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Paula nudged
her workmate in
the ribs and whispered 'Here he comes!' They shared a snigger
and a
knowing
look as they turned to greet
the customer.
'Two coffees, please,' said the middle-aged man in a long beige
trenchcoat.
'Would you like espresso, cappuccino, latte,
or mocha..... sir?
'Erm.... two of your finest cappuccinos, please,' said the man, smiling
at Paula.
Paula smiled back at the customer. He was reasonably handsome for a guy
in his forties, but his strange behaviour was a turn-off for her. She
always wondered why no really great guys came into the cafe to sweep
her off her feet.
After paying for his drinks and
tucking his receipt into his jacket pocket, the customer moved along to
the counter with the red light, where he waited patiently for his
order. After Paula had prepared the cappuccinos, he put them on a small
plastic tray with two teaspoons, two sachets of sugar, and two paper
napkins, and carefully made his way across the busy room and settled
down at a table by the large window. Every time someone approached the
cafe he looked up expectantly,
but time and again, expectation was
replaced with disappointment.
'How long did you say he's been
coming here?' Paula's new workmate asked.
'About two years, give or take
a month. Every Friday at 11am, come
rain or
shine. You could set your
watch by him. I like him but he's too weird
for me!'
'Yeah, he gives
me the creeps, to tell you
the truth. And, who's he
waiting for?'
'Who knows? Maybe his ex-girlfriend, maybe his boyfriend. He always
buys two coffees.'
Sitting in the corner of the
cafe was a young woman reading a thick novel. Her mobile phone was
sitting on the
table next to her mug. She appeared to be reading her book but
was constantly checking her phone, although, to her dismay,
no messages seemed to come. Still,
she kept picking
it up and checking it. When she wasn't checking it, her eyes kept darting
glances
at it, as if through sheer
willpower she could make it ring or
buzz or chime. Then suddenly, it started to vibrate and a pink light
began
flashing, demanding attention. She dropped her book down
and
grabbed the phone from the table. After a
second it was obvious that whoever had sent her a mail, was not the
person she was expecting. She tossed
the phone back onto the table,
knocking into the coffee cup and spilling cafe au lait over her book.
She had to rush and fetch some paper towels to clean up the mess. Two
elderly ladies at the next table stopped chattering, and watched her
with expressions
that showed exactly how they felt about young women and
mobile phones. Paula rushed over to assist as best she could.
When things had calmed down, the girl picked up her mobile phone again,
and checked it, before returning to her book. She knew he wasn't going
to mail or call today.
Sally felt excited as she drove
down Green Drive,
along Sheridan Avenue and onto the High Street. There
was a lot of
traffic for a Friday and she kept having to stop and slip into neutral.
At each stop she checked her face in the rearview mirror. She noticed
the small lines around her mouth were getting deeper. They no longer
faded after a good sleep. The lines made her bright red lipstick bleed
into the pale
foundation that caked
her face. Sally hoped the thick foundation would hide the heavy bags
under her eyes, and that people would think she were younger. In fact,
there was one person in particular who she wanted to look upon her
favourably; one person who would take her in his arms and kiss her.
As she passed the cafe she noticed her stupid ex-husband was in there
again. He didn't seem to notice her, but of course he didn't know she
had a new car. He probably wouldn't be pleased as she had paid for it
with her
divorce
settlement. The thought of
him made her shudder.
There was no way she could be happy with a man
like him; she had no choice but to leave. No other choice.
At the end of the High Street, she turned
her car left into Victoria Road and continued down to the health
centre. After parking,
she walked in and went to reception. 'I'm here to see Doctor Stanton.'
'It's Mrs Sally Newham, isn't it?' the receptionist said with no
emotion or warmth.
'It's MISS Newham, but yes, that's right. I have a eleven-twenty
appointment.'
'Please take a seat MISS Newham. The doctor will call you when he is
ready.'
Sally took a seat in the pastel-coloured waiting area next to a young
man with a bandaged wrist, and pretended to
read a magazine, as her heart beat fast in her chest.
Doctor Stanton's phone was in
his jacket pocket, and his jacket was in the closet. His last patient,
Mr Aziz, had taken far longer than he should have, whinging
and whining
about his gout,
and his bad knees, and his chronic
backache. The doctor
wanted to mail Trudy, but there simply wasn't time. They had met the
previous evening and driven out into the countryside. Their lovemaking
was so passionate, not like with his wife. Passion between them had
died years before. He thought he really should mail Trudy just to say
hello and
tell her he was thinking about her. And
then he should mail his wife too, just to stop her from becoming
suspicious. She was starting to ask
him questions about his whereabouts
and schedule. It was all starting to be a bit much.
Come
to think of it, maybe he
shouldn't mail Trudy at all today. She was getting too attached to him,
too
clingy.
He didn't need another woman depending on him, sucking his energy.
And on top of that, his next patient was Sally Newham. She had a thing for
him, he was sure of it. She came to the surgery at least twice a month
with some minor problem like a sore throat, a 'strange' pain in her
abdomen, dizzy
spells.
Doctor Stanton washed his hands and settled in his seat. He leaned into
the microphone
of the intercom system and said, 'Miss Newham, room 5,
please.'
A few seconds later, there was a knock at the door and Miss Newham
entered. 'Good morning doctor. Thank you for seeing me.'
'Take a seat, Miss Newham, and tell me what the problem is today.'
The young girl looked up from
her book. Standing in front of her was a middle-aged man holding two
cups of
coffee. 'You look like you need a coffee, and I have a spare cup' he
said.
Trudy looked at him and he smiled. 'Erm... well... okay.. thanks!' She
said, and returned his smile.
'Are you waiting for an important call?' he asked, as he took a seat.
'I was, but I don't think it's going to come.' Trudy put her phone in
her bag. 'And how about you? You seemed to be sitting there alone with
two coffees. Waiting for someone special?'
'Well... I suppose that
must have looked strange! I used to come here with my ex-wife when we
first met. But.. well.. we got divorced a while ago. Maybe it's not so
easy to get used to her being gone from my life.'
'That's okay, I understand, and I'm Trudy, by the way.'
'Nice to meet you Trudy. I'm Michael.'
Over at the counter, Paula and her workmate were watching and smiling.
Paula nudged her friend and whispered, 'Two more coffees, please.'
Adjectives
sheer:
Here used to give emphasis to the word 'willpower'.
chronic:
A chronic disease or problem cannot be cured.
clingy:
Too dependent on another person.
Adverbs
expectantly:
Waiting
in a hopeful way.
Verbs
nudge:
To push something gently. Often with your elbow.
sweep
sb.
off their feet:
To make someone fall in love with you very strongly.
give
sb.
the creeps:
To make someone feel uncomfortable and a little scared.
dart:
To move quickly.
toss:
To throw something in a casual way.
slip into neutral:
To shift the gear lever of your car into the neutral position.
bleed
into:
When one colured substance moves slowly from one
area to another area.
cake:
To cover something with another substance which is thick and hard.
shudder:
Here meaning 'to shake for
a short time because something is unpleasant.
whinge:
To continue complaining in an annoying way.
whine:
To complain in a sad annoying voice.
have
a thing for sb.:
To be attracted to someone in a romantic way.
Nouns
a
snigger:
A quiet and often unkind laugh, especially
at something that is not
funny.
a
knowing look:
A way of looking that shows that you understand the situation.
dismay:
A feeling of worry,
disappointment and unhappiness.
a
glance:
A quick look at something.
a
divorce settlement:
The financial agreement after a divorce. In this case: money.
gout:
A disease that makes your toes, and often fingers and knees swollen and
painful.
whereabouts:
The location where
something or someone is.
a
dizzy spell:
A short period of time when your head feels like it's spinning, and you
feel weak,
and think you are going to fall over.
Expressions
give
or take:
Here meaning 'about' or 'approximately'.
come
rain or shine:
In either good or bad weather, meaning 'always'.
a
bit much:
Too difficult to
accept and endure.
come
to think of it:
Used when you suddenly have a new thought or idea.