‘How much younger?’ asked Monica.
‘I’m trying to work it out, but maybe two or three years.’
‘Scandalous,’ said Monica teasing. ‘That’s nothing. Besides you look great together. I don’t think anyone will look at the two of you and assume he is your toy boy.’ She laughed. ‘Anyway, why worry. Life’s too short.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ said Liz.
Chapter 15
Tammy was too excited to wait to see her room. As soon as Monica appeared at the door Tammy had grabbed Sasha physically by the hand and ran next door to check it out.
She was stunned. It all looked so beautiful. Monica followed on with Liz who, with Sasha’s help, had potted up one of the lavender plants into a coral coloured glazed pot to put on the window sill.
‘Nearly done. I can’t wait to get my bed back.’ Monica smiled at Tammy. ‘No more balancing on the edge of the bed while you make like a starfish.’ She grabbed the back of Tammy’s neck making her squeal. She was very ticklish.
‘I love it,’ said Tammy. ‘Can we move my things back in tonight?’
‘Not tonight,’ said Monica. ‘We are all out tonight. Perhaps Liz and Sasha can help you tomorrow while I’m at work.’
‘We could start early. I’ve got Adam and Georgina coming at midday tomorrow to collect Sasha and hopefully they’ll be staying for lunch,’ said Liz. Sasha made a sad face and Tammy gave her a hug.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll stay friends. Perhaps you can stay in the summer holidays.’
‘I hope so,’ said Sasha, ‘or maybe you can come and stay with me. I’ll have to work on mum and dad.’
‘If anyone can do it, you can,’ said Tammy confidently.
Liz went back home, leaving Sasha with Tammy while Monica got ready. When the three of them knocked at the door Monica was grinning.
‘Look at this,’ she said, holding the waistband of her skirt three inches from her body. ‘I’m not even breathing in. I’ve lost almost two dress sizes.’
‘You’ll have to be more careful where you put them in future,’ said Liz laughing. ‘Congratulations. It’s really starting to show.’
‘Oh, I feel so much better and it’s all down to my personal trainer here.’ She put her hands on Tammy’s shoulders. Tammy did a curtsey.
‘Well, where shall we eat? We could go to the pizza place down the road, or would you like Chinese or Indian? What do you fancy?’
‘I think it’s easier to have a salad or something lighter in a pizza place than an Indian or Chinese.’
‘How about Thai?’ said Liz. ‘The pub up the road does Thai food and children are allowed in until eight. We could go there. You could have a green curry and plain boiled rice. That shouldn’t be too bad.’
‘Hang on,’ said Monica, getting her smartphone out of her bag. ‘I’ve got an app.’ She keyed in Thai green chicken curry and rice. ‘Three hundred and sixty eight calories. Not bad. I can eat that.’
They all piled into Liz’s car. The restaurant was at the back of the pub. Sasha was very accustomed to eating in restaurants but for Tammy it was a rare treat. Apart from family occasions the nearest Tammy got to a restaurant was McDonalds and then only drive through. Sasha and Tammy linked arms like an old married couple, chatting away as if they’d been friends all their lives.
After dinner Liz drove them to the local bowling alley. They decided that they would play in teams rather than as individuals, Tammy and Sasha against Liz and Monica. Sasha was a dab hand but Tammy still needed the bumpers for the first round until she got the hang of it. Liz was the worst player. The others could barely contain themselves as she bowled for the first round and forgot to let go of the ball.
Not surprisingly the girls won, with Monica declaring that Liz was a liability and not sure if Sasha and Tammy hadn’t bribed or blackmailed her to be as awful as she actually was. Liz of course denied it. Bruised and aching all over she was keen to opt out of the second game, leaving the girls to play on by themselves.
‘You two seem to be getting on really well now,’ said Liz, as the girls played another game.
‘We are,’ said Monica. ‘I guess I’ve got over my fears. It’s taken me a while.’
‘What were you afraid of?’ asked Liz.
‘Oh, lots of things. That I wouldn’t be good enough, that I could never be a patch on Joanna, but the worst fear, the one that kept me awake at night, was that I wouldn’t be able to love her. I wasn’t sure I had it in me.’
‘And now?’ asked Liz.
‘Now I can’t imagine my life without her. I love her as much as I would if she were my own.’
‘How about your date tomorrow?’
‘It’s hardly a date,’ said Monica, playing it down. ‘It’s just coffee.’
‘Oh, I see. What are you wearing for just coffee?’ asked Liz.
‘Well, I spent an hour or so last night trolling through my wardrobe to try to find an outfit that made me look less like a barrage balloon.’
‘Just for coffee,’ Liz laughed. ‘Thank God it wasn’t dinner. You’d have been there all night.’
Monica ignored the jibe and carried on. ‘Eventually I came across a bag with some of my old size fourteen clothes in. Some were still a bit tight but I did find a couple of outfits that fitted me. I settled on a pair of black trousers and a brightly coloured kaftan style top.’
‘And you hair?’ asked Liz.
‘What about my hair?’ said Monica.
‘How are you wearing your hair? The bun makes you look too serious. Why not wear your hair loose for a change.’
‘Have you seen my hair loose?’ asked Monica.
‘Yes, and it looks great,’ replied Liz.
‘No it doesn’t,’ said Monica. ‘I look like I’ve been electrocuted. Joanna was the only one who could tame my hair.’
‘You should let Tammy loose on it. She seems to know a lot about hair,’ said Liz.
‘Maybe if I get to a second date I’ll seek help,’ said Monica. ‘I’m just going to have coffee and try to relax. How about you? What are you wearing for your date on Saturday?’
‘I’m not sure yet but mine is definitely not a date,’ said Liz emphatically. ‘Nick and I are just friends. Besides, I am a bit too old for dating.’
‘You’re wrong,’ said Monica. ‘Life is short. You should eat dessert first. Skip the formalities of dating and move him straight in.’
‘You old romantic you,’ Liz laughed. ‘Besides, I’m sure he just thinks of me as a friend.’
‘I hope not,’ said Monica. ‘You’ve got too much to offer to be wasting away on your own.’
‘Thanks,’ said Liz. ‘I’m getting there. I don’t need to go to the exhibition for any set time so I could wait until you’re back if you would like to come,’ Liz was hoping.
‘No, don’t wait. Just go and enjoy yourself. We’ll catch up later and compare notes.’
They were home by ten o’clock and Liz and Sasha went straight to bed. Tammy stood at the door of her room having a final look before turning in. The blinds were open leaving just enough moonlight coming through the window to make out the furniture and the tree painted over the bed. ‘Can we get some frames for the photographs tomorrow?’ making a mental note of where she would hang each one.
‘We’ll go on Saturday.’ Monica joined her in the doorway. Tammy stood for a second or two more before suddenly turning to Monica and putting her arms around her waist.
‘Thank you so much.’ She was really happy. Monica was taken by surprise. She closed her arms around Tammy’s shoulders and hugged her, fighting back tears. Happy tears.
‘You’re welcome, it was a pleasure.’ She hugged Tammy a little tighter. ‘Come on, let’s get to bed. I’ve got to be up early.’
The alarm went off at six but instead of fumbling around for the snooze button as she usually did she snapped the reset button with lightning speed so she didn’t wake Tammy before inching her way off the mattress as quietly as she could and he
ading to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and took a deep breath before saying to herself. ‘You’re sexy, sassy and fabulous.’ She didn’t believe it but she repeated the mantra three more times in the hope that saying it would make it so before jumping in the shower.
She washed her hair and slapped on conditioner. She shaved her legs although she had no idea why. After all, it was just coffee. She didn’t usually wear much make up but today she carefully applied eyeliner, mascara, a bit of blusher and lip gloss. She put the makeup in a bag to take to work. It was only six thirty and coffee was at one so she’d need to touch it up during the morning. She slipped on her dressing gown and tiptoed to the bedroom to retrieve her clothes.
While her hair was wet it stayed relatively straight but as it dried it started to spring out at the sides and the top. ‘Uuurgg, bloody hair.’ She said this out loud. She was tempted to cut it off. Luckily she couldn’t think where the scissors were, which was just as well as she would have regretted it. Instead she reached for the Kirby grips and moulded her wayward locks into a bun, teasing a couple of strands of hair out at the sides and back to soften the look. ‘That will have to do,’ she said to herself.
Unusually for Tammy she didn’t wake up until seven thirty and then it was a mad rush as Monica had to leave for work by eight.
Liz and Sasha had been up since seven. Liz had washed most of Sasha’s clothes the day before and was busy ironing them in the kitchen before packing them back into her case. Sasha was sitting at the kitchen table playing on her iPad when Tammy arrived.
Tammy had brought her camera with her. She wanted to take some photographs of Sasha so she could put them on her wall. The sun was streaming in through the window. ‘Let’s go outside and take them in the garden. You can sit by the Lavender.’
‘It could be your campaign photo,’ piped up Liz.
‘Good idea,’ said Sasha, before rushing into the bathroom to check on her hair.
Liz took several photographs as the pair of them pulled all sorts of silly faces. The girls then flicked through the images together and decided which ones they liked the best. Tammy intended to take the memory stick to the shop on Saturday and get the pictures printed.
They exchanged mobile and land line numbers. Sasha had an email address which she gave to Tammy who asked Liz to keep it safe. Liz promised to sort out an email address for Tammy so they could exchange pictures and keep in touch.
Sasha was still hoping for Disneyland at the end of May. She promised to invite Tammy although she hadn’t been able to work on her parents long enough to guarantee that it would be Paris. She didn’t want to lose touch although she knew it was a real possibility with New York looming large on the horizon. She hadn’t mentioned it to Tammy. She really didn’t want to go.
The morning seemed to fly by and before long Adam and Georgina were standing in the hallway looking bronzed and relaxed. Sasha rushed out to give them both a hug. Adam swooped her up in his arms and kissed her on both cheeks. Sasha pretended to be embarrassed and, shrieking with laughter, wiped her hands over her face to rub off the kisses. Tammy looked on, a little jealous of the fuss that Adam made of his daughter.
Georgina bent over to give Sasha a kiss. Anything more animated would have left her creased. Adam gave his mum a big hug too. He was really pleased to be back. Georgina said hello to Liz and then came towards Tammy to greet her. She was about to put her hands on Tammy’s arms so that she could plant her customary air kisses on either side of Tammy’s face. Tammy was having none of it. She grabbed one of Georgina’s hands and shook it vigorously. ‘Hiya,’ she said as she did so. Georgina looked a bit ruffled.
She then turned her attention to Liz who had also decided against the air kissing fiasco and instead just said hello without moving from the spot. There was an embarrassing pause before Liz urged them to sit down and ushered them into the living room. Adam and Georgina sat together on the large sofa with Tammy and Sasha linking arms on the chair opposite while Liz made tea.
‘Come and sit here sweetie,’ said Georgina, patting the cushion next to her.
‘I’m fine here mummy,’ said Sasha, refusing to budge.
Georgina couldn’t wait to get Sasha outside where she could interrogate her thoroughly about her terrible ordeal.
‘Mummy, I’d like Tammy to come and stay with us.’
‘Of course,’ said Adam enthusiastically, ‘that would be great.’ Georgina said nothing. She had worked hard to make sure her children mixed with the right people and she didn’t include Tammy in her definition of the right people, or Liz for that matter.
Adam had bought a couple of presents on the plane coming home to give to Liz and the girls. He’d bought perfume for Liz. He had no idea which perfume she liked but he bought the most expensive one they had for sale. He had bought Sasha and Tammy a necklace and bracelet each. Tammy was delighted but Sasha knew better. This was just the token gift. The real one was in the suitcase.
Liz had prepared lunch for all of them but Georgina didn’t want to stay. She said she had a headache and couldn’t wait to get home. Adam looked uncomfortable, especially as Liz had gone to the trouble of making Lasagne and salad, but Georgina was adamant that the headache was escalating to a migraine and would only get worse. Adam was not happy but he didn’t want the embarrassment of an argument with her in front of his mum and the girls so he acquiesced and got up to leave.
Georgina was already standing at the front door as Adam said goodbye to Tammy and gave his mum another hug. Sasha promised to ring her new friend as soon as she got home.
‘Thank you, grandma,’ she said to Liz. ‘I’ve had a wonderful time.’
‘Me too sweetie,’ said Liz, squeezing her a little tighter. Georgina choked out a thank you to Liz, trying to make it sound as if she genuinely meant it, before reaching to take Sasha’s hand.
Sasha turned away and ran back to her grandma to give her an extra-long hug. She knew that she might not see her again for a very long time. Adam promised to pop in one evening after work. Liz and Tammy stood at the front door and waved them off with Sasha turning round and waving and blowing kisses until they were out of sight.
‘Come on,’ said Liz to Tammy. ‘We’ve got a lot of lunch to eat.’
Chapter 16
When Monica arrived at work she felt self-conscious. Out of her protective uniform of smart suit and court shoes she felt vulnerable.
Nadia was new to the company. She had only worked on the main reception desk in the building for a month or so and seemed to know everyone already. She was particularly nosey. ‘Eeewwww, where are you going?’ she remarked, as Monica waited for the lift.
‘Nowhere,’ said Monica defensively. Nadia was around the same age as Monica but much taller and slimmer. She was always immaculately turned out with bright red lipstick and long talons to match. Monica wondered how she managed to do any typing, not that she’d ever seen her typing for that matter. ‘Just feeling a bit yuk,’ she replied.
‘I know what you mean,’ said Nadia. ‘A bit of lippy gives you a lift. You should do it more often, it suits you.’
‘Thanks,’ said Monica smiling. She felt better.
At twelve thirty she was in the toilets trying to touch up her makeup with the aid of a small handbag mirror perched on the side of the basin nearest the window. The mirror in the ladies was distorted somehow in that you had to move your head up and down to get the whole picture, plus the light was terrible. She wasn’t used to wearing much makeup either and her eyesight was not great. At the first attempt she only managed to apply the mascara to the lens of her reading glasses. By twelve forty five she’d given up and instead applied a little blusher and more lip gloss.
She was grateful for the fact that there was no full length mirror in the ladies toilets. She made a point of not looking at herself in full length mirrors at all, preferring to see herself in small sections. She liked the mirrors in shoe shops that only showed you how you looked from the knees down. The bathroom mirror a
t home was just above the basin so you could only see from the waist up. She could go days without seeing her bottom half reflected anywhere at all.
She began to wish that she had worn her work clothes. After all, when she had met Kevin she was wearing work clothes. It was almost as if the smart jackets and skirts were like armour and she could play the part of professional business woman.
She regretted choosing something casual. She didn’t suit casual. Besides, she didn’t want Kevin to think she had made an effort, although obviously she had.
She got to the coffee shop just gone one o’clock and went inside. Kevin was nowhere to be seen. She looked at her watch. He had definitely said one. It was only a couple of minutes past so no need to panic yet. She walked up to the counter as confidently as she could, ordered a skinny latte and sat on the armchair backing onto the wall near the window so she was facing the door.
At ten past one there was still no sign of him. An elderly man came into the coffee shop and ordered a cup of tea and a slice of carrot cake. He sat on the empty chair on the other side of Monica and though she was tempted to say it was taken, she didn’t because she was conscious of the fact that Kevin may not turn up at all and then she’d be embarrassed.
She got out her mobile phone and began scanning her emails as if sitting by herself in coffee shops was something she was used to doing. She tried to look relaxed although she felt anything but. She was convinced that everyone in the coffee shop knew she had been stood up and were feeling sorry for her. She had almost finished her coffee and was about to leave when a very embarrassed and breathless Kevin was suddenly standing in front of her.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he began. ‘I ran all the way. I was worried that you would have left by the time I got here. I had to finish a rush job and hadn’t realised how long it would take me to get here from work. I would have called but I don’t have your number. I was praying you would still be here.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Monica, relieved that she hadn’t been stood up and giving a ‘See, I’m not a desperately sad case’ smug look to the other patrons in the coffee shop.
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