Page 25 of Mav

Knocking on the door I hear Ed shout, ‘Come in, Blake’. Entering the house, I walk into the kitchen where Ed is covered in flour and what looks like strawberry jelly.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m baking. Well, I’m trying to bake. I have this recipe that says it’s quick and easy, but I’ll tell you it’s a damn lie. This is harder than mixing cement in the yard.” Ed is giving me such an irritated look that I can’t hold back the giggle.

“Come on, let’s clean you up. Then you can show me the cake you wanted to make.”

Spending quite a few minutes, we enjoy talking as we clean the kitchen before making the batter for the cake and getting it into the oven. Ed obviously has enjoyed the experience, even though he kept eating the batter from a spoon as we were pouring it into the cake tin.

“Now, you didn’t need the jelly at all, so what had you using it?” I can’t hold back asking.

“Well, I just thought it’s a cake, so why not throw in some strawberry flavor by using the jelly that has been sitting around not being used since…forever.” Ed gives me a shrug of his shoulders, and I don’t even try to hide the grin I’m wearing.

Wiping the counters and glancing at Ed I ask, “Not this Sunday coming, but the one after I’m going to make a lunch for all my clients, that of course includes you Ed. Would you like to come to my home, have a home cooked meal and a little company? I’ll have a cab collect you all and bring you to my home. That way, you’ll not have to worry about anything.”

“Girlie, of course, I want to come. Not sure about sitting with all the other old coots, but I can suffer being around them for you.”

Ed has a delighted expression on his face, so I know full well that he’s only blustering. “Well, that is good, because it would not be the same without you.” I grin to myself as I notice Ed puffing his chest out as he takes a seat at his kitchen table.

The rest of the evening I spend with Ed, far longer than I should be here. But he is such good company that I enjoy listening to him talking about his wife who died and their travels. They didn’t have children as they wanted to see the world, and they both worked hard so they could have two months of the year traveling.

Ed owned a diner, and his wife worked alongside him. They had a trusted employee who would step up when Ed and his wife traveled.

“Ed, so if you owned a diner, and you did most of the cooking, how come you can’t make a cake?” I know I shouldn’t have asked, but the question flew out of my mouth before I could stop it.

“Well, I did all the meat, fries, and stuff like that. Sophie did all the green shit and other sides. The desserts we had brought from the bakery each day. So, in fact, we never had to do any baking. Even the bread we used for the burgers was fresh each day from the bakery.”

Taking the cake out of the oven, I turn it out onto the wire rack and the smell is divine. Looking at Ed, who is sniffing loudly while his eyes are closed, obviously enjoying the sweet smell too.

“Okay, Ed, while this cools, I’m going upstairs to clean the shower. I didn’t have time yesterday, but I want to do it tonightas tomorrow when I come, I want to get your laundry out of the way.”

“I’ll put the TV on and wait for you to get done. Then we can have a piece of this cake before you go home.” Ed bypasses his walker, which is in the kitchen near the door. My eyebrows must raise a little and Ed gives me a wink once he sees what I was looking at, but he makes no comment as he walks into the living room.

For some reason, he reminds me of the Three Stooges. It seems these older people have far more going for them than they like us to know about. But I’m going to be an older person one day, so I’m going to learn all the tricks I can, while I can.

The cake is lovely and I have a second smaller piece while Ed has two enormous pieces. “You know you’ll have some for a snack tomorrow if you don’t eat anymore.”

“Yeah, I’ll have it with my morning coffee. Then there will be a piece left that I can have after that horrid meal Alf will send over. It’s a peppered steak on Saturdays. It’s okay, but it gets boring having the same thing every week,” Ed grumbles.

“Do you want me to mention that to Alf or Heather when I see them?” I ask.

“Yeah, why not.”

“Okay, then, I’ll do that.” I grab my jacket, give Ed a smile, and after saying good night, I quickly get to my van and make my way home.

Saturday came around quickly, and knowing all my clients will eat peppered steak today, I didn’t worry about making meals for them. I’ll make sure all laundry is done and everyone has everything they need for Sunday while I have the day off.

By the time I’m home again, my feet ache and my back feels like it’s split in two. I take two pain-killers and drink a bottle of water before heading to the bathroom, and filling the bath with a sprinkle of Neroli and Jasmine bath oil into the water.

Laying in the water, my head back and eyes closed, I sigh contentedly. I allow my mind to wander and think about Bitty and her having the debts removed. It’s an immense relief and I’ll have money to spare for the first time in years. I have to get Yax removed and sell the house. Then I will truly have a way to save for my future.

My eyes fly open as I remember Mav and the date he said we were having. I don’t know if he’s coming here, or I’m supposed to meet him at Club Whisky because that’s where he said we were going. I jump out of the bath, and grab the towel, wrapping it around me quickly as I empty the bath and make sure everything is tidy. I know I can be a little OCD, but when you’ve had to look after yourself most of your life, you learn to keep life easy.

After drying myself, I wear clean underwear, find my newest pair of skinny jeans, which are at least a year old, and a fake cashmere top. It’s the best I can do until I get new clothes in the future. I throw my hair into a loose bun and think that’ll have to do. I hardly wear makeup, just a touch of mascara and lip gloss.

Downstairs, I place a tissue, lip gloss, and a few dollars in my purse. I’ve enough to get an Uber if needed and even pay for my own part of the meal. I’m always going to be ready to watch my back since Stefan had let me down.

Knocking at the door has me taking a deep breath, letting my nerves flow out of me before opening it and giving Mav a smile. “Hello, I’m ready.” I don’t pause as I close and lock the door, dropping the house key into my purse.

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