Linn Halton - A Greek Affair

It’s clear some things are missing as the top drawer is half empty. When I pull out the bottom drawer, though, it’s stuffed full of letters. All I can see is red ink staring back at me as if it’s become the new black. I grab a handful and stare down at them for a moment in sheer disbelief before throwing them on the desk.

Overdue … final demand … debt collection agency … notice of enforcement … County Court Judgement. Looking down at the open drawer, there must be over fifty similar letters and I collapse down in a heap onto the chair. My head is spinning and my hands are trembling.

Tears fill my eyes as I look across at Rosie playing, blissfully unaware that our world has just come crashing down around us. My pocket begins to vibrate and I pull out my phone, hoping it’s Antonio. Maybe this isn’t what it seems, at all … but then I see it’s Mum calling. I switch it off and sit back, tears silently falling in a torrent down my face. I’m too numb to take it all in. None of this makes any sense to me and I simply don’t know what to do, or where to turn next.

‘Here to present tonight’s very special award is our reigning travel ambassador, the inimitable and charismatic Caroline Blakely. Please join me in giving a very warm welcome to a ground-breaking journalist who has become an icon of our daytime TV screens.’

There’s a wild round of applause as Caroline begins the walk across the stage to the podium. Looking extremely elegant in a long, slinky black dress that hugs every perfect little curve, she delivers her trademark wave. She lingers until the applause gradually begins to subside; I’m transfixed and can’t take my eyes off her. I never dreamt I would ever see her in the flesh.

‘Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for such a wonderfully warm welcome to the annual Traveller Abroad industry gala evening. I’m absolutely delighted to be here tonight to present this year’s Top Travel Blog award. But it’s also a celebration of a group of truly inspiring people who have set the internet alight. With their wonderful posts about destinations both home and abroad, their social media following and interactions are a lesson in how to capture the attention of your target audience. They have helped boost not only the domestic travel industry, but have been instrumental in raising the profile of many small businesses who constantly struggle to gain visibility.’

There’s a pause while Caroline delicately prises open the envelope, no doubt being very careful not to ruin those beautifully manicured nails of hers. I slide my own, home-manicure job beneath the table, letting my hands rest out of sight on my lap.

Stealing a glance at each of the other eight nominees seated around the table, I wonder who the lucky winner will be. Of course, this is in between trying to make a convincing job of looking like I belong here and am taking it in my stride. My fellow bloggers all appear amazingly calm and professional on the surface. They are all in with a real chance of winning, so I can only hazard a guess at how difficult it must be to maintain your composure when you are so close to victory.

The pressure is mounting with each second that passes and, like the true pros they are, each of them does an admirable job of displaying that well-practised smile. The one that says it’s all about the nomination and not the actual winning part. Which it isn’t, of course, unless you are like me – the wild card. I’m simply delighted, and a little shocked if I’m being honest, to be here rubbing shoulders with the best. I suspect my blog hits will double in figures tomorrow off the back of this one evening alone. So, while the dress was an unexpected expense, it will hopefully pay for itself several times over. More visibility means more hotels will be clamouring to be featured and, in turn, more advertisers will want to partner-up. Maybe living the dream isn’t such a distant prospect, after all. I want to give up the day job and become a full-time travel blogger. But I know that’s a big ask and that’s why I’m giving it everything I have – every spare minute of my time.

To put things into perspective, I’m the newbie and it was only fifteen months ago that I decided to expand my website to blog about my travels. As a freelance photographer, it made sense to add my own holiday snaps and as more and more visitors asked about the locations I featured, I began posting useful information about each destination. And it’s grown from there; well, I suppose exploded is a more accurate description. I was lucky enough to bump into the iconic pop star, Harry Martin, on one of my first trips abroad. I cheekily asked if I could interview him about his stay at the prestigious Altar Bar resort in Cannes. To my complete and utter shock, he agreed; right place, right time, I suppose. I obviously caught him in the right mood. The interview went viral and suddenly my website was well and truly on the radar, plucked from obscurity and being shared all over social media.

But this is an extremely prestigious award and for the winner it will mean a flurry of very lucrative sponsorship deals – big money. Everyone with something to sell wants to advertise on the hottest blogs and the winner will be on fire! Trying not to be at all biased, as she also happens to be my best friend, I genuinely believe that Sally’s name will be on the card inside that envelope again this year. She’s been there since the start of this blogging phenomenon and I’m still only on the fringes of the mutually-supportive, travel-blogger network. But I’ve seen enough to know the award has been the subject of an almost unbelievable amount of speculation on Twitter and Instagram since the nominations were announced ten days ago. It is the trophy every travel blogger dreams of winning. And that’s why the tension now is almost tangible.

‘And the winner of this year’s Top Travel Blog award is…’

I reflect upon the stark reality that if I was at home now I’d probably be working on Rosie’s papier-mâché project. I mean, expecting a nine-year-old to model an entire island is a tall order. It’s also a lengthy process, as it has to dry in stages. The deadline is looming—

‘…The Sun Seeker’s Guide to a Happy Holiday.’

I join in with the clapping and then I tune back in; my stomach suddenly feels like a yo–yo as all eyes are on me. It hurtles to the floor at speed and then zips back up again, making me gasp.

‘Go! Move those feet lady, you only flippin’ won!’

Sally Martin, my blogger friend and constant inspiration, gives me a shove and suddenly my feet seem to take on a life of their own. They propel me forward in the direction of the stage, while the room around me becomes a blur. Focus, Leah, fainting is not an option, so pull yourself together. As I approach the steps I lift my dress slightly, for fear of tripping over in my ludicrously high heels while I make the ascent. If I’d thought for one single moment that there was even the slightest chance I could win, then I would most certainly have worn flats.

Each second seems agonizingly long, until finally I’m standing next to the celebrated host herself, thinking now is not the time to have a fangirl moment. Caroline hands me the award and I take it with both hands, hoping no one can see that I’m trembling from head to toe.

Turning and finding myself staring back at the assembled audience, I clutch the sizeable, cut-glass crystal award to my body. I don’t want to drop it and look totally inept. Cameras flash and I almost pinch myself. Is this real, or have I slipped into a warm, fuzzy dream from which I’ll wake up to find it’s just me and the waiting staff as they clear the tables? I’m so tired from working such long hours to make ends meet, that anything is possible these days.