"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Rob Sutherland exclaimed loudly into his mobile phone before pausing to listen to what was being said by the person at the other end of the call.
"Bugger it!" slamming it down on the table he continued to curse, "Shit, shit, fuck, shit!"
"Rob! Manners." His mother, Kelly, poked her head out from the kitchen, "What have I told you about your language in the house?"
"Sorry mum," he said somewhat sheepishly.
"Now what's all the fuss about?" she wiped her hands on a tea towel and looked at him questioningly, "Why all the bad language?"
"It's bloody Henry. He's only gone and broken his leg playing sodding rugby." Rob raised and lowered his arms, sighing in complete exasperation.
"Oh dear, that's not very good, is it?" his mother responded frowning, "What about your trip?"
Henry was Rob's best friend and they were due to head off to Spain in two weeks-time for their first grown up holiday, on their own. Ever since they had both turned 18 a few months earlier they had been planning their break and had intended spending their week-long vacation drinking and chasing girls.
Now, with Henry obviously out of action, Kelly wondered if her son's holiday would have to be cancelled.
Rob rolled his eyes in irritation, "Well he can't go can he. The doctor's say he can't fly and even if he could he'll be stuck in a wheelchair for weeks."
"So, there's definitely no way he can possibly go?" she enquired, already knowing the answer.
"Not a sodding chance." Her son shrugged.
"Well at least you'll get your money back from the insurance." Rob's mother put forward, adding quickly, "You did take out travel insurance, didn't you?"
"Yes mum. You know we did. You insisted. Remember?" he groaned inwardly at his mother's question, "Henry's calling them now and he'll let me know what we have to do."
"Good. At least you won't lose out financially." She turned and went back into the kitchen leaving her son to sit and wait for a call from his best friend.
It was nearly two hours later that Rob's phone rang and he snatched it up eager to hear what his friend had found out from the insurance company.
"Is that Henry?" Kelly stuck her head around the door only for her son to wave her into silence.
"You're fucking joking?" Rob raised his voice as Henry related his conversation, "That can't be right. Can it?"
Hearing him becoming agitated again Kelly came to stand in the living room next to him, wiping her hands on her jeans she watched her son carefully, obviously wanting an update on the situation.
Rob listened as Henry continued talking, shaking his head angrily and trying not to interrupt but eventually failing, "Surely they can't do that can they? That's hardly fair."
"What's up?" his mother mouthed silently to him, getting nothing more than a shake of his head in response.
"OK text me the details and I'll call them." Rob ended the conversation and put the phone down.
"Well?" his mother asked, brushing her shoulder length blonde hair back from her face.
"It's not good." he frowned, "Basically it appears that Henry can get his money back but I can't."
Giving him a look of astonishment, Kelly expressed her surprise, "What? How does that work then?"
Patiently he re-counted exactly what his friend had told him.
Henry could get a full refund as his broken leg would prohibit him from travelling but as Rob wasn't a direct relative and could still travel, he wasn't eligible. Apparently, his only two options, other than losing his money, were to go by himself or to pay an administration fee and swap Henry's booking to another person.
"That's the answer then." She said breezily, "Ask around all your friends. I'm sure you can get one of them to go with you."
"Yeah right." he answered sounding a lot more positive than he actually felt.
"Good, that's it, you're all sorted out then." His mother declared as she headed back to the kitchen, adding quickly, "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."
It was just the two of them, there was no one else for them to wait for as Kelly had been by herself ever since before her son had been born. Rob had never met his waste-of-space father. Apparently, the low-life had just vanished into the night as soon as he found out that he had gotten his eighteen-year-old girl-friend pregnant.
Kelly being the stubborn sort of person she was had refused to have a termination or to have her baby adopted and had set out to bring Rob up by herself.
Now, eighteen years later, all his friends teased him about having a hot 36-year-old MILF for a mum. Not that he minded too much. Secretly he had to admit she did look pretty good and most people who didn't know Kelly took her for mid to late twenties rather than mid-thirties. At 5' 4" tall with shoulder length platinum blonde hair, vivid blue eyes and a slightly upturned nose she was undoubtedly extremely pretty.
Although she only had small breasts, they seemed perfect on her slender 34B-23-34 figure. Exercising regularly, she kept herself toned and fit, and with a nice pair of legs to compliment her shape she could always turn heads.
"Dinner's ready." A shout from the kitchen stirred Rob out of his quiet musings.
"Any thoughts on what you're going to do yet?" Kelly asked her son as they were eating.
He shook his head, "Not really mum. I'll text a few people later but I doubt any of them will be able to make it."
She laughed softly, "Don't be so pessimistic honey. Something's bound to turn up."
"Yeah, maybe you're right." He responded gloomily and turned his attention back to his food.
After dinner was over instead of helping with the washing up as he usually did, Rob settled down on the sofa with his mobile phone to send some texts and make a few calls.
"Any luck?" Kelly asked about forty minutes later when she came into the living room having finished doing the dishes and putting everything away.
"No. Nothing yet." he groaned despondently, "It's as I suspected everyone is either busy or they don't have the money."
"Surely there's someone who could make it? What about James? Is he around?" she suggested.
Rob shook his head, "Nope. He's just bought a car and spent all his money on that."
Kelly thought for a moment, "Or that nice lad at college. What's his name... Chris or something?"
"He's already going away with his girlfriend in two weeks' time." he told her despondently.
She considered his answers, "And there's no one else?"
Rob didn't respond immediately, just stared at the floor as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure.
"Well?" his mother asked, "Is there anyone else?"
"Clair Simpson could go." He told her quietly.
"What!" Kelly almost exploded, "You asked Clair, the cheating bitch from hell, Simpson?"
"Err... well no... not exactly. She heard about it from Chris' girlfriend and she called me." He didn't dare look at his mother as he spoke.