WHO WAS SHE?
Shona watched the rivulets of rain cascading down the windowpane as she waited for her friend, Joanne. She was early, expecting the café to be busy, but today it was empty. The only customer was leaving as she entered.
‘Good morning, Megan. No customers this morning? Perhaps it’s the weather. Seeing as how I’m early, I’ll just have a black coffee while I wait for Joanne.’
‘No problem, my dear. Take a seat and I’ll bring it over. You’ve not long missed Hilda and Jean; they were in earlier than usual. Going to a funeral, they told me, one of their friends who passed away last week. You may have known her, a Joyce MacGregor who used to work in the old Woolworths shop.’
‘Yes, that’s such a shame and a lovely lady. It would explain why I hadn’t seen her for a while, but I hadn’t heard about her being ill, though. I remember she kept a bag of the pick n mix sweets behind the counter which she offered to us kids when we went in on a Saturday. She was always hard-
As Megan turned to come around from the back of the counter, ‘ I’ll take the coffee and save you a walk,’ Shona said as she held her hand out.
‘I’m just heading back into the kitchen to finish icing a cake. If you need anything else, just give me a shout,’ Megan replied.
Taking her coffee, Shona settled herself at the table next to the picture window, from where she would see Joanne approaching. She took her notebook from her backpack and switched it on. While waiting for her laptop to come to life, Shona sipped her coffee and watched an elderly lady passing the window, hunkered under her umbrella. The woman stopped, retraced her steps to the café door, opened it and looked around as though making sure no-
‘You are Shona Mackay?’ she asked.
‘Yes, but I’m not sure that I know you. How can I help?’
‘I called at your address about ten minutes ago. As I was getting back into my car, your neighbour told me you were meeting a friend here this morning.’
‘Yes, that’s right, but she’s never on time. Can I ask you your name? I don’t think I know you,’ Shona frowned, trying to think who this well-
‘You don’t know me, but I knew your late mother and Joyce MacGregor. We all went to the same school and I was in the year above them. I am just heading to Joyce’s funeral now.’ She delved into an expensive-
Shona watched the woman walking away from her and stopping at the counter to speak to Megan. How odd was that, she thought, who is she and what’s in the envelope?
‘Are you okay?’ Megan asked, bringing a fresh coffee over with her and setting it down on the table. ‘You look pale, white in fact. Would you like me to call Joanne?’
‘No, no, I’ll be fine. It shouldn’t be long before she’s here, but I didn’t order another coffee.’
‘I know, but you looked as though you needed one when I saw the colour of you and I have no alcohol here; otherwise, I’d have given you a dram,’ Megan smiled.
Just then, the café door opened and Joanne strolled in, ‘Morning guys, no other customers, Megan?’
‘Not at the moment; think the weather might be putting folk off coming out. A coffee for you too, Joanne? I’ve Just given Shona a fresh one.’
Joanne sat opposite Shona. ‘Yes, a latte would be fantastic right now. It’s been hectic so far this morning.’ She turned back to look at Shona. ‘Are you okay? You look awful. Nothing terrible happened, I hope.’
Megan returned with Joanne’s coffee, set it on the table and took her pad and pen from her apron pocket. ‘What can I get you for lunch, or would you prefer to wait for a bit and catch up with the latest craic?’ looking towards Shona. ‘You’re getting a bit more colour back now. Care to tell me what happened?’
‘The lady who came in, what did she say to you?’
‘What lady, I didn’t see or speak to any lady.’
‘Just minutes before you came over with my second coffee, she was speaking to you. I saw her put money on the counter.’
‘Sorry, Shona, I didn’t speak to any lady or see money on the counter.’
‘But look, she left this,’ Shona picked up the envelope and waved it between them. ‘She said she was going to Joyce’s funeral and would be back in twenty minutes.’
‘Did she tell you her name?’ Joanne piped in.
‘No, she didn’t, but she said she had been at the same school as Joyce and my mum. I assume they had been good friends, but my mum never talked much about her latter schooldays, only her early days at school,’ Shona answered while looking at the brown envelope and turning it over in her hand. ‘There is nothing written on this. That lady said she would explain when she came back. Hopefully, that’ll be in the next five to ten minutes. I don’t understand what’s going on here. Joanne, you didn’t pass an elderly lady walking away from here?’
‘Sorry, nobody on the street, only the ironmonger’s cat, which ran out the door in front of me.’
‘We’ll just have to wait. Perhaps we should have lunch and take my mind off it for now. What will we have?’ Shona queried.
Megan left them to look at the menu while she checked things in the kitchen, then returned to take their order. Shona’s head snapped around as she heard the door open, but it was two lads from the bank coming in for their takeaway coffees and sandwiches.
‘She’ll be back, Shona. Perhaps the funeral went on longer than she thought it would. Let’s enjoy lunch, which Megan is coming over with right now.’
‘ Enjoy your lunch girls and take as long as you want. I don’t think it will be busy in here today, the way that rain is pummelling the ground.’
Shona picked up the envelope and placed it in her bag. Out of sight, out of mind, she was going to enjoy Megan’s wonderful homemade quiche.
Megan approached their table to clear away the dishes while noticing how much better Shona looked. ‘Looks like you both enjoyed that meal, and Shona, I’m pleased to see you have got your colour back. Are you feeling better?’
‘Yes, Megan and our lunches were delicious. You really are a master at making a quiche.’ Shona smiled, then checked her watch. ‘Hey, that lady hasn’t returned yet and it’s been way over an hour, nearly two. What do I do?’ she panicked.
‘Calm down,’ Megan and Joanne chimed in together. ‘There is nothing you can do right now, but what plans did you have for this afternoon?’ Joanne asked.
‘Nothing much, just working on this book I’m writing. Why?’
‘You have your laptop with you, so you could work here while you wait for her. Or you could go home and work, but I would suggest you stay here where you have company. No-
‘Please stay here,’ Joanne added, ‘and I’ll come and pick you up when I’m finished work, then we can decide what to do if this lady doesn’t reappear.’
‘Okay, I don’t want to be in the way or putting anyone out.’
‘Stay put, young lady. You are not in the way. Just make sure I get a signed copy of that book when it’s printed.’ Megan answered, giving Shona a hug.
‘Thank you, Megan. You will definitely be the first to get a copy. You as well, Joanne, before you jump in.’ They all laughed as Joanne left to return to work.
Shona returned to her writing, into which she soon got lost. Megan served the odd customers who came in, which were few as the rain continued late into the afternoon. At half-
‘How has the writing been going?’ Megan asked.
‘After this morning, it’s been a lot better than I thought it would, so thank you for letting me stay.’
‘You never know, this café could become famous if you do a J K Rowling and come out with a blockbuster of book and film.’ They both collapsed in hysterics as Joanne entered the café.
‘Okay, what’s the joke, you two?’
They told her.
‘You never know. Maybe one day…’ replied Joanne. ‘Your lady didn’t come back then?’
‘No, she didn’t, so what do we do now?’ asked Shona.
‘We open, here, together,’ suggested Megan, ‘then decide, depending what it is or says.’
‘I agree,’ answered Shona, ‘you are both my best friends and I trust you,’ retrieving the envelope from her bag.
She turned the envelope several times before sliding her pen into a gap in the fold of it and breaking the seal. A brass key tumbled out onto the table, followed by a folded sheet of paper.
‘Looks like a house key,’ Megan noted, without picking it up. ‘What does the paper say?’ she asked.
Shona looked at them both, stunned by what she had read. Shaking her head, she passed the paper to Joanne and Megan. They read it together while Shona stared at the key. Shona was trying to take in what she had just learned; she had always known about her adoption. Her mother had been unable to have children, but Shona had never known who her real mother was until now. Joyce MacGregor’s sister, Mary, was her mother, but she had died in childbirth. Weeks after Mary had left school, she had discovered she was pregnant by a boy in her class. The key in the envelope was for Joyce’s house, which now belonged to Shona.
No wonder Megan didn’t see the lady…