Holiday
I haven’t been on a holiday in the UK for about fourteen years. Some holidays in Thailand–not many, as money was often tight and hotels are expensive–but nowt in the UK since a couple of years before I left to make my fortune overseas. (Didn’t end up making my fortune in the end, or if I did, it wasn’t a financial fortune.)
So it was nice to go away for a week with the family: brother, sister in law, their kids, mum, dad, me and my kids. Off to sunny Norfolk for a week, to Cley next the Sea. The weather was perfect . . . for Norfolk: some light rain in the mornings, but fine and sunny after about nine or so. And hot too. The beach was pebbly and windy, but practically deserted every day, which was nice. The kids swam every day; most impressive, considering they’re used to swimming in balmy Thai seas. And we ate lots of fresh crab and fish.
The downside was the nature of the denizens of the North Norfolk coast. Cley next the Sea is one of those “villages” that has been hollowed out by the monied middle classes until all that is left is the pretty facade of something that was once a real place. Now, it’s a collection of holiday cottages and twee little art galleries selling sculptures of wild birds and horses in pine, mounted on chunky bases (of stained pine).
For example: Cley next the Sea has nothing so vulgar as a ‘shop’ (how awfully lower class, darling!). Instead it has a deli. Yup, that’s right. No newsagent, no corner shop . . . but a deli.
Class rage filled me for the whole week.
And when I got back, I realized I’d been so angry, not because people like that make me feel inferior (although they do), and not because of the contemptuous looks I was getting in and around Cley (anyone who’s been walking in some of the leafy squares in Kensington or Chelsea will know what I mean), but because they didn’t have cancer.
Sure, I know it’s possible (likely?) that some of those people might have had/might have/might develop cancer, but all I could see was healthy people who didn’t have brain tumours, and I was so jealous I wanted to hurt them.
Having cancer sucks, in many and varied ways.
