Fallen From Grace

Where Loyalty's Lie

I always had a mixture of things going on. Work was just work even though I enjoyed meeting and greating customers. I had my regulars who liked coming through mine. There was always this woman who suffered terrible with her nerves but she had gorgeous long blonde hair to the point it became unmanageable. She told me she'd cut it and give her hair the chop and I didn't think she'd do anything to her gorgeous thick hair but I remember looking at it jagged days later and saying the words...

"You did it."

There was a Man called Ritchie who would hit on me in his wheelchair and to be fair he wasn't bad looking for his age. He would come to my till with a massive big grin.

"And how's the most good looking girl in the whole store?" He'd say.

I just giggled.

"It's true," he'd say. "I speak the truth."

There was another guy who came in with his disabled Father and I admired how good he was to him. The guy was early forties I assumed, he was always in a blue sweater and I was always pleasantly surprised he could get his shop down to a decent price. He would have like two bottles of coke, a bit of chocolate, a chilled chicken and well thought out meals. Two meals would be ready meals the rest would be fresh. There were never really junk food on his shop just picked up what he needed and I was building a good relationship with him. I'd always ask after his Mom and I told him a few things about my life.

Terry had a girlfriend now. Elizabeth. I saw her profile picture over Facebook and I loved her long curly brunette hair. I scrolled through a few of her photos and she was pretty. I called her the painted lady that was my little nickname for her because shed do her makeup in such a detailed way she reminded me of an oil painting.

I was introduced to Elizabeth one weekend at a café but I was told she was really shy and nervous. So then I didn't have to be all nervous myself not that I would but I could be the one who set her at ease. I came into the cafe all friendly all charming and thought I put her right at ease and she was speaking away to me. I could see it meant something to Terry that we both got along. It actually wasn't long before she moved in with him and I visited her twice. The first time they'd had some sort of row and I couldn't stop Terry leaving the house. So I ended up outside telling him to go back in there.

"You don't understand Kim. You don't understand."

He said all agitated.

"What?"

"I've done it! I've done it and I've screwed up! She's got trust issues."

"You've lied to her?"

Whilst he went around the streets panicking I went in to see how Elizabeth was. She wasn't panicking or stressed like Terry she was quiet and reserved. I knew they'd got to speak or nothing would get sorted. She spoke to me a little and I suggested messaging him over his computer once she had some breathing space. Anyway after a while she confided in me that she had nothing to eat whilst Terry was out all day at work.

"Just pop a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster whack some butter over it and you've got something to eat."

"That's brilliant."

Her eyes lit up then.

"How - how do you use the toaster?"

I did a double take making sure I wasn't being led on.

"No, really."

I took her to the kitchen. Showed her the buttons to press and told her to wait until it pops up.

"That way you won't have to wait on Terry bringing home food."

Elizabeth started telling me other concerns that whenever she used the loo all the other housemates would use up all the loo roll and when she needed to go she didn't have any. It didn't sit right with me so after my shift at the supermarket was over the following day I brought over cheep rolls she could use.