by Tara Ford
The sound of the shop’s door opening, several times, didn’t perturb Jenny’s day-dreaming. The sight of Aaron comforting Tracey, while they waited for Tom to arrive was soothing, in fact. The reality of the situation had floated away as Jenny sunk further into disbelief. The scene unfolding in front of her was dramatically good to watch… as long as she didn’t have to be involved in it…
“Jen!” the sound of her name being called loudly, brought Jenny to her senses. Turning round, she peered up the shop. Dayna stood at the other end of the aisle, beckoning to her frantically. “Jen, come up here, quick.”
The urgency in Dayna’s voice was instantly recognizable. Something was wrong. “I’ll be back in a minute, Aaron. Will you be ok?”
“Will he be ok? Are you serious? I’ve broken my coccyx and you’re asking him if he’s ok…”
Aaron nodded and shot a faint smile at Jenny. “Can I get you a glass of water, Tracey?” he asked, politely.
Jenny arrived at the front of the shop as they walked in, through the door.
Two policemen stood side by side and scoured the shop with discerning eyes. The expressionless look on their faces suggested that they were not looking for a pint of milk.
“Can I help you?” asked Jenny, nervously, while shooting a cursory glance across to Dayna.
“Looking for the owner of this shop, Miss,” replied the stockier policeman.
“I am the owner.” Jenny held her breath…
“We’ve had a report that there has been an incident here, Miss.”
“Yes… well… more like an accident, rather than an incident, officer,” Dayna called out, from behind the counter. “I think you’ve been slightly misled, Sir.”
“We’ll be the judge of that,” said the other policeman.
“It’s that man upstairs, Jen – he spat at me, from his window. It’s him that’s done this, I tell you.”
Jenny glared at her friend with a historically recognisable, ‘shut your freaking mouth, Dayna, just for one minute’, stare.
The door opened again and the two policemen turned around spontaneously.
With a worried expression across his pointy face, tiny Tom walked in. “Where’s my wife?” he squeaked, loudly.
“I’m down here,” came the shrill voice of Tracey. “Tom – I’m here!”
Passing the policemen, Tom looked across at Jenny and smiled sheepishly, before disappearing down the first aisle.
“Is there somewhere we could go for a talk?” asked the first policeman.
“Err… yes… my office,” replied Jenny. “Would you follow me?” She walked off down the second aisle, followed by the two police officers.
“Take me to the hospital, Tom” hollered Tracey, as Jenny and the policemen went into the office.
“Who is that?” asked the second policeman.
“That’s the lady who I accidentally knocked on the floor,” replied Jenny.
“I’ll go and talk to her,” said the first officer.
“I need to go to the hospital, Tom. I’m not kidding you – I’ve cracked my coccyx. I’ve been attacked.”
Tracey’s voice was growing louder and Jenny cringed at every word she uttered.
“Are you sure, sugarplum? We’ll get you checked out first. You may just have a bruised bottom,” said Tom.
“Don’t call me sugarplum. Get me to the hospital, Tom. I’m telling you – my coccyx is cracked! I know a cracked coccyx when I’ve got one. That woman is a maniac – she should be locked up. First my car… and… and… now me. Get those policemen to lock her away, Tom.”
Pulling a notebook and pen from his pocket, the second policeman leaned on the door frame. “Ok, I need to know what has happened here. Can you start from the beginning?”
“Well…” said Jenny, “it’s my fault – yes, I admit that, one hundred percent – but it’s all been a terrible accident.”
“Carry on,” said the officer, as he began jotting notes down. A half smile was slowly spreading across his face as he tried to listen to Jenny, while Tracey gave an overwrought, long-winded account of her physical assault, in the room next door.
“Tom – listen to me. I don’t care what anyone says or thinks – I’ve got a broken coccyx – it’s not just any old sore or bruised bottom. We should sue her, Tom. Constable – arrest her – she cracked my coccyx. She attacked me for no reason.” There was a momentary pause before she continued. “And… and she maliciously damaged my car last night, as well. She needs locking up.”
Escorting Tracey out of the shop, Tom and Aaron helped her to hobble to Tom’s car. Complaining all the way and causing such a raucous commotion, Tracey’s exit from Millen Road was highly dramatised.
The two policemen left, satisfied that they had enough information to draw a conclusion that the incident was indeed, an accident. A report would be made and both Jenny and Mrs Tracey Gubbins would receive a copy. However, if Mrs Gubbins wished to pursue matters further, the report would help with any claim for compensation she wished to make for the injuries she may have received.
Slumped behind the counter, Jenny sat on a stool, staring mindlessly out of the window.
Upon Aaron’s return from the depositing of Mrs Gubbins and her sore bottom, Dayna brought three mugs of coffee to the counter.
“Blimey, there’s never a dull moment in here, Jenny,” said Aaron, rubbing his forehead. Glancing up at the clock, he added, “what time do you close tonight?”
“Why? Jenny asked, flatly.
“Well, I was thinking about getting this job done but it depends how long I’ve got.”
Peering up at the clock, Jenny noted the time. Over an hour had passed and Aaron hadn’t been able to start anything yet. “Look, if it’s too much today… after what I’ve just put you through… well, I’m happy to leave it for another day. I’m really sorry Aaron.”
“Jenny, I have no issue with staying here longer. If it takes me half the night, I’m happy to do that.”
Resisting the urge to burst into tears, Jenny picked up her mug of coffee and slurped it. “I just don’t know what to say, Aaron. I’ll leave it for you to decide. I’m here until ten tonight."
“Then I’ll make a start.” Aaron took a sip of his coffee and placed his mug on the windowsill, behind the till. “I’ll get the gear in… if it’s safe to do so now. Joking!”
“Ok,” replied Jenny, without raising as much as a smirk. “And I do apologise for everything, Aaron – really, I do.”
“It’s not a problem. Can I just ask though… is it like this every day, in your shop?”
Dayna jumped in quick, “No, it only seems to happen when you’re here, it must be all your fault that these bad things keep happening.” Dayna let out a tiny titter. “Only kidding,” she added.
“Very funny,” said Aaron and walked out of the shop, grinning.
Jenny forced a smile and picked the envelope up, which had been laying on the counter since Tom and Tracey had left.
“Have you looked at it yet?”
Shaking her head, Jenny replied, nonchalantly, “Nope.”
“They got their car looked at pretty quick, if you ask me. Have a look how much it is.”
“I daren’t after the luck I’ve been having lately.”
“It’s not going to be that much, just to repair a wing mirror.”
Hooking a finger into one end of the sealed envelope, Jenny ripped it open. She pulled the headed piece of paper out and unfolded it. She stared at the garage’s report. She blinked. She looked over the piece of paper again. She blinked again. Thrusting the report towards Dayna, Jenny stood up and adjusted her top. “I’m going to the toilet. I’ll be back in a minute.”
The tall, step-ladders were in, propped up against the magazine rack. Rolls of cable and other peculiar looking objects, were piled neatly, at the end of the counter. Aaron’s toolbox sat on the floor, behind the counter and Aaron was leant on the till, finishing his coffee and talking to Dayna.
Jenny had
been gone for ten minutes. She had not wanted her friend or Aaron to see her cry.
“You ok?” asked Dayna softly, as Jenny approached the counter and gave a wavering smile.
“Yes, just needed some time-out…”
“I’ve told Aaron everything – hope you didn’t mind, Jen. He now understands why you flew out of the door to try and catch Marj.”
“Ah good. I was going to explain everything to you sooner or later, Aaron.”
“I’m sure you would have, in time.” Aaron continued, “I hear that you have had an encounter with that obnoxious woman, Tracey, before?”
“Yes, last night.”
Aaron nodded his head, sympathetically. “Yes, Dayna just told me. I think she’s trying to con you with that bill, Jenny.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes, it’s a ridiculous price. Did you see any scratches on the driver’s door last night?”
“I didn’t really look, to be honest. It was dark.”
“Well, I would say that you should get a second opinion. £235 is a lot of money to pay when all you did was knock her wing mirror off. Even if there is a small scratch and she needs a new mirror, you can get it done a lot cheaper than that.” Aaron stood upright and folded his arms. “Don’t let them take the mick, Jenny. If there’s anything that I can do to help, let me know.”
“I will, thanks Aaron.” Jenny sensed the warmth, genuine concern and desire to help, radiating from Aaron’s heart. Deep down, she knew that the feelings of attraction were mutual. If only she had time in her life to give it a go…
Chapter 21
With dexterity and an aptitude to work conscientiously around the customers using the shop, Aaron plowed through the task of running cables from one length of the building to the other. Pulling the cables through the ceiling void, he politely waited for people to do their shopping before he moved his step-ladder along to the next part of the ceiling. After a couple of hours of taking ceiling tiles down, putting them back, running cables neatly around the walls where the joists prevented access above, Aaron came down from the ladder and stood with his hands on his hips, staring down the length of the shop. “Right, that’s the first bit done. Need to fit the sockets next.” Looking at the clock on the wall, he added, “Just a loose fitting on that light, Jenny. I’ve pushed it back in for you. Now then, anyone hungry?”
Dayna’s eyes lit up. “Starving – what do you fancy? We could cook up something, in the microwave.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of a take-away. What do you think, Jenny?”
“Yes, that sounds good… and thanks for doing the light. I’m sure it’s because of that man upstairs jumping around every day.” Jenny’s mood had lifted during the afternoon and the three of them had enjoyed a bit of banter and a few giggles. She’d been impressed by Aaron’s friendly, fun nature with the customers. And almost every one of the shoppers had stopped to ask him what he was doing and then have a chat with him. He’d been up and down his ladder far more times than he had needed to but out of politeness, he’d come down from the ceiling space to talk to them. Jenny was sure that he could have done the job in half the time, if it hadn’t been for the countless, trivial conversations. Not that she was timing him – he could stay and chat to people all day long as far as she was concerned.
“Chinese? Indian? Plain old fish and chips?”
“I’m not fussed,” replied Jenny.
“Well if someone’s got to choose – I go with Chinese,” called Dayna, from behind the counter.
“Ok,” said Aaron, dusting his hands off. “I’ll go and get it and it’s on me too.”
Dayna looked over to Jenny and raised her eyebrows, then she called out, “Cool, thanks Aaron.”
“Yes, thank you,” repeated Jenny. “You really don’t have to pay for it though.”
“Yes I do… got to keep the client happy.” Chuckling to himself, Aaron went through to the staffroom to wash his hands.
“I’m hardly a client if you’re doing all of this work for nothing, Aaron. I just hope that it is going to pay off within a year,” said Jenny, following him into the staffroom and leaning on the doorframe while she watched him wash his hands.
“It will pay off, trust me – I’m an expert in these things.” Aaron turned and smiled sweetly.
“And why are you an expert?” Jenny asked, lightheartedly.
“Just am… I can tell.” Winking a thick lashed eye, he shook the water from his hands and grabbed a towel. “Look, seriously, don’t worry about it, Jenny. You’ve got enough to think about at the moment. Like I’ve said before, if you weren’t making use of this system, it would be sat in my garage or my mum’s store room, rusting away. Whatever happens in a year’s time – we’ll deal with it then.”
Jenny refrained from melting into a haze of passionate longing down the edge of the door frame, and simply nodded. “Ok… and I am really grateful, Aaron.”
“I know. Right, I’m off. I’ll be back with your dinner soon, madam.”
Moving out of the way to let Aaron through, Jenny watched him as he walked up the aisle and out of the door. Then all of her troubles trickled back into her head, one by one.
Between the pair of them, Jenny and Dayna had managed to eat a delicious assortment of Chinese cuisine while taking it in turns to hurry up the aisle and serve any customers. Aaron had sat on a stool in the staffroom and consumed as much food as the other two put together. Where did he put it all, Jenny had wondered? His sleek frame did a perfect job of disguising his man-sized appetite.
By seven o’clock Aaron had finished fitting the two sockets. “Ok, I’m off now, Jenny.”
“What time are you back tomorrow?”
“Err… as soon as I can. In the morning sometime. Is that ok?”
“Yes, fine. My dad and brother will be here tomorrow. I hope they won’t get in your way. They’re fitting that,” said Jenny, pointing to the big box behind her.
“Ah yes – your awning. It’ll look cool when it’s finished, eh?”
Jenny nodded her head and smiled. “Yes, I feel like the shop is really coming along nicely – just need to sort out a few of the existing customers and local residents, get some more people using the shop and then employ another assistant.”
“It’ll come soon enough. You haven’t exactly got a lot of competition around here. It’s just a case of letting people know you’re here.”
“Yes, I know. I’m on it,” said Jenny, remembering her mission to print off some flyers – which she hadn’t got around to yet.
“Good. Ok, I’ll see you in the morning. Keep your chin up and sort that bill out.” Aaron winked and then left.
“So, when are you going upstairs to have a word with that man?” asked Dayna.
“I’ll leave it until Monday lunchtime, when you and Tasha are both here.” Jenny thought for a moment. “No… actually, it’ll have to be Tuesday.”
“Why?”
“I think Aaron said that we were going out for lunch on Monday.”
“Are you dating him?” asked Dayna, wide-eyed.
“No, Day. Not at all. He mentioned it last week. He may not even remember or he might even change his mind before Monday… it’s purely business anyway.”
“Hmm… he fancies the pants off you. It’s so obvious. It’ll lead to more if you let it.”
“No, I don’t have time anymore, Day. I can’t even manage to find time for myself – let alone anyone else. It’s not going to happen, unfortunately… and I could hardly say to him, ‘Ooh, I really like you but could you wait a year or two and then maybe we could date’.”
Dayna laughed. “You could try – if he wants you badly enough, he’ll wait.”
“Yeah right,” replied Jenny, despondently. “Gosh, look at the time, it’s gone so quick today. You’d better get going.”
“It’s gone quick because you’ve had Aaron to chat to. He’s taken your mind off things. I hope you won’t start moping around when I’ve gone, Jen.�
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“No. Why would I do that?”
“Don’t go reading that note again – I know what you’re like.”
“No, I won’t. I promise.”
Dayna had just missed the nightly ‘thumps’, dancing across the ceiling, and they appeared louder tonight, almost like they were ‘revenge thumps’. An absence of people in the shop meant that the noises were purely for Jenny’s ears. The vexatious sound was beginning to soak into her head, swim around her brain and swill out her usual buoyant, bubbly approach to life.
The last two hours of the day were the longest. Jenny opened the note and browsed through the contents. She wasn’t really reading it – more like a cursory glance or just taking a quick gander. Ok, she was reading it again, despite her promise. She picked up the other sheet of paper, from the repair garage, and scanned the itemized bill. Then she moped around for the last hour, wearing a false smile for every person who walked in the shop, just as Dayna said she would.
After another restless night, the morning thumps grated and ground-down Jenny’s nerves. Today, there would be lots of things going on, what with Aaron returning to install the till and set up the computer and Jenny’s dad and brother fitting the awning. Her dad would know what to do about everything. He would be able to give her the best advice. He would know how to deal with all of the mess. Her dad would tell her to stay positive and that these were just the small hiccups in life that everyone had to deal with, from time to time and she would have to smile her way through them. He had become very philosophical since Jenny’s mum had died.
Jenny’s dad and Jacob arrived a few minutes after Tasha had walked through the door. “Morning Dad,” called Jenny. “Alright bruv?”
The two men looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
Jacob said nothing which was the norm for an early Sunday morning, or any morning.
“Morning love – you sound cheerful,” replied Dad.
Jenny tutted and rolled her eyes upward. “You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had. It’s a case of keep smiling or lay down and die.”
