abnormal degree, she let no one near her, her walls were made of steel. She knew most women hated her, she also knew men adored her. She was happy as long as no one got near her, it had worked for her ever since her father had left. Jen liked the thrill of the chase with men, and especially loved those who played hard to get. Once she got them, which she always did eventually, she would dump them before they could dump her, it felt like she was getting back at her father somehow and actually made her feel good.

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'OK' Emily said a little reluctantly. Arianna checked her watch. 'I'll see you about two-thirty then?' Emily put the phone down. Arianna found James in the kitchen unloading the shopping bags. 'He let me off the article!' she grinned. James nodded. 'cool.' Arianna continued 'so I'm just popping out to meet Emily and Jen.... I had to tell them, they're really excited about the holiday. Won't be too long, see you later?' She gave him a big squeeze and peck on the cheek. James smiled and nodded as he continued to unpack.
Arianna walked down the large hill in Brighton where they lived, she didn't mind walking down it to work, but going home was a nightmare, she sometimes cycled but if she wasn't in the mood she used to take the bus, but pretended she had cycled the whole way when James asked, as he had always seemed SO impressed.
Ten minutes later she turned into the North Laine area, it was alive with street stall sellers, jugglers and people busking, the mood was exhilarating and bustling with people. She picked her way through the holidaymakers to their meeting point outside the 'To Be Worn Twice' shop. 'Hi,' Arianna greeted the girls, slightly breathless. 'Jen, you are looking fabulous - what have you done to your hair?' Arianna looked her up and down jealously.
'I dunno, just put it up I guess,' Jen replied nonchalantly.
'No, it's not just your hair, have you lost weight?' Emily said a little sarcastically.
'No, I don't think so.' Jen looked annoyed, this was a deliberate insult. Arianna changed the subject.
'Let's go in here.' She pointed to the quirky little second hand shop with coloured mirrors hanging on strings that floated in the breeze outside. 'I hope they have a bargain in here today.' Arianna and Jen went into the shop, Emily followed reluctantly.
'What do you think?' Jen said looking at Emily in the mirror. 'Yuck,' Emily said a bit too forcefully. Jen gave her a filthy look.
'I think it's really you,' Arianna cut in 'and summer's not too far away it would look great on the beach,' Arianna nodding encouragingly. 'Look!' Arianna beckoned the girls over to a bargain bucket. 'What do you think of this?' She held up a completely see-through top and smiled sarcastically. Jen rolled her eyes. 'Can we go?' Emily asked frustratedly. Arianna suddenly noticed some bikini's in the bucket. She dropped the see-though top back into the bucket and sifted through the sizes looking for matching tops and bottoms. Grabbing a handful of different styles she headed for the tiny changing room that was more like a cupboard, looking around quickly to see where the girls were. Arianna saw Jen holding up a pair of homemade earrings to her face and looking at them in the mirror. She definitely looked very different, Arianna thought. Jen caught her looking. 'Just popping in to try these on,' Arianna said, holding the bikinis up. 'Won't be long.' Jen nodded. Once in the changing room Arianna suddenly remembered why she hated trying on bikinis at this time of year as she peeled off all her winter layers and stood shivering in the changing room. Unhooking the first bikini top from the hanger and trying it on, she looked at her pale winter skin next to the red fabric. The tiny cubical meant she was on top of the mirror, making her figure look larger than it really was. 'God, I need to do my bikini line.' Arianna muttered in disgust at herself. Her dark hair, made her skin look even whiter. 'I need a tan.' Dressing quickly, she headed out of the changing room with a scowl on her face, dumping the bikinis back in the bucket. 'Let's go! I'm fat and don't want to shop any more,' Arianna said miserably. 'great let's get some wine and go down the beach?' Emily said quickly. 'Yeah, that's a much better plan.' Arianna agreed. Jen didn't care she was just glad not to be in the house alone today, even if it meant spending the afternoon with the weird hippy.
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James looked for Dan in his phonebook and pressed dial, it rang four times. 'Yep.' 'Er' James coughed to deepen his voice. 'It's Franko...from across the street....I'm going to call the police if you don't move that skip.' James smiled as he teased Dan. 'oh god...not again! Haven't you got anything better to do, tell someone who gives a shit!' Dan snapped angrily and slammed the phone down. James creased up laughing. He gave it a minute then rang back. It rang once and Dan picked up 'listen here Frankinstine, I am going to..' James interrupted him. 'Er it's James' The line went quiet for a second. James held back a laugh. 'Oh I thought it was bloody Frankinstine, he's been on at me again about that skip, it's not fucking mine!' 'I know mate, what are you up to wana meet me for a pint?'
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Dan was James' best friend. He trusted Dan implicitly and always confided in him in important matters. Dan was married to a beautiful Dutch girl called Astra; she was a model and was regularly pictured on the front cover of Vogue. They had met while Dan had been doing a photoshoot in Amsterdam . Dan had photographed a lot of beautiful women in his time, but Astra wasn't just beautiful, she wasn't big headed like the other models he had met, she seemed not to know just how beautiful she was, which made him completely captivated. On the first day of the shoot he had stupidly not brought enough film with him and was going to have to stop and potentially loose the job, but Astra made a few calls and within half an hour a man turned up with some more film. That evening he had suggested he buy her dinner as a thank you, but she wouldn't hear of it and instead cooked dinner at her apartment for him and her three-year-old boy, Arno. Dan's heart was won over by her effortless beauty and kindness for others. Dan wasn't bad looking himself, tall, slightly build, but it suited him, his love of sport showed on his perfectly formed body. He was also blonde like Astra and her son, and was often mistaken for a Dutchman and Arno's true father.
Hendrick, was actually Arno 's father and Astra's first true love but they grew apart. Hendrick was a geologist and always wanted to live in Australia and pursue his dream of studying southern hemisphere volcanic rocks. One day he just got up and told Astra that he was going to Australia and simply left never to come back.
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James unwound the knotted phone wire as he talked. 'Yeah sure mate, when? I could meet you in The Cricket Bowl? In twenty minutes? Great, see you then.' He put down the receiver and laughed to himself as he remembered how Arianna usually sat and twiddled the phone wire as she talked. Often he'd watched her as she laughed on the phone with a friend, she made him grin. James had fallen in love with her the day he met her with a muddy face he had never quite met anyone who could brush off such an awkward situation with such grace, this had made his heart melt, truly and deeply.
He put his jacket on and closed the front door and strolled towards the sea.
It started spitting with rain as James walked into the trendy pub, one street from the seafront. It was fairly empty inside with only a few people dotted about, Dan was already at the bar, chatting to the blonde waitress.
'What's up, mate?' Dan asked as they ordered two draft lagers from the flirty waitress, neither paid her any attention. 'Well, it's quite serious mate,' James replied firmly 'You have to promise not to tell anyone.' Dan looked worried, 'Yeah you know me, no worries,' he said nodding. 'I'll bring the drinks to you if you boys want to find a seat,' the waitress said, fluttering her eyelashes at them. Dan nodded, James didn't even notice her.
'Well,' James said, putting his arm around Dan and leading him to a nearby table, 'I'm going to ask Arianna to marry me.' Dan looking back and forth into James' wide eyes to see if he was kidding. 'Are you serious?' 'Yes! I'm going to take her to Jamaica tomorrow night and propose on her birthday.' They went quiet as the waitress put the beers on the table. She smiled at Dan, who gave her a flash of his teeth.
'That's great news mate, congrats. Do you think she knows?' he asked.
'No way,' James replied, taking a sip of beer. 'I have kept it all very casual.' He took another slug of beer. 'What if she says no?' Dan said pessimistically. 'God, I hadn't thought that she wouldn't....women want to hear you want to marry them, don't they? I mean it's pre-programmed or something into their psyche at birth. Aren't they all born dreaming of the wedding dress?' James emphasised the size of the dress with his arms, gesturing that it was puffy and meringue-like. 'I dunno mate, Arianna's a little more, err, independent.' Dan reached for the menu and took a slug of his beer. James thought for a second. 'Well anyway, I wanted to ask you if you'd like to be my best man?' Dan chocked a little on his beer. 'Of course, I'm flattered.' 'Great! James got up and patted Dan on the back.
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The girls were sitting in the luke warm sunshine on the stony beach, having picked up a bottle of wine and some plastic cups from the supermarket. 'Isn't it great that you can chill wine in just ten minutes in that coolly thingy by the checkouts?' Arianna said sipping her white wine from the plastic cup. Emily was nodding in agreement. They had spent many an evening sitting on the hard pebbleswatching the sea with a bottle of wine and often a portable barbeque. 'So....what's new with you, Jen?' Arianna asked trying to get the conversation going, she seemed to be the only one talking. Jen shot Arianna a 'don't go there' look and stared down at her wine.'Nothing, nothing's new,' she muttered eventually. Emily shrugged her shoulders at Arianna. 'I wish I was going to Jamaica ,' Emily said jealously, sipping her wine. 'Well, I'll say hello from you!' Arianna joked. Jen sighed a big sigh and looked at her watch anxiously.'I've got to go now, I have an appointment,' she announced suddenly. 'OK, we'll walk with you,' Arianna said, getting up, Emily nodded slowly in a sort of agreement.'Thanks,' she replied, 'but I'll be OK.'
Jen got up hurriedly and rushed off. She had had some problems in the past that were associated with her high society life - after years of too much cash and too many parties she had ended up spending four months in The Prioryfor alcohol addiction. 'Perhaps the wine was too much? Maybe she's not allowed it yet?' Emily said, pouring more wine into the cups. They went quiet for a moment and sipped their wine. 'George Bush, what a sap.' Emily said eventually. Arianna looked at her puzzled, Emily was grinning. 'That's a great political view, if only they'd say that on the news!' Arianna said smiling, they both laughed hysterically and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach putting the world to rights.
Arianna arrived home to find James dozing on the sofa. He looked so sexy when he was asleep Arianna thought, his gorgeous thick, mousey-brown hair swept across his forehead, his manly jaw with a chin dimple, and his unshaven face that had a few days of growth. Suddenly he woke and looked at her with his beautiful blue eyes. Arianna's stomach flipped, like the day they first met. 'Hey babe, how were the girls?' he said sleepily as he stretched awake. Arianna smiled and bend down for a hug.
'Jen was a bit weird, but Emily and I think we have worked out why.
'Oh?' James looked a little concerned. 'Don't worry about it,' she smiled. 'This time tomorrow we'll be in the Caribbean !'