One Shots 'The nursery nurse'

The Shadow that follows

Marjorie slowly found her feet in the new building. Fortunately, she didn't have to share the office with Janice at the moment, as she had booked a spontaneous holiday after the board meeting and wouldn't be back until next week.

Marjorie missed Autumn no longer sitting in the office with her. But her former deputy, now assistant manager, sat in her own office with Reece and Deliah down the hall. The staff rarely came around to see her either. The manager's office was really cut off from the rest.

She sighed and went back to her paperwork. But the silence was interrupted by a knock on the office door.

An elderly lady entered. She was the grandmother of a child, who had only just started recently.

" Marjorie? I just have a small question about the menu. I would have gone straight to the Chefs. But Charlotte said it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Yes, the Chefs hate being disturbed," said the manager, smiling slightly. "Well Maria, what can I do for you?"

The older woman sat down in the visitor's seat and asked her questions. Which were not difficult to answer. The conversation was slowly coming to an end.

When Maria looked at Marjorie's desk and saw her name tag.

M. Van Gould

" Huh? What a coincidence... How's Veronica?"

Marjorie froze, she hadn't heard her mum's name in years. " Erm well... I don't know... I haven't had any contact with her in a long time."

" The money really changed her... The last time I saw her, she was travelling with Thomas and his son." The older woman looked at Marjorie sympathetically. "It's terrible when children and parents lose each other. But you can do better when you have your own children."

Children.

Marjorie felt sick at the thought. She had avoided the subject her whole life. Never spoken with Reece about it, either. She just didn't see herself as a mother. What if she brought life into this world only to fail, like her own mother?

But what if Reece wants some?
Could she forgive herself for denying him that? Would he understand?

She spent the rest of the day sitting alone in her office. Her thoughts ran hundreds of miles fast. When she finally saw Reece at the end of the day, she couldn't even look him in the eye.

The journey home was silent, the dinner together was silent, and the rest of the evening was silent. Until they both went to bed.

Reece realised something was wrong, but he knew Marjorie. If something was bothering her, she had to sort it out with herself first. Before she could talk about it.

Now he was lying next to her in bed, she was turned away from him. Reece reached out to stroke her back, but when his fingers only grazed the fabric of her shirt, she slid further away from him.

Reece sighed softly and closed his eyes.

Marjorie waited until she heard a soft snore next to her, then quietly got up and slipped out of the room.

She opened the wardrobe in the hallway and looked for her jacket, which she had had since she was a young adult. The leather jacket looked very worn. But Marjorie didn't care, it wasn't about the look, it was about the sentimental value.

She put on her jacket, grabbed the key from the chest of drawers, and left the house. There, she sat down on the steps outside the front door and took an old metal cigarette packet out of the pocket of her leather jacket.

Marjorie would say that she had stopped smoking a long time ago. But there were days when she fell off the wagon. She needed the familiar sting in her throat when she inhaled the smoke. To quiet the thoughts in her head again.

The lighter clinked and lit the cigarette.

Marjorie had this habit since she was young. After every fight with her mum, after break-ups, after arguments with friends. Or when the stress became too much again. As soon as she wasn't able to sleep. She would sit outside at night and smoke.

She sat there now, taking a drag after drag, until her thoughts calmed down again.

Reece heard the water running in the bathroom. Marjorie was brushing her teeth, it wasn't long before she was back in bed next to him, and it wasn't long before her head was on his chest and her arms were wrapped around his body.

But Reece could still smell the smoke on her, and he knew that when he kissed her tomorrow, he would still be able to taste the cigarette flavour on her lips.

An indication that something was bothering his girlfriend. Like a shadow that laid over her.