What Once I Was

Chapter 17

After the most uneventful wedding anniversary known to man, with barely two syllables passing through Robert's lips, I had decided lunch with my friend was the perfect medicine to fix my broken soul. We'd agreed to meet at a little cafe we both loved nearby. It was cheap but cheerful with exceptional waiting staff. It was easy to feel at home there. Large canvases of rivers and trees adorned the walls, fresh flowers were on every table. People huddled together, all smiling and enjoying their freshly prepared meals. The chairs were comfortable, unlike the plastic benches often found in cheap cafes. It really was my favourite spot to have lunch.

I'd arrived before Sophie. The waitress with the kind face that I'd come to love made a beeline towards me, small notebook in hand. I smiled brightly as she drew closer, pulling a pencil snub from behind her ear.

"What can I get you today?" she asked in the same cheery voice she always used.

I often wondered if she knew what a bad day was, if life had ever given her a poor hand. She waited patiently as I pretended to scan the menu despite already knowing what I would order.

"Just a cheese and mushroom omelette with chips and a coffee, please. Can I have the food brought out when my friend arrives?"

She nodded, scribbling my order down before laying a large laminated number seven on the table.

"Of course. I'll be right back with your drink."

I muttered a thank you as she turned on her heel and headed back towards the counter where the chef waited, his apron coated in bean juice. Keeping my eye on the door that was held open by a doorstop, I waited. Sophie was often late, always one to make a grand entrance. In no time, the waitress was back with cutlery and my coffee, checking if there was anything else she could do for me. I told her I was fine with a smile. She nodded before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

The drink was divine, the perfect combination of bitter and sweet. I'd half finished by the time Sophie walked through the door. She stopped just in from the entrance, scanning the cafe until she caught sight of me. With a little wave, she meandered through the seats.

"Sorry to keep you chicken. Traffic was a nightmare."

Taking in her freshly manicured nails, I said nothing. It was no surprise that Sophie would take her time making sure she was presentable before she did anything with her day. Hanging her black, fitted coat over the back of her chair, she hailed the waitress.

"Hi, what can I get you?"

"A tea and a tomato and cheese panini, please." Sophie beamed her million-dollar smile, white straight teeth that she'd spent obscene amounts of money on glistening in the light.

"Coming right up. Would you like your food now ma'am?"

The two women stared at me as though I had grown a second head. I nodded, bringing the mug down to the table.

"Oh. Of course, that would be perfect."

Sophie waited until the waitress was out of earshot before leaning close. The smell of her perfume assaulted my nose. I fought hard not to sneeze. Sophie and I, despite being incredibly close, are like chalk and cheese. Material things have never been high on my priority list, yet Sophie makes sure to have the best of everything.

"Tell me everything. What did Robert get you for your anniversary? Thirty years, that's what, the golden anniversary, right?"

"Pearl," I corrected her, purposefully taking another long sip of my drink. "He hasn't got me anything. I guess he wants to take me to choose something."

I know better than to lie to Sophie. With her keen eye, she could read people with such ease it terrified me. I had to avoid her for months after losing Naomi. If anyone was to guess the truth, or as close to it as possible, it would have been her. She leaned back in her chair with a snort.