Right Here Waiting for You

by Pugh, Rebecca

  They shared a brief hug before Sophia turned and left the café. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to keep up with his dating progress, but they were friends first and foremost, so she felt it necessary to be there for support if he needed it. She hurried down the street with her heart thudding, feeling so incredibly foolish as she blinked her tears away. Stupid, stupid, stupid. To think that she even had a chance! She should have been quicker. She should have told him how she felt. But she hadn’t wanted to rush things after how terrible his relationship had ended up being with Tanya. And now it was too late.

  ‘This one, or this one?’ Sophia held up two tops.

  ‘The left one, definitely. So how are you feeling about tonight? Are you nervous?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Sophia began to undress, climbing into a pair of jeans and tugging the top that Magda had chosen for her over her head. ‘It’s not like anything major is going to happen. We’re just going to hang out, that’s all.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ Magda snorted. ‘I know for a fact that Tom Archer is only after one thing from you tonight, and it doesn’t include watching movies.’

  Sophia blushed and laughed nervously. ‘Don’t be stupid, he’s not like that. He’s nice. He’s different to the other boys we know. You’ve even said that yourself.’

  Magda laughed. ‘Just be careful, okay? That’s all I’m saying, and if anything does happen, please use protection.’

  ‘Bloody hell! You sound like my mother,’ Sophia smiled. ‘So, what do you think?’ She turned and looked down at herself before looking back up at Magda.

  ‘You look beautiful, as always.’

  ‘Thanks, Magda. I’ll share all the juicy details with you tomorrow at break.’

  ‘Can’t wait. And remember, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!’

  Chapter Five

  ‘I’m going to be going away for a couple of weeks.’

  ‘Oh?’ Greg raised his head in interest at the other end of the dining table. ‘And where are you going?’

  ‘I’m going to visit my father. I’m going to go back to Worthington Green.’

  Greg’s eyes narrowed. ‘Your father? I thought you and he didn’t speak any more.’

  It was because of Greg that Magda’s relationship with her father had withered away to nothing. ‘We don’t, but life is too short, isn’t it? I’d like to see him again. I have no other family and I feel as though I’ve let my relationship with my father slip away. I miss him.’

  ‘Nonsense. You have my family,’ Greg said simply, as if that should have been enough for her.

  ‘I’m talking about my family,’ Magda challenged, raising her voice slightly. She could hardly call Greg’s parents her ‘family’. There was no warmth between them, no relationship or bond. ‘I shan’t be gone too long. Perhaps two weeks, maybe more if things go well. It all depends, I suppose.’

  ‘Okay. Fine. When will you be leaving?’

  ‘As soon as I can.’

  ‘And what shall I tell people?’

  Magda fought the urge to fling her plate at his head. Instead, she exhaled slowly. ‘Tell them I’ve gone to visit my family. Honestly, Greg, you’d think it was completely out of the ordinary, the way you go on. It’s not a big deal. People go home and visit their families all the time. It’s not alien to do so and I’ve no idea why you think it is.’

  ‘It is for you,’ he replied. He cocked his head to the side and eyed her.

  With a tight smile, she rose from the table. ‘I’m going to have an early night. Goodnight.’

  She felt him watching her as she left the room, but refused to look back at him.

  *

  The very moment she left the house a couple of days later, Magda felt the weight lift from her shoulders as if it were a physical thing. As she drove away from the place she laughably called ‘home’, she watched it grow smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror and finally felt able to breathe again. It was a blessed relief to get away, although what she was heading towards would only bring the anxiety back tenfold when she arrived at her next destination. No matter. She was prepared for it. Kind of. All she knew was that she was thankful to get away for a little while. Away from Greg and the lonely, lonely walls of that bloody house.

  If Magda was completely honest, she was using the invitation to the school reunion as a ticket out of the miserable life she led, but if only it was as simple as that. This wasn’t just a trip home to see her father. It was so much more.

  Magda had wondered, too, if Tom Archer was still around, working in that chip shop he’d spent so much of his time in. She remembered how many nights she and her friends had spent in that place back then. They must have stank of the smell of it when they left but they hadn’t cared. The memory of cans of pop fizzed on Magda’s tongue and the tang of the salty sausages lined the inside of her mouth. She hadn’t enjoyed a chip shop dinner in years. Greg didn’t allow any sort of fast food at home.

  Perhaps that’s what she would do this evening once she arrived in Worthington Green, as an act of defiance. Fuck you and your fast-food ban, Greg. I will absolutely stuff my face with food that is bad for me and there’s not a damn thing you’ll be able to do about it. She knew her father would appreciate it. He’d always enjoyed one of the chip shop’s steak and kidney pies, cradled on his lap while he sat in his favourite armchair and chomped away in front of the TV. He was a creature of habit, although it hadn’t always been that way. Only since Helena, his wife and Magda’s mother, had passed away. Before that, he’d been a businessman, overseeing the running of the fishing boats down at the harbour. He’d had a passion then. A purpose. A reason to spring out of bed every morning and get stuck into the day ahead. That had all changed though, and so had he.

  There was still a while to go before she arrived, so Magda turned her thoughts to her childhood, which seemed fitting, seeing as her destination was where most of her favourite memories had been created, if not all of them. She’d had a wonderful early childhood, there was no doubt about it. She and her parents hadn’t lived the most lavish of lifestyles but they hadn’t cared. They’d had everything they needed and that was all that had mattered. A bed to sleep in at night, warm food on the table and plenty of love to go around.

  It was odd that she’d turned into such a lover of material things as she’d grown older. That had changed now, but she had been very materialistic when she’d first met Greg and saw what sort of lifestyle he was offering. Maybe those expensive things she’d been such a fan of had only been to fill the empty spaces in her life as the years had worn on.

  Her mother had grown fresh vegetables and herbs in their small back garden and Magda could remember running along after her in the summer, with a woven basket to collect the final produce once her mother had plucked them from the ground. Potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and runner beans had often found their way into their dinners for the rest of the week. It had always felt comforting, knowing that the ingredients in their meals had come from their very own garden, tended to lovingly by Helena. Magda had always loved the dishes served up at dinner time too. Hearty stews and roast dinners had often graced their table, filling the kitchen with the smell of being at home, of being loved and wanted and taken care of. God, it had been such a long, long time since she’d felt that way.

  A stray tear had escaped during her thoughts, and Magda sniffed and hurriedly brushed it away. It wouldn’t do to cry. After all, where had it got her in the past? She knew about crying your heart out. She’d done plenty of that with her back against the locked bathroom door of her en suite. There’d been no need to lock it really. Greg wouldn’t have come looking for her in there. He was oblivious to her upset ninety-nine per cent of the time, and the one per cent when he did notice something was wrong, he chose to ignore it anyway. Stupid, stupid man. For the umpteenth time, Magda felt relief wash over her at being able to spend some time away from him. It would do her the world of good. But what followed was dread at the thought
of going back to him afterwards. Well, she just wouldn’t think about that yet. She had plenty of time before her return, so until then, she’d push Greg completely out of her thoughts and focus on what was waiting for her in Worthington Green instead.

  Already she felt more like her old self, which was always the way when they spent time apart, as if being away from Greg allowed enough room for her original personality to come back. It was odd, how much she’d lost, when back then she’d only been able to see the things she’d gain, which, in hindsight, hadn’t turned out to be a lot at all.

  Turning the volume of the car radio up to drown out her negative thoughts, she hummed along to the song playing and focused on the road. She made a few stops on the journey for coffee and snacks, just to keep her going until, finally, she passed by sights that looked all too familiar. An old windmill she’d been fascinated by as a little girl whenever her father had driven past, conjuring up a fairy-tale quality that had held Magda spellbound. There were the old factories too, now empty and unused and a bit of an eyesore on the otherwise picturesque landscape. With the sky the blue of a watercolour painting, Magda felt her heart lift at the prospect of being here again. She had missed it more than she cared to admit.

  The car continued to trundle along, slower now she’d entered the town of Worthington Green, and Magda gawked through the window at her surroundings. The familiar streets and pavements and shops and cafés had hardly changed at all. In fact, it was as if she’d never been away. Soon enough, she was heading down the winding road that led towards the harbour and the tired old homes that were some of the very first to have been built there. As she passed the row of houses that led to her father’s, she wondered about the people inside them. Were they still the same neighbours she’d known growing up? Or had those people moved on with their lives and set up home somewhere far away from this place? There was a strange sort of feeling taking over her. Almost as if time had stopped during her absence and only now that she’d returned were the hands of the clock beginning to tick-tock again.

  ‘I can’t believe you’re no longer a virgin. What was it like? Did it hurt?’

  Sophia bit her lip. ‘I don’t know how to explain it, really. It was like… nothing I’ve ever felt before. It did hurt a bit, but it’s supposed to during your first time, isn’t it? He was so gentle though.’

  Magda squashed down the urge to ask more. She didn’t want to seem too interested in it. But she was. She wanted to know every single tiny detail of what it was like to have sex with Tom Archer. She looked at Sophia, tried to spot if there was any difference in her best friend now that she’d done the deed, but there was nothing obvious that had changed. She looked a bit glowy in the face, but that was expected.

  ‘I can’t believe it. You’re a proper grown-up woman now.’

  Sophia laughed. ‘Hardly. He still makes me go all giggly when he kisses my neck.’ She snorted at herself. ‘I guess it’ll be your turn next. We need to find you a man, Magda Crossley.’

  ‘I’m more than happy to wait for the right one to come along,’ she replied. ‘Until then, I can just live vicariously through you.’

  ‘Of course you can,’ sang Sophia, dancing around the room.

  She was in the throes of young love, and Magda couldn’t ignore the pang of jealousy she felt.

  Chapter Six

  The door to the salon closed behind Sophia as she stepped inside. She smiled at Cath when the stylist looked up from her appointment book. Situated behind her desk, she closed the thick black book with a shriek and flung her hands in the air in delighted surprise. The noise seemed awfully loud in the quiet salon and Sophia couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Hi, Cath. How are you?’ She made her way towards the desk, feeling warm inside at Cath’s familiar face, which was beaming at her.

  ‘Sophia! It’s been too long, doll.’ Cath, who had known Sophia since she was a young girl, rushed out from behind the desk, lunged towards her and enveloped her in a massive hug before taking a step back to frown at Sophia’s hair. ‘Far too long, it seems.’ She didn’t look impressed, and lifted a strand of hair before eyeing the wispy ends as if they were about to bite her. Sophia felt an old memory begin to resurface.

  ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Sophia looked at the two boxes of hair dye in her hands. They’d got them from the chemist’s on the way home from school, and now they were in Sophia’s bedroom, about to open the boxes and get started.

  ‘Of course it’s a good idea!’ Magda bounced on the spot. ‘Look how cool they are! We’ll look like a couple of pop stars when we go to school tomorrow morning. Everyone will want to copy us.’ Magda winked.

  ‘But won’t we get sent home or something? I mean, when I said hair dye, I meant normal colours. But I’ve got pillar-box red, and you’re about to turn your hair bloody purple!’

  ‘Oh, Sophia. Stop worrying. This is exciting. Don’t you want to stand out? We’re going to look ace. The girls will be so jealous of us.’

  Sophia eyed the box in her hand. ‘Hmm…’

  ‘Right. That’s it. No more time to think about it. We’re doing this right now.’ Magda tugged on her hand and pulled her out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the bathroom. Magda shut and locked the door behind them. ‘Who’s going first? Me or you?’

  Suffice to say, their moment of glory when they’d got into school the next day had lasted only until they’d stepped into their classroom. The teacher had gasped and they’d both been sent home, not allowed to return until their hair was back to normal. They’d laughed about that for ages. Sophia swallowed. It was that bloody invitation. It was bringing it all back to her. She focused on Cath.

  ‘It’s not that bad, is it?’ She suddenly felt self-conscious and wished she’d made the appointment to have her hair sorted out sooner. It was the same old story though. She’d intended to, but had just never found the time or forgotten.

  ‘Nothing your old Aunty Cathy can’t sort out. It’s a good job we’re not busy. Come on, take a seat and let’s sort you out, girl.’

  Cath led her to an empty seat and, as she began to snip away with her scissors, asked Sophia how her parents were. ‘I tell you, I couldn’t believe it when I heard they’d left. They’d always seemed pretty settled to me, your folks. Happy and that. I was quite surprised when they went through with it. I suppose I thought they’d pull out at the last minute but they didn’t. Off they went. I was so shocked.’

  ‘You and me both,’ said Sophia. ‘But they’re both very happy in their new home and that’s all that matters, isn’t it? I think you can grow tired of a place if you’re there for too long, and perhaps that’s how they were beginning to feel here. They lived here for forty odd years so it’s understandable in a way.’ She shrugged. ‘Still, they’re not too far away for a visit off me and Esther. I think they like having that distance between us, you know? We’re not in each other’s pockets but they’re still there, if we need them.’

  ‘I understand. I suppose it’s more of an occasion when you and Esther go to see them, rather than popping in and out all the time. Lift your head up for me, sweetheart. There we go, perfect.’ Cath snipped some more. ‘And what about you, Sophia? Is there a man on the scene yet? Anyone special in your life?’

  ‘Not yet,’ replied Sophia. ‘Honestly, I don’t feel like there’s room in my life for a man.’ Her thoughts turned to Michael. ‘What with working at the post office and looking after Esther, there’s barely time for me to just be me, never mind adding a man into the mix. Not sure how I’d find the time to entertain one.’

  ‘Well, that’s no good, is it? What about that online dating malarkey? Have you thought about giving that a go? It’s quick and simple. Thinking about it, I could set you up on a date with my grandson Simon. He’s about the same age as you. Good lad too. He’s on the lookout for a woman, tired of the single life now. He works full-time, takes good care of himself, and tells a cracking joke or two. What do you reckon?’

  S
ophia was trying her best not to cringe. Being set up on a date by Cath was a bit… much, wasn’t it? Simon sounded nice but she didn’t know him. He could be anyone. Still, Cath was a genuine woman and if she said he was an okay guy then Sophia trusted that he was. What was she even thinking of here? ‘I’m not too sure… Like I said, what with Esther and work, it’s tricky too organise anything that…’

  ‘Nonsense. You know as well as I do that you’re making excuses. Why? You’re a gorgeous, young, independent woman, Sophia. I bet, if you put yourself out there, you’d have a line of men waiting to take you out. Come on, give it a whirl. See what happens. I promise you he’s nothing out of the ordinary. Just a genuinely nice guy who I know would enjoy your company. Go on, make my grandson’s day!’

  As her name suggested, Sophia Good was a good person at heart, and now she felt as if she couldn’t turn down Cath’s offer without insulting her in some way. She wriggled uncomfortably in the seat and chewed her bottom lip. She caught Cath’s persuasive gaze in the mirror and felt herself cave immediately. ‘Okay. Fine. Let’s do it.’ Perhaps it was time to add a little excitement to her days, after all? It would be nice to have something to look forward to.

  ‘Really?’ Cath waved her arms in the air in celebration. ‘Fantastic! Oh, he’ll be chuffed to bits, and wait till I tell him what a cracker you are. He won’t be able to believe his flipping luck. Once we’re done here, I’ll take your phone number and text it across to him.’

  Cath continued cutting Sophia’s hair while wearing a massive, almost manic, grin and Sophia wondered what on earth she had just let herself in for. She’d only popped into the salon for a quick cut to tidy herself up a bit. Now, thanks to her inability to say no to people, she’d be leaving with a date lined up for some time in the very near future with a man she had never even met.