Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,42

pizzas.

It seemed strange cooking for one again she thought as she climbed onto the bed because she’d been so used to Tim cooking for them. Actually, food had been a huge part of their lives together because they both worked with it all day, talked about it endlessly at home, shopped for it at markets, and of course ate it when he tried out new recipes for the restaurant. Sadly, she wondered if he was getting used to boiling only enough pasta or rice for one and then firmly pushed the thought of him out of her mind. Feeling her eyes droop she made a new resolution and decided every time she thought of a memory with him from the past she would blot it out of her mind as quickly as possible. She was not going to end up like one of these single women who droned on and on about a broken relationship.

The next morning when she arrived into the office a huge bouquet of flowers had been delivered for her and Frances was practically jumping up and down with excitement when with trembling hands Katie fished the card out of the centre and opened the small envelope. The flowers were from Lynne and Graham. A crashing feeling of disappointment and unhappiness swept through her especially when she saw Frances’s face crumble with empathy.

Lynne had written to say how sorry she was to hear that she’d left Tim and wondered if Katie could find it in herself to keep in touch with her. She added that Graham was sorting a cash settlement out for her and she’d have a cheque through the post if she could forward her new address to them.

She read it out to Frances who immediately raved at their kindness and thoughtfulness.

“Yeah, I’ll miss them,” Katie said. “They’re really nice people and I’d grown quite attached, especially to Lynne.”

Frances bent over the flowers and sniffed the fragrance. “Well, give it a few weeks and then maybe you’ll feel up to ringing her for a chat?”

Katie took a deep breath, remembered her new resolve and mumbled an agreement to Frances although she knew she wouldn’t. Tim had cut her off and there was no way she would go snivelling around to his parents to listen to stories about his new life. It was blatantly obvious now he had no intention of any type of communication and lifting her shoulders with pride she composed an email to him.

To tim.davies from katie.charles

Hi Tim,

Please thank your mum and dad for the flowers – they are beautiful. Here is my temporary address for the settlement cheque and any post that may arrive for me.

Katie

During another busy morning she started to look at three new product launches that were scheduled to take place in the May and took a telephone message from personnel. They asked if she could clear her diary for the following morning at ten o’clock for a meeting with them and her business unit manager. It wasn’t an interview but as team leader they wanted to discuss something with her. Hmm, she wondered excitedly, maybe it was something to do with the project manager’s job? Automatically she looked across to Frances’s desk to ask her opinion but remembered she’d taken the afternoon off for some dental work. Oh well, she’d find out soon enough tomorrow she decided to carry on with the pile of paperwork.

Chapter Ten

With the mystery of tomorrow’s personnel meeting whirling around in her mind Katie left work on time that evening because she’d asked her mum for dinner and ran up the stairs to her new flat with two bags of shopping. She knew her mum was concerned and even though she’d told her the flat was great and she was settling in easily, she knew having her to visit would be the only way to put her mind at rest.

Katie was hanging her coat in the hall cupboard when her mum said, “You see, Katie, I like to be able to imagine you in a place and know that it’s safe. I mean, when you were in the apartment with Tim I never had a moment’s hesitation…”

It was on the tip of her tongue to remind her that she was nearly thirty and a grown woman but knew her mum would worry about her no matter what age she was.

“Yes, Mum, I know,” she said. “And that’s why I’m cooking you a lovely dinner so you can see I’m really very comfortable and safe