The Porsche, The Beetle And How I Got Here

Chapter 20

“You are so awfully silent today.” Rachel pointed out, as she joined me at the counter at the café.

“Anything wrong?”

“No, no not at all. Why should there be?” I asked her as I handed over another coffee to a Soccer Mum, who quickly left the café while speaking loudly into her mobile.

“I don’t know? That’s why I asked.” She hesitated as she spoke, somehow making me feel guilty.

“I’m just a bit worn out.” I brushed off, trying to forget about the billions of text messages I’d written, but deleted before I could send to Hammond.

“You’d tell me if there was something, right love?” Rachel asked softly, as she squeezed my upper arm gently, making a lump at the size of Jupiter form in my throat. I nodded and smiled at her, before turning back to the counter, to take an order from the next costumer.

“Here you go, have a nice day.” I told the costumer, who gave me a wide smile and left a one-pound tip, before she bounced out of the shop.

It was an ordinary Saturday, with a couple of people sitting around the café, and five staff members at work. I hadn’t been in contact with Richard since I found out about my pregnancy, he’d texted me a bunch of times, but I found myself unable to answer, or at least unable to come with a good answers, or at least normal answers.

I had yet to tell both Rachel and David, I just couldn’t get myself to tell them, just like I couldn’t get myself to respond to Richard’s messages. I wanted to tell them, I wanted to text him, but something made me not do it, it was like some inner force stopped me.

God… confusion, fright and shame can really crush you!

As the time ticked by, I went around the café cleaning tables, empting dumpsters and so on, when I suddenly noticed the small bell above the entrance call out, and footsteps belonging to a familiar pace. I looked up, and saw Richard walking towards me, and a bittersweet mixture between bliss and regret went through me.

“Hey,” he said as he stopped at the other end of the table I was cleaning.

“Hi,”

“Are you alright?” he asked, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I smiled and dropped the cloth into the bucket on the floor.

“Good..” he responded and nodded to himself, as a weird silence fell around us.

“You didn’t drive all the way here to ask me that, did you?”

“No, I’ve been at James’ and decided to pay a visit.”

“Oh alright..” I said, and we went silent for a while again.

“Ehm Richard.”

“Yes?”

“What are you going to do later today?”

“Nothing really, why?”

“I just have to talk to you.” I said calmly, I don’t know how I managed it tho, because my heart was beating so fast and violent that I could fell it in my wrists and feet.

“Of course, yeah.. Are you sure everything is alright?” he asked, looking all worried and lovely, making my unstable heart jump and twist. I smiled at him, and I’d kissed him right there and then, if it wasn’t for all the people around us, so I simply reached out and took a firm grip of his hand.

“Mr. Hammond, you really have to trust me a bit more.” I told him sweetly, and squeezed his familiar hand, before letting go.

“I know.” He laughed, as I picked up the bucket.

“I’m off at five, so see you at six?”

“Where?”

“My place.”

“That’s a deal.”

“Good, see you at six.”

“See you later Smith.”