The Vintage Cycling Cafe 1

by Shelley Roberts

  ‘Give me that,’ he said brusquely and reached for the map. He opened it up and scanned it over. His eyebrow raised. ‘Well, missy. First of all, congratulations on getting yourself what must be the oldest map in all of Meadowbrook.’

  ‘It’s my nan’s. It’ all I could find...’

  ‘And secondly, this path you’ve been following, is it this one here?’ He pointed at the line she’d been so sure of with his finger – no wedding ring, she couldn’t help but notice – and gave her a smirk.

  ‘Yes, that’s the one. See, I told you, there’s only one.’ She faltered. ‘Unless the map’s so old there are more...’

  ‘That as it may be, but this here isn’t a footpath at all. It’s the region boundaries.’ He let out a laugh again. This time, it was clear he was mocking her.

  And damnit, she was right: when he smiled he was quite handsome, which made her hate him even more.

  ‘It’s these lines you want to follow. The lighter ones.’ He pointed out a few and after a glimpse, it was obvious.

  She held her head up high, not wanting to show her weakness. ‘Well, thank you, Mr...’

  ‘It’s Russell.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Russell,’ she said sharply. ‘I’ll be on my way now.’ She grabbed the map back off him and made to turn around.

  ‘One more thing, miss...?’

  ‘Miss Price.’ She looked into his eyes.

  ‘You were reading the map upside down.’

  Eugh! She couldn’t stand this man! She turned on the spot and stormed away without saying goodbye. As she trod over the rough ground, trying to control her breathing, she could hear him mutter to himself:

  ‘Londoners...’

  ‘I’m sorry, what did you say, Mr Russell?’ She couldn’t resist turning around to confront him.

  ‘You’re a Londoner, right?’ There was a glint in his eye.

  ‘Well, yes. But what makes you say that?’

  ‘The wellies. A clear sign,’ he shouted over to where she stood. ‘You might not want to try the village path – just a word of advice. Those city wellies aren’t really made for hard terrain. You’ll barely make it over the peak of the hill. There’s been a lot of rain.’

  And with that, he whistled for the dog and disappeared into the distance.

  Chapter Four

  The little church spire was in view and Heather breathed a sigh of relief. She had made it to the village. Take that, Mr Russell! She knew how to handle herself in the countryside! Well, her wellies told a different story. Mr Russell had indeed been right that they weren’t the right type for country terrain. They’d offered virtually no grip in the muddier sections of path and there were a couple of near misses as she’d tripped and had to cling on to a tree for support. The wellies were now caked in mud, as were most of her riding trousers.

  However, she pushed all thoughts of the return journey to the back of her mind and strolled down the narrow lane towards the village square, which she could also see from where she walked. There were thin strips of bunting hanging from the four pillars of the square which had clearly seen better days. The sad sight made her smile as she thought of the village fete it might have been a leftover from.

  She could also see the awnings of a few shops. But what she was really hoping for was somewhere where she could have a nice hot cup of tea. Her hands were frozen. She’d abandoned her posh leather gloves in her bag as she didn’t want to ruin them and as a result she could swear that her fingertips had turned blue.

  Nana had mentioned the Old Oak, the pub where all the ‘young people’ hung out, but despite the call of a nice warm fire and maybe even a pie and chips, she couldn’t face any other people her age seeing her in such a state. She was very aware that maybe walking in these conditions hadn’t been the best idea and even so, she was so ill equipped to deal with the mud that she looked just like what Mr Russell had pegged her for: a city girl way out of her depth.

  Just the reminder of him made her seethe and she ardently hoped that she wouldn’t have to encounter him again during her stay in Meadowbrook.

  Fortunately, she was saved the fate of facing her peers in the local pub as she discovered a lovely looking tea shop down one of the side streets. She wasn’t sure if it was open – the inside looked fairly dark – but she was dying for a cup of tea and she was prepared to beg if she needed to.

  The sign on the door did indeed say ‘open’, so she bowed her head under the little door and entered. Inside, the tea room was deceptively large: lots of rectangular wooden tables ran parallel along the two far walls. Each table held a small tea light which gave a nice inviting feeling, but in such a large room they did little to light the place, hence why Heather thought it had been shut from where she had stood outside.

  ‘Grandma! There’s someone here!’ called a small voice from the back of the room. It was a little girl, no more than three or four, who wore red dungarees with a stripy t-shirt underneath. In the front pocket of the dungarees was a little white bunny toy and as the girl ran away from Heather’s sight, she clung on to the front of the pocket to stop the toy from escaping.

  From the back of the room, a plump woman with a friendly face appeared. She had wispy grey hair tied up at the top of her head with tendrils escaping all over the face. She had the look of a retired painter, but her smile immediately had the look of a friend.

  ‘Why, hello there,’ the woman said. ‘Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. But my little assistant here is doing an excellent job in my stead.’ She laughed and ruffled the girl’s hair.

  ‘Hi there,’ Heather said. ‘You are open, aren’t you?’

  ‘Oh yes, of course. Ruby –’ she turned to the little girl ‘– why don’t you run and grab the nice lady a menu so she can have a look at what she wants to order.’

  At this, the girl nodded and ran back through the archway.

  ‘Take a seat wherever, my love. As you’ll see, we’re not heaving with the mid-morning crush just yet!’ She laughed again and busied herself with the salt and pepper pots on a nearby table.

  Heather took a seat close by to the door so she could look out the window and gaze at the activity outside, not that there was much. The street was all but empty for a couple of pigeons that were fighting over a stray chip in the gutter.

  Ruby returned with the menu: a laminated sheet of a4 paper with a short selection of lunch options. Heather spotted a typo on the first line but she didn’t want to judge. The country is a very different thing entirely from the little bistros she knew in London and this place was obviously family-run.

  She ordered a cup of tea from the kind woman and shyly hid her muddy boots under the table, praying desperately that she wasn’t walking in mud all over the stone floor. Being the only person in here, it would be very obvious who the culprit was if she left any mess behind.

  When the lady returned with her drink, she hovered by the table as if she were about to say something.

  Heather broke the silence with, ‘It’s a lovely little place you have here.’ She looked around and in part she did mean it. Though it could do with a lick of paint and the furniture was quite sparse and soulless, there was a nice air to the place, which she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and the ceilings were so high it did feel quite grand. No, this place had a lot of promise and, as a lover of interior design, Heather couldn’t quite help herself from redesigning the place in her head.

  ‘Oh, that’s nice of you to say, dearie.’ The woman placed the pot of tea in front of her alongside a small jug of milk. ‘My Edgar, that’s my late husband, well, he bought the business when we first moved here. Oh, it must have been over forty years ago now. It’s changed a lot since then, as has the town. We don’t get quite as many visitors anymore. Not quite tourist season yet.’ She stared at Heather a moment. ‘I’ve not seen you around here before, have I?’

  ‘No, you wouldn’t have. I only just got here yesterday. I’ve come up for a while to look after my Nana while she gets better. She’s just ha
d an operation.’

  The lady’s eyes widened. ‘Well, that’s it! You must be Nessa’s girl! Heather, isn’t it? Why, she’s been telling the whole town about you being here.’

  ‘That’s me. Guilty as charged. Wait, how did you know that? I didn’t think Nana has been out since she got back.’

  The woman chuckled. ‘That, she hasn’t. But what you won’t know yet is that your Nessa has got the whole village wrapped around her little finger. She has a lot of fans, that woman. And reason for it too. She’s a very supportive member of the community. She always used to come in for a coffee and walnut cake when she was doing her shopping. We’d always have a good old chinwag.’

  ‘That’s nice. My nan does love her cake!’ Heather conceded.

  ‘Do give my love to her. I do miss seeing her face around here. As you can see, we don’t get that many customers. Most of the time it’s just me and Ruby. Ruby over there, my granddaughter. I look after her while her mother goes to work in the city. We have a grand old time, but it is nice to have some adult company as well, isn’t it?’ She gave her a little wink.

  The bell above the door chimed, announcing the arrival of a couple also in need of a hot drink, from the looks of their pink cheeks. Before the woman left Heather to go see them in, she gave her a smile and said, ‘The name’s Gwen. Give me a shout if you need anything else.’

  The tea did just the trick and warmed Heather right up. She could feel the life coming back into her fingers and the fighting spirit come back to her soul. If she did see that Mr Russell again she would give him a piece of her mind, she decided, especially now that she knew that the whole village seemed to be behind her Nana. It being such a small place, her Nana probably knew him as well.

  Heather always carried around a small notepad in her bag and she pulled it out, ready to jot down some of the ideas for crafts that had been whirring around her head during the walk, before she’d got anxious and lost, that is. But instead, she found herself sketching the tea shop around her. There were black beams running the length of the ceiling and the textures in the wall were so fascinating she had to get it down. And before she knew it, she found herself making small improvements in her drawing: a tablecloth here, a piece of art on the wall, some feature lamps and a plush armchair in the corner. She was so engrossed in her sketching that she didn’t notice that she had company.

  ‘Whatcha doing?’ an inquisitive Ruby asked from opposite her. Unbeknownst to Heather, she had taken position on the chair on the other side of the table and sat politely with her hands clasped in front of her.

  ‘Just drawing. Do you like drawing?’

  Ruby nodded. ‘Can I see?’

  Shame-faced, Heather couldn’t bring herself to show her, not wanting to seem rude to her or her grandmother, who had been so nice. She hadn’t meant to start sketching what the tea shop might look like with a bit of sprucing up, and she hated to think what Gwen might say if she saw. ‘I’ll tell you what,’ she said instead. ‘Tell me your favourite animal and I’ll draw a picture for you that you can keep.’

  ‘OK,’ said Ruby and Heather already knew what she was going to say. ‘A bunny rabbit.’

  ‘Consider it done.’ She gave her a smile. It was quite nice having the company of a little girl. She didn’t really know any, as she came from a small family, and her old home wasn’t exactly what you would call a family area.

  ‘I like your hat. Can I wear it?’ Ruby reached out for the beret and before Heather knew what to do, Gwen had come back over.

  ‘Ruby, what are you doing over here?’ And to Heather: ‘I do hope she’s not bothering you.’

  ‘Oh no, not at all. I was just drawing a picture for her actually.’ She moved the pad over to show Gwen the brief outline of a bunny that she’d already drawn.

  ‘Well, that’s good. Here, have this.’ And with that, she slid over a small white plate which held a brown sponge cake. ‘I thought you could do with a little pick me up. Coffee and walnut – your Nan’s favourite.’

  ‘Thank you. That’s so kind.’

  ‘It’s nothing. I made some fresh this morning and I doubt I’ll get that many people in here this evening.’ She sighed. ‘It’s that new pub over the road. One of those chains.’ She said the word with disdain. ‘They do everything nowadays. Not just pints and drinks, no. They do food and coffees. If I’m not careful they’ll run me out of business!’ She feigned a laugh but Heather could see that it didn’t reach her eyes. ‘Anyway, just a little thank you for choosing here instead, haha.’

  ‘That’s awful, I didn’t realise. I’m sorry to hear that,’ Heather said. ‘Between you and me, I did walk past the Old Oak first and I just couldn’t stand to go in there. It just looks so formulaic, you know? Where I live – in London – you get those everywhere. It just seems so strange to find them in such a lovely place like this.’

  ‘Ah, darling. That’s just what I needed to hear. Didn’t want to get so cynical in my old age, but they’re just so hard to compete with. All the young’uns want snazzy brunch options and their fancy coffees. It’s just not me. And it’s not what my Edgar would have wanted.’

  ‘Well, I’m only one person,’ Heather said. ‘But while I’m staying with Nana I’ll be choosing here over that old pub. You just can’t beat a nice cosy atmosphere and homemade cake. I bet they don’t serve that over there, do they?’ she said with a glint in her eye and put a forkful of cake in her mouth.

  And wow. Heather couldn’t believe what she was tasting. This cake was ... she couldn’t think of the word for it. Delicious didn’t cover it. She didn’t think she’d ever had a cake as good. No wonder Nana came here as often as Gwen said – she did have a major sweet tooth after all. And after the morning Heather had had, she would definitely do that walk again for more cakes like this.

  ‘Gwen, this is wonderful! It’s just so ... so ... perfect.’

  ‘I know.’ Ruby giggled from where she still sat opposite her. ‘Gran makes THE BEST cakes.’

  ‘Oh Ruby, come on. Let the poor girl eat in peace. And glad to know you like it, love. I’ll wrap up a piece for you to take back to Nessa too. And let her know I’m thinking of her.’

  ‘I will. Thanks, Gwen.’

  And later, when Heather left the tea room, with a slice of cake placed delicately in her bag and her drawing of Ruby’s bunny pinned firmly to the back wall, she felt that everything had changed. It was only a small thing, the fact that Gwen already knew her name and the addition of that small act of kindness, but all of a sudden Heather felt like she belonged, and she wondered why she hadn’t come out here more over the last few years.

  And she didn’t know why – or indeed how – but she wanted to do something to help Gwen. And with so much time to herself to think now, she was sure she would hit on it in good time.

  Chapter Five

  The tea and cake had brought a lot of life back to Heather’s freezing fingers and she felt like she had the spring back in her step. Outside the cafe, the welcome fresh air hit her like a soothing compress. She was looking forward to checking out the rest of the village. Gwen had given her some tips on what to look out for, as well as the location of the car boot. Unfortunately, it would be closing up by now – it was nearly lunch time – so she made a mental note to head back there tomorrow, now she knew what time the bus came.

  She idled the afternoon away, checking out the little shops on the main road: she visited a second-hand book store that was small but cosy; here she picked up a little book of quotes for herself and a crossword book for Nana. She dropped into a little clothing boutique, but the clothes were admittedly a lot closer to Nana’s style than hers. She passed a butcher, a bakery and a newsagent, as well as a little gift shop that sold handmade blankets and cushions. It was exactly the type of place that she made her wooden trinkets for and she thought she should have a word with the owner once she’d got settled.

  Everyone she met greeted her with a warm smile and a hello, but there was no one near as friendly as G
wen, and she almost wanted to stop back in to say goodbye to her and Ruby for the day. But she did realise that Gwen was the only person that knew who she was. It amused her greatly knowing how much of a local celebrity her Nana was and with every shop she visited, she wondered whether Nessa had spoken to the owner about her granddaughter who was coming to stay. Probably not, she thought to herself modestly. But they’ll definitely be on good terms with Nana – who couldn’t be? She’d have her time to get to know everyone. It was a small enough village as it was.

  Naturally, she passed by the Old Oak on her way back and couldn’t help but pull a grimace in solidarity with her new friend. The more she inspected the exterior, the more she could see how they had changed what was quite clearly a once beautiful building to a run-of-the-mill chain pub. They’d painted one side of the building a garish yellow which assaulted her design eye and to complement this were words emblazoned onto the side, telling of the various barbecue ribs they served.

  Yes, definitely not a place for her.

  Michael would have loved it, she thought with a scoff.

  She was about to turn away, to focus on the lovely parts of the village – the faded bunting, the little street signs with their embossed road names, the hanging baskets around the shop fronts – when a barking noise drew her attention. It was a dog exiting the pub. A dog she recognised.

  Coach.

  Which could only mean...

  Yes, there he was. Mr Russell. Of course he’d be a punter of this establishment. Not wanting to get into another nausea-inducing conversation with him, she turned on her heel. But not before they locked eyes.

  She wished she could have read his baffling expression.

  As much as the walk into town gave Heather time to think and be at one at nature, the stress of it made her absolutely not want to do it again. At least not today.

  The bus only came into town twice a day so it stood to reason that it would also go back to Nana’s that afternoon as well. As she approached the bus stop she hoped to God she hadn’t missed it and was pleased to see that it was due any minute.