Page 33 of A Clean Sweep
Back at TheLittle Shop of Treasures, Tabitha ushered Meryl upstairs. She hadn't said a word on the return journey, just stared ahead as if all the answers to the universe were etched on the windscreen. Time for some serious action. She headed for the fridge, located a bottle of white and grabbed two glasses from an overhead cupboard. Thankfully it was a screwtop as Tabitha hadn't a clue which drawer might contain a corkscrew. She poured two generous measures and brought them over to where Meryl had collapsed in a crumpled heap.
'Here. Get this down you. It won't cure anything but it'll help numb the pain. I know the advice is to "drink responsibly" but right now I think you need be a bit irresponsible. Oh Meryl, I am so,sosorry.' Tabitha took a generous mouthful of her wine. Waited as Meryl raised her glass, then proceeded to knock it back in one. Go, girl!
Spluttering slightly, Meryl signalled for a top-up. Tabitha duly obliged, already prepared to crash on the couch if their drinking session showed signs of continuing.
'You know, I should have known it was too good to be true. All those years in the desert and along he comes, my Lawrence of Arabia. My knight in shining armour. Sweeping me off my feet, making me believe I'd found my happy ever after. But it was all a big, fatfuckinglie.'
Tabitha winced, not least because she had never heard Meryl swear before. It was a bit like watchingThe Sound of Musicand hearing Julie Andrews drop the F bomb. She bit her lip and watched as Meryl downed another substantial measure. Thankfully there was a second bottle in the fridge. And she would happily stay the night and open the shop in the morning if needs be.
'Is it me, Tabbie? Do I just attract the wrong kind of men?Am I so dumb, sostupidthat I can't see when I'm being played for a fool? I'm not getting any younger, and clearlynot getting any wiser. Should I just give up? Cash in my savings and sail off into the sunset? Where I'll probably meet another smooth-talking bastard with his eye on my assets. And I don't meanthese!'
Meryl looked down despondently at her cleavage, which was heaving considerably less since she'd consumed the best part of a bottle of wine. She was calmer, that was for sure, but her morale had been dealt an almighty blow. Tabitha didn't knowhow, but she knew she had to find a way to put her boss back on her feet, restore her faith in humanity – at least, the ones with penises – and ensure the Dancing Queen was back at the top of her game.
A second bottle down and Meryl swayed her way to her bedroom. Tossing a pile of bedding and pillows in Tabitha's general direction, she hiccupped gently and weaved her way back for a hug.
'You're an angel, Tabbie. I don't know what I'd do without you. You're like the daughter I never had. Your mum's the luckiest woman on the planet, having you. Sleep well. See you in the morning.' And she was gone, leaving Tabitha to arrange the covers and pillows on a sofa that was clearly not designed for slumber. More like chronic back pain and rampant insomnia. Ah well, she was still young, free and single. Which suddenly reminded her. Adam. With all the drama of Meryl and discovering her mum's much younger lover (if they'd got that far yet, who knew?) she'd neglected to contact him. And the ball was firmly in her court as she had all his details. She pulled his card out of her purse and located her phone. Time for a text. She squinted at her watch. Definitely not too early. Or too late. After a few misjudged attempts she managed to type :Hi there! It's me! Tabitha! How are you! Would you like to meet up sometime?She hit send then squinted at what she'd just written. Far too many exclamation marks. Bugger. Too late now. He wasprobably sniggering at her message then hitting delete. All that flirty stuff at the showroom and she'd blown it by firing off a text fuelled by alcohol and empathy for her boss. Not the best way of launching a fledgling relationship. Tabitha slumped back on the sofa, resigned to a restless night plagued with nightmares of Miroslaw and Adam poking her with pitchforks and cackling demonically.Then her phone beeped.
Hello there! It's me! Adam! I'm just fine, happy to hear from you! Are you free tomorrow evening! Drinks at Bar Belle, say 7pm! That would be great! PS I think I trounced you with the exclamation marks!
Tabitha suppressed a giggle, stuffing a corner of duvet in her mouth in case she disturbed Meryl. Just when her faith in mankind was hitting an all-time low, there was someone out there who could make her smile.
The next day, after a surprisingly good sleep, Tabitha woke at just after seven. There was no sign of Meryl and a couple of hours before they needed to open the shop. Dressing quickly and gathering up her bits, she headed home to shower and change.
Back at her flat, she made a strong pot of tea and scoffed a round of toast dripping with butter and marmalade. Then she hopped in the shower, feeling better than she deserved after the wine consumption. After blow drying her hair and painting on a layer of slap she was all set.
Meryl was already busy putting price tags on some new stock when Tabitha walked in. She put down her stickers and pen and rushed to give her an enormous hug.
'Sorry about last night. Too much wine always makes me maudlin and tearful. Particularly when I've had a day like yesterday. But I can't thank you enough for being there for me. Andwithme. I think I'd have collapsed on the spot if you hadn't been there to take care of me.'
Tabitha hugged Meryl back with fervour. 'You've nothing to apologise for. I'm just glad we know the truth now and you can get on with your life and meet some delicious hunk who'll treat you like the goddess you are.' Meryl laughed, and patted Tabitha on the cheek. 'I'm hardly a goddess, sweetheart, more of an ancient relic. And I don't need to be worshipped, just treated with kindness and respect. Anyway, I'm having a sabbatical from dating for a while. Just need time to lick my wounds and … damn it. I completely forgot!' Meryl slapped her hand on her forehead, her smile gone.
'What did you forget?' asked Tabitha, her own face creased with puzzlement. 'If it's about placing that order for those fancy wallet things then I did it already …’
Meryl shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. 'No, I was supposed to text Miroslaw about the money transfer and to arrange a night out to celebrate. Ha! As ifthat'sgoing to happen. Over my dead body, or rather,his.The thing is, if nothing shows up in his account he'll no doubt appear spouting his usual bullshit and I truly never want to see his conniving face ever again.'
Tabitha decided this required some careful thought and more tea. She popped to the loo first – empty then refill –with a promise to return with refreshments and a suitably cunning plan. A few minutes later and she was back, bearing two steaming mugs and a broad grin. 'I've got it!' she announced in a tone that suggested she had just discovered a cure for something horrible. 'Let me just grab a bit of paper and a pen …'
Meryl watched curiously as Tabitha scribbled away, occasionally crossing something out. Finally she stopped and pushed the piece of paper in front of her boss. 'There. What do you think?'
Meryl put on her glasses and read the words out loud:
Dear Miroslaw. Or should that be Martin? Or Marvin? OrMaurice? My sources tell me it might even be Malcolm. Whatever your namereallyis, I just wanted to let you know that you won't be seeing a penny of my money. If you ever dare to show your slimy, deceitful face around here I'll be calling the police. And I'll be letting all the dating agencies you've signed up with know what a cheating bastard you are. Meryl.
She turned to Tabitha, her mouth wide open. 'You really think I should do that? Contact the dating sites, I mean?'
Tabitha nodded with conviction. 'Absolutely! Fire off that message to him now and, when we get a break later, I'll help you to email the ones we found. They might not do anything but maybe they have a kind of blacklist of creeps like him. If it stops him scamming someone else …’
The rest of the morning passed pleasantly. Unsurprisingly, there was no reply to Meryl's text, not that she expected or wanted one. Time to draw a line under the whole sorry experience and move on. Onwards and upwards, that had always been Meryl's motto when life didn't go to plan.
At just after midday, when a couple of customers had departed laden with goodies, she turned the shop sign to 'Closed'. Tabitha had just returned from the loo – all that tea had got to her – and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. Normally they stayed open at lunchtime, with one of them manning the shop while the other nipped out for sandwiches or a takeaway salad. 'What's up? Are you feeling all right?' she inquired, worried that Meryl was still in shock and wasn't really up to a full day's work.
'I'm absolutely fine, Tabbie. All the better for having my golden girl around to look after me. And, on that note, I'm taking you out for lunch so grab your coat and let's go!'
Seated in a booth in Wine O’ Clock, one of Emily's favourite hang-outs, they perused the glossy menus. Meryl had insisted they have a glass of bubbly each – 'to celebrategetting rid of M Man!' – so they toasted one another before placing their orders. Seafood risotto for Meryl and Cajun chicken salad for Tabitha.
'It's lovely in here, isn't it?' said Meryl, forking up a mouthful of rice and prawns. 'I can't believe I haven't come here before. Didn't you say your mum's a regular?'
Tabitha took a large gulp of water before replying. The chicken wasextremelyspicy but very tasty. 'She comes every couple of weeks with my aunt Celeste. Ooh, there's somethingIcompletely forgot to tell you about. You arenotgoing to believe this!'
