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. Feeding ducks 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 wild imagination. 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 genie, Mark turned up again. He seemed to have a habit of doing that. He offered to look after the kids for the afternoon.

‘You need a break,’ he said. That was kind.

‘What about your work?’ Lisa asked.

‘Terry can manage on his own,’ said Mark.

Lisa didn’t think so. Terry looked about the same age as Kerry. He was in fact twenty. But then, to Lisa, policemen and footballers didn’t look old enough to tie their own boots.

They decided to visit the cinema, all of them together. Paula agreed as long as everyone walked behind her and didn’t talk to her. Jack, on the other hand, was really chuffed. He was very happy when Mark bought a family ticket. Lisa liked buying a family ticket too – mostly because it saved three quid and they supersized the popcorn.

The moment the lights went down Lisa fell asleep. She missed all the film. She only woke up when Mark gently nudged her. Jack said she’d been snoring. Nightmare! The nightmare was made worse when Mark said, ‘Maybe you should get a test done. Gill might be right.’

Gill must have talked to Mark too! Lisa stared at him. She was too stunned to reply. Her mind was full of slow and painful ways to kill her ex-friend. Lisa didn’t feel in control. Not one bit.