The Gap Year

Chapter 28

'We will shortly be commencing our descent into Kerkyra.' The universal tones of the Captain's voice broke me from my trance. For nearly an hour I had studied the back-legged coastline of Italy as it hung south like the weighted string of a yoyo. I had watched in wonder as airplanes took off from the burnt orange runways of landing strips laid thirty thousand feet beneath us, and now, at the heel of the country the great port of Brindisi and its summer salted land gave way to a deep blue streaked only by the white tails of ferries, all headed to the same home as me.

An occupational health test indeed. What hokum, and as if the Dean had actually called. A secretary more likely. I'm still reeling at Mothers melodrama, not only for ruining the most exciting thing to happen in let's see, ALL MY LIFE, but also for failing at the simple task of opening my post whilst I am away; a responsibility that even a blind folded wombat could complete without question.

'If you'd returned the questionnaire by the 31st May deadline, like the letter stated, then you could have saved us all a lot if hassle.' The bespectacled battle-axe of an administrator had glared up at me as I had flung myself sobbing into the undergraduate admissions office as soon as my flight had landed back in England. 'This oversight could have cost you your place at Medical School.' I choked at the thought of a life time working in customer service, forever an underling to some mediocre dictator like Dave the Head Rep and increasingly bitter that such people always end up in charge of the true stars of life like me. 'If you don't get OH sign off then you can't start the course, and there are plenty of other people desperate to study medicine.'

'I'm so sorry, but i've been living overseas,' I grasped at the edge of her desk, pleading, 'my mother was supposed to be opening my post for me, but she can get...distracted.' Meaning she was no doubt too busy day dreaming about the "lithe young men" from her yoga class doing their best downward dog impressions, on the day the letter arrived.

'You do realise that when you become a doctor you can't just fob off your mistakes as mummy's fault?' God, enough already. I'm supposed to be coming here to immerse myself in esteemed academia and get away from condescending dipsticks like Dave the Head Rep not be entering a world full of jumped up paper pushers. 'And you can get used to this attitude,' she smirked at me, apparently reading my thoughts, 'because this is nothing compared to the surgeons.' I gulped down, my heart growing heavy at the thought that Medical School may in fact be populated by just as many plonkers as Select Holidays is, only worse still they'll actually be clever plonkers.

But for now, at least, I was comforted by the bejewelled shadow of my suddenly beloved island, raising up, seemingly undiscovered from the sea. As the plane swept round the thronging mountains engulfed us, their vibrancy forming a corridor guiding us down towards the runway; the runway which would lead me back to my life for now; a life which I'm only just beginning to realise is one that I might actually be happy with.