Page 26 of Autumn at the Oak Leaf Café
‘I think I’m in love with my ex-boyfriend—’
‘Don’t interrupt. But then one day, after a particularly savage day of being bullied, I lifted my head, looked in the mirror, and told myself, “No more.” I began that path of growth that led me to where I am today, standing before you, standingoveryou, Dr. Janine Woodfield, high earning, highly successful, career orientated, engaged to a wonderful, handsome man, owner of my own home, master of my own destiny—’ Janine leaned forward. ‘Tell me, Ms. Fellow, do you want to become just like me?’
There were two possible answers. Madeline went with the one she suspected Janine wanted to hear.
‘Ah, yes?’
Janine nodded. ‘Good. I thought so. I’ll see you next week at the same time.’ She stood up, wheeled her chair back behind her desk, picked up a little lime-green watering can and began feeding a line of pot plants. ‘Be sure to tell Edith on reception whether you’d like to pay weekly or sign up for a package deal,’ she added, not looking back. ‘Ten percent discount on bookings of ten sessions of more.’
With a shrug, Madeline stood up and went out. In reception, a smiling girl in her early twenties asked her for seventy-five pounds.
‘But the website said twenty-five,’ Madeline protested.
The girl gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘But this was an initial consultation,’ she said. ‘Wherein Dr. Woodfield established your needs. Is the same time next Tuesday all right?’
‘I don’t think I need any more sessions,’ Madeline said.
‘In that case, it’s one hundred and fifty,’ Edith said.
‘What?’
‘Initial consultations with the doctor are billed at half price when a full treatment course is ordered,’ Edith told her.
Madeline sighed. ‘I guess I’ll see you at the same time next week, then.’
She was still feeling a little flat when she got back to the café, but quickly galvanised herself into work mode when she saw that all the outdoor tables were full, and a gaggle of conversation was coming through the open café windows. She hurried inside, waving at a smiling Ruby, who wiped a theatrical hand across her brow.
‘Bus tour came in,’ she said, then nodded at a girl carrying a tray of coffees over to a table of old ladies. She was pretty, a few years younger than Madeline, in her mid-twenties, perhaps. She talked to the customers with a casual ease, and when Madeline noticed one of them patting the engagement ring on her finger, she couldn’t help but feel a little pang of envy.
‘That’s Lily, Pete’s daughter,’ Ruby said. ‘I hope you don’t mind. I recruited her for the afternoon. I offered her free lattes for the next month.’
‘Hi,’ Lily said, returning to the counter. ‘You must be Madeline. Ruby said you were desperate. I was over at thRory, covering for Dad, as he has a bit of a cold.’
‘Thanks so much.’
Lily smiled. ‘Anytime. I’d better get back to thRory if that’s okay. Not much going on at this time of day, but usually around three we get a few early commuters.’
‘No problem.’
‘Good luck.’ Lily glanced over her shoulder at a group of old men in the middle of a heated conversation. One was on his feet, jabbing a finger at the others. ‘A bit of a storm going down at the moment. I’d let them argue it out.’
‘What happened?’
Lily’s smile dropped. ‘The theatre’s selling off its free car park to a private company.’
15
Reconnecting
‘Those companies arethe scum of the earth,’ Ruby said, sipping a coffee as she sat with Madeline at one of the outside tables, after the tour group had departed. ‘It’s like a tax inspector and a traffic warden got together and spawned.’
‘Spawned?’
‘Like, had a whole load of eggs. Honestly, my dad says they’re right up there on the league table of scumbags with debt collection agencies, temp companies, and zero-hours contractors.’
‘You seem to know all about it.’
‘My uncle is a delivery driver for one of those big companies. If he’s thirty seconds late, he gets fined double the delivery fee. Honestly, someone needs to dig a massive pit and throw all these companies inside. It’s like, how can you live with yourself?’
