One. It’s not that scary. It may look it, but you will soon learn that any fool can do it. Yes, even you sir.’
The queue laughed as they were handed their cups.
‘Did you two come together?’ asked Katie, to two commuters who were wearing similar coats. They shook their heads. ‘Did you phone ahead and work out what to wear so the other children wouldn’t laugh at you? ’Cos it hasn’t worked, has it? Here, have a coffee.’
When Matt arrived at the end of their shift, all three of them ended up in the kitchen to help him as he started to sort out the backlog of washing-up.
‘Right,’ said Sukie, rinsing the cups and saucers before passing them to Katie, relay-style. ‘How did the date go?’
‘Hell on earth,’ said Katie, grabbing the stuff out of Sukie’s hands and filling the dishwasher as fast as possible. ‘I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Matt, trying to be sorry for Katie and not just relieved that he wasn’t the only loser in the world.
‘What happened?’ asked Sukie.
‘I abandoned him and went home,’ said Katie, turning on the dishwasher. ‘I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘You
what
?’
Katie wiped her hands on a tea-towel and looked at Sukie in mock surprise. ‘Oh don’t make out you haven’t done it a hundred times. I left him on his own in the restaurant.’
‘You’re exaggerating, aren’t you?’ asked Sukie. ‘You just mean you didn’t kiss him goodnight?’
‘I mean I left him on his own in the restaurant.’
‘You – you walked out on him while he was eating?’ asked Matt.
‘No!’ exclaimed Katie. ‘I’m not an insensitive bitch.’
‘I knew it,’ said Sukie. ‘I knew you were exaggerating.’
‘I waited until he was in the toilets,’ said Katie. ‘And then I left.’
There was silence.
‘Jesus,’ whispered Matt. ‘And I thought I was in trouble.’
Sukie frowned. ‘Let me get this straight – you waited until the man of your dreams was in the Gents and then you walked out of the restaurant?’
‘God. You make it sound like I’m weird.’
‘Before or after dessert?’ asked Sukie.
‘Before.’
Sukie shook her head. ‘I’ll never understand you.’
‘I know,’ sighed Katie. ‘I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘Was he awful?’ asked Sukie.
‘Nope.’
‘Did he smell?’
‘Nope.’
‘Did he grope you?’
‘Nope. I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘Have you phoned and apologised?’ asked Matt.
‘Nope.’
Sukie and Matt sucked in air and shook their heads.
‘Are you going to phone him?’ asked Sukie.
‘Nope. And I don’t want to discuss it.’
There was silence again.
‘So, what are you going –’ began Sukie.
‘Nothing,’ said Katie, her voice starting to crack. ‘My life is shit. It couldn’t get any worse. And may I say that I’m really grateful to you both for respecting the fact that I don’t want to discuss it.’ She went back out front, leaving Sukie and Matt in the kitchen. Quickly, quietly and without fuss, Sukie went to the dairy fridge and moved the A-4 sheet that had the photo of Dan and Katie to the top of the display of ‘The Ones Who Got Away’ on the meat fridge. Then she joined her friend out front.
She found Katie, frozen to the spot, staring at the café door.
Sukie followed Katie’s eyes and there saw Hugh, Katie’s ex number three, approaching, a big grin on his face.
‘It just got worse,’ said Katie.
Hugh was wearing a pin-stripe suit and blue shirt. His eyebrows shot up in surprise at seeing Katie there.
‘I hadn’t realised this was the café!’ he exclaimed.
‘I hadn’t realised you wore suits,’ she replied.
‘Thanks,’ he blushed.
‘It wasn’t a compliment,’ said Katie bluntly. ‘Coffee?’
Hugh almost laughed loudly enough to hide his blush at the insult and said yes to coffee.
As Katie made him his drink, he explained that he and Maxine had completed on their house purchase yesterday and had moved in last night. The
The queue laughed as they were handed their cups.
‘Did you two come together?’ asked Katie, to two commuters who were wearing similar coats. They shook their heads. ‘Did you phone ahead and work out what to wear so the other children wouldn’t laugh at you? ’Cos it hasn’t worked, has it? Here, have a coffee.’
When Matt arrived at the end of their shift, all three of them ended up in the kitchen to help him as he started to sort out the backlog of washing-up.
‘Right,’ said Sukie, rinsing the cups and saucers before passing them to Katie, relay-style. ‘How did the date go?’
‘Hell on earth,’ said Katie, grabbing the stuff out of Sukie’s hands and filling the dishwasher as fast as possible. ‘I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Matt, trying to be sorry for Katie and not just relieved that he wasn’t the only loser in the world.
‘What happened?’ asked Sukie.
‘I abandoned him and went home,’ said Katie, turning on the dishwasher. ‘I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘You
what
?’
Katie wiped her hands on a tea-towel and looked at Sukie in mock surprise. ‘Oh don’t make out you haven’t done it a hundred times. I left him on his own in the restaurant.’
‘You’re exaggerating, aren’t you?’ asked Sukie. ‘You just mean you didn’t kiss him goodnight?’
‘I mean I left him on his own in the restaurant.’
‘You – you walked out on him while he was eating?’ asked Matt.
‘No!’ exclaimed Katie. ‘I’m not an insensitive bitch.’
‘I knew it,’ said Sukie. ‘I knew you were exaggerating.’
‘I waited until he was in the toilets,’ said Katie. ‘And then I left.’
There was silence.
‘Jesus,’ whispered Matt. ‘And I thought I was in trouble.’
Sukie frowned. ‘Let me get this straight – you waited until the man of your dreams was in the Gents and then you walked out of the restaurant?’
‘God. You make it sound like I’m weird.’
‘Before or after dessert?’ asked Sukie.
‘Before.’
Sukie shook her head. ‘I’ll never understand you.’
‘I know,’ sighed Katie. ‘I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘Was he awful?’ asked Sukie.
‘Nope.’
‘Did he smell?’
‘Nope.’
‘Did he grope you?’
‘Nope. I don’t want to discuss it.’
‘Have you phoned and apologised?’ asked Matt.
‘Nope.’
Sukie and Matt sucked in air and shook their heads.
‘Are you going to phone him?’ asked Sukie.
‘Nope. And I don’t want to discuss it.’
There was silence again.
‘So, what are you going –’ began Sukie.
‘Nothing,’ said Katie, her voice starting to crack. ‘My life is shit. It couldn’t get any worse. And may I say that I’m really grateful to you both for respecting the fact that I don’t want to discuss it.’ She went back out front, leaving Sukie and Matt in the kitchen. Quickly, quietly and without fuss, Sukie went to the dairy fridge and moved the A-4 sheet that had the photo of Dan and Katie to the top of the display of ‘The Ones Who Got Away’ on the meat fridge. Then she joined her friend out front.
She found Katie, frozen to the spot, staring at the café door.
Sukie followed Katie’s eyes and there saw Hugh, Katie’s ex number three, approaching, a big grin on his face.
‘It just got worse,’ said Katie.
Hugh was wearing a pin-stripe suit and blue shirt. His eyebrows shot up in surprise at seeing Katie there.
‘I hadn’t realised this was the café!’ he exclaimed.
‘I hadn’t realised you wore suits,’ she replied.
‘Thanks,’ he blushed.
‘It wasn’t a compliment,’ said Katie bluntly. ‘Coffee?’
Hugh almost laughed loudly enough to hide his blush at the insult and said yes to coffee.
As Katie made him his drink, he explained that he and Maxine had completed on their house purchase yesterday and had moved in last night. The
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