'I don't believe it! They can't just do that, surely? Not at this late stage. It's incredible! I just don't believe it!'
All this was heard coming from the hallway. Was she speaking on the phone? To whom? Or to someone at the front door? Again who? The four friends sitting, eating breakfast at the kitchen table, looked at each other. What had happened? As they walked down the hallway, they saw Madeleine, sitting on the bottom stair, staring at the piece of paper in her hand. On the floor nearby was a torn envelope. So this had come in the morning post. Madeleine was pale with a glazed look on her face. As they got nearer they could see the paper had a printed heading.
They had all become firm friends in the two and a half years they had spent sharing the house, during their time at university. Madeleine had always been the quiet, placid, sensible one. They had never seen her like this before, so upset and angry. What on Earth could this letter say to change her so much? They had all spent time over the last few months preparing for their future, their life after university. Dennis and Joanne were planning to return to their home towns, to join family firms. Dennis was destined for the law, and Joanne as a doctor in general practice. Peter was joining an IT firm in London, and Linda was heading to Oxford to continue her studies for another two years.
Madeleine had been talking about having a gap year, working on an archaeological dig in Egypt for several months. She had filled in the forms and sent them off, she had attended her medical only last month, and had all her vaccinations done. As her friends looked down at her, sitting on the stair, she once again moaned, 'It's unbelievable! How could they?'
Linda joined her friend on the stair, put an arm around Madeleine's shoulder, 'What has happened; come on Maddy, tell us? What is so bad to make you like this?' begged Linda.
'You'll not believe it; I just can't believe they could do it!'
'Who? What?' asked Dennis, 'It can't be that bad, there must be a way around the problem?'
'Absolutely nothing,' moaned Madeleine again, putting her head in her hands. 'It's beyond belief. I thought they understood how important it was to me.'
'Maddy, stop this. Tell us what had happened. Perhaps we can help,' pleaded Joanne. 'Come on back into the kitchen, have some breakfast and tell us the problem.'
Slowly Madeleine got up from the stairs, gathered the letter and envelope, and followed her friends into the kitchen, settled at the table, took a cup of tea from Linda. 'You know I planned to go to Egypt when I left here? I thought it was all arranged and finalised, but this letter changes everything.'
'How?' asked Dennis. 'I thought you had done everything required?'
'So did I,' replied Madeleine, 'but apparently from the medical they have found that I have a slight heart murmur.'
'What?' exclaimed Linda.
'So what does the letter say?' asked Peter.
'The people organising the dig say that they do not feel they can take the risk of me being ill, while I am in Egypt.' Madeleine explained quietly. 'They are not sure my insurance will cover this.'
'Oh Maddy!' Linda put her arm around her friend's shoulder again. 'How sad. No wonder you are so upset. What are you going to do?'
'I don't know. I've been thinking about this for so long. It's something I've always wanted to do. Now they say they are cancelling my application. I can't believe it has all come to an end.'
The four friends looked at Madeleine, then at each other. What could they do to help her? Was there anything they could say that would help? Not at that moment, but perhaps something would come to them. There was a sudden silence in the kitchen as the five of them just sat there.
'I just don't believe it! It doesn't seem fair. My dream is shattered. What am I going to so?' Maddy sobbed.