Satellite Heart

Chapter 5 | I Miss You

F's POV

Although it took a fair amount of convincing and quite a bit of negotiation, I managed to persuade Jack to lend me his car, and Sam to postpone his birthday. No wonder I managed to chat my way to the biggest bedroom of the flat when we moved in. I guess it's also no surprise that I am the one who studied Law amongst the three of us. If I want it, I go for it.

I chose to drive down to my mum's house instead of taking the train. It just seemed safer, considering the surge of new covid cases we hear about in the news every day. I can also tell by how exhausted Sam is every time he comes home after a shift at the hospital, that this is only the going to get worse. He's been on call more often, and we have barely seen each other, ending up running into each other in the door way - me coming home late at night, him about to leave to work - and just exchanging hellos. What I always find astonishing with him is how he keeps his upbeat attitude no matter what. Truth be told, I admire both my best mates. You have to be the most generous and patient person out there to teach a six-year-old to read and write, or to save people's lives while being on your feet for 12 hours straight. It's a miracle they've put up with me for the past 9 years, but I'm not complaining.

The two-hour drive is coming to a close as my eyes finally take in the view in front of me: Torquay beach and, beyond, the Channel. It's late now - almost midnight as I chose to drive straight after work - and the sea looks dark and uninviting, almost merging with the night sky. But it's my sea, my old stomping ground, that saw me every summer since I could put one foot in front of the other. I slowly roll down my window, inhaling the sea air, and momentarily forgetting the reason I came in the first place. It feels good to be back, I just don't do it as often as I should.

My mother's bookshop - Books To Go - is located on the high street and right by the docks, encased between a small pharmacy and a run-down pub, whose sign is now barely legible. The shop used to be run by my grandparents before Mum took over completely a couple years ago so they could retire in the South of France, like they had always dreamed. At first glance I don't see it, but it looks like she decided to redecorate the façade of the building, adorning it with a bright red coat of paint. This is honestly not surprising, my mum has a very sunny personality and it's only right that her shop reflects that.

Using my hands to block out the light, I bring my face closer to the window, squinting my eyes and noticing a faint glimmer inside the store. "Hmm..." I quickly ponder whether I should enter or go straight to the house. Leaving it to fate to decide, I push on the entrance door to see if I can even get inside in the first place.

The door opens, triggering a shrill ring, giving me a start. Although I was feeling exhausted by my somewhat uneventful drive, my eyelids getting heavier with every passing mile, I can safely say that I'm wide awake now.

"That's new..." I mutter more to myself than anybody else, my eyes peering, trying to adapt to the sudden dimmed light inside. I slowly walk across the room, studying the environment around me and notice a few changes. Instead of being walled by the usual wooden bookshelves, the entrance had been turned into a seating area complete with mismatched tables and chairs, scattered in different corners of the room. I turn my head to the left, where the check-out area used to be, and there is now glass-topped counter displaying all sort of pastries and baked goods.  I remember her mentioning that she wanted to do the place up a bit and open a coffee shop in the entrance, "to make it more profitable". I guess I hadn't realised it had already happened, I would have offered to help her out if I had known.