By the afternoon their hangovers had started to subside along with the clouds, and for the first time it was sunshine rather than rain that poured onto the Cornish countryside.
“Shall we go to the beach?” Sean asked.
“Why?” Nigel said. “It’ll be raining again in five minutes.”
“Oh whatever, I’m driving down to the beach, anyone coming?”
There was a general, reluctant consensus as the other three started to slowly get their stuff together and about a quarter of an hour later they finally left the house.
“So where’s the beach?” Nigel asked, surveying the green cliff top that they were currently parked on.
“Down there,” Sean said.
“Where?”
“At the bottom of the cliff.”
“Oh great. How do we get down there then?”
“There’s bound to be a path somewhere,” Sean said, reassuringly as he climbed out of the car.
“This is not a path,” Nigel stated as they made there way down the roughly hewn groove in the cliff side.
“Maybe not,” Rob said, as he led the way. “But this is what I call a beach!”
The beach didn’t look as though it belonged in England, the sands were golden, the sea an aqua, turquoise shimmer. It immediately made up for the gloomy weekend. It was just as Sean was taking in this hidden bit of heaven that he turned just in time to see Rob get hit in the side of the head by a Frisbee, then heard someone yell out in the distance.
“Oh shit! Mate, I’m so sorry,” this came from one of a group of lads who were all trying to look as though they had never seen a Frisbee before in their entire lives as Rob clutched at his skull.
“You alright mate?”
“Of course he’s not alright, you nearly sliced his head off with that thing!”
“It’s made of plastic Nigel, don’t exaggerate,” Maggie said. “He’ll be fine,” she added to the Frisbee thrower, as she sidestepped Rob to get to him. “I’m Maggie,” she said holding out her hand.
“Jason,” the Frisbee thrower announced taking her hand.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure,” Rob muttered. “I think I’m bleeding.”
“Once again Rob, you were hit by a round bit of plastic. You’ll live.”
“I’m really sorry mate, it just kind of got carried off by the wind,” Jason said.
“Don’t pay him any attention,” Maggie said, “in fact, mind if I join you?” she added, before taking Jason by the arm and leading him back to his friends.
“Oh. No, you’re all welcome to join in, if you’d like?”
“Yeah, why not?” Sean said, following after them.
Nigel and Rob looked at each other.
“Seriously,” Rob started. “Is it bleeding?”
“Oh come on,” Nigel said, dragging Rob across the beach.
“Is it really bad that I feel completely wrecked now?” Nigel asked, half an hour later as he, Rob and Sean lay flat out on the beach.
“It’s the alcohol from last night, we’re all still nursing hangovers,” Sean said.
“And mild concussion,” Rob added.
“Oh give it a rest mate.”
“It really hurt!”
“I must be getting old,” Nigel concluded, as he looked over at Maggie still busy playing Frisbee with the others.
A little while later Maggie came over and rejoined Sean, Nigel and Rob who were half asleep, sprawled out on the sand.
“Guys! Jason was telling me about this beach party that’s happening tonight, sounds like it’s going to be a good laugh. We should check it out.”
“Mmm,” the other three said, less than enthusiastically.
“It’ll be fun!” Maggie continued.
“Mmm.”
