chatting to you. But we both know that you re-sat your maths O level twice.’ And Lisa still hadn’t passed, but her mum didn’t add that. She was not a cruel woman.
It took Lisa an hour and a half to cash up atthe end of the day. It normally took Dave thirty minutes. But it added up in the end, so Lisa was happy. And they had taken a lot of money. It was a good day.
As Lisa left the café and set the alarm, Mark turned up.
‘All cashed up?’ he asked.
‘Yup,’ said Lisa.
‘Well done, love. I knew you’d do really well.’ That was nice, because no one else seemed sure. ‘Here.’
Mark pushed a bunch of flowers under Lisa’s nose. They were a mixture of roses and that tiny white-flowered stuff called babies’ breath.
‘They’re so lovely,’ said Lisa. She gave him a great big kiss. She usually didn’t like to kiss in public. But today she thought it was OK.
The roses were pink.
‘Pink is my favourite colour,’ said Lisa.
‘I know,’ said Mark.
‘What’s your favourite colour, Mark?’
‘Blue.’
‘And what’s your favourite band?’ asked Lisa.
‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers,’ he said.
On the way home Mark listed his five favourite movies. Lisa and Mark had three in common. Not bad!
8
24 October
When Lisa had said she’d look after the café for the week, she’d forgotten it was half-term. She’d had to farm out the kids to anyone who’d have them or drag the youngest two into the café with her. Jack was pleased. He’d live off chips if he could. But Paula had suddenly become a vegetarian. She had found out that pretty much everything sold in the café had animal fat in it. Then she started to tell the customers all about killing animals for food. It wasn’t pretty to listen to. Lisa lost three sales in five minutes. So she gave Paula a fiver and sent her to the paper shop. Dave needed a business to come back to.
Dave and his wife were on a boat, sailing to Norway. They wanted to see ice and things. Lisa didn’t see the point. You might as well save your cash and wait for winter. They were usually snowed in until about May round here. Besides, Lisa was not a water-baby. Feedingducks in the park often made her feel seasick. But then, pretty much everything made her sick at the moment. The vitamins hadn’t helped much.
Lisa was just wondering whether to fry more chips for the lunchtime rush when Carol called. Carol only ever called if someone had died, or Lisa had done something Carol didn’t like. It meant they talked often. Lisa answered with some fear.
‘Gill has told John, and John told me. How could you?’ Carol said.
Lisa wondered what was wrong. Since she’d last seen Carol Lisa had visited Gill’s hairdresser. She’d had blonde highlights put in. And she’d bought a new winter coat. Why would these things make Carol angry?
‘Gill told me about the hairdresser. Mum’s hand isn’t as steady as it was. She can’t keep cutting my hair. You are always saying I should take care of myself,’ said Lisa.
‘I’m not talking about your haircut. That’s good. I mean getting pregnant,’ said Carol.
‘Pregnant?’ Lisa said. She was shocked. Jack stared at her. He looked shocked too!
‘Who’s pregnant?’ he asked.
‘No one.’ Lisa took the phone into the back. ‘Gill should write books. She has a wildimagination. It’s the menopause. It’s early. You said so yourself!’ Lisa said.
‘Oh. Yes, I did, didn’t I?’ Carol was pleased. Her confidence in her own diagnosis had returned. ‘Thank God for that.’ She hung up.
Thanks for your concern!
On Wednesdays the café closed after lunch. Paula told Jack that this was a pre-World War tradition.
‘You know, like when Mum was a girl,’ she said.
Lisa was too tired to be hurt by this statement. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to drink tea and eat biscuits, and perhaps wrap a blanket around her legs like a really old person. But she felt the kids needed her time.
Then in a flash, like a
It took Lisa an hour and a half to cash up atthe end of the day. It normally took Dave thirty minutes. But it added up in the end, so Lisa was happy. And they had taken a lot of money. It was a good day.
As Lisa left the café and set the alarm, Mark turned up.
‘All cashed up?’ he asked.
‘Yup,’ said Lisa.
‘Well done, love. I knew you’d do really well.’ That was nice, because no one else seemed sure. ‘Here.’
Mark pushed a bunch of flowers under Lisa’s nose. They were a mixture of roses and that tiny white-flowered stuff called babies’ breath.
‘They’re so lovely,’ said Lisa. She gave him a great big kiss. She usually didn’t like to kiss in public. But today she thought it was OK.
The roses were pink.
‘Pink is my favourite colour,’ said Lisa.
‘I know,’ said Mark.
‘What’s your favourite colour, Mark?’
‘Blue.’
‘And what’s your favourite band?’ asked Lisa.
‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers,’ he said.
On the way home Mark listed his five favourite movies. Lisa and Mark had three in common. Not bad!
8
24 October
When Lisa had said she’d look after the café for the week, she’d forgotten it was half-term. She’d had to farm out the kids to anyone who’d have them or drag the youngest two into the café with her. Jack was pleased. He’d live off chips if he could. But Paula had suddenly become a vegetarian. She had found out that pretty much everything sold in the café had animal fat in it. Then she started to tell the customers all about killing animals for food. It wasn’t pretty to listen to. Lisa lost three sales in five minutes. So she gave Paula a fiver and sent her to the paper shop. Dave needed a business to come back to.
Dave and his wife were on a boat, sailing to Norway. They wanted to see ice and things. Lisa didn’t see the point. You might as well save your cash and wait for winter. They were usually snowed in until about May round here. Besides, Lisa was not a water-baby. Feedingducks in the park often made her feel seasick. But then, pretty much everything made her sick at the moment. The vitamins hadn’t helped much.
Lisa was just wondering whether to fry more chips for the lunchtime rush when Carol called. Carol only ever called if someone had died, or Lisa had done something Carol didn’t like. It meant they talked often. Lisa answered with some fear.
‘Gill has told John, and John told me. How could you?’ Carol said.
Lisa wondered what was wrong. Since she’d last seen Carol Lisa had visited Gill’s hairdresser. She’d had blonde highlights put in. And she’d bought a new winter coat. Why would these things make Carol angry?
‘Gill told me about the hairdresser. Mum’s hand isn’t as steady as it was. She can’t keep cutting my hair. You are always saying I should take care of myself,’ said Lisa.
‘I’m not talking about your haircut. That’s good. I mean getting pregnant,’ said Carol.
‘Pregnant?’ Lisa said. She was shocked. Jack stared at her. He looked shocked too!
‘Who’s pregnant?’ he asked.
‘No one.’ Lisa took the phone into the back. ‘Gill should write books. She has a wildimagination. It’s the menopause. It’s early. You said so yourself!’ Lisa said.
‘Oh. Yes, I did, didn’t I?’ Carol was pleased. Her confidence in her own diagnosis had returned. ‘Thank God for that.’ She hung up.
Thanks for your concern!
On Wednesdays the café closed after lunch. Paula told Jack that this was a pre-World War tradition.
‘You know, like when Mum was a girl,’ she said.
Lisa was too tired to be hurt by this statement. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to drink tea and eat biscuits, and perhaps wrap a blanket around her legs like a really old person. But she felt the kids needed her time.
Then in a flash, like a
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