Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,25
had a text from Sarah to say she’d had a brilliant night with Mark and had invited him on Saturday for dinner and hoped she would like him too when they met. This, she realised was something she simply couldn’t face. The thought of sitting with the two love birds for the whole evening would be heart breaking and suddenly she felt trapped with no escape route. She was a guest at Sarah’s which meant she didn’t have much choice in the matter and knew she should be grateful but she was just so used to her own independence.
“Damn him!” she swore quietly, when she headed down the stairs towards the staff restaurant with Frances and explained the text to her.
Frances moaned sympathetically. “That will be a killer,” she said. “Look, it’s nearly the weekend, why don’t you ring Tim? And at least try to talk to him?”
“Me, ring him!” she said indignantly. “Why the hell should I ring him? I mean, why isn’t he ringing me?”
Frances held up her hands in defence. “Whoa! It was only a suggestion.”
“Frances, it’s his bloody fault I’m in this rotten mess and feeling in the way at a friend’s house,” she said angrily. “It’s OK for him sitting pretty in our apartment that I actually planned and spent hours decorating. Where’s the fairness in that?”
Katie realised she was being unkind to Frances who was only trying to help. “Look I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m just…”
“Angry?” Frances asked. “Yes, you’re angry now and it’ll do you good. Get this mess sorted out, Katie and don’t let him walk all over you. Lisa is right you need to be savvy about the apartment and especially about the money.”
While they stood at the restaurant counter deciding what to choose for lunch she had a text from Lisa asking her if she would like to eat Indian food that evening rather than drinking more wine at Sarah’s, and furthermore she had free tickets for a play at the national theatre. Katie was delighted, this was just what she needed to keep her mind occupied and she readily agreed.
Choosing a chicken salad while Frances opted for the daily special of mince and dumplings, one of the planning team called across for them to join their table.
Katie moaned, “Frances, please don’t sit on their table. I can’t bear listening to all that rubbish about a sodding coffee mug being taken from a desk. They’re all so bloody anal it makes me want to scream at the trivia…”
As Katie paid for her meal she saw Frances walk over to join another table where the sales team were seated and she inwardly groaned because this could turn out to be even worse than the planners but she had no choice than to follow and put her tray down opposite James, the head of meat marketing. If there was anything that would make her head throb more it would be listening to him gloat about himself.
She’d never liked James since her first month at the company when he’d made a pass at her on a works night out and because she’d been warned by Frances that he always tried it on with the new girl, she’d pushed him away. His dented ego had never let him forget it. It was common knowledge now that he was having an affair with one of the junior marketing girls who was a blonde nineteen year old bombshell while his wife, who Katie and Frances had met on numerous occasions and liked, was at home raising his three children.
“Christ, if only it was so easy,” James groaned. “We’ve exhausted the two local restaurants, so according to her they aren’t special any more - well, not special enough for an anniversary dinner. So, it’s going to cost me a bloody fortune bringing her back into the city for a meal and then a taxi home again.”
The poor woman, Katie thought while staring at his fat podgy hand gripping the knife and remembering how sick she’d felt when he’d tried to stroke her leg. “Well, how about fish & chips in a newspaper?” Katie commented sneering at him. “That way, she’ll know exactly how much she means to you.”
He dropped his knife down with a clatter while everyone at the table sniggered and then his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “Yeah, good idea,” he smirked back at her. “But there again, it doesn’t matter what I give her to eat she’ll still be gagging for it as usual