Another Cup of Coffee

by Jenny Kane

  She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening.

  ‘Peggy!’ Amy rushed forward and clasped her employer in a brief hug. ‘How fantastic to see you!’

  Lifting her head from her work, Kit raised a hand in greeting. Even though she’d only seen her yesterday in Scott’s oppressively sterile white room, Peggy looked different out of the hospital environs. Paler, thinner, and certainly more haggard than before the accident, but she was smiling, and that was a sight worth seeing. Kit moved towards her, collecting the percolator jug as she went. ‘Coffee, madam? Your usual table?’

  Peggy laughed as Kit curtseyed, ‘that would be great thanks, but I’ll just say hello to everyone first.’ Peggy moved around the customers, making sure they were being taken care of, and filling in the regulars on Scott’s progress.

  ‘This is where she belongs.’ Amy whispered to Kit as they prepared something for Peggy to eat and drink.

  ‘I know. It already feels better in here, and all she’s done is walk through the door.’

  Peggy ran a critical eye around her domain, ‘I wanted to see the old place, and more importantly, thank the three of you properly. Everything is running perfectly. Well done on getting hold of the Hallowe’en biscuits, by the way, the suppliers aren’t always reliable.’ She glanced around her café again, ‘No Jack today?’

  ‘Had to pop over to the bookshop to help Rob. He’ll be back to clear up and prepare for tomorrow later.’ Kit sat next to Peggy, ‘How’s Scott? Anything new happening?’

  Peggy took a bracing swig of coffee before sharing her news. ‘He’s doing OK. They’ve got him on some pretty serious non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs; otherwise he’d be in a lot of pain.’

  She paused to take another mouthful of caffeine. ‘But, here’s the best bit, they have been able to tell us categorically that not a single vertebra has been damaged. It’s incredible. Thank goodness he wasn’t driving fast.’ Peggy’s ponytail swung over her shoulder as she shook her head in joyous disbelief. ‘He was such a mess you know. Cut up, swollen, everything, but he has been so lucky. I can’t really believe it. To start with I was preparing myself for having no husband, then for the past few days I’ve been trying to picture living with a wheelchair-bound husband, and now I don’t have to. Well, not once his muscles have mended properly.’

  ‘That’s so fantastic!’

  Peggy’s hands started to tremble as she cradled her cup, the magnitude of what might have been engulfing her. ‘I thought I’d lost him. I thought I’d lost him, Kit, I thought I’d lost my Scott.’

  Kit put her arm around her friend and held her close, while Amy discreetly went to serve a new customer. ‘How long will he be in hospital?’

  ‘It all depends on progress. Maybe another four to five weeks, but he’s been moved to a normal ward. There’ll be heaps of exercises to do to strengthen the muscles, and he’s already a bit bored. He has to lie flat on his back without moving too much, so he can’t see the television or anything. I’m going to take his MP3 player in later.’

  ‘Hey, why don’t you borrow Helena’s portable CD player? I’ve got loads of audio books Scott could borrow.’

  ‘That would be great. You sure she won’t mind?’

  ‘She won’t even notice it’s gone. It lives in a drawer which contains all of those important things she ‘needs’ to keep, but never actually uses.’

  Peggy laughed; she could just imagine Helena having such a drawer. ‘Thanks that would be great.’

  ‘Oh.’ Kit remembered, ‘Scott won’t worry about it being pink, will he?’

  ‘No,’ Peggy laughed, ‘he can have proper visitors now, too. He’d love to see you and Phil without the background whining of all that terrifying machinery, not to mention the spectre of Sister hovering in the background to shoo you away.’

  ‘I’ll text Phil in a minute, I bet he’ll knock off work early and take the CD player and stuff over.’

  They paused to nibble some of the apple cake Amy had delivered to them. Peggy surveyed Pickwicks as she spoke, ‘This place is surviving wonderfully, thanks hun. So, what else has been happening? You and Amy been getting on well together?’

  Kit noticed the mischievous glint in Peggy’s eye. ‘You knew didn’t you? About Jack and her?’

  ‘I guessed.’

  ‘I thought you had.’ Kit filled Peggy in on her curry night with Amy.

  ‘I’m glad you’re both OK together. What does Jack think about it?’

  ‘Oh, Jack’s too confused to have an opinion! He probably feels a bit ganged-up on I suppose, but that serves him right.’

  Peggy grinned, before asking, ‘and Phil?’

  ‘Ah. I think I need more caffeine before we have this conversation. I’ll make sure Amy doesn’t mind coping on her own for a bit longer, and I will confess all.’

  ‘You daft woman! I can’t believe you. What were you thinking? Phil is lovely, how could you hurt him like that?’ Peggy was horror struck by Kit’s confession.

  ‘OK, OK, I know! It was like it came from nowhere, all those things you privately think and feel, which are often wrong, or at least flawed, not to mention horribly disloyal, came rising up and took me over. I know it’s an awful thing to admit, but I think that if Scott hadn’t had his accident then it would have got worse.’

  ‘Worse how?’

  ‘I’d have kept on speculating about Amy; building it all up in my head. Stupid. I guess what happened to you guys put things in perspective a bit. I was a bitter cow, and I hate that. Am I allowed to have a mid-life crisis at thirty-three?’

  Peggy studied her friend’s face carefully, ‘You and Phil all right now?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then you’re allowed, but don’t you ever do anything like that to him again.’

  ‘Trust me. I’ll carry that foul taste in my mouth forever.’ Kit fished out her mobile. ‘I’ll text Phil about Scott.’

  NOVEMBER

  In which Kit meets Toby and more coffee is drunk...

  Thirty-eight

  November 15th 2006

  ‘So, are you going to tell me why we are travelling an hour across London for a cup of coffee when Richmond is littered with cafés?’ Kit followed Jack into the waiting tube.

  ‘Just fancied a change,’ Jack looked shifty.

  ‘Bollocks, Jack. Where are we going?’

  ‘I’ve come to a decision,’ He held Kit’s hand as they shot down the District Line, ‘from now on I’m going to tell you everything. Involve you in everything.’

  Kit couldn’t help being touched by what he’d said, but nonetheless felt she had to say, ‘I’m not your wife, Jack.’

  ‘No, but I almost lost you once by excluding you from an aspect of my life. I’m not going to make that mistake again.’

  Kit put her arm around his waist and squeezed him tight. ‘That’s lovely Jack, but you are entitled to a private life. Now, where are we really going?’

  ‘I told you, for coffee.’

  Jack virtually ran from Leicester Square, dragging Kit after him, right up until he reached the frosted glass door of Ashford’s Coffee House. Then he hung back.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Kit smirked as realisation dawned. ‘You like someone in there, don’t you?’

  Jack was sheepish, ‘How did you know?’

  ‘I may not be your wife Jack, but I do –’

  ‘Know me very well. You do, don’t you. Bitch.’

  ‘Takes one to know one.’ Kit grabbed his hand and went to go inside, but Jack drew her back.

  ‘I haven’t seen him since before Scott’s accident; I might be wrong.’

  Kit flashed him an evil grin, ‘Only one way to find out.’ She hauled Jack in after her, taking care to drop his hand the second their feet crossed the threshold.

  Walking purposefully to the corner table, Kit rearranged the two chairs so that they could both see all around the café, and not just each other. Jack said nothing, but his eyes shone his ‘thank you’ any
way.

  ‘Can I take your order, sir, madam?’

  Jack seemed to have temporarily lost his power of speech as the waiter approached, so Kit asked for two large coffees and two Danishes.

  ‘Will you take both drinks black and both pastries almond? Or is that just your preference, sir?’ Toby’s eyes twinkled and his mouth curved into such a devastating smile that Kit felt her insides melting; she didn’t dare think what effect it was having on Jack.

  As she was the only one who seemed able to speak, Kit replied, ‘We’ll have the same, thanks.’

  ‘No problem.’ Toby turned, but as he moved said, ‘Nice to see you looking more human today, sir.’

  As soon as Toby was out of ear shot, Kit verbally pounced on Jack. ‘OK, so he remembered your order, that’s a good sign. Now tell me everything or I’ll shout out at the top of my voice that we are married and have twelve children.’

  ‘As I said, you are a total bitch.’

  ‘Woof! Now talk.’

  Jack had finished explaining about the one-night-stand that had hoisted him into this very café a month or so before, when Toby reappeared holding a laden tray.

  ‘Jack, what was I talking about?’ They’d chattered their way through their food, or rather, Kit had. Jack was furtively sliding his eyes in Toby’s direction as often as he could, in a manner that he believed was covert, but very amusingly wasn’t.

  ‘Jack!’ Kit could stand it no longer.

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘What have I been telling you about Helena?’

  ‘Helena?’

  ‘My daughter! Your goddaughter, heaven help her.’

  ‘Well … ummm … sorry, Kit.’

  Kit was secretly enjoying Jack’s uncharacteristic uncertainty. ‘Why the hell don’t you just go and talk to him? You aren’t exactly known for hanging back like this.’

  ‘He’s probably not interested.’

  ‘Jack! For God’s sake, he’s looked at you so often that one more smouldering glance is going to set the table on fire.’

  Jack’s eyes lit up hopefully. ‘You think so?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Not totally convinced, Jack said, ‘Maybe it’s you he likes.’

  ‘Don’t be so damn ridiculous, if he was a stick of rock he would have “gay” written all the way through him.’

  ‘You’re right. Of course you’re right.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘But I can’t just go up to him. It’s different this time.’

  ‘Because you want to get to know him properly, rather than shag him senseless and run out of his front door before dawn?’

  ‘All right, all right, keep your voice down.’ Jack looked anxiously around him, relived that in typical big city fashion, everyone was too intent upon themselves to be listening to their conversation.

  Kit leant towards him, conspiratorially, ‘I have an idea.’

  ‘You do?’ Jack was eager as a child who’d just been offered the chance of sweets.

  ‘Yes. I want you to go to the gents’.’

  Jack shrugged, ‘Why? He’s hardly going to follow me in there, he’s at work. Anyway, that sort of thing is too seedy, even for me.’

  ‘No, you idiot!’ She thumped his arm, ‘Listen, I reckon as soon as you’re gone he’ll be over here to clean up the table, and he’ll say something that will start a conversation.’

  ‘You can’t possibly know that.’

  ‘True, but I’ll bet you the cost of coffee that he does.’

  ‘You’re on.’

  Kit made a you can talk to me face at Toby as, just as she’d predicted, he came over to clear up their cups almost as soon as Jack had disappeared, ‘Can I get you something else, madam?’

  ‘Not for me thanks. Jack might want something when he gets back though.’

  ‘His name’s Jack?’ Toby gestured to where Jack had been sat. ‘Hmmm. Suits him.’

  ‘It does, doesn’t it.’ Kit was pleased he’d picked up on her deliberate name drop.

  ‘I wondered,’ Toby squatted down so that he was almost on a level with Kit’s face, ‘would he … um … do you think he’d be interested in …’

  ‘If you ask him out, he’ll bite your hand off.’

  Toby’s face changed from cautious to ecstatic. ‘You think so?’

  ‘I know so. He’s a nice guy. He already likes you, and would like to get to know you properly.’

  Toby’s next statement addressed many important questions, without verbally stating any of them. ‘You two are obviously very close.’

  ‘We are,’ she decided that Jack could be the one to fill him in on that particular area of information, ‘I’m Kit, by the way.’

  She shook Toby’s proffered hand, just as Jack reappeared from the cloakroom. ‘Now, if you two gentlemen will excuse me, I don’t often get over to this part of town. I’m going to take advantage and do some shopping.’ Kit turned to the waiter, ‘Nice to meet you, Toby,’ before she faced Jack and wiggled her fingers at him in a teasing wave. ‘Call me later. Have fun!’ and with that she left them to get on with it.

  Two hours later Kit’s phone announced the arrival of a text message.

  Thanks Kit. I owe you one. Jxx

  DECEMBER

  In which Jack gets told off, more lyrics are shared, Phil comes to a decision, and the coffee flows faster...

  Thirty-nine

  December 6th 2006

  ‘Is Scott managing back there?’ Kit sipped at her third coffee of the morning as Peggy sat down for a minute.

  ‘Yes and no.’ Peggy massaged her temples as she spoke, ‘Jack and Rob have rigged up a low work surface so he can make his cakes and stuff. The one good thing about all this is that Scott is spending more time with them. I always worried that he was so shut away in the kitchen before that he missed out on friendship and stuff. The camaraderie. Anyway, the oven door’s low-ish, and I’ve made sure anything and everything is accessible. Though God knows what health and safety will say if we have a visit,’ Peggy sighed. ‘Still. Providing everything he needs is at waist level it’s working fine.’

  ‘Getting used to the wheelchair?’

  ‘Sort of. He gets frustrated about not being able to do everything he used to, but if I tell him it’s only temporary, he bites my head off, making me feel terrible. Then Scott apologises, and tells me he feels awful for making me sad, and then the whole cycle starts again.’

  Kit appreciated her frustration. ‘Why don’t I come back and do a shift now and again; help out a bit.’

  ‘Thanks, I’d say yes like a shot, but Scott is determined to manage, so we will manage.’

  ‘Male pride rearing its ugly head?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Peggy produced a packet of paracetamol from her apron, popping two headache tablets into her palm. ‘I so badly wanted this you know, Scott back in the kitchen where he ought to be, but I’m sure he’s returned too soon. He won’t listen though.’ She swilled down the pills with some of her friend’s coffee. ‘It’s so damn tiring, Kit. I want to stamp and scream “it’s not fair” each time he takes his frustrations out on me.’

  ‘Oh Peg,’ Kit hugged her friend, ‘if there’s anything I can do, just shout.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Peggy forced on a professional smile, ‘I know it’ll pass, and the physiotherapy is going well. He can already stand on crutches for a short while, which is a miracle if you think about it, but for cooking and stuff he’s much better off sitting in the chair.’

  ‘I tell you what, if it helps, I’ll pour my own coffee.’

  ‘Well, I guess that will cut out about half my workload!’ Peggy laughed, changing the subject, ‘How about Phil? Still determined to sell the business in the New Year?’

  ‘So he says. As soon as he’s found a new project Home Hunters will be put on the market. It’ll be strange, but I think it’s for the best. Now Phil’s made the decision he’s like a new person; it’s lovely. Suddenly he’s full of life again. I knew it was getting him down, but I hadn’t understood
how much.’

  ‘I think I understand perfectly,’ Peggy spoke wistfully, hauling herself back to her feet.

  ‘Oh Peggy,’ Kit was horror struck, ‘I’m so sorry. I’m damn tactless sometimes.’

  Peggy raised her hand in reassurance, ‘Don’t be daft. I’m pleased for you. Really I am.’ She continued with her earlier line of enquiry. ‘Is this a good time for him to find a buyer, do you think?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Christmas and the New Year are his quietest times anyway; it makes sense to tie up loose ends now before he moves on. Maybe he’ll put it on the market in the spring.’

  ‘Talking of Christmas, I don’t suppose you and the kids would like to come and put up the tree and decorations for me this weekend? Scott and I normally enjoy doing it together, but this year I can’t face it.’

  Kit put her hand over Peggy’s and squeezed it gently, ‘Of course, no problem. The kids will love it.’

  By two o’clock the dinner time custom had lulled enough for Peggy to retreat into the kitchen, and Kit called Amy to her table. ‘Are you doing anything on Saturday night?’

  ‘Not so far. Why?’ She pulled out a chair and sat down.

  ‘Peggy needs to remember what it’s like to have fun. Fancy plotting to rescue her for a night?’

  You’re on, but what about Scott?’

  ‘He and Jack have been getting on like a house on fire. We could put Jack in charge of all things Scott.’

  ‘He might be going clubbing or something.’

  ‘Tough!’

  ‘Fair enough.’ Amy stood up again, ‘I’m seeing Jack tonight. Do you want me to ask him?’

  ‘No. I want you to tell him.’

  The pub was surprisingly quiet, but then it was only six o’clock when Amy sat down on a cushion-clad pine settle in front of a roaring log fire. Amy felt the ripple of the flames glow on her face as the reflection of the ember heat stung her eyes, while she watched the sparking of a blazing log jumping and cracking in the confines of the fire place.