The Magic of Stories | ONC 2024 shortlist

18 - The day after

Our pizza adventure turned into a success. The pizzeria was even better than Paco had promised and Becca made everyone laugh with her gift of telling funny stories. Even Conny relaxed enough to enjoy herself and over coffee, she reached the point where she dropped her resolution to call Paco by his surname and used his given name for the first time. This was perhaps a minor step, and their relationship was still far from getting into the realm of romantic, but I counted it as a major win in Cat's matchmaking game.

Danny lived in a nine-year-old's heaven, and when we left the pizzeria, Amber hugged me and whispered a quiet "thank you" into my ear. It made me feel awkward, since I had just contributed a few minor bits of conversation while I wolfed down my delicious pizza.

On my way home, I felt tired but content. For the first time, thinking about Oliver didn't make me feel down. Instead, it made me cringe, which wasn't much better, but still showed I was taking my first tentative steps on the path to healing.

After a night of sound sleep, I returned to the library with renewed vigour. Conny found me with my arms elbow deep in the dishwater when she arrived, panting from her way from the bus stop.

"Excuse me for being late, but getting Danny out of bed was a hassle today."

"I can believe it—he was exhilarated yesterday. You were right that it wasn't the best idea to go out for dinner. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I haven't seen my children so happy in a very long time, and your friends are both very nice. Thank you for bringing them last night and joining us. I'm sure you three had other plans for the evening."

It was my turn to shake my head. "Not really. I didn't know Becca and Sim would turn up. They just paid us a surprise visit to give me moral support, and I'm super glad they did." I scrubbed lipstick from a wine glass, thinking of Nelly. Would she leave Oliver after the scene he made yesterday? I hoped it for her. "Well, you probably gathered that my boyfriend dumped me three months ago, and I'm still licking my wounds, so to speak."

"I'm sorry. I didn't understand what he was up to yesterday."

"Neither do I, and I think he didn't know himself. I must have been blind to not realise he's such a dick ages ago." My broken heart still hurt too much to talk about it, but Conny had been open with me and deserved to know. "He was a professor at my uni, and I should have known I was just another fling for him. Unfortunately, love follows strange ways."

My colleague bit her lip. "It does, but it's alway tough to get hurt."

With a kitchen towel, she began polishing the glasses I had set up to dry. "I know this sounds like useless advice right now, but you are still young and will find someone worth your time. It may just take a little while."

"That's what Becca says too. Still, I'm in no rush to replace the cheating sod. Right now, I enjoy making my own decisions and spending my evenings with whoever I like. Yesterday was fun, and Paco was right about the place serving excellent pizza."

A smile danced over Conny's lips. "That's true, and I'm glad I agreed. Mister Mar—Paco is very good with Danny, and the boy adores him. Even Amber seemed content for once. I think she likes your friends, too."

"It's easy to like Becca, and Sim is quiet but a wonderful person." I was tempted to seize the opportunity and tell Conny how much her daughter worried about her, but if the evening had helped them to rebuild a positive relationship, it was for the best to allow the healing more time. While I replaced the dishwater, Conny brought in the next stack of glasses.

"Thanks." I placed them in the sink and began washing. "Have you heard anything from Marjorie?"

"Not yet. I promised to call her today to report on the opening ceremony. She should be in rehab now and will remain there for another two weeks, if I got it right."