The Big One

by Patsy Collins
^{(creative writers at http://www.morewriting.co.uk)}

"What'll you spend the money on if we win the big one, Sal?" Lorraine asked her friend as they waited for the bingo to start. The women had an agreement to split all their prize money.

"You know what, you ask me every week."

"I keep hoping you'll come up with something more exciting than new carpets."

"I'd like new carpets," Sally said.

"Yeah, but they're not very exciting are they? I'd go travelling."

"Yes, I know you would. Where to this time?"

Although Lorraine had never won 'the big one' she had been on a couple of foreign holidays and had planned several hundred trips.

"Well, you know how I can never decide where would be best?"

"Yes." Sue had listened to hours of debate over the merits of an assortment of potential travel destinations.

"I've worked it out - I'm going on a round-the-world cruise!" Lorraine lifted her half of lager and lime and took a swig as if to toast the wisdom of her decision.

"Oooh, that does sound nice. If I was to go away, it'd be on a cruise."

"Thought you didn't want to go abroad?" Lorraine asked. Since they'd agreed to split their winnings, Lorraine had hoped to persuade her friend that the money should be spent on a holiday together. So far, Sally had been unimpressed by every exotic location Lorraine had suggested.

"It's not the holiday I don't like the idea of; it's the flying. I worry I'd get that deep vein thrombosis stuff or that I'd be ill without my medicine. I have to take pills all the time, you know."

"Yes, you said, but where's the problem? Just make sure you take enough with you. I take the pill and I just make sure I take all I'll need plus a couple extra in case there's a delay or anything."

"Don't they search you for drugs? You might get arrested." Sally asked.

"No, you wally! It's only illegal drugs that can get you into trouble. What I do is carry them in my handbag, with all the proper packaging and I take a copy of the repeat prescription form, too. That way they can tell what it is and if I was to lose them or anything, I'd be able to show a doctor wherever I went and they'd know exactly what I'd need."

The bingo caller picked up the microphone and their conversation stopped until the first prize was claimed.

"You're right that a cruise would be best," Lorraine said as though the holiday had been Sally's idea. "That deep vein thing isn't a problem as long as people get up and walk around, but there's not much that can be done about airport queues."

"Hmm, I don't know, Raine. Don't you get all kinds of stomach bug on ships?"

"Not always. Sometimes people do, but they could get a bug at home. As long as everyone washes their hands after going to the loo and before smoking and drinking, then they won't catch anything or pass it on if they've got it. Often the ships have special wipes or cleaning gel too, they take care to try and keep people healthy."

Lorraine knew this as she always studied the whole brochure, including the healthcare advice. She asked her pharmacist for advice before travelling and read all the 'useful information for travellers' leaflets she found both in the pharmacy and at her local health centre. Her holiday time was far too precious to waste on being ill; especially if the illness was avoidable.

"I suppose so. It just gets in the papers don't it? If it's on a ship. I bet just as many people get dodgy stomachs on other holidays."

"Probably. From what I've seen it's because they eat too much food they're not used to and drink too much alcohol and don't take proper care. In some countries it's best not to drink the tap water or even have ice made from it. You also want to eat food that's freshly made - not been kept warm for hours on end."

Another game began and the women kept their eyes down and mouths shut. After another prize had been won by someone else, Sally fetched a round of drinks. As she sat next to her friend, a fly buzzed around her. She batted it away with her free hand.

"Good thing you're not abroad yet, or that could be a mosquito," Lorraine said. "If you go anywhere they have them, you'll need tablets to stop you getting malaria if they bite you."

"I'd rather nothing bit me in the first place."

"Yeah, me too. I'd wear insect repellent and get one of those things you burn in your room to scare them away."

Sally nodded her agreement. "Lorraine, I was thinking about people who're already ill before they go away, or are disabled or something. Can they still go on holiday? I suppose they can?"

"If it was something contagious like the stomach bugs we were on about then it'd be best not too, wouldn't it? With lots of people shut up together on a plane or ship then it wouldn't be fair in case you passed it on. They'd have to claim on their insurance and go later instead."

"You'd need insurance then, you reckon?"

"Yeah. You have to if you go abroad. It's only sensible to make sure that you could pay for emergency treatment if you did need it. Accidents and things can happen even if you're careful and treatment can be very expensive. Of course, getting the money back isn't as good as not getting ill or injured to start with. People have to be as sensible as they would at home."

"How d'you mean?"

" Well, if they can't ride a moped in England then they can't expect to ride one safely on roads they don't know or to be safe doing it in flip flops and shorts. Or if they go for a drink they shouldn't have twice as much just cos it's cheap and then try and find their way home along cliff tops in the dark."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. A bit of common sense never goes amiss does it?"

"Exactly. Same if you have a medical condition. It'd make sense to check with your doctor if you're not sure if you should travel. If it was me, I'd tell the holiday company too, especially if I needed a special diet or help getting around or anything. If they know in plenty of time then they should be able to help. Do you know, they can even supply oxygen for people in their cabins on cruise ships?"

"That's good, but what if you're not staying in a classy hotel or on a cruise ship?"

"If anyone needed special equipment or was going somewhere they thought they wouldn't get good medical treatment, then they'd have to take stuff with them. Say if you were going to stay in a jungle for a month, you'd need a better first aid kit than for a week on a beach."

"That makes sense. I hope anyone doing anything adventurous would know to be extra careful."

During the third game, Sally got every number one after the other until she only needed one more. It was never called.

"My round," Lorraine said.

"So, if I did go, would I need injections and things beforehand?" Sally asked as she accepted her drink.

"Maybe, it would depend where we went. The health centre can give the answer to that or the pharmacy or we could look it up on the internet. No problem. So you're thinking about it? We could see the snowy fjords first, then sail out to Caribbean beaches and ..."

"Hold you horses. You've not convinced me yet. What if I get sea sick?"

"We'll get you some pills. If you think it's likely we'll go to the chemist and ask for advice. While we're there we can put together a simple first aid kit."

"Oh? You're going to play doctor are you?"

"No, you w ..."

"Don't call me a wally again or I'm definitely not coming."

"As I was saying ... no, you wonderful person. I was thinking of plasters, painkillers and antiseptic, stuff like that. Just the kind of thing we'd have at home."

Sally didn't answer, because the final game - 'the big one' was about to begin and she didn't want to be distracted.

"OK, you win," she said a few minutes later.

"I flippin well haven't!"

"Not the bingo, you, what is it? Oh yes, 'wonderful person'. You've convinced me. If we win any money, we'll spend it on a trip."

"Brilliant!"

As usual, Sally and Lorraine ended the evening by putting a pound each into the one armed bandit. Sally won £25.

"Fair do, I'm sticking to our deal. Half each. Shame it's not enough for a cruise," Sally said.

"How about a boat trip to the Isle of Wight? I've seen them advertised for about twelve quid."

"You don't give up do you, Raine?"

"Nope. You'll come, won't you? Oh go on, say yes."

"All right then. It might be fun."

"It will, I promise and at least we won't need to worry about medical precautions."

"Yes we will. I'm surprised at you, Lorraine, you being such a seasoned traveller, you forget that even if you're not going abroad you still need to take care."

"All right, I'll bring an aspirin. Anything else?"

"We'll need plenty of suntan lotion. Just because it's not the Caribbean doesn't mean we won't get burned. I'm going to get factor 15 at least, as the sun can be extra strong when you're on water and with the sea breeze it's easy not to notice if you're getting burned. I'm also going to take a travel sickness pill before I go; the girl in the pharmacy will be able to check which will be OK with the medication I'm on. I'm also going to get a bottle of water so I don't dehydrate whilst we're out in the sun all day."

"OK, sounds sensible. While you're in the pharmacy, I'm going to call into the travel agents and pick up some brochures, so we can decide where we're going when we win the big one."