Lost Love, John Russell [desktop ebook reader .txt] 📗

she spoke I wanted to reach across and smell her long silky hair, but thankfully managed to resist the temptation.
“Work” she replied “I have been coming down to run a training program at head office. Its been two days a week, every week, for the last month. So I’ve been staying at various hotels over the last few weeks, some in the city some in the suburbs. Today is my last day”
“There you go love.” Grumpy was back way too quick.
As she paid I glanced down at her left hand, no rings! I rapidly put in my order “Can I have the same please.”
She moved towards the door.
“Are you getting the tube? “ I called after her.
“Yes” she replied “Are you?”
I remember thinking God our children are going to be beautiful and managed a feeble nod in response to her question.
“Ok I’m going to walk slowly over and I’ll wait at the top of the stairs for you”
“Ok, I’m Tom by the way”
“Hi Tom I’m Sarah” she replied and then slipped her elegant shape out through the door.
That Bagel was the slowest thing to toast that I have ever known. For what seemed like ages I stood coffee in hand waiting for it to pop. Several times I almost cancelled it but Grumpy Git was looking really weird at me .
POP damn you!!
Then it was out, on the bread board buttered and in my hand.
“Thank you” I said as I thrust the fiver into his hand and headed for the door “keep the change.”
Finally I could get out and find Sarah.
“Hey wait a minute, not so quick mate” called Grumpy Git
I span round “What?”
“This is a forgery. Look the Queens head is facing the wrong way” the whole shop, in unison, looked in my direction “We’ve had loads of these round here lately. You chancers flooding the market with your counterfeit money.”
“No its not, I just got it just now from the florist stand” I said weakly waving my bunch of Roses as if they were proof of my innocence.
“You hang on there, I’m calling the police”
“What? No, look I come in here nearly every day. I’m not a forger. Where’s Annabelle, she’s my cousin. She’ll vouch for me. Look I’ll go to the cash point outside and draw some money to pay you.”
“Do I look stupid? You go out that door and Ill never see you or my money again. I’m calling the police.”
“Look please don’t I wont go outside till this is sorted. Can I ask where is Annabelle?”
“She’s out back having a err.. A comfort break she wasn’t very well when she came in this morning.”
“Will you please call her? She will vouch for me. I know Tom and Alice her mum and Dad. I’m named after Tom he’s my Mothers brother, my uncle.”
Grumpy Git looked me up and down. Looked between me and the door, as if to assess my escape time if I made a break for it, then he half turned and opened the backroom door “Anna! Can you come here love?” he waited as she called back. “Ok love”
He moved back to the counter “She’ll be out in a few minutes Wait”
“But I need…”
“Wait or the Police you choose mate“ was his uncompromising reply “ NEXT”
It was another five minutes before Annabelle came out from the backroom.
“Hi Tom” she did look really bad.
“Hi Annabelle please sort this guy out for me will you. Tell him I’m no forger and I’ll pay you tomorrow”
It was a statement not a question and with that I raced out the door and across the city station. Darting round people and cases and children in pushchairs I hurtled headlong to Sarah. I knew when I got two thirds across the station that she was gone. The top of the stairs had no one waiting. I ran down the stairs but still no one waited for me. She had gone! There was no running along the platform and falling into each others arms. Just an emptiness. I waited for over an hour and then made my way to work apologising once again for my late arrival. I explained that it was my Mothers birthday but promised to work through my lunch the next day and make up the time. As I went home that night I dawdled, I skulked and generally moped about like a little kid. Partly out of sheer frustration and partly to keep hanging around for another minute and another, just hoping for one last chance to bump into her again.
That was two years ago when fate, it seemed, dealt its last hand that day and left me high and dry. Even to this day I haunt the stations and tubes of the city, I check out every training course I can find in the city. I even spent a summer vacation in the Lakes in the pitiful and ever dwindling hope of finding and this time holding on to the love of my life. I remember her words, standing in the coffee shop “today is my last day” and I ached for the lost love I had so nearly found.
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Publication Date: 01-04-2011

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