She decided to switch things up and go to the supermarket after work on a Wednesday evening, instead of her usual time on either a Friday evening or Saturday morning. Other than the office where she worked and her big empty house, the supermarket was the only other place she ventured out to. Sainburys, the supermarket, was usually very quiet on Wednesday evening with a reduced footfall of customers but filly stocked shelves. She glanced at her watch just as she moved her debit card away from the face of the contactless card reader and back into her Gucci purse. She’d been to work, finished work, did her weekly food shop and it was still only 6.30pm. Rather than head directly home she stepped into the café situated inside the supermarkets. Perhaps this was her chance, to be spontaneous, live a little by getting off her planned schedule and maybe even instigate a conversation with someone new. Just one conversation that may potentially turn in to a new friendship or even romance.
Since she turned 40 Helen had felt very lonely. She thrived in her professional life as Director of Finance for a medium sized accounting firm and had every material possession a girl could ever want or need. She had a mortgage-free four-bedroom house, a BMW coupe and VW Campervan, had several flats on rent in the vicinity of the local university and had more money in her bank account than she knew what to do with. Her bank balance read like a phone number! She was fit, healthy and an attractive woman. In her formative years she wasn’t very popular with the opposite sex mainly due to her thick glasses, bent nose and crooked teeth; she had since rectified this with laser eye surgery, a nose job and braces. However, the one aspect of her life where she felt she underachieved was in the personal relationship department. She had no family, born to an alcoholic mother who died when she was in her teens and unable to confirm who her father was. She also had no friends. Her boyfriend from college, Mikey, started going out with her best friend, Tilly, while she was away at university.
She joined the queue in the café. There was an elderly couple at the front of the queue ordering food, taking their time to peruse the menu while everyone waited. Behind the elderly couple and in front of her was a smartly dressed man in a three-piece suit, highly polished shoes and a gold and silver watch, which looked very classy and expensive. He had a well-defined jaw line, as if chiselled by a mason, and light stubble. She thought he looked about her age and he didn’t have a ring on his finger. Perhaps he was her new friend. She wanted to say something but was afraid he may ignore her. She bit the bullet. “Core, I wish people would make up their mind about what to order before joining the queue eh?” He looked at her, “You what?” he said. “Um, you know that old couple in front of you?” she confirmed. “Look love, I’m not sure what your problem is, or if you’ve taken your medication today, but people like you should not be talking to me!” By this time the elderly couple had taken their receipt from the cashier who now looked at three-piece-suit man for his order. She’d tried, failed, crashed and burned. Although the cashier didn’t hear what had happened the girl who made the hot drinks and got pastries from behind the display screen saw and heard it all. She acted like she was not telling the cashier what had happened, but he then gave Helen a very quick glance while hot drinks girl whispered in his ear.
Three-piece-suit man strode right past her with his hot drink and didn’t even glance in her direction. The cashier called her forward. “Hiya, erm, how can I help you Madam?” She very gingerly opened her mouth, struggling to hold back the tears and get her words out. “Just a small mocha to have in please.” Suddenly, another man who had been behind her in the queue leaned in “Yeah, make that two. but make mine to take out.” He looked over at Helen and said “Don’t worry love, this ones on me”. Helen was taken aback by this very kind and generous gesture from this stranger.
The girl behind the counter gave them both their drinks. Helen and the man, in his paint splattered overalls, picked up their drinks. “Look, this is very kind of you, but I can get my own drink” said Helen. “Don’t worry about it love, you can get the next one!” said the tradesman while flashing a cheeky grin. She smiled. “Look love, I gotto run now, but how about a sit-down coffee next week eh?” Her smile grew “Absolutely, my treat!” he gave her a wink “Great see you here same time next week” and strode out of the café.
She went to the café everyday at 6.30pm for three months and never saw the tradesman again!
Sometimes in life you win and sometimes you lose, but in life you have to take the rough with the smooth.
ISK 