Chapter 17

I went to her and stood by her side until she had finished serving. “Liz, a guy over there says I’ve given him fish and chips when he said he ordered calamari. What do I do?”

“Don’t panic. Let’s go to the kitchen. Get his order slip and see what he ordered.”

We got the slip, and fish and chips were on it. What a relief. “Come with me, Jess.”

Liz took charge when we returned to the customer’s table. “Hi, I’m Liz. We looked at what you ordered, and it was fish and chips. However, if you would like the calamari, we’ll gladly replace it at no charge.”

“Nah, I’ll eat this. I want to eat with my family. Thanks for the offer.”

“See, Jess. Keep the customer happy, even if they got it wrong.”

“Thank you.”

What a day. The time whizzed by. And before I knew it, it was knockoff time.

Coops came up behind me, gently tapping me on the bum, slid his arm around my waist, and said, “What do you think about your first day?”

“Wicked. I was so busy. I didn’t notice how quickly the time went.”

“Yeah, it gets like that on Saturday and Sunday. Would you like me to take you to the hospital now?”

“Can we go to my place so I can get changed? Then we can do something from there. Is that okay?”

“Sure, no worries.”

After a quick trip home to change into jeans, a polo top, and a cardigan for later, Cooper drove me to the hospital.

“Would you like to visit my Mum?”

“Nah, I’ll stay here and wait for you.”

“Okay.”

Arriving at Mum’s room, I should have guessed Riley would be there. He was holding her hand and lightly rubbing up and down her forearm.

“Hi, Mum,” I said brightly while ignoring Riley.

“Aren’t you going to say hi to Riley?”

Typical. No hello for me, only eyes for her lover, and her first words to me were a criticism.

“It’s you. I’ve come and see. Not him.”

“I don’t think you’ve been very fair to Riley. Dropping him because you believe he was in the car with me. He wasn’t; my accident occurred at half past midnight, Rileys happened at two, so get it out of your mind that Riley was with me.”

“See Jess, I wanted to tell you earlier, but you wouldn’t have it. You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Okay, sorry, Riley, Mum, for jumping to the wrong conclusion about your car accidents, but that’s not the real reason I dropped him, and he hasn’t had the guts to tell you?”

“I don’t have a clue what you are talking about.”

“Mum, you’re breaking my heart into a million pieces by having an affair with this guy. Dad will be distraught when he finds out, and you’ll end up wrecking our family. Do you know he picks up milf’s older women and grannies from the casino so he can have a one-night stand? We are both notches on his belt, and...”

“You nasty piece of work. How dare you suggest that Riley and I are having an affair? Do you have proof?”

“No, I have my suspicions, but by saying that, your words alone tell me you are. Please ... please, Mum, think of your family.”

“Get out, you ... you ... you horrible little girl. Riley is offering me support before I have another operation tomorrow.”

I was losing my cool and shouted angrily, “Was the baby Dad’s or Riley’s?”

“You insolent ... vicious ... nasty little cow. Get out now before I call the nurse and ask her to get security to throw you out. How dare you suggest such a thing, and don’t bother coming to see me again!”

“Mum ... please. I love you.”

In a fit of rage, Mum shouted, “Get out now, you little bitch!”

Feeling downhearted and shedding a tear, I turned and left Mum with her lover, wondering what would become of our family when Dad found out the shocking truth that his wife was having an affair.

Cooper was waiting for me at the entrance, and after having a row with Mum, it was nice to see a cheerful face.

“Hey Jess, you don’t look too happy. What’s wrong?”

“Family stuff, it’s getting to me. I feel so broken-hearted.”

“Oh, that’s so uncool. What can I do to cheer you up?”

“Cuddle me, kiss me, hold me in your arms.”

Cooper held out his arms, and I moved against his chest for him to cuddle and hold me. We stood there cuddling for several minutes, and the longer it went, the better I felt. Looking up at him, I said, “Thank you. I needed that.” Then, pushing myself up on my tiptoes, I kissed him. Our embrace was loving and gentle, calming me and bringing me back to my usual self.

“Where would you like to go?”

“Some place quiet, maybe looking over the ocean.”

“Neat. I know the perfect spot down by the old deserted power station in South Fremantle. No one ever goes there.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“You wanna get something to eat on the way?”

“Wicked, why not.”

What’s your fancy?”

“Mexican.”

“Yep, can do, cool.”

We collected our food and drink and drove to the dilapidated power station that served as a sanctuary for “Taggers.”

Coops was right, and although only a short distance from the main road, it was so peaceful, and with it being the middle of winter, I was positive we wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Shall we get in the back?” I asked when we pulled up.

“Wicked.”

After getting in the back, we ate our food, and we could see the lights on the marker buoys bobbing up and down as we looked out over the ocean. There was no moon, most likely covered by clouds, with rain due. I felt uneasy after the run-in with Mum, the night sky echoing my thoughts. Angry one minute, remorseful the next for losing my cool with her. It was like I didn’t know what to do, and looking over the ocean seemed the best option, trying to soothe my angry mind.