You Found Me

The One Nighter

Today The Doll's House is packed to its full capacity with a lot of elderly couples from the local housing association. I rub my eyes as I tend to the busy tables in the restaurant, hoping I don't look as tired and as wretched as I feel. It has been a rough few days since the fallout of mine and Lee's "relationship" and when I found that that mum and dad have officially separated and are starting the legal proceedings to divorce. True to his word, Lee hasn't budged and is still pursuing me through texts and voice notes. He even got Crisis to forward on to me a bouquet of summer fruit smelling Freesia's and a giant chocolate-chip cookie cake with "I'm sorry" in bright blue icing decorated across it. To curb my frustration with him and our current situation I have deeply buried my head in work and training. Even though I am very tempted to pull out of our August trip, Steph has urged me to keep on going. More for my sake than Lee's.
"He's not stingy then?" Mary is behind me as we prepare to clear up at the end of my shift. "Who?" I ask, aware that Matt is lurking behind the counter assisting with the cashing up for the day. "Your fancy man, Annie. Who else?" She replies, pointing at my gift bag from Lee by the sink. "He is not my man," I sigh, packing the leftover sandwiches from service into the fridge. I turn to face Mary, her face full of confusion. "I thought you guys had something really special?" Her voice comforting and kind. "Nope, I think that maybe it has all been a pipe dream. I have initiated meeting with him time and time again and he just shoots me down every time," I shrug, feeling the tears prick in my eyes. "Dearie, didn't you both plan to meet officially at the top of The Himalayas?" She replies, putting her arm around my shoulder. "We did, and it is Kilimanjaro by the way, but he won't even do a Facetime with me. He point blank refuses. I can't shake this horrible feeling that he might not be as genuine as I once thought he was," I say, my voice breaking. She leads me towards the kitchen table and hands me her brewing cup of tea, "Now, get that down you. Can I give you some motherly advice?" I let the warmth of the mug burn my fingers as I take a sip, it's oddly comforting. "Go on then," I reply. "You have to remember where this man came from. He has gone from lying in the front of shop doors night after night, not knowing when his next meal will be, coupled with the fact that he has been suffering all of this during the most horrific pandemic the world has ever seen. He is probably embarrased and feels like he has nothing to offer you. Cut him some slack, love." Her smile is warm and encouraging. I am about to reply to her when Matt comes waltzing in, pulling his fleece off, discarding it on the floor and combs his fingers through his unruly hair. "Are you still hammering on about Crisis?" He asks with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Yes, Matthew. She is thinking of calling it a day with him," Mary replies, turning to face him. His eyes widen in shock, "What, are you for real?! After all that, you are just going to end it? Don't even think about not coming in August, do you know the amount of work that I have put into that trip?" Mary tuts, "Don't make her feel worse than she already feels." He shakes his head in annoyance and points to my phone, "What does this fella of yours even look like? You haven't graced my vision with a picture of him yet." Reluctantly, I go into my photos and open up a screenshot I have of Lee. My heart flutters looking at his sexy smile and the happiness in his grey eyes. He is at a bar or restaurant wearing a smart navy blue suit, white shirt with a beer in his hand. This, he told me, had been taken before he joined the military and when he was still in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Sinead. I hand my phone over to him, as soon as he sees the picture his forehead creases into a frown. "No way, José! This is the guy? He looks like he has just stepped off of a million pound yacht!" His mouth open with surprise. "He could be related to Leo DiCaprio!" Sarcastic much? "Got a man crush now, have we? Looks can be deceiving," I huff, finishing the rest of my now lukewarm tea. "I don't think I will ever see him now after the argument we had the other night." Matt hands me back the phone, ignoring what I've just said. He rolls his eyes and leans against the worktop, snatching an apple from the fruit bowl and takes a big bite from it. "Matthew, give her a cuddle will you?" Mary urges, beckoning Matt to return to us at the table. "Ma, do I look like George freakin' Michael to you? I am no father figure to her, she needs a bit of tough love sometimes instead of all this pussy footing around. She doesn't need to be babied anymore, she's not a five-year-old," he whines, tapping his foot on the cupboard in irritation. "Mate, I am here you know. Don't talk about me like I'm not," I snap back in irritation. I don't have the energy to argue with him today, but if he pushes me far enough I am afraid I will explode. "Yes, I know you are. But do you ever listen to me? No!" He growls, looking me up and down with disdain. "I never said that I wasn't going to go through with Kilimanjaro did I? Maybe you should shut up and think before you put words into peoples mouths," I hiss back at him. "You two, can you please stop this, right now!" Mary exclaims, raising her hands in frustration. "Gosh, my heart can't take much more of this bickering," she is clearly fed up with constantly attempting to pacify the both of us. Matt glares over at me with a menacing edge to his voice and sneers, "See, look what you've done now!" Unable to keep my anger in any longer I approach and I square up to him. "Why don't you keep your abnormally large nose out of other people's buisness and the next time you hear myself and Mary chatting quietly stay the fuck out of the room." The words spill out of my mouth and I realize very quickly how self-righteous I sound. I immediately regret it and look up to him apologetically. Initially he stares out of the window, unwilling to look me in the eye. "Just make sure you and your side kick don't pull out of this. We have all collectively worked tirelessly hard in order to make this happen. Martin, my housemate, has even made us our own tents from scratch. We have too many people to let down if you just quit," he is calm and scans my face for a reaction. I feel a tad guilty for flying off the handle now. "I'm not going to. No matter what happens between myself and Lee, Stephanie and I will be there. I promise, Matt," I say, my tone also composed. He takes the last bite of his apple and tosses it in the bin, jumping off of the table he grabs my shoulders playfully. "Come on, little sis. Cheer up, things could be a lot worse. Anyway, think about it this way, he is a homeless dude and I bet he's gonna smell real bad," he grins, making me smile. "He doesn't anymore, he lives in a hostel," I laugh. "Man, that is just as bad as living on the streets. Don't they all have to share bathrooms and showers in there? You'd better hope he doesn't...errrr...drop the soap," he chuckles showing off his dimples. I spy Mary at the table trying to suppress her laughter which in turn, makes me laugh even harder my sides begin to hurt. "Seriously, if we do make up and he is there at the finishing line, I don't know how I will be able to keep a straight face after what you've just said," I smirk, clearing my throat. My eyes streaming with tears of laughter. "Well, just remember that by the time you see him in August he might be...shall we say, not so straight," he jokes, holding his stomach as he continues to howl with laughter at his own humor. Mary dives in between us, taking us both into each arm. "I love you two so much. Promise me that you  won't argue anymore? We are a team and a solid one at that. I don't know how I would have gotten through these last few months without you kids," she beams, her big brown eyes looking from Matt to me. "Promise," we both say in unison.