Remember Me - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Side 1 Track 2

Sunshine After The Rain (Elkie Brooks)

Cassie's Story

The next day, Fernando was playing on the café radio, and suddenly Cassie was back outside the youth club, Josh's moist lips pressed to hers for the first time, his nose colliding awkwardly with her own.

'Cassie, stop day-dream.  You have customer waiting', Stelios snapped as he emerged from the kitchen.

'His voice grates like fingernails on a chalk board' Cassie grumbled under her breath, quickly walking over to serve an elderly gentleman in a flat cap who'd barely had time to take a seat.  She'd always been a dreamer, often found herself disappearing deep into her own thoughts.  Back in the spring, that night at the local youth disco, Josh had asked her to be his girlfriend.  Her first kiss was wetter than she'd expected, but they'd gotten better.

Most of her friends had been so envious of Josh's interest in her.  Preferring books to boys, not so much a shrinking violet as a late bloomer, she'd been the last girl in her class anyone expected to have a boyfriend.  At fifteen, captain of the school football team, Josh was almost a year older. They'd been friends since infants' school and to be his first girlfriend seemed the natural step for Cassie to take.  But, by the Autumn, news of their breakup quickly made the rounds at school; and the back of the toilet cubicle doors.

Since the day he left, in her heart it had rained every day.  In the month leading up to the end of term, a couple of overly confident seniors had made it all too obvious they were interested in asking her out.  But until that week, the split from Josh had been too raw, too painful, to think about dating another boy.

Unlike just about everywhere else in their home town, she had no memories of Josh from the café.  On Saturday's he'd played for the town under sixteen football team, and spent the day with his mates. 

All that day Cassie kept looking up, butterflies in her tummy, as the café door opened, hoping the dark haired boy would call in for a coffee.  But as the afternoon drew to a close, the disappointment lay heavy in her chest.  As Cassie busied herself at the end of her shift, she realised thoughts of her former boyfriend had all but been replaced by images of the boy she'd seen twice that week.  Dreaming what it would be like to kiss someone new, someone older, Cassie shook her head and laughed at the ridiculous notion.  Whoever the boy was, he wouldn't be interested in a skinny, just turned fifteen year old, with no boobs and an unsightly spot on her nose no amount of Clearasil had been able to shift, and whose hair stunk of fried food and cigarettes.

She was still hoping the boy would walk in, newspaper in hand, when the owner started closing up.

'Come, start now finish tables and do floor' Stelios ordered.

Sighing wistfully, Cassie did as she was told.

-- 👭 --

The weekend didn't get off to the best of starts.  Her regular bus failed to show, making Cassie late for the beginning of her shift.  When she finally arrived, dripping wet from the ice-cold rain, and out of breath after running from the stop, her boss was his usual surly self.  In the middle of a vain attempt to explain, Stelios waved dismissively towards Lucy, and the customers she was covering along with her own.

'Work now', he barked gruffly.

Taking off her wet jacket and moving quickly to her station, Cassie mouthed a silent 'Sorry' to her best friend, who cheekily smiled back and responded with an equally silent 'No problem'.

Moments later Lucy made her way towards the kitchen, whispering as she passed, 'I need to talk to you, Cass' before departing under the ever watchful eye of the "Grumpy Greek" as they both called Stelios behind his back.

It was a private joke amongst the staff, Stelios didn't know what continent he was on, never mind which planet.  The red booths installed the year before were American diner, the pictures on the walls distinctly Mediterranean, the waitress uniforms French bistro.  But while they might laugh behind his back, his employees would never have made fun of him to his face.  A large, shouty man with greasy black hair and dark unshaven jowls, everyone who worked for Stelios, and wanted to keep their job, was rightly scared of his temper.

Maybe Lucy overheard Stelios saying he's going to sack me Cassie worried – it was the second time she'd been late that month.  Her boss never forgave tardiness, took it as a personal insult when one of his employees arrived after the start of a shift.  Cassie remembered the sick day she'd taken in October, the day after Josh told her he was leaving for Canada.  And Stelios was still holding that against her.

Perhaps it's something else?  I hope those stupid seniors don't come in again.  They're such a pain.  For the last two Saturday's a group of youths from school had been showing off in the café, trying to flirt with Lucy.  Stelios shouted at them both for encouraging their immature antics.  It's the last thing I need today.

Of course, Cassie had nothing to do with it.  Lucy was the type of girl boys flocked around at school, trying to win her attention, slipping funny, flirty notes into her locker or onto her desk.  Why would they want to talk to me?  My hips are so skinny, and my chest so flat, I look more like a boy.   Although they were very different, the two girls were the best of friends.  Outgoing and convivial, Lucy was trendy and wore the latest fashions.  Cassie, self-conscious and socially awkward, envied the easy way her friend had with the opposite sex, how Lucy could navigate herself around them without coming aground.

Despite Cassie's boyish gawkiness, there was one of the group of Sixth Formers, Simon, she knew liked her.  His nickname was "Spock", for his pointy ears, flaring outwards like sails from the side of his skull.  But even that was better than the cruel nickname the cool girls had given her – "Pebbles".  Or if they were being particularly nasty – "Double A".  Before getting together with Josh, Simon had cringingly asked Cassie to go with him to the school disco.  She'd politely declined, and, thankfully, Simon hadn't spoken a word to her since.  But after breaking up with Josh, she'd increasingly noticed the gangling youth hanging around her classes, and before and after school.

Throughout her shift, Cassie worried what Lucy wanted.  If indeed, this would be her last shift.  She tried to engineer an opportunity to speak with her friend, but Stelios always seemed to be hovering over them with his brooding, dark gaze.  Just when Cassie thought she'd have to wait until later in the day, Lucy was behind her whispering 'Guess who was asking about you yesterday?'

She stared back, wide-eyed with surprise.  'Simon?  How many times do I have to tell him I'm not interested!' making no attempt to keep the irritation from her tone.

'No, dumb-ass. Not the Vulcan!' Lucy replied, rolling her eyes, moving away quickly as Stelios approached from the direction of the kitchen.

Cassie spent the next hour taking countless orders, with her friend sending knowing smirks and winks her way.  Bitch!  I hate it when she teases me she thought with barely disguised exasperation.  It was obvious Lucy was enjoying Cassie's annoyance, tormenting her friend with her secret.

Above the buildings on the opposite side of the street, the dark clouds opened, and the bright sun shone through the ceiling to floor plate glass front of the cafe.  Suddenly, Cassie had an image of the tall brown-haired boy.

It couldn't be him.  Could it?  What would he want with me?