A Gift from the Comfort Food Café: Celebrate Christmas in the cosy village of Budbury with the most heartwarming read of 2018!. Debbie Johnson
And maybe when he’s left home, I’ll turn into a nymphomaniac to make up for lost time. At the moment … well, I’m too busy washing pterodactyl poo from my hair, aren’t I?’
‘That’s the spirit!’ she says, patting my hand. ‘By George, I think she’s got it!’
She gazes outside, at the quiet main street that flows through Budbury, which is sleepy even on a Saturday. I know she’s thinking about her mum, and what’s going on at home. She usually stays until just after lunchtime, to be available for pharmacist duties, and it’s now almost twelve. Crikey, I think – I’ve managed to go to the in-bed Beauty Parlour, show off my new image at the café, say no to a not-really-a-date with a hot man, drop off Saul, and look at sex aids with a nonagenarian already this morning.
‘Why don’t you go home?’ I suggest, following her gaze. ‘I think we’ve had our rush. If anyone comes in with a prescription, I can tell them to collect it on Monday. Or if it’s urgent, I’ll call you and you can come back. I can lock up at three and meet you back at the cottage.’
She bites her lip, and I can see her weighing it up in her mind.
‘If that’s okay with you, I think I might,’ she replies. ‘Van said Willow had headed off to the café to help out – Laura wasn’t feeling too good, apparently – so that might not be a bad idea.’
She sees the concerned look sprout on my face – I can’t help it – and quickly adds: ‘They’re fine, honest! Mum and Saul are knitting, and Van’s watching football on the telly. Everything’s good. But … if it’s all right with you, I might head off, yeah. Need to walk off those cookies, apart from anything else!’
‘Yep. Walk away from the whistle pops, and make a move. I’ll see you later.’
She nods, and bustles about getting her white coat off and her leather jacket on, and eventually leaves – giving me a wink as she grabs one more whistle pop ‘for the road’.
I sigh a little as she goes, unfairly looking forward to an hour or so on my own. Barring customers, of course.
I never get time on my own, and when I do, it’s precious. Not that I don’t love Saul, or enjoy the pleasant, predictable bustle of my life, but every now and then, being in a room alone, without anybody needing me to do anything for them, is balm for an aching soul. I spent a lot of time alone growing up, and sometimes I miss it.
I won’t be lazy – I’ll do some cleaning, or unpack a new delivery of supplies, or order some cold sore cream online – but I’ll be alone while I do it. Blissful.
Unfortunately, the universe has other ideas, and literally two minutes after the bell dinged to mark Auburn’s exit, it dings again. I look up from my perch, and see Laura walk in. Her eyes have a slightly deranged look to them, and her pretty face is drawn and pale and … scared?
Laura glances around furtively, checking for interlopers, before heading in my direction. She’s bundled up in a thick, hot pink puffa jacket, hands wrapped in black gloves that have skeleton bones painted on the fingers. I suspect she stole those from Lizzie, and I also suspect that they might glow in the dark. It’s started raining outside, and her hair is bursting out from her hood in frizzy strands. She tugs the hood down, revealing a severe case of hat head.
‘Hi!’ she says, her voice shrill and way too perky. ‘Is there anyone else here?’
‘No,’ I reply, coming out to her side of the counter. ‘Auburn just left.’
‘I know … I was hiding around the corner and saw her go.’
‘Okay,’ I say, calmly. Of course, I’m wondering why she was hiding, and why she sounds so weird, but I don’t push. I’ve worked in healthcare the whole of my adult life, and sometimes people just need a little space. If they want to talk, they’ll expand to fill the silence.
‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ I ask instead, in that ultra-British way that actually means ‘I’m worried about you and don’t know what else to do.’
She stares at me for a minute, slowly peeling off her skeleton gloves, and shakes her head.
‘No, thank you. I’m just … well, I just thought I’d pop in and see how things are going?’
She doesn’t even sound convinced by this herself, and I see her automatically reach out and pick up a cookie from the plate. She takes a bite and pulls a face.
‘Not as good as they could have been,’ she says, frowning. ‘I made these at home to take to the café, and Midgebo ran into the cottage being chased by a cat. Poor thing was terrified.’
‘The cat?’ I ask, not unreasonably, as Midgebo is a very large, very lively black Labrador.
‘Oh no – Midgebo! The cat was a monster! Seriously, the biggest ginger tom I’ve ever seen. It chased him around the kitchen, trapped him in a corner, then as soon as his job was done, gave me a look, like “yeah, puny human, your kingdom is mine”, and strutted back out again. I’ve never seen him before, but I suppose people must have cats … I mean, a lot of us have dogs, don’t we? And Becca has those goldfish. But perhaps other people have cats …’
She’s wittering now, and doesn’t seem able to stop. I recognise the wittering for what it is: self-distraction.
‘Laura, are you all right? Auburn said you’d left the café because you didn’t feel well. Is there anything I can do for you?’
I’m thinking it might be bowels. The great British public seems, as a race, constitutionally unable to say the word ‘bowel’ in public without at least attempting to whisper it.
She bites her lips viciously, and I’m horrified to see tears springing up in her eyes. Laura is one of the most cheerful people I know, and seeing her crying simply does not compute. I know she’s had her share of hardships and tragedy, but since I’ve known her, she’s been such a happy soul. Kind of like Mary Poppins in café cook form, always upbeat and positive, and carrying a big bag full of everything you could ever need in life.
‘Yes. No. Maybe … is the chemist like a doctor? Or a priest? Or Vegas?’ she asks, in a tumble of words, all falling over each other.
‘You mean, are there rules about confidentiality?’
She nods, her curls bobbing up and down with the motion, and the tears finally spilling down her cheeks.
‘Well, I have rules about confidentiality, and they’re probably stricter than any laws, so don’t worry. Now, come on, what’s the matter? Don’t be upset. It can’t be that bad – and don’t be embarrassed, whatever it is. I’m a medical professional, you know, even though I didn’t look like one when I walked into the café this morning!’
I intend that last line as something of a joke, and she looks pathetically grateful for it, swiping her hands across her face to remove the tears as though she’s angry with herself.
‘Yes,’ she says firmly. ‘You are. And thank you. It’s kind of related to what we were talking about then, anyway. I’ve been really tired recently, and was just putting it down to getting older and being busy and the fact that I eat way too much cake and not enough quinoa or whatever. But then me and you had that conversation, about how exhausting it is to have a baby around, but how quickly it goes, and how it completely and utterly changes your life, and how it’s both the best and the worst time you ever have?’
We’d barely touched on any of that, but clearly, in her head, we had, so I just nod encouragingly.
‘Well, after that, I was in the kitchen, making a toffee caramel sauce for the puddings, and I suddenly hated toffee caramel pudding. I mean, look at me, Katie – I’m not the sort of woman who hates toffee caramel pudding!’
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