builders were starting tomorrow to re-wire, re-plumb, re-open all the fireplaces, knock down a couple of walls and enlarge a window or two in their lovely Victorian house.
‘Maxine’s taken the day off work to unpack the kitchen things,’ he explained, ‘I was only able to get a couple of hours off this morning. It’s wonderful, you must come round. We feel like we’ve finally come home.’
‘I couldn’t be happier for you!’ exclaimed Katie, so loudly it was almost a shout.
He grinned and half-saluted her with his paper cup. ‘I guess I’ll be seeing you in here regularly.’
‘Excellent!’
‘Excellent!’
She watched him leave and then turned to Sukie.
‘Am I evil?’ she asked.
‘No.’
‘Then why am I being punished?’
They stared at each other as the sound of a strangled animal announced more customers. They stayed staring at each other.
‘Did you just eat a budgie?’ Katie asked Sukie.
‘No,’ said Sukie. ‘We’re saving that for the customers.’
‘I can’t look,’ said Katie. ‘I just can’t look. It’s my old maths teacher isn’t it?’
‘No, it’s worse,’ said Sukie, looking. ‘It’s Alec.’
They stared as Alec chatted animatedly – more animatedly than they’d ever seen him – to two tanned men in cheap and flashy suits, one of whom had an expensive camera. When he spotted them watching from the back corner, Alec raised one eyebrow half an inch and held up three fingers, to represent three espressos. Sukie and Katie both held up one finger back, to represent what he could do with his three expressos.
Then, mumbling, Katie made the drinks and took them over. As she reached the table, she overheard Alec boasting about the café’s popularity. One man then started waxing lyrical about Porter’s Green’s popular future and the other man joined in about the restaurant business being very popular at the moment. She tried to stop her hands from shaking as she placed their cups and saucers down on the table.
Alec stared at her.
‘Yeah?’ he asked. She’d obviously outstayed her welcome.
She turned and walked away, her life crumbling around her ears. When she reached Sukie and Matt, they were frowning at the men, one of whom had started taking photographs of the café, the other using a flashy looking electronic device to measure it.
Alec turned to them, gave them a sick smile and traced a line across his neck with his hand, his eyes fixed on them.
‘Why’s that man pointing a ray-gun at the wall?’ whispered Sukie.
‘Why’s Alec doing that?’ whispered Matt. ‘We’ve been shafted,’ whispered Katie.
‘Why?’ asked Matt and Sukie.
‘Those are estate agents,’ she said. ‘Alec’s selling up. So I guess we’re all out of jobs.’
7
That night, Katie sat at the bar where Jon worked and systematically got herself drunk. She squinted across to where Jon was serving another customer. Bloody customers. She needed him more than they did. Her bowl of peanuts had got all empty again. She started licking out the bowl.
‘I like a woman who knows what she wants,’ came a voice behind her.
She sat up and turned round to find some aftershave wearing a man.
‘That’s nice,’ she blinked at him. ‘What’s her name?’
‘You tell me.’
She frowned. ‘Crap name.’
‘What are you drinking?’
‘Peanuts.’
The man smiled. ‘That’s unusual.’
‘That’s nothing,’ she beamed. ‘I can fart Dancing Queen.’
The man’s smiled wavered and he sidled away. Tsk, thought Katie. Men are so predictable.
As soon as Jon returned, handing her a new drink, she started where she’d left off.
‘It’s hopeless,’ she moaned, gulping down her drink. ‘I’m hopeless.’
‘Phone him,’ repeated Jon.
‘And say what?’
He shrugged. ‘That you’re hopeless, that you like him and you’d like to give it another go. I’d find it incredibly endearing if a girl did that to me.’
‘Even after she’d left you in a posh restaurant by
‘Maxine’s taken the day off work to unpack the kitchen things,’ he explained, ‘I was only able to get a couple of hours off this morning. It’s wonderful, you must come round. We feel like we’ve finally come home.’
‘I couldn’t be happier for you!’ exclaimed Katie, so loudly it was almost a shout.
He grinned and half-saluted her with his paper cup. ‘I guess I’ll be seeing you in here regularly.’
‘Excellent!’
‘Excellent!’
She watched him leave and then turned to Sukie.
‘Am I evil?’ she asked.
‘No.’
‘Then why am I being punished?’
They stared at each other as the sound of a strangled animal announced more customers. They stayed staring at each other.
‘Did you just eat a budgie?’ Katie asked Sukie.
‘No,’ said Sukie. ‘We’re saving that for the customers.’
‘I can’t look,’ said Katie. ‘I just can’t look. It’s my old maths teacher isn’t it?’
‘No, it’s worse,’ said Sukie, looking. ‘It’s Alec.’
They stared as Alec chatted animatedly – more animatedly than they’d ever seen him – to two tanned men in cheap and flashy suits, one of whom had an expensive camera. When he spotted them watching from the back corner, Alec raised one eyebrow half an inch and held up three fingers, to represent three espressos. Sukie and Katie both held up one finger back, to represent what he could do with his three expressos.
Then, mumbling, Katie made the drinks and took them over. As she reached the table, she overheard Alec boasting about the café’s popularity. One man then started waxing lyrical about Porter’s Green’s popular future and the other man joined in about the restaurant business being very popular at the moment. She tried to stop her hands from shaking as she placed their cups and saucers down on the table.
Alec stared at her.
‘Yeah?’ he asked. She’d obviously outstayed her welcome.
She turned and walked away, her life crumbling around her ears. When she reached Sukie and Matt, they were frowning at the men, one of whom had started taking photographs of the café, the other using a flashy looking electronic device to measure it.
Alec turned to them, gave them a sick smile and traced a line across his neck with his hand, his eyes fixed on them.
‘Why’s that man pointing a ray-gun at the wall?’ whispered Sukie.
‘Why’s Alec doing that?’ whispered Matt. ‘We’ve been shafted,’ whispered Katie.
‘Why?’ asked Matt and Sukie.
‘Those are estate agents,’ she said. ‘Alec’s selling up. So I guess we’re all out of jobs.’
7
That night, Katie sat at the bar where Jon worked and systematically got herself drunk. She squinted across to where Jon was serving another customer. Bloody customers. She needed him more than they did. Her bowl of peanuts had got all empty again. She started licking out the bowl.
‘I like a woman who knows what she wants,’ came a voice behind her.
She sat up and turned round to find some aftershave wearing a man.
‘That’s nice,’ she blinked at him. ‘What’s her name?’
‘You tell me.’
She frowned. ‘Crap name.’
‘What are you drinking?’
‘Peanuts.’
The man smiled. ‘That’s unusual.’
‘That’s nothing,’ she beamed. ‘I can fart Dancing Queen.’
The man’s smiled wavered and he sidled away. Tsk, thought Katie. Men are so predictable.
As soon as Jon returned, handing her a new drink, she started where she’d left off.
‘It’s hopeless,’ she moaned, gulping down her drink. ‘I’m hopeless.’
‘Phone him,’ repeated Jon.
‘And say what?’
He shrugged. ‘That you’re hopeless, that you like him and you’d like to give it another go. I’d find it incredibly endearing if a girl did that to me.’
‘Even after she’d left you in a posh restaurant by
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