Couple's Retreat

This story was originally written for my school magazine. It was, however, sensored (the evil so and so's). So here's the original version in all its glory...

 The plane had been delayed taking off, but Jean hadn’t expected any better from British Airways. As though to compensate for leaving a quarter of an hour late, the plane managed to land a minute early. Fancy that, a full minute!

 “They’ll balance it out.” Mark had mused as they left the aircraft “Chances are the luggage will be in Istanbul.”

 “Or Geneva” Jean added.

 “Or both.”

 As it happened, the Gods had smiled on the young couple and theirs were two of the first to bags to arrive through the carousel. Sometimes miracles do happen, even where BA is concerned.

 Now they were in the rental car, speeding down the road from Rome to Naples. Jean sat in the passenger seat, with a map which was, rather bewilderingly, written in German, and tried to focus on the glimpses of Italian countryside she could see between the barriers on the motorway’s edge. Mark was driving, weaving in and out of the traffic at a speed which Jean was trying to ignore, and swearing at the other drivers under his breath.

 “I still don’t see why we couldn’t have flown straight to Naples.” Jean sighed as she fidgeted with the archaic radio.

 “I told you; this way we save more than a hundred pounds and didn’t have to be up at some ungodly hour.” Mark growled, coming dangerously close to hitting some idiot on a motorbike, who was acting like a complete lunatic (which is to say, like a typical Italian on a bike) “Besides, this way we got to see a bit of Rome, too.”

 This last was true; the couple had enjoyed all of the beauty of Rome that one can see when leaving Fiumicino airport and heading to Campania; namely a Giorgio Armani building and an industrial zone.

 “I suppose you’re right.” Jean sighed again, and reached across to gently place her hand on Mark’s knee. Although they had been together for nearly three years (the trip was to celebrate their anniversary) – and she did love him, really – she was beginning to wonder whether their relationship was going anywhere, and whether, once they had returned to England, they should spend some time apart. “The important thing is that we’re together, and we’ll be at the hotel soon.”

 “Bloody wanker.” Mark muttered, distracted by Jean’s hand, and the thought of the diamond ring that nestled in his jacket pocket “Why can’t these people drive on the right side of the road?”